June 8, 2004

Hi!!!!!!!!!!!

    Friday, me and two co-workers who will go nameless went to CityScapes after work. We were comped
on the cover charge and the first round, but had to pay for everything else. It was all right, these things
don't excite me much.
    One of the guys said "It's a good thing we're single" but it doesn't much matter. Ladies, the safest
place for a man to go where you know he won't fool around is a strip club. The only women in these
clubs are the stripers, and one of them are interested in your man, unless he's a millionaire.
    I didn't get home from 'Scapes till 5 AM, meaning I had 6 hours to sleep, shower and get to Liam
McGarvey's Christening. Amazingly I got there on time and I wasn't too wiped out. After the baptism, we
went to Carasella. That place rocked. It had an arcade, as well as great food. I haven't played video
games in Howard Beach since Big Bow Wow closed down.
    I got home at 5:30, took a nap and watched the Belmont Stakes. I was pulling hard for Smarty Jones
to win the Triple Crown and he came damn close. I have heard so many different theories on why he lost,
mine is that he jumped out too early. In both the Derby and the Preakness, he let other horses set the
pace then made his move on the top of the stretch. Here was out in front early and didn't have the extra
juice that he needed to hold off Birdstone. As in ended up, Biirdstone's win was a good thing for me. I
had an exacta wheel with Smarty Jones going both ways. It was a nice payout. But still a Triple Crown,
like a Mets no-hitter, may never again happen.
     Saturday night it was like old times. Ray and I met Karl at his folks house and the three of us walked
over to Donovans. It was a quiet mellow evening, giving us a chance to catch up, argue over politics and
try to make a blockbuster trade for our Fantasy League. The fact that we settled no world problems and
made no trades didn't diminish how great the night was. Especially when Mary and Auggie arrived at
Donovans.
    We stayed there for a bit longer than headed over to KC Moore's. Pat Finn and Pat McCullogh were
there and Buck Ludwig was bartending. Auggie decided to stay and catch up with Pete McGuiness and
the crew at Donovans. We stayed for a few at Kc Moore's then headed to the Stop-Inn for breakfast.
    Now I have no idea why this waitress decided to break my balls, but apparently I'm the only person in
Woodside over the age of 5 who drinks chocolate milk.  When I ordered that with my omlette, the
waitress called me a baby. And every time she came over to our table, she asked Ray and Karl how
"baby" was doing. We had agreed when we got there that I'd get the cab home if they got breakfast. So
she wanted to know "Why baby wasn't paying" She's f-cking lucky I wasn't paying, I would have stiffed
her on the tip.
After all, I'm such a baby.
    Speaking of babies, there was a houseful of them on Sunday. It was James P. DePuy's first birthday.
When I got there, Ray was there with Kevin (Maureen had a shower to go to and Liam decided to go with
her, they would come later) Kelly was there with her two guys Brian and Max, Kim and her sister
where there with babies Aaron and Andre, Mr. McGarvey was showing off the work he and Mary and
Auggie had done with the basement, and Zaharah was helping Mary in the kitchen. In no time the house
was full.
    The highlight of the day for the kids was the arrival of Elmo. Only problem was, Elmo scared the crap
out of all of them except Brendan. Once the kids got used to the idea of a 5.5 foot Elmo, they started
filing back in. Elmo brought a boom-box, and played Hands Up, the Hokey Pokey, the Limbo, and Baby
Got Back.(Just kidding) Brendan insisted that I hold him through the Hokey-Pokey, and look I know I'm
out of shape, but that was the longest version of the Hokey Pokey I ever heard. American Pie isn't that
long is it? I was wiped out, I convinced Brendan to get down, then I headed upstairs for a drink and to
chill out with Kim and Zaharah.
    Elmo went back to Sesame Street and face painter. (Actually they were the same person, a woman)
came in. She painted stars on the girls faces and footballs on the guys faces.
    The food of course was sensational. Burgers, dogs, salads, you name it you had it. It was a great
time. And a great weekend. A throwback weekend, to simpler times. I needed that. Big time.

                                                   RONALD W. REAGAN (1911-2004)

    I suspected that when former President Reagan died, there would be a ton of positive publicity, that
he would be put on a pedestal that would rival sainthood. And by many, he has. Make no mistake, the
man had his good points. He had an easy going style that made him very likable. One of his agendas
was to make Americans, weary from Vietnam and Watergate and other 1970's crisis, proud to be
Americans (something we could all use right about now) His Hollywood background allowed him to emit
an energy on TV that made him easy to understand and impossible to ignore. They say that George W.
Bush has patterned himself after Reagan. But to me Bill Clinton had more Reagan in him than does
Dubya, at least in the way he presents himself.
    Of course, the people who really loved Reagan were the people who made tons of money during his
administration, of which there were many. But not as many who lost jobs and who had to struggle to
make ends meet. The 80's were great for the Ivan Boesky's and Michael Milken's of the world, not so for
Joe Lunchpail.
    And on foreign policy, there is no doubt that he had a hand in helping bring about the end of the Cold
War, but that was as much a product of Mikhail Gorbachev's desire to Westernize the Soviet Union as it
was anything Reagan did.
    Look, I have no desire to kick the man in the casket. He was one of only 12 men who served two full
terms, a stat that blew my mind when I read it. The 80's for better or worse, will be known as the decade
of Reagan. And if he made people feel good to be Americans again, who am I to argue with that. Being
an American is the greatest feeling in the world as far as I'm concerned. I just want to add a little
perspective to this whole thing before they start re-chisleing Mount Rushmore.

The Sopranos

    Let me ask you all something. Was there as much buzz for the Sopranos this time around as there had
been before? I know that since my Monday's start around noon time while most people's start at 7AM,
I'm a bit out of the loop. But I just didn't get the feeling that the Sopranos was generating the hype that
surronded it the last couple of seasons, and I think that's partly because of the long spells between
seasons.
    But this season was a hell of a lot better than the last one. And Sunday night's finale was the best
finale that I ever saw (I missed the first two seasons) I watched it with Auggie and Mary and except for
the part where he confronted Paulie Walnuts (Mary described that scene in one word "Bizzare") the show
had everything a finale should have. Some loose ends tied up, some new ones to settle next year.
   SPOILER ALERT    SPOILER ALERT SPOLIER ALERT (DO NOT READ IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T SEEN
THE FINALE AND WISH TO DO SO)
    Patti-Ann and Emily, I regret to inform you that Steve Buscemi will not be returning to the show next
year. He was whacked by Tony in an attempt to cool tensions between the New York mob and Tony's
New Jersey mob. Shame too because he was good on the show.

END SPOILER ALERT

    And End of this weeks mail
Have a Great Week
Bill