Personal

The Art of the deal

What has happened to the art of the deal? We had a yard sale today to get rid of stuff that was clogging our basement and to make some extra cash. We priced most of the big stuff as one would do. Now when I used to go to flea markets and yard sales with my mom and grandfather I use to watch them bargain for most of the things they purchased. Today though not one person tried to bargain down my prices, they would look at or ask the price and walk away. Now I know that I didn’t price my stuff to high but hey I was ready to bargain but nothing…..So my question is what happened to the art of the deal?

Busy busy and more busy and now throw in a trip to Cleavland in a few weeks….

Spent the last few weeks trying to get ready for the winter and my trip to Cleveland (more on that in a bit). For the last few weekends, I have been into work either getting the “Big Cube” cleaned or working converting a few machines from 98 to XP. I have been to NYC a few times. Twice to the new office space and a third to get the tape backup installed on the NYC server. It looks like I will be going to NYC a lot between now and the trip. We are moving the office from mid-town down to the financial district. From the new office suite, we can look right down into the World Trade Centers hole. It will be interesting watching them convert it into the park. I have taken the Path train from Newark to the WTC site now 2 times not a bad way to get into the city. I will miss Penn Station.

Now the trip to Cleveland…

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Labor Day Crab Fest

The day may have been cloudy and windy, but we all had a great time.  The crabs were picked up around 1:30 and the party grill was fired up at 2 and the first 3 crabs escaped from the bushel at 2:15. Those little guys should have stayed in the bushel because my sister-in-law said if you have to catch them then throw them in a pot inside and cook them. So that’s what I did, she and Avery cleaned and ate them right away. I fired up the big pot out side for the rest of them and cooked about 8 dozen crabs in 2 hours. Avery was the record holder…15 crabs cleaned and eaten. She became the teacher to those who had never eaten crabs before. I am very proud. We also had the other normal food, burgers, hot dogs, ribs and salads. The party ended about midnight when the last of the crew headed home and I tried to get most thing cleaned up and put away before I crashed out around 1.

Weekend News

Finished up the LPI 101 class on Saturday and took the test. I think over all there will be a 75% pass rate. If you were relying on just what was covered in the class and didn’t study on your won then you would not have passed.

My parents were in town for Robert Immordino’s 90th birthday party on Sunday. So we took them out for dinner to celebrate Terry’s birthday on Wednesday. Took them to the Blue Claw Crab Shack. Everyone had a good time and the food was excellent.

Robert’s birthday party was good..for a guy who just turned 90 he has the energy of a 60 year old. I hope if I live that long I have the same energy. Saw some cousins I don’t usually get to see. The age difference in the crowd was very even. From 4 to 90 with a lot of ages in between.

On the Labor Day party front got a bushel of #1 crabs ordered for Sunday. mmmmm…crabs

Back to work from a decent Vacation

Well after a good week in Bath with Avery at my parents it’s back to work and time to get some things done.

The week in Bath was good. I got to see some good friends Lorie Crocker, Sherman Lyke and Andy Bremen. We all got together on Wed night at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art for a nice patio party. A good band was playing and the beer was good as well as the Margaritas from what I was told. Then we went to the Wood-house for some good bar food and some more drinks an conversation. It was good seeing them. I was glad Sherm and I got a little time to talk, it had been too long. I found out a lot of info on some of the people I use to hang out with and what they are doing. It is always good to reconnect with people you use to hang with while in school. It was hard leaving bath this time because I did have a real good time….hey a good bonus about going to bars in NY state is that there is no smoking so I didn’t smell like a big but…

Well back to work…

Picnic week wrap up

After a great sunny day on Thursday, the yard at my aunts took shape and started looking like we were going to have a picnic, Dean and I got the flags up and the tents in place while Avery colored more shirts for the staff all-stars. Fran Bilancio and crew showed up and got to work on their projects…

Friday saw the last of the speakers go into place after a few rebuilds. Music was flowing by lunch. Tim showed up and got the lawn mowed and the property started to really shape up. The Volleyball court got lined and the quouite pits were uncovered and started to dry out. The picnic tables were put into position and the day started to wind down with a great dinner. The last meeting of the games committee followed dinner and then it was time for a good night of sleep.

PICNIC DAY
I woke up to clouds and a lot of humidity and thoughts of the worse. I headed over to the property to start the final preparations for the picnic. Water Balloons had to be filled, the balloons for the grape stomp need to be blown up, the paper for the Watermelon Spitting Contest had to be taped together and rolled up. And the most important was the Beer and Ice had to be picked upped. We got a 1/2 keg and 14 40lbs bags of ice.

Things started right at 1:30 as the first people showed up and things didn’t die down till well into Sunday morning. I will post more on the picnic later.

The Day After
Spent yesterday hanging out with my dad and uncles and just relaxing and taking it easy. My Uncle Fran left last night around 10-11and my parents are leaving this morning….so picnic week 2004 is over……but we did start discussing picnic 2005 throughout the day yesterday….stay tuned…..

Picnic Week – Loyal Supporter

Weather: Still Hot and Humid
I am sitting here listening to a conversation between Dean, Angelica, Clora, Fran, Ira, and myself about the awards for the people who should get them from all 20 years. Who should get an award and what should it be called? Angelica thinks that everyone is a contributor, Clora thinks we shouldn’t have any award for the staff. I think the editors of the last 20 years should get something (and I am not saying that because I was one of them). I also think Dean should get an award for all his hard work. But the conversation is moving to hold off on the award or recognition of all the people who have written articles or helped produce the paper. I have left the meeting about 4 times to get out of the house and when I come back they are on the same topic. Dean feels that, because it’s the 20th Anniversary of the paper we should recognize all those who have contributed because this is a special year and that the people who come to the picnic should leave with the feeling that this is something special and not your daily backyard BBQ. He wants to put the award up there so the person who gets it can feel a great worth of family and special feeling about the picnic……

It seems that people are amazed that I bought 250 t-shirts…My dad’s uncle Bob thinks I should raffle them off because nobody likes to get free stuff. I laugh at that because everybody wants free t-shirts… and others think I went over the top. I am thinking that they should just have a good time and wear the shirt and enjoy the picnic and

Late night calls = Bad News 2

When the phone rings late at night is it ever good news? It hasn’t happened to me in a long time but a few of my friends have had it happen lately. But the times that people have called the house late at night have been to tell me someone is dead or in the hospital. You never get birth announcements in the middle of the night I guess because the proud parents are to tired or they respect the one who are asleep already. Just a thought that popped in my head after I was talking to some friends at work today….

Well the month of July is flying by….

873

So in houner of my birthday a few days ago here is a nice picture of me at the age of 1. I already had that “I am in a mellow mood” look at th age of 1. There are a bunch of new pictures in the gallery of me and my daughter Avery. I have been trying to get a box of pictures scanned so I can move to the boxes of pictures that my parents brought up from my grandmoms house when they were clearing it out.

Spent the last 2 weeks working on a Power Point presentation for work. The total slides came to 172 that comes out to 2.8 slides a min for a 1 hour presentation. But the guys who presented it did it with 2 min to spare so I am happy about that. If we get the job then we will all be happy. I real don’t like doing these Power Point things this one took up way to much time and me away from my family.

Talking about family most of mine are at the Jersey shore this week. Fran and family showed up from Michigan on Sat. They will all be heading to Lawrenceville on Sat to help get ready for the La Vigna picnic which is in 9 days. It should be a good time. Dean is almost done with the calender. We ran a copy off to see how it is and found some room for improvement. The CD rom of all the issues of the paper is all done and just needs to be burned multiple times. The T-shirts are done and look great. I will try to get a picture of them to put up on the sight…..

Wow hard to believe that my birthday has passed and I am now 37 years old. I don’t have a problem with getting old unlike my Cousin John who’s birthday is today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!!!! I just see it as a passage to a better time. I am working on having more fun and not letting work bother me so much…hasn’t been working really well lately with an XP roll-out hanging over my head and the whole PowerPoint thing that took 2 weeks.

Well, that’s it for now…..

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A little Queen this morning got the day going… 🙂

Oh, you’re the best friend
That I ever had
I’ve been with you such a long time
You’re my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
(ooh) oh, you’re my best friend

Ooh, you make me live

It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere….

Wow….that is all I can really say. I haven’t been to a Jimmy Buffett concert before and it’s an event that is very close to a Grateful Dead show. I was finally able to get tickets this year and made a surprise gift for my wife and daughter at Easter. Well, last night was the night and we all had a blast. We hit the road around 4 pm after work and were in Camden by 4:45. We were late, the party had started already. The main parking lots were packed with Parrot-heads and they were partying.

We saw and smelled tons of good food and heard a lot of blenders running and making what I hope were some great margaritas. We had a great time just watching people. There is really no real difference between a deadhead and a parrot-head except that a deadhead is a little less groomed than your normal parrot-head. No smellies at a Jimmy show…

We got in line about a half-hour before the gates opened and made some quick friends in line and had some good conversation. It’s interesting how much more attention you get when you bring your 11-year-old daughter with you, all the woman in line keep an eye on here and make sure she doesn’t disappear. The gates opened around 7 pm and the mad rush of all the lawn seat people started. Compare it to the running of the bulls. We lost a lot of the people we were talking to in line and ended up about midway up the hill dead center of the stage. We were surrounded by true parrot-heads. We had a blast watching them..they know how to party…

The show kicked off about 8:20 with Jimmy coming out solo and doing a few songs then the Coral Refers hit the stage with him and the party kicked into high gear. He took a very short break at 9:30 and then came out and played to 11:30.

The highlights of the show music wise for me were, of course, Margaritaville, Fins, and Son of a Sailor, but the big surprise for all of the attending Deadheads was a cover of Scarlet Begonias it made my heart swell and put me on a definite different plane of fun. He finished off the show with a 3 song encore ending with an acoustic version of “Pirate Looks At Forty”.

Overall it was a great show. Avery was disappointed that he didn’t play “Fruitcakes” and I was hoping for “Tin Cup Chalice”, but other than that the show was great. The crowd was excellent and well behaved and in a party mood. The one thing that surprised me was the lack of pot being smoked. There was none at all I didn’t smell any at all. I guess I have been going to too many jam band shows…

As we were walking back to the car my wife and daughter informed me that we have to go next year. So all you parrot-heads see you there next year…..

Here is the setlist:

HOT HOT HOT

Banana Boat Song

01 Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes with the original Coral Reefer Band
02 Great Filling Station Holdup with Mac
03 Pencil Thin Mustache starts with Robert and Ralph joining in and finally the whole band
04 Only Time Will Tell
05 License To Chill
06 Carnival World
07 Son of a Son of a Sailor
08 If The Phone Doesn’t Ring It’s Me
09 Brown Eyed Girl
10 Volcano
11 Why Don’t We Get Drunk Purple Rain psychedelic style
12 Hey Good Looking
13 One Particular Harbour

Intermission

14 Smart Woman (In a Real Short Skirt)
15 The Pascagoula Run
16 Jamaica Mistaica
17 Come Monday
18 Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit
19 Jolly Mon
20 It’s Five O’clock Somewhere
21 Cheeseburger in Paradise
22 Coast of Carolina
23 Cuban Crime of Passion
24 Southern Cross
25 Scarlet Begonias
26 Margaritaville

First Encore:
27 Fins
28 We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About

Band Intros

Second Encore:
29 A Pirate Looks at Forty