A Weekend in the Woods, Part I

I've been trying to write this post for four days now...

This past weekend I spent an amazing 27-plus hours deep in the woods of Pennsylvania with some very awesome people.  The little mini-trip was courtesy of recent friends Peter and his boyfriend Drew and included my pals Manny and Ozzie and their friends David and Ricardo.  Peter had rented a log cabin in a place called Damascus, Pennsylvania to celebrate his and Drew's 1 year anniversary and he was kind enough to include me in and I am so glad I went!

The idea of the trip was first brought up to me by Manny over a month ago and until Peter asked me himself, I hadn't even planned on going.  Though I know Manny and Ozzie very well, the rest who were going I did not.  I've always been somewhat reserved and shy around people I don't know, but I guess that was the old me because I did go, and even though I was a little nervous at first, I actually had a lot of fun.

Damascus, PA

Where were we going?

That was a really good question, actually.  Until a couple of days before the trip, I only knew we were going to a secluded part of Pennsylvania, but I was still a little sketchy on exactly what that meant.  Peter sent out messages earlier in the week that gave me hints, but I wasn't sure exactly still until I arrived.  Damascus is located in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania, only a few miles from the New York border.  The area is decidedly rural, with pastures and silos, dirt roads, creeks, wooden bridges and all...and it is simply beautiful!

Wow, A Real Log Cabin!

The three-turned-five-hour trip (traffic!) to PA was well worth it.  I've never been to a log cabin before, and what I'd imagine one to be like was not this.  This place was amazing, and that's putting it mildly.  State of the art everything, eclectic decor, and plenty of space to play in.  The cabin was located on a hill among seven-plus acres of wooded bliss, with two lakes, trails, and the beautiful oranges, reds and yellows of fall foliage as a backdrop.

Take a look...outside...

Gorgeous, no?

...and inside...

  The living space

A lofty dorm area where I slept...

  The kitchen and dining area

A Panorama

The Company

I was the last one up to the cabin, having had a prior engagement here on Long Island the night before.  The other guys got there on Friday and so they were already relaxed and enjoying the cabin and its surroundings for 24 hours before I got there, but after getting a tour from Peter of that beautiful place, I was right there enjoying it with em..

.to be continued...there's so much more to tell!

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Song of the Day - Empire State of Mind - Jay Z, featuring Alicia Keys

zazzle

Today is Tuesday, September 11, 2012. 

It's been 11 years since that fateful day and I'm feeling in a New York state of mind!

 

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Thanksgiving Thanks - Photographs

As anyone who checks out this blog or is friends with me on Facebook can tell, I love pictures. Pictures are ways of capturing memories forever embedded in our minds and it’s always fun to look at them. I was talking to my friend Rich earlier, who himself would cause great harm to anyone who even tries to take his picture, about my blog post from yesterday in which I included a lot of photos from different times I’ve spent in the city. He commented on one of me that he thought was bad. It’s the only black and white one there and it was taken on the Sea Tea earlier this summer.

I agree that it’s not the greatest picture I’ve ever taken, but that’s the whole point of pictures. That was me at that point in time and yeah, so maybe it’s not the best pose or profile, but it’s me. People see me everyday in all kinds of looks, both good and bad, and so I don’t think it’s a big deal to show an occasional bad photo of myself.

Another time Rich had asked me if I took as many pictures when I was heavy as I do now. The honest answer to that is no, but I did pose for enough of them. When I look back at them now they only serve to remind me that I look even better today and to show that that’s where I came from is cool to me, so I’m not ashamed to share them.

I finally did something tonight that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I began to scan some of the many photographs I have in my house. It’s a cross-section of stuff from throughout the years of me, my friends and family, and other stuff. There are some pudgeball pictures and some really young pictures and some when I had some pretty wild hair. But they’re all a part of my life and each one of them brings back memories of my life at one point or another. Aren’t we lucky to be able to do that?

Okay, now for the pictures…


Me and Joe


My pal Vera and I at King's Dominion


Long lost Joey with Spike


Ain't I cute?


Me and my pal Marcia in Florida


I met Mickey!


Me, Joe and our good friend Madge after a sweaty night of coasters at Great Adventure


Foreshadowing?...me and my brother Dave


This photo was taken on September 9, 2001


This was on Halloween, at least I hope it was


My 21st Birthday!


The little Spikester!

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Song of the Day - Everything Is Everything - Lauryn Hill

Source: contactmusic

Well after last night's Thanksgiving Thanks for New York City, I had to pay homage with a Song of the Day. This one's from the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and it was the video that first got me hooked on the song. Very cool graphics as NYC becomes giant record spinning on a turntable with a giant needle scratching the beats on its surface, and the music track has NY written all over it. Hella cool!






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Thanksgiving Thanks - New York City

I’m thankful for New York City

I would think that most of us love where we live. Every place on Earth has its own special things about it, and where I live is no different. I feel very lucky to live where I live because all of my life I’ve had the good fortune to reside in or near what is quite literally the “Center of the Universe.” New York City, to me, is the greatest city on Earth! No other place on Earth even comes close. There is so much about New York City to love, and sometimes hate, but it's all good and I’m grateful to have it in my life to enjoy.

I was born in the Bronx and spent the first eight years of my life living there. It was then, in 1972 I believe, that my family moved to Long Island and I was miserable about it for a long, long time. In fact, I was the only one of my siblings who ever wanted to go back to live, which is exactly what I did right after I graduated high school.

I’ve always been drawn to the city; the glamour, the buildings, the hustle and bustle of it all…a person would have a hard time ever being bored in New York City.

I have so many fond memories of the city: seeing Dreamgirls on Broadway in 1982, my first show; taking two hours walking from Penn Station to the World Trade Center with my high school sweetheart Karen because it looked close enough; countless day trips with my pals Vera and Joey; skipping class just to go down and walk around; Ranger and Knick games at MSG; shopping the Virgin Megastore in Times Square at midnight; renting an apartment on Bleecker Street with Joe for a mini-vacation; traffic jams; bridges and tunnels; electricity in the air; dinners and cocktails; the Statue of Liberty; Macy’s Herald Square; the Met, MOMA and the Guggenheim; the big, beautiful buildings; Pride Parades; dancing at Studio 54 and now Splash; taxicabs, buses and the subway; the Sea Tea, and so many more.

You get where I’m coming from...New York City has it all and then some, and I am one lucky S.O.B. to have had that place be an indelible part of my life, for all my life. I will continue to enjoy it for the rest of my days and be thankful every day that it's there for me to soak in. I guess you could say I’m in an Empire State of Mind…




Fun Times in NYC














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Song of the Day - Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z, feat. Alicia Keys

Image Source: red bubble

I don't think today's song needs any explanation.






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Walls Come Tumbling Down...

And walls come tumbling down
We'll be forever calm

I was listening to these words late this afternoon when I first heard that the New York State Senate was finally going to vote on the Marriage Equality Act, which would have legalized gay marriage finally in the great state of New York. Though I'm not a big believer in marriage as an institution, I do believe strongly that all people, including people like us, should have the same right to marry that straight people do.

The words are from a song by Erasure called 'In My Arms,' and the "walls" referred to in the song symbolize tonight the wall that's stood between gay people and the legal institution of marriage for years and years. When I saw the announcement of the vote on Twitter via my iPhone, I had a good feeling. Yes, this time it would pass. I turned up the volume and sang the words to this beautiful song at the top of my lungs, and this time with a whole new meaning...

I am a lifelong New Yorker. It's the place where I was born, the place I was raised, and the place I call my home. I've always been proud of being a New Yorker and I'm even prouder tonight.



Though I've been meaning lately to post links to some of the pieces I've written lately, I've been remiss, and I'm going to change that now for tonight's historic action by my state government moved me into action to share and to reiterate what I believe with all my heart. Here are links to what I wrote earlier tonight and some related material from the past. Check it out:

Some NY Pride as Gay Marriage Bill Finally Passes

Why Same Sex Marriage is a Civil Rights Issue

The Lovings and Today's Gay Marriage Debate

Gay Marriage Shot Down Again: When Will the Hate Stop?

Gay Marriage and the Traditional Family

As always, thanks for reading!


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