06/16 - 06/19 - Celebrate the Weekend, Hang with Family and of course Friends

I took a vacation day for Monday so I was looking forward to a 3 day weekend. since by B'day was going to be midweek next week and next weekend was Pride I was going to take this weekend as my B'day weekend. Since I probably would not have time tomorrow I got the haircut and clean up out of the way on Friday after dinner. In order to be nice and rested up for the rest of the weekend I stayed in on Friday Night and watched TV and DVR programming and went to bed around 2 AM.

Saturday I woke up around 10am and got cleaned up and dressed. Thankfully it was overcast so I was not as sun hot as it could have been to start the day off. Showered and dressed I also wore the "Pedro's Got Your Back" shirt for the first time. I always thought it was too tight but since I was going to be on the sidelines at a BASL Softball game it was situation appropriate. We got over to Manhattan via the Brooklyn bridge and then up 6th Avenue turned off through the village over to Hudson and down Christopher Street to park next to the Jimmy, Ty and Jonah and the rest of the guys at the Dugout. We waited just a little bit for Dave V and Barbara to get there and then we were off. The rest of the team was supposed to be meeting us at the field. Dave rode in the car with us and we all talked on the way to the field over through the Lincoln Tunnel past Giants Stadium down the Garden State and down to Bloomfield NJ. The rest of the Buddies trickled in and we were able to field a team to play at Noon. I made a trip over to the check cashing place and picked up quarters for the meters (never know when they are going to come around to give tickets). The first game with the Cruisers was all downhill. Donnie arrived late and did not play at first and our outfield suffered and our infield was not in synch. With hitting only in the first inning our team was left far behind and decided to let the run rule take over and and the game before it could in just 5 innings. After that was over I filled up the meters and then came back and 4 of us went to lunch at IHOP. No wait for once and we put in our order as Russ, Ty, Barbara and I ordered our lunches. Donnie joined us shortly afterwards and I after the food arrived Russ had a burger and I had salad and chicken fingers with fries. After we settled up it was back out to the field and to play the Barbarians. This time the team held it together and took the lead and held it. After coming from behind and taking the lead it was all a matter of defense. Behind the fielding and great play on the infield from Barbara and the rest of the team we took the game winning vibe over to the other field and played Paul and the rest of the Rage and were able to keep the came close and then hold them off until the 7th inning and the game was "ovah". Despite some team drama at the beginning of the day and wishing Steve's partner well as he was recovering at the hospital (causing David, Rick and Steve to arrive late to the game) the day ended on a slightly higher note and we headed back to the city and gave Barbara a ride to BK as well. We discussed music, spanish, work and living in the city before dropping her off to visit friends on 9th Street. We headed on home after ordering chicken caesar salad for dinner. I got myself ready. All of CD copies of "Summ Diva Madness" ready and while Russ took an after triple-header nap. I put on the new Ecko white with colorful design shirt I had bought earlier in the day in NJ. Love that tax free clothes shopping. Gigi and Ana arrived around 10:10 pm and we hung out for a bit as I finally was able to give them the gifts I had bought over the last few months. The Tetris DS, The R&B & Rap CDs, and even some Neutrogena moisturizer that I had been using since the beginning of the year. Also some calcium and glucosamine chondroitin for moms. We left without Russ who decided he might meet us later but later messaged to say he wouldn't be coming out.

(SSTRTN) We made our way down the street and over to the car service and waited for 10 minutes while for car service. We saw a family hide the guy in the walker near the building and when they finally got a passing car service to stop the guy came out of hiding and 4 people climbed into the car. Shortly one of my familiar drivers came in and me and my sisters got in and we were off. There was a little traffic going towards the promenade so I talked the driver into getting off at Atlantic and he headed through the heights and then to Tillary Street before heading onto the Brooklyn Bridge that was slow going across but then all the traffic headed onto the FDR and we were in the open space and down past Park Row and over to the West Side. In the car we discussed the kids, music and work before the driver dropped us off at the corner of 18th and 10th. We made our way past the line and I said hello to Doorman Derek, gave him a copy of my Pride CD "Summ Diva Madness" and then headed inside Roxy. We rushed to the bathroom for Gigi who had neglected to go before we left the house and said hello to the bathroom attendant on her cell phone in the ladies. Back outside we said hello to Jose at the front bar and then ran into Erica (gave her a gift CD also) and she took us to the back where barman Louis was and bought us all a round for my b'day. Back at the front we soon headed to the back and brought Gigi to the smoking area where Ana and Erica compared breasts and we were all having fun until the H.A.M. came outside to have a smoke (means Hot Ass Mess by the way). We headed upstairs and hung out for a bit but I was really surprised that after a good start DJ Escape was off on a tangent for a while. I had heard Moth and "Jade" soon after we got in but for a while it was electro and strange beats before he brought it back. Around 1:30am he played Stroke and segued into a vs. with Be Without You mixed against Stroke and it was on from there. We also heard a throwback hit with Whitney Houston and "I Learned from the Best" and then while the girls were upstairs for a bit he played Rihanna and "Unfaithful". I visited upstairs briefly myself two different times over the course of the evening, the first time we danced to "Don'tcha" and on the second time we came upstairs looking for Red bull when the place mysteriously ran out. I ended up buying a Sprite and tonic for the friend of Erica and after saying hi to Rick and Sean I headed back downstairs for the rest of the night. After the shaky beginning I was all into the music and was there all the way till 4:20 am when I was dancing on the speaker near the door to Veronica and "Someone To Hold" which he cut off before it got to the good part. I also debuted the star lights with the fiber optic but of course seem to have lost them so I could not find them on Sunday.

We left the club after that last song and walked over to 10th ave and picked up a cab heading to the the NYU area and picked up a half a pie of pizza at Ben's Pizza. Gigi of course declined as she just wanted to go to sleep. We then finally caught another taxi and headed home to arrive at home around 5am. Night over and party time had by all.

Sunday delivery breakfast, Gigi and Ana going home just after noon (Gigi worked in the morning) and headed out to the Folsom Street East Fair on 28th Street around 5pm. The Jimmy picked us up and we then headed to the lower east side to pick up Darren and then headed up and over to the street fair. Saw a live performance by a blonde girl with a pretty good voice singing mixes by Ralphi Rosario "Sanctuary" and another mix I did not know. Soon after the boys finally met up with me in front of Crobar and we all walked into the place to find Michael from Boston had finally moved to the city, (just here for one week) and was already working at Crobar for the street fair. We said our hellos and then headed back outside to drink out front as we watched the people on the street in their leather going to and fro. We also saw Quincy who was wearing samples of his Mind Fetish line and who hung out with us for a bit before heading off with his friends down the street.

Soon afterwards we made our way to the Eagle (saying hi to Rich in the fenced off area) around 7:30 and made our way upstairs to the roof deck to hang with another Mike from softball whom I had last hung out with in Dallas as we reminisced about walking through abandoned, homeless infested parking lots as we walked between the hotels in Dallas during the world series two years ago. We stayed at the party until around 10pm before heading out to the street catching a taxi back to BK and then heading over to Mickey Ds for some late night burgers at the drive through. Thankfully since I did not have to go to work the next day I stayed up until around 3am before finally going to sleep.

Thank goodness for a day off. Finally finished watching the DVR episodes of "Charmed" and the final 7th season. All's well that ends well, though I will say that despite the usual high production values of the serious the "Buffy" ending was a better finale. The rest of the day was spent just resting, watching TV and cartoons.
Before Russ came in from work and we ordered Chinese food from Uncle Liao's. The weekend was long but not long enough. Next weekend I will enjoy the four day weekend and try to stay with my always be prepared motto and enjoy the weekend all over again.


Gym
Splash

06/09-06/11 - The season begins, The Return of DJ Mike Cruz, and the premiere of VAAM

Friday was a nice gentle close to the week. No hanging out, just staying home watching TV and DVR programming. I had my Hostess yellow cake with chocolate icing nicely refrigerated after midnight and stayed up until just after 2am. Russ woke up from some crazy dreams and couldn't go back to sleep right away so I stayed up longer than I wanted watching TV but after he went back to sleep I decided to go to bed too.

The Weekend begins on Saturday really. I got up and Russ dropped me off at the Post Office to pick up a package I had but after I had waited on the wrong line for 20 minutes and was told I had to wait at the end of a line with 30 people I said "Freak This" and headed outside and went to the branch before heading back home. I could not believe how many people were in the post office but since I do everything online and use UPS for all of my deliveries I guess because I don't need another passport anytime soon I stay away from the hokey little post office in my neighborhood and just go to the big one next to the World Trade Center whenever I need anything. After I stopped at the Met supermarket picked up some Rice Krispies I headed back home and watched kiddie TV. I enjoyed an episode of "That's So Raven" that made me giggle (as always). I watched some DVR programming (Charmed, and Adult Swim Cartoon Network cartoons) and caught a later afternoon nap. Russ returned from his softball games (won 1, tied 1) and since I had eaten leftover italian dinner (sweet sausage and red sauce) Russ got his own McDonald's lunch and then he took a nap while i continued watching TV. I eventually got up from napping myself after having gotten tired searching music on Beatport and then it was time to order dinner. I had my chicken caesar salad and then began my evening preparations. I did the haircut, shower and got dressed. I then hung out for a bit waiting for the arrival of the rest of our posse of the evening. The Jimmy and Stephen showed up around 11pm and we stayed in the house discussing sports and television until 11:25. We all piled into Steven's Explorer and headed into the city.

(SSTRTN) Steven took the Battery Tunnel and we got into the city fairly quickly. We parked the car on 20th Street and made sure the spot was valid and then I headed down to the club at 12:10. I said hello to Doorman Derek and then headed inside saying hello to Iyesha at the wristbands before heading to the coatcheck and checking my jacket. Once inside Roxy I said hello to Louis and Cathy after getting my first bottle of water and then did a quick circuit of the club to see who was inside. The DJ of the evening was DJ Mike Cruz who had been here just 2 weeks ago. I wondered if he was going to be able to improve on his last visit since he had done a good job of keeping the crowd engaged despite the almost unknown vocal and tribal tunes. This time however I knew what to expect and reveled in it. I will say that the VAAM energy powder that I mixed in with my Gatorade really does work (I can't wait to have it Pride Weekend). It is supposed to give you endurance and energy and I will attest that it definitely did. When the songs came that I knew I was right in there dancing. I took to the stage for the Mike Cruz mix of "Glamorous Life" and danced again for "8 Letters" which I had never heard the mix of without the Celeda "Let the Music Use You Up" mixed in. I said hello to Quincy and his friends as he showed off his new clothing line "Mind Fetish". I spent time talking about vacation plans with Iyesha out front, the crowd moving to and fro with Stephen and as 4am approached I told Cathy I planned on dancing after I got my last drink. I did just that in fact after telling Russ that I would be able to leave in another 15 minutes I danced for a bit and then danced some more after the DJ played Ceevox and "Imagination". I finally decided to call it a night before it got too late and before Russ fell asleep after he was waiting on the couches near the bar. I picked up the HX and Next magazines and headed outside to the taxi which we were able to pick up right in front of the club. I said goodnight to Derek and told him I would be back the following week for my b'day as he is a Gemini also. The ride home was quick and painless and I was able to give the driver point to point directions until we turned the corner in front of the building and piled out. Good night once again.

Sunday I woke up around 10am and then fell back asleep until around 11:30am. After breakfast I had determined that I was going to do more with my music this weekend and not just play computer games and browse the internet. From the time I spent making new CDs I was able to make two new mixes, "Black Ice 3, Unreleased" and "Summ Diva Madness" which I figured would fit right in with pride and feeling fun and happy as we near the latter half of the month. After I finished the second CD we finally headed out of the house and went shopping over in Red Hook. The Fairway wasn't as packed as the previous weekend since I guess everyone does their biggest shopping near the first weekend of the month. I was able to get through the store without too much trouble and we picked up meat for hamburgers and made sure we had the fixings for our day to day stuff as well. Back at home the George Foreman grill was used as it was too windy to barbecue on the roof but the burgers came out nice and grilled and the side dish of macaroni salad and we watched some TV before heading out to pick up McFlurries before watching DVR taping of "Footballer's Wives" That show is so crazy. Crazy good. Anyway the evening drew to a close and I finished off my night watching DVR programming and MTV before heading to bed.

I look forward to the rest of the summer with my VAAM energy drink (made from Japanese Hornet babies) and have plenty of travel and good fun awaiting us with the summer. Much music, friends and fun await.

06/02-06/04 All About the Saturday and Much Ado about James

Friday Night was another Rain out for Saturday but the night at home was a nice rest after another long week. DVR programming and another restful Friday Night.

Saturday Morning I awoke and enjoyed delivery breakfast. Russ was invited out to the gym by his work buds so I decided to come along for the ride and workout again on a Saturday, especially since I had missed my Thursday workout. We arrived in the city amidst the rain and Russ found parking right in front of the Post Office on Church Street and we made our way over to the gym and I began my workout. The rest of the guys arrived shortly after, Pete, Nathan, Gary and Russ all did their workouts while I did mine. Of course, the weekend means my workout is abbreviated and I finished first. I finished soon enough that I said Hi to the guys and then headed across the street in the rain to J&R to window shop. I ended up sighting some nice hard drives for my apple and the Desktop PC along with some nice games for the Mac for when I am on vacation. Of course with no credit card in my wallet I ended up just heading back with no bags and then hanging with the guys while they finished up their workout. Half of the group wanted to go for brunch and half of the group just wanted to go and do whatever. I was up for whatever and we ended up piling into the Murano and going to Bubby's for brunch. The wait was less than 5 minutes and we had a table for the five of us and we all sat, considered our options and then ordered our meals. I had a bacon cheeseburger and was very happy with the meal. Not as good as The Good Fork but still a very burger and with no detractions to the meal. We chatted about food, things that get on your nerves at home and other random thoughts before Gary picked up the check and we headed back out to the Murano and the parking garage where Peter was parked. We dropped off Gary and Peter and then took Nathan up the East Side past Houston to his neighborhood and dropped him off before heading back to BK. Surprisingly despite the good night of rest Friday Night I was more than ready for a nap after that workout and nice meal. I was tired heading back and I was tired after a little time on the computer and caught some shut eye before waking up and getting ready for the eve. All cleaned up and raring to go I was set early and remembered the vitamins, the Advil and the other random accouterments that I need for a successful night out. The Jimmy arrived at 10:45 and we hung out for a bit after discussing some of the NBA Finals and how the Mets were doing.

(SSTRTN) I did not have to wear a jacket, so no book and no Gameboy DS but I just chilled in the back on the drive into the city and we headed across the Manhattan Bridge down Canal Street and over to the West Side. We got there fairly quickly but with trucks on 18th Street we had to head further down the block and parked right next to the Spike. We hung out for a bit before I headed down West Street and headed over to the Roxy. I said hello to Derek, handed him a copy of "Lighter Dayze" and made my way inside past the list guy and then had a confused moment at the wristband girl as I fast forwarded to the ticket guy and almost handed her my ticket. She forgave me and told me that as often as I go I should know better. I then headed on inside after saying hello to the Lady in Coat Check. I then was inside the club gave a copy of "Lighter Dayze" to the DJ James Anderson who was at the bar picking up his own drink before heading back to the booth and so began my night. I spotted Sean and Rick and talked to them for a bit and re-introduced them to Russ and the Jimmy. I forgot to stretch as well as I had been after I got my first drink and ended up suffering for it during the work week. The music was very complex and James did a very good job of engaging the crowd once he had them. However except for a Madonna mix of "Sorry" and later on during the Kevin Aviance performance he kept Kevin onstage for a curtain call by playing MJB and "Be Without You" I really did not get to dance to anything I recognized. Just when I thought I heard snatches of songs that I could not wait to dance to he would cut the songs off and play something tribal but still unknown. I stayed until 4:15 am but felt that the DJ tried to hard to be a good DJ but did not really care about the crowd as the mood waxed and waned regardless and the unknown music lost him a lot of people by the time I decided to give up on the night and leave at 4:20. Russ and I headed out, I picked up both magazines and he picked up a taxi for us almost right away. The days are getting longer but the nights stay the same as we headed back to BK in the dawning light. Another Saturday Night and I am feeling more inspired to do my own music thing than ever.

Sunday morning and we enjoyed delivery breakfast once again and watched some DVR programming before heading out to Fairway to buy some groceries. I had talked to Denise about the place and could not wait to have her over for a Rainy Saturday for shopping but today it was just Russ and I. We headed straight over and found a parking spot in the back of the lot before heading inside. Once I got the last shopping cart that had been retrieved from the lot (you slow you blow) I was inside and Russ was picking up organic Orange Juice. I thought it just looked separated and so I was going to stay with Tropicana myself. We picked up the sweet sausage and all of the fixings for Tomato sauce but the place was sold out of soda (Diet Coke) since a guy had come in the day before and bought 20 cases. (some party). Anyway we picked out our own express line and I picked up the final items before we headed back out to the car. We took the back exit from the lot like we were supposed to and then drove down the cobblestone street and past the school before heading back over to Van Brunt and back home. Russ said he would pick up some soda tomorrow and we still had a bottle at home. The dinner came out smashing and I was able to use the leftover sausage to put into the de-sausaged sauce and put the leftover away for use for Tuesday dinner. We watched the season finale of the Sopranos and then I DVR'd "Footballer's Wives which was back for another new 9 episodes. After picking up a McFlurry for each of us we were back inside and watched the shocking episode where one of the babies gets suffocated by the fat little dog. Afterwards Russ went to bed but I watched Little Britain and some DVR programming and then G4/TechTV before finally going to bed before it got too late.

I have been really tired lately which I think is stress from work especially since I am fine on the weekends. I have tried to do something at home worthwhile and not just come home and vegetate but I have been so busy. I am looking forward to a great summer though and can't wait to see what happens. A lot is going to happen. I just hope it is all good and I can do something to make it all memorable. The DJ landscape is getting kind of bleak and I think my moment is coming... Hope I can take my chance when it comes. (That's Right, You go with your bad self.)

05/26-05/29 - Shopping, Barbecue, and 3 Nights Out

The first night of a long weekend and I was ready for whatever, I decided against going to the gym and thankfully I did need my energy on Friday Night. After delivery dinner of Pot Roast it was time to clean up and get ready to head out as Russ and the Jimmy wanted to go to Krash. After haircut, shower and quick change I was ready to go and see what was up in the city. We didn't rush out but left the house around 11:20 and headed into the city.

(SSTXX) I sat in the car and waited through the trip and arrival to a spot on 18th Street near Park Avenue. We hung out for a bit and then walked up the street to get in front of the club 12:05. We waited on the line for a bit, I always hate the line in front of Krash/Club Deep as it is total chaos. The VIP Line takes just as long as the regular line and even though I know the promoter I have to wait behind the velvet rope until the finally deign to show me attention. Once inside we get all of a $2 discount for entry and then we are inside. Thankfully we can forgo the coatcheck because it is absolutely gorgeous outside so no jacket required. The party was a little less packed than it had been before the closure 2 months ago but still enough people in the room and on the dance floor. The place slowly filled as the emcees wandered through the crowd and we got our drinks from the usual bartender Dave at the far end from the dancefloor but in the middle of the room. The 2 doubles and my drink meant that we started off with a $50 bar bill to start and so the night began. The crowd slowly filtered in but never got to the hectic state it was at during the winter. I told Russ and the Jimmy that I had seen Ed earlier in the day while going to lunch and then right after that I saw him heading downstairs looking for one of his friends. He said he would see us when he came back upstairs and after a few minutes of conversation and hanging out he came back upstairs and we hung out for a bit. We even headed over to the dancefloor and danced with the crowd for a bit before I finished off my drink and headed back to the bar for more. No matter how many DJs they have in the Krash lineup they all play all a lot of the same music (I did not need to hear 'Ina de Ghetto Remix' again). I gave a Pop CD to Dave and the Diva Mix CD to Ed and I was over with the gifts for the night. We stayed for a while though and finally said goodnight to Ed and the Jimmy at 3:30 and headed outside. Russ waved down a taxi right out front of the club and we were headed back to BK.

Saturday we awoke to delivery breakfast and the final finish of my Dr Natura, so no more minty orange shakes for me in the morning. After breakfast and watching some television, it was out of the house to go shopping. The Fairway supermarket was calling once again and we needed some more food to barbecue. We found a spot, picked up a shopping cart, and then headed inside. We avoided the brunt of the traffic jams by just knowing where we were going this time and we picked up some more steak, marinade sauce, and some other foods. The place was much easier to navigate on Saturday than Sunday and we were up to the checkout and outside without too much trouble. The roof dinner on Sunday was beef on shish-ke-bob with onions and peppers and of course it was still fresh from when we bought it last week. They took a little longer to cook but along with some Sabretts and salad we were ready for dinner. Of course the barbecue was great and we soon headed back down to the house and watched some more TV. DVR programming and then later the movie programming I was fine and ready for later after cleaning up and getting ready to head out. Russ decided to stay in as he had been out Thurs Night and Fri Night and then 11:15 finally rolled around and I made sure everything was set and I stepped out.

(SSTRT) I headed down the street to the taxi stand and was shortly joined by an available driver that could take me into the city. The ride was quick and I directed my distracted yet quick driving driver down Park Row South and across to the West Side. Despite the language barrier he got me to 18th Street and let me out to head on over to the club. After handing the "Pop and Ride" CD to Derek and him thanking me for some cool down music for the rest of his weekend, it was on and into the Roxy to see what was up. The line out front was big and the crowd was inside as well even at the earlier hour just after midnight. Bartender Louis was away but Cathy directed me over to Jose who made sure I was well taken care of with my drinks and Red Bull and Gatorade over the course of the night. Af first I did not see anyone else to hang with but I was OK as DJ Mike Cruz played up to the crowd with his own signature blend of tribal beats and vocal remixes that despite the fact I did not know the beats I did know the songs and the crowd responded just as if it was Peter back in the day. The unfamiliarity of the music meant I had my pick of boxes to starting off with the box across from the stage in the asian section and then the box next to the stage overlooking muscle beach. After I had taken off my shirt to dance I was back at the front bar and sighted Rick and Sean across the bar and we chatted for a bit before heading upstairs to the Crystal Room and danced to two Madonna songs before I was kinda over the slow music and dancing to "Express Yourself" before heading back downstairs to the main party. I danced some more with the crowd and then back to the front and got my last drink at 10 minutes to 4am and I was over to the box near the door for almost a whole hour of dancing, I stayed in the groove for another hour and finally left the club around 5am. Picked up both of the magazines and then walked over to 9th Ave and was able to flag down a taxi without too much trouble. A good night and then a great rest.

I finally woke up on Sunday just after noon and enjoyed another delivery breakfast. Russ was invited out to go workout but I stayed in as I felt the two nights in a row of hanging out and one more to come I could not spare the energy to workout. DVR programming and some time spent moving music around on the computer and the afternoon rolled by before Russ returned from the gym and we went to pick up burgers at Wendy's. After the burgers were retrieved and back at home Russ dug into his side salad and I dug into my fries and Big Bacon Classic. Besides 60 Minutes there was nothing much new on for Sunday Night so it was more browsing on the computer and waiting for the later hour. The evening would be off to an earlier start as the Jimmy arrived around 9pm so we could head out of the house around 9:30.

(SST)Out of the house and up the west side we traveled through mostly light traffic to arrive at the 28th Street and surprising find a parking spot on the first turnoff from 10th Ave. After we left the car we made our way down to the Eagle and past the crowded corner with street people and police and in front of the bar with barbecue as we headed inside the bar. We went straight up to the roof, said hi to Richard from the team and then into the crowd on the roof. The crowd was happy and ready hang out and we stayed there for a bit talking with friends and taking turns going to the roofdeck bar. We made a circuit back downstairs after leaving via the back stairs and then after viewing the sparse crowds in the rest of the place we headed back up to the roof for one more drink. The music was good as usual but since you can't dance at Eagle I was ready to move on as midnight was approaching. We said goodnight to the Jimmy at 11:30 and headed outside to grab a taxi right out front.

(VC) The ride across the city and down to E11 Street was not too bad and then we were out walking the last block and then over to the club. We had not been to Webster Hall in a few years but after a short wait on the line out front we headed inside and paid our $30 to the cashier, received our gift CD and we were inside the XXL Party. Thankfully the nice weather meant we did not have to deal with coatcheck and we headed around the bar to see what was doing. On the first floor we looked in on the Rock music room and saw two bear guys dancing in the dimly lit room who had the floor all to themselves. Their enthusiasm in the empty space made me happy enough to giggle and I headed to the first bar to get myself something to drink. Most of the bars in the place were set up very inconveniently with some strange bar girl taking your order and another girl bartender actually pouring the drink at an inner bar. It was kind of like a waitress that you had to approach. I guess it lets them handle all the drinks with just one cash register but it still sucked when the girl barely knew english and you had to tell her your order twice. Before I headed upstairs I saw Joe the blogger bringing beers back to his friends but was never able to say hi as he had disappeared into the crowd of bears when I came looking for him later. Drinks in hand we headed upstairs to the large dance floor and saw that Ultra Nate was already on the stage singing her hits such as "Free" and "New Kind of Medicine" before the music continued. We did get to hang with with Dave and Rick for a bit before they finally left after having been at the party since the beginning (Dave volunteered to help w/ the Bingham Cup). The unknown DJ played a lot of older hits with a classic vibe but not the Frankie Knuckles vibe but more like the old LPs that you had to blow the dust off of to play. The crowd still were doing their best to enjoy themselves and then Barbara Tucker took to the stage to singing her hits "Beautiful People" and "I Get Lifted". It was like going to church on the dance floor but it really slowed the party down (performers at 3:45am and some people had been at the party for 7 hrs). Despite the happy crowd members who became bear backup dancers the mood did not really pick up after that. The party promoter guy thanked everyone for coming out (smaller guy than I thought from the picture but very cute kilt) and the party continued. We hung in with the party until 2:45 am but with the music rolling on at the same stately pace and no high points in sight I danced next to the stage on one of the platforms after taking pictures of the acts and we left happy with the weekend but disappointed it was not better than it was.

Monday I awoke to delivery breakfast once again and waited throughout the afternoon just hanging out and watching television before finally heading up to the roof at sunset and cooking the steaks on the barbecue. This time they were flipped just right and the macaroni salad as a side dish was excellent as we watched the beautiful sunset in between the thunder showers that passed before and after we went up. Back in the house we watched television and the end of the weekend rolled up quickly. The weekend was good but it could have been better.
Until next time, only 4 days away. Peace.

519-521 - Weekend at Ernie's and The Sudden Dropoff

Friday Night I just came home from work, had dinner and after watching NBA Playoffs I went into the DVR programming. Technology and time shifting is a good thing. I went to bed around 3am and got the good rest after a long week I craved.

Saturday I awoke around 10am for some reason wake up with or without the alarm clock around 9am so I had to go back to sleep to get my daily allowance. When I finally got out of bed I started off with the fiber regimen (last weekend yay!) pills and then the shake and then hung around for a bit before breakfast. Delivery breakfast and then a little clean up and then we got the sched for the afternoon set. We were not heading out to LI until around 5pm so I had plenty of time to kill. I started off browsing music on Beatport until after 1hr I always get tired and I took a nap. I woke up around 3:30 and got myself dressed and ready. Gift CDs already made up I browsed more music until it was time to go. We headed down to the Murano and then drove over past Flatbush and stopped by Phil and Kevins place. Kevin wasn't back yet so we went upstairs, toured the new roofdeck and admired the new TV viewiing area (now enlarged for better entertaining). The TV was familiar (same as I see at home) and we chatted for a bit before Kevin came in, changed and we were all off to LI. The shortest way was the best way so we headed down Atlantic Avenue to the conduit onto the Belt Pkwy and then onto the overlong Sunrise Highway heading out to Freeport. We turned off on the correct street but passed the house (admiring the scenery overmuch). We walked in spread our hellos all around to the family and friends and ate finger food before the barbecue was ready. We all had Margaritas and plenty of barbecue with pasta salads before the night settled into cool conversation and karaoke. My first silly moment came when one of the guests came up to me and told me he had talked to me at the gym. Since I try to get through my workouts as quickly as possible and don't talk to anybody besides Russ and his friends, I told him I did not know what he was talking about. Finally he stated that it was at The Gym Bar and not the workout gym and we all had a good laugh as at that point I did recognize him from a conversation we had in the bar the 2 seasons ago. After that we passed the time both indoors and outside and admired the new fixtures and Ernies model development from work and after plenty of drinks 10:30 rolled around and it was time to head back to BK. After we said our goodnights and I gave Ernie his CD (the card we gave was really Phil and Kevin's second choice that we got by default) we headed back home. After giving the boys a "Diva Spring" CD we said our goodnights and then I showed Russ the now familiar way to get back via Vanderbilt to Prospect Park West and we got home fairly easily.

After I got back home it was a quick clean up then costume change and it was out into the night and down the street. Russ was still recovering from his elbow injury and needed another night of rest. I was down at the taxi stand and waiting just a few minutes before one of my familiar cabbies arrived to take me into the city. We were surprised that the traffic had died down so quickly after midnight and I was able to get across the bridge to the west side very quickly. Funny how without even prompting my ipod Nano played "Rise" from the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack. I always like that song when I am going out and especially when I am going out alone or to a big even. Not like going to the Roxy alone is not a big event but it is so regular for me I usually don't need to be pumped up. The driver dropped me off on the corner and I walked on down 18th street to the front and the line. One of the new security actually stopped me and asked me if I had a card but I gestured at the doorman and waited patiently. When Derek noticed me he waved me on in and I said hello to the ID checking security before heading inside. Armbanded, cashiered and coat checked I said hello to the girl who took my jacket and then headed on inside the club. The crowd was still filteriing in at 12:35 but was coming along nicely and I found my bartender Louis in the usual spot on the front. Hello and cup in hand I made a circuit of the place. After I returned to the front for a Gatorade I spotted Sean and Rick across the bar and made my way over. We exchanged hellos and I gifted them with the final gift CD of the day, my promised "DivaSpring." They thanked me profusely and promised me a Madonna Mix the following week. After chatting with them a bit about music and work and of all things running in marathons and Larry's shoe store (New Balance) I told them to go and enjoy the music and I went out into the crowd to see what was doing. DJ Brett Heinrichsen got the crowd into it early with Rihanna (SOS), MJB (Be Without You) and Offer Nissim Mix of "Fascinated". I got my speaker time in and stayed hydrated between text msgs to Russ and then talking on the phone to let him know I was having a cool time. After my final stage appearance around 2:15 am for "Stroke" it all seemed to go downhill. No sudden music cuts, or silent moments this week but after the initial hits he was playing nothing worth writing home about. I kept on waiting for another song to cut loose on and just finally climbed onto the speaker near the door and danced to whatever he was playing. Finally after 2 songs I gave up on it and went to stand on the side behind the couches facing the DJ booth. The floor was DEAD. People were leaving in droves and even the most hardcore clubbers were giving up on the night and calling it. I waited until 5:15 (5:15!!!) for another peak to happen and the only recognizable song in the mix was a 5am playing of Aubrey and "Stand Still" If I wanted to hear music from 8 years ago I would be home playing one of my retro mixes. I could see a true show stopper song from Destiny's Child, Madonna, Whitney or JLo but I was totally disgusted with how the DJ just seemed to run out of gas. Maybe he is tired of coming to the Roxy, I don't know, but everyone wasn't just leaving to go hear Victor Calderone at his "Evolve" party. The music was just sucking. I retrieved my jacket and walked out into the night to pick up a taxi. At least I was able to get both of the magazines but still the dawning light put me in a bad mood as I walked over to 9th ave and caught myself a taxi ride home after a few minutes of waiting with my hand up. The driver took me home with no issues and I pulled in front of my house and paid before heading upstairs. Some water, a quick clean up and it was off to bed.

Sunday I woke up in the early afternoon and Russ said he wanted to go to the bagel place for breakfast. I suggested a we go instead of receive delivery since it would get us up and out of the house sooner. We drove down the hill and around the corner and ate our breakfast custom made for us at one of the tables in the place. They burnt my first bagel but the second one was fine and I eat the dry yet good egg and bacon bagel before we got back in the car and headed for Red Hook. We turned before the tunnel instead of after and found our way through the neighborhood better than the last time and drove up to the packed to the gills parking lot for Fairway. We circled to the back of the lot and waited for a car to leave and got our spot. The shopping cart was picked up on the way in and then we were inundated with the food showcase that is Fairway. The place was packed and the food tourists clogged up the isles for multiple traffic jams as we tried to just keep moving through the place and find what we were looking for. The place seems designed more for chefs than shoppers with plenty of imported foods and add-ons for any palate and the most discriminating shopper. We ended up getting salad, steaks, barbecue sauce with apples and spices and some very cheap half gallons of 1% milk. A few more condiments and we were ready to go. I found it much easier to navigate the isles after leaving Russ at the check out while i picked up another milk and some more salad. The reading items on the wall were funny talking about word origins in the middle ages for things like "threshold" and "raining cats and dogs" Of course behind me the ghetto denizens were in residence as the guy behind me was just buying a can of Pringles. At first I was not impressed and just thought of the place as a fancy supermarket. In the end it was a fun time and I ended up being something of a food tourist myself. Now that I know the lay of the land I can get on with some serious shopping for my next visit. Perfect place to pick up the fixings for a blowout cookout or chef event. We got back home and watched some more TV for a bit before heading up to the roof with all of the fixings and starting our steak barbecue. We brought the CD player up to the roof for some tunes while I cooked but I had to move the grill to the far side as the wind was too much on the city side. With the new cell phone installations on our roof Phil and Kevin definitely had a more upscale roof setup but you can't beat that NYC view as you barbecue. We set on the upper deck and lounged in the two-seater folding chair drinking soda in the 30 minutes it took for everything to be done. In the end I probably erred on the side of caution and overcooked the steak but it was still juicy, tender and oh so good. We brought all the food back down to the house to eat in comfort and out of the wind. The Simpsons was cool but then the season finale of Family guy ended up being the movie that we had bought over the winter, total rip off of programming. Thankfully we didn't find that out until later as we watched The Sopranos at 9pm. The episode was good but we were sorry to see the fat guy go as he was finally killed by his own brother in law in the NY gang. No closure with his family or his boyfriend in NH but at least his last picture was with a smile for an ad that he had shot with a hotel guest. At least Tony finally locked down on AJ and made him get a job in construction to pay for himself and stop just freeloading. After that episode was all over we headed down to Mickey D's and picked up some Mcflurries to nosh on as we watched the news and let the night cool down. After Russ called it a night I curled up on the couch with a bowl of Rice Krispies and watched my cartoons and DVR programming. Bedtime on Sunday night always comes too soon but is necessary to be rested up for another week at work. And then it begins again.

I was truly disappointed in the falloff on Saturday night but realize everyone has a bad night every once in a while. But Peter, Manny and even Chad do much better at keeping the crowd involved way into the night and I have written Brett out of my top 5 Roxy DJs. I think he is better on the road because he doesn't have the pressure to get people interested too early. Roxy is all come to play or go home. I have become a tough customer myself and expect better for my Sat Night entertainment. We shall see how the summer shapes up. Here's to good friends, good drinks and special times all around.

0512-0514 - Softball Days, Barbecue Nights and Dancing after Midnight

Friday was as usual nice end to the week. With a full day of Saturday planned I stayed in for Friday Night and after dinner and NBA Finals just watched DVR programming. All of those Charmed episodes and Adult Swim Cartoon Network saved meant I had plenty of stuff to watch. I even made sure to pack my change of clothes and the rest of my stuff in my PC bag before bedtime. I was finally tired enough and ready to turn in at 3am and await the coming of daylight.

Softball and Barbecue
Saturday morning I awoke around 10am, ate delivery breakfast and we saw on the TV the accident at the NJ side of the Lincoln Tunnel which meant our normal path to the Jersey fields was cut off. We left the house before 11am and ran into traffic as soon as we came out of the Battery Tunnel. After it took us almost 10 minutes to go 2 blocks we headed over to Church street and dodged all of the drivers who were taking the Holland Tunnel as the Lincoln alternate. Larry called on the phone to let us know that the GWB bridge was the way to go and after calling back Glenn to make sure of our connections and pulling out the laptop to verify the directions on the Route 66 Map software and I knew we had to go from GWB to Local exits to Route 80, past Hackensack and onto the Garden State Pkwy. Once we were on the Garden State the trip was just as fast as if we had come through the tunnel. We pulled up to the park and found the municipal lot spot to park the car and then we headed into the park. After I stopped with Hal to put money in the meeter for the Jimmy (Hal got a broken meter) I took a trip down to the check cashing place to pick up some change. I put money in the Murano meter and Donnie's meter I then said hello to Larry and headed back to the check cashing place to pick up quarters for Larry's car. Since the check cashing lady had been so nice I bought her a cup of coffee. Back at the field I ate my Milky Way bar and Russ had one also before the games started. The first two BASL softball games were between the Buddies and the Expos. After getting left behind at first the team did the Buddies did the come from behind win and made sure to pull it out and get the runs to win the game. The second game was also close but was a matter of making sure the Expos did not catch up after building the lead. I ran out to the cars and filled up 4 parking meters before heading back to see the games. The double header over, we moved onto the game against the Titans. The other team built an early lead but then at the end the team came together and made a nice run to catch up and pass the other team. So the Buddies were able to go up 3 wins for the day. Thanks to stringing together some hits and great fielding by Barbara and our outfielders our team was still in first place. After all of our re-shuffling we carpooled and grouped to head back to Larry's for our backyard barbecue. After Donnie passed us we decided he was the best person to follow to Larry's but he was not the the best person to drive behind especially going onto the Garden State Pkwy but we made it with no fireball crashes and pulled onto route 3 and onto Larry's. All parked and inside everyone took their turns starting the chill-out and some taking showers in one of the two available showers. I stayed well hydrated myself between soda and juice and enjoyed a great meal of ribs, pasta salad and cole slaw. Members on the team enjoyed the food, the music from the cable radio 80's station, and the hot tub, which was enjoyed both with shorts and without. I also had great conversations with Hal, Jonah, Donnie and Dave's other half. Later on in the night after filling off two different bottles of Grey Goose Donnie and I made a run down to Shop Rite to pick up a bottle of Ketel One. After I got back home I showered and changed clothes myself and then hung out for a bit before 11:20pm rolled around. After saying all of our goodbyes it was off the road and onto the highway heading back to Route 3 and then the Lincoln Tunnel. After listening to the pop CD par tway home I switched over to the R&B Rap CD before getting dropped off by Russ at 18th Street and making my way down the street.

In Da Club
I walked down the one block and made my way over to the line and said hello to Derek and headed inside. After armband, cashier and coat check it was inside to see the Midori sponsored Babylon Party at Roxy. The decor was city skyline and the crowd was definitely coming in to hear the beats and spin of DJ Manny Lehman. I did not find any of my friends at first but found Dwayne and his friends and headed to the bar before making my way back to the dance floor. Later on I hung out with Keith and his friends and gave him a copy of my "DivaSpring" CD. Manny once again kept the crowd in the music with the Offer Nissim mix of "Fascinated", Donna Summer "Power of Love" and MJB "Be Without You". But I had to overcome a little fatigue at the beginning of the night before I was fully into the groove and dancing on boxes starting at the back across from the stage and the box next to the stage and the stage itself. I also had to get used to new hand lights I had just received in the mail. They were nice and bright but one was not as stable as I would like so I switched to the backup of the old lights so had one old and one new and proceeded to dance like I usually did. I will say that I did enjoy the night but despite some nice drinks from bartender Louis I still would not rate the night as high as Manny's last visit but still better than most and the crowd was definitely there with me till the end of my night. I danced on the speaker near the door and finally called it a night at 4:30am and after retrieving my jacket I picked up a magazine and walked over to 10th ave and walked right into the taxi that could take me home to Bklyn. The driver took directions well and I was back home with no problems. Nice busy Saturday and a nice cap off of a Saturday night. I guess it ended up friend heavy at the beginning of the day and afternoon and night and after midnight just the bartender and 2 friends at the end. Not much but it was enough for me.

Sunday was all about the recovery.
I watched TV and DVR programming while Russ did some work and pretty much stayed in. Delivery Breakfast to start with and then Russ brought home the pick up Dinner from The Good Fork. The bun on the hamburger was different yet again but it was still a good burger and Russ made sure to get a side of onion rings as they are so good the little bit we usually got with the burger was not enough. The Sopranos was good but we are looking forward to a more dramatic show next week as everything seems to be coming to a head. After Russ went to bed I watched some more DVR programming and ate a bowl of Rice Krispies before turning in to go to bed myself.

I think back to the party at Larry's and was very glad I went not just because I had been missed for the previous two weeks but also for the great conversations I did have talking about relationships, hanging out and plans for the summer. I felt that a lot of people were glad I was there and I even got to take pictures with Barbaras camera since mine does not seem to want to take daytime pictures anymore. Again, if I can help just one person to have a better time and to make my friends happy then that is what I plan on doing. I don't want to be the drag on the party but the firestarter and the life that is. Until Next Time. Keep it poppin.