Gemelli's

On the train, a memory just came flooding back.....I was in Gemelli's with Pat Garry ( Italian restaurant and bar on street level at 4 world trade) .....it was late August 2000.... we were waiting for Rocco who worked a few blocks away....we were taking the subway out to Shea for the Mets v Cardinals game..... anyway we were drinking away and the guy next to us recognized me, it was Mike Buhse , he was with his older brother ( Tommy I think) and they were waiting on their brother Pat ( my friend since kindergarten).....Rocco came in , Pat Buhse came in and now we had s party......rounds of drinks, probably some shots and a lot of catching up before we left.... Good time..... turned out Pat worked for Cantor in tower 1 and lived in Middletown NJ...... I told him I worked for Instinet , also in tower 1 and that I was in the process of moving to Little Silver.....we laughed at the irony and said goodbye, that was the last time I ever saw him......not sure what made me think of that today.

USS Stark

So...29 years ago yesterday the USS Stark was struck by 2 (French made) Exocet missiles fired by our IRAQ allies while on patrol in the Persian Gulf....37 men were killed ....before the sun would set , Saddam had the pilots beheaded for their mistake....OR was it to silence The men and prevent them from telling the World it was not a mistake and that they were carrying out orders ( even then we had our fuckin heads in the sand ) I was in Mayport Florida onboard the USS Luce...we were on deck to replace the Starks battle group in Spring of 88 in the Gulf....we new the Stark well, they were homeported in Mayport just like us.....they used to tie up alongside us while we both were in Port......but I really knew the STARK.......you see when I was leaving Diego Garcia in October of 1986 I got to choose my next duty assignment.....so I was on long distance call with my detailer in Washington DC and I asked for a ship out of Florida.......he said to me " I have 2 ships....a Frigate and a Destroyer....the Luce or the Stark".... now I had only been in the Navy for a year and I didn't know shit from shinola ...so I asked my Senior Chief in the Post Office...PCCS Vernon Uhle..which ship should I take.....he said " take the Destroyer, you'll eat better " .....and so I told the detailer to give me the Destroyer, whichever one that is......he replied " congratulations O'Dowd, your now officially on the Luce".........so by the grace of God, or good luck or whatever I was spared being on that ship that day....I did review the list of the Deceased, and the guy who filled that empty billet that I didn't take was named PC3 Shippe , and he did survive....I saw him in the Base club in 89 before I got out , but I didn't dare ask him what it was like .....I think we bought him and his fellow Stark guys a shot , shook their hands and left them alone......they fought the fires for 24 hours and almost capsized twice.....they had to flood the ship to stay afloat.....I read a book a few years ago called MISSILE INBOUND..... about that attack..... powerful stuff................ anyway.....Rest in Peace lads....fare well and Following Seas.

Anybody Remember hockey ?

Not getting ahead of ourselves, there is a lot of Hockey to play.....but if we are lucky enough to get Tampa Bay and San Jose in finals ( never thought I would ever say that) we could have the fastest NHL final ever......both of these teams FLY......I will enjoy seeing those teams get at it for 6 or 7 games......I believe the Lightning are Destined to win .............what does this have to do with sir spoon of Malaysia, Hellary or THE DON ?

The Shame of Rutgers!

Imagine if you were the parent of one of the graduating seniors this past weekend at Rutgers. Worse still, imagine if you and your 40k in loans were graduating. After 4,5 or 6 years of hard work you were receiving a degree and to help you celebrate, the President of the United States was coming to give the commencement address for the 250th graduating class. What pearls of wisdom would the leader of the free world share ?…............. . Imagine your disappointment when Sir Shine of Malaysia reverted back to a street Nigga y'all.....talking trash about Trump and yukking it up at a level High School Seniors would find immature..... It was nice of outgoing spoon in chief to get on the soap box and preach tolerance to his liberal minions , when he scolded them for not allowing Condeleeza Rice to give the commencement address last year...... I'm sorry...that never happened...sticking up for a black female ain't cool either.... Cool clock Ahmed.

Take the bad with the good

A young autistic boy in Clarksville TN was not allowed to bring his 24 year old sister to his junior prom because she was too old..........the young man wanted to Go to Prom but was afraid of being bullied, so he asked his sister to go with him......he was in tears when school officials refused to allow her in because of her age......I am sure there is well intentioned rule on the books, but this is a case that deserved an exception..... Why is everyone seemingly afraid to exercise common sense and bend the rules ? I weep for this nation.....and I feel awful for this poor kid.....further scarred for life..... Already dealt a bad hand in life and now scarred and humiliated.........poor kid.....should have just asked to use the ladies transgender bathrooms.... They would have rolled out the Red Carpet.

Derby rant 142

I woke on Derby day to SUDDENBREAKINGNEWS from TROJAN NATION that MY MAN SAM, the CREATOR of LANI and other OSCAR NOMINATED works; was down at the bar with WHITMORE drinking shots SHAGAF and DANZING CANDY. Now I'm no EXAGGERATOR when I declare TOM'S READY, nobody will OUTWORK or outdrink MO TOM....so I ordered a pitcher of GUN RUNNERs and a MAJESTO chaser...the barkeeper was pushing a bottle of NYQUIST, but that's just BRODY'S CAUSE not mine I shouted to everyone in the tavern....you see MOR SPIRIT is DESTIN to get nosed by MOHAYMEN at the wire....... . . That's my call.....14-17 exacta........and those two up top with a bottom of the triple being 4, 15,&13. Don't forget to play birthdays, addresses, and anniversaries.....if Nyquist misfires....the payouts will be huge.

I don't understand The World today.

that was the rambling of the great Tom Petty ( not to be confused with the winner of the upcoming 142 Kentucky Derby TOM'S READY)......but Mr. Petty's musings ring true today more than ever. . . Seriously...... What in God's name is going on around here ? . Sundays NY Post ran one of the saddest stories that I have read in a long time....it was an expose about the 9/11 memorials that have sprung up across the country and how a great many of them have been vandalized or fallen into disrepair.... How can this happen.... Many of the memorials were built in 2002-04 with salvaged steel from the Towers, and in 10 plus years we have collectively FORGOTTEN...... Or stopped caring.....those of you that know me and read this blog know that I very seldom speak of my experiences that day , and when I do it's because I was questioned by someone or aided by large consumption of alcohol..... Unfortunately I Can't turn it off.....once I really start to speak about that Day , it stays with me for a long time....the memories flood back and the dreams/nightmares return....I won't go into detail, but I have one horrible dream that follows the same pattern over and over and over..and has haunted me for 15 years......I will share one minor detail.... I was in the NAVY ....I have a great appreciation for those who served....especially the war Vets....can't fathom what that must be like..... I always stop and read plaques on memorials... If some one took the time to erect a statue, placque or memorial of some sort, then I can find the time to read it, contemplate it and say a prayer.... In the two years before September 11th , I worked on the 13th floor of 1 World Trade.....I often walked through Battery Park City and around Castle Clinton..... There are 25 foot high slabs of Granite with thousands of names carved on them, listed by Branch of Service and memorialising NYC war Dead through WWI and WWII..... I always stopped and picked out a name or two and talked directly to their spirit , and thanked them. ( I unequivocally believe the spirits are with us , how else would Tyree catch that ball)......after the Towers fell, and another hour later the asbestos fog dissipated and I could see.....I found myself amongst those slabs of concrete with Kevin Monahan.... We climbed a fence and jumped onto a Coast Guard tugboat that took us to Ellis Island ( that's a story in it self) , but as I boarded that tugboat I turned and looked at the memorials, I felt relief for the first time and thanked the spirits and I got choked up as I thought to myself.... "I'm NOT gonna die today " , I'm not going to have my name carved in stone for this day............ How awful a society we must be if we can't protect and maintain our own memorials.