A Late Lunch and A Great Sunset Last Night

Monkey and I headed up to (or down to if you are a local) Port Jefferson to meet up with Norah and have a bit of a late afternoon lunch. The weather was truly surreal with the low wind and strong sun. Everything in the village of Port Jefferson was hopping. Port Jefferson represents a flipside to my hometown of Patchogue, NY.

First, geographically Patchogue is located on the South Shore of LI and Port Jefferson is nearly directly north located on the North Shore of LI. The major body of water bordering Patchogue's harbors is the Great South Bay sporting ferry service to and from Fire Island. The body of water that borders Port Jefferson's harbors is the Long Island Sound. Remarkably, the Long Island Sound even though it is the larger body of water is the calmer body of water. The farther out you head on the north fork of LI the sound starts to pick up as it technically starts to become the Atlantic Ocean. By far the more violent waves are found out on the beaches of the south fork of LI, which no longer have the protection of Fire Island's barrier beaches. Port Jefferson is a major ferry port for commuters heading to Bridgeport, CT. In other words, you can check out the huge ferries load up cars and head north to Bridgeport nearly on the hour.

Other than Patchogue, I tend to prefer North Shore port towns because they seem less pretentious and more quaint. Obviously, this difference is exaggerated when you head out to the south fork where the infamous Hamptons communities reside. Generally speaking, however, you are apt to find a more laid back scene on the north shore. So when Morgan suggested we head "Down Port" (even though that means heading up north) I said, "Cool beans!"

It amazes me how people can live on LI and not love seafood? Monkey is a converted vegetarian, but even he has loved seafood in the past. For myself, you can never see me go too long without craving some delicious seafood, shell fish included. I tend to lump seafood and shell fish together even though shell fish can be freshwater. So what better way to spend a late afternoon than with a stroll along the curvy streets of Port Jefferson, enjoying stimulating conversation (as is most often tha case with Monkey and "Ninu") and having some seafood.

After taking a call from Melissa, I caught up with Monkey who met up with Norah who arrived from Stony Brook where she is currently working on her Ph.D. in (I believe) environmental science. I am so glad Norah is a fellow science buff. I always find I can talk shop (so to speak) with her and not get the Caesar head-cocked-to-the-side expression. Other than Methodical, I really never had peops I could rap science (in particular the natural sciences) with. My crew has such a unique pedigree with materials science, economics, criminal justice, computer science and on and on. But remarkably I was the sole natural science enthusiast until Norah and Monkey started dating.

I enjoy duscussing her research and her teaching experiences because it helps lay to rest my fears that I have lost it a bit when it comes to my past formal studies. Actually, my father had said to me once that with the amount of reading I do (especially the periodicals) I seem to be still living life as though I am a student. While what he said makes sense since I look at myself as a life-long learner, I was really blown away that he even noticed that about me in the first place. My dad tends to have the blinders on to everything except his immediate endeavors, a source of annoyance for some years now.

So we agreed to head on over to the steamer shack (as I call it - the formal name escapes me even though it is a landmark of Port Jefferson) to grab some good eats. Monkey wouldn't have a problem as they serve corn on the cobb and french fries. Monkey is a fan of the double-starch meal. LOL I decided to get a varied entree which included an order of some fried porgies, chicken fingers, three baked clams, french fries and a 24oz glass of Yeungling beer! Yeungling is the oldest American Brewery dating back to 1825 if memory serves. One thing I know is that it is located in the town of Pottsville, PA. When I passed through Pottsville many years ago, it was truly the armpit of American. But boy to those miners brew some great beer! When we ordered it was around 3:30pm and last time I ate was 8:00am, damn right I was starved!

As we sat on the outdoor patio deck with our food, we chatterboxed, ate, drank and enjoyed watching people walk around and the spectacular view of the harbor. I wish I had my camera, shit! But the afternoon was enjoyable nonetheless. By the time Monkey drove my ass home the colors in the sky were breath taking. I quickly ran into the house and grabbed my Nikon and took the shot above. I should have dug out my tripod and used the timed shutter so that the picture would be even more detailed in the low light, but I think you can get the point. Spring is finally coming and not a moment too late. Next thing I look forward to are some thunderstorms, that means warmer air masses will be around. Yes!

SYS

Announcement!

Nothing too earth shattering...

After the past few weeks of fustration over Blogger's comment reliability (or lack thereof) I have transitioned over to HaloScan's commenting solution. I figured I would give it a "wet" run and see how it things go. I am not a fan of Bloggers comments needing an extra window nor am I a fan of getting repeated messages like "Document Contains No Data!" when trying to load comments.

Anyway, I just thought I would let those know what was up in case you guys thought I deleted all of the comments. I'm not that big a prick afterall...

SYS

A Glorious Day That Won't Last Forever

Who knew Mother Nature was such a sultry minx. And a tease as well! Today for LI will be a day of endless sun and rather mild temperatures to peak at near 60 (holy shit, where are my clubs?). Needless to say, I have most windows open in the house to bring in some of this fresh spring air. Although it looks like a neighbor down the street is having their cesspools replaced so I will need to shut the windows soon enough (fuckers!). Why not do it on a cold day when everyone has their windows shut tight. Contractors aren;t always the sharpest tools in the truck.



Yesterday, I finally received my vintage Fantastic Four t-shirt which is the bomb. So I will be styling in a major way today when I head out with Monkey. The World of Tomorrow has an awesome pic of the Fantastic Four, including Thing wearing my t-shirt. I was going to model my shirt but you may not be able to tell Thing and I apart. LOL

Monkey is taking a cruise on the mean streets on his Burly but I wasn't up for a ride. Since I have been doing a lot of sanding, especially overhead, my shoulders and arms are so spent. I'm just not physically up for a ride today. But that doesn't mean I am wasting away in the house all day. After Monkey gets through with his ride we are gonna head out and chill out.



I am a nut when it comes to my dog, Caesar! I whipped out my shirt today to wear and Caesar was all Scooby-Doo like (in other words scared) in the wake of my excitement. (In case you are wondering, I had the groomer trim Caesar's neck hair down a bit to prepare for the spring shed that happens this time of year. Normally his neck looks huge with his usual mane.) To think a Rotty could be such a pussy is beyond me but you would never know if you came knocking on my door. Then the Caesar balls inflate to mammoth proportions leaving most people wishing they had a Taser. What cracks me up the most is when the front door is open with just the storm door closed. My storm door is a solid glass-style door. So when strangers come walking up the sidewalk, the first thing they see is a full view of Caesar barreling towards the door growling and barking. As soon as they enter the house Caesar turns into puppy mode again and thinks he's a lap dog. Yep, that's my guard dog. ;)



This reminds me of Sucker-free Caesar when he was a puppy. I imagine Caesar as a puppy again from time to time. One thing I wouldn't do over again was feed him anything he wanted (I tend to spoil those I love), anytime he wanted it. I know there was a definitive reason Caesar grew to 140+ lbs. Right now after a year of dieting, Caesar is at a lean and mean (yeah, right!) 100 lbs. Now to work on moi. Now that I have been back to lifting rather consistantly I gained 7 lbs. Shit!

SYS

No, Johnnie, No!

Say it ain't so! Johnnie Cochran, made famous nationally for the high profile defense of O.J. Simpson's double murder charge, pioneer for victims of police brutality and civil rights violation, has died from an inoperable brain tumor at age 67.

Damn! Having lost my Mother to cancer at an even younger age (44) I can't help but feel saddened by this. Cancer can be a very dehumanizing way to die, having witnessed it first hand.

Many people probably detest Cochran still for his masterful defense of Simpson, but really the only thing he did was defend his client to the fullest. Something everyone would want from their attorney. I don't think he can be looked at any differently because of that. After all, he has provided needed legal council to many individuals in the L.A. area over the past three decades resulting in historical victories (as well as stoic financial settlements) for his clients.

The law is full of under-the-table dealings and morals tend to get tested on a daily basis within the many avenues of practice. Like those who perform other dirty deeds that need doing nonetheless, Cochran was one of the finest at his craft.

For the full story, follow this link from the L.A. Times.

SYS

A Monday Of Misery

This could also read, "The Wet Blanket They Call Monday."

Being a true slave to sunshine, I feel like utter shit today! Not only do cloudy days have me feeling less than 100% but the rain and rawness in the air has me down as well. So I figured I would extend my usual Friday domestic duty day into this very soggy Monday. In other words that means Laundry and Blogging, since all of my Netflix DVDs went into the mail today and I'm a little burnt out from the finish work upstairs.

So here I sit, GusGus's remix of Depeche's "Only When I Lose Myself" playing a little too loud (perhaps, aw bullshit!), engrossed in the daily news finds I stumble onto. You know, the way I use Firefox tabs I might need more than two monitors to keep up. But until that time comes I will just continue to ware out the left button of my mouse flippin' tabs like the day is long, flippin' tabs like the day is long...

Anyway, I hopped over to Boing Boing because I usually find something offbeat that interests me there. Indeed, I did. Not sure if anyone else has followed the case of Grokster vs. MGM but what caught my attention is that the luckiest man on the face of this earth (in other words Mark Cuban) will be funding the legal battle to save digital content that has ensued. You can take a peek at both Cuban's Weblog as well as the Wired Magazine article for your fill on the case and implications for the future of digital content. One thing I have to agree with is the rather fundamental notion that software doesn't steal content, people use the software to steal the content. I tend to side against the RIAA on many issues regarding digital content. Its not that I don't feel for recording artists but clearly the industry is a different beast from back in the days before the music video. The industry still looks to fuck artists but not as brutally as artists were back in the early days.

Suffice to say that the issue requires a great deal of time to map out and make my particular stance clear. Now is not that time, especially when I have to go switch a load...

SYS

HAPPY HAPPY EASTER!!!

Today will be an awesome day! Dad will be helping me with work on the house followed by some good eats. Three (count 'em 3!!!) World Cup 2006 Qualifying Matches are on FSC this afternoon, double awesome! Yes, the simple things in life thrill me. Everyone have a great Easter Holiday and be safe...

GO HOLLAND!!! They just scored and it hasn't been a minute of play, yes...

SYS

Not Another Friday... Thanks Homies!

As some of you know, the tail end of March is a tough time for me. Lot's of things happen to fall during the month of March. March 16th the eve of St. Patrick's Day is my Mother's birthday, hence her beautiful name Patricia. March 22nd is my ex-fiancee's birthday. March 25th is the day my Mother passed away from cancer. So for me the last half of March can sometimes render me a bit screwed in the head, especially if I find myself alone and left to my own devices to think about the past. Luckily, I had a good start to the day to get up and out of the house.

Bright and early at 8:00am I had my trucks oil and filter changed as well as a new belt installed. The old belt would whine for about fifteen minutes when you would first start the truck but then not make a sound after that. It was doing it for two weeks when I decided to look into it. Sure enough the belt was just beginning to "dry out" a bit. So I opted for a new belt even though my mechanic said I could wait a little longer. Why risk anything happening I thought.

After I got my truck worked on I went to the grocery store to snag some more cleaning supplies as well as get more egg whites because I was running low. Quick stopped by the house to drop the egg whites into the fridge and then off to the gym. Ultimate Fitness Patchogue is a nice improvement to their original location in Medford (the Medford location is being renovated and expanded though) and it is closer to my house. Some of the people who workout their are just knobs. They provide nice entertainment value when there are no chicks to check out as I work through my routine. Not that I like to spend more than an hour at any one time at the gym. I like to do my shit and then bounce! Many people go to the gym as a social outlet so they are there to exercise a bit here and chatterbox a bit there. So they seem like they live at the gym but are not really big at all. Meanwhile, I am the exact opposite. I am in and out, and big.

After the gym I went back home and figured I would finish setting up the new drapes I got for my bedroom upstairs. I'll have to take a picture sometime. The fabric color matches nicely with my bend linens. I know, I am a totally bitch, right? Well fuck you because I like to decorate and make my shit in my crib tight y'all! LOL

Anyway, I get back home and I hear my phone ringing and then my cell ringing Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya?" (awesome track, btw) which means its a crew member! Methodical Man on the line, cool shit! He wanted to hit the Irish Times Pub for their happy hour and this was a good thing. Happy hours on other nights for this wanna-be pub are dead but Friday's seem to be worth the standing tight as pickles looking for your next pint because there is decent eye candy. Friday night I would be occupied at least.

On a whim I gave Monkey a call and he said he was heading to the bike shop to look at some more road bikes. Him and I are avid mountain bikers but he wants to transition to road cycling which is cool. For myself, having spent most of my formative years on road bikes (I liked to do sprints especially, being caught on many occasions racing cars at lights and shit) riding on a road bike doesn't have the same appeal as riding a mountain rig does. Freeriding is the shit as I get high from it for real. So I tagged along as Monkey test road bikes at The Kreb Cycle of Bellport. Monkey decided on a 2004 model Burley based in Oregon and better known for their tandem and recumbent rigs. They entered the market for road cycles last year and are really developing a quality line of products. Monkey's model is built from a steel frame. For those that know a thing about materials science, steel is not only strong but provides the best absorption for road vibration. A very close second would be carbon fiber for dampening road vibrations but the real appeal to carbon fiber frames are the extreme weight reductions that result. Not only will the steel frame (which is still light by road bike standards) be plenty strong but it will allow Monkey to do touring rides, time trails as well as still be strong enough for sprint work. You want a steel frame for sprints because it provides lots of conserved energy as you apply massive torque to the cranks. Aw yeah, baby!

Morgan had to make his way back to his main squeeze's house because she was a bit under the weather. Hopefully it isn't too bad. Later, Methodical and I found ourselves at the Irish Times Pub but immediately we were greeted by insanely loud folk music. Shit! I hate it when you have a dude who can only play in like four chords and insists on covering all sorts of tunes that are truly great because those tunes will not sound great any longer. Oh well. Informed the hostess that we would like a table ALL THE WAY OVER there and things were a bit better volume wise.

Truly I had only planned on hanging out for a few hours because I figured that Mike would have to get an early start the next day. But as we had a bite for dinner and enjoyed pints a lager, the discourse became very intense and I for one was thoroughly engrossed! Eventually, after lingering at the Irish Times we had to change venues because it was becoming increasingly hard to hear one another with the uber-loud music and drunken dribblings being spewed from many of the blokes and bar hookers still hanging around.

So as we rode we were able to pick up the conversation right where we left off and headed to our usual local watering hole The Brickhouse Brewery. Methodical had a craving for their mussels marinara which are pretty fucking great! Being regulars we are always greeted by the staff and management which is cool because they are all pretty much on point and nice people. I'm sure it has something to do with the money we continually drop in the place but I really think it is something more than just making a face. Even if we head in and stay for ten minutes they are still always giving up buy backs and treating us right. So as my buddy dived into the huge plate of mussels, myself dipping my bread in the sauce we continued our discourse. I say discourse because to the two of us it reminded us of a Symposium.

Our conversation seemingly covered all topics and subjects throughout the course of the night. Subjects like bar/tavern business and strategies, healthcare proxies, U.S. Oil consumption, the oil refinery in Texas that blew up, investment opportunities, evolution of Google as a company, relationships, political satire, education reform, CNN, cycling, kinesiology/physiology and the list could go on but I am having a tough time remembering all of them. We had started the evening at 5:30pm and I didn't make it back to my house until a little after 2:00am. It was a great night not due to any sort of bloopers or high comedy, simply intelligent discourse. It will stimulating and refreshing.

And this leads me to extend my many thanks to Monkey and Methodical Man for taking time out of their days to spend it with me and help me get through another tail end of March. You guys are my brothers for real! Bless you.

SYS

What's Up With Blogger's Dashboard???

I was sitting down to write a quick post and noticed something odd. I usually check out the postings on the Blogger Dashboard before I dive in. What made me do a double-take was the fact they were giving away a new version of Blogger on Mother's Day. Then I saw the dates of the posts and they were from May 2004(?)! I've heard of the Monday morning "asleep at the wheel" employee who is still experiencing the effects from the weekend's debauchery, but shit today is only Saturday! The weekend is only halfway over for the majority of us. It would be two-thirds shot to hell if I were a Manhattanite due to the fact as it is widely known that the weekend there starts Thursday night - lucky bastards! Thank Heavens for casual Fridays. So in all likelihood the Blogger employee's Friday night must have been a mind scrambler. Or maybe I am just seeing this and every other Blogger out there who will stumble across the post is now saying to themselves, "What drugs is this guy on?"

H20 is a real bitch, and so addictive...

SYS

Now I Must Say Something About This

AT first when I heard about this case I was hesitant to belt out my opinions having recently dealt with almost the same exact thing with Pop late last year. I was watching the latest edition of Real Time With Bill Maher (great show by the way, screw ABC) and they had discussed the latest developments and the panel offered their opinions along with Bill's witty remarks. This made me think back at how lucky Pop as well as myself were that he, indeed, had a concrete Living Will, Healthcare Proxy and that I had durable power of attorney in case things got a bit out of hand (and for a brief time they did).

I understand on one hand where those in healthcare believe the drive to preserve life is paramount. It is something very special and a gift that should be more appreciated by more people in this country. Bad bedside manners and malpractice cases aside, doctors and nurses seem to get a pretty bum rap at times. I've seen both the good and the bad from being with my ex, who is a practicing nurse. I always thought she was a very special person for the job she does and knew that she was that much better than myself. I'm not squeemish at all and I have the aptitude for the health sciences (I entered Uni as pre-Vet) but I would have trouble day in and day out providing service with a smile so to speak. Melissa could maintain an even keel and get through the day, and that's tough. This is why I have respect for those in healthcare.

I also understand the concept of "quality" of life. Yes, it is important to extend life but at what cost of quality? Is it really a quality life to be kept alive through forced feeding? This isn't a black and white issue at all being that every example and individual circumstance has its share of gray. But speaking from experience with Pop, lord rest his soul, I can see why he wanted to not be kept alive if he was in a state a delirium or dementia. I'm just glad I was in the position to understand his wishes as well as know that they were documented properly.

One thing I thought was really a total bullshit move was the court subpoena. What a gross misuse of the law!?! I know some of you might disagree with me but clearly who is being protected by all of this? The woman's life or the beliefs of interest groups? And what example are we setting for our children who I only hope to heaven will have the understanding and common sense to agree with my own wishes when I become elderly. Of course, after my own experiences I too have everything documented when that day comes. I'm not expecting it anytime soon, though, so don't go breaking out your party hats and noise makers just yet. I suspect I will be left to walk this earth for many, many years to come where I will continue to kick ass and take names!

Speaking of asses, here is a little something for those "interested parties" in Florida who need to pull hard to get their heads out of their asses. If they are listening, use the product below the rid the hemorrhoids that will result from such an anal stretching:



SYS

Hey, it beats watching the spackle dry upstairs.

In my opinion, nothing beats a chick with red drapes and hardwood floors! This shot definitely caught my eye. But what is with the Mt. Kilimanjaro growing out of her *a-hem* pelvis? The inquiring mind that I have had to do a bit of research/snooping and found these shots:

Not the best angle, really, but no Kilimanjaro in sight as far as I can tell. Nice shot, though. I like it when the girls are enthusiastic...

I like this pic. Reminds me of a Celtic Knot. Again, hard to tell of the kilimanjaro or if she is even Irish. She sure could stand to have some Irish in her, though!

This chick might have a mini-Kilimanjaro or Vesuvius (tom-ay-to / tom-ah-to) forming but is still hard to tell. Hard to tell if she is even awake in this picture.


No Kilimanjaro here. She's not lacking in her other attributes, though. This shot reminded me of a contortionist I saw perform down at the south sea port while waiting for the ferry to take my ex-fiancee, her mother, her sister and myself to the Statue Of Liberty.

His name was Laser and I believe he was from Haiti if memory serves. He was able to do many advanced joga movements as well as basically twist himself into unrecognizable knots. The highlight of his performance was his ability to fold himself inside a lexan box that measured 20 inches on all sides. Seeing him stand next to this little cube made many in the crowd skeptical. But sure enough after about a half an hour of twisting and turning to some really good jungle music (a la Dilinger and Speedy J) he did it!

I still laugh when I think back of when I first heard him introduced himself with his very thick Haitian accent as LASER. Got to love NYC!

SYS

Punks step up to get beat down...

I stumbled onto this picture and it made me think of The Cop who was MIA for this past weekends tom foolery. Apparently, homeboy got stuck with crazy overtime working 40 hours out of a possible 48 hours in two days. Now that is hardcore!

In case some of you forgot, The Cop is a member of NYC's finest. He had to basically lock up a group of wanna-be St. Patty's celebrators armed with bats that sort of resembled the monkeys in the above shot on Thursday night and never made it home until Saturday afternoon. Not that far of a stretch in my opinion especially after last call. j/k

I didn't like the fact that he said one of the blokes looked like me, but that is besides the point. 40 hours in a 48 hour period is just fucking sick! It amazes me how the shortage of cops in NYC can be that bad that not only do they take a guy like my friend (who has a hard time refusing the OT) and run his ass ragged, but stoop to hiring convicted fellons?!? True life is the greatest mind fuck of all...

SYS

The Nuts come out at night!

Saturday night brought about more wild high jinks at The Nutty Irishman. On this particular night we had quite a good number of crew members making their way to the lovely town of Bayshore. Those in attendance were Merzy (and his wife Anna), Lil’ Mike, H-Bomb and myself. A couple of people were MIA but more on that later.

Of all the nights I would not bring me camera (or me lucky charms) with me it had to be this one. The crowd and band were all off the hook! Seemingly possessed by the ghosts of street dancers past, shorties and whiter-than-white wanna-bes were rocking the dance circle breakin' their asses off. (I wish they were as good as this bloke in the video, but not nearly!) What I really wanted my camera to catch was when this knob attempted a half-assed back-flip with his ankle crashing right into a sheila’s drink dumping it all over her chest. Instant wet blouse contest with an unwilling contestant! :)

Of course, uniformed gorillas grabbed the knob as well as one of the shorties (no shit this chick was maybe 4’9” tops – but boy was she built for her size) doing some spinning ground moves. I’m glad the chick gave him some attitude for the way he grabbed her, but nonetheless the dance circle was broken up permanently. A few of the more blitzed knobs did manage to call out the word, “ASSHOLE!!!” repeatedly causing said gorilla groper to simply shake his head and frown.

I’ve got to give the “head knod” to H-Bomb for ripping it up on the main floor. My boy simply could not be denied, especially when the DJ started spinning some old school hip-hop mixes. It got so hot on the floor that I had to actually go and coat check my shirt leaving me just wearing my alligator wrestling tee. The band were on point as well. Not too many bands can do covers like Usher's "Yeah" and Alice In Chains' "Would" and have theme sound really good. In previous weeks, all of the bands showcases have been really shitty in their own unique way, but Liquid A have the skills. Definitely check them out at a venue near you!

Members regretfully MIA for the evening were The Cop (and his wife Kristie), Monkey, Norah and McSorley. These guys did miss out on a truly wild night at the Nutter, each having a different tale of woe. Well, Monkey and Norah being the exception! LOL But there will be more wild nights of course...

SYS

Oh no!

Another show that I thought I would not like has got me hooked...

The show is Showtime's Fat Actress! But the reason I am hooked is not because of the star Kirstie Alley. Don't get me wrong, Kirstie has comedy schtick and I loved her in a few of her movies and on the show Cheers especially. But as many of you know, I am a sucker for a chick in glasses. The real reason I have been tuning in to the show is to see the ultra-funny and ultra-shaggable Rachel Harris. Too bad she is no longer Ms. Rachel Harris... :(

I also like the cameos the show has. Even though it is a pseudo-reality comedy type show, the writing reminds me more of Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show I like as well. So for now, I am a new viewer of Fat Actress. Now back to laundry. Ho hum...

SYS

RETRACTION!

A really big shout goes out to my man Geez for catching a mistake I made in my little hommage to Al B. Sure.

Indeed, the actor who starred in New Jack City whom I confused with Al B. Sure was none other than Christopher Williams who debuted on the RnB scene in '87 with his release "CW." If you take a look at these two dudes, you can see that they look remarkably alike:
(l-Al Brown aka Al B. Sure, r-Christopher Williams aka CW)



The two obvious exceptions are the fact that Christopher Williams is way taller than Al B. Sure and the fact that Al B. Sure sports the aforementioned highly chissled unibrow!

My apologies to those fans who might be offended but what can I say. I am turning 30 pretty soon and they say it is all down hill from there...

SYS

Funny What Can be Found on the Web

I stumbled upon this site while looking for funny pictures and stuff. If they need a real spokes dog, Caesar is available! As long as they supply plenty of bitches cause Caesar loves hors doeuvres...

SYS

Going A Bit Old School With This One

I seem to be making up for lost time as this weekend was chock full and I had no time to write anything remotely productive. (Who the hell am I trying to kid, right?)

A needed change of music video is in order and I decided to go a bit old-school and dig up this absolute gem by none other than Al Brown aka Al B. Sure, called Nite & Day.

Now for those of you unfamiliar with Al B. Sure or possibly if you had your head in the sand so to speak during the whole late eighties RnB resurgence known as New Jack Swing, here's a little history.

Al B. Sure achieved so much. From his formative years stompin' the streets of money making Mt. Vernon, NY and polishing his uber-groomed, over dressed, soon to be known as ghetto fabulous look (which remarkably included a perfectly carved pencil-thin uni-brow, leaving hope for all men afflicted with this caveman condition), Al was destined to wear the crown of One Hit Wonder! Where Keith Sweat left off, Al B. Sure certainly picked right up with Nite & Day. If one looks at the video for the title song, all the elements for success are there.

The aggressive grimaces and frowns into the camera as you are lip syncin' to your own studio tweaked and gated falsetto is a striking touch. Makes me wonder what facial expression he would use for a deep, throaty grunt? The use of your own lyrics to choreograph your on camera persona is typical late eighties fair. Notice how he doesn't dare run his fingers through his own hair not risking the self destruction of that perfectly chiseled fade. And lastly, even though his voice fooled most of us, Al B. Sure shows his true street credentials by filming most of this video on roof tops and alleys. I love the way his extreme acid washed duds literally blend him into the brick buildings further making him a virtual sexual chameleon of Mt. Vernon.

All kidding aside, Al B. Sure was certainly popular with the ladies. Nite & Day provided the right music for fellas in their early teens (including moi) for trying to hook up with all the around-the-way chicks in the neighborhood (or the streets, money). In other words, summertime fine cherry picking afternoons! Aw, yeah...

I wonder where Al Brown is today? Well, when your "Best of..." CD still sells for more than $5 there is still the possibility that Al is chilling out on some island somewhere (who needs the streets once you are rich, just ask J. Lo) with bikini clad Halle Berry-looking women all over dancing and serving straw umbrella'd drinks to the smooth sounds of Nite & Day. Let's not forget his unforgettable cameo appearance as white collar member of the notoriously bloody CMB in Mario van Peebles' New Jack City. New Jack Swing, New Jack City, New Jack Hustler. Coincidental connection I think not. Hmmm. '88 was a cool year...

SYS

Now I Am All For Moon Bases...

I stumbled upon this article on Sunday while I was nursing my grogginess. Saving humans and other species from an Earth catastrophe by sending a frozen genome milkshake to the moon? Obviously any measure to save Earth's genome deserves a fair look. But they have been talking about lunar bases for years. While a few countries are currently involved in sniping out prime lunar real estate (is there such a thing?) for bases and research labs, do concerns of future global catastrophes really drive the whole project/cause?

In any event, a safety measure such as this one is still far off with all the money and logistics issues still needing to be ironed out. In the meantime, such catastrophic events could occur and we would be caught with our pants down. I don't really believe this, mind you. But I feel if we are going to seriously consider lunar bases and research facilities we should definitely look at other problems that could potentially benefit from a lunar base project.

I'll admit the notion of a lunar base, research facilities and a human resident population is very interesting to me. I only hope that something like this can actually be funded, created, put to good use and be a place I can visit before I return back to Earth in order to take the big dirt nap.

SYS

On A More Personal Note, Some Great News!

Special thanks to my man Sashka for creating a photo CD of the last few rounds of crew events spanning 2004-2005. So many get togethers and events have taken place and Sashka is always armed with his stealth digi cam to catch all the high jinks. I really must consider investing in a more stealth camera myself. Although, my Coolpix 5400 kicks serious ass it is a bit cumbersome inside of my pocket.

His CD should be arriving shortly and when it does I cannot wait to dive into the ace shots and fond memories of the past year or so. Lord knows I could use the pick me up. Sashka, you are truly Crooklyn's finest!

Peace.

SYS

YES!

Finally. Brooklyn Babies plays! This one's for you, Sashka!

Protons
Electrons
Always
Cause
Explosions

SYS

Hey Mah? Don't laugh!?!

Can't you see he's hungry!!!



Now watching spackle dry is just about as much fun as watching paint dry, so I went on a Usenet tear and stumbled across some pics that made me laugh. It never ceases to amaze me how many people submit funny photos. Some are a bit of a stretch, but every now and then I really get a couple. The more candid, more real life the better.

If only the caption said "Very Good" then the following phrase would make more sense, "A perimeter around the survivors, create!!!"



I thought of the notion of some photographer in the jungle finding this toad starring him square in the face and laughed. Then I realized that in all likely circumstances the photographer found this toad starring at something about to be eaten through a very large telephoto lens. I still think it is an amazing shot. Too bad for the caption, even though it made me think of Yoda.

"Honey, let me know if I hurt you, okay?"



I'm sorry! I couldn't resist. LOL It just goes to show you what is on males' minds all the times. No wonder I like Korn's "A.D.I.D.A.S." so much! This photo actually reminded me of a film photo of a life-sized brass land tortoise sculpture I checked out while at the Omaha Zoo. No shit, the sculpture must be around 800 lbs. That's a lot of tortoise. Actually, we should mock this dude too much because its hard damn work trying to get a good piece of brass (or iron in this case)!

In Jersey, they were right! Let's hope it doesn't go to their heads. Bill Gates (or the "Real G-Unit" as execs at Microsoft affectionately call him) is going gangsta...



When I saw this as a rather small thumbnail shot and I didn't actually see what it really was. When I saw the full size shot I laughed a bit. Reminded me of that scene in "Coffee and Cigarettes" where The Rza and The Gza were sitting at the coffee shop table and "Mutha-f#&@ing" Bill Murray was trying to serve them coffee. Rza, being a holistic medicine guru, was trying to explain to Bill Murray he shouldn't consume so much coffee or smoke cigarettes otherwise his metabolism would be fucked. No, neither Bobby Digi nor the Genius promoted the virtues of sess.

Okay, enough of this idle banter. Let me check on that spackle (aw yeah, not)...

SYS

Fuckheads, you bet!

Couldn't have said this better today myself! It's amazing how a facial expression can convey the exact same thing you may be feeling. I received a voicemail today from my racket club that all appointments after 8pm would be cancelled due to, you guessed it, the fucking snow! Shite!

After volleyball last night I was feeling pretty motivated for another all out war on the court. Since I have been playing walleyball for the past month the cobwebs were non-existent. But others didn't have it so well. It was nice to catch up with everyone and to see what everyone has been up to over the winter off-season. Can't wait for next week as I think I may be on my way to sparking up a friendship that was blossoming last season. I'll admit the timing is a bit off but that has been the theme of my life for the past year or so. But I do see more positive things up ahead en lieu of tragedy. Oh well, we shall see...



SYS

For cryin' out loud more snow!?!

I can't believe we are getting more of this snow nonsense. Yesterday, it was 50 degrees and I thought we were having a heat wave! Winter going out like a lion, indeed. And what a boring day - at least I got more spackling done!

SYS

Rippin' it Up on the Hurry Up!

freestyle...
Straight from the gutter
one thing or another
chicks on the floor
shakin' fly shit that's butter
strollin' through the door
I seen it before
left hand in my pocket
palmin' c-notes galore
I sway through the crowd
under green gel lights
milk shake bumpin' loud
I got my spot locked tight
too bad I took the drive
only red bull tonight...

Okay enough of that shit! I apologize but Mos Def brings it out of me sometimes. Saturday night was a complete blast as usual. We got a late start but it was worth it. Nutty Irishman usually doesn't fill out until around 11:30pm so when Lil' Mike, H-Bomb and I rolled in at 11:00pm it was pretty suite. I could not believe how many shorties were out en masse. But a great ratio is not a new thing for the Nutty Irishman. I was the designated driver so I behaved myself for the most part (boo hoo). It really wasn't that bad because I have made a friend at the bar over the past couple of months and when I told her I wasn't drinking that night she covered all my red bulls and ginger ales, something I simply couldn't refuse.

One drink that I ordered for Lil' Mike was a Red Bull and Skye. They didn't have Skye so I asked for Grey Goose. Well, the shortie that made his drink was looking to pickle homeboy! Saying the drink was strong would be a gross under statement. Not always a problem but the drink tasted horrible. I finished half of the drink for him because he looked like he was going to nurse the same glass for the rest of the night. After that though, I was a good boy.

The band started a little shaky but played some decent covers of U2, A-ha, Dave Matthews, Human League and Metalica. But as always the DJ held it down excellent! Although, a couple tracks from Sean Paul and Faith Evans (even though they seem to be dance staples of the moment) are becoming a bit tiresome. I would love to break out my decks and take over spinning duties for the night, but I am a bit out of practice. Last thing I need on my conscience is a train wreck that totally clears the floor. I've seemed to take the road of Beck and have become totally computer driven. One never knows, though. Down the road I could make an investment (an A-Dat most likely) and start creating mixes again. The night was fun and big props go to Lil' Mike for rippin' it up on the dance floor! And to my man H-Bomb for droppin' like it was too hot on the shorties!

SYS

Brooklyn Babies Won't Play!

For those who noticed, I switched up Brand Nubian for what I thought would be Rza's Brooklyn Babies to give a shout to NickGeez, one of Crooklyn's finest who I have recently made an aquaintance. *Insert Plug Here*If you're in the five boroughs definitely check this dude out on the wheels of steel in March!*End Plug Here*

Low and behold, I hook the code up and this weak shit starts playing. I haven't a clue who the hell the artist is. So I had to do anther swap for CLipse's When The Last Time. This will have to hold me down until Brooklyn Babies code is sorted out over at Musicvideocodes.com.

SYS

Another End of the Week Approaches

I made the mistake of accepting cookies from a web site and now I get spontaneous propogation of little windows whenever I navigate within the web site. It seems the site doesn't function with Mozilla's natural cookie blockers so I got suckered. Not like it is a big deal but at times I forget and when I want to shut down I have like 8 or 9 freekin' Mozillas to close.



Weeks like this one seem to fly by. Not that I have been off the wall busy with running around. Quite the opposite, I have been a bit of a hermit this week. I am continuing to pack away things that aren't of immediate use, organizing odds and ends so that my move isn't so hectic. I picked a good time to start doing this because I have been feeling the itch of spring fever but without the spring weather. So all my energy has been going into the house. Otherwise, I would be tempted to play outside and not do what I should be doing now. I figure the more prep work I do the less I will have to cram in later. This could be all a bunch of mental masturbation, however.

I finally nabbed some photos I meant to format on Sunday but forgot to. My father ended up coming over with a brand new toy, an acoustic guitar. Seems he has been feeling the urge to get back to his years in high school when he used to play in a band. His unannounced visit actually made me miss a call from Melissa whomI haven't heard from in weeks. I have since called her back twice, left two messages so we shall see. All this coupled with my memory fading ever faster (soon I will be like my old man which is too scary to go into right now) I had to tie up loose ends from the past weekend.

I have been on this kick of actually "saving" weird photos and shit my friends pass around. This shot is from my outing at the Nutty Irishman last weekend. I had a blast with H-Bomb and Merz, and what a dynamite ratio that night had. The best it has been in weeks! I just love when women aren't afraid of PDAs, like this one:



Although at times drunk chicks can become camera whores, this group of sheilas were acting out the whole night way before any blokes like myself were looking to do a little point-n-shoot. Cheers to this trio of shags!

RBJ's Snipper Pussy (reminds me of one of Bond's love interests) made me dig through a CD I have full of funny animal photos and videos. I found this cool shot and thought most would appreciate it. I have always been a dog person myself but this cat knows where its at. Hopefully, the kitty didn't put a scratch on that rack:



By the way, what is up with all these James Bond flicks on cable over the past four weeks or so? Is there some kind of anniversary coming up?? Ian Fleming is still alive, right??? It seems whenever I channel surf I can find a James Bond movie on. If its Sean Connery I usually stop a minute and watch. If its Roger Moore I tend to move on. I'm sure I'll figure it out, otherwise I'll forget about it in an hour or two!



SYS