The Wife rocks Guitar Hero II

The Wife rocks Guitar Hero II
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

In her pajamas, The Wife rocks "Carry On My Wayward Son" before bedtime. Solid.

JJ Grey & Mofro

JJ Grey & Mofro
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

Saw a tremendous concert at Irving Plaza last night. JJ Grey & Mofro. Lyras, Damian, Sturcke, The Wife plus others - a great crew, a great show, and great music.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly

Took my father-in-law to a lecture luncheon at the U. Club this afternoon featuring NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. A great speech and Commissioner Kelly deserves a ton of respect. He is the only person to hold the position of Police Commissioner for 2 nonconsecutive tenures and is, to date, the only person to hold every rank in the NYPD. This on top of a career in the Marine Corps (including service in Vietnam) and Commissioner of the Customs Service, among many other impressive posts. He is a true American hero who has devoted his life to public service.

The speech was great and very detailed - he certainly has a command of the relevant statistics. Was impressed to learn how active the NYPD is in assisting combat, and learning from, global terrorism with task forces sent to global hotspots; in the case of the Madrid bombing THAT DAY. I was also particularly impressed by the depth of language experience in the NYPD's counterterrorism group, which makes sense given NYC's multicultural makeup. Commissioner Kelly said that the language skills extend to colloquial "street language" and not just an academic understanding. So much so, the NYPD has been brought in to consult with Federal agencies.

However, he made a point to bring up the disturbing fact that, due to union pressures, starting salaries for new NYPD recruits have been dropped from $40,000 a year, to $25,000 and it is negatively affecting recruiting efforts. This is not good for the long term. He said the Department was examining ways to address this, but this is a pretty discouraging fact. There must be a way for a very grateful New York populace to address this... However...

I left feeling very encouraged about New York City's safety and those charged with defending it.

This picture is from last year's Manhattan College De La Salle dinner dance at the Waldorf when I first met Commissioner Kelly.

Mardi Gras w/ Michalopoulos

Spent a good amount of time this Mardi Gras with the renowned artist James Michalopoulos. he let us use his warehouse to assemble and park The Gypsy Wagon and he & his girlfriend, Reese were ABSURDLY generous with their hospitality. I've always been a fan, but having met him through Bethany & Gano last Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and now - I have an even higher opinion.

As we left him for the last time, he even gave Gano & I a bottle of his New Orleans Rum - an excellent parting gift. Overwhelming generosity to a ridiculous degree... Happy Mardi Gras indeed, James & Reese - we are very grateful.

Lee-vil The Great

Lee-vil The Great
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

Part of my Mardi Gras Costume, courtesy of Bethany, the costume mistress...

Our Mardi Gras float

Our Mardi Gras float
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

Gano & I just finished assembling our Mardi Gras "float" in Michalopoulos' warehouse. It is unbelievable. Can't wait for tomorrow!!! Bethany is at home working costume magic...

Me & Gano

Me & Gano
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

Chevalier de la Louisiane

Chevalier de la Louisiane
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

Gano & Chloe - Mardi Gras

Gano & Chloe - Mardi Gras
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

In Uptown Costume on Magazine Street. Making an impulse purchase...

Mardi Gras time!

Mardi Gras time!
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.

At the Thoth parade.

Mardi Gras Time!

Out of the mouths of babes... I think Chloe says it best... Mardi Gras Time! I have to go to New Orleans on business with Gano, so we have scheduled our trip to include Mardi Gras despite the recent flood of bad news & murders coming out of New Orleans, with 9 people shot yesterday alone.

Don't know what to do about all of the heartbreak coming out of New Orleans, but that's a subject for a later post. Right now, I am extremely giddy to be heading back down there. It's been a very demanding start to the New Year - work is extremely demanding and there have been some hits to some of the people in our inner circle of late. So looking forward to New Orleans to give the boost it always does. After all... Chloe? What time is it?

Valentine's Day Cancelled

Valentine's Day was cancelled due to inclement weather. The storm that hit the Northeast also nailed our plans to attend a dinner dance at the U. Club. However, we made due when The Wife came home (shown above in her Tom Landry hat), sat on the couch, had ham sandwiches for dinner and watched her two favorite TV shows: "Lost" & "Law & Order: SVU." Then I worked very late, into the wee hours... Who says romance is dead?

Anna Nicole, Joan Rivers & Me

I make an appearance on Joan Rivers' blog after sending her lyrics for Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" that I reworked for Anna Nicole Smith. Apparently she enjoyed them...

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9th, 2007
Lines From a Poem for Anna Nicole Smith

My friend Lee has just sent me a poem that he composed in honor of Anna Nicole Smith’s death and I’d like to share my two favorite lines:

“And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a hot, then fat, then hot again candle in the wind”

POSTED BY JOAN AT 8:20 AM

The picture above was from the Summer, when she sent a limo up from Atlantic City to our shore house in Mantoloking, NJ to pick us up, take us to her show at the Tropicana, and then bring us back. A fun night, and this was backstage in her dressing room. God bless her...

NOBB Victorious!

A much-needed victory for the NOBB! We beat Team Meatball in our bocce league on Saturday. They took the first game, we won the second, and then we DOMINATED them in the final game, winning in unheard of decisive fashion 9-0. And they didn't take it very well either - they were extremely angry about it. Charity was the MVP as she made several well-placed shots to win the second and final games. And Bailey was an All-Star delivering us these team shirts. The NOBB is on the move! A force to be reckoned with in the bocce world...

Veni, Vedi, Vici... Bocce.

The Polish Cannon Plays Bocce

Friday night, went to see Galactic by myself at Irving Plaza but bumped into friends. Incredible show. They did a version of Zeppelin's "Kashmir" that was off the charts. You could hear the lyrics in the saxophone. Then met Magoo & Mark out at a few Irish bars.

On Saturday Matt & I trekked out to Union Hall in Brooklyn to play in our competitive bocce league on our team NOBB ("The Nellie Olsen Bocce Bang") that Bailey & Mercedes organized. Played pretty well but not enough to win overall. We lost the first game by a narrow margin, won the second and just barely got edged out in the third and final game. I must say I was most impressed with Mercedes bocce-ing with baby Cole in a sling wrapped around her. Well done. Photos here.

Met Brian R. & JD for dinner at Old Town Bar, followed by a night of dreadful trendy bars. Fun enough, ending in karaoke.

Sunday watched the Super Bowl at the U. Club with Matt & Sean. Started out as a pretty dramatic game, but inevitably the Colts proved too tough. Who cares.

Fall 1993

Got back to the ship and went to shower and get ready for our dinner to celebrate our last night onboard. Went to the pool bar to wait for The Gang and then down to dinner where we saw Henry, our bartender from Fall 1993 - still with the program. God bless him...

Went to the auction / slide show & bid on (and won) a "SAS Reunion Staff" t-shirt and a Semester at Sea charger plate. Apparently I got a good deal as, after the slide show, they did another lot of those items and they went for $200.

Went up to the Faculty Lounge and saw Captain Jeremy and Janet from Seminar at Sea. The lounge got packed and we sat with Zomchek during karaoke. Charity & Teeny did "Wanted Dead or Alive" and then Charity did "These Boots Are Made For Walking" to great applause. Then I closed it down with "Born to be Wild" and got everyone yelling "Semester at Sea!" in a call and response. Great fun.

Went to our cabin and fell asleep watching the ocean out the window...

A fantastic trip. So great to see everyone and we had a blast. Can't wait for the next one. More photos are here, and I have another set from Atlantis here.

Also, Teeny sent pictures which are here, as did Di located here. So great...

Rats!

On the way back to the port, Teeny wanted to run to buy cigarettes, dragging us all along with her. On the walk, a rat ran in front of Deirdre and she screamed. Loudly. Some taxi drivers saw and laughed. At the end of a weird alley, we found a liquor store that sold cigarettes and Kaliks. Everyone started yelling "Kalik, Kalik, Kalik!"

On the return trip, the taxi drivers offered to take photos of us right where the rats were. As we were taking this photo 2 rats squealed and ran out of a dumpster, prompting us all to shout and laugh.

Flying Fish Fountain

Deirdre & Teeny hopped in the fountain for some photos. Security came over but he just laughed...

Charity & a Kalik

among her many talents, The Wife can balance a Kalik beer can on her head. for some time...

Strong Coconuts

We left Bimini Road as the weather cleared and were going to go to The Ocean Club (featured in the most recent Bond film "Casino Royale") but grew indecisive as the Front Desk at Atlantis said we wouldn't be able to get full access. So we (literally) flipped a coin in the lobby which turned up heads, meaning we would stay at Atlantis and go to the beach as the weather had turned nice.

Went to the beach and ordered coladas in coconuts. He said, "Mild, Medium or Strong?" Unanimously, we ordered the Strong. Yes, yes they were...

Water was slightly too cold to swim, although Teeny did. Then, fueled by coconut courage, we returned to the water slides and got a few more runs in before they closed down. Although Charity & Deirdre walked back via a different route over a rope bridge and bumped into Kieran & Cheryl - 2 friends from New York!

Marina Village

Walked by some great yachts on our way to the Marina Village with Di & Kevin. Sat outside at a restaurant called "Bimini Road" at about 1:30. A torrential downpour moved in so we went inside and sat at the bar. Ordered some very good chicken wings with a spicy jerk sauce and a seafood sampler that included a conch salad, crab wraps, and lobster. Drank mojitos while Charity had her normal vodka & soda until Teeny & Deirdre returned from quite the shopping spree.

The Mayan Water Slides

wow... Rode down the water slides. There are 3 different ones including:

1. The "Serpent Slide" - you get on one or two person inflatable tubes and go careening down a tube which ends up going through a plastic tunnel through a shark-filled lagoon so you float by as sharks cruise right next to you.

2. The "Challenger Slides" - two side by side slides with red / green stop / go lights and a timing clock so you can race another person down. I crushed Teeny. P=MV

and then...

3. The "Leap of Faith" - a 60 foot drop STRAIGHT DOWN (pictured) with another run-out through the shark-filled lagoon that kicks you out into a splash pool. I was moving so quickly that I went nearly all the way across the splash pool - so much speed!

Predator Lagoon

We met everyone by the pool and then Charity & I strolled around and checked out the Predator Lagoon. Very cool... Saw sharks (including a hammerhead), rays,and a sawfish. Wild stuff... Atlantis is SPRAWLING! Took a bunch of photos & then went to meet everyone by the slides...

The Atlantis Resort

Woke up early for our only breakfast of the voyage with Teeny outside on the very windy back deck. Met the rest of our gang and took a taxi to the Atlantis Resort.

WOW! An aquatic-themed adult resort... Our dear friend (& Charity's former roommate) Jennifer G. works for the Atlantis, so she arranged free passes for the two of us. (Once they were able to find all the proper forms...)

WOW! It was a FANTASTIC day, with many different fun chapters...

Flying Pirate Hookers

After listening to The Arch, we went up and had lunch on the back deck of the ship. Went back to our cabin & were watching SAS documentaries on TV until we decided to go out and sit by the pool. As we were walking out, we looked at each other and decided, this is silly - we're here, let's go do a few hours of exploring. So we hopped in a taxi [all of which operate on "Bahamas Time" - they (& you) wait until they have a full cab so they maximize their $$$] and headed to town. Glad we did as we wandered all over, checked out the Westin again in the sunshine and then walked into the brightly colored "shopping village" and saw some high-flying trapeze artists practicing. Dressed as pirates. (What???) Which of course prompted Charity to make me laugh repeatedly by quoting "Anchorman" - "Go back to your home on Whore Island. Pirate hooker."

Sat at an outdoor bar for 2-for-$5 Kaliks, some cracked conch and mozarella sticks.

Then returned to the ship to shower for a special reception for loyal SAS alums with John Tymitz and the new SAS President, Les McCabe. Also met the new VP of Development & Alumni Affairs. had a great time, and hung out with Zomchek for a while. Offered to host an alumni reception in New York City, and they excitedly took me up on the offer. Met up with our fellow Fall '93'ers in the Lounge, but everyone was tired, so we called it an early night saying we would all meet up in the morning to head to Atlantis once the ship arrived in Nassau.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Woke up just in time to hear Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu's keynote address. It was very, very moving and addressed the power of the individual to change the world, how we are all "family" and that God is crying at the injustice of the world. He had a HIGHLY joyful and infectious laugh. A real treat and a joy to listen to.

"Beach Party"!

Got up early to go to our "Beach Party" in Freeport. It was frigid. Very, very cold. But we wouldn't be denied, so we wrapped ourselves in fleeces and started drinking to stave off the boredom. A lot of credit should be given to the DJ (despite his playing the same miserable CD over and over) because he tried to get everyone up & into it by playing games like the Egg Toss & Tug of War. Charity's team beat my team in the Tug of War because they had a 350 pound anchor from Alabama who said, "I've been drinking whiskey all day." It was 11:00am.

Saw the strangest t-shirt I've ever seen. "Southern by birth, Coon hunter by the grace of God." So very disturbing...

Got back to the ship and Charity & I did some work for a few hours, then napped. Got up, showered & dressed to head into town. Went to the (beautiful) Westin and the concierge recommended a FANTASTIC restaurant - Iries. INCREDIBLE food. We had baked oysters to start, then I had lobster tail with mashed potatoes w/ red beans in them, perfectly seasoned vegetables and Charity had salmon with a tastefully & lightly done crab sauce & brie. Bottle of red wine & a STUNNING banana chocolate cake dessert finished it perfectly.

Wandered around after dinner & went to the "Prop Club" which reminded me of Amelia Island's "Falcon's Nest" in that manufactured-aviation-resort bar way. Had a couple drinks, watched the Winter X Games on TV and immediately left when the PAINFULLY loud hip-hop started.

Wandered aimlessly and nearly got attacked by a dog as we tried to get out of the grounds. Found our way in to the World's Most Depressing Casino. I hate casinos as a rule, but this was particularly painful. But at least it was tiny. Caught a limo back to the ship for the same price as a taxi cab. Went up to the Faculty Lounge and found Randy Teetz & the Loves. Stayed up WAY too late... All in good fun. Until Charity pulled the "Irish Goodbye." I met a Frenchman named Christophe who worked in the ship's management and who loves Formula 1. Had a great conversation about F1 and he offered to show me around Monaco. Went to get his business card and stumbled into a party in the cabin of the ship's photographer. Good times...

Semester at Sea All-Voyage Reunion

Woke up super early to catch our flight to Ft. Lauderdale to board the MV Explorer for the Semester at Sea All-Voyage Reunion. We were both a little stressed about how much work we had, and I had a sinus infection that made me miss last night's De La Salle dinner, but very excited to get back on the SAS ship. Flight was delayed several hours, but once we got there, all of the excitement and energy hit full force.

Boarded the ship, got to our LOVELY cabin and ran into friends from our Seminar At Sea 2005-2006 and Deirdre, Di & Teeny from Fall 1993. So very great.

As we departed Ft. Lauderdale toward the Bahamas, the ship was rocking HEAVILY. Proved too much for Charity & Di's fiancee Kevin so they went down to bed. I stayed up with Di & Teeny and karaoked in the "Sky Bar" / Faculty Lounge.

Cole Hathaway Heck

Please welcome to the world Cole Hathaway Heck. Cole, proud papa Bailey and mama Mercedes all doing well. Can't wait to meet her.

Patriots blow an 18 point lead

Had 3 friends over for the AFC Championship Pats / Colts game. Crawfish & wings couldn't help either the Saints or the Pats and we now have a Super Bowl that our household doesn't particularly care about. Although it is great to have the first African-American coached Super Bowl...

A Very Special Night

Attended an event for the Wounded Warriors up at Windham Mountain. A great night... Met & hung out for most of the night with Army First Lieutenant Jeffrey Adams & his wife Katie - a delightful couple from Baton Rouge. He is a mechanical engineer at Boeing (and avid video gamer) and she is a "deaner" - a forensic autopsy technician that can do the actual cutting. Apparently she is a brain & burnt body specialist and can filet a cadaver in 45 minutes.

A great night, a great cause and great company. Grant danced up a storm until we had to leave because some in our party were a little too tired from the previous night's frivolity... A few more photos here.

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Jerry Lee rocks "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"

Great Balls of Fire!

The incomparable Jerry Lee Lewis performs "Great Balls of Fire!" at B.B. King's in New York City.

Jerry Lee Lewis!

Took the Moms to see Jerry Lee Lewis at B.B. King's for their Christmas presents. Unbelievable night... Good seats, good food, good company & "The Killer" delivered. Everyone else just plays rock n' roll -- he IS rock n' roll. Will post video of a few songs later - I have never seen anyone play piano like The Killer... A few more photos here.

Saints / Eagles Crawfish Boil

Hosted a crawfish "boil" (read: microwaved crawfish) for the Saints / Eagles playoff game. Great time, had about 20 people over and the Saints pulled it out. Some photos here.

Also, Mr. Tukey posted some photos as well.

Capture the Idiot Vote!

According to the news, New Jersey is thinking of amending its constitution by allowing "idiots" to vote. State Senate President Richard Codey wants to change the constitution to allow the mentally impaired to be able to vote, saying that the term "idiot" is "outdated, vague, offensive to many and may be subject to misinterpretation."

I don't see anything wrong with allowing idiots to vote. They've been doing it for years... Why they've even been able to run & hold office...

[Insert your own Bush Administration joke here.]

Quite frankly... I'm a little surprised New Jersey has the word "idiot" in its constitution... Although... as I consider it further... No. I'm not really that surprised.

Crawfish!!!

The Wife & I made crawpappies for dinner and they were very very good. Frozen & shipped from FreshDirect - they were spiced just right and gave us a little (very welcome) taste of New Orleans... Geaux Saints!

Patriots / Jets

Watched the beloved Patriots crush the accursed Jets @ Professor Thom's with Christian, Matt, Kevin & Mark. Go Pats!

WRIP 97.9

In what has become a New Year's Eve tradition, Guy & I took over the Windham radio station WRIP 97.9 ("WRIP 97.9 -- The Rip, from the Catskills to the Capital Region.") from 1:30 am - 3:00 am. Took a bunch of beers, Grant and Sean and broadcast to America, with Guy letting me run the board and everything. As it was 2 years ago - a tremendous amount of fun. More pictures here.

Guitar Hero II

Guitar Hero II
The Gizmonauts (featuring Grant on drums) rocked Boston & Providence. On to Windham, a sell-out performance every year... Tune in to 97.9 WRIP to hear our New Year's Eve show...

The Mark Twain House

In all of my years, growing up outside of Hartford, we had never visited the Mark Twain House. So this time, at The Wife's urging, we did. It was spectacular. Gorgeous and educational. Had a good tour and learned several facts including that Mark Twain paid the tuition for the first African-American graduate of Yale Law School. Also, when Ulysses S. Grant fell ill with throat cancer, Twain suggested he publish his memoirs which became the bestseller to that point, allowing Twain to present Grant with the largest royalty check to date of $245,000 - thereby saving Grant's family from destitution. More photos here.

Christmas in Connecticut

Opened presents with the Stubbses and then drove up to Connecticut. Had a nice time with the family, a nice dinner, and the Polish traditional "Oplatek" or Christmas wafer.

"I'm going away tonight."

May The Godfather of Soul rest in peace... A true legend, an American musical treasure and an innovator that most contemporary artists owe a great debt - The Hardest Working Man in Show Business has gone away...

Thanks for the music, James...

Merry Christmas

From us to you... Merry Christmas and best wishes for a very Happy New Year.

Impromptu Christmas Party

Had a few friends over for an impromptu Christmas party. Matt & Sean, JD, Bailey, Laurie, Lynne & Mark + fried food from Ziggi'z and lots of Christmas cheer. Then went out with JD karaoke-ing to the wee hours. A very Idol Christmas indeed...

A Chorus Line

Went to see "A Chorus Line" last night with Mr. & Mrs. Stubbs & Grant - their Christmas gift to us. A delightful evening even though I had to miss dinner due to a meeting and Charity thought the show lacked a little "oomph" compared to the version she saw when she was 8. But she still sang along to every song and Grant got extremely excited during the finale. Went to B. Smith's for a post-theater drink and enjoyed their enthusiastic attention and hospitality, with the waiter and manager noting our Playbills and coming to the table singing numbers from the show.

Musical Snobbery

The Wife (aka "Bride of Guzilla" or "Charzilla" in her own right) often accuses me of musical snobbery. While I would love to defend this as merely good-natured wifely ribbing, I have come to accept that a degree of this is true. But it's not entirely my fault. In fact, I maintain that if the bands I chastise or refuse to listen to were better, we wouldn't have this problem.

Musical taste is an intensely personal thing, to be sure. But there is a lot of empirically bad music out there. From the insidiously evil "My Humps" from the offensively manufactured Black Eyed Peas to the whiny collegiate Alt+Rock that people mistake for genius of a Coldplay, bad music seems to prevail.

And that's where the Internets really shine...

Firstly, it is now possible for smaller, lesser known bands to get their music out there and found via Myspace or equivalents, and there is a lot of great music available. Why, just look at Galactic. ("In my correct opinion" - a great band.)

Secondly, it is possible for people sitting in Peoria to now access truly World Music. (See Fela Kuti & Hugh Masekela.) And it becomes possible for similar artists to now get a global following where they had historically been working in obscurity & poverty.

But also, the faceless creative multitudes -- YOU -- awarded Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" can strike back in amusing ways.

Take prototypical "rock band" Nickelback for example... Now I admit getting sucked in to the wild popularity of 2001's omnipresent "How You Remind Me" -- how could you not when it was heard every 46 seconds? But I was not going to be fooled again by this band who took their name from their shared experience of working at a Starbucks and often giving customers change of a "nickel back." (this should have been warning enough) And that is where I applaud whoever the faceless genius was that exposed them for the talentless frauds they are:

By clicking here you can play their 2001 hit out of your left computer speaker, and their more recent hit "Someday" (2003) out of your right speaker. And quickly realize THEY ARE THE SAME SONG. Truly appalling. And I commend this person for illustrating this.

Well done, whoever you are. This is why YOU are Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." And Nickelback is not.

Bring back musical snobbery...

Cheese

My brother Chris sent me this video. Not sure exactly its provenance, but it appears we were at a rest stop. Always a good sign. Everyone likes cheese.

Lee & Grant

The 2 Coolest Guys in the Room
Originally uploaded by LTG.

Lee & Grant... Civil War generals? No, just two brothers-in-law rocking out late night at Stubbs Fest.

Annual Holiday Stubbstravaganza

Annual Holiday Stubbstravaganza
Originally uploaded by LTG.

A very Stubbs Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Boys' Night Out in Windham

Boys' Night Out in Windham
Originally uploaded by LTG.

Matt's Going Away Party

Matt's Going Away Party
Originally uploaded by LTG.

Mr. Stubbs & I drove up to Pathfinder to visit Grant & go to Matt's going-away party. Pizza, soda, cake & a fond farewell as Matt is returning to Seattle...

Dinner with Sallie Ann & Pres

Had dinner with leading New Orleans vodou priestess Sallie Ann Glassman, her boyfriend Pres Kabacoff, her brother and Matt & Sean at Piccolo. A great dinner and great conversation about the fate & future of New Orleans.

HAPPY SINATRA DAY!

Happy Sinatra Day to one and all... Celebrated annually in our household with the holy triumvirate of Italian food, Jack Daniels & the music of The Man himself, we wish many tidings of Frank upon you & your family this year. Ring-a-ding-ding baby...

TONCHAN!

all hail, Chikage "Tonchan" Kuroda was born on December 11, 2006. Mom Hiroko, Dad Renfield and "The God Daughter of The Guzilla" are all doing very well. Check out photos here.

Japanamerica!

Roland & LTG

Hosted the launch party for Roland Kelts' exceptional "Japanamerica" at The Cutting Room in New York City, featuring the music of Gaijin-a-go-go. Truly an epic evening... Photos!