Uncle Gordy

Bayridge is a strange terrain, with even stranger characters that have adorned her landscape over the years. Decades and probably centuries....... Gordon Contessa was a beauty...a lot of folks probably got their ass kicked by this assassin.....some friends were swindled out of nickels for his drug habbit....and some folks he didn't know were straight out robbed perhaps....but he was good hearted , tough, mental case ......he was one of the toughest toughest guys in Bayridge in his prime..... and not to sound like Sally field , but he really, really liked me.....I always knew I had a friend in Uncle Gordy.....the more Collins broke his balls, the more Gordy liked me.....I found him in liev Erickson Park once and brought him home to live over Napper's for a few weeks...he used to order pay per view movies and swear that they came on tv free....he got locked out once and climbed up the fire scape and banged on Seamus's Window to get in......but I helped him and he never forgot that.....he always told me that he had my back....and that meant something to me.....I haven't seen him in 2 years , but news of his passing makes me sad.....you weren't a great man Gordy....but none of us are....but I loved ya , and I miss you already.

Stark realities...part 99

Don't want to leave this world behind me now,.....don't want to move to the outskirts of town..... don't want to loose the comradery of my neighborhood bar......don't want to leave this world somehow......I have so many things I've yet to do..... places and people I need to see....a thousand sunrises of brand new days.... I pray they're waiting for me......Not sure whats lying around the bend....a little further down the road I guess....don't know what happens when the lights go out, but I pray it's for the best......Never made it to that special place, where dreams and wishes all come true......they say cream and bastards rise to the top , but it's a different path I've chosen for you.......I say my prayers for other people now , can't see the point in wasting your time, I hope someday we all meet again, but in a softer world next time....(w.Stark)

All the LIEFS are brown,and the sky is grey

Well....I may have been California dreaming during the rotisserie draft, but I showed the depths of my GM savvy by dismantling and rebuilding my roster in 2 leagues and rallying to make the playoffs in both.... playoffs? Playoffs ??.....that's right Jim Mora....Wassabi#9 ....and SMALL CHANGE are both going to the playoffs.... Thanks Jay Ajay and other late additions.

Rally round the troops Duff

Jet fans...... football fans.....the entire nation couldn't help but wince in pain at the embarrassing night at the meadowlands that was jets v colts 12/5/16.....the team that brought us the butt fumble and the fake spike....a litany of H.O.F. coaches like Kotite & Hermie Edwards..... the ones that got away like Carrol & Belicheat.....a team that mastered the draft with the picks of Ron Faurot , Blair Thomas, Kyle Brady, Johnny Lam Jones and Johnny Mitchell has sunken to an unimaginable new low.....it's not right.....it's not fair.....they need a boost....a metaphorical shot in the arm.....and I know just the man to do it....your favorite Battalion chief and mine needs to bleed green for j-e-t-s nation....and I know just the gesture....I call on you Mister Duffy to pick up Bryce (even the losers get lucky sometime) Petty in rotisserie football and start him this Sunday....who cares who you are playing ( Wasabi#9 for those keeping score at home) stand for the anthem and stand for the Jets......

Payback

And so 75 years have passed since the dirty yellow Japs executed a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, killing 2400 Americans.... despite all the horseshit that passes for "history" that is being force fed to kids in school... they thought that they had won the war that day.....they thought they had crushed the United States Navy and would enjoy Naval supremecy in the Pacific....they thought they would rain terror on the shipping lanes and soon it would be the Americans that would surrender....they were wrong..... The United States Navy collectively stood up , brushed off and went about the business of making America Great Again......and in the end.....when the yellow menace was forced to their tiny knees to beg for an end to the war...... fittingly it was onboard the USS Missouri that the agreed to an Unconditional surrender.....let's teach that lesson today... instead of apologizing for winning you self loathing miscreant spoonjiah.

A rifle on my shoulder , 6 shooter in my hand.

" Lord I've been all around this world"............and yesterday came a surprise phonecall from the suburbs of Mosul in the sandstorms of Iraq....from my original shipmate on the good destroyer Luce , who will not be named here for privacy protection.....and as we rehashed the olde and made plans for mugs raising in the future, he mentioned that he has been checking out the BLOG.......better than AFRTS.....sweater Nite now brings updates from the taverns to the troops on the Frontline.......as John Lennon would say " we're bigger than Jesus"............. And in the spirit of the military, a great story making the rounds about an American hero....Ray Chavez....he turns 104 tomorrow.....he is the oldest known living Navy survivor from the Pearl harbor attacks....he lives in San Diego and works out on a treadmill every week.....the other gym members raised money to send him to Hawaii for the 75th anniversary observance on tge 7th....he said he's excited to go , but worries that it could be his last time going...and then he laughs....he didn't talk about that day after....he only broke his silence on the 50th Anniversary.... because he thought it was important to talk about....that's an American.....that's a HERO...God Bless Ray Chavez....God Bless our U.S.A.

Everybody's trying.....to get to the BAR

The name of the bar ? The Bar is called Heaven ( d.byrne) It seems you can't even pop into a local watering hole on a Monday afternoon without meeting someone or hearing about someone that is battling cancer......was it always like this ? Or is this just a product of turning 50...... The scary part is the last 3 or 4 friends or acquaintance's that I have learned about have yet to celebrate their 50th Birthday... It's a painful reminder that nobody is guaranteed tomorrow....so if you feel like a drink today....take 2.....if you feel like playing hooky...pick up the phone....work hard so you can afford to play harder.....that's my message to the graduating class of 2017.....also be alert.....we need more lerts...

Now everything's a little upside down

As a matter of fact, the wheels have stopped.whats good is bad, what's bad is good, you'll find out when you reach the top..... you're on the bottom.....B.Dylan. And so as President elect Trump goes about the business of making America Great Again, the left has....well..... The left has lost its fargin mind..... students walking out of class in high school, College Professors turning lessons into bitch and venting sessions.... cancelling mid terms because students are too traumatized to study....nightly protests over the results of a fair election.... demands to eliminate the electoral college system....if the RIGHT had behaved this was after emperor spoonjiah rose to Powe, they would be labeled Racists...( When Obama received 94% of the black vote , that was ok.....when white males voted for Trump they were racist, sexist homophobes.)...... Hillary wasn't even finished destroying the furniture in her election night hotel when the left vowed to fight everything Mr. Trump wanted to do.....sad sacks... crybabies....sore losers......Harry piece of shit Reid said it's not right that white nationalists are celebrating the election while undocumented immigrants are crying in the street....look it up, he really said that.... amazing.......let's form a search party to help them "find" their documents......there is a movement to get Obama to pardon Hillary, so Trump can't throw her in jail..... I mention all this so that it is documented for eternity.....in the year 3013.....when Brian Duffy's great, great, great, great grandson " Jebediah Budvizer Duffy" is studying the blog in his social studies class at Trump University ( to be built on the sprawling developments that were once the isle of Staten Dump)he will have proof of the Insanity that was 2016..........." Hey Moe....where can I get a sweatshirt from Trump University" said Dan Woods from the Beanpost window.

Productive day

I spent election day in the backyard, drinking FOUNDERS all day IPA ..... literally all day..... listening to rock n roll, basking in the high 60's glorious sunshine and quite frankly worrying about the future of this great nation....I feared the Clinton mafia family would steal this election...and the dire ramifications that we would endure.. I questioned where I fit in a land willing to elect this murderous, treacherous criminal...... I talked aloud to my faithful dog Matteau..... thankfully he did not talk back...so I didn't pull a Berkowitz..... I thought a lot about the past....and analyzed where it all went wrong.....we had Dykstra and Mookie.....we traded them both and we got stuck with Juan Samuel....we let STRAW walk in free agency and failed to get anything in return for DOC Gooden....and that my friends is why the 86 Mets never won again........then I woke up and TRUMP was President and Hilary didn't have the decency to address her followers in the Javetts center....she had podesta send them home.

Tuesday, afternoon, I'm just beginning to see, Now I'm on my way, It doesn't matter to me, Chasing the clouds away.......

the votes are in

it's official......i'm drinking on Tuesday........vote...walk dog.....golf....DRINKING during all of the above.....it's probable that al queda or someone equally sinister will be plotting to disrupt the election...a good day to avoid planes, trains and shopping malls.

The big drop is COMEYing

I have been pretty harsh when it comes to judging FBI director James Comey for his handling of crooked hellary and the email non-indictment.....so I was equally surprised when he notified Congress that he was reopening the investigation last Friday ( 11 days before the election)....so as I sat in the yard drinking beer with my dog, I pondered why he would do that.....and then it came to me...if wiki leaks hacked into everyone and anyone on the Democrats team....fm podesta, to brazille to Wasserman-schultz....they probably took a crack at Huma and Weiner Dog...... sooooo....they probably have ALL these "new" emails......and sooooo they are probably gonna drop an email cache anyday now...... Comey knows it....and .he didn't want to be criticized for sitting on the emails in the wake of their disclosure.....he probably figures Assange is gonna release them anyway, let me save face and go public that they exist.....the only question is when are they released and what do they contain ? Could they be the missing exchanges between Hillary and Ambassador Stevens ?.........one last thing.....can you imagine if wiki leaks releases a fake email on Monday....no time to vett , verify or confirm its legit..... Hillary would go apeshit insisting it's a fabrication ( and rightfully so) but seriously....who would believe her at this point? ...... I should have been a villian instead of the GOOD GUY that I am...... I have dastardly ideas aplenty.

Casey Baez

Oh, somewhere in this favored land, the sun is shining bright...a band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light...and somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout.....but there is no joy in Wrigley......The Mighty Baez has struck out.

Ain't no time to hate.... barely time to wait.

So , I saw a Facebook post by Bob Weir last night ...which; in and of itself is pretty weird, but Mr Weir was asking deadheads to still believe in a democracy and to still participate by voting in the next election......and I thought of all the slings and arrows shot at the Dead and their followers over the years by various establishments, authority figures and local politicians for being drug taking vagrants and a blight on polite society....and here in this most uncivil of elections this country has ever seen, was the cofounder of the Grateful Dead trying to restore order and reinforce faith in our transitions of power.....and in reality, the finest examples of our country's values that I have experienced in my time on earth were the years I spent in the NAVY and countless sojourns in the good company of Deadheads at a show.....one common mission.... nobody being judged by the color of their skin , their hometown, their financial status, their religion....never made to feel uneasy for my personal beliefs ( except for when Phil Lesh was insisting that everyone become an organ donor...but I digress)..... I guess the point is that we all have a right to vote, and we should exercise that, encourage our neighbor to do the same and let it be.......a very interesting side bar.....the Deadheads that replied to Bob were 75% anti Hilary for stealing the nomination from Bernie.....not so much anti Trump...... I think a lot of the assumed votes for Hilary will not show up or will vote for Gary Johnson.... we'll see.

I wanna be elected...

So I woke today with that great Alice Cooper song in my head...."I'm your Yankee Doodle Dandy in a gold Rolls Royce....I wanna be selected...... we'll Rock to the rules that I make...I'm gonna be elected".......oh if only a fine upstanding citizen like Mr Alice Cooper was on the ballot........ anyway I digress.....you know I am always on guard against something, always trying to anticipate and prepare for the worst and so I switched hats.... looked at this election from our enemies side.....this has been the ugliest, devisive and unsettling election that I can remember......and no matter the results, a lot of people are going to be more than upset with the result.... despite crooked Hilary and her pandering, she sure as hell isn't going to be quick to accept the results if she looses.....and we know Team Trump will not go quietly into that good night.....there is a real potential for violent protests from both sides.....so how can our enemies exploit that ?? By planting seeds of doubts......power outages, cyber attacks, false reports of voter tampering....it's pretty easy with the knee jerk media to start a tsunami of wildly false reporting....it happens naturally during every disaster.....can you imagine if it's preplanned and well prepared ?........ I just might take off election day and drink beer with my dog and listen to rock n roll......... kind of like every other Tuesday.

Everybody braggin

And drinking that wine , I can tell the Queen of diamonds by the way she shines.... come to daddy on an inside straight, cause I got NO CHANCE of losing this time...........that might be what the witch Hilary and the Donald are thinking to themselves as they wake up in Vegas this morning before the final debate....but someone will indeed lose in a few short weeks......ya know the old Irish folklore and a great many of the doomsday Cults around the world have long prophesized that the Devil is in the women and the anti Christ will take the form of a woman.....perhaps the moral decay of this country the past 50 years has brought us to the point of electing the Antichrist Hilary to end the world...... I would almost welcome that as an alternative to 4 years of watching her dismantle this great republic one step at a time.........as for the Donn.....my advice to him.....is to appeal to the public as the Great Outsider.....the anti establishment.....it may be too late , but he should remind the country that both the Democrats and a large portion of his own party are against him.....he should show himself to be human....make light of his situation and summarize that he must be doing something RIGHT is both corrupt parties are against him.......I skipped the first two....but I plan on watching tonight..... cause I got no chance of losing this time.

And the Nobel prize goes to ?

Bob Dylan..... I could fill a blog with thousands of quotes from his Majesty , but alas I will refrain at this time.... instead I will just rehash one of the simplest, but also one of my favorites....." The Sun ain't yellow....it's chicken "…........... classic Dylan. Anyway I have been silent for far too long on this pos kappernick and his sitting or kneeling during the National Anthem.... what is he protesting ? Racial inequality ? He's right.... The blacks get a disproportionate amount of hand-outs and advancement without merit through affirmative action....it's ironic that NOW after 8 years with a black president he decides to protest....why the anthem ? Because his protest isn't really a protest , but rather a cry for attention because he lost his job as starting QB..he had no problem with the world when he was starting QB , but loose your job to a white man ? Shit...I needs to come up with something to stay in the limelight..let's blame society for all my problems, let's rally the everyday sambo on the street and the black olives movement to my side.......funny that he had no problem cashing those checks from the evil White bastard owners of the 49ers when he was the starter...and the great spoonjiah says he's just exercising his constitutional rights.... nobody was disputing that..but it's a forced demonstration that is impeding on my right to honor and respect my nation.....you want to protest outside city hall everyday ? Go right ahead.....but so can the Ku Klux Klan when they March down main Street...they have the same constitutional rights...does that make it okay spoony ?....... A few months back I called for Mr Comey , the acting head of the FBI to resign......now comes an admission that State Dept Honcho Kennedy....a Hillary underling .....lobbied hard and made special offers to the FBI to declassify Hillary's emails.....I think if you or I were stopped for speeding ( or more likely DUI ) and we offered the policeman something in return for lessening the charge to a busted tail light, we would now be facing bribery charges......but not team Hillary...... comey says there was no product quo pro , but what else do you expect them to say ? Yes, we did it...... again....the word of the accused is not gospel......but we now have a corrupt department of Justice, a corrupt FBI and a corrupt former Secretary of state in cahoots , but we can't accept Trump's low gutter boasts to impress Billy Bush 11 years ago............and the Iranian backed Rebels in Yemen are firing on our Navy.....shhh.....I find humor in everything, but sadly the consequences are becoming to grave to laugh........... except for the story about a guy in Half-moon NY that was high on LSD and broke into his neighbor's house to rescue their Dog from a horrific fire......first be banged on all the neighbors doors....but nobody would help....so he drove his truck through the fence and broke into the house.....he was waiting proudly with the rescued Pooch in his arms when Police arrived.....by now you should have guessed that there was NO FIRE......God I miss taking LSD.

The friendly confines

Way to go TV.....the Cubs hosting two playoff games in the October Sun.... against either the heated rival NY Mets or 100 year foe the GIANTS....NY or California TV audience....this game will draw big ratings no matter what......can't wait,................................. Friday's first pitch 9:15 Eastern . Saturday 8:08 p.m........... ridiculous

the vice presidential debates

so I caught a little piece last night on the evening news about the history of the VP debates, and once again the media portrayed Vice Admiral Stockdale ( Ross Perots' running mate) as a buffoon.......remember Saturday night live mocking him to no end because of his opening remarks at that one debate ...."who am I ? , what am I doing here?".........I thought maybe 24 years later, and 10 + years after his death that they may give him a fair shake....but nope......still the object of mockery ......how much better we all are than him.....that silly little man with the limp.........heres a snippet from his wikpedia page.....just another war hero unmercifully mocked for his sacrifice......he went on to be President of the Naval war College.......received every possible award for his military service and wrote 5 books about his time in a Noth Vietnam prison and the Stockdale idealogy on how to survice an insufferable situation in captivity......a real dope. On 9 September 1965, while flying from USS Oriskany on a mission over North Vietnam, Stockdale ejected from his Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, which had been struck by enemy fire and completely disabled. He parachuted into a small village, where he was severely beaten and taken prisoner. Stockdale was held as a prisoner of war in the Hoa Lo prison (the infamous "Hanoi Hilton") for the next seven and a half years. As the senior Naval officer, he was one of the primary organizers of prisoner resistance. Tortured routinely and denied medical attention for the severely damaged leg he suffered during capture, Stockdale created and enforced a code of conduct for all prisoners which governed torture, secret communications, and behavior. In the summer of 1969, he was locked in leg irons in a bath stall and routinely tortured and beaten. When told by his captors that he was to be paraded in public, Stockdale slit his scalp with a razor to purposely disfigure himself so that his captors could not use him as propaganda. When they covered his head with a hat, he beat himself with a stool until his face was swollen beyond recognition. When Stockdale was discovered with information that could implicate his friends' "black activities", he slit his wrists so they could not torture him into confession. Early in Stockdale's captivity, his wife, Sybil Stockdale, organized The League of American Families of POWs and MIAs, with other wives of servicemen who were in similar circumstances. By 1968, she and her organization, which called for the President and the U.S. Congress to publicly acknowledge the mistreatment of the POWs (something that had never been done despite evidence of gross mistreatment), gained the attention of the American press. Sybil Stockdale personally made these demands known at the Paris Peace Talks. Stockdale was one of eleven prisoners known as the "Alcatraz Gang": George Thomas Coker; George McKnight; Jeremiah Denton; Harry Jenkins; Sam Johnson; James Mulligan; Howard Rutledge; Robert Shumaker; Ronald Storz; and Nels Tanner. These individuals had been leaders of resistance activities while in captivity and thus were separated from other captives and placed in solitary confinement. "Alcatraz" was a special facility in a courtyard behind the North Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, located about one mile away from Hoa Lo Prison. In Alcatraz, each of the prisoners was kept in an individual windowless and concrete cell measuring 3 by 9 feet (0.9 by 2.7 m) with a light bulb kept on around the clock, and they were locked in leg irons each night.[11][12][13][14][15] Of the eleven, Storz died in captivity there in 1970. In a business book by James C. Collins called Good to Great, Collins writes about a conversation he had with Stockdale regarding his coping strategy during his period in the Vietnamese POW camp......I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade. When Collins asked who didn't make it out of Vietnam, Stockdale replied: Oh, that's easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart. Stockdale then added: This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

Driving that train

Tommy Gallagher you better watch your speed.......not a laughing matter....just another attempt on my life by isis and their sympathizers....me and Donnie beisbol narrowly escaped death....again.....sadly Donnie's new cooler bag ( a back to work gift from his gym buddies at retro fitness....things won't be the same without Donnie hanging round the gym all summer getting fit as a fiddle ).....but the cooler bag tipped over and 4 tallboy spilled out onto the platform..... Donnie was inconsolable.....3 unrelated tall boys were found packed in ice in the first black box.... apparently being used as a cooler........ anyway....today marks the 5th full day since the accident and they still have yet to access the lead car, the drivers cab or the 2nd black box.... that's embarrassing and unacceptable....I walked past the station yesterday.....it was quieter than the library.... nothing going on but the rent...... guess I will be riding the Marrakesh express ( path) for a while....

Veto override

So why was the POTUS so adamant about blocking the bill that would allow 9/11 families to sue foreign governments for state sponsored terrorism that kills or injures American citizens ? .....and no....it's not because he fears it puts our troops in jeopardy like he says.....that's downright laughable to suggest he has sleepless nights worrying about our troops.......my guess is that the President who has used 10 times as many drone strikes as any other President..... Drone strikes that have killed many innocent bystanders.... drone strikes that have killed even U.S. citizens that were fighting with ISIS...... maybe POTUS is worrying about his legacy if lawsuits start rolling in for the next 10 years as the families of the people his drone strikes killed start suing the U.S. Government........that could put a damper on his Nobel Peace prize.

Off topic part 2

Knapsacks or backpacks depending on where your from....they are okay.... BUT.....you must carry by the top handle OR at the very least with just one strap over the shoulder.....under no circumstance whatsofuckinever should a grown man put both arms through the straps .......who do you think you are nerd ? James friggin panos ? ......what are meeting your Sherpa guide to go climb Mt Everest ? Stop it immediately........that is all.

The devil's in the women,

And they never can be easy....that's an olde Irish saying...it surely applies to Hillary rotten...... I know I have blogged about this before, but it warrants repeating...ever notice how when she walks onto the stage at a rally or a debate she immediately makes eye contact with an imaginary person in the audience and smiles and waves like she just saw her long lost best friend holding a puppy....it's hard to miss....watch for it next time....it's staged and rehearsed to make her look human , but to anyone paying attention it's more robotic and fake.....watch her point to the crowd and give a wave or a thumbs up.

For every action.....a reaction

Not that I expect the media to ever talk about this , but I wonder just the same. How many people do you think will be shot by police as a indirect result of the Dallas Sniper ? ...........Scott Pelley will never talk about it, but if I were a Police Officer......and society can exhale that I am not.....but if I were....would I approach every traffic stop.....every call for domestic abuse....every 911 response as a possible setup....and that I could be lured I to a trap to be executed by black olives matter ?.....you better believe I would....and I am fairly certain that every cop on the beat in every city has the Dallas and Baton Rouge executions of their brethren in the back of their minds.....

Can't seem to face up to the facts....

I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax ( David Byrne-psycho killer).... Kidding of course.... I am fine....but it's obvious what's happening.....the arabs, those slimy sand Jiggs that have been trying to kill me for the past 30 some odd years.....they must be pissed when they heard the news that I flew home from the coast and they missed their chance to kill me.....and so they really stepped up their game and made it personal......first they bomb a 5k down the shore ( a race I very well could have been running) and now they bomb my train line.....wtf......if O'Hara's on Marin Blvd or Branigans in Red Bank should explode....well you know.......for the record.....in case they hacked into this blog.....I'll be spending my free time as usual in the library or at the orphanage teaching lefties how to throw, write and succeed with their right hands...... Slainte.... .. writing this from the coastline train....takes more than a pipe bomb to stop NJT......only an inch of rain or slippery leaves can grind this machine to a halt.

Lowest level of pond scum

So....it's now clear....that these low life's will attack a small town 5k race that honors the U.S. Marine corps......if you didn't see it....a series of pipe bombs were planted along the route in seaside NJ at the semper Fi run.....I wish these sand Jiggs would just show up once without assault weapons or leaving backpacks and running for their mommies.....be men.... challenge the people that you obviously hate...prove to us how tough you are instead of hiding behind your bombs..... dirtbag coward's....that's all they are.....I wonder if this was a test run before the Tunnel to Towers....let's hope NYC sets attendance records for that race to show we'll never be intimidated.

a-c-t-.....i-o-n.......action, action, ACTION

horrific story out of brentwood long island......two 15 year old girls beaten to death.....apparent gang related incident.....the black lives matter movement immediately mobilized and called for action.....massive demonstrations and a historic march.....they are focusing their anger on two white male police officers in Peoria Illinois who were apparently on a coffee break in dunkin donuts at the time of the attack........film at eleven.

russia revisit

as jim Morrison used to say.....weird scenes inside the gold mine......the curious case of the soviet union.....friend or foe ? well that depends on which way the wind is blowing if you are president spoonjiah, aka barry Hussein & friends....... let's go back to circa 2010 when barry was caught on a hot microphone telling Vladimir putin " I will have greater flexibility in my 2nd term"......I guess Putin was his pal and he was telling me once I no longer have any elections to win, my true colors will shine and I can do whatever I want buddy.........Russia = friend................................................................ During the Presidential debates in 2012.....when Mitt Romney said the greatest threat/concern to U.S. foreign policy was Russia...Obama chuckled and reverted to sophomoric humor and replied (in a televised debate no less) "The 1980's called and they want their foreign policy back" and all the frat boys and teenage girls giggled......the media loved it........Russia = good friend............................................. june 2014.....Russia invades the Ukraine, blocks the shipping lanes and shoots down 2 aircraft.........white house says that's unacceptable behavior and will not be tolerated..........Russia = bad.......................................................... August 2014......when Obama and Kerry declared that Assad must go for crossing the line in the sand and gassing his own people......Obama and Kerry both said they would take assad out with or without a coalition and Russia better not intervene to save their puppet regime........Russia = bad............................................................... summer 2015........Russia starts bombing isis in Syria.....Russia = good. uh-oh wait....Russia is bombing the rebels that we trained in Syria......Russia = not so good................................... Trump praises putin........Russia = evil......................................................................... DNC computers hacked by someone....DNC blames Russia........Russia = evil times 2........................................... DNC & Hillary say Russia is hacking computers to uncover real emails to help trump....Russia = Lucifer....Dwight Gooden says no...Darryl Strawberry is Lucifer.............................................. yesterday.....Kerry and Obama reach a deal with Russia for a ceasefire in Syria ....Russia = BFF.....yaaa Russia. give it a month , the pendelum will swing back. it was heartwarming to see barry in philly yesterday .back on the campaign trail stumping for hillary...sleeves rolled up.....talking like a street hood to his peeps......he's black again and loving it.........

Comey should resign

Breitbart news is reporting that James comey sits on the board of HSBC bank, a huge contributor to the Clinton foundation.....in a world where nothing surprises anymore....this to me is unbelievable....can this be true ? ......they go on to say he earned 6 million in one year at Lockheed Martin..... The same year they began contributing to ? You guessed it....the Clinton foundation.....they then pointed out that James comeys' brother peter is a lawyer.....and his law firm files the taxes for ? Yep.... The Clinton foundation...... anybody still think the Clinton foundation is under a real investigation ? If the top cop in the land is dirty , there is no hope for justice......James comey won't....but he should.....resign.

15 years

so....here we are again....15 years later.....I had a very emotional last 30 days....I got on a plane, I was forced to examine my life and ponder what my impact had been if I were to die on my way home from California...I put the first 36 years of my life under one microscope and the last 15 under a very different lens......because I have lived 2 lives....just like everyone else I suppose....I knew in the first 24 hours that I would never get the old me back, that I would never be allowed to look at life the way I had before....for better or worse, the first 36 years were history and I was on a much different path....despite a quicker temper, less tolerance, heightened feelings of abandonment or betrayal ( real or imaginary doesn't matter in the moment)....despite all that , I think ive done okay......I manage to put on a smile and go about my business most days.....I find amusement in everything to maintain my sanity and I manage to hide my breakdowns/meltdowns etc etc from the general public, my dog Gravey was the only one who saw me at my lowest points, and she helped me smile and laugh again.........I manage to detach myself when talking about that day....I can tell a brief story without really going there in my head....and that's key....because sometimes when I least expect it, someone will want to talk about it and that's never easy.......and sometimes......very rarely.....when I least expect it.....something comes back and I want to talk about it.......so I sit here this morning.......very close to 8:44......and the reading of the names....i'll mute the TV soon......but I think the hardest thing after all these years is guilt......guilt that I was so excited and relieved to escape what felt like certain death.....guilt to feel such an inner happiness as I walked in the door that night despite not knowing how many thousands of people and friends were dead.......it's normal, but it aint fun........for an irish storyteller like myself , this should be my greatest tale.....it should be my go to cocktail hour story...embellishing the details with each telling, but for this greates story ever told , there is no happy ending, no punchline,and I can't tell it..... I am eternally grateful to have survived, but am still haunted by the guilt........if you are reading this....God Bless, stay well.

Deplorable

So.....madam Secretary, hellary rotten Clinton says that half of the Trump supporters belong in the deplorable bucket....you do the math....they are in a dead heat....50/50....so she is saying that 25℅ of the United States citizenry is deplorable....hmm......but like Barry Hussein she says she is a unifier...she wants to be the president for all the people.....but she Finds approximately 80 MILLION of us deplorable.....so we're racist islamaphobes because we are leery , suspicious and fearful of the religion of peace that continues to kill innocent people around the globe.....but she's a progressive because she Finds us deplorable ? Wow.... must be the new math....I wish the liberals would just admit that they hate conservative America and her values, and like their muslin friends, wish to exterminate us.....maybe hellary can be a trend setter........................p.s. the vacation is over.....back to the business of exposing the world to my loyal readers.

Off topic

But I fuckin hate these young fucking dudes who wear grey ,black or whatever colored socks with shorts and sneakers...... I want to kill them , just like 5th grade gym class.....white six or no socks ( if your really stoned) but never ever black or grey.

The long and winding road

Thus begins the Bataan death March across the country on Amtrak..... through the desert we go..... won't be as many pictures and posts on this ride home....I'm exhausted.

All the years combine

And they melt into a dream.(Garcia/hunter)….....today , after all these years; my oldest brother Jay's beautiful daughter Arielle is getting married....I know he'll be looking down at all of us , but I sure wish he could be here in person....we will have laughs , and fun and drinks.....but it would have been twofold if he was here....but that's life , you never know when your time is up , it sounds cliché....but live each day as though it were your last.....the last time I saw him was at my brother Brian's wedding on October 24th 1986....I was home on leave..... I went back to the Navy and did not return until I came back for his funeral....so today we celebrate a beginning for Arielle & Daniel.....with one eye on the future and one on the past.

Rehearsal dinner

Not that I need to rehearse when it comes to drinking.....but I follow the rules..... beautiful restaurant... literally on Zuma Beach.

You can take us out of Brooklyn

But you can't teach a man to fish....or lead a horse to water.....or drink like a fish....yes I'll have another....2 birds are worth more than a few stones...ah...you can never take Brooklyn out of US.

What a beautiful morning.

think I'll go outside a while, and jus smile ( Felix cavaliere )......up at 5:00.....1 mile walk along ocean to diner , nice breakfast..chorizo & avocado w mozzarella omelette..... another walk along pier.....dip in the hotel pool and a few beers before 9:00...ah vacation.... sweet California.

Santa Monica

The Promised Land

I feel like Chuck Berry...who left his home in Norfolk Virginia on a jet to the promised land....and now I'm here..... CALIFORNIA.....the end of the continent....no more land to traverse....the great Pacific Ocean....I walked down the Santa Monica incline and thought of Spencer Tracy and it's a mad mad world....but I didn't find the BIG W.....I sat on the pier and sipped GOLDEN ROAD IPA and looked up the coast to Malibu.... reunited with my darling wife who just flew in from Newark ( and yes , her arms are tired).....had lunch with my Godson and his lovely wife , walked the beach took it all in...my journey is already a success....I remember my niece worrying that I might not make it to the wedding if it was in California, but it was never in doubt.... that's what family is all about.....no hill too high to climb.....no bridge too far....big day tomorrow....The Coliseum, Griffiths Observation, Santa Anita and los dodgers estadium...

Raton

I accidentally deleted the Raton pics FM yesterday.

Well the sun went down in honey

And the moon came up in wine, the Stars were dancing dizzy and the band kept us so busy, we forgot about the time.....yes , there is a Dead lyric for everything

3 days in the saddle, you my body hurt

And I tried to wash off some of that dusty dirt..... I have a newfound appreciation for the lyrics to all those cowboy dirges that mister Weir has been singing all these years....." Clouds so low, the eagles fill the sky.....this rode from Raton into Arizona is vast and unforgiving....you could probably hide here for 100 years and nobody would know....here are a few shots of new Mexico and Arizona.....I walked around Albuquerque and bought a bottle of local wine..... haven't seen any grapes though.... maybe it's cactus juice.

The Ranch store has it all

yer darn tooting it does.....why just look at the sign... whether you need a PLOW or a COFFIN you can get one in Raton, New Mexico.....I even found the White House saloon....sadly it was closed.....no rattlesnakes MN thank God...but this is a scene out of the 1800's or the Gold RUsh days.... thankfully these scenes from Americana remain unchanged.

The road to Acapulco is very hard indeed, and it isn't any better if you haven't any weed.

Well....I'm not quite like the New Riders heading to Acapulco in a pickup truck with Henry at the wheel.....but I did leave Denver at 5:00 a.m. on a greyhound bus headed to Raton, New Mexico to make my connection with the Amtrak Southwest Chief....still very much in awe of this country... I have seen the pictures, but they do not do reality justice.....this is Pikes Peak in Colorado springs.

Things to do in Denver

So day two brought a bus tour to Red Rocks amphitheatre and the foothills of the Rockies..... breathtaking.....ours is a blessed land..... America has so much fertile land and beauty...and I had the best burger of my life in the Chophouse &. Brewery... across FM Coors Field.... bartender told me she worked the Broncos team private party after they won the Super bowl....so I asked if the Avalanche had a team party there after they won the Stanley Cup....she didn't know...she was only 3years old when they won....boy do I feel old....but alas I must be fair to my readers of this blog.....all 3 of you.... although I may have added one or two with this travel journal.....for you new readers.... anything sexist, racist or politically incorrect was written by Valerie or Gravey..... but I digress....the Thorny side to this Denver Rose , and it pains me to admit....but the homeless hobos are loosing their fucking minds with this legal...POTENT marijuana.....every street corner has wackos screaming at the sky, or curled up sleeping in urine or vomit....they can't handle it....the bartender in Grimaldi's tonight (Courtney) told me drug overdoses are skyrocketing and EMS calls to deal with people freaking out are taxing the system beyond its means.......it was very strange to walk down the street and smell really fine weed being smoked practically EVERYWHERE..... can't wait to come back when I'm retired or hit the lotto.

Denver

I always had an inkling to visit Denver....from my teenage years reading Kerouac and on the road....his tales of Larimer Street and the search for Neal Cassadys dad....the railway station, the freight train bums coming from SF or headed to NYC....and then the Grateful Dead establishing a home away from home in the Red Rocks amphitheatre....all the tapes, the stories.....I feared slightly as the train pulled in that this gem in the foothills of the Rockies may not live up to my expectations......no worries.... Denver blew me away....what an amazing city.... according to my Fitbit I logged 29,000 steps.....and I ain't done.....I visited a bar where Kerouac and Cassidy used to hang out...I went to Coors Field, had a bison burger, drank Breckenridge and wynkoop beer... gazed at the Rockie Mountains and took it all in....met some cool people, restored some of my faith in this nation.... overall....a total success...God is Almighty....to see these Mountains reminds you how powerful our Lord is.

Da Curtis

Strange little hotel in downtown Denver, not sure who this lady is on the wall ....Audrey Hepburn maybe ? ...room overlooks the pool bar...nice.

The sun also rises

Interesting evening.....strange occurrences in the pitch black Nebraska sky..... lighting ? Aliens ? Nuclear testing ? Not really sure....two million tiny white lights in the sky too..... could they be stars ? ...... anyway the night refused to pass, it went on for eternity...... finally and thankfully as we rolled into Colorado the sin began to peak over the horizon behind us......it's gonna be a great day.

Hot. As hell

First major bump in the road.... Rolling across Nebraska and my sleeper car seems to have a malfunctioning air conditioner.....it's bloody hot in here..... waiting on a conductor.... drinking wine and sweating bullets.

Sunday afternoon in Chicago

So I had a few hours to kill in the Windy city and I made a bee line to Paddy O'Fegans......had a nice lunch and a few cocktails..... Nice tribute to the military on the wall.....all sorts of photos of local folks in their uniforms or in action.....then I walked along the river , stopped by Old Saint Patrick's cathedral and walked around the Sears Tower.....back on the iron horse now....next stop is Denver.

South Bend

Just like that.....the darkness, gloom and despair of Ohio fades away and the sun drenched fields of Indiana emerge.....a little slice of Americana here......you can almost hear the faint chords jack & Diane in the background.