Summer's End: A Reflection on Living Life & Rejuvenation

It's last few hours before it's all over. Yeah, yeah, I know you all feel so bad for me and the rest of us teachers out there who are all getting back to real life after about 9 weeks of summer vacation. Well, while I do agree that summer is a great perk of the job, it is a much needed respite after ten straight months of, well, non-stop craziness, at least for me. Recharging is exactly what the doctor ordered.

I'm not speaking here to extol nor to defend the virtues of working in education, though. As I like to do every so often, I am here tonight to express appreciation and gratitude for my life. Having not worked in the summer for the first time in my teaching career, I had the total pleasure of experiencing life in a myriad of ways this time around, and for that, I am eternally grateful...and proud!

Where do I begin? I had so many pleasurable experiences over the summer that seem too innumerable to list. Dinners with friends, kayaking, parties and bbq's, the Roller Coaster Road Trip, camping, the beach, deep conversations, Philly, new friends, dancing, Fire Island, and even a semi-steady summer romance are just some of the many pleasures in life I got to enjoy this summer. I am a very lucky person!

Earlier today, and this was not the first time, someone said to me, "look there, the man who's really living life." I always say to this, "Who, me? Nah, it just looks that way on Facebook." Really, though, it is partially true. I live my life as I see it through my own eyes and that's where the proud part comes in. If a friend suggests an activity, I usually jump right in. Taking what comes your way is really a great way to get to experience life, to make memories that will stay with me to the very end. I know so many people who've got hangups, so many who waste their days in front of the television sets or just being 'bored.' To me, that's kind of sad and I could never imagine myself being that way.

My friend Rich is always telling me that I need to say no sometimes. He's right, but not totally. Yes, I've always got more on my plate than I can sometimes handle, and I'm always running against the clock, always in a rush, but once I am at whatever thing I have scheduled with someone, I usually find the enjoyment in it. Even when things go awry on a jaunt, at least I have a great story to tell.

So as I get ready for the first day of school tomorrow, I go into it once again with a fresh mind and happy memories that will carry me to the next summer. No, life is not over (except maybe the sleeping late part, lol). It simply continues through a different means. There are still good times yet to be had, and I intend to make the most of those that come my way.

So to all of my teacher friends out there, I hope that you have all lived a little this summer and appreciated every moment. May the new school year bring out the best in all of us as a result of our blessings. See you all soon!

Another New Year, Another Resolution?

Labor Day 2016 - Every year on this day, I (...and a lot of other people!) tend to reflect on the summer that's just passed and the upcoming 10 months of the new school year. Though things were precarious back at the end of June...a bad back, a cancelled trip to Europe and a decent shortage of funds, I ended up having a great summer!

Here's to a Great Summer!

From the very first day of summer vacation, I was having a blast. From dinners with friends, nights on Fire Island, reunions with old friends, the Invasion of the Pines, trips to Philly, camping, upstate NY, and Florida, it was a fun-filled time for sure.  Here are some great memories...

Good times, yes they were, but now it's time to let go of summer and put my nose to the grindstone. 

A Big Year Ahead

Today was the first day of a new school year, one that aims to be even tougher than last...and I'm already exhausted. The school year 2015-16 was my most difficult to date. I took on new responsibilities and my day to day job became monstrously difficult.  This year is already shaping up to be another tough one, and I just have to dig deep and learn how to better deal with things.

It's All About Focus

Quite some time ago, I wrote about a book called The Life You Were Born to Lead, by Dan Millman, and although I can't say I've been following it faithfully since, I have kept in my mind some of the things it's taught me.  The book basically uses the foundations of numerology to reveal the underlying traits that make you you, and the one thing Millman says about me that rings so true in my everyday life is that I lack focus.

Like the old saying goes, you can be good at a lot of things, but you can be really great at simply one, or two.  Most old adages are founded in truth and surely this one is, especially in my case.  I have my hand in many things, and I am good at a lot of them, but great at none.  As I begin this new year, I find myself once again trying to 'fix' myself, and perhaps focus is the key.

So once the dust settles on the beginning of this new school year, I will be taking a good, hard look at all of the things I do and try and figure out which ones I truly love and which ones I could really do without.  Then maybe I can focus on far less and get on with it...

A Message from the Grove Hotel

I'm on an email list for the Grove Hotel in Cherry Grove, the one that was decimated by the fire the other night.  As I read it, I thought it would be a good thing to share it, so here's the email...

Esteemed Guests and Patrons,

This has been a difficult time for our Ice Palace & Grove Hotel family. Early Friday morning March 27 a fire swept through the Grove Hotel destroying the building.

The Ice Palace Nightclub was undamaged thanks to the amazing efforts of the Cherry Grove Fire Department as well as other neighboring departments. The Cherry Grove Fire Department's knowledge and training helped them contain the fire to the west side of the property. Sadly the fire consumed the hotel as well as homes on Holly Walk.

The Grove Hotel has been a gay hotel for over 59 Years and has had famous guests like Lady Gaga, Liza Minelli and countless Drag Superstars. We are still processing our emotions over this loss but assure the gay community we will rise from these ashes and rebuild.

Once our engineers evaluate the property we will announce the 2015 season opening of the Ice Palace Nightclub. Thank you to everyone for your kind words, love and support.

Dr Frank Liguori and the entire staff of the Grove Hotel

Let's hope and pray that the coming season at Fire Island will be a fruitful one for them, and one of the best for its guests.  Here's to a bright future for this summer and the ones to come...

Song of the Day - Wild Child - Wekeed

Here's a funky little ditty I discovered recently on Spotify. It's from a French electronica/chill duo called Wekeed and it's from last year, but the song surely sounds summery to me, with a light-hearted rhythm and equally bright, dubstepish vocals.  Check it out...

A Fun Reunion to Complete a First Great Weekend of Summer

So far, summer has taken off with a picture perfect start.  The weekend was a great beginning to my summer, with a trip to the Grove with Laura Kim on Friday and then a very special reunion with some old friends on Saturday.  You see, from 1987 until the year 2000, I worked for Citibank, a career that helped save me from a lifetime of obscure, minimum wage jobs.  I learned a lot of valuable lessons in my life at Citibank and I made a lot of friends, too, like my pals Joann, Caroline and Linda.  Last night I hosted a reunion of the four of us.  It was our first time seeing each other in four years and we all picked up right where we left off.  I am one lucky guy!

 

Out of the three of these ladies, I know Linda the longest.  She and I had trained to work on the sales end of the bank together for six weeks in NYC way back in the early 90's and became fast friends.  I remember when I first met her I couldn't help but think that she looked a lot like 70's actress Bonnie Franklin from the TV show One Day at a Time, something which a lot of people seem to agree on...

Anyway, so now you can tell which one Linda is in the top picture, but then there's Caroline and Joann. Caroline is the beautiful young lady on the left.  She worked as a bank teller with us for a few years in the mid-90's, and the lovely young lady on the right is my friend Joann, who also worked as a teller with us during my tenure at Citi.  She's the one with whom I still have the most contact, though even that is sporadic. There is a fifth person, Bessie, who unfortunately wasn't able to join us last night.  Hopefully another time!

The whole reason for the visit was that Linda, who moved to South Carolina a few years ago, was coming up for a visit for the weekend and Joann suggested we all get together.  Since I hadn't entertained in awhile, I offered to host.  The night ended up being so much fun...we laughed and reminisced and laughed some more, just like old times.  Check out the pictures, they tell the story...

  

Caroline made a Mr. Bill on her hamburger

Spank meh!

You're a tiiiiiger!

Don't these three look like they could be he new hosts of The View?  Linda is having a profound moment, which brings Joann to tears and draws Caroline to her wine, lol.

So here's to a great night with three very special ladies.  Hopefully it won't be another four years before we catch up again...

Song of the Day - Problem - Ariana Grande, feat. Iggy Azalea

I got one less problem without ya!

We are blazing right through Memorial Day Weekend and since today is the traditional Cherry Grove day, and the weather is gawgeous, I wanted to put up something fun.  This one's my pick for summer song of the year, and it's oh so good!

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - California Gurls - Katy Perry

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  Finally, after a long winter, the unofficial beginning of summer is upon us and even though there are overcast skies and showers popping up right now here in New York, I think we need to start the weekend off with a lil sunshine.  Enjoy!

Song of the Day - All You're Waiting For - Classix

stereogum

Today's song was brought to my attention just recently by friend and fellow blogger Sonny.  In his message to me relating the song, he called it "a fun end-of summer song that you heard at the start of summer."  Unfortunately, I didn't hear it at the beginning of summer, but I wish I had.  The music track reminds me of an R&B song from the 80's, with a lil bit of contemporary dance groove thrown in, and the vocals are fun, too!.  Mr. Sonny was right.  It is fun, but can it really be the end of the summer?  Waaah!


 
Classixx - "All You're Waiting For" feat. Nancy Whang — Official Music Video from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.
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Here's to a Great Summer!

Summer moon, on your face 

For the wind blows so sweet

Come away, come away

Dance with me...

Let us dance to forget

Let us dance to remember

All those days last summer

thelivingroomsilence

Even though many people think that dance music is mindless music without meaning, I always beg to differ.  Oh sure, there's plenty of dance stuff out there that is, well, mindless, and that's because it's main purpose is to make you dance, not contemplate the meanings of life and love.  There are many dance songs out there, however, that are just as meaningful as those of any other genre of music. All one has to do is look to Madonna or Robyn, Janet Jackson, Avicii's Wake Me Up, etc. to find dance songs that are anything but fluff.

The lyrics above are from a 2005 dance song called Summer Moon by a French-based project named Africanism All Stars, and the words fit so nicely in my life right here and right now. Yesterday, like virtually every Sunday of Labor Day Weekend before, I ventured to Cherry Grove with my friends, and like every other Sunday of Labor Day Weekend before, I was surrounded by good people and great friends.  

Yesterday's trip to the Island of Fire was a special one, different than all of the other ones before it. Though the cast of characters was different, the experience was like always, fun and full of joy, but this time I brought with me a different perspective of the present.  The players in yesterday's outing were mostly from bowling, that wonderful little weekly social event that is chock full of special people, and of course my pals Rich and Bobby were there, too.  

Throughout the evening we laughed, we chatted, and we danced.  We danced to forget and we danced to remember.  At least I did!  This was a summer unlike any other for me, full of high highs and low lows, and there were many things about it that I'd like to forget and yet countless others I'll cherish in my mind for years to come.

My broken relationship with my family has followed me like a gray cloud throughout the summer, but in the wake of that mess I've come to learn a very important thing.  Where I've been feeling that this situation reflected poorly on my character, I've learned that it says nothing bad about my character. Regardless of what's happened with them, I am surrounded by a great number of people who have no other ties to me other than friendship.  They've all made the choice to be in my life and I know it's because they love me for who I am.  

My social circle has grown by leaps and bounds ever since I joined that bowling league last fall, and this summer I've fostered great relationships with many of those people.  Being with them in P-town just a few weeks back was a wonderful experience that became a catalyst for forging what I hope will be lifelong relationships.  Aside from that, I am now and will forever be grateful for my buddies Rich and Bobby, who are so much more important to me to be called just friends. They are family.   

So as summer draws to a close and the school year is less than 24 hours away, I stand here in my present satisfied with my life and who I am.  These past six years have been long and difficult for me as I've sought to find out who I really am.  Though the roads been difficult and there's a lot of navigating yet to do, I can say at this moment that it was all worth it.  This summer was a special one for me, full of happy memories and good times with great people: roller coasters in Virginia with Dita, a weekend with Flo and Francois, some very exciting moments in Atlantic City, trips to the beach, working with the little ones again, clubbing in the city, a nice reunion with my sister Chrissy, Friday night chitchats at Nuts N Bolts, P-town, and of course, Fire Island.  

A little over two years ago, I wrote a poem about myself for the A-Z Blogger's Challenge, and upon reading it I can see that not much has changed about me since then.  The core of my being is strong, and I continue to both appreciate what I have and to seek out new nuggets of wisdom along the way.  

Today I put summer behind me to focus on here and now, and what is to come.  Back to school means back to life, but I know it doesn't all have to be mundane.  I will get my enjoyment in life once again through my kids during school days and I will continue to forge my relationships with the people in my life during nights and weekends.  Soon I will be placing focus on my upcoming trip to Chile and possibly a trip to Canada afterwards.  This post has been a living, breathing example of one of my Keys to Life, to live in the present, appreciate what you've had and what you have, and always look to tomorrow with optimism.  It's not easy to do, but it is so worth it.

So here's to a great summer 2013, to a great school year and a great life!  Check out Summer Moon...

   

 

Africanism Allstars - Summer Moon (Fmif remix) by whitechocolate57

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Song of the Day - Sun Is Up - Inna

There is no doubt that summer is in full swing, with sweltering temperatures and lazy days.  Here's one of my favorite summer tunes...so tropical, so dancey, and so hot!

Inna - Sun Is Up (Official Video) by rejo007

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August 16, 2012: Atlantic City and the "Summer of Weezie"

Well yeah, I've been quite absent this summer, haven't I?  Other than the daily Song of the Day and a couple of 90's pieces, there hasn't been much going on in John's World lately, at least not the online John's World.  Actually I've been keeping pretty busy and time is so little and so precious that I've had little of it, nor the motivation to write.  It's funny but this seems to happen to me mostly during vacation time, when you'd think I'd be writing more.

atlantic-city-casino

Atlantic City

I just returned from a three-day trip to Atlantic City.  It was by far the best trip I've ever had down there, as I met some really nice people, bought some nice new clothes, and came home with a couple of bucks in my pocket.  I usually go there two or three times a year, sometimes with my mom, my sis and her friend, and sometimes I go alone, like this time.

Atlantic City is not always fun.  There are plenty of bad times I remember having there, including one very forgettable visit with my (very) cranky grandfather a few years ago.  Losing money quickly and mostly is no fun either.  You see, I never go down there thinking I'm going to win money, and I'm happy if I can play for an hour or two on $20, but sometimes $20 is gone in five minutes and that just makes for not a fun time.

Of course, there are good things about going to Atlantic City, too.  For one thing, the hotel rooms are pretty nice, much of the time, and I always get them for free.  (In fact the last time I went, I was given a suite!)  I usually like to stay at Harrah's, but they didn't have rooms available, so I stayed at the Tropicana.

Winning is fun, too, and so is the shopping!  There's a Tanger Outlet there with all the big brand names and in New Jersey there is no sales tax to boot!  Big bonus!  I love to go into the casino early in the morning with a cup of java and late at night with a white Russian.  Those are the times when the casino is quieter and it's easier to just delve in, relax and play.  Whether you go to Atlantic City to gamble, shop, eat, do the Boardwalk or whatever, being in there, especially in the summer, is pretty cool!

gusto

The Trop

This trip I went by myself.  I've always been the kind of person who doesn't mind traveling alone.  I've done it many times before, and I'm used to it.  Sometimes it's tough to get a traveling partner when you're single, so I always make my own good time whether or not I have people with me.

Now, click the play button:  (WARNING: Explicit Language)

Does anybody remember this?  This is a clip from Eddie Murphy's Delirious back in 1983.  That was such a hilarious movie, and there are a lot of one-liners I still use from time to time.  Anyway, whenever I stay at the Tropicana, which is an old favorite of mine, the song Murphy sings as Ricky Ricardo plays in my head the whole time I'm there, clucks and all.  The theme of the casino, of course, is Cuba, and the mall leading from the garage to the casino is beautifully decorated like an old Cuban village, blue skies, clouds and all.  It's pretty cool!

theatlanticcitycasinos

Besides the decor, I have a special affinity for the Trop because a few years ago, I won five grand there on a slot machine.  Five flaming 7's in a row!  Ever since, I seem to get to play those couple of hours on 20 bucks there often, more-so than at other places, besides maybe Harrah's.  They've got nice restaurants and shops, and the atmosphere is decidedly cool and a trendy compared to some of the older casinos.   

Summer of Weezie

I think that this year I may finally be experiencing the long-awaited "Summer of Weezie," as it is known to my pals.  Every year since I've been single, I've always gone into summer saying that this was going to be my summer, one for the ages, with great times and great memories, and it never turns out quite like I expect it to.  But this year I'm having a lot of fun, and I'm savoring every moment.  These past three days were typical of how my summer's going.

I had a great time in Atlantic City.  I had a few drinks, met a few guys, shopped, played Keno (my game!), and won back most of what I'd gambled with from the beginning on my last night.  The whole city was buzzing with summer activity, and it was fun to be there.  The beach was teeming with sunbathers and swimmers, except during a brief afternoon thunderstorm on Wednesday.  The eateries were crowded with hungry diners, and the Boardwalk was abuzz with all sorts of activity.

There's nothing like walking the Boardwalk in AC on a warm summer's day, and there's plenty of entertainment in watching the people coming at you from all directions, the peddlers, the families, freaks, hot dudes (and beautiful babes, too!), foreign tourists, and of course the rickshaw pushers, either hanging around the casino entrances trying to sell rides or amassing together in big groups, chatting away in Russian, of which there is a lot of here.        

On Wednesday morning, I saw this dude win $11K at a slot machine.  I first heard the screams as I approached the area in Caesar's where the machine was and at first I thought it was one of those screams that those dramatic idiots yell out when they win a hundred bucks.  I hate those people!  Any-who, as I walked up to the machine, I saw that he had indeed won some kind of jackpot on a Yahtzee machine and he and his happy wife looked like they deserved it.  It was nice!

On Tuesday, I started off at Harrah's and did really well there playing slots, too!  It was around 1 p.m. when I got there and the first thing I did was get a drink to help me relax and have a good time.  My Margarita and I soon hit the Sex and the City slot machine and we promptly played there for a little over two hours, which was a good thing!

I tried out the new Revel casino all the way uptown.  The place is huge and cool, a massive and architecturally aesthetic building located along the Boardwalk just north of Showboat, and it looks like they're still expanding into what looks like something massive.  The only strange thing about Revel is that the whole property is non-smoking, which for me is weird and annoying.  I'm not sure if I'll be back there.

  

The rest of the time was much the same.  I just tried to live in the moment, and it worked.  I've been trying to do that a lot this summer, and it's been a really good one I think as a result.  I've always known that life is all about attitude and how you approach things.  There are two more weeks of freedom left before school starts again, and I'm going to try and enjoy each and every day until then.  Now if I could just learn to do that all the time...  

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Article Spotlight: Summer Music....Party Rock!

It's Memorial Day Weekend and summer is finally upon us.  In addition to driving with the top down, hanging at the beach and just being outside, part of what makes summer so great is of course, summer music.  There are certain songs that will always be associated with summer, and we've all got our favorites.  Check out a couple of pieces I wrote on great summer songs:

Awesome Summer Songs for All Sorts of Summertime Scenarios

This one's a list of songs chock full of summertime fun, whether you're just getting out of school for the summer, laying out on the beach, or just hanging out on a warm summer evening.

Ten Great Summer Albums

Here are some albums that'll rev up your summer whatever your taste, whether it be classic Beach Boys surfin' fare, hard rocking to ACDC, or popping summer party songs from Madonna, the Venga Boys, Jennifer Lopez or Donna Summer.  

Any way you slice it, summer music is always nice!  Here's last year's summer smash, from LMFAO...I think it's time for another listen...

Image Source: Cindy Shadrick

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S is for Summer Songs

Okay, we're back on track, a little, with the Z-A Blogger's Challenge. Today's letter is "S" and since this is one of my favorite times of year, I decided to dedicate this one to summer. In recent weeks I posted two articles on Y!CN: 10 Great Summer Albums and Awesome Summer Songs for All Sorts of Summertime Scenarios and both articles put some of those songs in my head, especially the ones that I haven't listened to in years. So, this post is dedicated to some of those great songs that many of us associate with summer. Take a look at the articles to check even more of them out, but in the meantime, enjoy these choice selections...

S is for Summer Songs

Summer Nights
- John Travolta and Olivia Newton John





Anyone who was around in 1978 will remember that classic summer movie, Grease. The film was all about a summer romance between John Travolta's Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton John's Sandy Olsson and was full of memorable tunes such as this one. 'Summer nights' comes at the beginning of the movie and I can remember playing it over and over again during that summer of 78. Check it out:





Cruel Summer - Bananarama



The year was 1983 and these three harmonious British gals were just beginning to make waves with this summer hit...





Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow



This one from folk/rock/pop singer Sheryl Crow is one of my all time favorite summer, feel good songs.

I'm gonna soak up the sun, gonna tell everyone to lighten up...





Rock the Boat - Hues Corporation



So I'd like to know where, you got the notion...

Oh man, I remember this one from when I was a wee one! So catchy and so timeless...

Rock the boat
Don't rock the boat baby
Rock the boat
Don't tip the boat over





The Locomotion - Little Eva



Everybody's doin' a brand new dance now...

This one's not necessarily a summer song, per se, but it makes for a great old fashioned summer dance song. Kylie even remade this one once upon a time!

You've got to move your hips now...





Kokomo - The Beach Boys



What would summer music be without the Beach Boys? This one, from the 1988 film, 'Cocktail,' is one of the later songs from these California, surf music innovators, but it's just as loved as any of their big surfin' hits.


Beach Boys - Kokomo by jpdc11





Let's Get Loud - J-Lo



This one's perfect for a hot summer dance, with a little Latin flava! Love this song!!!





Well there you have it, some choice selections for pure summer music enjoyment. Though summer hasn't officially begun yet, the weather's already nice and the time is ripe for some great summer music. I hope you've enjoyed my picks for some of the best summer songs out there and remember to check out my articles above for more great, hot summer tunes. Until next time, peace!
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