April 29th, 2012: Central Park; more Ziggy times; Let's Go Rangers

It’s been awhile since I last updated anything personal on here and since I’m up early enough and with a clear head, I figured I’d catch up now.  It’s been a busy month so far, both at work and at home, and today promises no let up.  The weather here in New York has cooled down quite a bit from what it had been, but it’s been beautiful nonetheless.  Since it’s Sunday, a day off, I need to get outside sooner rather than later…

Central Park

This Thursday I will be taking my students on a field trip to New York City’s Central Park.  The trip is going to be a cool one, with an awesome scavenger hunt built in.  In the past several weeks I’ve been doing a lot of research on the park, and even though I’ve been there plenty of times before, I learned a lot about the place.  Yesterday I took a test run to scope out the things I’ve read about so I can prepare for the trip.

The weather in NYC was absolutely gorgeous yesterday, making it a great time to go into Central Park.  There are so many things to see there, and I wanted to catch most of them while I was there.  I arrived at the park around noonish, and meandered my way through many of the beautiful pathways that wind their way around the place.  As it was such a beautiful day, the place was teeming with activity and only served to remind me of how much I want to live in the city.

I visited the Central Park Zoo, Bethesda Terrace, the statue of Balto the sled dog, Belvedere Castle, Sheep Pasture, and so many other places I can’t even remember it all.  Here are a few photos I took so you can appreciate the wonderful beauty that exists right in the middle of Manhattan…

Ziggy

Ugh, lately I’ve been having some of those Ziggy moments that I experience from time to time.  I dunno, there’s definitely some sort of bad energy that hits me for spells every once in awhile and all I can really do is try not to let them get me down and wait them out until they go away.    

I guess it all started about two weeks ago when I got my third bill from my gas company in a month.  I pay that bill on a monthly budget and once a year I get a year-end statement with a reconciliation between what I paid and what I used.  The first bill was for $28 and change, which was a nice surprise, but then I got a second year-end statement a few weeks later in which the amount jumped to more than $330.  A week after that, yet another came saying my total was well over $400.  Sheesh!?!?! 

I called the company, which is something I neither good at or like to do, and I got this robotic service representative who simply couldn’t answer my questions.  I mean, I’m not disputing what I used, but aren’t I right in that I am on a budget to avoid things like this?  The whole thing brought me from extra money in my pocket to a negative balance.  Ya just can’t fight “the man,” I guess!

My Zigginess continued on Thursday when I got a speeding ticket.  I told you once before about a ticket I had gotten last fall and fought, and now I got another one on my way to work.  Again, this one was cheesy as I was one of about 6 or 7 cars all moving relatively close to one another at a similar speed.  Yes I do drive fast, but I’m not the type of driver that weaves in and out of traffic flying past every car in my way.  I asked the officer why he picked me over all of the other cars that were going at a similar pace and he could not answer me.  All he said was that it didn’t matter if I was in a group of cars cause he uses laser radar and he could pinpoint my speed.  That doesn’t answer the question, does it? 

I felt that I was targeted because of my car, my sporty little Eclipse, and I still do.  I only should have opened my mouth sooner because I don’t think he would have given me the ticket if I had asked before he wrote it up.  I dunno, just a feeling…

I also got a parking ticket in the city yesterday.  Oh when will this end?  It was my first one ever in the city, and again it was cheesy because there were other cars parked in front of and behind me and the “No Standing” sign was at least a half a block up from the spot.  I simply didn’t even notice, and considering all of the illegal things that people do on the roads of NYC, this wasn’t so bad, was it?  And it was for a hundred bucks, too!  Again, when will this end, lol….

On the Bright Side

Earlier this week we held our 6^th annual ESL Family Night at school and once again I was tasked with public speaking.  Though I’ve done it a gazillion times before, I still get butterflies for about 24 hours before, and as always it was for nothing.  I’m not sure if it’s because the other teacher who went on before me is so bad, but she energizes me to get out there when she’s speaking and I always do a good job once I’m up there.  Both my boss and the principal were on hand and if I say so myself, I rocked it!

Let’s Go Rangers

Yesterday afternoon the Rangers began their 2^nd Round series with the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  I DVR’ed the game and watched it last night after I got home from the city.  The Rangers won the game, 3-1, and I’m starting to really love rookie Chris Kreider, who scored a beautiful goal and had an assist for the Blueshirts.  Go Rangers!

Da Bunk

I went to the Bunk House last night for the first time since opening night, and I’m only telling this to anyone who’s read my review of the place to catch up on what it’s really like now that it’s up and running.  The crowd is still nice…not as big as on that first night, but nice enough to make it a regular thing.  The music was great and the crowd was, um, very Long Island.  Take that for what it is…

Well that’s all she, or rather, he, wrote folks!  As always, thanks for checking out my lil corner of the Web.  Your visits are always appreciated.  Enjoy your Sunday, and stay tuned for my late “Y” post…

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John Myers

Seattle Traffic Lawyer

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Sunday, March 18th, 2012: Back to the Personal; Splash Waning; Bowling

Happy Sunday! Today is going to be a beautiful day, with sunny skies and temps in the 60’s. It’s really amazing how weather can affect your mood. I would imagine that people who live in places where it doesn’t get cold, though, wouldn’t ever really experience this euphoria that comes with the change of seasons from winter to spring. It’s a feeling like no other! Now I’ve just got to put my head down, write what I’ve got to write and get out there to enjoy it!

Back to the Personal

As many of my regular readers may have noticed, the blog has changed in recent months from what it used to be. During this time I’ve gotten away from more of the personal side of my life and a little more into music tidbits, interesting items, and of course, my “Songs of the Day.” I know that most blogs should really focus on one specific thing in order to be really successful, but I can’t help it, I’m not a single-minded type of guy. I have many different interests and I like to spread myself around, so to speak.

With that said, I have tried to stay a little bit more away from the personal side of stuff, but I’ll not abandon it completely. I call this blog “John’s World,” because that’s exactly what it is: my world. I think that in their entirety my posts give people a sense of who I am as a person and who knows, maybe this will end up being my legacy.

So from time to time, like now, I’m still going to pen some personal memoirs…I know that there are some out there that enjoy reading my trials and tribulations, no matter how sappy or trivial. They’ve not stopped, so neither will my talking about them. It just won’t be as often as in the past…


The new XL nightclub is giving Splash a run for its money!

Splash Waning

For the first time in a long time, I went to Splash on a Saturday night. It was a last minute decision, because I went bowling last night and got a late start out of my house so I wasn’t sure whether or not I would make it by 12 (that’s when the price doubles!). I had originally wanted to go to the new XL, which I haven’t tried yet, but since I got out of my house late, I just opted for my usual standby. XL is undoubtedly the hot spot these days in NYC, and I can tell from both the photos they put on Facebook and the size of the crowds at Splash.

For the past several weeks, Splash has been undergoing a renovation, presumably to try and win back some of the clientele it has certainly lost to the newer and supposedly larger midtown nightclub. The place is somewhat of a mess, with the whole front section of the upstairs being reconstructed. The new bar there is in place and to me it doesn’t look too different from before???

Time will tell whether or not these renovations will make a difference, but for the time being things are definitely not the same. The crowds are much sparser than they once were and last night DJ John Marto was conspicuously absent from his downstairs gig, at least while I was there. It used to be that down there would get just as packed in as upstairs with people who prefer a more pop sound to their dance music, but there was no one dancing to the automated video/dance music.

Needless to say, Splash is still a city club and the place wasn’t empty by any means. The crowd was still much larger than a LI club, and the music was pretty good, too. Unfortunately I made the choice to run up to the Ritz around 1:30, but even that place was packing them in more-so than Splash, as there was a hefty line outside waiting to get in. I figured with such a line it would be way too crowded so I chose not to wait and opted to head home. I should have stayed where I was!

I think that next week is the time to try XL, finally. Stay tuned for that…


XL Nightclub, Facebook

Bowling

I’m not sure if I ever mentioned this before on here, but once a month I bowl in a league. It’s the first such time since I was a kid and I joined as a favor to my friend Reet, whose friend asked her to join. This particular one-Saturday-per-month league is called “Just Friends,” and it is not a serious league by any means. Many of the bowlers kind of stink, and up until recently it really hasn’t been that much fun….key words “until recently.”

The past two times we bowled were a lot of fun! I’m not sure if it’s the company, the beer, or a combination of the two, but I become absolutely giddy when I’m there. I like making jokes and playing around with people. Just last month there was this one lady who was what I like to call a “chucker.” That is, whenever she bowls, the ball flies in the air about half-way down the lane, crashing with a loud thud before moving on towards the pins. No matter how many times she went, every single time up she’d chuck that ball, which I found to be so funny, especially considering her, um, large stature.

Not that I am any better…My form when I bowl is much better than when I was younger, but still a little odd. As a kid, for some crazy reason whenever I bowled my left leg used to kick up high and to the side, lol. I don’t know why that was, but it was. I credit my childhood friend Marc’s dad for helping me rid myself of that embarrassing habit. I remember him on the last day of our league, going up with me every time it was my turn and forcing me to concentrate on not kicking my leg up. Unfortunately, in the years since, I’ve developed another irregular method of bowling: these days I stumble!

Yes, I don’t know if it’s because I take too many steps before I reach the foul line or whether I’m just too excited to be doing what I’m doing, but almost every time I throw the ball, I stumble. Sometimes I even fall forward, having to brace myself from falling completely down.

Last night we bowled against a really fun team, and it was finally somebody else’s turn to make fun of me. They were cheering for us and we were reciprocating, laughing the whole night long and having the best time ever. At the end of the night, one of the ladies came up to me and told me that I had such a “fun” method of bowling, that it was “unique and hysterical.” Well, I’ll never be a serious bowler, and so I guess my bowling style has to fit my giddy personality when I’m at the lanes.

By the way, our team began last night in third place overall. Not bad, huh? And we won two out of the three games we played and maybe next week we’ll inch a little closer to first. Ya never know!






Well that’s all she wrote, for now! Time to get out there and enjoy this beautiful gorgeous day…enjoy!

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Go On, Be Mad: It's Your Problem, Not Mine

Every once in awhile, I realize that sometimes I really don’t like people very much. I’m beginning to understand that often my “Ziggy” periods can be attributed to not only my own inner-stressors, but to my interactions with other people. These days, though, I’m feeling more confident in myself as a person and I’m learning to shrug it off because my own well-being is way more important than how others treat me.

Besides, if someone chooses to treat me in such a manner then that’s their problem!

For whatever reasons, at the moment there are several people in my life who seem to have chosen to either avoid me or not talk to me or be mad at me or whatever. It’s been going on for at least a couple of weeks now, though I just realized today the scope of it today and how it’s been subconsciously affecting my mood. My first reaction was to put a short, simple message on my Facebook page, as some of them subscribe to me there. I wanted to say “f**k off” to all of them, but then I remembered that I don’t play that way.

I decided then to just get it off my chest the best way I know how, and that is to put it in words here, not necessarily for them to see, but for me to get it out and get some relief from it. So I just want to say this to them, and any other person who at one time or another called me a friend and then either cut me off or decided to get mad at me for whatever reason unbeknownst to me:

If you ever took the time to really know me, you’d know that I don’t have one mean-spirited bone in my body. I would never intentionally do anything to anyone to hurt them. I try my hardest to make the best of my interactions with everyone I meet. I treat everyone I know with respect. I listen and I empathize. I am loyal and honest, too. If you can’t see that then you don’t deserve to have me around anyway.

Sometimes my life gets busy, unbelievably busy. I work a full time job and try and keep up with writing as a second income to try and make my life better. I try when I can to reach out, but relationships work two ways.

If you want to stop talking to me or be mad at me that is totally your problem. I have nothing, absolutely nothing, to be sorry for, and I will no longer let your negative actions affect my life. I don’t need it and I am better off not worrying about it.

Knowing me, I’d probably still reach back out to you if you reached out to me and still treat you with the same respect and whole-hearted attention I've always given. That is my problem, but at least at the end of the day I can look back on myself and feel proud of who and what I am as a person. Can you? Should you choose to continue to be mad at me or avoid me then I feel sorry for you…It’s your loss!

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest!

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Monday, March 5th, 2012 - New Blogrolls; A Madonna High; Another Madonnathon Coming this Summer

It's Monday night and another long first day of the week is behind us, thank goodness! Today was a long, busy day at school followed by some much needed chores around the house. I am looking forward to sleep, but I wanted to share a couple of things before I headed there...

New Blogrolls

I added a new feature as a part of the slow makeover of this blog over the weekend and I hope you'll find it useful. To the left and down towards the bottom of the blog I've begun to add a couple of blogrolls. These are a few of several blogs I keep up with for the latest in music and entertainment and of course there's a separate list for Madonna blogs. Each one shows the most recent post and all you have to do is give it a click to read more. Since I work a full time job and can't always stay on top of things, this is a great way for my readers to find out more!



A Madonna High and another Madonnathon

Yes, I am still on a Madonna high after that M.D.N.A.thon on Friday night, and I've got some great news to share for those of you who live in the Long Island area. Several of my contacts have been posting about the event on Facebook all weekend, one of whom is DJ Susan Levine. Earlier today I suggested that they do one of these Madonnathons at Cherry's on the Bay on Fire Island this summer and guess what? They already are!

Yes folks, I am not exactly sure of any of the details, but I do know that Cherry's will be hosting some sort of Madonna event on Sunday, August 26th, which is perfect because it's only about a week before Madge hits Yankee Stadium for two shows the first week of September, both of which I will be in attendance thank you very much. So stay tuned either here or my Examiner page for more on it as it gets closer and more details become available. YES!


NYC Mdna-thon photo gallery

In the meantime, check Madonna's World here for their own review of last Friday's event along with a whole bunch of pictures.

Well, that's all she wrote for tonight...5AM comes pretty early so I'm going to say goodnight. I'm going to finish with a one of several cool photos I've been saving on my pc to share here eventually. It's a cool one of a water spout and I figured since tornadoes have been in the news the past couple of days, it was a good time to share it. Unfortunately I do not have the source information for the photo, and so if anyone out there happens to know that info, please contact me. It's a very cool shot, I think!



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Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 - Recovering; Tornadoes; We Have a Winner; Happy Birthday Blanchie!

Happy Saturday! Today really felt like spring outside, as the rain has given way to sunshine and temperatures in the 50’s. It was a good day and let’s hope it stays that way for awhile…



Recovering

As you all know by now, last night was an absolute blast, as my friend Rich and I went to Splash for the M.D.N.A.thon (Read all about it here.). The only thing was I had an early appointment with the tax man this morning and I went on only about three hours sleep. Once that was over, me and mom went out for breakfast and then I figured I’d get some of my weekly shopping done before heading home, cause if I went home first I’d never get back out. Needless to say I was pooped.

By the time I got home it was around 1 PM and I immediately crashed on the couch and zonked out for about four hours. I’m still tired, but happy, and after hanging again with Rich for awhile I decided to just stay home tonight. Last night was by far enough fun for one weekend.



By the way,, if you’d like to check out Madonna’s World blog, the folks who put on the big show last night, click here.


Storm Chasers Movies


Tornado Outbreak

One of the scariest things I could ever think of to experience is a tornado. Tornadoes are one of the most destructive and ominous weather occurrences in nature and I thank God every day I am lucky enough to live in a place that is not too susceptible to them. Twisters can occur anywhere on Earth, but as many of us already know, the great majority of them happen in the Midwest, which was absolutely devastated on Friday by an outbreak of the deadly cyclones.


CBS

Yesterday’s storms occurred in the Midwest and Southeast portions of the U.S., affecting states from Alabama to Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. So far, the death toll from the tornados has been reported at 38, with plenty of devastating damage left across the region. There’s not too much that can be said about the situation…it’s just one of those weather events that just happens and all any of us can do is pray for the victims and seek out ways to help. Very scary stuff!



We Have a Winner!

Earlier today, someone yet to be revealed downloaded the 25 billionth app from the iTunes store, winning the contest announced here the other day. The lucky winner gets a $10,000 gift card to be spent at the store, and I am happy for the winner, but still wish it had been me, lol.





Happy Birthday Blanchie!

I really, really meant to post this earlier today, but due to my post Madonnathon recovery, I have been away from the pc most of the day, and so... Today, March 3rd, is the birthday of one of my oldest friends, Blanche. I won’t tell you how old he is, but I will say that now we’re finally the same age again, lol. Happy Birthday Blanchie! This one’s for you:







Sources:

Tornado Outbreak Kills 38

The Weather Channel

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February 19th, 2012 - My body is my own worst enemy

Warning: Grossness Ahead...

Good morning and Happy Sunday! Winter vacation started yesterday and so far it’s been a real dud because I am sick, but I am going to forge on with my plans anyway, which includes a trip to Atlantic City, and of course some clubbing towards the end of the week…


This is not me, but a typical example of what a cyst looks like on someone's back once it becomes infected

My body is my own worst enemy

Oy, sometimes I just hate my body! I’ve got problems up the yin yang, notwithstanding this awful cold I’m fighting. You see, for most of my adult life, I’ve had a problem with cysts. I believe they’re called Sebaceous cysts, and every now and again they pop up on the back of my neck, on my back, and in other places. They’re very painful, embarrassing and annoying all at once, and lately I think God has been playing “wack-a-cyst” with me, as for the past five weeks or so I’ve had about five of them, each popping up in a new place once another has cleared.

The dermatologist told me that there was nothing concrete I could do to make them go away forever, and that I was just born with bad skin. That’s just great! He put me on some medication which has helped a little, but not nearly enough. In the meantime, all I can do is do my best to wait it out, taking lots of hot baths, which is the nice part, and hoping they’ll go away quickly.

Today is the fifth straight day I’ve been dealing with this current one, the last one literally clearing up six days ago. I’ve taken three baths in the past 24 hours and hopefully it’ll be clear by the morning. This one’s been the most painful and I can’t wait till it’s gone. So far I don’t see anything else popping up anywhere so the fingers are crossed.



A silly home remedy

I once tried a home remedy that my pal Dita thought was hysterically funny and still talks about to this day. I got it from Joe’s mom when I had a really large one on my chest and was exasperated trying to get it to go away. That cyst was so large I looked like I had three boobies on my chest. Blech! Anyway, the home remedy was to tape a piece of rye bread (why rye, I’ll never know!) with some sugar on it over the cyst. Supposedly it draws out the gunk. I know, eeewww. Well, it didn’t work for me, but if anyone out there has any other good home remedies for cysts that work, please tell me.

Grossness

Besides the pain and the discomfort of getting cysts, there is the grossness of it. Eventually, in order for them to go away, they’ve got to drain, and that’s where it can get really gross. There are some people out there who find a strange fascination with this, namely my pal Dita and both of my ex’s, who each liked to pop the non-painful ones off my back.

Now I don’t want to gross you out here, so instead I’m going to post a link to a video if you can handle it and want to see it. It is probably one of the grossest things I’ve ever seen…a woman draining a cyst off someone’s back. Warning, this is NOT for the queasy:

Huge Cyst Extraction

So there’s a blog post for you, huh? I know it’s a really gross topic, but I put it out there for anyone whoo suffers the same way I do, just so they know they’re not alone. And if you are a sufferer who just happens to be reading this, please let me know so I know that I’m not alone with this icky, terrible condition! As always, thanks for reading!

Image Sources:

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February 5, 2012 - Super Bowl Sunday; A Weekend of Birthdays; The Big Show

Why do they stop the game when there's too many men's on the field? To me that's party time!

Ah, yes, today is Sunday, February 5th, Superbowl Sunday, and so many other things... Aside from the big game, and the big halftime show, today is also the birthday of my old pal, Vera, and my two kitties, Dylan and Diego. I won't tell you Vera's age (she'd probably kill me!), but my two feline buddies are four years old today. Yesterday was my brother Dave's birthday, as well, something that I did not have a chance to mention before now.

Before I go into my birthday tributes, here's a little clip about the Super Bowl. It's from the old television comedy series "In Living Color," and it first aired during the halftime show on January 26th, 1992. I remember watching it at a Super Bowl party with Vera and her family on their new big screen TV, and this of course was my favorite skit:




Now say hike, then take the lil blue ball and start runnin...

There, now that I'm finished with that, I can get on with the rest of my post...



Happy Birthday Vera!

My pal Vera and I go back a long ways. She and I first met at Stern's department store where we both worked. I first got to know Vera really well through the softball games we all used to play together after work on Sundays in the summertime. At the time I didn't have a license, just a learner's permit, and I remember one night she and her sister MaryAnn let me drive their car (I believe it was an old Chevy Nova---cool!) home. That was the night when we really first became friends.

For the past 20-some odd years or so, Vera and I have been through a lot together: Friday nights dancing the night away at Spectrum, trips to Aruba and Virginia, lunches at the Good Steer (where she once ordered cottage cheese and French fries...she was on a diet, lol!), Madonna and Prince concerts, fun-filled evenings at home, dancing around the house and laughing all the way, and so many more.

Today, Vera's got a family and I'm still a single dude in my twenties (mentally, anyway), so we don't see each other as often as we used to, but she is still my dear old friend and I wish her a very happy birthday!





Dylan and Diego

Four years ago today, my little cuties were born. When I got them, I'd been looking for two cats to have as pets instead of one. Someone once told me that two are no more work than one and since I remember my first cat, Spike, always seeming so lonely, I knew that two would be a good idea. I found them online and instantly fell in love. They're brothers, but you'd never know it from looking at them.

Dylan is a tuxedo, just like Spike, only he's a poly-dactyl. That means he's got one extra digit on his two front paws. These cats are a whole breed named after Ernest Hemingway, the famous writer who cared for many of them. Diego is a big, fluffy thing and honestly one of the most beautiful animals I've ever seen, with virtually every color found in a cat speckled in his mane.

Dylan and Diego are just like real brothers. They fight like brothers and they take care of each other like brothers...it's so cute! I only wish I could share some of their cuter moments together somehow. Maybe one of these days I'll catch them on video.




Dave's Birthday, Saturday Night with the Family


Yesterday was my brother David's birthday and I was invited over for cake. Dave is 14 months younger than me and he and I have had a typical brother-brother relationship over the years, with plenty of ups and downs, and mostly now it's all ups, thankfully. He and I are the two eldest in our family of six, and so we've been together the longest. Happy belated bro!



I had planned on going out into the city after cake, and so I had a deadline for myself to leave Dave and Kim's (my sister in-law) house in order to get ready, but things didn't go as planned. Right when my mom and I were about to leave, we all got into a long discussion about family matters and before you knew it, it was too late to make my way into the city. Ah well, family is important and besides, I saved a little money and there's always next week!



The Big Show

Finally, tonight is the big show I've been anticipating for weeks. Yes, I'm talking about the Super Bowl. Well, not really the game, although the Giants being in it definitely makes it more exciting. Of course tonight's Super Bowl promises to be the most watched one ever by gay people, as our own Queen of Pop, Madonna, takes to the stage during halftime.

I've seen Madonna in concert several times in my life and I can promise you she always puts on an awesome show. Of course, this one is a tough one, as the crowd is so large and boisterous that even the Black Eyed Peas last year didn't sound so great. Nevertheless, with Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., LMFAO and who knows who else on stage, I'm sure it will be a spectacle to behold.

Here's another look at Madge's newest video for "Gimme All Your Luvin." I know, I know, I am a real dork sometimes when it comes to Madonna, but I've been listening and watching the video a lot these past couple of days and I'm liking it more every time...it's so campy and 80's!

Well, time to get off this pc and get going. Here's Madonna, and by the way, Go Giants!






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January 31st, 2012 - Make Someone's Day!

Sometimes even the smallest of kind gestures towards someone in your life can go a long, long way. Take a second today to say hi or give a kind word to someone who you appreciate having in your life, just to let them know you're thinking of them. It just might make their day! Happy Tuesday!

This was a little something I wrote this morning to post on my Facebook page. It was borne out of a realization I had last night after talking to my friend Rich and carried on through during several contacts I had with people afterwards. As I mentioned here on Sunday, I've been feeling like I've been in a funk lately, and even though I know that these lows always eventually run out, when I'm experiencing them it's difficult to imagine how and when it's going to end.

Then, like always, it's something small and sudden that can do it, like one of the gestures I speak of in my Facebook status. A series of small interactions with special people in my life began on Sunday night and by Monday night I felt a lot better. I thought of the Pink song, "Glitter in the Air":

Have you ever hated yourself for staring at the phone?
You're whole life waiting on the ring to prove you're not alone

Living alone can be really tough sometimes. Though I enjoy solitude on occasion, sometimes I hate it, and like everybody else, I sometimes need that phone to ring or that message to come through on Facebook to prove that I'm really not alone. When these things do come, somehow I am always stronger for it, happier. I need it and I think we all do every once in awhile.

So look up and read the quote again. Think of someone in your life who you think might be missing you and give them a call, send them a message, and say hi. I promise it'll go a really long way. You might even just make their day!



Image Source: Heart of a Gypsy

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January 30th, 2012 - He Passed!; R.I.P. Bradley Thomsen

I love Monday nights. Just knowing that the first day of a long work week is behind me gives me a sense of peace, especially when it was a good day. Well, today was a good day for me personally and I find myself in a much better mood than I was just a day ago. Big smiles!



He Passed!

Just yesterday I told you about a student who I’ve been tutoring for the past three months to prepare for his state examination in Global History. I mentioned how horribly difficult the test was in my Education Smeducation rant, and I still think it’s not fair, but in the incredibly wacky world of education, making up for hard tests with lots of grading leeway and lower passing scores, I’m happy to report that he passed the test! After way too many tries at passing the darned thing, he now has all of the requirements he needs to earn his diploma. Congratulations big time buddy!





R.I.P. Bradley Thomsen


I am sad to report tonight that the husband of one of my oldest friends, Marcia, passed away unexpectedly last night. I heard the news early this morning from Marcia’s daughter and I am as shocked as anyone within that circle to learn of Brad’s death.

Marcia and I go back a long ways, from my days working as a stock boy at Stern’s department store. I was in my late teens/early twenties when I worked there and I met Marcia during a difficult time when many of my formerly friendly coworkers found out I was gay and suddenly ostracized me from the group. Marcia was new at the store and had been hearing much of the chatter going on about me and one day she reached out to me with an ear and an offer of friendship.

For the next almost 30 years, she and I have been through a lot together, both good times and bad, and even though she now lives in Florida we still manage to stay in each other’s lives somehow. Her two children, Layne and Jordan, who I met when they were small, are like my niece and nephew and I’m grateful to have them in my life, as well.

A little more than eight years ago, Marcia told me she had met Brad. He was from Long Island and he was going to be coming down to Florida to live with her. Of course, I was hesitant and doubtful about what seemed like too sudden a decision, but I have never been one to ply my own opinions onto others, and so I was just happy for my friend.

Marcia and Brad were married in November of 2003 and I was on hand to witness the event. Over the years I came to know Brad pretty well and what I can say most about him was that he was quite a character! Always jovial and always outspoken, Bradley was always a presence whenever he was around. Through and through, he and I got along pretty well, and I can say with all honesty that he was a likable guy.

I remember during one of my many visits to see them in Florida, Marcia insisted that he and I spend some time together so that we could get to know one another. It was the first and only time in my life I ever took an airboat ride in the Everglades, something we had both always wanted to do. It was quite an experience!

What I am grateful for the most about Brad was that he was around to take care of my friend Marcia. For the longest time, she had been completely on her own and doing her best to survive. In him, she found a soul mate, someone with whom she could spend her days with and be happy and worry with, and I can say with certainty that that’s exactly what he was for her. Thank you Brad! Rest in Peace!


Brad and Marcia


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January 29th, 2012 - In a Funk; Education Smeducation; Blog Updates

Good morning and Happy Sunday! It’s been nothing but writing for me all morning so far and after this entry I definitely need to take a break. It is a gorgeous day outside, not at all like January, with sunny skies and warm temperatures. It kind of feels like early spring rather than winter and I plan on getting out there at least for a bit…


In a Funk

I really have no idea what’s the matter with me lately, but I am definitely in a funk! Over the past several weeks I’ve kind of been walking around in a daze, not really feeling like doing anything, and I don’t know why. For at least the third or fourth time in the last few weeks, I stayed home on Saturday night, but this time it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Having not gone to the city for two weeks because of the Outlook Awards dinner last Saturday, I had been planning all week on going last night. I got a call from my pal Ivan that he and his friends were going to a new club opening in Hell’s Kitchen and he wanted me to join them. The club is called XL and Kristine W was performing there for the opening.

Though the offer was very tempting, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to deal with the huge crowds of people that I would expect to see at a grand opening like that, but I was planning on going into either Splash or the Ritz, nonetheless. I spent part of the day preparing for the night, gassing up, getting money and I even took a nap, but when it came time to go, I don’t know, I just didn’t. I had even showered and dressed, got in the car and left, but I found myself turning around and coming home not even a mile away from my house. At first I attributed it to a late start, but I’m just not sure…

Lately I’ve been spending too much time in isolation and I know it’s not good for me. I need to get out there and do a little more interacting with people, but I can’t seem to get myself going. I guess I just need to try harder and hopefully that funk will go away soon.



Education Smeducation

Oh, there are so many things I want to say about the state of education in this country and the State of New York, but I don’t have nearly enough time to get it all out there. There’s one thing I can say for sure, and that’s that education is a total mess! In the field of education, as in any other field of work, it seems that the people in charge are so far removed from the front lines that they are clueless when it comes to how the decisions they make affect the people at the root of their domain. In this case I’m talking about the kids.

This past week was Regents week in New York. For those of you who don’t know what that is, the Regents are a series of examinations that students must pass to graduate from high school in New York State. Students must pass five Regents examinations (English, Math, Global Studies, US History and either Biology or Earth Science) to earn their diplomas, which, since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, has made more kids take five years and not the expected four to graduate from high school and many more have dropped out. (Talk about leaving children behind!)

Usually the students who take them in January are taking them because they failed the exams in June and/or August, when they’re offered again. This year, I was tasked with tutoring a special education student to prepare him for the Global Studies exam. Even though I am not a social studies teacher, I feel comfortable enough with the subject matter to have helped him pass the test.

For the past three months, he and I have worked together long hours preparing for the exam and on Friday he took the Global Studies Regents. As I administered the test, I started to burn with anger at seemingly every question. Now I can say with pride that this student, who had failed the exam several times in the past, learned a lot from his time with me. He knows a lot more about global history than he ever did before, especially finding interest in World War II, the Cold War and the Cuban Revolution, oddly enough, but this test covered too broad a range for him to recall.

He answered several questions without hesitation, but unfortunately there weren’t enough that he knew for certain. In fact, there were many questions I couldn’t have even answered. Questions about such obscure and specific historical subjects like the rule of Suleimann the Magnificent, Toussaint L’Ouverture and the Tokugawa shogunate are simply out of the realm of what this particular kid is able to store in his learning disabled brain, and his dejection during the exam was plainly evident on his face. Both he and I knew that for most of the questions, it was simply a crapshoot as to guessing the correct answer.

I wish that the folks at the Board of Regents of the State of New York could have been there to witness this travesty. Maybe then they might rethink the current thoughts on rigorous standards for everybody and see that not all learners are the same.


A wedding chuppah designed by Stewart Wellington, lol

Blogging

Beginning yesterday, I started to work on my other blogs, “john’s food and recipe blog” and “The Misadventures of Johnny Driver.” With the former I simply added my newest published recipe, “Tacosagne,” to the blog and changed a little of its appearance, and for Johnny Driver I started the long, arduous task of rewriting the entire series. I am hoping to add to the Johnny Driver series, which I think has potential if I say so myself, and I feel the need to revisit what’s been done already to make it better and more readable, especially since I think I got better with it as time went on. Check out the reworked introduction here.

Stay tuned for more updates on those sites, which I will mention here when necessary, and feel free to check them out either below or in the sidebar.

john’s food and recipe blog

The Misadventures of Johnny Driver


Well, I think I’ve said enough here for one post. Be sure to check out Shakira in the latest Song of the Day and some news about Lady Gaga’s newest single here. In the meantime, have a great Sunday!

P.S.: Here's a photo I found on the Internet that is just soooo cute I had to share it:



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January 26th, 2012 - A Tale of Two Generations; Well Hello Again Nancy Lou!

It’s Thursday night and we’re finally towards the end of what has turned out to be a long week for me, especially at work. Though I promised myself I would stay away from the pc long enough to find other things to occupy my time, like sleep for instance, I find myself once again at the pc, typing away…



A Tale of Two Generations


Yesterday, another friend of mine posted a short little essay on Facebook. It concerned something I’ve had in my head for awhile now. Being a teacher and a constant in the lives of young folks, I plainly see a lot of things that worry me about the next generation. With the advent of technology has come a change in the way kids grow up, and to me it paints a troubling scenario of the way the world may eventually become when they’re the ones running it. Read on…

Anyone who was born in the 50's - 60's - 70's... We are the last generation who played in the street. We are the first who played video games & the last to record songs off the radio on a cassette tape. We walked over a mile with no worries about being taken...learned how to program the VCR before anyone else…played from Atari to Nintendo...We are the generation of Tom and Jerry/Looney Toons & Captain Kangaroo…We traveled in cars without seat belts or air-bags & lived without cell phones. We did not have flat screens, surround sound, iPods, Facebook, Twitter, computers & the Internet...But nevertheless we had a GREAT time!

Having been born in the 60’s, I can definitely relate to this. I did have a great childhood, even without all of those technological thingys that are everywhere today. I was just reminiscing recently with my brother about how we used to play sports with all the kids on our block. Every day it was a different game or activity: wiffleball, hockey, building forts, swimming… you name it. I grew up on a block of about ten to fifteen boys all around the same age and we all spent our afternoons together, face to face, enjoying the simple things kids were meant to enjoy. You don’t see that anymore.

I was telling a friend just a couple of weeks ago about an impromptu football game we had all played on a snowy December night when I was around 15. There had to have been thirty of us, even kids from neighboring blocks came out on this bright, moonlit night to play a simple game and it was special. As I told the story, my friend made an observation:

“You know, I never see that anymore. I mean, I never have to stop or go around kids playing together on the street like I used to while I’m driving around. Nowadays they’re all inside chatting online, playing video games, or toiling with their phones.”

She was right! It’s been a long, long time since I came across kids playing a game of pick-up basketball on the street or even riding their bikes. Too often, I fear, these youngins are isolated to the world, connected only through a little device they hold in their hand, and missing out on many of the social aspects of growing up that are so important.

One of the most difficult things about being an educator is getting kids to focus on learning. It’s extremely arduous these days considering the distractions they now have at their disposal. Technology is a great thing, but it’s also a terrible thing!

Smart phones are everywhere these days, and distract us all, not only kids, from what we used to call living. At school, these things can be seen virtually every moment of the day, hidden in palms and under desks, or right out there in the open in school hallways. Does anybody really need to be that connected all the time? Oh, I could write a book on this topic, and perhaps someday I will, but for now I just wish that one child would read the above caption and realize that maybe, just maybe, they should put their cell phones away for just a little while and live.


Well Hello Again Nancy Lou!

Earlier this evening I had a reunion of sorts with an old friend, Nancy Lou. He and I have been getting together for coffee at his place on and off again now for a couple of years, but for the past couple of months we’d fallen out of touch. Though being out of touch with him has been bothering me, I’ve been too busy to do anything about it, but I knew that he kept up with me through this space.

Nance has been a faithful reader of this blog for some time now and I very much appreciate his readership and occasional input, and earlier this afternoon I got a surprise text from him. All it said was “coffee?” Of course I smiled at the sight of the text and even though I had some things to take care of after work, I knew I had to make room for a cup of java with an old friend, and guess what? We haven’t skipped a beat! Nice to see you again Nance!

Well tha-tha-tha-that's all folks! As always, thanks for checking out my space and I look forward to sharing with you again really soon!

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