I have replace Kasualkb`s log with the Blog but will
still chronologize updates on this page when they
need to be removed from other pages.
5/9/11 - Hiking at Laurel
Marsh - Manchester/East Hartford - Saw a beaver swimming
around - couldn't believe it ....for the amount of
times i'm in real woods , or further north in new
england , I rarely catch glimpses of animals, much
less , within 15 feet of me. And even crazier , in
East Hartford at some trails i've walked a few dozen
times over the years.
4/16th 2011 - the last
ski weekend. Went up to ski house in anticipation
of some spring skiing runs , sunglasses and long-sleeve
sheet style. Not to be. 25 degrees turned mush into
bulletproof ice ...followed by rain ...yummy. Instead
I continued my recent penchant for 12 hour drinking
session ; passing out by 5am two nights in a row.
Sat night was the Joshua Tree party , the U2 cover
band , playing in the B-Haus basement , a few hundred
like-minded , singing , dancing and drinking individuals
partyin it up. The band was kick ass - right on.
April 2011 - Vegas baby
with Phil and Jason --Good Times - 4 straight nights
of 12 hour drinking sessions aided by vodka red-bull
, which generally dehydrates a person. So do flights
, long ones , there and back. I came home a shriveled
up prune , lol - But good times !!! - um yeah , I
lost but whateva.
Gambled at the playboy
club and danced the night away on top of the palms
at the Ghost bar. Roullette is an evil game and black
jack is just a slow death. Got a bit of a sunburn
at the Rehab party at the Hard Rock Hotel , where
we stayed. I showed Phil , a vegas virgin , a number
of the hotels on the strip , making sure I showed
him each "hotel attraction" so he can nod
his head , go ooh ahh , and then proceed to a table
to gamble. Best meal was at Japanois
- Great trip with great friends.
3/16/11 - Off to New Haven for Black
47 - Gonna see Rhythmic Circus tomorrow at the Tiger.
Going to stay in Manhatten to see UFC 128 in Jersey
Shogun vs Jon jones - other fighers urijah faber ,
mirko cro-cop , nate marquadt etc; I live a charmed
life ;;Thousands are dying and 100,000 are homeless
in Japan while more worry about the nuclear reactor
melting down. Who am I to EVER feel down , how silly.
March 2011 - Did some skiing and hanging
at the B-haus ski house in Killington - Went to Manhattan
a few times , once to see the UFC fights and once
to show a lady friend around whom has never been there
- was fun seein my fav city thru anothers eyes
Feb 2011 - LA with Brando and BG - Then
Mexico with BG and MV , Then LA with Brando - Good
Times - I have some pics that I can't put up , haha
/ maybe someday -
5//06/09
Finally - Reintrodced new message boards. COME VISIT
AND SIGN IN TO THE
NEW MESSAGE BOARDS -Stop in say hello , speak
your mind.Complain , make fun of someone , say something
constructive , start a discussion , Start a Fight
, Introduce yourself , Make your self Known !
January 2011 - a single Kevin , a new blog , a new
site , a new beginning.
12/15/2010 An old friend Amy Phillips died today.
http://www.byarsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Amy-Keller/#!/TributeWall
Her and Kyle were a big part of my life for many
years. Kyle still , of course. He and I are very upset
at this news and mourn her passing. Goodbye Amy :-(
My messageboards have crashed and have
been replaced - Message
Boards - I will try to dig up some of the old
topics...
7/6th - 2010 - Visit the gallery
to see the new slide show of Pictures
June 30th - Conversations
Can I feel it with my mind ?
One can only feel , if it stings.
May I touch it , just this one time ?
If theres no complaint about what that brings.
When have you ever felt this alive ?
I`ve nothing to compare it too , I`ve been so dead.
Do you consider that a moral blight ?
If ethics are contagious and easily spread.
Is what I`m spewing , all nonsense ?
You are overfilled with it , its only fair.
Does what I ask cause you offense ?
If it did , I really wouldn`t care.
Can you see that I`m not crazy ? Don`t you understand
my meaning?
You should know that you can`t faze me , because I
know that we`re just dreaming.
*********************************************
Jan 2010 Journal Entry - --yaay!!!!!!!!!
- It is not technically the beginning
of a new Decade but I like to stubbornly refuse to
acknowledge that detail. You`ll see from the blog
around this day that the new year hasn`t started very
well , and I didn`t mention the typical after holiday
seasonal downswing at work which always makes me tense.
I feel like I can`t win ...its maniacally busy and
crazy during the fall causing me stress and then its
ridiculously slow and unprofitable during the winter
causing me stress.
BUT....despite the crappy start ...I
intend to remain positive. This is the beginning of
the decade (if this year sucks , I`ll say 2011 is
the beginning of the decade as it truly is) and I
intend to improve on last years improvements.
Lori and I have done well by staying
active , eating properly , and going to the gym 4-5
days a week. We did a lot of hiking , kayaking and
even snoe shoeing this year.
2008 I quit smoking - 2009 - lost 35
lbs
2010 and forward ...we intend to do
more of the same and plan on trying out some cross
country skiing. My codeword for personal improvement
is ACTIVE. ...
Stay Active - that means physically
and mentally. Lori and I also intend to ACTIVELY pursue
friendships both new and cultivate existing ones.
I think as a self-sufficient couple we get ourselves
in a rut where we begin to lose touch with outside
potentially positive influences. We are actively going
to change that.
We have been pretty good at staying
active on the weekends , either locally or planning
some weekends away (usually new england). I want to
be active during the week this year. We tend to stay
home alot during the week. Even little things like
going out for starbucks and reading to stay active.We
started doing a date-night , once a week and mostly
have done things like a movie , out to eat etc; If
we run errands , that would be fine too. I get into
these ruts where my car must immediately drive home
after work and I must immediately take of my shoes.
I do not do that on the weekend. I am going to actively
change that habit.
Lori and I do pretty well passing time
constructively , she has been scrapbooking again ,
keeping up with the house etc; I have my website ,
journals , occasional writing , and lots of reading
and studying. I need to continue that. With the DVR
we got this past year , I am not a slave to the TV
, and have been and want to continue squeezing a little
TV in a short compact amount of time. I get depressed
when I spend an entire evening flipping channels.
I haven`t helped around the house much this past year
and plan on doing a better job of it this year instead
of blaming Lori for a messy house. If I do some more
consistent straightening , it will make things easier
for Lori to do the actual Cleaning part without feeling
overwhelmed.
I also MUST MUST - actively pursue happiness
and contentment. I still am off the wall half the
time , between temper tantrums , fits of rage , depression
, bouts of dark and pessimistic moods and the occasional
MANIC or get crazy and drown myself in liquor modes.
I have done a little better the last few years and
have even used the power of Positive Thinking by convincing
myself that the holidays are good , and the fall is
good. For a long time I have complained about the
Fall due to work stress and haven`t enjoyed the season
properly. Fall is a wonderful time of year , especially
for active hikers , outdoorsy hangers , geocachers
. fish catchers, kayakers and scenic drivers like
us.
This year , I found many good moments during the fall
, almost simply by repeating , I really Like the Fall
and making it true thru habit. I did the same with
the xmas and new years holidays with a more limited
success but a major improvement of past years , where
statements such as I Hate Xmas came out of my mouth
a few hundred times in one month. Funny , what a little
will power and mind over matter , and postive thinking
can do.
I hope noone is actually reading this
, coz its really just a personal journal for me, and
even I`m bored with it , but I must trudge on. I must
continue to remind myself of these goals throughout
the year and Decade.
I have electronic phone reminders lined
up for 3/15 6/15 9/15 to renew our new years vows
of ACTIVE. This little trick has worked the last few
years to get me back on track when I start slipping
after a few months , forgetting how important my goals
were at the time I created them. On those reminders
are lists that give me ideas on how to achieve all
these things. I`m not listing them here , coz their
a bit corny and personal , even more-so than this
little journal right here.
Many people this time of year , intend
to make positive changes in their life , sometimes
I feel that people put unreachable goals out in front
of them , and when they ineviteably fail , stop trying
altogether. I think the last 2 years , I have done
pretty well sticking to my plans and not shooting
the moon with my expectations.
Jets are in the Playoffs 1/10 !!!!
9/09 - bear hill loop threw us for another
one , as we yet again made a wrong turn. Ironically
, the last time we took bear hill loop in middletown
, we were surprised to learn it wasn't a loop trail
,despite the trails title.. That time we ended up
on a road and a 4 mile woods hike turned into a half
marathon road walk . That's not the irony I'm now
referring too.. Today we managed about 2 miles and
somehow actuallly looped back to our car !
Next headed to nearby chatfield hollow state park
...started off on a nice little boardwalk nature trail
and did a red trail abot 2.5 miles ... Mod difficult
...climbed to about 300 feet and hiked an interesting
ridge trail.... Some nice glacial rock areas to rest
were scattered thoughout.
finished up the hike with a cheese cracker and fruit
picnic...
J - E T- S !!!! Thats my mantra for
the fall of 09 --THREE AND 0
Its been a good summer , have been to
NH , VT , Maine , Berkshires and Cape Cod and the
Catskills for overnights or long weekends. Did lots
of kayaking , hiking , swimming and staying active.
Starting to get busy at work , the fall is almost
here. Need to figure out how to stay busy and active
and stress free this fall.
6/25/09 - New to the Geocaching thing
, but my wife and I , love to walk and hike and snoe
shoe and be outdoors. We started kayaking this year
, and I plan every weekend for some type of excursion
all over the lovely state of CT. We do a lot of active
weekends all over new england. I`m a former NYer a
dozen + yrs ago but have grown to love new england.
I also love gadgets , electronics , computers and
maps so that makes me , a delorme gps , a compass
and downloading topo maps an absolutely perfect fit.
Check out geocaching.com
and delorme pn-40 ...if you consider buying the
delorme
gps , buy it thru the amazon search on my site.
Amazon has the best price for this gps
6/21 - Fathers Day - Pops and Jaime
came up to CT to hang with me for Fathers Day , a
first. My original plan of a bbq in a state park with
the kayaks loaded for fishing and fun got rained out.
CRappy weather , but it did hold out enough for us
to fish at Valley Falls Park , a nice little trout
park with good shore access. There was NO FISH at
all to be had , Dad claimed he had one nibble ...I`m
thinking even that was just a pass thru some weeds
but I won`t repeat that. We did about a mile quick
hike thru a cool trail there that meanders along a
running creek stream. I would have to say , I didn`t
hike but actually limped and bumbled along as the
friday previous I twisted my ankle egregiously at
Janines house stepping off her retardledly built (not
her fault) back porch. I`m guessing my hiking will
have to be put on hold for about 2 weeks ...I don`t
think much longer ...I`ve heard horror stories of
sprains causing minor pains and weakness for a year
and longer ....I`m hoping thats not my situation.
I took them out to Casa Mia on Franklin Ave in Hartford
for a semi-full course italian meal . They loved it.
Lori and I loved the bread , app , salad , but were
unimpressed with our entree choice , again , no need
to mention it to them as they loved theres. I think
that was the second time Lori and I only liked half
our meal there which means its back to Carbones (curiously
closed on a fathers day sunday) the next time we are
feeling sit-down and pay a lot Italian. All in all
it was a good day , especially since my father enjoyed
himself , which is what matters today.. Tomorrow ,
it can be all about ME again !!! ha ha
JAN 30th 2009 - -------------------TEA
!!! -------------------------------
Lori has introduced me to tea and I
have sort of gotten into a kick of it drinking one
or two teas daily compared to once a month previously.
I think I enjoy black teas the most and a simple earl
grey as the best but I also have been trying varous
types of teas such as white , green , various chai
, various herbals such as sassparilla spice , we have
loose tea , tea bags and bombilla style. I was curious
about the history of tea and found a cool site http://www.planet-tea.com/
-
I have also found that differnet types
of tea - other than herbals , come from the same tea
plant, Camellia sinensis. It is the various processing
of the leaves that categorize it into the 4 main types
of tea. See the chart below and be educated. Not everyone
is going to find this fascinating but it was information
I had not known and felt it should be stored for future
reference - so here it is .
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Its incredible how accurately this book predicted
the current economic realities we are currently
experiencing , It was written over 3 years ago.
This book makes credible arguments that oil and
religion have been the focus of our politics at
the cost to the american people. I mean , we went
into Iraq for Oil and we didn`t even get it ...the
chinese won the first contract.
The direction and political decisions influenced
by religion is staggering and scary.
A worthwhile and eye-opening read. This book will
not make you happy. It points out the ugly truths
and trends in America which could lead to its demise.
And the downside of the book is that there were
no solutions ventured forth .
I for one believe that with the new President and
congress some of the issues this book sheds light
on , Obama already repealed some of the religious
fueled policies of Bush and we have our first study
FDA approved trial of stem cells therapy.
I believe that Obama`s focus , unlike the oilmen
Bush and Cheney , is truly to ween us off of Oil
and I believe the economy meltdown has put market
forces back to work in the right way for that to
happen.
As far as the economy and debt , The economic recession
has also radically changed the corporate financial
landscape , Obama will push through more regulatory
oversight to prevent such recurrence and we as Americans
have no choice but to become savers not spenders
and one can see this happening now as more and more
retail stores shut down , and businesses cut back.
We may raise our National debt in the short term
but I feel that the painful corrections at home
and in business are well under way.
There is hope.
12/28- The New York Jets Lose the final
game of the season and miss the playoffs. After what
appeared to be a championship bound season in november
, they turned ghastly in december and losing to Pennington
who they jettisoned for Favre.
12/13/08 - Michael
Crichton , a favorite author of mine ,whose death
in Nov 2008 prompted me to read and review a book
I have owned but not read . See review
12/11/ 08 Yankees and Jets making news
- See SPORTS
11/20/2008 Finally have the Wedding
Photos up - See the Gallery
Novermber 2008- Barack Obama was elected
the 44th president of the United States, as the country
chose him as its first black chief executive. - See
World News
November 2008 - See Books
and Mags new library list from Goodreads
Summer is over , It was a relatively
good one. See some of the pics in the gallery
Columbus day weekend - Did some
fall foliage leaf peeping - check it out
january 08- xmas sucked this year but
Lori and I enjoyed spending new years in manhatten
for an entire weekend -
Christmas is a time when kids tell
Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits
are when adults tell the government what they want
and their kids pay for it. ~Richard Lamm
*** 12/15/07 All my xmas shopping is
done - can`t wait for xmas to be over so I can shop
for myself. Merry xmas to me !
only two paragraphs down is my last
new years message - nice , obviously I followed thru
with that
2/19/06 - I have changed the format
of my website by adding a blog to the splash page
, unfortunately during the process I wiped out the
message boards. I`m sorry I will fix it soon.
2/14th/06 I love you Lori
My boy Billy and his son
Its 2006 , another year gone by , and
time again to refresh and re-attempt at all those
resolutions that you stalled on come February. My
attempt this year is to again start those resolutions
and follow thru...come march re-up them , then again
in june and yet again in september. Let each season
be the beginning of a new beginning. Its a great idea
...we`ll see if it works. Part of my resolution is
to update my site more consistently.
1/9 2006 - I have just obtained for Safeside Chimney
a new phone number - Its<
1-800-CHIMNEY -- Now this time next year I`m gonna
be bragging about how much this vanity number is kicking
ass once i marketed the heck out of it.
1/1/ 2006 - Well the new year is here , I
aaven`t updated since the summer . I suck ... As usu8al
I do plan on doing a better job this year. Feel free
to email me ideas or pics or clipart or thoughts and
opinions to help me out. Anyway with or without your
help I will do better this year (I almost promise)
12/25 - Xmas was nice this year , better than last
I enjoyed both sides of my family`s xmas visits and
was happy to see AJ and Amanda up from SC xmas night
and beating Charlie at darts for the first time crowned
the evening. Don`t have much planned for New Years
, looks like take out and movies at home with my love
to celebrate the new year.
7/13/05 Finally have
some pics of Charlie and Frans wedding ---Visit
the Gallery
7/13/05 Vacation pictures
from Lori and I...road trip to D.C , thru the virginia
mountains , to charleston SC ---> Myrtle beach..
Actually this gallery covers most of the summer
including a wedding we went to , some waterfalls
we visited , a few pics of the bachelor party pad
we hung at for Charlies Bachelor party - Check
it out
7/17/05 We went to Kennebunkport Maine and had a
real cool weekend. ITs only 2 1/2 hours from us ,
but it took closer to 3pm - we went straight to Ogonquit
Beach which was nice (sand beach ...one of only a
few ...most are rocky look pretty but can`t hang out
there type beaches) and the area cool with all the
shops and clam shacks etc; But I kinda felt like the
place was hyped up more than it was worth. The beach
was cool but so is jones beach , long island , and
the party beaches of Rhode island. But anyway it was
a cool time , the next day we did the walk along the
cliff and water called Marginal Way ...we got a lot
of pics of that. I`ll tghem up in the gallery soon.
That was extra cool ..we stayed in Kennebunkport about
a mile from where George Bush Sr. summer home is ..It
is gated and has a securtiy booth to restrict access
to nobodies like us.. Beautiful area though, right
on the water and the rocky shore...have great pics
of that stuff too. Ck out the Gallery
for Maine 2005---We ate some killer seafood ,
laid out on the beach ...hit the ridiculously cold
ocean a few times for only a few minuites at a pop
(like 20 deg colder than Myrtle Beach) but damn was
it invigorating/ We had a good time ...it is beautiful
there ...but ZERO nighhtlife that we could find...everything
died around 10ish...Still thought all the literature
and brochures made the place out to be cooler than
it was but it is def. worht a vist. We hit the Kitteryu
outlets on the way home and I grabbed some Phat Geoffrey
Beene clothes for 1/2 price...Found one last clam
shack for some fried seafood and boom ...home only
a couple hours later...NICE...(I have warmed up to
CT over the past few years as it is pretty close to
a lot of cool stuff.
7/15- Lori and I are doing a weekend in Kennebunkport
Maine , never been will let ya know how it was.
7/13/05 Been a great summer so far ...best in a long
while. I have not been updating very much and definitely
need to do so but it takes up a lot of time. Gonna
try to be better with it. Visit the Gallery for some
pics of the summer. Had a cool memorial day and july
4th party at kyles - including paintball fight the
day before. Went to Charlies killer bachelor party
in PA , also paintball. CHarlies wedding was a great
time with all the NY boys back together including
floridian Yaro , Moscow Gruber and CHarleston SC very
own AJ snow and amanda. LOri and I have done some
daytrips to some local waterfalls scattered thruought
connecitcut.. I have some pics in the gallery but
im gonna put a few of the videos online for ya`ll
to download , they are beautiful. My boy Brando got
a nother national commercial , and zipped in from
Cali to hang wit us last week. Nice to see ya bro.
July 4th ...much more to describe there but have to
say it was a pissa .. not too many pics this year
but I`ll gety around to fillin in the details more
specifically soon. Been up to Boston and to the casino
hangin with Loris little sister and her college friends
..have to say I had a good time drinkin wit da youngins....I`m
guessing I drank more but I`m also guessing I was
hungover the next week and they continued partying
night after night. Had a few nice days at the beach
this year , already gone more than last year , i think
...should check the log. I can`t think of what else
has been new and groovy but Lori and I have been keeping
busy and enjoying life this summer. Around the house
we have been doing Gardening...yes I said gardening...got
lettuce , squash , broccoli , peas , peppers etc;
coming up...also have been planiting stuff arounmd
the yard ( we bought the home with a lot of perrenials
that come up in differnt areas , differnet times of
the season -its preety neat to come home and see flowers
that werent there just the other day.
Oright ...promise to fill in more as I rememver it
and get more specific for those of you that may find
my life interesting (o.k ..maybe just for myself to
reread one day)
7/11/05 Gained all those pounds back...Yeah ...just
like that -
4/11/05 Lost 3 more pounds this week , Forgot to
tell ya`ll that since about mid march Lori and I have
been in a weekly contest to see who lost the most
weight. Its not a serious contest but it keeps it
fun as we have been playing raquet ball , I`ve been
hiting the gym , and we have been trying to eat better
(my sat night , middle of the night munchies notwithstanding)
We always bet something , Lori bet that if she won
I`d have to do the dishes for the whole week. My winning
bets have not been that innocent or domestic. Hee
Hee - I won this week !
4/10/05 Sat night , go meet up with my boy Matt Houser
, he`s leaving for Michigan on MOnday ,Forever ...to
be nearer to his daughter and start a new life. We
go out , I drink like a fish ,Hit Dennys on the way
home , slept late Sunday (hey this sounds like a pattern
hmmm...) Anyway I`m gonna miss you Bro. I wish you
well.
Feeling guilty that I`m on like 4 out of 5 Sundays
of sleeping late ...I mow the lawn , pick up the leaves
and sticks(with the lawnmower) , dig up some dirt
areas in the back and driveway area and plant some
soon to be pretty wildflowers. Dig up the overgrown
weed invested , abortion of a garden we ignored last
year. It is now ready to feed us for the summer as
soon as I get some seeds in it . I`m thinking a few
more weeks when there is less danger of an overnight
frost. Then you can look at my Home
and Garden Page and see this years weed infested
garden.
4/3 Zipped down to NY , for Frannie`s surprise shower.OK
,thanks to my big mouth it wasn`t a surprise. Last
time I was in NY , drinkin` and yappin , Lori insistently
kept shoving a letter in my face which had a date
on it. She looked at me expectantly ...not knowing
what it was she was bothering me with , I spoke out
loud , Yeah April 3rd , so what is it. Well , dummy
! thats the Surprise ! shower date you jackoff. Quickly
realizing my error when the room got silent and finally
scanning the letter to see it was an invitation and
lori`s expectant look was , Hey Yappy , You need to
get my ass down here for that weekend.....I commence
to yell out different dates just to confuse the issue
and maybe Franny would just think I`m a rambling moron
and would disregard anything I said. Didn`t work.
I ruined the shower.
O.k , Charlie and Fran admitted that her sister would`ve
ruined the surprise anyway ...so again we zip down
to NY , Go out Sat night , drink a bunch, end up at
the diner , I sleeep all Sunday , lori goes to shower
, franny has good time . We drive home. Good Deal
!
3/25/05 Thur night- Hung out with my girl Andrea,
damn , I haven`t gone out during the week in like
a year it seems. We just had a coffee and bullshitted
but it felt good being out during a weeknight and
good to see my girl , as we don`t hang out like we
used to. We made promises of hangin` out more so we
shall see.
3/19 Got up early Sat AM - ya know like 10am ....well
anyway Lori and I played racquetball, kicked her ass...no
really it kicked her ass , she is sore as hell today.
It was nice to do something outside and athletic..I`m
planning on doing a lot more of that type stuff this
year. Its fun , free, and good for you. Now If I can
only get Lori not to toss the football away when I`m
about to tackle her.
Sat Night , started off nicely with a red bull and
vodka to get the system fully caffeinated and off
to Up or on the Rocks .. a pretty cool 2 floor bar
with dance music upstairs and a band downstairs. We
went to see Fear Nuttin Band , a killer Hard drivin`
rasta band. I was even dancing ! Chris aka Dork D
was even dancing...now thats something. Now its sunday
and we are just laying around , went food shopping
and to Lowes to pick up wildflowers for the yard -
real exciting stuff. My life is just one big roller
coaster ride of exhilaration. Yeah whatever ...what
did you do ?
3/13 Went down to Ny finally to do the weekend that
we didn`t do last week. Went to Governors Comedy club.
It was fun. The comics were o.k but the last comic,
the guy from Crank Yankers that does Special Ed "
I make in my pants sometimes!" was real funny.
We got in free , thanks to Chuck. We then went to
this dive bar , wasn`t really too much of a dive ,
had a band playing and it was kinda hopping. We had
a good time. Hit the Diner at shit o`clock in the
morning with Karen and her brother. Stayed at Phils
, drove back up the next morning (actually like 2pm
when I got up) I felt crappy on the way home , real
crappy. I didn`t think I was hungover because I slept
it off. After a long miserable drive I came home ,
tried to crash and woke up projectile puking my brains
out. I puked so hard it hurt my back. I was sore ,
achey all over , and was coming out at both ends all
day and night long. I couldn`t sleep because everything
hurt , I was squirming and stretching and twisting
and shaking like an addict going thru withdrawal.
It was horrible. I don`t know if it was a bug , food
poisoning , or alcohol poisoning. I would think it
couldn`t have been the latter as I truly did not feel
hung over, though I did drink quite a bit. I think
I am much to small a person to consume the amount
of alchol I can consume; I can drink an absorbitant
amount without appearing overly intoxicated, yet in
the morning wooohhh , I`m hurt. We took some pics
and I`ll have them up in the gallery soon
3/6/05 Kevin`s Bday..We didn`t go to NY , Charlies
Dad was at the hospital on an emergency basis. He
is doing well know , we wish him well. Lori and I
ended up going to Rookies , a sports bar in cromwell.
They had a Great Band , Big Shot , a tribute band
to Billy Joel. The saxophone dude toured with Billy
for about 10 years. The singer , he had a shaved head
so he didn`t look right but his voice was incredible.
You turn around and damn .. sounds like Billy himself.
He was a long Island dude , I introduced myself at
the end of the show. We had a great time , then hit
the diner in the middle of the night (just like old
times on long island)
Sunday -Lori took me out for Suschi , as it is my
favorite but not hers so I don`t get to have it very
often. She can only get a few down until she gags
on one , I don`t know what it is , I think its in
her mind. Anyway , I had a good birthday weekend.
Going to Ny next weekend instead , it was franny`s
bday too on the 4th - She`s gettin old too..
3/4/05 Its my birthday weekend. Yup they keep coming
- Turning 34 ..who wooda thunk it. Off to NY since
noone around here is doin anything . I need to get
away for a bit anyway. Thanks Phil and Karen for lettin
me stay over . see ya tomorrow
2/12- Had the best ski weekend since I can remember
, beat the crap out of the last trip. Nice weather
, decent conditions , ski`d with Chris which was fun
, his wipeouts are cool. Partied nice at a Killer
Ski house that Kyle has a share in. I know those guys
thru Kyle and my old ski house I was in a few years
back. These guys know how to party. Anyway , they
built this monstrously huge , 21 Bed , Multi - room,
soon to be basement Bar and stage , killer kool ski
house. We were up til 3 or 4 everynight but I still
got out the door at 11am , not bad for me. Anyway
, had a great time , I`m repeating this coz i`ve been
nothing but miserable lately , so I will reread this
again when shit reverts back to its typical mundane
frustrating self.
1/24/05 - Its been forever since I have updated and
I apologize. I decided to write about my weekend.
Unfortunately , it was not even a good one. Why update
now then ? read on....
I decided to go skiing for the weekend with my buddy
Matt and his brother Ryan. We decided to go on the
coldest weekend of the year. -12 degrees on Sat. We
did know it was going to be pretty brutal weekend
and Matt actually called to see if he can get out
of the reservations without losing his deposit on
the ski and stay trip . No Dice !
We leave on Fri night , after I get out of work .
I wanted to sneak out like 5ish but as usual shit
hits the fan at work and I don`t get home til 7:30.
Stressed and frustrated and not looking forward to
the weekend to be honest but I try to joke about it
and remain calm. I think i succeeded. Anyway , we
drove the 4 + hours to Upstate Vermont and arrive
at about 12ish. We took my car , Subaru WRX , All
wheel Drive baby. We go out for a few drinks , kinda
laid back. No place real exciting but no matta , up
until we find out that the mountain that we were going
to doesn`t allow snow boarders. Say what ! Matt and
Ryan both board. Obviously this was going to affect
our ski and stay trip.We had a pretty decent deal
for the lift tickets and they were due to be even
better as Mad River Glen discounted the tickets due
to the cold conditons. Anyway back at the hotel to
crash about 3 am. We set the alarm for 9:30 to ski.
We are going to ski Sugarbush which is much more snow
board friendly. Not that I care , I ski , I hate knuckle
draggers too.
I wake up at 6:30 AM and toss and turn until the
alarm goes off at 9:30 I didn`t drink a lot but I
was definitely feeling that shot I did and couldn`t
fall back asleep as I felt kinda shitty. I don`t know
...I was stressing about getting up early that I couldn`t
sleep . I don`t know. I didn`t think I had anxiety
disorder but maybe I do on occasion.- Anyway , I didn`t
sleep ....at all for 3 hours ... whatever
I wake Matt and Ryan up and they were kinda bitchin
about how cold it was and wanted to kinda puss out
of skiing and go Sunday instead. I was kinda perturbed
coz I knew their was nothing to do but ski . So we
basicly did nothing most of the day , driving around
a dead vermont town checking out nothing , went back
to the hotel and did a little nothing , then took
a nap , then woke up and went out to dinner. Its Snowing
!!! Nice steak place , expensive. The restaurant and
parking lot was in the typical vermont location ,
at the top of a long steep winding driveway UP and
Around and Up on a flat area of a mountain. On the
way back down the long winding driveway my car slid
, and slipped into a neatly carved ditch. My attempts
at slamming into reverse then jamming into drive did
nothing but scrape up the side of my car on the carved
out frozen earth. Matt called AAA , but then his phone
died , so we walked up , and around and up into the
overpriced restaurant and used the phone there. 1/2
hour or so later , we met the local due winched us
out and we were homebound. Went to bed earlyish as
I wanted to get up early and be sober to get a good
day of skiiing in as we receieved about 6in of fresh
poweder. Matt decided to go out , I`m not in the mood
, especially since all the bars we looked at sucked.
Alarm goes off , I`m up. Not tired . Slept good. Wake
up the boys .. Matt brags about what a great time
we missed (ryan didn`t go either) . Screw you Matt
, don`t wanna hear it . Lets ski !!!!
About 9am , we are in the car , for a great early
start and then thump , thump , thump. The sound of
a flat tire.........
Yes , the previous nights tire spinning did the
tire in. Front tire is dead and actually spinning
of the rim due to us driving a half mile or so before
I realized why the car was driving so funny. So Matt
and I whipped out the old handy jack and donut that
comes with the car. Real fancy machinery that they
throw in on a $30,000 vehicle. A real cracker ass
jack and a screw driver to turn it with. We get the
car jacked , pull the old tire off , am about to put
the donut on and WHAM !!!! The jack gives and the
car crashes down onto the exposed disk brakes !!!
So ... now we have this shitty ass jack that does
not fit underneath the car now coz it is so low to
the ground due to its bearing its weight on the brakes.
Matt calls the local tow dude as AAA spoke about
an hour and half wait. I send Matt and his bro on
the ski bus to get at least some runs in and tell
them I`ll catch up. At this stage , I just wanted
to get the F&%$ out of Vt and end this shitty
weekend. But I , thusfar have remained fairly calm.
I think I`m getting mellow in my old age.
The tow truck dude comes with his winch and his "slide
out the bottom of the truck lift thingy " and
a chain and hook thingy and air powered in and outy
houies , but no standard freaking jack. It takes him
over 30 minutes and various attempts to figure out
that there is no way to winch up the car without tearing
off all the plastic housing on either the wheel well
, the under carriage , or the side door. He gets Mcgyverish
and lifts the back of the car up high enough to stuff
the Flat ass tire underneath and balance the car on
it , now since the car is finally off the breaks and
ground , lifting the front is easy. Yeah , it would`ve
been cake , had the jack not kicked out.
Anyway , get the donut on and drive back to the shop
with the flat. I get talked into buying all 4 tires
because I have all wheel drive and having different
tire can screw things up. So $600 bucks later and
I`m off to get some skiing in and meet up with Matt
and Ryan. I go to call Matt and I realize I can`t
find my $500 palm pilot cell phone anywhere ! GREAT
!!! Lost my phone and don`t have any more insurance
coz its the 3rd time. Who needs a cell anyway !
Luckily I saw Matt as I got to the mountain lodge.
We got a few good runs but every time up on the lift
its getting colder and windier and the good coverage
of new snow that was there this morning while i was
spending money I don`t have on my car is being windswept
, leaving nice areas of ice patches and then WHAM
!!!
No , just kidding , I don`t fall , I`m too good.
But it was too brutal to keep skiing , so we call
it a day after a $60 lift ticket (no such discounts
at this mountain) and about 4 runs , we are headed
homebound on a 4 + hour trip.
Did I mention that this was the Blizzard of 05 weekend
, where boston , and parts of ct got 12- 18in of snow.
Vermont where I wanted it to snow got a lousy 6in
, but Mass and Ct , that I need to drive thru to get
home got slammed. Needless to say the drive home was
a little longer than the drive up , as snow and ice
kept everyone in the right lane and there was only
a few safe spots to pass. Passing trucks on the left
on ice and snow , as the wind buffets you and the
air pressure from the truck buffets you , is a lot
of fun. NOT
Anyway , we actually didn`t do too bad time on the
way home, It got better after the first few hours.
Well , I made it home and I survived the weekend trip
from hell. I guess it happens now and then. I originally
was thinking that I`m going to hibernate for the rest
of my life and never go out because whenever I attempt
to do something fun it turns into misery. I have since
reconciled with the botched weekend and anticipate
future ventures , hopefully with better results.
HAPPY NEW YEARS 1/1/05 -
Well another year has gone by , unfortunately
this one ended with a tragedy that the whole world
has felt. I donated $50 to red cross through amazon.com
to help the survivors of the tsunami. At midnight
tonight , I believe many of us will say a prayer and
also give thanks for what we do have. I wish all a
happy , safe and wonderful new year. This is the time
to refocus and do the things that we want to do to
enrich our lives. Happy New Year.
My message board has been down , and
my server has been sold to a different company for
the 2nd time. Everytime they switch companies it is
up to me to figure out how to access my site , what
a pain in the ass.
9/4/04 Phil and Karens wedding was a success. I think
despite the stress right before the wedding , they
both appeared to say screw it and had a good time.
See the gallery for the pics. All us NY boys in the
wedding party looked smooth. We had a good time together
but some things don`t change , Scottio had to take
a little breather for an hour or so during dinner.
Download this VIDEO
to see our concern for our buddy Scott.
The Summer of 2004 - Basicly sucked
7/11/04 - We had a surprise party for Karen`s 30th
birthday party. we were the ones surprised because
Phil and Karen showed up 2 hours late! Karen said
she felt guilty coz she knew Lori and I zipped down
from Ct to be there. They made it up by letting us
sleep over and we went to the beach the next day which
was nice. I miss the beach. Next weekend I`m hitting
a ct beach but the sound is not the ocean. The party
was nice , had some good food , a few drinks and great
company. I love NY except when it comes to traffic.
Both there and back had a stretch of driving for an
hour in traffic and going only 20 miles. C`est La
Vie.
7/6th - Had a great weekend , its been a while since
I had a good one . I want to thank my NY Boys n Girls
for coming up and staying with us . I always love
your company. I think we all had a good time. Kyles
party was hopping. Good food , plenty of alcohol ..
I kicked ass at volley ball with no help from Charlie
(just kidding) I couldn`t win anything this weekend
, lost at chess , Madden football and even ping-pong
(unheard of ) I probably would have sulked the rest
of the weekend if I didn`t win some volleyball ! Check
out pics in the gallery
The night before we went out to Billy Halls pad ,
had a good time there , thanks for the invite Billy
, always cool. Karen learned how to shot a bow and
arrow. No one got hurt so its a good time.
7/4 th weekend - Have
my boys and girls from Long Island coming up to stay
at my new house - Kyle is having a 4th of July party
and should have some killer fireworks , I`m looking
forward coz I feel like I already wasted the summer
bummin around feeling sorry for myself. Should be
a cool weekend , I`ll let ya know and share the pics
6/29 - My
friend Andrea left for Kuwait for 90 days (or more)
She will be living in Tent City doing Airforce type
stuff (I don`t really know what she does and she doesn`t
explain it very well ...love her anyway) She promised
to write and let us know what its like there. She
had to get shot up with small pox vaccine before going
(not optional) Scary stuff.
6/19 Went down to NY to visit my Dad for Fathers
day . Went to the beach to do some surf casting ,
caught nothing ..It was a Good Day. Happy Fathers
day , Pops!
6/8/04 Damn its been a while since I updated my site.
Sorry for the few people that check me out here and
there. Lori and I areofficially moved in to my new
house. Had a cool housewarming party Memorial
day weekend followed by a bash at Kyles house.
I wanted to thank Phil and Karen for the nice wine
rack they bought us. I will be updating the site more
often now that I have everything setteled.. Click
on Whats New on the index page to see any additions.
Talk to ya`ll.
4/3 AJ`s Birthday .His 30th - He`s officially an
oldtimer now.. Lori and I split a hotel room with
Charlie and Fran in Manhatten to party for the weekend.
I love NYC. Lori and I went to the museum of sex during
the day before everyone shot into the city. Been there
before (read
prev visit) They had a new theme about Chinese
sexuality. It was o.k , showed more information on
female foot binding than anything I consider sexy
but hey , to each their own. Anyway ... we met up
at hotel , AJ and Amanda , charlie and fran and US.
My boy Brando popped up too. We got lucky , the hotel
room was pretty big and had an area with couches so
we chilled out there for a bit suckin down a few.
Us boys had political arguments and conversations
, and who knows what the women were talking about.
We met Phil and Karen at the club - Crobar (crobar.com)
Kind of an alternative type club but it was pretty
cool. I know charlie didn`t like the music as much
but I thought it was cool. Kinda techno-hop music
, Charlie was hoping for TKA, I guess. ...............
................AJ had the hookup and got us in COMP!
+ a wristband that let us go into the "cool rooms"
that other people couldn`t get into. Not that these
other rooms weren`t completely packed but Hey we got
to feel cool for a bit. Anyway , We had a great time
, always cool hangin` wit da boys N girls. Happy Bday
AJ
3/26 - Thursday night , hmmm what to do . We went
to City steam in Hartford,hit the comedy club downstairs,
No charge tonight , don`t know why but won`t argue.
Opening comedian , definitely an amateur but modrrately
funny. Headliner ,a chick , funny as hell , Next to
us we had a father and his two cutey daughters who
spent the evening accepting apologies from the vulgar
comedians. Overall a good time . Lori has a buzz.
Im gonna get her !
3/17/04 GREAT HOUSE NEWS ! After further inspection
of the heating system it turns out that the radiant
heat is not leaking and just needs some minor repairs
which the sellers are doing for us. April 15th is
the closing. WE are gonna have a house !!!
3/11/04 Happy Bday to my Lil Sister ! Shes old now
too !!! Lori took me out to the bushnell to see the
Chieftains. A traditional irish band, (yeah im on
an irish kick) with 4 decades of experience. It was
a fun concert. If you never heard of them , zip to
your local library and pick up The Long Black Veil
or buy it thru my amazon link. LIsten to the collaborations
with STing, Sinead O`connor , The rolling Stones etc;
3/6/04 Happy Birthday to Me !! -Im officially old
and grumpy. Well Ive always been grumpy- Tonight we
zipped down to Toads Place in New Haven CT to see
Black 47 , an Irish rock band^^^ cool , fun music
went to see Billy Joels Movin` out broadway play
at The Bushnell in Hartford. I wasn`t sure what to
expect. It was a play , I should`ve realized that
despite cool music it was still going to be a play.
Basicly just a bunch of dancing around ,(looked like
ballet to me)to a weak story told by Billy Joel songs.
The band was located above the stage and they were
pretty good. The singer didn`t sound like Billy Joel
at all but he still sounded good. Overall , because
of the music it was worth seeing (who doesn`t like
Billy Joel)
2/25/04 I Put a deposit down on a house for Lori
and I. We are going to be Homeowners !!!! Closing
date is April 15th ... I have a home inspector coming
this friday. Fingers crossed , deals can still fall
thru prior to closing but I believe we are good to
go. I`ll let Ya`ll know when the housewarming party
is.
2/21 Congratulations to Lori`s sister Christie and
her Boston University accapella group,Terpsichore,
for taking 2nd place in a competition that took place
at Wesleyan College in Middletown Ct. They will be
moving on to semi-finals in Vermont. Their group was
excellent as usual , I`ve seen and heard them before
, and the group that won were good, especially the
song "Somebody to Love" by Queen ,but the
rest were kind of boring or nonsensical, in my inexpert
opinion.
2/20 Karaoke Night at Marco Polo. Billy was in the
mood for Karaoke to celebrate his birthday that has
long passed. Sorry Billy , Happy belated birthday.
The highlight of the evening was Billy and Rich doing
a renditon of "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix
Alot. Lori and I did a duet singing the police song
Every Breath You Take. It was o.k , we both did better
solo. Lori sang Poe`s Angry Johnny and rocked it ,
I did some Billy Joel. I`ve definitely done better.
But in comparison to some of the torturous wailing
performed by other revelers, I could`ve been on Star
Search. Seriously it was painful.
2/14/04 Did our first official house looking - Yes
we are looking to buy a home though we are not in
a hurry. Saw a few houses in the East Hartford area
, one of which I would consider , Lori wants to do
a bit more looking around. Typical woman shopper ,
She didn`t like me blurting out "I`ll take it"
everytime I glimpsed a possible house choice. We just
shop differently I guess.
2/13/04 Well , the comedy wedding was interesting.
Lori was thoroughly entertained. It definitely had
moments and was fun for the most part if you don`t
mind a bit of interactive slap stick with the "italian
wedding party cast". WE went with Jamie and Amy
and a few of their friends. Of course they used Jamie
as a prop when the bride tripped and fell on the floor
right in front of him , as the ushers surrounded Jamie
, I was unsure how that was gonna play out as Jamie
was backing up but had his hands in the air. There
were no brawls however , The groom even came over
later in the evening and admitted that he found it
hysterical that Jamie tripped his new bride. The grooms
"ex-girlfriend" showed up at the "wedding"
to start trouble including sitting on the laps of
some of the guys at our table , at one point during
one of my many trips to the bar I came back to see
her "flirting" with Lori (I leave you alone
for two minutes and she`s picking up women again,
I stated) That was my joke for the evening. All in
all it was cool , Lori and I hit the chowder pot bar
for a farewell drink and to listen to the band we
could hear slightly thru the walls of the ballroom
(lori didn`t like that as we were consdiering this
for our wedding spot - we`ll see) See a few of the
pics
taken form the show
I`m taking Lori to the Chowder Pot , a killer sea
food restaurant in Hartford. We are going with a group
of 12 to the banquet side of the restaurant for a
mock wedding (Joey and Marias wedding) Happy Valentines
day all and I`ll let ya know how it was.
Tue 2/10/04 - Went up to North Hampton Mass to Pearl
St. to see Suicidegirls.(click
to see their website) Basicly it was a semi-nude burlesque
show. Cute girls , cute act but unfortunately this
club which typically just plays bands has a stage
that is not very tall so it was a lotta tippy toeing
, hopping , climbing to get to see. But anyway it
was still interesting, the band that opens for them
were good , kinda nirvana meets janes addiction.
2/7 Went to Jackson New Hampshire in the white mountains
for a 3 day weekend and some skiing. - Check it out
here on the New
Hampshire travel page
2/5 Wrote a little story for my site ...just some
rambling thoughts - click
me
2/2 Well , New England won , what a bummer ...I thought
they were gonna choke but guess not. Kyles basement
rocks , we had a cool time , check out the pics.
2/1 Super Bowl Sunday - Going to Kyles who finally
finished his basement with a bar / pool tavle , air
hockey , and Monstrous t.v - Lotsa Safeside Boys coming
and the usual assortment of Ct friends to make it.
I`m hoping New England gets their @ass kicked -
1/24th - Went up to Gore Mountain to ski and see
my mom who lives15 min away in Lake George. My mom
had a house built up there on a beautiful secluded
plot of land with creeks and streams running thru
and wildlife everywhere. The house is all wood with
an open floor plan , fp , with an interior porch with
woodstove,reading room.A full huge basement with a
ping pong table , that Bobby built (her hubby) so
well that you would never know it wasn`t store bought.
We snow shoed on the property and saw all sorts of
tracks winding in and out. Its like grand central.
We think one of the tracks was a grey wolf , and we
know they have a bear that attacked the bird feeder.
I looked in a nature book that shows animal tracks
and insist that one of the tracks we saw was a Jaguar
, but my mom steadfastly maintains Jaguars aren`t
in this part of the country :-) I wimped out on skiing
as it was 20 below at the base of the mountain. No
biggy - going to New Hampshire the White mountains
2/7th -I`ll have some pics up.
1/10/04 - First log since the fall kicked my @ass
- Our buddy Yaro has decided to get married and gave
his New York boys a few weeks notice. SO , me and
Lori, charlie and fran , PHil and Karen , A.J and
Amanda - All shot down to West Palm Beach Florida
to REPRESENT! Also can`t forget Bill and Sandy who
dropped off the newborn with a frantic grandmother
and zipped down. This was not going to be the traditional
wedding , It was at a club , with a stage , no priest
, no major fanfare , just a lot of good friends ,family
and good cheer. Yaro was dressed in all black , he
looked like Morpheous from the Matrix, Sam was in
a beautiful and interesting dress. I must`ve told
her she was beautiful like 10x , Yaro at one point
came up to me and whispered ,"isn`t she Hot !"
and I had to agree. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical
of the whole wedding scenario at first , in a club
, a skull cake , bands playing , and a number of interesting
characters that Yaro befriened over the years. But
I have to say that this was the BEST wedding I have
ever been at. ON stage after the official marriage
papers were stamped , The "MC" (Yaro`s buddy
thats in a band) called up friends and family that
had a few words for the happy couple. There was not
a truly dry eye in the house as the love for my boy
and his girl was apparent . I`m happy to see that
Yaro has made a good life for himself down in Florida.
Charlie went up and Represented NY with a few "back
in da day stories". Most of us were too chicken
shit to do it ... Thankx bro. - See the Wedding
Page
5//06/09
Finally - Reintrodced new message boards. COME VISIT
AND SIGN IN TO THE 
--yaay!!!!!!!!!
My boy Billy and his son
