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October 31, 2022


Happy Halloween from everyone here at michaelaba.com. (Meaning me, of course…)


The pressure is on to get my monthly blog in before November begins, and it occurs to me I haven’t offered one of my meaningless run-on rants for some time…


So here we go!


(I’m hereby giving myself advanced permission to make no sense whatsoever…)


Feels great to be a Major League Baseball fan again. Found myself scoring a ticket to Fenway Park back in June and then couldn’t resist two more recent nights at Yankee Stadium hoping to watch the great Aaron Judge hit home run #61 or #62. Though this quest ultimately failed (mine - not his!), as did their run to the World Series, I’m actually still interested in which of the two remaining teams wins the title.


Go Phillies, I say.


And I don’t believe I’ve ever uttered those two words before…


Haven’t watched the news so much these past two weeks, because what’s the point of debating who is going to win an election when we’ll all know soon enough? I know in this moment the general consensus seems to lean towards Republicans riding a Red Wave, but for the life of me, I can’t see how this can possibly be true. Though I’ve never been a big fan of conspiracy theories, I’m thinking perhaps nervous Democrats make for better ratings.


My God, though… Herschel Walker… and Dr. Oz… might win?!!


My mind and heart scream - emphatically - NO!!


Though I’ve recently hit early retirement age (at the extreme younger end of the spectrum, thank you very much!), suddenly this week saw me toiling away at three different jobs, with none of them offering the economic windfall one would think I’d be searching for. And my one free night was spent organizing and leading an Annual Shareholders Meeting, which led directly to an emergency zoom call only a couple of afternoons later. I’ve always been a fan of irony, I guess - but man, hopefully actual retirement becomes a bit more relaxing in the years ahead!


Should anyone fancy a good peak into what true bureaucracies feel and look like, I suggest they follow my steps of today. Right here in New York City, I braved the Wall Street area to have much-needed conversations with members - or ANY member! - of the DOB (Department of Buildings) and HPD (Department of Housing Preservation and Development). This was quite the equivalent of being put on hold over the phone while looking straight at a human being with the potential ability to help in some way. Every person in both buildings appeared well-rested and comfortable while wandering around their rather spacious surroundings. Nice jobs if you can get them, I suppose, although I would think doing absolutely nothing might become tedious after a few hours. And in both cases, I was ultimately advised to go back home and compose letters to no one in particular.



Oh - and have I mentioned before that being a NYC coop board president is a non-paying job? To think - I’ve already entered my fifteenth year…


I began writing a song last night, mainly because my gut was questioning whether or not this was still possible. Luckily, I discovered the inclination remained. Of course, now I’m worried if short-term memory loss will have already erased this minor accomplishment by the time I make it back to the piano. I remain hopeful but, like for those upcoming elections, will discover the answer soon enough.


And please - vote, vote, vote, everyone! Don’t allow the “experts” to tell you what’s about to happen! I expect to get my early voting done first thing tomorrow!



On the bright side, the Upper West Side of Manhattan is incredibly wonderful this early Halloween evening. The decorations and the costumed children gliding around in a state of excited bliss should be viewed in person by anyone with a pulse. Happy Halloween!!


And yes, that means Thanksgiving will soon be here. And two more blogs should be arriving before the end of the year. Which, of course, will be over in the blink of an eye.


Gotta stop working so much, though.

I think perhaps I’ll start now…



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