Post Christmas Post.....

  

Ok, so I think this picture I took on the train Saturday Night is hysterical. Two girls (you can only see one) drinking (or in this case, holding) Red Bulls, completely passed out. I am sure the Red Bull competitors would love to use this pic. This is my kind of humor, for sure.

So Christmas was good, but quiet. Weird with the family so far away, but still a nice holiday, complete with cooking and friends. I made a ton of food. Baked Ziti, homemade sauce, meatballs, sausage (Sugar V's favorite), and Bracciole, for Christmas Day. Christmas Eve I cooked flounder. I had to keep the tradition going. Not to mention all the Italian cold cuts, cheeses, breads, pastries, and cookies I waited so patiently in line for on Sunday.

Thursday Night I am having Caren over along with Christina and Joe for dinner. I have a tray of ziti and a ton of meat left that I froze. We will be sure to have a post holiday feast. I wish Sugar V and the Mrs. were in NY to share it, but they are off In Chitown.....we miss them!

So, for New Years, I am NOT having a party at my house for the first time in a while. Sugar V is having Caren and I over...and maybe a few others. It is sure to be a fun night. I am looking forward to it. Even more so than I was looking forward to Christmas. There's nothing like starting the New Year off with the people you really care about. And a kiss from Caren at the stroke of midnight won't hurt either. :)

I was flipping around the channels early yesterday and I can't believe they still show the "yule log" on TV. What a mess that thing is. You seriously have to be hard pressed for something to "watch" to put that on.....

Is it me, or are you tired of holiday music? If I hear one more Christmas song, I may snap. I seriously had to play gangsta rap in the car today to get all the holiday "cheer" out of my system. I can now go back to being the cynical bastard I am the rest of the year......

The city was great on Saturday Night. It felt like a mid-October night rather than the day before Christmas Eve. Caren and I walked the city and loved every minute of it. We found some cool gifts for Sugar V and the Mrs., to give them on New Years Eve. We tried a new restaurant in Little Italy, we liked it, but missed Vincents. We had dessert at Ferrara's, got me a "Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey T-Shirt" at a novelty store in Little Italy, then found a place that sold designer handbags and stopped in. We were led to a secret back door in the back of the building where there were dozens of Gucci, Prada, and other designer bags. I am sure these were hijacked off a truck or a plane, but the price was good, so Caren got a bag and a wallet. That made her night for sure.......

So, how was your Christmas...and what is everyone doing for New Years?????

My 100 Memories of 2006

  

With 2006 winding down and many networks airing their end of year specials such as "The Most Fascinating People Of 2006" or "Big in '06", I decided to make a list of 100 memories that will forever remind me of 2006. So here goes, in totally random order:



1) "Ridin' Dirty"
2) Club 69
3) Carpooling with Christina
4) Fall/Early Winter NYC visits
5) My job (started it in January)
6) Caren
7) Christmas in August
8) The infamous block party
9) The Cinco De Mayo "housewarming" party
10) A great Memorial Weekend
11) Christina, Joe, and their boat "Floater"
12) Tiny A
13) The Tube Music Network
14) Melky Cabrera's catch on 6/6/06
15) The Boston Massacre in late August (5 game sweep in Boston)
16) Sugar V clearing out my New Years party
17) Eleanor Rigby's Bar
18) T-Unit
19) The famous Pizza Night at club 69
20) Mario!!!!!
21) Being called "Scotty" for 2 months
22) Fourth of July weekend in Mineola
23) Frosty Paws
24) Bruce dressed as a pimp
25) Happy Hours at Tiki Bar
26) The "Shady" Hat
27) Coney Island/Brooklyn Cyclones Game
28) 10 Cent Wing Nights
29) Taco Tuesdays!
30) Kettle One
31) Friday BBQ's at work
32) The Bodies Exhibit in NYC
33) Little Italy with Caren
34) A full house on Thanksgiving
35) February 15th, not the 14th (haha)
36) Walking the trails at Sands Point
37) Uncle Louie G's Ices!
38) Labor Day Party at T-Unit's
39) Moving Day
40) Singing "Sweet Caroline" to the LB cops
41) TV Show Theme Song Night
42) Democrats sweep election day
43) Softball at Jones Beach
44) The Disco Outfit
45) "Front Row" at Yankee Stadium
46) Cooking Day with Tiny A (Gnocci (her) and Eggplant (me))
47) Drunk Dennis across the street
48) Churchill's on a special playoff football Sunday in January
49) The "Beach Necklace" found at fashion stores
50) Pushing Christina's Car to work on a 90 degree day
51) The "Kool Aid Car"
52) The "After Happy Hour" party at club 69
53) Beer Pong
54) The Thusday Night after work party at club 69 in August
55) Peppermint Hot Chocolate with Tiny A
56) Beer Olympics
57) "Snap Yo' Fingers"
58) Linda and Liz
59) Insane gas prices
60) "Otto"
61) "Lucky Louie" on HBO
62) "If you like my meatballs, you'll love my sausage" great shirt Sugar V
63) Dogsitting
64) Deal, or No Deal???
65) Booing A-Rod
66) Movie Night at work
67) Strawberry Fields
68) "You're Makin' Me Craaaazy" (song sticks in my head)
69) "Crime Scene" Night with Caren
70) Kerry's Birthday Party at The Inn
71) Ghetto rigged air conditioner
72) Pumpkin pies
73) Ballybannon
74) One minute walks to the beach
75) The white pig chalkboard
76) Pettitte coming back to NY
77) Sinatra, a fireplace, and a dance
78) Superbowl Sunday with Amester and Brucey
79) Dublin Mudslide and Black N Tan Ice Cream
80) Singing to the trucking company at work
81) Greg's Wall of Quotes
82) Meeting Sugar V's rat in Park Slope
83) A Faulty Gas Burner
84) The front room
85) Saving the parking spot!
86) Bad cell phone reception
87) Matisyahu
88) Greg's Laugh at lunchtime
89) My family moving
90) The 1:07am train
91) 20+ Police visits to club 69
92) Jackass 2
93) Flintstoning Linda's Car
94) Caveman chats with Sugar V
95) Running the boardwalk
96) Falling head first into Sugar V's bathtub
97) Jeter being robbed of the MVP award
98) Doug K and I working together again
99) Talking to my sister again
100) Wishing and hoping 2007 is my best year yet!

Johnny Come Out To Play...In Your Empty Garden

  

What happened here, as the New York sunset disappeared? I found an empty garden among the flagstones there. Who lived here? He must have been a gardener that cared a
lot, who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop...and now it all looks strange.


Today the Grammy nominations were announced. Big deal. The state of the music industry is a complete joke. Fly by night artists, with fly by night cd's who won't be remembered five months from now, let alone five years from now. It makes a day to remember John Lennon, on this twenty-sixth anniversary of his murder, even that much more special.

I grew up brainwashed by the media, and even by my Dad, in thinking Elvis was "The King." I completely disagree with that "logic." We have a bunch of Elvises walking around the music industry today...pretty boys, with pretty hair, who are handed pretty songs to sing. Commercialized crap, if you ask me. The Beatles, now they were the "kings." They were the innovaters. They took music to a whole different level, and rock and roll was forever changed.

So tonight, as I sit in my room, sipping red wine, listening to John Lennon, remembering how truly great he was, I am so appreciative of what he gave us. What he left behind for generations to come.

Rather than leave you all with a classic from John or the Beatles, I want to leave you with a song that George Harrison wrote about his friend John shortly after his death. It is called "All Those Years Ago." If you know the song, you'll appreciate the words and probably sing along. If you don't know it, really listen to what George says about John, in this fantastic tribute to a great artist. I will be at Strawberry Fields tonight, braving wind chills in the teens to pay my respects and remember one of the best of all time.

"Band On The Run"

  

Those of you who know me well, know that I could talk music for days on end. I love the stories behind albums, songs, and musical artists. In the spirit of The Beatles and of the anniversary of John Lennon's death this coming Friday, I am in a musical mood. I heard today that "Band on the Run" the solo album by Paul McCartney was released on this day in 1973. Although I was a baby, I can honestly remember hearing these songs when I was a toddler. The album really took off in the summer of '74, when I was three, so I guess it is possible to remember back that far.

What is so amazing about this album? The events leading up to it's release. In September of '73 Paul decided to take the band to civil war torn Nigeria to record the album. Paul, his wife Linda, and the other band members arrived in Lagos Nigeria to record the album. Right before its production, two band members walked out in fear of their lives. Paul, Linda, and one band member carried on despite the turmoil. After the demo tapes were done, Paul and the band were robbed by armed bandits who stole their demo tapes, cameras, wallets, jewelry, etc.

So what did Paul do? The genius that he is, said no problem, and remembered everything he recorded in his head. He then went on to record the album all over again in a decaying studio. Despite these hardships, perhaps because of them, Band on the Run remains the most focused and consistently satisfying record of McCartney's post-Beatles career. So in the spirit of Paul, and December 5th, 1973, its release date, let's all watch "Band On the Run."

It's The Time Of the Season

  

Four Saturday Nights in a row in NYC. That is a record for me. I've been enjoying the weekly journey into the Big Apple. Last night, we took in some touristy sites.

After another great dinner in Little Italy, CW and I hopped in a cab and headed up to 50th and 5th. We strolled over to Rockefeller Center to see the tree, take some pictures, and enjoy the scenery. Sugar V and the Mrs. joined us later on, as they caught a later train into the city.

This Friday, the 8th, is a night I have been looking forward to all year. Each year, fans mark the anniversary of John Lennon's death with a vigil in Central Park's Strawberry Fields. People gather, light candles, sing songs, and remember one of the greatest musicians ever. This year the somber anniversary falls on a Friday Night. I will be in the park this Friday Night taking part. CW has her company party and Sugar V and the Mrs. will be there as well, so I need to go with a friend that appreciates John and his music as much as I do. I will have a nice Lennon post on Friday to mark the occasion.

This upcoming Saturday, the four of us will be heading into the city for brunch and some ice skating in the park. I love ice skating in the park, more so than in Rockefeller Center. There is something about the atmosphere in the park that I love. A rink, surrounded by thousands of trees, in the middle of a city.....breathtaking.

My parents and brother are settling in nicely in the "Tar Heel" State. I spoke to them about an hour ago. They are getting settled, putting together new furniture and unpacking. I am glad they all made it down safely.

So, today, I am trying to get myself motivated to hang Christmas lights, put up a tree, and get in the spirit a bit. It's tough this year though. Hopefully, I will muster up the energy to do it. I am in a cooking mood as well, but I don't think I will do both......

I am reflective today for some reason. It's been an interesting year to say the least. Last night on the train, I was thinking out loud to Sugar V and questioning life and looking for answers as to how we end up on totally different paths in life than we ever imagined. Where I am at the end of 2006 is so different from where I was at the beginning of the year......strange days indeed.

Well, I am off to try to accomplish something today. Getting home at 2:15am, not sleeping until 5am, and waking up at 9 to crying dogs who wanted to go outside really does not spark motivation, but I vow to make it happen today. Have a great start to your week!