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Category: Work

Outdoors day at Mt. Loretto

Filed under: Environment, Uncategorized, Work

June 13, 2022

It’s been a minute. The last time we had Outdoors Day at Mt. Loretto was 2019. Here’s hoping it once again becomes an annual event. For me it’s a workday outside of the office. A chance to meet people I don’t normally work with and meet the public.

I was assigned to “Camping”. I don’t camp, my idea of camping is a hotel with no room service. But I was going to make the best of it. Outside with fresh air (pollen), nature (ticks) and people (too many). The highlight of the place was Smores. We had a campfire and all the ingredients. I don’t know how to make Smores, I’ve never made or eaten Smores. Someone said today might be the day! It was not.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t stick around much. Did a lot of wandering, my co-worker was there with his wife and dog, he said he didn’t mind.

One thing I saw, after completing the Nature Walk and walking back to my designated spot was a Mallard duck. I thought it was a decoy because it was so perfect looking and still. I walked toward it and it turned and quacked at me. Definitely a real duck.

We left after planting a tree in memoriam to a co-worker that has sadly passed away. Their family was there and it got really emotional, for them, I didn’t really work with them or know them very well.

My ride dropped me off down town so I walked to Fool’s Gold on Houston Street for a beer (or a dozen, lost count).

All around a good day.

Tags: Camping, Ducks, MT Loretto, nature, outdoors, State Park

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The State on Pause and Remote Working

Filed under: Emotions, Health, Home, Important Stuff, New York, Personal not private, Technology, Work

April 13, 2020

March 16 was the first day of working remotely, NYS way of saying we are working from home. At first it was until March 30, it is now April 13 and I am still at home.

At first it was, Yay! No getting up early or having to get dressed! And it was fun. Then I started to think about all the things I wasn’t getting done. Not being able to pop by the brewery after work for a pint. The isolation is starting to wear on me.

And then started the petty annoyances, not being able to go anywhere, wanting to sew face masks and not having the supplies and nowhere to buy them. Ordering contacts and not getting them and it’s been a month. Ordering knitting supplies and having the store call me to say they can’t ship them.

Then things started to break, the home button on my iPhone, a knitting needle, and most heart rending of all, my laptop. Yes I am typing this on my iPad with an itty bitty keyboard. At least I have an iPad with a keyboard.

If any thing else breaks, I’m hiding under the bed until July.

Tags: Bella is losing it, Blogging, Commuting, Covid-19, Isolation, Rant, Whine whine whine

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Mount Loretto Unique Area: A day at the beach made for everyone

Filed under: Animals, Environment, New York, Work

December 17, 2019

Link to article

Typically you would think a day late in November would be too cold for the beach, but that wasn’t the case on a recent walk at Mount Loretto Unique Area. It was not that hot, but not that cold. You needed a jacket, but not gloves and hats.

The sun was bouncing off the water which was nearly flat, it was so calm.

“It’s a nice time of the year,” said Glenn Mazzola.

Joe Padalino was not thrilled to hear we were going to the beach.

“I didn’t want to get caught in the sand,” said Padalino who uses a wheelchair to get around.

But it was a different story when we traveled from the parking lot along the non-vehicular road to the coastal area of the state park. There were two paths to the beach to help people go places they couldn’t usually go.

“Now I feel good because I am actually on the beach,” said Padalino from the observation deck at the end of one of the paths. “It’s not something I get to do much.”

“It’s a good place to get lost in your mind,” he added.

What made it especially nice was Howie Fischer, an experienced birder, met us there. He had his telescope for getting a better look at the water fowl out in the bay which included brant, grebes, loons and ducks.

A black-and-white duck (bufflehead) was one some of us got a good look at. Fischer reported back that he saw or heard 30 species, and he helped us be aware of some of them even if we didn’t get a good look.

We started our visit to MLUA at the observation deck on the Mount Loretto Pond near the parking lot. This is a special place for Lifestyles because we were at the ribbon cutting for the accessible trail to the observation deck.

At the pond we saw geese, and a large blue-and-white bird (great blue heron) and a small blue-and-white bird (a kingfisher), both with serious beaks for fishing.

Take a look at our photos for more of what we saw and commentary on it.

Written collaboratively by Joseph Jones, Greg Mazzola, Dolores Palermo, Joseph Padalino, Steven Filoramo for Life-Wire News Service with Kathryn Carse.

Tags: ADA Compliant, Beach, MT Loretto, nature

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DEC ANNOUNCES STATEN ISLAND “I LOVE MY PARK DAY”

Filed under: Environment, New York, Work

April 16, 2019

DEC ANNOUNCES STATEN ISLAND “I LOVE MY PARK DAY”

Volunteer Cleanup Event on May 4 at Mount Loretto Unique Area

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Region 2 is seeking volunteers for the annual “I Love My Park Day” on Saturday, May 4, at the Mount Loretto Unique Area, Staten Island. I Love My Park Day is a statewide event sponsored by DEC, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Parks & Trails New York to enhance parks, historic sites, and public lands by raising awareness and visibility of the state’s outdoor recreation assets. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced that registration is now open for I Love My Park Day and encouraged New Yorkers to sign up for cleanup events happening statewide.

Volunteer activities at Mount Loretto Unique Area begin at 10:00 a.m. on May 4, and include:

Project 1: Tree planting. Volunteers are asked to meet at the kiosk by the main entrance.
Project 2: Beach Clean-up. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Mt. Loretto Pavilion, near the beach entrance.

Work gloves will be provided for both activities, but volunteers should dress appropriately for working outdoors and wear sunscreen and insect repellant. Volunteers of all ages are welcome to participate. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Mount Loretto Unique Area is located at 6320 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10309.

Registration for I Love My Park Day statewide can be completed by visiting: DEC ANNOUNCES STATEN ISLAND “I LOVE MY PARK DAY”

Tags: Clean-up, New York City, New York State, Parks, Planet Earth

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Second Ave Subway partie deux

Filed under: Harlem, Manhattan, New York, Work

January 12, 2017

After all my complaining about the new subway, i decided I should give it a try. It does make my commute easier and faster, except for having to take the elevator at the Lexington Station (claustrophobic me?). And of course I took pictures. The first set is from the 96th Street Station by Rite Aid. The roof over the entrances is clear. They look white because it had snowed.

This next set of pictures is from the Lexington & 63rd St. Station, elevator exit to 3rd Ave.

Tags: Subway series

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Opposite day

Filed under: Manhattan, Work

January 13, 2016

Today’s commute was not a CFH, in fact it was the exact opposite. I did leave 15 minutes late but then I got to the bus stop before the bus. At the subway station, train pulled in when i was at the bottom of the escalator. Queensboro plaza the train was pulling in as i got to the bottom of the stairs.

The result was, i was only 10 minutes late to work.

Tags: Commuting, Evil green train, Green train, Yellow "N" train, Yellow "Q" train, Yellow train

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Back to the train

Filed under: Miscellanea, Work — 2 Comments

April 17, 2015

This morning’s commute was bad. I confess most of it was my fault.

First I overslept my alarm. I had a headache and sat around waiting for the Aleve to kick in, by the time I got to the subway I knew I wouldn’t make it in time, but then … People were running up the stairs screaming – there’s a man on the track! – They seemed to be mad at the man in the booth, but what could he do? He grabbed the phone as soon as he could.

So I got on the bus. Limited so it only went as far as 68th, I needed to go to 59th. I walked it, then got on the “R” train, which is not the right train. I got off the train at Queens Plaza to catch the E to Court Square, instead I got on the M and ended up … back at Lexington and 59th. Which is weird, cause I didn’t think the M stopped there. From there I got on the right train an went to work. Only 2 hours late.

Tags: 456, ACE, BDFM, Blue Train, Commuting, Evil green train, Headache, NQR, Orange Train, Queens Plaza, Queensboro Plaza, Yellow train

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Back to the Evil Green Train

Filed under: Manhattan, Work

January 5, 2015

Most of the time, when I am having a commute from hell and watching over-packed train after over-packed train go by, I berate myself with the every pertinent: If you had left home on time, this wouldn’t be happening! Today as I watched one, two and then stuffed myself onto the third train I thought to myself, “Today I left on time. This is so not fair!”

Leaving on time has it’s rewards however, in that even though the trains were crowded and I couldn’t get on the train until the third one, and I couldn’t read my book because it was too crowded, I got to work on time. Or at least before my boss came in.

Tags: Commuting, Evil green train, Punctuality

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