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Different Kind of Last Week

It just occurred to me that it’s the last week of the 2009. I know, sometimes I am slow about things. It also occurred to me that I normally spend the last week here reviewing the past year.
Clearly, that isn’t going to happen this year – at least not right now. I just don’t have it in me. I will however provide some numbers:
2009 was not a great year but I am still standing and perhaps that is the best motivation to enter 2010 with some positive direction.
I am once again eternally grateful to all of you who forced me to think, rethink, and learn. Thanks for being part of this wonderful community.
Posted by Chris 3 comments: Links to this post 

Positive Thoughts Can Make All The Difference In The World

I saw this on Essentially Me’s blog and was touched by it. Read it, post it, and know that if you are one of my regular’s, I love you. Labels: Blogging, Deeper Meaning?


Festa Dei Sette Pesci

I am watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay right now and he is being challenged by Rao’s restuarant, a famous NY based Italian restaurant, to create a meal based on the traditional feast of the seven fishes.
I couldn’t help but recall my childhood. My dad was born and raised in Italy (Mola di Bari) and the whole fish thing on Christmas eve was as much a part of my growing up as cuts and bruises.
I sit here relishing the wonderful memories of growing up and the cultural influences of my dad and my Brooklyn upbringing; the holidays, family. So many years have passed and so many things have changed and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I longed for some piece of that past right here in the present.
I’d kill for a nice plate of octopus sald, perhaps a little frutta di mare – some baccala…. Labels: Memories, Rambling



So I am missing in action for weeks and instead of anything deep, I go for the laugh. this is super funny – Lionel Richie on a German TV show being challenged to sing his megahit “Hello” on helium…
I laughed hard at this and I hope you do to.
Much Love. Labels: Silly, YouTube


from the rooftop

In this very space, just a few short years ago, I exercised my first amendment rights and expressed my personal thoughts and anger over a situation that occurred in my workplace. I named names and said things that can easily be interpreted as offensive and in that particular case, I meant to offend – I was angry and repulsed. Whether or not the extent of my expression at that time was “appropriate” or what have you, it was my constitutional right. Sadly, my constitutional rights were violated at that time and because I am not wealthy enough to retain a lawyer, I had to pay dearly for that – I will always have some bitterness in me and never forgive the fact that my rights were so violated.
Sometimes, I like to push the envelope of language and expression and dabble the lines of dark (even morbid in some cases) comedy and expressionism. Sometimes I use words that have shock value and are offensive to some, perhaps even you dear reader. I’ve received about a dozen emails in the last couple of days, every one from someone I respect and love dearly and from people that have known me for a very long time – some of you, I actually hope all of you are reading this because it’s how I’ve decided to respond…
I know that if you have read (or listened) to any of what I’ve recently put out there, and you actually know me, you know that:
My commentaries have simply been exaggerations in the vein of dark comedy and yes – I know that some will not find it funny and some will totally hate it. I also know that some will find it humorous and even thought provoking (I’ve even gotten a few email affirming that as well).
I will occasionally push the envelope and sometimes what I write or say will not be popular with some of you. I suspect that there will be times when I do say things that will make sense to you and perhaps be more “appropriate”. Either way, as long as the first amendment exists and I live in this country, I will continue to exercise those first amendment rights and hope that more often than not – what I say will make sense to someone.
I do have great love, admiration, and respect for all of you.
Posted by Chris 2 comments: Links to this post 
Podcast: Chris Rants on Things Current and Otherwise

Too lazy to type, I take the bulleted list to audio form with some rants about things going on in the news as well as a few other things on my mind. Oh, and I use "colourful" language here and there so be forewarned!


Posted by Chris 5 comments: Links to this post Labels: Missing Audio Post


(Crazy) Coincidence dot com

Against my better judgment…timeout. I took that timeout because that phrase made me laugh – more accurately, what that phrase implies in the context in which it was used implies, that’s what made me laugh.
Okay, here’s the actual story. Against my better judgment, I returned to work today when I really should have taken another full day to rest my ills. To help comfort my symptoms, I took some over the counter generic product that doesn’t do nearly as much to alleviate the symptoms as it does to place one in a lethargic enough state such that the symptoms are irrelevant.
If you see someone with a red nose walking around with a giant snot noodle hanging from his nostrils, this is usually a good sign they are on this type of medication. You see, while the medicine didn’t prevent the snot noodle, the person was so doped up, they either had no idea the snot noodle was there or just didn’t give a crap.
So back to me, I was chatting it up with a colleague who asked me how I was feeling. I replied, “I’m coming down from my semi-lethargic (you’d think I was getting a commission for this word in this post) state brought on by a dose of over the counter cold medication.” I then walked away and before I made it out the door, I felt a vibration in my right pocket.
Since I was certain there were no giant Madagascar hissing cockroaches (not very relevant, but I just had a fear factor flashback and couldn’t resist the reference) in my pocket, I retrieved the Blackberry that was in the pocket to find I had a message in my inbox and here folks is where the semi-catchy title of this post was inspired. No sooner did I just utter the words referencing the wearing off of cold medicine when I receive an email from none other than drugstore.com  with the following subject line: “Is it time to reorder?”
How’s about them apples? 

Difficult Tasks 

I’m Still Here

Hi everyone. I've not posted in two weeks but I haven't abandoned this blog. I'm certain that aside from the things going on in my life that I am not ready to talk about that there are enough things for me to create interesting* content here but the fact is, I just haven't.
I expect to take a trip to a fort in the woods in the nearer future so that I can let off some steam and get in touch with that which provides a bit of a safe haven, away from the oh so public nature of this place. However, please know that I never intended this blog to be a place where I had to post, rather a place where I chose to post when it felt right.
While I need to be a part of this community and love it so, I must also be true to who I am and I don't want to be the blogger who posts simply for the sake of posting – at least not regularly. I'd like to think that even the stuff that may seem vanilla still has value as it represents a real life experience and for me, that's what this blogging thing is about, sharing real life experiences in a community of those who have real life experiences (this does not mean that I have a problem or don't enjoy works of fiction or blogs that focus on that).
I have received emails from some of you who have expressed your concern and friendship – I am so very grateful to all of you, it warms me to know that there are people who care. That isn't meant to sound like I am one of those folks who doesn't believe that anyone cares, I know that, I am just saying that sometime having affirmation of that goes a long way to healing the soul. To all of you, this is not about any kind of disease or illness, at least not that I know of. The only dying I am doing is the normal kind that comes with living.
For now, I continue to seek inspirations and work through what I am working through – don't think for a minute that you are all not in my thoughts because you are. 

Goings On The Magic 8 Ball here says it all. While I (have to ) believe it’s all a temporary condition, for the time being, I’m living in a world where every request to the 8 ball ends up in such a response (or may as well anyway).
This fucking world series is killing me. If I am being honest, my Yankees are not playing as well as they could, or should. Dare I even say that for the most part they are kind of sucking and are really lucky that thus far, Philly has been sucking more (mostly). I very badly want he Yankees to win this thing but it’s out of my hands anyway – I gotta just deal with the nightly stomach acid until it’s all over.
And now for some bullets:
 

The Last Twenty

I used to purchase many more CD’s than I do now. With a mortgage and other financial priorities, I have taken to the public library as a great resource.
I also don’t care much for radio and as such, I don’t listen much at all. As a music lover, my main sources for musical discovery are recommendations (from a variety of sources), TBTL, NPR, and a few others.
So I get a bunch of things from the library, rip them into iTunes, then listen when I can. Of course, the music adds up faster than I can listen, so I made a few play lists to keep track of it all and then I listen when I can.
Today, I listened to 20 songs from these playlists. Some of them are songs I know and some are totally new to me. Some are by artists I am very familiar with and some are by artists that are fairly new to me.
I thought I would share a list of the songs I listened to – all come with a thumbs up:
1. Footprints – Bill Callahan
2. Life is Hard – Bob Dylan
3. The River – Brian Eno & David Byrne
4. So Beautiful – Raul Malo
5. Carpetbagger – Jenny Lewis (w/Elvis Costello)
6. Little Bit Stupid – Joe Jackson
7. Knee Deep at the National Pop League – Camera Obscura
8. Constructive Summer – The Hold Steady
9. Everybody Pays as They Go – Jakob Dylan
10. Old days – John Hiatt
11. Handle With Care – Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
12. White Shoes – Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band
13. Wine, Women, and Song – Harvey Danger
14. Endless Sleep – Leo Kottke
15. Two Cups of Coffee – Josh Kelley
16. ‘Til Summer Comes Around – Keith Urban
17. Things People Say – Lady Antebellum
18. Destination Unknown – Missing Persons
19. Communist Daughter – Neutral Milk Hotel
20. Turn This Car Around – Tom Petty 

The Large Phillipino in a Hatchback Story On April 17, 2008, I told a story that I titled, Wicked Monks and "The Big O" I Promised. Please click the link and go read that post, even if you recall it; that was a fun post – I just re-read it and laughed hard.
Anyway, in that post, I talk about this rather large dude named Nestor who hitched a ride with us, only the only place for him to ride was in the hatchback since the car only had 2 seats that were occupied. The photo above is the picture of Nestor in that hatchback – very funny! Labels: Cool Photos, Large Phillipino in a Hatchback, Memories


Black and White

Funny how this language works. A statement could be made and depending on the context or perception, it could be taken as something very positive or something very negative.
Others apply…
Nothing more to say at this time.
Posted by Chris 6 comments: Links to this post 

Thankfully, It Didn’t Jump the Shark 

Sorry for the Silence

More time has passed than I wanted between posts so I thought I would stop by and say hi. I know I’ve made it quite clear that there are some things going on with me but have been mum as to what.
And mum I shall stay for now – it just needs to be that way for a while until I can get my head all together.
In the meantime, I am overjoyed to see my NY Yankees playing post season baseball again and really hope they go all the way, no team in the majors deserves it more.
I’ve watched the first two episodes from season one of “Mad Men” after hearing recommendations from numerous sources. Thus far, I like it but need to see more to make any definitive commentary. When life hands you apples, make apple pie…so I did, and then I ate it (with ice cream). I took this at lunchtime today outside my workplace. Her official name is “Betty” – ain’t she purty? 

Thinking About Things Labels: Rambling, RIP


Twists and Turns 

Something to Talk About 

More Magnificence 
The Patriots and Me Labels: Rambling, Sports


Out With The Old and In With The New 

Teacher Files: Careful What You Ask For Labels: Huh?, Rambling


Podcast: Dealing With These Deaths 

I Yearbooked Myself circa 1964, with a mild case of vitiligo circa 1978, very Dwight Schrute-ish circa 1988, the discovery of the mullet Labels: Cool Photos, Silly


Alaska Trip Journal – Part 19 [The End] Labels: Travel Journal


Alaska Trip Journal – Part 18 

Alaska Trip Journal – Part 17 

Alaska Trip Journal – Part 16

Saturday, August 1st, 2009 continued… After lunch I played a little game of “how many different places on the ship can I do as little as humanly possible (except of course going from place to place).” One of my main goals of this vacation was to relax as much as possible. I needed to recharge my batteries and I know once I get back home, things are only going to get stressful. The day after I get home, the vinyl siding project kicks off and then, back to work on the 10th where…I’ll stop here with that stuff. At 3:00pm I went to the Windjammer bar, call me nuts but that just oozes gay bar name to me, for another game show, “Win, Lose, or Draw”. These games shows have been great fun.
I just remembered a story. When I first got into my stateroom on the first day of the cruise, I picked up the “Freestyle Daily” newsletter to see what was going on about the ship. I took notice that at 6:00pm in the chapel, there was a “Friends of Bill W” meeting, which I know is Alcoholics Anonymous. Just beneath that listing was another group gathering in the “Havana Bar” – the “Friends of Dorothy”. I had never heard of this group before and I was curious who they were. I made the humorous assumption that it was shopaholics anonymous and even began making inquiries of my fellow cruisers. I got nowhere until several days later when I decided to Google it on my Blackberry. Now this would be the most logical place for me to reveal who the Friends of Dorothy are but each of you reading this fall into two groups: those who already know and are already laughing at my naiveté and then those of you who don’t know – and for those of you that fall into this category, I am going to leave it to you to look it up – so you could laugh at me later.
Funny thing I’ve noticed, at home, time drags when I am doing nothing; perhaps because it is so hard to be completely relaxed at home. Here though, I have loved every minute of doing something, and of doing absolutely nothing. Heck, here I went out of my way to plan special times to do absolutely nothing! I lie down on a lounge chair poolside in one moment and in the very next moment, it seems hours have gone by. Today was no exception to this odd time phenomenon and as I write this at 7:15pm – I consider the balance of my day and see dinner and a show in my relatively immediate future. Okay, it’s dinner time at the Four Seasons restaurant and I am taking this one seriously. “The Last Supper” as it is jokingly referred to by some and the menu choices were so wonderful, that I chose to eat like a Roman emperor. Here’s what my meal was made up of:
For me to say that this meal was extraordinary would be gross understatement. As a plus, the waiter was a delightful and distinguished older gentleman from Jamaica who really enhanced this dining experience. I would have loved to walk around for a while after a meal such as this but the last show was set to start in less than 20 minutes at the Stardust Lounge and it would fill up fast; so I went to rustle up a seat in the theater.
I made my way to an excellent seat as I awaited performances by Brooklyn (my hometown) born tenor Alberto Sanchez and another comedy/magic performance by Jean Pierre Parent. Sanchez offered up several operatic numbers including a two song tribute to Pavoratti as well as show tunes and several standards of popular music. Jean Pierre added some material not seen/heard in his full length performance form Thursday evening. Both performers did a great job keeping the crowd entertained and when all was said and done, it was time to consider the vacation over and prepare for disembarkation tomorrow followed by a long (very long) day of travel. I returned to my stateroom, packed my luggage, set a 6:15am wake up call (paranoia) and off to sleep was I. 

Alaska Trip Journal – Part 15

Saturday, August 1st, 2009
I woke from a really odd dream. I was in New York City, right near my alma mater, NYIT, in Columbus Circle. At first I was in a bar talking to my pal Johnny D about a concert I had tickets for and how I was conflicted because I was supposed to start a class (as a student) the same night as the concert (keep in mind in that I currently live in Massachusetts, not NYC). The next thing I recall is being on a street corner with my cousin Julian discussing the various Blackberry telephone handsets and when I looked up, I was suddenly in Montreal and less concerned about my Blackberry than how I was going to get back to Manhattan in time for either the concert or my class. Johnny D. reenters the dream here, seemingly out of nowhere, to offer the advise of hopping in a cab, then pointing to Manhattan, which in the distance seemed only a cab ride away – very odd. I woke up right after that so I don’t know if I hailed a cab or made it to Manhattan in time and if so, whether or not I went to the concert or to class.
I checked my new watch to see that it was 7:30am and decided to prepare for my day with a shave and a shower. Have I mentioned that I somehow managed to get a pimple on my neck? Not just any part of my neck, the front, just a centimeter or so from my Adam’s apple – WTF!? I went about my business and headed down to the “Seven Seas” for some breakfast. My menu selections were:
I assembled the contents of the salmon platter, which included sliced onions, capers, tomatoes and cream cheese, onto the bagel making a sandwich familiar to my native New York city sensibilities. I settled on the cranberry juice as my main beverage since I wasn’t certain I was poured decaf (the urn had a black handle and all the other urns to date have had an orange one). It was a perfect breakfast, not too heavy – a perfect precursor to my next important activity, nothing…that’s right, nothing; nothing but relaxation.
I walked on over to the Observation Lounge opting for an indoor venue as the weather had not yet been living up to the forecast and was at this time quite foggy and a touch nippy. After a good while luxuriating in a comfy chair and no responsibilities (for the time being), I relaxed my way to the near noon hour and moved on down to grab a cup of coffee on the pool deck. The weather had improved enough to hang outdoors and I was looking forward to a cup of coffee, having missed the one at breakfast.  I sat around and did nothing until around 1:30 when I recognized the fact that there were only two more wonderful meal opportunities and since the Seven Seas stops serving lunch at 2:00, I made my way there and enjoyed a wonderful meal including:
I am so happy I decided to hit the restaurant over the buffet or the BBQ on the rear deck. 

Alaska Trip Journal – Part 14 Labels: Cool Photos, Travel Journal


Alaska Trip Journal – Part 13

Friday, July, 31st, 2009 continued… After a while I felt the need to continue to do nothing (but relax) but I wanted to do it outdoors. There happens to be a neat deck above the Observation Lounge (technically, it’s roof). With the exception of the foghorn blowing every 90 seconds, it was a perfect spot – almost directly under the sun. You might think the foghorn blowing every 90 seconds would be annoying or distracting, but it didn’t stop me from relaxing (the proof is in the photo’s) and it didn’t take long for me to settle into the lounge chair, fall deep into relaxation and fall asleep.
I awoke with a smile and a thought that if I didn’t go to lunch soon, I wouldn’t have much of a chance at lunch (except for room service or a very limited menu). I went over to the Garden Cafe and loaded up a plate with a small sampling of items including:
A stroll about the “strolling track” on deck six before a quick visit to inquire about transportation from the docks to the airport found me back on the roof of the observation deck for even more relaxation. I almost forgot a few more “self-portraits” that I snapped while kernoodling inside the Observation Lounge for a short time just before returning to my little spot on its roof. For me, one of the best parts of cruising is the ease at which relaxation comes (not something that comes as naturally in my daily life). Right now I am in the spot I’ve been speaking of, on the roof of the Observation Lounge, writing this very sentence and listening to some TBTL (being the Time Bandit that I am) and it’s around 4:00pm. For now I am closing my journal and will do some listening and relaxing – oh, can’t you just feel the sunshine?

I decided to pick up the pen again because I am currently so entertained, I’d like to share it with you. I’m lounging here on the deck listening to TBTL (for the Tens that may be reading, the 7-8pm hour from July 1st). Jen is at the Shawn Colvin concert so Luke and Sean are just hanging - “bro-ing” it up and are KILLING! I am so laughing out loud, disregarding fellow cruisers relaxing nearby – very funny!
***MEDIC ALERT*** I am about to speak of an unpleasant medical condition – not super gross but unpleasant.
One of the problems I had this vacation is with, UGH, I hate to even say this, eczema. It wasn’t all gross or anything but my legs, from my knees down, were just a but rough and super itchy. This afternoon, the itch was really driving me crazy so I used some of the complementary moisturizing lotion in the room. As it was nearing 6:00pm I decided to head indoors. The minute I got indoors, I felt an intense burning sensation (pretty sexy, eh?) in my legs. When I got back to my stateroom, upon further inspection, I realized that I toasted myself while sitting in my spot on the upper deck. The exposed portion of my legs were quite red and if you think sunburn can be uncomfortable, try it out on top of eczema. I felt like I was molting at the legs, in fact, I was kind of hoping to molt at the legs.
What’s crazy is that most people that know me, know that I am not a big fan of the sun, I never “stay out in the sun”. I don’t mind it being sunny but I have been tracking the increase in skin cancer cases…okay, not really tracking it but I know of two people very close to people I know well who dies of cancers that began as a melanoma. The sun is not all that healthy and I am a burner. I know I should have used sun screen and shame on me for not doing so (I just slapped myself on the wrist) ….moving on. 

Alaska Trip Journal – Part 12

Friday, July, 31st, 2009 With a couple of sea days in front of me before returning to Vancouver, I “slept in” today. Having to return an hour overnight as we sailed back into Pacific time, it was in the neighborhood of 9:00am as I headed into the shower, got dressed, then decided to check email on the Blackberry to see if there were any issues with my students that needed dealing with. I had two students who reported a problem with an assignment which prompted me to seek time on an Internet terminal so that I can get those students issues resolved. The Blackberry is a handy tool but I needed a real PC to take care of this. I typically avoid the ship’s Internet cafe for (at least) two reasons: one, I am on vacation and two, it’s ridiculously priced at 75 cents per minute (unless you buy a plan for $100 which brings down the per minute price to a still insane 40 cents).
As luck would have it, with only two days left in the cruise, “bargains” were popping up and the Internet cafe was no exception (I think I just vomited in my mouth a little). As of this morning, two new time plans were made available and while reluctant at the still stupidly overpriced plan, I opted for the 30 minute plan which was priced at $12, plus a one-time $3.95 set up fee (fuckers). I do love cruising as a vacation option and I know these practices aren’t limited to cruising but I really hate being raked over the coals – you know, nickel and dimed. I really wish someone would truly embrace the all inclusive concept.
The Internet service was dreadfully snow (worse than dial-up), but I did manage to review and resolve the outstanding student issues. Oh, I almost forgot – on the way to the Internet cafe I saw a table full of stuff for sale and walked on by to notice some “cheap” watches that were being sold a few days ago for $44 and now being “cleared out” for $10. While I hated giving in to this chicanery, I hated being without a watch on my wrist even more and for ten bucks, I was willing to call myself a schmuck and bought the watch.
All of a sudden it was 10:30”,and the breakfast choices were limited. I noticed in the “Freestyle Daily” they had listed a Jazz Brunch at “Le Bistro”. I was excited because “Le Bistro” is usually only open for dinner and always charges an additional cover charge (as it is considered one of the premium restaurant offerings). There was no asterisk next to the brunch listing so I assumed it was being offered with no extra charge. The doors opened almost at the exact time I stepped off the elevator and to my disappointment, they were asking for a $15 cover charge so I walked away and headed for the buffet where there was a plethora of delectable choices already included in the price of my cruise. The following items appeared on my plate for a brief time en route to my digestive tract:
The weather is a bit foggy and it was only about 60 degrees fahrenheit at this point of the day. I am fine with that temperature but with the early morning breeze still blowing, there was a modest chill in the air. As morning became late morning and into early afternoon, the breeze was a bit milder and the temperature may have risen a few degrees. Either way, I opted to grab a lounge chair on the pool deck, point it at the windows overlooking the water and laid back to relax (and write some of this stuff).
After a while I moved indoors to the Observation Lounge, after grabbing a cup of coffee and seated myself as near to a window as the crowd with the same idea as me (actually, they were already there and it was I who had their idea) would allow. There was some light pop music complementing the ambient noise of the lounge which features a full length, or rather full width, panoramic view out of the front of the ship which right now, is still quite foggy but nonetheless peaceful. I even allowed myself to view the artwork on display from strictly an appreciation perspective. There were some works by Salvador Dali and one of my favorite contemporary artists, Peter Max. 

Alaska Trip Journal – Part 11

Thursday, July 30th continued… The Chocoholic Buffet is a neat little Norwegian Cruise Line thing. They did it on the Hawaii cruise I was on a few years ago and happily, I was able to attend another on this cruise. After a terrific comedy magic show, I took a little outdoor stroll and made my way to the Seven Seas restaurant a few minutes before the scheduled time for the feast of chocolate.
I made a number of choice selections such as a chocolate covered banana, a chocolate covered strawberry, chocolate cake, a different chocolate cake, yet another type of chocolate cake, and some chocolatey thing with nuts – nice, eh? I know that you must think after all that chocolate there is no way I’d be getting to sleep anytime soon. Guess again, I was winded. This was a day that as you may recall began with a 6:30am accidental alarm and I was so friggin’ content with my day that I decided to put it to rest.
I write this sentence at about 11:30pm with a heap of memories from my day, hours of joyous relaxation in the till, and a belly full of gourmet foods and chocolate. Here are a few more pictures of chocolate masterpieces: 

Alaska Trip Journal – Part 10 Labels: Cool Photos, Travel Journal, YouTube
