10/10-10/13 - Put the Weekend on da Replay.

This week ended early. With Veteran's Day on Friday we only had to work until Thursday before getting the release of going home to enjoy the weekend. I got home to a nice italian dinner ordered from Friends, an order of Penne a la Vodka topped with grilled chicken. Russ was staying in for the evening so when it was late enough (11:50pm) I journeyed down the street to the car service and began the trip into the city. For some reason my driver felt it was his duty to tell me that all of the problems in the world could be traced back to Jewish people. From the tumult in the middle east to the fact that jews were buying all of the real estate in Brooklyn. It is truly sad when people spout blind rhetoric that has truly hateful roots to it. I actually had to tell the driver that two of the newest large real estate acquisitions in Manhattan were by Arab investors purchasing buildings in midtown. I just mm-hmmed and interjected when necessary and got to where I was going. I let the driver drop me off at 14th street and 6th Ave (watched some poor girl trying to flag down a taxi for herself and a friend as the friend was held up by pizza place employee as she let loose her dinner in the street). I avoided such issues by spacing out my drinks (never out of control before midnight) and picking up some Tums on 14th before heading up a few blocks to 17th street. I didn't want the food repeating on me and then getting infiltrated by the alcohol. Ray met me at the door and gave me a wristband (it was college night tonight at Splash). And then I was inside and downstairs at the coat check. After checking my wrap and picking up a drink at the downstairs bar from a new bartender (wearing gym shorts and baseball socks) I headed upstairs to the main floor. To start off the evening it appeared to be kind of depressing, a very lackluster crowd, music was unfocused. But as we approached 1am and later the crowd began to build and the music got better. The fat boy in red gym shorts, white tee and no shoes finally left the stage for good and DJ Billy Carroll started to pick up the pace with familiar but faster paced than usual lyrics and beats. It was too cool to go out for bottled water after I had entered and I had also forgot to bring Altoids with me so I ended up getting a minty shot after 2 drinks. I danced on the stage twice and only had my hands lit once but nothing truly inspired or energetic but it was good enough the keep the crowd into it. I stayed until 3am after one more drink and after making sure I had thanked the DJ in person when he came down to the bar to get some drinks for his entourage. After retrieving my coat from the coat check I headed outside and got into the waiting taxi in front of the space to take me back to BK. After writing down the trip start point and then headed downtown I was able to lay back and listen to my ipod and wait to arrive back in the slope. The driver made all the right turns and listened to direction well and I was back at home in short order. As I arrived home I wished the cab driver well and headed upstairs to go to sleep. The weekend started early but well.

Friday was mostly spent watching DVDs and DVR programming. Finally saw XXX-State of the Union with Ice Cube. The movie was definitely entertaining and had a lot more entertainment value than the first one. The stunts in the first one were a bit over the top. The sequel had stunts that were still outlandish but at least were within reason, as things anybody would do in the same situation and not only the extreme sports fan. We also watched Unleashed with Jet Li and were surprised that the movie was very good and was both funny and very watchable even in the slow parts. Lunch was picked up from the Italian sandwich shop on 7th Avenue but the sandwich had too much bread to eat more than half of it. The rest of the day passed pretty uneventfully until Russ had to go and get someone out of police custody (evening arraignments on a court holiday). I decided to do the ride along, listening to my newest R&B mix (Beats of the City) and just hanging out in the car until Russ returned for the dinner break. We headed uptown and to the west side and did a short parking spot search before parking on 24th street and walking back over to Dallas BBQ. There was a bit of a crowd inside at 9pm on a holiday Friday night but the wait was only 15 min for two people. We passed the time commenting on the other diners and staying out of the way of the fast moving wait staff, fully laden down with food of all kinds. We heard our table called for before too long and we were seated and ordering our food soon after. We had a great meal, I had the ribs and chicken combo myself and Russ had the Shrimp and chicken combo. The food was good as could be expected but I stayed away from the texas size drinks myself for this eve in preparation for later. We left BBQ to head back down to the court for Russ to finish his representation but I stayed in the car, read some my latest Sci-Fi Novel "Revelation Space" and listened to a greatest hits selection of some of my CDs on the booming car stereo. We were finally finished with court around 11:50 but it was too late to do much else besides return to BK and spend the rest of the night messing with CDs and watching DVR programming. I finally turned in around 3:30am and bid goodnight to my Friday Night.

Saturday I got up to prepare myself for the rest of the day and despite just having vitamins and milk before heading out to the gym the workout went well. I only had to wait for machines twice and the people were not too mean to move on after they had finished with the machines. After the workout was over and I headed back to the house and made myself a chicken sandwich. The chicken was leftover but oh so good and while munching we watched "The Warriors" on DVD. The movie was good but Russ had it turned off halfway through the pic so he could catch some rest. I went ahead and moved on to more music mixing and watching DVR programming before it was time to order dinner. Jack's Fifth Avenue delivered a great Pot Roast and veggies and mashed that was all good for dinner time. I made sure to have some copies of my newest R&B mix to take with me to the club for gift CDs and then it was time to clean up to get ready to head out. I did the haircut, shave, shower and all things necessary for a night out. The Jimmy arrived at 10:40pm and we all hung out for a bit and chatted seeing as we had not all been together for a hangout for about a month. We were all set and ready and headed out at about 11:04pm.

The drive into the city was quick as we decided to take the Manhattan Bridge and cross town at canal street. The trip up the west side was quick but we found no parking spots in the usual places. We ended up looping back all the way from 23rd street back down to 15th street before finding a nice two spaces right between West Street and 10th Ave right on 15th. We verified the spot was legal and then headed up the street and inside. Once again we went through the ID scanner at the front door but even with the new ID fresh from the DMV (nice hologram) it was a quick once over and we were quickly headed into Roxy. After cashier and coat check we were inside the place and giving it the once over. Barman Barker and Matt were both at the back bar so I hung out in back for Barker's return from the offices before I got my first drinks. The DJ for the eve was DJ Paulo who seemed somehow bigger (more worked out) than I remember. Somehow I remember how the DJ fills the dimensions of the DJ booth and realized he must be a big dude. Anyway the party was underway by 12:35 and I found myself up on the speaker for my first dance appearance at 12:45. The music was just on point, energetic and a lot more vocal than I expected. I decided I wasn't going to light my hands until after 1am but ended up dancing the one set past 1am and totally getting overheated during the remix of Rihanna and "Pon de Replay" which I was just happy to hear as it is on my next full length peak hour dance mix. Anyway I was happy with the music all the way through the night, so much so that I actually had to walk outside to cool off not once, or twice but three times. All the way down the back stairs to the outside smoking area (only once to retrieve Russ and The Jimmy) and even started talking to the security guy (dressed in his fur collared overcoat) and told him I was just enjoying myself so much which is why I needed to head outside to cool off at different spots during the night. As the eve progressed I said hello to Erica and her entourage, talked to Bob H who told us he had done another comedy show in which he totally nailed the performance and got much accolades. Me myself I just took the time to go up onto the stage and dance a little in front of the light guy and the DJ, right behind my friends Erica and my fellow speaker dancer (the one with the baseball cap) I always forget his name but I danced behind them for that once dance but returned later on to light up the stage once again. We ended up staying until almost 4:30am and even returned to the back bar to say goodnight to Matt and Barker. They both enjoyed the CDs as Matt gets to listen to them on his drives back from Philly every weekend. Once outside there were no taxis to be found on 10th ave but once over to 9th ave we were easily able to flag down a ride and head back to Bklyn. The ride back was nice and quick and we were able to get back to BK pretty quickly and even find a sheet from the NY Post for the lines for the games on Sunday. Once upstairs and in the house I was still feeling the munchies (dinner was like 9 hours before) and I decided to make myself a chicken sandwich. Even though I was in no condition to be slicing chicken breast I found myself visualizing doing myself some damage and then not a minute later I went ahead and hit my finger a glancing blow with the knife. At first I thought I just brushed the skin but of course those darn Sabatier knives had dealt me a nice cut on my left index finger. A few well placed slices later the chicken sandwich was made (Russ decided to make himself a PBJ sandwich, totally foregoing the chicken altogether) The sandwich was good and I was able to decompress and head to bed satisfied both mind and body.

Sunday I awoke to delivery breakfast and after finishing up the viewing of "The Warriors" on DVD and the special bonus features it was on to watching football. I split my time between the TV in the living room and the computer in the office making CDs and making sure I was prepared to head out to our dinner invitation. Moms had invited me out to dinner out in Staten and I was able to premiere the new CD Mix "Pop to the Beat". My last mix was all about the Rap/R&B and the new CD was all Pop/Rock and just as good. Unfortunately the storage facility as closed so I was not able to pick up my mothers PC before heading over to the house but of course she was still happy to see me. The house was mad heated from the oven and stove and I opted to open the front door to let the heat out. Ian, Iana and Gigi were all there as well. Ana had stayed home to take care of her sick baby daddy and we while we did miss the sis we were happy to be able to dig into the nice spread of Cornish Hens, macaroni and cheese, stuffing and collared greens. After dinner I let my clock wind down and I napped through some of the football games playing on TV until it was time to make the trip back to BK. We let Gigi come outside to take advantage of our better parking space and bid good night to all before getting on the road again. On the way back we opted to head over Mickey Ds for the dessert while it was still sooner than later and we picked up the Mcflurries before heading back into the house. I watched the Fox block, DVRd "Curbed" and "Boondocks" and prepared for bed. The night wound down in the usual Sunday fashion and I was ready to turn in before it got too late (around 1am)

Another great weekend, a lot of work done on the PC and with my music and plenty to look forward to in the coming week(s). Always a good thing.

11/04-11/06 - The Night is Back with More Friends and More Fun

Friday I headed home on the PATH and decided to walk crosstown instead of to the MTA train station. I was looking for a store that I could buy another set of sunglasses. The week without made me realize just how much I missed having the sunlight filtered from my eyeballs. Not exactly a vampire but not in need of a tan anytime soon either. I found myself at the Wendy's on Fulton St and Water St and after a few burgers I headed down the walk to the South Street Seaport. I bypassed the Sunglass hut (too small and expensive) and after stepping inside the main building I spotted a glasses rack in the Olympic Store. After poring over the rack for several minutes I finally settled on a nice pair that would tide me over till my new Fossil frames showed up in the mail from Amazon. I walked down Water St (saw the Sugarcube) and ended up walking all the way to the South Ferry train station. I headed home and enjoyed a quiet evening at home in preparation for heading out. Cleaned up, dressed up (Gecko and Eddie Bauer) I was ready to head out.

I headed down to the Car Service and the dispatcher immediately walked out and snagged a vehicle for me to take me into Manhat. The driver smiled and then took me into the city (sneezing all the way) over the Bklyn Bridge, past Park Row and over to the West Side and heading uptown to 14th Street. We turned in at 18th and made it over to 8th Ave easily. The driver let me out and I headed into

Gym. I missed Brett as he headed downstairs and went to the back to hang for a bit with DJ Smoky. We discussed some music, the crowd and I headed back to the bar for a drink. At the bar I saw Brett outside with his pack. I came up to them and he wondered how he missed me. I told him it was no biggie and we all walked over to Better Burger and they ordered up. I just had a lemonade myself but everyone dug into their sandwiches and the baked fries and we discussed city life, traveling, music CDs and real estate and taxes. Brett told us he had finished real estate classes and was preparing to go in as partner with his other half in the real estate biz. We wished him well and looked forward to the inevitable celebration. We then headed over to G bar where we all had a drink (2 of us and rest had 3 bottles of water) and we moved out of the rotating crowd around the bar and held court at the front window and discussed Madonna and bar hopping while traveling. The rest of the boys had to head uptown so we said goodnight out in front of the bar and they headed over to 8th avenue to hail a taxi while Brett and I headed towards 6th. I fielded a phone call from Russ who had just arrived at home from his coworker Birthday bash. I said g'nite to Brett as he headed uptown and I headed downtown towards 17th Street. I picked up a bottle of water and then waited in front of
Splash for a moment before heading inside. I picked up my Smirnoff Ice downstairs and hung out with the people on the dance floor for a bit before heading up to the DJ booth to wait behind the light guy for a bit. After a few minutes I approached DJ Steve Travolta and gave him a couple of gift CDs (Skyline Driveby and Groove Summ More). I danced a little on the stage and then I heard the familiar tones of the song that had haunted me since the beginning of the year. After it went off I went back to the DJ booth and asked for the song name (Shelter Anthem by Quentin Harris). I gave the stage back over to the flag boys and decided that after my next drink I was able to head home around 3am. Even though I found a taxi easily out on 17th Street he turned the corner and headed back towards 5th Avenue but listened to the garbagemen and drove on the sidewalk to get around the dump truck. Of course this was witnessed by the police who happily pulled us over on 5th avenue and grilled the cab driver. I sat in the back and listened to my Ipod and since the meter wasn't running I just took the opportunity to chill out. The driver stated the police would move faster if I stayed in the car so I waited with him for the cops to return and give him his ticket and we then continued on our way back to BK. The rest of the ride was thankfully uneventful and I was able to happily make my way into my building and turn in for the night. Nice nights move on to nicer nights asleep.

I awoke on Saturday, a little earlier than I expected but still within reason. I looked up some music online shopping and watched some toons before cleaning up and preparing to go out for some time in NJ. Russ confirmed the directions by map and by phone and we piled into the Murano and headed through Manhattan up the west side and through the Lincoln Tunnel on our trip past Giants Stadium and into the environs of Jersey. After a quick confirmation of direction we were arrived and piled out of the car and directed to go upstairs. Emily came out of the building to let us in as there was no one else inside who could open the buzzer. Shortly after we arrived the rest of the party people arrived and the house warming party was begun. Sangria, quiche, icey sodas and Munchkins and plenty of finger foods and sandwiches and the spread was set. Everyone enjoyed the opening of the house gifts and we all had a good time. We even listened to one of the gift CDs "The Pop Life". Before it was too late however we said our goodnights to all and headed up the the GW bridge to cross over into the Bronx for a quick stop and then it was back down into BK for some decompression before the start of the night. All prepared to head out around 11:30 and after waiting for Russ to find his phone we were able to get into the city pretty easily.

Traffic wasn't too bad for a non-event weekend. We looked around for a parking space for a little bit but leaving later meant that all of the easy spaces were gone. We ended up parking at the second lot and then walking back down the street from the car to the Roxy. The line was not too long and doorman Derek kept it moving. We got our IDs scanned in some machine by the Security guy and we read all of the signs posted that EVERYONE had to show ID and everyone needed to be 21 and older. We saw two guys who could not get in because one did not have his ID with him (just silly) and soon after we were inside and into the club. The place had filled early because everyone who got in before 12 was free but it was still a nice group of people in recovery of the previous weekend of stress. The Roxy DJ for the eve was DJ Tony Moran and he made sure the get the energy started early with plenty of beats to get the crowd into the party and keep everyone dancing. Russ and I were soon joined by Chris and his friends who had came came into town one from Ohio and another from further out on LI. We hung out at the front bar some and I greeted last weeks contest winner, Erica who was still very happy with the contest and was there with her entourage of friends of course too. I danced on the speaker in the back across from the stage and then walked across and danced on the speaker in the Asian section before heading back to the front and hanging with the guys some more. We then walked back to the smoking section where Chris escorted his friends down to the smoking area outside and I watched their drinks. Later on in the night I was dancing on the speakerbox in the front and got down to get another drink and asked barman Barker if he could see me from the bar when I was up there dancing. He said yes of course but was more interested in throwing lemon slices and napkins at me to see if him or Russ could hit a moving target. I actually caught them once but since it was a non-life threatening attack I let it go. Soon after it was time to head out and back to BK. We even stopped for a snack at Mickey D's but things were rather hazy at that point but I was just happy to make it home in one piece once again and with lots of fun stuff accomplished.

Sunday I awoke and watched football and read news stories before Russ suggested we do some shopping so it was out into the streets we headed. Pathmark was not that crowded but I still had issues finding the stove top stuffing for the chicken dinner. Of course I never cook it stove top but put the stuffing in the same pan as the chicken breasts. Before heading home to cook however we stopped off at White Castle and picked up a sack of burgers for lunch. Once back in the house it was time to munch on the burgers and take a short break before cooking up the dinner. Of course the chicken came out great with the stuffing on the side and the 90 second rice was good too. After dinner it was time to tune into HBO to watch "Curb". After watching the News it was time to watch DVR programming from Cartoon Network and "The Boondocks". The Boondocks is definitely not what I expected and one of the most original and funny things I have seen on TV in the long time. I laughed so hard and will definitely say that those boys use the "N" word as much as I the word "b!tch", at least when I mention random b's who get on my last nerve on the weekend and sometimes during the week. But hopefully those random B's will learn there lesson and stop getting on my nerves. The rest of the night was just DVR programming and preparing to go to sleep.

The weekend was good and the even though the weather is getting colder there is still plenty of good times to look forward to throughout the rest of the year. The present hangout era seems to be coming to a close but thats not to say there will not be a new era to take its place. I plan on having a lot of things in the pipeline waiting to happen and I will be making sure that I stay focused on my goals to make my own story continue to happen.

I can't just rely on stuff at work to keep me going as it has been shown that the job doesn't always love back, so you better look out for your own best interests.

Things can only get better.

Mayor Mike and 311 is DA BOMB!!!

Since this post is not about my weekend but just general stuff I have put it up elsewhere...


http://funwatchnyc.blogspot.com/2005/11/mayor-mike-is-da-bomb.html

10/28 - 10/30 - Fun Times, Not too Scary but still Halloween...

I got back home and got down to the usual routine. Dinner was ordered, cleanup started and finished and we watched a little of 20/20 before preparing to head into NYC. Russ was staying in for the eve so I wished him well as he did the same and I walked over to the car service to get a ride into the city. Halloween weekend had finally arrived and I was ready to see how the people were ready to party on this holiday weekend when we had 4 nights of party to look forward to. The driver took me into the city via the Manhattan bridge then up Bowery, across Houston street, up Lafayette and then down 14th Street over to 8th Ave and up to the usual 18th street. The ride was a little longer and unexpected but with no major traffic snarls (until the inevitable 14th street at 7th and 8th) I was still into the city before too late. I arrived at Gym and ordered my first drink at the front bar from barman Brett. We hung out with David and a few other friendly guys from the front bar before David stepped away and I gave Brett a gift CD (Edge of the Dance Floor). David had already gotten a gift of "Move Summ More" and so he was placated as well. Later on after we bid goodnight to sir Brett I then went to the back and hung out with DJ Smoky for a bit. We watched to the boys play pool, talked over some music and I headed back to the front to pick up my jacket (a little cooler than last week but still not truly cold) I said goodnight to everyone and then headed over to 6th. A bottle of water and a short wait later I was inside of the club and headed downstairs. I decided to hit up the b'room first and take care of some fluid retention before picking up a drink and waiting on the coat check line to check my coat. The crowd was in place and I went up to the stage to dance a bit looking out of the crowd at Splash and watching DJ Billy Carroll work the boys up and keep them dancing. I was a little put off by the people who would come up and sit behind me on the stage on the benches and just take up stage space with their lazy behinds cause they couldn't find a bar stool or table in the back somewhere. I took a short break outside to cool off and pick up a bottle of water and then it was back inside. I picked up my second drink of Smirnoff Ice and Grenadine and I was back on the dancefloor and hanging out in front of the stage before waiting to see how the dancing could be taken to the next level. The DJ then went on to play that peak hour mash up of "Let the Music Use You Up" and I had my hands lit and was dancing on the crowded stage once again. I also had one dizzy fan come up and want to inspect the lights. (Answer was: No). I decided to leave the place on a high note and headed downstairs to the coatcheck and it was out into the night to head home for myself. I neglected to pick up any of the town magazines but I was still happy and ready to rest up for tomorrow. The taxi was picked up right out front and I was able to give him the directs back to BK and get there without too much trouble.

Saturday I awoke and had a shake for breakfast. Russ was out visiting family and I knew that I wanted to get to the gym before too long into the afternoon. By 1am I was out of the house and walking up the street and heading over to the gym. I arrived, and worked out on the upright bike first as all of the recumbent bikes were in use. After that it was on to the chest workout, the triceps, back and biceps. The machines were condensed from the usual full set I use at the downtown gym, mostly because I am more impatient on the weekend and I always end up waiting more in Bklyn, as today I waited for 2 different machines. I was going to forego the aerobic workout but when I settled on the Cybex machine I ended up totally wearing out the legs so that I cut the workout short and picked up my locker wares and heading back up 5th Ave. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching DVR programming before Russ called and said he would pick up some KFC on the way back. Once the food arrived I dug into the chicken but passed on the mashed potatoes. Once the meal was over it was more resting up and making sure I was all set for later. I cleaned up and made sure the black coach's shirt, the SWAT Tee shirt, the Black EMT pants and the SWAT baseball cap were all assembled and ready to go after a quick clean up. A shower and shave and we were ready to head out into the night.

We listened to the new CD heading into the city as we made very good time. We crossed over on the Manhattan Bridge and used Canal St to get to the west side. We turned up 10th Ave and headed up the street looking for a spot and found one between 22nd and 23rd streets. After checking all of the signs we locked up and headed back down the street noting the various bananas, witches and even a mushroom from Mario Bros. we made our way to 18th street and the line in front. I waited with Russ who did not have his ticket already as I did but the wait was not too long and we were inside and coat checked and ready to hang almost right away. I picked up my first drink from barman Barker and noted that he was already in a tense mood to start. I asked him later what was going on and he told me that the Friday night party had gotten shut down before it had even started. The police had yellow taped the place before the party could even get underway and Barker had scheduled to work at Avalon for Saturday but then when the court order was overturned and the place was re-opened then they needed bartenders again so he was back at Roxy for a Halloween night. The DJ was Junior Vasquez and the crowd was already in place even at midnight. We were looking forward to daylight savings extending the night for an hour and the music was already on point as I got to take to my first speaker at 12:40 and dance just a little bit for the crowd before moving on and seeing who else was in attendance. I took a picture with another person dressed in SWAT gear and also took pics with Russ and Kevin. We also hung out with Reggie and Erica who was dressed as queen Cleopatra for the evening. Midway through the night we heard the announcement that there was a $1,000 dollar prize for the winner of the costume contest so the participants made their way to the back and then the finalists were called to the stage. I climbed up on a box at the back of the dancefloor to take digipix of the stage and the contestants. (I really have to settle on the multi exposure setting). And after DJ Junior even came out of the booth to choose the final winners we found that Cleopatra and the guy dressed as Hermes were the winners. Afterwards I felt bad for the guy that was dressed as the tall blue diva from the movie "The Fifth Element". All that blue body suit and face paint and the tubes from the back of the head and the got nathans. Anyway the night continued and we danced some more and even had another intermission for performer Simone Denny who sang "Blood from a Stone" and then wished the boys goodnight. As it got later and we discussed the various merits of the different party goers. From the high boys getting carried out by security to the obvious trailer boys showing b-crack at the bar but at least it was quality B.C. Russ suggested we get ready to leave around 5am (4am D.S.T) but I was up for one more dance and so was up on the speaker during the Thriller remix and then... It was OVAH. The lights came on and I had to move to the front and meet up with Russ but then we were caught in the crush. 2000 people had to get to the same coat check and so we split up. Russ headed out to the vehicle (he didn't drive any closer though) and I made my way through the crowd over the next 25 minutes and got to the coat check. Thank goodness we went to the same coat check and I controlled the rowdier elements and myself as the madness level crept higher. After finally retrieving my coat and heading down the stairs it was out into the night and a jog up the street to the car. We headed back to Bklyn and discussed various reasons of what happened and how we were happy to get out alive. I however also needed a little feel good food in my stomach so I demanded to be taken to Mickey Ds for some food. The 24 hr one over near Ft. Hamilton Pkwy and the Bklyn Bridge would do nicely. We arrived but of course 5:35 meant it was too late for burgers and they were now serving breakfast. I ordered a number 2 instead with orange juice and got set to enjoy my Bacon, egg and cheese Biscuit along with the hash brown I made sure was in the bag. Russ had his bacon and egg on a bagel and we headed back home to chow down. After discovering my missing hash brown I demanded its immediate return and of course it was returned so I could spread on the ketchup and dig into my repast. I then brushed the teeth, cleaned up and dived into bed. Thank goodness for melatonin and valerian to keep a person nice and asleep.

The next day I awoke early afternoon and we were still discussing the previous night. Of course the handy email from Mr Blair the next day explained that the Roxy had been closed down by the Police on Friday Night due to underage drinking. I thought the bartenders were better than that, at least the ones I go to are, but anyway thank goodness a judge overturned the ruling and we were able to still get our party on, on Saturday night. However the place was due to close at 4am but the management did not know until too late that this meant that not only were the doors closed at 4am but the lights were on and were kicked into the street too. This reminded me of the 2am cutoff in Boston and San Diego where they kick you out all at the same time no matter if you have to deal with coat check or not. The police are making one think of "Giuliani time" but anyway we should not all be punished for the crimes of those on other party nights. We got out mid afternoon to pick up lunch at Wendy's and then headed over to Pathmark to pick up the soda, juice, milk and dinner fixings. More football watching and then it was time to cook dinner and prepare some nice turkey wings, stuffing, macaroni and cheese and some buttered corn. The dinner of course came out great and we spent the rest of the eve watching TV on HBO as well as DVR programming. Next weekend we would finally see some new Fox Block shows as well. The weekend was still good, despite the dramatic ending to the Saturday but at least we still had fun and did what we were supposed to. Fun with friends, fun with the crowd and fun with just the little things. And then it continues...

Fri 21 - Sun 23 - Men, Music and Madonna...

The weekend finally rolled around and it was supposed to be rainy. I hurried home and prepared for dinner. However I was focusing on music and mixing and so I ate later than I meant to but still finished up with the haircut and cleanup before heading out to Manhattan via the car service at 11:05. Russ was staying in so I was flying solo for the night but I still had plenty of people to see and places to go. The dispatcher at Castle Car had a car for me within 5 minutes and the driver, though smelling of other drinks, was happily drinking his Goya Malta as we headed into the city. The ride was fast and I arrived in downtown on 8th Ave and 18th street with time to head into the deli and pick up some Tums (to stop my late dinner from tasting like my drink) and then headed on into Gym. Barman Brett was holding court in the front as usual and I had my usual Stoli Orange and Rockstar and talked to Brett about our previous weekend and the music and DJ we had heard. The consensus was that it definitely could have been better and we were both waiting to see who was going to be in attendance at Roxy the next night. The night was young and Brett bid a good evening as I headed to the back of the bar and hung out some with DJ Smoky and discussed the fall and the thankful change in the weather. Even with the proposed rainy forecast for the weekend it was nothing like the previous week of 8 straight days of rain. Anything else could be dealt with. I also hung out some with John of Softball and NJ as well as meeting his friend as they played a game of pool near the back of the bar. I also showed off my new camera and took some pics before finally bidding the guys goodnight and heading out to the street and making my way over to 6th Ave and 17th Street. A bottle of water before I headed in and started off my night inside of Splash. I headed downstairs and decided that instead of checking my jacket for the first time this season I would just wear windbreaker tucked into my pants like my shirt and it pretty much stayed out of the way just like I would expect my shirt to and I moved on to get my Smirnoff Ice and Grenadine and headed back upstairs, said hi to Michelé and headed up to the DJ booth to give the light guy in the DJ booth a pair of CDs. I told him he was always so nice to me when I talked to the DJs so I wanted to give him something too. I headed back downstairs and listened to the beats being thrown out by Alex Lauterstein. The music was good, though I had missed Mariah Carey on my way in and I ended up just enjoying the songs from the dancefloor and when the energy picked up some I found myself on the speakerbox in front of the screens dancing with both hands lit, watching the people pass to and fro from the front bar to the back and moving on the dance floor. However I heard the music change again and this time I had to go dance on the box in front of the stage so I could be seen by the DJ and light guy as the familiar strains of "Solid Textures" began to play so I walked through the crowd on the floor and then continued dancing on the new location box. The time was right and the mood was high enough that I decided to leave on a high note and early as well. I made my way out the street and waited for a taxi to show which it quickly did and then I was on my way back to BK. The rain had started and even though I had some difficulty closing the car door I was able to give sufficient directions to get the driver back to BK and relax in the back seat. I refocused and gave further directions just as we turned off of 4th Ave and I was able to give the rest of the directions and get dropped of at my front door by my taxi driver. Another successful Friday night, with plenty of time to go to sleep.

Plenty of time to go to sleep. Well somebody didn't get the memo as I was woken up at 9:20am by some loud noises (drilling going through the very support structure of the building). I got dressed and set out to investigate the source and location. I followed the noise downstairs and found the guy in the lobby happily drilling away and actually argumentative that he had a lot of holes to drill and only took Sundays off. I had been woken up by this noise multiple days this past week and was definitely looking forward to some nice rest on a Saturday morning. The defiant one in the lobby would not take any explanation besides calling the management office (on Saturday?) and making my case with them. I came upstairs considered my options but in the meantime the noise had stopped. I guess another tenant had convinced him of the error of his ways. But at this point I was up and awake and was now looking for reading material and watching television. Nap time would come later. Now was the time for delivery breakfast and watching Batman Begins on DVD with Russ. The movie was good, (much better than those last two Joel S. directed fluff pieces) and I looked forward to the continuation films they had planned. Around 1:30 it was time to head out to the gym and do a little workout at the neighborhood NYSC. The weather was a lot cooler than even the previous night and the fall air definitely appeared to be in full effect. The jacket was sufficient and I was happy to go ahead and pack the pants and wallet and the rest of the accouterments in the locker as I went ahead and worked it out. The rest of the work out went well and I was able to get through the whole thing and then head back home up 5th Ave. Russ had to pick up some fruit at the fruit stand as well as some soda for the house at the Met Market and then the rest of the afternoon was spent waiting and seeing what was on the DVR and HD. Dinner was delivery of Italian (chicken Ceasar Salad) around 7:30. Between cleaning up, mixing music and previewing the new mix on the living room stereo, it was all about preparation for going out later in the night. I had the outfit planned for over a week, the desert tan button-fly military cargo pants, and the still store tagged Ecko Orange shirt. For the hat I stayed with the old faithful, the Tommy Hilfiger capital "T" baseball cap. Freshly showered, shaved and all cleaned up it was time to await the departure. The Jimmy arrived at 10:25 and after the boys had their Ketel One and Cranberry drinks in hand the World Series game on TV was well in hand it was time to head out the door at 11:05.

We avoided several near misses as taxi's and regular civilians appeared to be having a hard time driving on the busy streets that were still wet from the afternoon, early eve showers. We were able to find a parking space right on 23rd street and 10th Ave right next to the now-closed gas station. We rested a bit to avoid appearing to early and the realized our folly after venturing down the street and seeing the predicament the front door to the Roxy had become. The far end of the street at West St. was closed off and the line extended to the end of the block. The line for people on the guest list went half-way up the block in the other direction. There were plenty of people in attendance so we knew that something special was definitely supposed to happen. It took us 25 minutes to get inside and then another 15 min to get up the stairs and to the cashiers. When we finally made it inside it was 12:50 and the place was far more crowded than we had seen it since Pride weekend. I was able to wait a sec for the bar to clear up and then said hello to Barman Barker and got our first round of drinks. Soon after that we headed to the back bar to see that there were no curtains around the dancefloor at all so there were clear sight lines in every part of the club. The place was packed with every speakerbox (except for the stage) packed with people dancing and trying to see what there was to see. We met up with Duane and Joseph and said hello to a few other passers by before I staked out a spot in the back of the Dance floor with Duane and Joseph and we danced some and took some digital pictures. We headed off the floor briefly to get something to drink but we decided to get back to the dancefloor before it got too late and plus DJ Peter Rauhofer was playing some cool new Madonna remixes from her new album. At the back bar I spotted DJ James Anderson and told him that he was missed on the Roxy roster as we had not heard him spin for a while. He thanked me very much and even typed his phone number into my cell phone so that I could call him to get on the guest list when he was spinning at Avalon the following night. I thanked him and then headed back to the dancefloor to get closer to the stage. At exactly 1:01 am. The spotlight came on and shown across the DJ booth and was quickly brought down to shine on the stage and the crowd started to make some noise. Into the midst of all of the already turbulent pandemonium here steps Madonna in her flowing purple dress, just made to dance in, and asked the crowd how they were doing. Of course the place erupted in some high level noise. She then proceeded to thank everyone for coming out and was totally looking forward to hanging out and dancing to her new songs with everyone. So then that is exactly what she did. For the next 30 minutes she danced on stage with all of her friends that had come out with her to 3-4 different songs from her album. Towards the end she pulled a few people onto the stage from the audience and they danced on stage with her and waved around their hands like they were holding up candles or just trying to wave to long lost friends. I tried to take some pictures but the hands and the lighting conspired to make picture-taking too difficult, so in the end I just held up the camera and recorded the whole event. The end result was a little shaky but definitely captures my experience of pushing and being pushed for space in the crowd with barely enough room to wave a finger as the crowd crushed forwards to be as close to the stage as possible. Finally the 4th song played she waved goodnight and the spotlight turned out. We had silence for the next 5 minutes as the crowd filed out of the place (most payed $25 dollars and if you did not have a card you payed $40) and the place got back to some semblance of normal and all of the people who were there to just stand around moved onto other venues and scenes. The music came back on shortly and Peter continued to take the crowd on further into the night. I stopped a few times to talk to friends, and offer the usual outgoing advice but mainly tried to stay focused, alert and in tune with the party. I remembered after one of my final appearances on the speaker (I was able to dance on just 2 of them on this overly crowded night) to give a gift CD to Joseph (Groove Summ More) before heading back to the front, apprising Russ of my status and then heading over to coat check (first time this season) and picking up my wrap before we called it an evening. The crowd had been nice but it was definitely time to turn in (5am). We said goodnight to our friends close by and then headed out to the ave to pick up a a taxi. Russ flagged one down and we piled in and headed back to BK. The driver got us there with no stress and we were able to get back to Park slope without any issues. The night drew to a close and so did my eye lids. So nice to finally have that rest.

Sunday morning I awoke and thankfully no sign of the hated drilling. I watched some television and fixed a few things up around the house before Russ decided we need to get out for something to eat. Since the time when this occurred was around 2:30pm we headed out to the car and drove over to the Fulton Street area in Brooklyn to park outside of Wendy's to pick up a nice lunch. Little did we know that the particular hour of travel we choose was dedicated to all of those church going folk who only drive on Sunday were leaving their services and clogging the nearby streets with all those people who had no where else pressing to be so they just took their time getting anywhere. We finally got past the snarl of cars and parked on Willoughby street outside of Wendys so I could head inside and pick up the food. Inside I saw someone who was the poster boy for people who need side-burns. I had never seen a hairstyle before that started at the front of the scalp even on the sides and went all the way back behind the ear with no hair thought of to make a semblance of shape of a sideburn. It was disturbing to look at and made someone who would normally have looked ok dressed up in dress pants and man tailor shirt look like a trailer park refugee that showed up in the heart of Brooklyn. After I got that image out my eyes I hurried back out to the car with the food fixings and we headed back home. Of course the two sodas rubbing against each other in my lap caused the pop top on one to come loose and proceed to soak me thoroughly on the seat. I made do with the napkins and kept the two troublemaking cups apart the rest of the trip and once back upstairs in the house I made short work of the lunch and my drink. The rest of the night was devoted to just more football and the World Series but in the end I decided that I could not take the DJ up on his offer and I just stayed in for Sunday night. It was a nice thought but I have so much else to be thinking of right now.

So many people getting laid off from work and not enough time in the day to even finish reading all I want to read and writing what I want to write and playing (music and video wise) what I want to play. But there will always be another weekend and their will always be friends to hang out with. Until next weekend (Halloween, Yay) I will catch up with the crowd then. Fond wishes of more of the Good Life to everyone...

Oct 14-16 - Out into the Dry and Getting Hot at Night

Friday evening. The week of the rains. I made my way home from work with the air cooler but no longer with the pouring rain that had depressed the start of the week. I got home and fixed myself a shake and busied myself looking over the music selection on iTunes and then cut the hair, cleaned up and picked out the outfit. I wanted to get into the city a little earlier so I called for a car service pick up just after 11pm and was headed into the city shortly afterwards. The driver took the route over the Bklyn Bridge and up Hudson Street (after my suggestion) and we were up to 8th Ave and 18th street in very good time. I made my way over to the bar, bid good eve to the doorman and then I was inside of Gym. Barman Brett was holding court at the front of the bar and I stopped next to crowd made up mostly of softball players (The Rage) and bar friends I had seen in the space before. David was there with a few friends and I said plenty of hellos all around as I also talked to Ty, whom I passed on my way inside. We chatted a bit before he said good night and headed outside into the city. I made my way to the back and talked about music and such with DJ Smoky for a while and watched the crowd in the place as they played pool, watched the games on TV (another win by White Sox) and generally just enjoyed a nice and dry evening. Some random reveler wandered in wearing a sportcoat and unbuttoned dress shirt and requested that the DJ play Madonna's newest single (Hung Up). DJ Smoky only had the song on vinyl and only has a CD rig at Gym so the song was not available. After gushing some more about how he loved that song the lost soul wandered blearily back into the night to search for other bars to make song demands in. I hung out for a bit more before heading back up to the front and bidding goodnight to the remaining softball players and then saying goodnight myself as I headed out to the street and then over 2 blocks to 6th ave to pick up my bottle of water. Slightly more hydrated after those two healthy drinks I had enjoyed back at Gym (A Stoli Orange and Rockstar as well as a Surfer on Acid) and I was ready to bypass the crowded door and head on into Splash. The new security guy at the door said I had to stand in line like everyone else who was handstamped so I acquiesced and then got IDd when I did get to the front of the line but of course I am legal to drink so I was then stamped and inside to enjoy the party. The DJ for the night was Eliot DeHoyos and after I had my first drink in hand I headed up to the DJ booth and said hello to light mistress Liz and showed her my new camera and even took some shots from the DJ Booth before being joined by Jen and hanging out some more in the booth and talking about the shorted out light board and the energy of the night. She gave me a drink ticket as well as asked me to pick up a drink for herself just before Jen returned to the booth and we said hello again. After we talked some more about the crowd I bid the girls adieu and headed back down into the crowd and danced a bit to the beats and even rehydrated one more time outside before heading back in and dancing some more. At around 2:50 am I had finally worked myself up to take to the stage and dance above the floor for a bit as earlier I had stayed to the dancefloor and watching from the stage. I then headed out to the street, waited a few moments for a taxi out front to make its way over from Fifth Avenue before climbing in and heading back to BK. I woke up twice on the way home and then made my way upstairs for a well deserved rest.

I awoke the next day and had some delivery breakfast before Russ and I headed over to the gym on 9th Street. The day was sunny and we were totally happy that the rains had ended. The NYSC was pretty full for so early an hour on the weekend but I was able to get through the workout after waiting for just the chest press and the assisted chin-up machine. After we were both through with the abbreviated workout we headed back up the street and chilled out at home. I was still lining up songs on the computer, Watching Kathy Griffin on DVD "Allegedly" and playing some video games to pass the time before we were invited out to dinner at around 7pm by Phil and Lydia. We headed out and up 5th Avenue to Old Homestead and arrived first but we were able to get a table after a short consultation with the hostess and a little bit of a wait. After the others arrived we all sat down at a table in the back and ordered up. The two appetizers of oysters and escargot were not in my taste but I did try the escargot to keep Lydia happy. It was kinda garlicky but not too bad. Our entrees finally arrived and I enjoyed my fried chicken while Phil and Lydia shared multiple orders of the ribs appetizer and Pais dug into the surf and turf. The food was good and we were all happy with the repast and headed out of the place after 9:30 and headed back down the street to other other end of Park Slope. We parked the car and watched some HD programming before Lydia enjoyed the UFC championships more than we did so we took a break and showed them the view from the roof before hanging out some more before the two of them told us goodnight and headed out. Pais rested for a bit while I watched some DVR programming before we were finally ready to pick out our wardrobe and get ready to head out. I called for the car service and they arrived pretty quickly and we were downstairs piled into the minivan and headed for the city.

The driver was one I had ridden into the city with before so I passed the time with a few conversations about current sports (who is going to go all the way in the World Series, how is the traffic moving compare to most nights and the like). We got dropped off at 18th on the right side which was convenient for getting out of the minivan side door and made our way down the block to the rather long but fast moving line. We were inside fairly quickly and after arrival at 12:30 the place was a little more busy around the bar than usual. The problem may have been the music which kept up a good beat but kept pulling back from anything recognizable. I even had the random guy wander up and ask me (me?) what was the DJ waiting for. I didn't know but I did see the place slowly filling up more and more and by 1am when the place was downright packed we finally heard some music we wanted to hear. We also saw Phil who told us the rest of the crew was at the back bar. After I picked up another drink myself from Barman Barker at the front bar I headed back and caught up with Russ and the rest where I had just missed Phil and Kevin on their way to the dancefloor because a classic hit by Kim English came on. I still said hello to Joseph and Duane and some more of our friends before we headed back to front. The Roxy was nicely packed even before our friends Ernesto and Mike from Boston showed up (he's moving to NYC) and they even brought their own entourages. We discussed old friends and hanging out and future good times. Reggie had called me on Friday night on my taxi ride in to see if I was hanging out on Saturday but I did not see him at the party. By the time Amanda Lapore took to the stage and they threw out passes to John Barton gym the place was definitely on a high note and everyone was having a downright great time. I had taken some great pics with my new dig camera including all the boys and Angelique Ali who was nice enough when I recognized her at the back bar and saw her again at the front bar (had picture taken the second time). She told me that she was supposed to perform but due to scheduling and timiing mixup they had only stopped for the one performance by Quentin Elias (I have heard that "So What" song far too much, like 3 times since the beginning of the year and twice at the Roxy). I missed going to see her on Monday because I was at work too long but I def look forward to the next time and hope I can show up with some friends so they know what I am all excited about. The DJ Manny Lehman made sure we stayed dancing to mixes by Paulo, Peter, and more until we were finally ready to clear out around 5am. We picked up a few flyers and headed over to 9th Ave headed downtown and Russ flagged down a taxi pretty easily. The ride home was nice and quick and we didn't leave behind any electronics or currency in the back seat.

The next day I awoke around 1pm and after some football we walked down the street and picked up some bagels at the bagel place. The cinnamon raisin bagel with butter was pretty good and I continued the rest of the afternoon just chillin and relaxing after all the energy expended earlier in the weekend. Finally around 5pm we headed out and picked up some KFC to have something to munch on while we finished watching some of the games. We verified the movie times then headed out to see "Domino" at the theater in downtown Manhattan. We found parking pretty easily (after cutting off a truck and pulling across two lanes) and made it over to the theater with time to find a good seat in the mostly empty theater and pick up some popcorn and soda ($10.50 for one med soda and med popcorn, wow.) And settled in to watch a movie that was surprisingly more about the story rather than the action. The movie reminded us of the backwards story telling of "Pulp Fiction" but without the complex verbal interchanges. The movie did have its moments and we did enjoy it but it ended very suddenly and we wished it had contained just a little more substance to the 2 hr length. Was definitely something to think on the way back to BK. It was only much later in the evening that I realized I had neglected to tape my Saturday Night cartoon programming and so had missed a whole bunch of shows so now I have missed a few key episodes of several shows I have been watching but I guess I will just have to catch them on da replay.

I have been getting better at time management and have some nice plans for the upcoming weeks. We shall see if I can really knuckle down and follow through with all the of the big things coming down the pipe. We shall see. Until the next appearance of the party monster. See it then.