Labor Day Weekend Party!

Although it wasn't our first BBQ at our new home, this was definitely the biggest and most fun so far! Here are some pics from Sunday's bash!

Officially Staying Home In November

What's wrong with the Democratic Party? The party of FDR, Truman, Kennedy, and Clinton? I've never voted for any other party, but this November, for the first time, I am not voting at all.

With the news of Obama's VP selection today...it is confirmation for me that this party has NO BALLS whatsoever. Joe Biden is the Democrat's version of John McCain. Obama picked him because he (Obama) knows diddly dick about foreign affairs and Biden is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in the U.S. Senate. So for Obama, this was a safe choice so the Republicans could not attack his ticket saying they are weak on foreign affairs or defense. Maybe that is the case, but Obama is not at all what he claims to be...a man of change and vision. He is just another pussy Democrat pandering to the center and afraid to go after the party's base. It is like Democrats are afraid to be Democrats now...everything is geared to appeal to the "center".

Question, did Bush, Cheney, and Rove appeal to the center in 2004???? NO! They went after their base and made fools of Kerry and Edwards. Only the Democrats could lose that one in 2004. A faltering economy, an unpopular war, a sitting president who evaded service in Vietnam and turned the tables on a war hero (Kerry) and made him look like the pussy. It is happening all over again.

Now Obama says he is open to offshore drilling. This is a Democratic Stance? He said last Sunday that his definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a truly Democratic stance? Early in the campaign he talked about diplomacy and that he would meet with leaders of state sponsored terrorism, now he has backtracked on that stance. Obama changed positions on the D.C handgun ban. He know says "It looks to me that the D.C. handgun ban overshot the runway. That it went beyond constitutional limits." That is a Democrat talking? He also ran his primary campaign saying he would withdraw troops on the ground in Iraq immediately....now he says he will refine his policy and speak to leaders on the ground. What a joke.

Pelosi, Obama, and the rest of the Democrats talk a big game and do nothing. They are too worried about looking liberal and being labeled liberal to do what's right for the country. So when McCain wins in the fall, they will have nobody to blame but themselves. The Democrats won't be able to blame dangling chads in Florida or voter inconsistensies in Ohio this time around. They will have to take a good, hard look at themselves.

In the last eight years, we've had scandal after scandal, miscue after miscue, we were attacked on Bush's watch, started a war with a country that didn't attack us...and lost 5,000 troops in the process, an economy that has tanked, the worst handled natural disaster in history, I could go on and on. Obama has a double digit point lead in the polls right???? NOPE.....try a 2 digit lead in some polls, dead even in others. Something is wrong here!!!!!!

A Different World...For the Most Part

Wow, it has been 6 weeks since I've blogged! In those six weeks, Jen and I moved into our new home...unpacked, had construction/contracting done, re-did all of our floors, painted an entire house, decorated, had furniture delivered, worked on our yard, made dozens of trips to Lowe's, Home Depot, and Target, and met/made friends with all of our neighbors...to name a few things. It has been an exhausting summer so far. All worth it, but downright exhausting. We are hoping we can enjoy the last few weeks of summer before we start planning a wedding. Just the thought of that process makes us both exhausted. Any wedding planners out there????

My life is very different than it was just six weeks ago.....in a good way, but very different. We have made friends with all of our neighbors. On Our second night here...Gerry and Marty who are an older couple in their 60's invited us to their home and had all of the neighbors in the "click" over to meet us. There is Christine and Jerry who are a couple in their late 30's who have two little girls (6 and 8 or so)....Chris and Theresa who are a couple in their early 40's with two little boys (7 and 9 or so), Denise and Rich who are a couple in their late 30's with a little girl and boy (7 and 10 or so)..... Bonnie and Ed who are a couple with an girl and a boy (10 and 13 or so), and a few older couples down the block (in their 70's). Anyway, we had a fun time and have hung out with them a couple of times.

The biggest difference for me is hanging out with married people who have kids. Remember...I am the guy from Long Beach, who on any given night, had 25 SINGLE/YOUNGER people on his front lawn ....not that long ago. So, it is quite an adjustment for me. A couple of Friday Nights ago, we hung out with the couples who have kids over at Jerry and Christine's house. The kids, for the most part, hung out inside playing while we adults hung out in the yard, having drinks, eating, and talking. While the conversations were nice, they were pretty dull. Conversations about work, food shopping, kids, and other domestic issues seemed to dominate the chat. By 9:30 everyone was yawning and packing it in for the night. I thought to myself 9:30...are you fucking kidding me? 9:30 in Long Beach is when you are still getting ready to GO OUT! A typical 9:30 on a Friday Night just two years ago I was either shitfaced from happy hour, blasting 50 Cent on my front lawn...or in the shower...with my 4th Kettle One and Orange Juice just outside the shower so I didn't lose my buzz...getting ready for a night out. So when the "party" ended at 9:30...I was kind of dumbfounded.

NONE of them like rap music...at all. Mostly classic rock, which I love too...country music, which I despise....or they listen to their kid's Disney crap. So, when I even mentioned rap, people looked at me like I was insane. Guess there won't be any Hypnotiq or Hennessey served at their homes. By the way...where was the beer pong table??????

There is a house for sale across the street. PLEASE, PLEASE God....have a couple with NO KIDS move in there!!!!! :)

The dull party was well worth it, because I had Jen to go home with...that makes this all worthwhile.

Oh, pics of the entire house to come!

Also, if you want to laugh your ass off for 110 minutes, go see "Tropic Thunder" with Ben Stiller....it is a riot!

******BREAKING NEWS******

I am officially engaged! :) Last Night was the big night. There was a big fireworks show planned here in Long Beach at 9pm....so I planned an evening with Jen down by the beach. We walked down to the beach around 7:15, with our chairs, radio, bucket of margaritas, camera, and of course the hidden ring in my bathing suit/shorts pocket. I proposed at about 9:20 during the fireworks. I figured after two hours of margarita drinking.....how could she say no??? hahaha Here are some pics of our engagement night.

A Fond Farewell to "The City By The Sea" 2000-2008

In two weeks I will be leaving Long Beach, a town that I've experienced so much in over the past eight plus years. It is a move that I am very excited about for many many reasons, but I'll miss Long Beach and all of the memories I've had here.

Jen and I have purchased a home in Bethpage. For those not from the area, I suppose Bethpage is best known for two things. Bethpage State Park, where the U.S Open (golf) took place a few years ago and where it will be held next year as well and Grumman who built many of our military planes and such in the 1980's.

I am excited and happy that I finally met someone who, for the first time, I actually want to, and am ready to, settle down and enjoy my life with. It is going to be a fun, new chapter of my life. Here are a couple of pictures of our new house:







Earlier this week, Jen and I took a "tour" of Long Beach and we brought along the camera so I could take pictures of all the memorable places in town that really defined my eight years here. I hope you enjoy the photo tour! If you click on the photos, they'll enlarge, and they are amazing....

First, all the places I've lived.

E Beech Street. My first apartment/house here in Long Beach. I'll always remember the cool back yard, the parties, living with my roommate Alex, and all the fun I had here:



W Fulton Street (Part 1). Probably the nicest interior of any of the places I lived in Long Beach. This is where I lived when I adopted Bruce (my dog), so it is special to me. My other memories of this house are my two big birthday bashes in 2004 and 2005, New Years Eve 2005 (into 2006), my crazy...possessive roommate, my Yankees room, and the crazy Dominicans across the street:



Tennessee Ave...aka "Club 69". By far the most insane place I have ever lived. My memories....parties, lesbian roommates, parties, Mario (old Italian Man across the street), parties, the Long Beach Police at the house nightly for noise/music, parties, crazy girls next door, parties, Dennis across the street who called the police on us every night, and more parties!!!



Ohio Ave. I only lived here for 6 months in 2007. My memories, annoying roommates, an ocean view, walking to Ralph's ices each night, that's about it!



Last Stop! W Fulton St (part 2). Moved here in December....not too many crazy memories here.....just the last stop for me!!!



Fun Places!!!!

The Saloon! From the crazy nights of 2003 to the Happy Hours with Jen in 2007, the Saloon was always one of my favorite places to have a drink, or two, or three....in Long Beach:



The Cabana! Famous for Taco Twosdays, where you can get $1 tacos, the Cabana was always a fun time. I can remember when it was "Baja" and I used to come here for happy hours before I moved to Long Beach. I have a picture of me and Senator Chuck Schumer in front of Baja from 2000 when he was campaigning for Hillary Clinton's first Senate run in a photo album somewhere:



The Beach Bagel/Ralph's Ices. Nothing says I'm drunk like getting a bagel with cream cheese at 3am! The Beach Bagel, open 24 hours, is the place to be for a snack after a long night of drinking! Ralph's Ices, well they speak for themselves. Yummy! I think I tried every flavor last summer, but my favorites are Jelly Ring and Rainbow Cookie:



Ballybannon Market. I think I paid their rent in 2006 with all the stuff I bought here. A great place to pick up beer, meat for bbq, snacks, ice. Walking distance from "club 69", I shopped here often for my infamous parties:



Minnesotas. Not my favorite club/bar, but I had some fun times in here. I enjoyed the outdoor restaurant many a time for lunch or dinner. A fun place:



The Inn. A stone's throw from Club 69, I saw this place daily. I didn't go here much for the nightlife, but loved the 10 cent buffalo wing night on Mondays! I ate 96 wings one Monday Night on a dare. Needless to say, I was out of commission for a couple of days:



My favorite spot in town is the Long Beach Boardwalk. It's a place I've gone to hundreds of times the past 8 years to run, exercise, bike, walk, write, and reflect. Whenever I am running up there, I reflect back on the past 8 years and how much my life has changed. I think about the people that have come in and out of my life and what it's all meant. My Long Beach experiences the past eight years have been priceless and have really changed my life. I feel like a part of me is somehow embedded in that boardwalk and in that town. I loved the fact that you could walk from your house to the beach, the small town feel, the sense of community, the nightlife, the convenience of everything, and just the overall atmosphere. I have lived through some of the highest and lowest points of my life while in Long Beach and I suppose that's why I feel so attached to it. It's a part of me and who I am now.

In many ways running that 2.2 mile(each way) stretch of boardwalk is symbolic of my life the past few years. Sometimes the wind has been at my back and it has pushed me along, sometimes it has blown right in my face and has held me back, at times it was an easy run and I felt great, sometimes it has been a struggle. When you come to the bend at each end of the boardwalk, you never know what's around that bend. Sometimes a crazy bicyclist comes out of nowehere and almost runs you down, sometimes a friendly and familiar face greets you. As in life, you sometimes are excited about what waits for you around that bend and other times you are afraid or anxious about what awaits. When I finish the 2.2 mile length of the boardwalk, I head back and do it all over again. As in life, sometimes we start over and retrace our steps. We may run faster or slower and hopefully we learn from the mistakes we made the last 2.2 miles. Some days the weather was great and I felt on top of the world looking out at that ocean and never wanted to stop running, other days I got caught in a storm and just wanted shelter from it and just wanted out of the "race." I've run with friends and loved ones on that stretch of boards and I've run it alone.

I hope I have many more "miles" to go in life. In the race known as my life, I carry with me the love and joy of people in my life now, the memory of people who have gone, and thoughts of those who I may still cross paths with. I run with enthusiasm, looking ahead while admiring the things around me. I must admit, sometimes I do look back to see where I have been so I can be thankful for where I am now.

I am blessed and fortunate to have met "the one" for me, and I know that the memories we will share will take up an entire blog, rather than just a post. So, in two weeks, a new and exciting chapter begins!

I'm going to finish this long post with some random pics of the town. I hope you enjoyed the tour!

The Dog Days of Summer

Summer is here....and so am I, despite a long absence from blogging. So much to tell I don't know where to start. Anyway, I'll be posting all about what's going on in my life over the next week or two...and get everyone caught up!

King For A Day

Perhaps it is just me, but throughout the course of the day, I make a mental list of things I would change if I were in charge or "king for a day." There are so many rules, laws, procedures, and policies we all have to follow. Some are religious "rules", while some are governmental laws. I have a few I just don't like and want to change!

1) Daylight Savings Time. While I am ALL FOR "springing ahead" which gives us daylight later in the day....why should we have to push the clocks ahead on a Saturday Night/Sunday Morning at 2AM and lose an hour of sleep/an hour of the weekend. I say we do it on a Friday at 4PM. 4PM, then becomes 5PM, and we get to leave the office "early" and it does not interrupt our sleep or cut short our weekend!

2) Election Day on a Tuesday. This is just ridiculous and OUTDATED!!!!Back in "the day", since most residents of rural America had to travel a significant distance to the "county seat" in order to vote, Monday was not considered reasonable since many people would need to begin travel on Sunday. This would, of course, have conflicted with Church services and Sunday worship. So, Tuesday was picked as "voting day." I think for a better turnout and convenience, elections should be held on Saturday.

3) The Electoral College. What a joke...just ask Al Gore. The highest number of total votes should win the election. When you were a kid in kindergarten and the election for "line leader" was held and Jane got 6 votes, and Bobby got 4....Jane was the line leader, not Bobby.....it didn't go by where each kid sat in the classroom. Ok, Mike....since you sit near the Lego's.....your vote counts as three people...and Michelle...you sit by the bathroom...so your vote only counts as .5! Come on already, this needs to change!!!!!

4) The Right to Keep and Bear Arms! I would guarantee that if our forefathers were alive today to witness school shooting after school shooting and gun crime after gun crime....they would reconsider this "right". I think it is outdated. We have a military to protect us.....we don't need guns in our homes. I know, I know...the Amendment was designed to protect us against our government becoming tyrannical and taking away our rights......wait...isn't that what has happened over the last seven years? I don't see folks gathering their weapons and marching towards Washington!!!

5) Income Tax Structure. What the fuck? Just charge us all a set percentage and be done with it. No more filing, getting refunds, owing money, claiming this, claiming your dog.....just pay a set percentage of your income and be done with it.

The Verdict Is In!!!!

There are way too many "Judge" shows on daytime television. Over the course of the past three weeks, I've had some time off in between jobs, and I was ill with a touch of the flu last week. While home, I journeyed from channel to channel looking for something on television during the day. All I found, TV judge after TV judge.....morning until the five o'clock news!

One could seriously skip the cost of law school and just watch this stuff for 10 hours a day. I seriously can't believe the amount of these shows that air daily here in the NY area:

9am-10am The People's Court
10am-10:30am Divorce Court
10:30am-11am another Divorce Court
11am-11:30am Judge David Young
They spare you an hour for lunch
12:30pm-1pm Divorce Court
1pm-1:30pm Cristina's Court AND Judge Maria Lopez
1:30pm-2pm Cristina's Court AND Judge Maria Lopez
2pm-2:30pm Judge Alex AND Judge Mathis
2:30pm-3pm Judge Alex AND Judge Mathis
3pm-3:30pm Judge Hatchett AND Judge Joe Brown
3:30pm-4pm Judge Hatchett AND Judge Joe Brown
4pm-4:30pm Judge Judy AND The People's Court
4:30pm-5pm Judge Judy AND The People's Court

This is seriously absurd. Who watches all these? In essence they are all the same, they teach you the same basic lessons...which are:

1) If you do lend money, never expect to be paid back. Especially not by family members (even Mom), because they will screw you in the end and call you a liar, while twisting the knife in your back. They will also reveal to the world everything bad you have ever done.

2) If you're too dense to believe lesson one and lend money to someone, get a promissory note of the money owed to you, actually signed by the lendee, AND make sure there are payment guidelines included. It also helps if you can get it notarized. If you write a check, in the memo portion on the check, write loan with payment due on such and such a date and have lendee initial. This advice includes using credit cards to pay someone else's bills, and buying something for someone until they can pay you back.

3) If you are given expensive "gifts" of money, or objects such as cars, jewelry, furniture, etc, keep all letters, emails, and tape phone conversations where the person giving the gifts is actually saying those items are gifts. Keep forever, because if you are a woman and you stop "putting out" he will want all that stuff back and claim it was a loan.

4) If you are the jackass giving the expensive items to the money grubbing whore in Lesson Three, on condition they will pay you back, get it in writing. See Lesson Two above.

5) Verbal agreements are worthless pieces of shit. If you are a business person, self-employed or otherwise, use contracts for all your transactions and keep every single receipt, written or emailed communication, and document every phone conversation in a phone log. Keep a log of every visit with dates and times to the person's home and have them initial or better yet sign the log before you leave the premises (to prove you were there). (Of course, that won't work if you're a prostitute or sell crack but see Lesson Eight for some "special advice".)

6) Once again, the verbal agreement is crap. If you are a person contracting with someone to do work for you, see Lesson Five, only reverse to protect yourself. Actually read the contract(s) line by line. Ignorance of what you are signing is no excuse. Put everything in writing, especially if anything changes from the original contract. Keep any and all written communication including emails to and from the person(s), and keep any receipts for expenses or for items that you purchased that were necessary to get the job done. Keep a log of when they arrived and when they left. Make sure all fees and monies to be owed is spelled out in advance so there are no surprises.

7) If you have a police report about the incident for which you are suing, be sure and bring it to court. Make sure your version matches the police report's version or pretty damn close, or forget about suing in the first place. Always call the police and get a police report at the scene of an accident otherwise it will be your word against theirs.

8) If you have done something in the course of business or pleasure that is illegal DO NOT SUE the person you were doing it with for the money they owe you DUMB ASS!. The civil court will turn you in to the criminal authorities if they believe a crime was committed. The court proceedings in small claims or civil courts will be used against you in a criminal trial.

"We Could Be Heroes..."

Just about every day I hear the word "Hero" used. It seems as though everyone has their own view of what a hero is.

Last week, instead of concerning themselves with issues that are really important to the American people like jobs, health care, and taxes...Congress decided to spend valuable time having Roger Clemens over for a "chat" about whether or not he used steroids. Like everything else that comes before Congress...even this was divided along party lines. With the Republicans attacking Clemens' accuser and the Democrats going after Clemens....it was a circus that went nowhere. But during the hearing, I heard many members of Congress refer to Clemens as either their hero or the hero of kids across America.

I love sports. I grew up loving sports, especially baseball. Of course I had a favorite player that I emulated in little league, that I watched closely and rooted for....Don Mattingly. But he was no way my hero.

I think America is lost on many fronts. Declaring certain people or professions as heroes is just another bullshit brainwashing technique. Even the men/women running for President are in on it. Obama and Clinton go out of their way to call McCain, their opponent, "An American Hero" because he fought in Vietnam and was a POW. Now, don't get me wrong, I respect the men and women who serve our country whether it be voluntarily or via the draft like back in the 60's....but I don't feel picking up a gun and killing people in a foreign land is worthy of being called a "hero." When I was a child, I wasn't allowed to have a toy gun, a water gun, any "military" type toys like army men, GI Joe, etc. Although my Dad served in the Army in the 50's...my Mom was a woman of the 60's and believed that children should not be exposed to guns and things of that nature. Today we glorify the armed forces and anyone who speaks otherwise is accused of siding with the terrorists or being anti-American. Just another post 9/11 crock of shit. While the work the men and women in the military do is brave, they shouldn't be cast as heroes to our children.

Even before 9/11 firemen and police officers were dubbed "Heroes"...why? These people chose their profession..and in many areas of the country, get paid very well for what they do. Here on Long Island, we had some major wildfires about 10 years ago. After a week or two of fighting these fires....the firemen had parades in their honor, got free stuff at stores via corporate donations, etc....why???? Does the high school teacher that gets little pay and has to endure what they endure get a parade??? Does the single mom working at a supermarket and struggling to put food on the table get a parade or anything for free???? The media has most of you completely brainwashed.

The real heroes are the ones who make an impact on the lives of the people around them and don't ask for or bask in the spotlight. The people in the trenches everyday doing the jobs we all take for granted. Heroes are the people who are bringing up their children the right way, who when faced with tough choices, always make the honest/right choice. To be a true hero, you don't need to pick up a bat, or a ball, or a gun....you just need to pick up those around you when they are down.

CHAMPS!!!!!!!!!!

I've lived in NY all my life. I've been fortunate enough to have seen some amazing Championships won and celebrated here. My first memory of a NY Championship was the 1977 NY Yankees. I was only 5 at the time, but I remember it. Then they repeated in 1978. After that, the NY Islander Dynasty from 1980-1984, as the NY Islanders won FOUR consecutive Stanley Cups.

In the mid 80's we saw the Mets win an improbable Game 6 of the World Series with 2 outs and nobody on in the 10th inning. The next night, the Mets were champs. A few months later, the Giants beat the Broncos for their first NFL title. A few years went by and the Giants won another Super Bowl, against a great Buffalo team on a missed field goal as time expired.

In 1994, a Championship was won that I never ever wanted to see, the 1994 NY Rangers won the Stanley Cup. A few years passed and the NY Yankee Dynasty emerged, capped off by beating the NY Mets for their fourth title in five years. Since 2000, it's been pretty lean here in NY. The Yankees losing in seven games in 2001, and in six in 2003. The big collapse in 2004 against the Sox, and first round losses ever since. The Mets have been a joke, the Knicks a high school team, the Islanders and Rangers boring and bad. Last night, NY was a champion once again. In an improbable win, in an improbable season, the NY Giants are Champions this morning in one of the most exciting Super Bowls in recent history.

Shortly after the final seconds ticked off the clock, fireworks sounded in my Long Beach neighborhood, car horns started honking all over town, people came out in their yars yelling and screaming. I had to take Bruce for a walk to take it all in. Kids were out, way past their bed time to celebrate...it was something I won't forget anytime soon.......

Today, as always, I am in a NY state of mind!!!!!

New York on Sunday.......

What a weekend coming up in NY! Here are a few thoughts to leave you with: