Dec 3-5 - Chilly Outside but Hot Inside.. My Coat

Thank goodness for another short work week. Plenty of stuff to do and not enough time. Too many words, not enough rhyme. (as Redman would say). Got home to finish off a steak dinner. Pais was sleep but awoke pretty quickly. I did the self-barber and got my coif done correct (it was getting downright unruly). I then cleaned up, changed and prepared to launch into the night. The trip into the city was quick. We listenened to the radio while riding, dealt with some traffic on 6th but got to a parking space with plenty of time. Walked through the lot in the light misting rain and then went to the door. The doorman let us in before the handstamps and the undercover mgr (short, hispanic doesn't say much) handstamped us and let us in. We made our way downstairs and separated as I checked the coats and Pais ordered drinks. The first one for me was a surfer which while good quickly wears on the stomach when more than two is had (a fact I was reminded of the next day). The DJ for the eve at Splash was Max Rodriguez who while a fun DJ and is upbeat seemed to go off on a strange tangent of new music that did not exactly click with the more hardcore of the clubgoers wondering what the party was doing. The masses of the crowd did seem to be staying and dancing but the party never seemed to take off. I had to put forth too much effort to stay interested and awake and I expected more fun while there but I kept waiting for next song. Nothing like the parties Max had DJ'd over the summer and early fall. Anyway I did dance on the stage, I did hang with Pais downstairs but we left around 3:20 before the party could wind down. I said goodnight to Brett and met Pais back upstairs. There were no magazines to get but I knew I could get those the next night. The trip back home was quick and without issue. There was a new day to wake to but I had to sleep first. So that's what I did.

I awoke on Saturday to a cool morning. Watching VH1 and then sports while cleaning the house. Finally finished unpacking from last weeks trip to FL. Vacuuming, washing dishes and room cleaning. Finally a trip to the storage facility in Bay Ridge to put some bags in storage (forgot the darn toaster oven). On the way back picked up lunch at KFC and then stopped to buy some soda at the Met. Got home and called my pal Denise. She was feeling very good and we had plenty of news to trade as we conversated for almost an hour. But eventually we stopped the phone call as she had to go to Mass and I had to finish my latest remix CD. After the song selection the CD came together rather quickly and though the finished product seems to have more than its share of dramatic musical pauses the CD as a whole is very strong and full of some great gems. We watched basketball and test listened to the CD before preparing to go out for evening. The Jimmy was supposed to arrive at 10:15 but did not end up in place until 10:30. Meanwhile I choose the outfit, cleaned up, and had everything in order when the guests arrived. We hung out for a bit and then Pais and I, the Jimmy and Stephen all headed out and into the city at 11:10.

The traffic was good and the roads clear as we arrived at our destination around 11:50 and found a spot just two blocks away. There was virtually no line out front and we made it inside easily. We breezed through the coatcheck and I made a circuit of the place just as barman Barker made it back to his normal habitat at the front bar. We had our first round and began the night. The DJ for this set was Tony Moran who I had not heard spin since the early summer. The crowd at Roxy came in a steady stream and while the dancefloor was empty around midnight it grew steadily more full as the crowd packed into the place and looked for the next new thing. We were awaiting the arrival of Chris later on that night so we stayed near the front of the bar. After a few drinks I did the meet and greet and saw who was out and about. Chris arrived around 1am with Rob T in tow. Rob appeared to be vibrating he was so happy to be out with the boys but we quickly calmed him down with a good drink. I promised the boys as they were going to go and smoke that I would be waiting in the asian section but on the way said hi to different groups of friends and even saw the boy who performed last Monday at Twist in FL. I did the meet and greet with different entourages and headed into the asian section at a later point to walk up on a speaker and walk around two boys who decided it was time for a love in on the speaker. They were woken up and quickly left but were quickly replaced by some tourist chicken who decided the stage was the place for her to show her flowing tresses but do little in the way of dance. I left them to that and went back to the boys in front and discovered poor Chris coming out of the mens room in his coat. I guess he had been ready to leave but detoured to the bathroom. I did not realize his destination at the time but told him he looked too hot in the coat and brought him back over to the boys at the front bar. About that time Rob T reappeared and motioned that it was time for them to go. I guess 2 hrs is the extent of a night for some. The rest of us still had plenty of party time left so with plenty of waters and even more drinks we proceeded to do just that. In the midst of hanging at the bar I saw the stage alight and realized that the show for the evening had already begun. Deborah Cooper was performing her new song and I made it over to the wall across from the stage in time to see the end of the performance. After she left the stage we were treated to a performance of "Power" by Kevin Aviance, done up in feathers and black. After he was over the stage was kept clear for another 5 minutes but nothing else happened. No CD giveaways, nothing else just darkness and back to the music. I was a little disappointed especially remembering how I had gotten a copy of Peter's CD at his release party at Roxy. I guess they spent all the funds to get Deborah and Kevin and had nothing left to give away a few CDs. I'll wait to see the reviews on Amazon then. A few more circuits of the floor and some more dancing with the boys and then back to the bar for a drink. I had just stepped up towards the bar and then headed straight downward as a spilled drink made for a messy area and my no slip soles were no match for the wet tile. Somehow my slightly inebriated state caused me to curl up faster than I fell and roll forwards so only glancing blows to my knees and then i caught myself on my hands. I was up even faster than I fell but Barker immediately called for the cleaning crew and he made sure I was OK. Off into the party again, I had more fun listening to DJ Tony go all over the place with the party but I will say that the beats were strong and mood was fun as the party moved deep into the night. We finally said goodnight around 4:10 and then made our way up the street, and with the heat of the party keeping us going, to the diner. We headed several blocks up 10th towards the good diner, the one with all the bright lights, and were seated and put in our order in fairly quickly. The burger arrived quickly and tasted heavenly. We finished it up and headed back out into the night. We caught a car on 23rd fairly easily and made our way back home. The sunrise was not for a few hours yet and almost-vampire self did not want to see the sun anytime soon. Off to sleep we go.

Sunday came early around 11 and breakfast was once again delivered. Different football games on television and a slow afternoon. A call from my sis out in rockaway was an invite to dinner and we had something to do for later on. Pais had a mid afternoon nap and I caught up on some reading, finishing up my copy of Magical Thinking. The book is highly recommended by myself and full of just the right brand of self deprecating and ironic humor. Just like I like. We headed out the house at sunset and made our way over to my sister who was hosting a turkey dinner. I finally met the mother in law and said hi to my brother and mother who were over for dinner as well. A light round of chips and dip and deviled eggs followed by the arrival of Nadia and her brood. Plenty of hugs and kisses all around and we hung out and talked about the babies. The house was overly warm with that real good heating that some complexes pump out and we were forced to open multiple windows and leave the door cracked (with chain on). Dinner was good, Turkey, macaroni and cheese, greens, string beans, yams and stuffing. I even went back for seconds. We began watching "Bulletproof Monk" but everyone had to get home before it got too late. Nadia and Roberto said goodnight first and then Pais and I headed out also. I did get to take some cake home with and had some for dessert later. We listened to the new CD in the car but the trip seemed much faster than last time I visited and I guess it was a combination of the completion of the roadwork on the Belt Pkway and time of day. I ate the cake when we got home and had a nice glass of milk. The weekend drew to a close as I watched tv and lounged on the couch. I was happy that I had gotten out and seen so much over the weekend and glad that so many others got to share it with me. There is still a lot to look forward to. Hopefully I will stay healthy and happy enough to keep up with it all. But thats what the calcium, glucosamine-chondritin, milk thistle and mega man vitamins are for.

Bring it then.