Come Take the Tour!!!!

Well, now that our new home is almost complete, walls knocked down, painted, floors redone.....come take the tour of Jen and Charlie's house!

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!