WHOA, BABY

Yesterday I went to visit two very old friends. One lives in the mid sixty’s on the west side of Manhattan, and one like me, traveled there for the visit. We ate lunch at a very nice sushi restaurant and had a great time chatting about who is doing what, who is still a bastard, and who is retired or not.

Ronne, the lady of this prestigious group of has-beens, is now doing recipe breakdowns for the Weight Watchers web site, where she takes a favorite recipe and converts it to a Weight Watcher recipe with all the calorie and point counting to ruin any holiday plans I may have and put instant guilt upon my soul if I should use it. She complains it doesn’t pay much, but it makes her happy. This is a lady that wrote for Publishers Clearing House for the big Sweepstakes money that is given away. Bill, with a similar background at Publishers, is now working nights at the IRS. Neither one of them has lost their spirit or humor, as we rollicked all over the table and wondered when the owner would throw us out. He never did.

The mid-sixty’s is great place to live and eat or shop. There are very interesting sights to see and places to go to. In the area are the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Columbus Circle and the studios for ABC Television. As we ate lunch, we were sitting next to the window adjacent to the street when who walked by but Sam Champion, the news guy for the local weather, on ABC, carrying a leather brief case and smiling with his wavy blond hair! If that is not enough, as I was climbing the steps to 66th Street, who was standing there with a film crew behind her but Kelly Ripa, the maniacal sidekick and co-host to Regis Philbin on his daily show!

Perhaps the highlight of the day was something I hope never happens to me again! I board the elevator to go up to Ronne’s apartment on the 9th floor of this very beautiful apartment building, when the doors open up and as I step in, there before me is a baby in a carriage, all alone, crying for Momma! The doors close behind me, and I begin to panic thinking someone is going to accuse me of kidnapping this kid, while all along trying my best to sooth the child and ask it not to cry! I decide I’ll go up to Ronne’s apartment and have her call the superintendent to call the police. When I get to the 9th floor, there is the mother of the child along with a maid, looking frantic and scared. They see me and the baby and I say: “This your kid?” the maid answered in the affirmative and I turn over the kid and carriage, with Ronne at her door, now starting to laugh hysterically at me. It seems the maid put the carriage with the child in it on the elevator first and turned to get something, I pushed the button downstairs and the doors closed on her before she could step in with the mother.

I’m staying home today.