Observations from the Road, six months after the storm known as Sandy

A combination of things sent me south this past weekend. The weather was gorgeous, I had a chance to check out the beach house in Stone Harbor, and a friend was already doing some work in the Asbury Park area so we decided to pack Foxy and take her on the road for a much needed drive. I honestly didn't think of it being six months after Sandy hit but that it was.

The photo I posted with this isn't the best I have ever taken but I have a reason for using it. The road in the photo is Ocean Drive between Avalon and Stone Harbor and it's a road I have driven every summer since I learned to drive. Actually, like many things at the shore, I drove on it before I learned to drive but that's another story. Ocean Drive runs from one end of Seven Mile Island to the other, through Sea Isle City, Avalon, and Stone Harbor. I have driven it in at sunrise in search of fresh sticky buns, in thunder storms, in pre-dawn fog, and at sunset going to Sylvester's for seafood. To me personally it's one of the great roads in the world and seeing a road closed sign on it was one of the saddest things I ever saw. Supposedly going to be open before Memorial Day but if not I'm going to borrow my brother's jeep and drive it anyway.

Stone Harbor itself is in good shape considering it had record rainfall amounts along with record flood levels during the three high tides of Sandy. I was talking to someone who stayed in Avalon during the storm and than helped friends farther north. He said one thing he will never forget is the sight of people's lives piled up at the curb. Furniture, rugs, shore stuff, all water damaged and covered with sand and muck. One of my favorite shops, the Suncatcher, is just off the ocean on 2^nd Avenue in Stone Harbor and had two feet of water inside at the worst of the storm but you couldn't tell now other than the total newness of everything inside. Fred's Tavern was also in good shape but nobody would admit whose idea the new menu item was. I passed on the Indonesian Shisk Kabobs and stuck with the burgers and beer.

The barrier islands north of Atlantic City were much more heavily damaged than those to the south even though Sandy came ashore roughly over top of AC. We didn't spend much time in the north but there was one spot I had to see. To most people one of more lasting images of Sandy is the Star Jet roller coaster sitting forlornly in the surf of Seaside Heights. The coaster is still there now, drawing flocks of tourists along with the flocks of sea gulls, but its removal is supposed to happen before Memorial Day too. I'm not so sure about that one.

Politically one thing I found was how dearly refusing to quickly pass Sandy relief legislation cost the Republicans. So many people I talked to swore it would be a long time before they even thought about voting Republican, they felt betrayed. I should note that two Republican lawmakers from Texas, including Senator Ted Cruz, who voted against Sandy aid now want federal aid for West, Texas following the fertilizer plant explosion. I think the Texans should wait a respectable length of time, say six months.

Governor Chris Christie for one doesn't fall into the same category as Congressional Republicans. In Jersey Chris Christie is still a god on the level of his idol Bruce Springsteen.

Many people are still hurting, they can't afford to rebuild homes, the insurance money they get doesn't begin to cover the cost of building at the shore today, and some places are in areas that no longer can get flood insurance. FEMA was working on new flood elevation maps when Sandy hit and now many older homes are in the FEMA's most restricted zones and must be raised or see their flood insurance rates rise from $1,000 a year to $15,000. In the end I think many people will sell family homes to developers who will build more of the million dollar monsters that even now line parts of Ocean Drive.

Sadly I think one of the lasting effects of Sandy on the Jersey shore will be the acceleration of some parts of it turning into a rich man's playground.

Observations from the Coffee Shop 2.1

The Super Bowl is just a few days away so I thought a little preview was called for. Personally I think the last version of the Beetle was cuter and this 2013 model would look much better in black. I better shut-it though, I don't want Foxy getting jealous.

Don't sweat me brodder, the sticky bun come soon ....

link
Volkswagen
Published on Jan 27, 2013
Jimmy Cliff - Rebirth

Watch our Super Bowl 2013 TV commercial, where you'll meet Dave and his newfound sunny disposition (that manifests itself in a curious way), all thanks to his new 2013 Volkswagen Beetle.

update - After I posted this it was brought to my attention that some people somehow find the commercial offensive. That a white man speaking with a Jamaican accent and driving a German car is somehow racist and not multi-cultural fun. This was just a little post but some people are just too damn serious and now it's much too long.

In its defense I give you Dr Claire Nelson, the Jamaican born president of the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Caribbean Heritage Organisation. Dr. Nelson said what she and her group found offensive "are the mostly non-Jamaican critics who contend that the commercial is racist. Some going as far as saying that it's like putting a black face on a white or Asian person. We hasten to assure the viewing public, that being Jamaican, just like being American, is a nationality and not a race.We invite everyone to 'Get in and get happy. No problem, man."

Tourism Minister Wykeham McNeill said Jamaica can benefit significantly from the Super Bowl ad. "I think this is a very creative commercial, which truly taps into the tremendous appeal that brand Jamaica and its hospitable people have globally," he said in a press release. The Opposition Jamaica Labour Party has also endorsed the ad.

I rest my case.

Sunday Observations 1.27

Have you ever read a magazine article and get to a point where it says continued on page 46 but when you get to page 46 it says continued from page 46 and the missing section is nowhere to be found? That just sucks. I needed to get that out of the way first.

In the mood for something a little different this morning I watched Ultraviolet on my Kindle while we were had breakfast. To be more precise I watched Milla Jovovich, read the Times, and ate waffles all at the same time. It seemed like a good idea to stay away from any of the Resident Evil movies because that might just seem impolite of me.

Here is some Penn State trivia for you. If you had to guess which sport has won the most national championships which would it be? Don't even guess football, there have only been two. I didn't know the answer so I guessed the women's volleyball team but even they have only won five national titles. It seems like they won more than that because four of those championships were consecutive, 2007-2010. No the correct answer would be the men's gymnastics team that has won twelve. I never knew that.

Something else I never knew is that both Nikon and Canon DSLR chassis are made by the same company, Ju Teng International Holdings of Hong Kong. The thing is I discovered this fact while skimming articles about a new Sony technology that originated in Canon film SLRs but was dropped when Canon went totally digital. The technology is an eye following autofocus that to me seems like more trouble than it is worth because of the need to calibrate your eye to the camera. You can read about it here if you want.

There was an article in The New York Times today about those end of the world as we know it, have your bag packed, I will survive even when the zombies attack type people known as preppers. So maybe the zombie attack is a bit of an embellishment but you get the point. The full extent of my prepping is to keep a full tank of gas and a camera in Foxy to avoid a repeat of Sandy when I didn't have enough gas to get off the island. Somebody in the article does mention the possibility of the bridges and tunnels of Manhattan being closed, which did happen during Sandy, and the need to raft across the river if it should happen again. A raft would be problematical but I remember old beetles supposedly floated so maybe I should just keep an oar in the trunk.

I started the day with Ultraviolet and finished it with Blood Diamonds. I'm not sure what, if anything, that says about me.

Observations on Sandy 10.30

Thought I would throw up a quick post before I wander out to see what's happening. Just shy of two million without power in the city and as of now I have no idea for how long. I have double batteries for everything so I should be okay for now and I can always go uptown for a charge but than I'm sure everybody has the same idea. The apartment smells of wet clothes and something electrical. The latter isn't anything here, I think it's coming from the subways, probably everything shorting out overnight. As with the power there isn't any timetable for when the subways will be back, than again I suppose there can't be without knowing about the power first. It's either a vicious cycle or I'm still mentally wiped, hard to tell at this point.

I guess I'm just an adrenalin junkie because I need to get out and look around while the VQs seem to be perfectly happy watching a movie and contemplating empty wine bottles, probably mentally calculating how many they have left and how long they will last. As for myself, I went up on the roof when i woke up and what stuck me was just how quiet it is, unreal how a city this size can be so quiet.

12:45PM - Surviving so far, actually I'll be happy as long as I have batteries and a 4G connection and those are a few things I do have. Well I have batteries and Ash has the 4G but she doesn't need it to drink wine and watch movies so I claimed it. Latest is the power could be out here for two or three days but that is subject to change. All the subway tunnels in lower Manhattan are flooded and it's a total mess in the streets, trash, trees, leaves blowing everywhere. Haven't heard anything about Stone Harbor yet, my dad said it could be days till anybody gets in there too. I was looking at photos I took yesterday and so far I'm unimpressed, visibility was terrible, it was more like a blizzard than like Irene. As always we shall see, maybe with some work. Now I'm off to check on Foxy.

5:40PM - The sun returned to the Village an hour or so ago, briefly, but it was there, I know it was, I saw it, maybe. Anyway, when I checked on Foxy I found the family had sustained an injury, Foxy has a massive scratch on her hood. The garage manager said some branches had blown in and one landed right on her. Pisses me off cause that may be the biggest scratch in all the time I own her. The latest on the power situation is four days, via Reuters not ConEd, but we have come up with a wonderful plan in the event it drags on, it seems my dad is going to get some company. There is nothing much to keep us here without power so some outlet shopping may be called for plus I can get an estimate on a paint job while I'm there because I am not about to pay what they would gouge me up here.

Geek notes, I know it's probably something not worth mentioning but don't forget you can always use your cell phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot if you lose your Wi-Fi. Also there are some decently priced battery packs out there that can run your comp for up to 6 hours, I just grabbed a Duracell model today.

Political note, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was asked on Fox News whether Willard would tour damage in his state and said; "I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested. I have a job to do in New Jersey that is much bigger than presidential politics. If you think right now I give a damn about president politics, then you don’t know me." So some Republicans still really are relatively sane, too bad their party despises them for it. Today was probably the day Christie lost the 2016 Republican nomination for president.

Observations from the Window 8.16

At times I may mentioned horoscopes because I have a fondness for them, not that I live my life by them, I just like horoscopes. Seriously, they are often dead on so shoot me if you must. This isn't about my horoscope though but about dreams. Some people actually believe you can predict your life by interpreting your dreams. Thankfully I was never one of them because that's just crazy. My lack of belief in dreams may be a result of my lack of dreams which  may be because of my lack of sleep, or maybe my non-lack of alcohol and caffeine. I'm not a doctor so I wont get into why I don't dream.

The thing is with my big trip coming up Saturday I don't want to take any chances so when I actually had a dream last night I was forced to act on it. It was a simple dream of which I remember little but I do remember I had a pink pillowcase on my bed. I have so many pillows on my bed you could drown in them but they all have black pillowcases so I was forced to buy a pink one today and to be safer I bought another pillow too. This means I have a virgin pillow with pink pillowcase on my bed as I write this. That is too weird, but than so am I.

My flight to Paris leaves JFK at 10 PM Saturday night and today I made a discovery that has far reaching implications for my time until than. JFK is in New York which is good because I am in New York along with my tickets and semi-packed luggage. This is all good. What i discovered today is that my passport is NOT in New York it is in central Pennsylvania. This is not good, this is bad. As a matter of fact it is very very bad. At this point I can't even trust FedEx so I'm going to have to take Foxy on a road trip sometime before Saturday night. Maybe I should have bought pink sheets too.

Less than 48 hours now, stay tuned.

Observations from Fred's 6.13

I like the title of this post, I always wanted to do it. I've written about Fred's often but I have never actually written from Fred's. Fred's would be Fred's Tavern and Liquor Store of Stone Harbor, New Jersey. I have been having beverages here for, well, I shouldn't say because I wouldn't want to admit to doing anything technically illegal. Suffice to say I have been drinking here for many years.

Suppose you figured out that my being at Fred's means I must be in Stone Harbor, very true. Much earlier in the summer than I usually get here but I never turn down time at the beach house and I may have other travel plans later in the summer so I jumped at the chance. Foxy and I had an awesome drive down the coast on a gorgeous evening, taking almost five hours instead of less than three.
As always the first stop was Fred's.

The word may be overused but Fred's really is iconic. Stone harbor and Avalon have changed dramatically over the years I have been coming here. Along Seven Mile Beach block after block of charming bungalows and small beach house have been torn down and replaced by huge hermetically sealed monstrosities costing literally millions of dollars.
A quick search of the Atlantic Beach Realty website shows the highest priced home for sale at a price of ... $6,950,000.
Seems the 1% spends its money on more than overpriced art.

But Fred's is still Fred's. Other than some much needed remodeling and the addition of WiFi it hasn't changed much since I first walked through the door a dozen years ago. Some of the employees, and I swear some of the bands, have been here for years but mostly it's college kids lucky enough to score one of the sweetest summer jobs on the Jersey shore.

My Jersey shore.

Fred's always feels like home, like I never left.

Observations from the Window 5.21

"the bridge"

Sunday was just a gorgeous day and I did something I have been wanting to do since I moved to the Village. During the warmer times of year I've always loved to jump in the car, put the top down, and just drive. Just drive to nowhere and see where I end up. It's one of the few times I allow my brain to just shutdown and not think about much of anything but the road ahead. Unless I'm driving to think which is a totally diff mode and a totally diff story.

In New York I'll sometimes just cruise around with the top down and stereo blaring, dodging cabs and basically adding to the din that is the city. It might not be the same as Interstate racing my brother but red light racing a cab with a toll has its own appeal. Still given enough time I like to get as far away from the metro area as I can and Sunday was just perfect.

What I'll do is check the traffic map and head in the direction that gets me out of town as quick as possible. The problem is that always has seemed to be any direction but north and I always wanted to make a run up the Hudson Valley. Sunday the driving gods smiled on me, a gorgeous day and open roads to the north.

After a touch of Interstate I drove along the river on Route 9 as far as Highland Falls which is just south of West Point. A stunning road to drive considering it is just thirty minutes from downtown Manhattan. In a perfect world I would have cut over to the east bank of the Hudson and driven north to Hyde Park, the once home of Franklin Roosevelt, but I didn't have time. That and I had already had too much sun because seems I don't own a proper hat and I'm too stubborn to put the top up.

I ate lunch at an interesting spot that had a sign out front which said it had the best "New York style" barbecue. Now I love BBQ, any kind of BBQ, but I must confess I had never heard of the New York style. After an awesome pulled pork sandwich I have to report it's awesome but it tastes like ... BBQ.

Maybe sometime this summer I'll get to Hyde Park but the gods would have to smile on me once again. That and the beach would have to stop calling my name.

Observations from the Window 4.30.1

The changing seasons, warm breezes carrying the sweet smells of hot asphalt and garbage. Wait, this isn't about the city ....

Unlike nature, or the way nature once was, my mind only acknowledges two seasons, warm and cold. Technically more because there are the grass, ice, and dirt sports seasons but this isn't a sports post and it just gets confusing. Everything suddenly changes, my thinking, my attire, and the tunes I listen to. The later is the surest sign my seasons have changed as I found out over the weekend.  Over the protests of the techno-pop gallery crowd I rediscovered an old friend. No Beach Boys here, my kind of summer tunes.

One other thing about the warm season, Foxy puts her top down
and we play the tunes really really loud.

link

Observations on Irene 8.26

I thought maybe I would take some early morning photos so I rode an empty subway train down to the soon to be forbidden zone of Battery Park. Truth be told I didn't take much of anything because it was just a cloudy dreary humid morning and on top of that the Starbucks was closed. If this is the calm before the storm I think I'll pass.

Irene came ashore in North Carolina around 7AM as a category 1 storm. The weakening doesn't change the situation much here as the problem is how long the storm will batter the city and how much water will be pushed into the harbor, the rivers, and down the street. Later today ConEd will decide if it is going to shutdown the power to lower Manhattan. Because the cables are all underground they are vulnerable to saltwater if they are in use but not if they aren't in use. Now I understand why there are no batteries to be found in the Village.

Everybody says be prepared so we stocked up with the following....

One case of Corona, one case of Corona Light, and two bags of ice in the freezer. Multiple bottles of red and white wine because Ash can't decide which is the right one for a hurricane and one must follow the wine rules at all times.
A bag of limes and one bottle of Jose Cuervo Black Medallion tequila because one shouldn't ride out a big storm with cheap tequila.
One carton of Misty Menthol Ultra Lights otherwise known as Misty Silver under the theory that people think ultra-light smoke is healthy and will think silver isn't.
One carton of Marlboro Menthol 100s because Chloe isn't a lite weight like me and smokes a real cigarette, or so I am told.
New lighter to light those above named cigarettes.
Two camera and two laptop batteries charged. A camping lantern and flashlights along with a jumbo pack of priceless D size batteries. The latter I am tempted to sell on the street because, well, they really are priceless right now.
My older digital camera packed in a towel and zip-lock bag. Don't ask on this one because I'm not going to tell.

Shit I forgot to get food.

A bit of worthless hurricane trivia that doesn't seem so worthless now. If the storm is a category 1 at ground level it is a category 2 ten stories up. I can hear the glass raining down already.

No subways running down below and it just started raining in the Village. I suppose this really is the calm before the storm.

Let the games begin.

Neil Young - Like A Hurricane, Berlin 1982

update - Due to some concern I would like to add that we have cookies, coffee, and two cases of bottled water too.

Observations from the Window 8.26

At times it seems like I might be mellowing in my old age because I just don't feel like writing about politics like I had been. Maybe it's the reverse that is true and I haven't mellowed at all but just don't want to write about it because when I do I think and when I think I just get pissed off. I'll go with that because I know I haven't mellowed at all and never will. I'm just destined to be the bitchy old woman at the artists' home in Montreuil which is a future I don't find all that unappealing.

I know I have talked before about writing more on art and photography only to get sidetracked by one thing or another but I'm going to try to do that once again. Last week I took a photography seminar at the Tisch School of Arts at NYU and it, like the Armory Show earlier this year, has me wanting to get some things written. While I was there I was looking into the course offerings and saw two I would really like to take, the Advanced History Seminar (photography) and Business of Art (photography). The problem is I really don't have the time to do either.

As for now I'm about to be sidetracked yet again as hurricane Irene is heading in my direction. I'm not too worried because I'm in evacuation zone C which is well outside zone A, and a block away from zone B. This is from the NYC Office of Emergency Management website, “Residents in Zone C may experience storm surge flooding from a major hurricane making landfall just south of New York City. A major hurricane is unlikely in New York City, but not impossible.” Damn, reading that makes me feel better already.

One sad thought has crept into my head and that is the idea that by Sunday morning 'my' beach house may be gone forever. Sitting on the beach in Stone Harbor it now seems that there isn't much chance of it not being hit hard. I toyed with the idea of driving down and sitting at Fred's as the storm rolled by but Stone Harbor already has evacuated non-residents and as of 5PM today all liquor sales will be suspended till Monday. Worst of all Foxy would be parked in the open and that I will not do.

Is it wrong that I worry more about my car than myself?

Jimi Hendrix - The Wind Cries Mary

Late afternoon update - Cape May County NJ ordered a mandatory evacuation of its barrier islands which include Stone Harbor, Fred's, and the beach house. Also New York City ordered the first mandatory evacuations in its history today. So far they just include zone A but that includes all of Battery Park City, Coney Island, and Rockaway Beach.

Observations from the Window 8.6

I tried, I tried so hard to stay away from politics for now but like a junkie needing its fix I just couldn't do it any longer. When every economist says this is the worst time for the government to cut spending we have massive spending cuts. The debt ceiling debacle, sorry I meant deal, could actually end up cost 1.5 million jobs. In July the illustrious Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said on the senate floor that the poorest and not the richest Americans need to pay more in taxes. Where the money for said higher taxes is to come from he did not say.

Living and working here with Ash makes my situation hard to explain. I live in the highest rent area in the world yet pay almost nothing because that is how Ash pays me for the work I do for her. Because of the gallery and some photo work I have money for the things I need and some things I want. I save some money by doing a lot of work on Foxy myself but I get killed on health insurance because of my history. I shouldn't complain at all because my situation involves choices that have made in my life and I could be saving if I had taken another path but I choose to do this. I just wish I was saving more so when that Paris opportunity arrives I'm ready for it but it is what it is.

Than you have my brother who graduated from Penn State in December with a degree in environmental science that included two minors. Six months later he is still waiting tables at place near my dad's and he thinks the recent national debt bullshit will probably kill his one recent hope because it involves government funding. The sis will be starting at State later this month and was just hit with a 4% tuition increase due to cuts in state funding to the university. The Department of Education already listed Penn State as the most expensive four year public college in the nation.

So where are we going in this country? Polluted water, smoggy skies, falling bridges, less education funding, and unhealthier Americans seems to be the direction. I'm proud Barrack Obama was elected President of the United States, I'm proud I voted for him, and I can say right now I will again. But Obama boasts that we will now have the lowest domestic spending levels since Eisenhower was President yet fails to mention that spending in Afghanistan avoided the knife entirely.

When I heard him say that all I could think was I wonder how the first black President of the United States would have liked living in the Eisenhower era.

Manchester Orchestra - Virgin

Observations from the Window 6.19

Father’s Day is drawing to a close but I need mention my dad tonight. Along with my brother and sister he keeps me sane yet I find it hard to write about him. So much easier to write about my mom but that’s just how it is. He was always the laid back one anyway so he will totally understand.

I know it couldn't have been easy trying to deal with me after my mom passed but yet he always did. As my life spiraled out of control he could have concentrated on the others but he didn't. For that I'll always be grateful because I know for a fact somebody gave him exactly that advice. When I was in rehab he visited every day, never complained, and truth be told snuck me cigarettes now and than. Now that's a dad.

Where my love of art comes from my mom my love of sports comes from my dad. That would seem obvious, and it is, but you have to understand it's as much a part of me as the art is. I can’t imagine my life without either of them. The sports yin to the art yang I suppose. He rarely if ever missed a field hockey game and always had something positive to say afterwards. He has a passion for Philly sports teams and a hatred of New York ones that somehow got genetically transferred to me. Sometimes it creates problems at the bar but that’s just how it is.

Because of my dad I can easily spend a day watching the bobber on the end of a fishing line and not care if I catch a thing. Because of him I like roller coasters, fast cars, and movies that go boom. I can change Foxy's oil on my own, discuss obscure 80's metal bands, and make the perfect burger.

Because of him I'm still around to write this.

Happy Father’s Day dad.

Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road

Observations from the Window 4.1

It seems I’ve been downer blogging lately so in attempt to purge it from my mind I'm going to tell you some things I like. Things that make me feel good. Just things that go a long way towards making my life worth living.

Pancakes covered in syrup and fresh strawberries, steak, big greasy cheese and jalapeño covered hamburgers. Real Philly cheesesteaks, and not the damn chicken ones. My own chili, both the red and the white versions. Ice cold Corona with lime, tequila on ice, and hot Sidamo coffee. French fries covered with Old Bay seasoning or covered with chili and cheese. Seafood burritos or breakfast pizza on the boardwalk. Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream.

I adore my family and friends, all my friends, in both my real life and my 'second' life. All the people I have met online, so many and all of them such awesome peeps. When either the kid or the sis call me just to say hi and watching a Phillies games with my dad. An intelligent conversation and even more than that I like an intelligent argument. Taking very hot steamy bubble baths with candles lit, wine, and jazz playing. Yes I said jazz; you have a problem with that? Anderson Cooper.

I love the feeling I get when i finish a painting or go through a hundred shots to find that one photo that makes me smile. The look on somebody's face when they see something I did and I know they like it. The feel of my Nikon in my hand and the smell of a new canvas. Losing hours in a museum or gallery just sitting and looking at a painting and taking in every little bit of it. Van Gogh. Moma. The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Sports, both playing and watching. The Phillies, Flyers, Eagles, and always Penn State. Running or just walking on the beach, ice skating. Stone Harbor, Fred's, and spending time doing nothing at the beach house. Waking up on the deck under the stars and hearing the waves crash on the beach. Beaver Stadium on a cool fall night, white out nights, and driving much faster than I should. Waxing Foxy.

Waxing Foxy ....

Sometimes life is good.

Finger Eleven - Whatever Doesn't Kill Me

Observations 3.26

"A Robin!"

And with that simple two word text from my sister I realised that, weather or not, it really is spring and it's time to start feeling like it. Been through some warm days, watched a Phillies game, and even sat on the roof but I just didn't feel like winter was ever going to let go until I got that message today. The knowledge that somewhere in my world, anywhere in it, there was a robin that had returned from wherever it is that robins go on hiatus was enough. Yes Katie there will be a spring, you just may have to wait the slightest bit longer.

I have some major events to coming up so I really wish it would warm up and let me get in a warm weather mood. The 2nd of April is the first day of trout season in southeastern Pennsylvania and there is talk of all four of us going out together for the first time in years. For now that is dependent on the weather because I refuse to wear a winter coat to fish for trout. I was never one for ice fishing and I'm not about to start now. Than in mid-May the local minor league baseball team is honoring my sister's field hockey team for their district championship. The beginning of June brings the sis' high school graduation and rumor has it a pig roast to celebrate. I better get Foxy's oil changed because it seems I have a lot of driving to do.

So yes I'm ready for spring's warmth and with it family, fishing, sports, roast pork, and driving with the top down. What more could I ask for? I'm thinking cold beer.

And finally, before all the others ....

Observations from the Bar 3.17, March Madness

Yes you read the header correctly, from the bar on a Thursday afternoon. So don't ask, just enjoy the green beer.

See my own version of 'March Madness' began today to coincide with the normal version. Penn State is playing Temple in Tucson, Arizona in what is the PSU men's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2001. Why two Pennsylvania teams aren't just playing in the East regional in DC is beyond me but I’m sure there has to be a good reason, airline lobbyist’s maybe. My only problem with this game is how far do I take PSU in my bracket picks? As I write this things are looking good, I'll update with a final score later.

Than Saturday morning the Penn State Lady Lions will make their first NCAA tournament appearance in six years when they play Dayton at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park. Penn State is hosting the first two rounds of the East Regional with the final rounds in Philadelphia. The added beauty of this is that I just found out last night that thanks to my brother I will be at the game.

I should add here that I'm more than a little pissed at Basketball Fan in Chief Barrack Obama who picked brackets for both the NCAA men's and women's tournaments. Two PSU teams to pick from and he only picks one total win. One? And they say the man knows basketball.

Next up are my Phillies. With a lineup of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels the Phillies have arguably the best starting rotation in the history of baseball. They open their season April 1st at home against Houston and no I don't have a ticket, not yet. Honestly I'm not sure I like the idea of the most promising Phillies season ever opening on April Fools' Day.

Finally there are the Flyers. At one point they had the best record in the NHL but now they are in a fight just to finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Every year they go into a funk at some point and I’m more than a little worried that they picked the wrong time this year. The Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 13th.

So my March Madness began today at 2PM with green beer and basketball to be followed by the big road trip to Penn State Saturday. Than it's home after the game for Foxy's soft top and all will be right with the world, for now.

Happy State Patty's Day everybody! I love this time of year ....

AC/DC - Thunderstruck

17:50 update - So maybe President Obama knows more about basketball than I was willing to admit. Penn State fell to Temple 66-64 on a desperation shot with 0.4 seconds left in the game. Talor Battle finishes his carrer as Penn State's all time leading scorer and only the third NCAA Division I player ever to total 2,000 points, 600 rebounds and 500 assists.
Been trying to drown my sorrows in green beer but I'm finding it very hard with a damn giant leprechaun in the bar. I'm going to see if a big juicy bacon cheeseburger helps, one smothered in onions, and maybe some peppers too.

From GoPSUSports.com - Battle Tested Lions Leave Everything on the Floor at NCAA Tournament

Observations from the Window 3.16, Spring

With the clocks changed and less than a week till the first day of spring I seem to be getting that feeling that this winter from hell will in fact end this year. This will be my second spring in the Village and I think I might do better this time around, I’m hoping I do anyway. I know last year it was as much a sad time as happy one because I missed my spring in the mountains but those mountains are farther in the past now, another time. I’m not so sure I believe that but it helps some to say it. So now that I did a good job of reminding myself of the mountains let me see what spring brings.

Tax day. Tax day is enough to make me want to drink and it's a good thing because St. Patties Day is Thursday. Green beer, green Corona with lime, green Mexican beer on an Irish Catholic Saint's day, that just makes my head spin. So maybe we should skip to Easter. If I see a pink bunny walking down Bleeker Street I know I have had too much to drink. This paragraph is just sad but its how my mind seems to work sometimes.

Sorry, I was off on a drinking tangent there, let me get back to thoughts of spring. The little buds I see on the trees below me along the street. Those first flowers blooming in the sunshine, a little known secret being that I love flowers, fresh cut flowers. Flowers, candles, a bottle of wine, and a nice warm bath do the trick every time. Grilling hamburgers on the roof, watching the sunset, and drinking cold beer as the last light falls into the river is another one that works. Oh it's just hopeless; all my thoughts of spring seem to lead to alcohol.

Yet with spring two things non-alcoholic are certain. It's time to take Foxy out on the road again this weekend. Time to drive down to my Dad's and get the soft top back on her. And it's time for my seasonal change in musical tastes. Time to lay off the Lady Gaga, nice ass or not, and turn up the Foo Fighters.

Happy spring people ....

Foo Fighters - Rope

Observations from the Window 2.17

It finally happened, the temperature topped out at 62 today and broke that magic barrier. Yes there will be an end to this damn winter and hopefully there will be a real spring too. I thought it called for a celebration of sorts. I knew for a fact that Foxy was ready to take to the road after a month locked up in her garage and only running for five or ten minutes every couple days. I myself was ready to put that top down and take her for a drive around the city but I came upon one small problem that stopped me. In my excited state I somehow forgot that I had the hardtop on and I have no place to store it here so I'm stuck top up till I can drive down to my dad's. I still took her for a run up around Central Park just to get her some non-garage air.

Now I have a question; does anybody know how to get motor oil out of leather? See Foxy needed a quart of oil and with the sun getting lower I wasn't about to take the time to run to the apartment for a funnel so I did without. One should always remember not to squeeze the bottle to hard because it tends to make the oil sport out, in this case all over my arm. Maybe I should just keep the funnel in the trunk with my collection of old boots, tools, and the gods know what else I have in there.

One slight highlight of the drive was this. With Fashion Week winding down a chant was heard as I drove past Lincoln Center. "On to Muscat, on to Muskat" the stylish ones were screaming as they left the building. Well don't believe me if you don't want to, but I know what I heard.

If you happen to own a work by Andy Warhol now seems to be the time to sell because the man is hot. Tuesday night his portrait of Marilyn Monroe, “Nine Multicolored Marilyns (Reversal Series),” sold for $5.09 million at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale. That was followed Wednesday by the sale of a 6 foot by 6 foot red silkscreen self portrait for $17.4 million at the same auction. Also Armand Bartos Fine Arts opened the first ever show devoted to Warhol's soup can works. The show runs for thirty days than the gallery will close its doors forever.

Tomorrow is 'full moon Friday' so I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all good luck. If my horoscope is any indication of how the day will go I think I'll be spending the day down the bunker.

Now dare I checkout the roof?

My Chemical Romance - Sing

22:10 update - yes I dare to roof ....

Observations from the Window 2.11

It was below twenty degrees again last night. I don’t really care how far below twenty it goes, below twenty is cold enough for me. I just sit in the window watching the people walk down the street all bundled up and all looking like smokers who found a way to smoke without cigarettes. Even my vendor has disappeared for now, his spot on the corner replaced by of trash appearing under a melted snow pile which is now frozen into some macabre urban ice sculpture. It all combines to make me dream of spring, something that at times seems farther away every day.

My brain has started a list, a sort of psycho wish list, of things to keep itself warm. So ....

I want it to be warm outside; I'm talking 70 or 80 degrees warm. I want to be able to say I'm hot and not just be looking in the mirror when I say it. I want to hear that I have the house at the shore for my annual week of relaxation or solo debauchery or whatever it is I do there. I want to sit with my feet buried in the sand while I sip on an ice cold Corona and chew on the lime. True, I don't actually sip beer but I like the thought just the same. I want Fred's. I want to drive Foxy with the top down, the stereo blaring, and peeps thinking I must be totally insane. I want to buy sunscreen and not just need it for my face because the snow is too damn bright.

I want to sit on the roof in a tank and shorts and watch the stars all night.

Now that I have probably totally jinxed myself I do have one realistic thought that is warming. Phillies pitchers and catchers report Sunday. Maybe spring isn't that far off after all.

Sheryl Crow - Anything But Down

Observations from the Window 1.20

I have been quiet here lately but not for lack of trying. Seems I have slipped into one of my moods and the more I tried to write my way out of it the more depressing the read became. Just one of those moods I get in where I'm not happy with anything at all, I just hate everything equally. I might have a reason or I might not; it doesn't seem to matter at times like this. With know obvious cause for the melancholy feeling everything becomes the cause and the mood becomes a demon that feeds on itself. I just feel mentally and emotionally drained, tortured, dejected, gloomy .... emo.

One time my mom gave me a carton of eggs and told me to throw them in the kitchen sink to blow off steam. I don’t remember if it helped but I do remember it being fun as hell so I gave that a try yesterday. Made one hell of a mess for me to clean is what it did. Next up I might try slinging paint at canvas while trying not to hit the walls, or maybe sling paint at the walls themselves. Either way it could get interesting.

At times like this my girls always seem to know what's best for me. Last night one suggested I soak in the tub with tunes and a drink. I won’t pass on what else she suggested but it all seemed to help me unwind and get to sleep. Than today the VQ told me to just stay home and do something to relax, like I know how to do something like that. But some wandering the Village, doing some photos, and another soak in the tub have done wonders for my attitude. Ash also came up with the idea of making a run home to recharge which I might just do. I'm not about to risk taking Foxy out in this crappy weather again but I just might look bitchy enough to get a pair of seats to myself. I just have to remember to skip the hells this trip.

And so life goes on.

Bob Dylan - Not Dark Yet

Disclaimer - I should admit I lied up above because I don't hate everything equally. Even in my mood I hate that jackass Glenn Beck more.

Observations from the Road 12.31

Literally from the road ....

New Years Eve and I am yet again on the bus but this time going home for Foxy. The garage where I keep her was finally plowed so with nothing better to do I decided to head home now which gives the added benefit of it keeping me out of trouble tonight. It was a totally good idea because the bus is almost empty so I can stretch out over two seats without acting like a bish first.

Anyways the only reason I'm writing this is because the bus has wifi and damnit I'm going to literally post this from the road. Post what? Post sports trivia, women's sports trivia to be more precise. I was reading an article about UConn's women's basketball team losing after 90 straight wins last night and it reminded me of the Penn State women's volleyball team losing after 109 straight wins. Than something suddenly dawned on me and I think I should be calling ESPN.

On April 6, 2008 the Stanford Cardinals women’s basketball team beat the UConn Huskies in the NCAA semifinals. Uconn went on to win 90 straight games before losing to the same Stanford team last night.

On September 15, 2007 the Stanford Cardinals women’s volleyball team beat the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Yale Classic. Penn State went on to win those 109 straight matches only to lose to the same Stanford Cardinals back in September.

There has to be a lesson to be learned in that somewhere but I have no idea what it would be other than damn those Cardinals. You reading this Sports Center?

Now one request. Have a few drinks and play this vid for me around midnight or whenever the hell you see this. If this doesn't make you jump nothing ever will.

KORN - Coming Undone, Acid Remix