The Son

July 25, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

Chris is driving across country as we speak. He is traveling with two other friends. Not three or four years ago, I used to refer to them as “the retards” because of their lack of common sense. But they are adults now and they are driving a 1965 Mustang to the West Coast. Chris needs an adventure and it should be great for them to see this country for a change.

Prayers are requested.

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Summertime

July 20, 2010 | Filed Under Main | Leave a Comment

For the past few days, we’ve had some rain. In fact, a squall thumped through our neighborhood last night, bringing the thunder and lightning and occasional buckets of rain. A transformer blew a few houses down and killed the lights. The noise of a transformer arcing is pretty cool. Unfortunately just as I was settling into a non-electric evening, the lights returned. The rain – hard and sporadic –has been nice except that is doesn’t make anything cooler. It is still 90 degrees and intensely humid. Is it as hot as Kuwait? No. Then again – I didn’t spend any time in a subway station in Kuwait. The further down the platform you walk, the less prosaic the term “fiery pits of Hell” becomes.

Still – it’s been a nice summer so far. Chris and I finished our drainage trench this weekend (and it seems to work). On Saturday we had a film festival in town. Sat outdoors at the harbor and watched 60 one-minute films from all over the world, including one by my neighbor and two by kids Chris went to school with. Some fun, some arty – all nice to see within walking distance.

The son is prepping for his cross country trip with two friends to deliver a car to the West Coast. I’m hoping this is the experience he needs to jump start his wants and desires. Beats watching VH1 all day long. And I have two concerts planned in the next few weeks. First up – Radio City Music Hall where the band Spiritualized will perform all of their classic LP “Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space” with full orchestra and choir. They did this for their live album and it remains one of my favorites. Then a week later I will be at the Stone Pony to check out Built To Spill. Hopefully something else will come my way before the summer ends.

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Intimacy

July 13, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

Ya know…

It’s hard enough these days. At this age with various aches and pains and moods.

And your schedules are totally out of whack when you get home maybe an hour before your spouse goes to bed.

And your children are sixteen and over and never seem to leave the house.

But you KNOW you’re cursed when you are trying to have a moment and the DOG barks and scratches at the door.

It’s not that funny anymore…

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Added to iPod

July 7, 2010 | Filed Under Music | 6 Comments

I’m up to 14,600 songs on the iPod – much slower this year than last. So after removing all videos and TV shows and a few records I never listened to, my 80 gig has very little room left. However, my wife’s 160 gig iPod has only 3 gigs worth of music on it! And she won’t trade!!
Such a gyp…

The Grip Weeds – “Strange Change Machine” From Jersey! This four piece has been around since 1994 and have been a staple on Little Steven’s Underground Garage. This latest is a two-disc bit of great, summer power-pop with a splash or two of psychedelia. If you have been missing a band like the Posies in their heyday, grab this record immediately. The lead off track “Speed Of Life” is their calling card.
Chemical Brothers – “Further” Sliding back into their old dance floor grooves, this is an excellent effort by the Bros. – much better than their last disc. There are less vocals here, but the beats are much tastier. Perfect for working out.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – Their new self-titled is a disappointment. Seems to be a bid for pop stardom. All shiny and… blonde. But the songs aren’t as strong and it all feels just a bit calculated. Can’t blame them for trying, though.
Scott Walker – “The Drift” Have had it for a while but just got up the nerve to add it to the mix. Think Brecht meets Jacque Brel in front of a painting by H.R. Giger. Honestly – I can’t describe what this sounds like. There is a song here about Elvis talking to his still-born brother Jesse. A dark beauty – and the CD packaging is very nice.
Four Tet – “There Is Love In You” Though I have heard them before, this is the first disc I own. Actually – again – Four Tet is not a group but a guy, Kieran Hebden. The record is nice – a very chill piece of electronica.
Vivaldi – “The Four Seasons” Sir Neville and the Academy. Surprised I didn’t have it already.

The best, though, are two classic comedy records: Woody Allen’s “Standup Comic” and Bill Cosby’s “I Started Out As A Child”. There is not much to say about the Cosby album, except that it must have been one of the few records we had at home as a kid. All the brothers memorized each bit and would regale the adults with these comic gems while at the same time rolling on the floor laughing (a good comic never laughs at his own jokes… unless you’re Seinfeld). I had to search for the Woody Allen CD and again Ebay came through. These are classic bits from his brief stint doing standup. At one of the gigs, Woody mentions he had just finished filming What’s New Pussycat so he was a the top of his game. The moose joke is my favorite.

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First Show

June 30, 2010 | Filed Under Music | Leave a Comment

I saw my first live band tonight since I came home. Mark it – June 30th. It took me over six months to find someone I wanted to see (the Concertgebouw doesn’t count). I was at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theatre. This marks the second time I’ve been to the Public in a week… which is two more times than I have been to the Public in the last decade. (Go figure.) Joe’s Pub is a pretty nice room. Attached to the theater, it is an intimate space and has good sound. Tickets are inexpensive – though there is a drink minimum. I got there as it opened, about an hour before the 7PM show. First I asked to be seated at one of the tables, but if you have legs this is not a good idea. The tables are small and heavy and packed together. I opted instead for the bar which offered the best seat in the house (remember that- get there early and sit at the bar). My bartender may have thought I was already wasted since I just kept looking all over the room. In actuality, I just got my new glasses earlier in the day and was trying to get used to my new progressive lenses. They are strange but very cool and useful. I should have the hang of it in a few days.

Truth be told, it had been a trying day. Mishaps, misadventures and car issues (Note: If you have a battery replaced on your car, be sure that they re-set the computer chip or the car won’t run.) So – I really needed this show. And it was a good time. The Unthanks – which is Rachel and Becky Unthanks from Northumberland in England and their band. I had originally heard them on a Songlines CD and then picked up their recent LP “Here’s The Tender Coming”. They are a folk band, doing originals and traditional tunes. Just remember that traditional English songs include sea chantys, lost love and songs from the mines so there is an ever present dark side to the gorgeous, lilting harmonies. The band included someone on the violin, another on cello/accordion, one on piano, bass & drums and bass & guitar. They left their brass section at home but hooked up with a local trumpet player an hour before the show who played on one song. Before the third number, the sisters changed from their pretty shoes to these flat shoes. Turns out they were their clogging shoes, which were featured in that song and later in a more extended dance during the encore. I most admit that though the songs were good and the sisters were charming with wonderful, intertwining voices – the thing that got me most were the arrangements of these songs. Very modern and very fresh (at least to my ear).

Truly a great show and, at the end, it was only 8:30! So I walked out into a still light early evening in NYC.

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New York, New York

June 27, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 2 Comments

I know I go into to the city everyday and have been for years. But an evening in the city can be very different. On Thursday, I met Christopher on the East side of the Village to see the rock musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” at the Public. While Chris had a long, drawn out ride on a bus, I took a leisurely walk up Houston Street. I passed numerous little bars, cafes and restaurants, as well as many “girls in their summer clothes”. A pleasurable walk that landed me in the bar Swifts on East 4th for a Guinness and one of the best wheat bars I ever tasted (DreamWeaver). While waiting for Chris to navigate the cross-town subways, I wandered through one of the few remaining record stores for new music – Other Music. I can safely say I had only heard of maybe 20% of the artists found there and, though I didn’t particularly like my random purchase, it was great to know that such a place still existed.

Chris finally made it and we walked over to St. Marks for a shawarma (not great) and an ice cream sandwich on a waffle from a truck on the street. When we got to the theater, I had good feelings about the play since the majority of the pre-show music was by Spoon (a favorite band). It was a great show! Very energetic and fresh. Both hysterical and historical. They took Jackson and made him a populist candidate ala the Tea Baggers, as well as stretching a bit to portray him as our “Emo” President. Hopefully it will be re-staged for Broadway soon. Chris had a great time. The only drag of any evening in NYC is the trip back to Jersey – particularly if you have to take the bus. Commuting CAN drain the life out of you.

Yesterday, Kerry and I went back in for dinner with a friend of mine. We were meeting my friend Deb from Maine, who was in town for the food show with her daughter, Eliza. This time, we took the boat in. The first stop on the boat was Sandy Hook to retrieve sandy, sun burnt New Yorkers for their return to the city. It was a great day for the beach so I was a bit jealous. (However, I don’t like a crowded and touristy beach.) Supposedly it was Gay Pride weekend, but we saw no evidence of that as we made our way to the West Village… oddly enough two blocks from where we both work. A cocktail on the boat reminded both Kerry and myself that we had not really eaten anything that day and needed something in our stomachs if we were to continue. So we stopped at a bodega near the restaurant and had a bit of fruit and a power bar sitting on a bench outside. New York was in full swing. People we beginning to leave local bars where they had been watching the U.S. soccer team lose to Ghana. Tourists wandered about curiously. An elderly gentleman on the bench across from us was having his hair cut. There was a woman behind us knitting while wearing a wool cap with pom-poms and mittens. Folks were dressed up and folks were dressed down. Our dinner at Aqua Grill was fabulous as always and it was great to see Deb and Eliza again (Eliza is Chris’ age and she was a little girl when I saw her last).

We made the last boat home. As the boat docked, two unseen barges directly across from the pier exploded in light. Fireworks. Why? Who knows? The beginning of a week of Fourth of July fireworks? Gay Pride? We didn’t care because we were right underneath them! And they were spectacular. Slowly the boat pulled away and we continued to watch colors burst in the air. The sound and relight both reflected off the tall buildings of Wall Street. Some moments later, we passed Governors Island which was generating its own lights and colors from one of their summer concerts. New York receded after the bridge and home lay ahead of us. A perfect ending.

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Spam

June 21, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

Why is all spam about sex and vicodin?

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Noah

June 18, 2010 | Filed Under Main | Leave a Comment

My new dog – much like his young master – is not a morning person. Most times, anyway. If it’s Saturday or Sunday, he bullies me awake at 7AM on the dot. But during the week brings another story. Take this morning. I have to catch a 7AM bus to the city to be at work at 9AM. So I am up at six, take my shower and go to feed him and let him out. (This is because the son does not get up until eleven or so.) And this week, his cousins – Seamus and Harley – are staying with us, so we are feeding “dogs”. I come out of the shower this morning, dress and go downstairs. Seamus is lying quietly in the living room and Harley is retrieved from his cage on the porch. Noah is nowhere to be found. I gather the dishes and wash them. Still no Noah. I fill them with kibble. Nothing. I head upstairs to Chris’s room and find the beast sprawled at the end of the bed, staring at me. I jostle him, pull on his paws and threaten his health (I have a bus to catch!). Nothing. Chris is asleep and the dog is just not ready. “Really – five more minutes.” Yawns at me. Luckily Seamus followed me up and had a word with him. Noah is soon slowly following us down the stairs… and plops on the floor. Not moving. Spreads himself out. Food is put down for all dogs and are scarffed up quickly by the other two. Noah wanders over, looks at his dish and lies down in the Dinning Room. Seamus and Harley finish breakfast and Seamus walks quietly over to Noah’s bowl. Suddenly, he is up and growling. Now he eats… grudgingly. I let the other dogs out, brush my teeth and gather my stuff. The dog finishes and I hustle him out the door. Made my bus by a whole minute. Welcome to my morning routine.

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Health

June 11, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 3 Comments

Except for my swollen eye a few months back, I haven’t seen a doctor of any stripe in over two years. While in Kuwait, I was fairly nervous about seeing anyone and I was never sick for more than 24 hours anyway. Since then – I have not had insurance. And like most people without insurance, you hold your breath a lot and don’t go skiing. So now that I am employed, it is time to go off and get examined.

Yesterday was my first visit to an eye doctor in at least four years. I have aged and my eyes have aged with me. Plus I have been having issues with them that may just stem from being in the desert (or the poison ivy). The last time I went I just saw an optometrist in a Lens Crafters type place. This time I took my insurance and went to see a doctor. I don’t have a specific eye doctor to see so I picked a name off the insurance website. From the looks of the list, maybe twenty eye doctors inhabit each tiny office. The new consortiums. I chose a doctor near home. My first choice wasn’t available until July so they found me a doctor who seemed readily available compared to the rest (which is enough to make you wonder). The building I went to – chauffeured by Kerry since I would be unable to drive when I left – had maybe six floors filled almost exclusively with eye doctors and had a tiny parking garage attached. The elevator opened on the floor below and I saw a typical, sedate waiting room.

Then we got to my doctor…

The elevator opened into bright lights and much bustling. It was small and cramped but four nurses and a receptionist danced around the desk and patients with aplomb. I had barely signed in when one of the nurses asked my name and quickly directed me around to a room while Kerry filled out the forms. I went through the preliminaries and the drops and was sent back to wait for the doctor. As I waited, I realized there was just this one doctor for all the patients here at the moment. I also realized I was probably the youngest person in the room. Most of the patients were quite elderly. One man was there with a friend and was moved from room to room because he was too cold. Another woman was brought to the office by a shuttle and didn’t know who or how she was supposed to get back (or really where she lived). I was there for nearly two hours – mostly waiting – but well served when I was being tested. I can only imagine how difficult it is to service this clientele, though the staff seemed used to it.

So our current healthcare system – IF you have insurance – isn’t quite broke, but it does have many of the aspects already that people feared with “Obamacare”. Service is rationed, there are lines and you can choose your doctor but only if you are willing to wait for him/her. If not – you take what you’re given. And even this service gets more expensive every year. The insurance companies manage your care. Trust them or trust the government? Trust profit or non-profit? Don’t know – but I do have my new prescription for progressive lenses. As I said – I have aged. Next up: the Dentist.

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Sunday

June 6, 2010 | Filed Under Main | Leave a Comment

Going to a baptism today. I can’t even remember the last baptism I went to. Time and distance, you know. This one is just down the street so I can’t even be late (well, I CAN but my excuse would be lame). Doesn’t the church do them in bunches now? Three or four at a time? We’ll see. It’s a nice day for a baptism. And then a bike ride. Humid to be sure, but there is a nice breeze. A simple family Sunday. Nice to get those every now and then, don’t you think?

BTW – All you sci-fi/horror fans out there should see the movie “Splice”. I have been waiting for this movie to come out since it was first supposed to be released last year. Definitely over the top in some places but never gets to gross-out stage. Well paced and well acted. But the creature is something to behold and the various creepy, Cronenberg-esque threads running through it make the film a keeper.

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Note to The Tea Party

May 28, 2010 | Filed Under Main, Politics | 2 Comments

Yo! Old white guys!

Stop saying you’re the majority. Six-seven MILLION people voted for Obama.

What? You think we left town or something? You’re just noisy and you know politicians (especially Democrats) can’t stand yelling. So – yeah. You’ll get your way on a few things.

But your not the majority.

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New Car

May 23, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

Since we lost two cars this past month (though one has been dead since last year), it felt like time to get a new one. So we went out and bought another Camry (yes – from those Toyota people). Spend over three hours at the place. It took 20 minutes to find the car we wanted and the rest spent playing with the paper. It was a great deal actually and the car is… a Camry. Solid and dull with good gas mileage. And it has a bunch of cool car things: V-6 engine, blah blah blah, tilt/telescopic sterring wheel, blah blah blah, alloy wheels, yadda yadda yadda, smart key access, etc etc and so on.

But the most IMPORTANT thing is that I can plug the iPod into the USB outlet and manage the whole thing from the JBL entertainment center with a touch of the button. THAT is pretty sweet.

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In The Village

May 19, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 2 Comments

They said the conference was in Washington D.C. But they drove us out toward to within a mile of Baltimore. Across the Potomac, over the bridge and into a compound. It is three blocks long and three blocks wide. There are four hotels and a number of overpriced restaurants with pre-packaged foods. At night, we are surrounded by water on one side and dense darkness on all the others. Three blocks and the street lights end. We are not sure if we can leave…

This is the Gaylord National on the Potomac and – what do you want? – it’s a convention center. And I am a conventioneer. Pretty, right? But up close, everything looks like it was made of fiber board. As if it were a movie set that could easily be struck. Someone said it reminded her of a book where Americans were kidnapped and sent to a quasi-American town in Russia to teach Russians how to be American. I immediately thought of “The Prisoner”. But the conventioneers fit in perfectly. Last night my group went to the “disco” on the top floor of the hotel. The sight of 50-60 accountant/IT types drinking under the lights to thumping dance music, wearing our geeky convention tags was… indescribable. The bouncer cringed as we each walked by. But I can’t imagine anyone BUT our type visits these environs. At least if the sun ever came out, it might feel less chilling.

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Anniversary

May 17, 2010 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

Thank you, Kerry, for 24 years of wedded bliss (or at least that’s what we tell people). The next one we will actually spend together. 24 years. Is that the GPS anniversary or the a Home Depot anniversary?

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