Many years later, Ida recalled her first memory of ice. She was but a little girl when her dad took her down to the old Fulton Fish Market in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, where dock workers used salty language as they lugged the catch of the day from boat to shore, making certain that the product stay fresh as it made its way from ship to market. There, dear old dad would pick up their provisions for the weekend — passing on the lobsters and other banned shellfish, and heading straight for the salmon that would, later in the weekend, adorn her Sunday morning bagel.
A pile of ice blocks stood in cold winter air, and Ida’s father had a burly man chip off a shard the size of a pinecone. Ida held the strange substance in her slowly numbing hand, marveling as it grew ever so smaller, one moment at a time. Amazed, she knew one day she would find out the source of such a wondrous object.
The memory comes rushing back each year as she stands atop a 6,000 year-old ice sheet, rod and reel in hand, a hole one foot in circumference by her feet, and a countless Antarctic Cod just waiting to brought ashore. She laughs each time at how quaint it all seems.
Our wisdom this week, of course, is from Colombian novelist and journalist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. “What matters in life is not what happens to you, but what you remember — and how you remember it.”
Ida’s picks:
Chargers (−7.5), Texans (−10), Colts (2.5), Browns (3.5), Broncos (−3.5), Giants (−3), Lions (−4), Titans (3.5), Raiders (1.5), Falcons (−4), Redskins (−3), Seahawks (−5),
Breakouts:
Packers (−10.5) over Cardinals
“Still going with the Packers.”
Saints (−3) over Eagles
“Saints play well at home.”
Kryptonite Pick of the Week:
Raiders (1.5) over Buccaneers
Ida’s record:
53–63–2, (4–4 Kryptonite, 6–8 last week)
Read Ida's picks each Friday on BrooklynDaily.com. But don't try to call or e-mail her. She will speak when she is good and ready.