SWEATER NITE 28 Pronunciamiento

 All the birds that were singing

Have flown except you alone (Hunter-Garcia

Welcome back to the once a year visitors to this blog , feel free to review the past 12 months of commentary or even go back 20 years on a rainy day........this coming Friday ....January 16th.....marks the 20th anniversary of the Sweater Nite Blog......i can't wait until the martians take over earth in a hundred years and stumble across this Blog....boy will they be impressed by my Dog Matteau.....his writing style, his wisdom and of course his Witt.......he is a very impressive dog...and opinionated too.

This past year we were happy to award 4 Sweaters to alumni that have gone above and beyond when it comes to supporting Sweater Nite, their stalwart efforts did not go unnoticed.....and the recipients were in alphabetical order:

Steve Collins , Roy D, Steve O'Dowd and Kevin Woods........slainte', well done.

We also saw the continued tradition of two very popular Monmouth County events....the annual pilgrimage to Monmouth Park by the PC's faithful , and all the local Bayridge expatriates ; on  a beautiful Saturday afternoon........and the polar opposite.......the outdoor gathering on a frozen tundra for a December Keg Party and the yearly trouncing of Navy over Army.

Now, i am usually in favor of Capital Punishment , but even I must admit that housing Nicholas Maduro and his misses in the Sunset Park detention center ( A mere stones throw from our old apartment above Napper Tandy's)  is both cruel and unusual.

speaking of stupid.....i hope the virtue signaling twit in Minnesota is happy now....she was soo cool and brash before getting shot in the head......dropped her kid off at school and then raced across town to harass and obstruct an ICE operation....stupid move Karen.....but then she ignored orders to get out of the car and instead decided to drive away.....not so fast my friend.....and now she's dead.....good riddance .....she put her faith in the politicians that told her for 12 months that ICE was the devil himself....Hitler reincarnated.....she must've believed that the criminal illegal aliens were the victims and that Law Enforcement was the problem., or more likely she was a paid protestor, a useful idiot happy to do the dirty work of George Soros..........oh well....say hi to sleepy floyd for us.

Remember how Maxine (Low IQ) Waters, and Elizabeth Kemosabe Warren lost their minds when DOGE was formed , why would anyone be opposed to the uncovering of govt waste and abuse ?  maybe they had their greedy paws deep into the till and were worried where the investigation would lead....maybe they have their own version of the Minnesota Somalis.....so they demonized Elon Musk and all their Facebook warriors went around firebombing TESLA dealerships..........hmmm pale face thought electric vehicles were going to save planet from scary orange man....guess not.

If you haven't used Google A I mode yet, you should....once a week i ask the following questions. ( yes, i am probably on some sort of watch list)

does 2+3=BEEER ?

which one of Bidens Uncles was eaten by Cannibals ?

Did OJ ever find the real killers ?

it's great, you can ask it "Anything" you want and it has to answer......they haven't blocked me yet.

2026 is going to be an interesting year with more "circle the date" events than we usually see in a decade. From the kickoff of the Milan-Cortino Winter Olympics in February to the FIFA World Cup on our shores in June-July. From the Parade of Tall Ships visiting several US ports and culminating in NY Harbor on the 250th Birthday of this great Nation, to the 28th Iteration of our humble Sweater Nite gathering.

2026 threatens to be the closing of Our Version of the Fillmore East.........the finest Rock & Roll hall this Brooklyn Neighborhood has ever seen, I am of course talking about the Oak Room and the Lief Bar & Grill....how proud we all should be with just how far Mike Gallagher has taken our favorite watering hole and how lucky we are that he has taken such good care of this shrine.

Our Viking predecessors believe in the Journey to Valhalla....a sacred reward for the chosen.....not just heaven, but a specific destination for elite warriors intended to serve as a divine Army. I believe the carriers of the torch to preserve Liev Eirikson Bar all these years will be chosen by the Valkries and plucked off the battlefield........The Reilly's & Gallaghers have fought the good fight and provided a service to this neighborhood for which we are all in debt.

I am proud and honored to announce that we are indeed returning to 6725 5th Ave for perhaps our last time as the curtain is preparing to drop on this cathedral. For at least one more glorious day we shall belly up to the bar, slake our thirst with delicious beer and step into the ally for a chat or some fresh cold air.

The pregame skate will of course be held at High Noon at PCs , and once we hear the Call to Beeer from the Minarets, we shall parade down 5th ave to the Lief.

40 years ago last June i took the biggest leap of my life......at the age of barely 20  i left my home and family and everything i knew to join the United States Navy........truth be told i was terrified by the fact that my life was not my own.....i was in fact property of the US Government.......4 months later that Govt sent me to deserted tropical island in the center of the Indian Ocean for 1 surreal year........12 straight months without a phone, live TV or realtime contact with the outside world.......i survived it all.....and then i lost my brother.....nothing could have prepared me for that and i would never be the same.....never shocked again.....that was the greatest shock of my life....from that point on i mentally prepared for everyone i knew to die......as soon as i heard someone was sick i began preparing for their death....not morbid......just refusing to be caught off guard ...it was a difficult lesson ....but my self defense system would serve me well....and the next 3 years i barely flinched when sent to the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea,  North Atlantic, Cuba , you name it.....flying around the world in horrific storms, landing in countries fighting civil wars, getting stranded in Africa ...Jamba......90 day drug ops off the coast of venezuala.....6 month cruises...crossing the Atlantic in January, not seeing land for weeks.....crossing the Libyan Line of Death......totally unfazed..........

25 years ago i took a much smaller leap.........i left Brooklyn for good and moved to the open spaces of Monmouth County....closer to family but leaving all my friends......close to the Ocean, close to the racetrack, plenty of golf courses....but i had to commute to the city....and shortly after i arrived i was knocked out of my seat by the impact of a 767 hitting my building......the 2nd biggest shock of my life.....i went into defense mode and mentally shut down.....on my way home i thought about everyone i knew on the street and on the Cops or Fire and i assumed they had all perished..as calls rolled in for the next two weeks i just accepted the horrible news as confirmation.........perhaps spurred on by those events a few more friends came over the Goethals and did enjoy a wonderful 25 year run and i never regretted my time in Little Silver.......great yard, great pets, many parties.

last May i took another leap......this one felt different as i prepared to retire from Wall St after the summer ............but having turned 60 i am also putting up the defense system again, and i am very much aware that as i say goodbye to people....it could be the last time i see them...or the last time they see me..........not morbid....just realistic......i am excited to turn the page and see what lies ahead in the Palmetto state.........these days i sit in my new yard with my faithful companion (Matteau Matteau Matteau) and we  drink cold beer and listen to soothing sounds of the Grateful Dead and the piercing lyrics of Mr. Dylan......i will continue the Blog and hope to be back in time for Sweater Nite......but i know people make plans....and God sometimes has other ideas in mind.....if you can join us this year we would love to see ya, but if not we will understand.....stay safe....stay well.......hope to see you all down the road a spell.

2+3=BEEER

Slainte'

as we were just about to go to press came the heartbreaking news out of Marin County that Bob Weir had passed away at the age of 78. Like so many of us, the Grateful Dead were born in 1965 ; and like so many of Gen X they swam against the current, went against the grain, refused to accept or acknowledge authority or generally give a flying fuck about anything........for Deadheads there was always Jerry.......and there was Bob......very different and distinct roles/parts they both played in the ongoing traveling circus that was the GD....the young, brash, energetic class clown to the stoic Maestro......and it worked .......the music and cult like following has extended for 60 plus years......and although the last bird has flown, we know the music will survive.......Farewell and following seas Bobby Ace, and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for everything.