It's not the Thruway, it's the "Sue-way"

Unlike probably alot of people I look forward to the holidays. Living in a city with no family member within a 50 mile radius has it's advantages; you don't get caught up in the family gossip or drama TOO deeply and you definitely have your independance. I don't think I could live farther than driving distance from them though. That in itself gives me a sense of security.
So tonight I'll be on the New York State thruway dealing with tons of traffic and looking forward to the moment I arrive in Porter Corners, NY. Don't blink, you'll miss it.
I must've logged a million miles on the Thruway. When I was young I remember getting stuck in the show once, but I'm not sure where we were. I was stuffed into the backseat of the car with my sister and brother; probably scared out of my mind. I remember a dog taking off once when we let it out to relieve itself. I remember my fathers NUMEROUS road rage incidents. He was infamous for tailgating people, cutting them off and chasing them when they cut HIM off. (yes, all while his 3 young children were in the backseat) How my mother put up with that I'll never know, I would've punched him right in the mouth. He wouldn't get away with that now,..he'd either be in jail or dead. He's lucky the 70's were a kinder, gentler time. He still has road rage moments. I can think of two in the last 4 years that I was around for and was NOT happy about it. The difference is now I don't hide how I feel about him when he does it.
Back to the Thruway. I think I remember the first time I drove on it and how intimidating it was. Now it's like old hat, I just wish my car came with auto-pilot. Maybe some day. Now that they have GPS maybe it will soon be driving itself using it's own directions. Set your destination and you're off.
The most memorable trip home at holiday time was back in 1999 I believe. It was Christmas Eve day. It wasn't snowing but it was a typically cold December day in New York state. I was about 15 minutes into the last leg of my trip to my sisters. Basically it's an old truck route up towards Saratoga after about 2+ hours on the Thruway; cutting through towns like Fonda, Johnstown and Galway. I had just turned onto route 29 a few miles back and was changing my CD when a car came around to pass me. I looked down at what speed I was doing because this car passed me like I wasn't even moving; maybe I had slowed down a bit while I was putting the CD in. Nope, I was going 57. I remember looking when it passed me and seeing this women in her late 30's with brown curly hair driving a green Volkswagon Jetta. I watched her drive away and then noticed..she was passing EVERbody. Not only that but she was passing while cars were coming in the other direction. I didn't have a cell phone back then. All I could do was drive and watch cars going into ditches to avoid hitting her. This woman had a death wish.
I came around a corner, this was the area where I knew there was a dealership that sold things like yard and small farm equipment. Then I saw the smoke,...and things flying in the air. I came up closer and there were cars pulled all over the road. I had to pull off into one of the businesses because there were cars and parts everywhere. The Jetta was in a gully, crumpled and facing the wrong direction. Then I saw the other car; a silver Ford Escort sedan. It was leaned into a ditch facing the eastbound direction. The front of the car was smashed in. The smell was nothing like I had ever experienced before. There was a guy in the car, he was alive but he was a mess. Men were running over to the Jetta. Someone brought a blanket over and covered it up...I knew what that meant; She had succeded.
A woman who lived a few houses down turned out to be an EMT. She had heard the crash and rushed over to help. She was working on the guy in the Escort but he had gone into shock. I wanted to help her but the car was so demolished that I couldn't get into it to sit behind him and hold his head. That smell again. The police, the fire company and ambulances showed up very quickly. The lady in the Jetta's husband or boyfriend arrived, he was so grief-striken they had to help him walk to the squad car. I stood there talking to the people standing around and watching them use the jaws of life to cut that car open like a tin can.
People who were driving near him said that he was going pretty fast and he didn't have time to react when she pulled out to pass someone. She had hit him head-on at a speed of probably 80+ mph. Her car had flipped and landed in that gully, his had spun a couple times and ended up near that ditch. I still look at that spot when ever I go by, I refuse to pass around there.
I left just when they took him away in the ambulance. It was a long ride home.
I can't remember his name but I do remember reading about him a week later, in the obituaries. He was a young race car driver at Fonda Speedway who had recently opened his own repair shop. He wasn't even 20 years old. He died of internal injuries.
You see alot logging all those miles over the years, I hope to never see anything like that again.

You mess with the bull, you get the horns

This weekend ends the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season and WOW, it went by pretty fast. It's been an entertaining season for sure but what's great about it is all the drivers I've cursed have had issues. Some of them pretty major.
Yes, I cursed them. I fully admit it. It's a weird gift I have. Something in my Italian heritage I think. At first, I thought it was just coincidence but the more it happens the more it becomes pretty scary!
It started back in 1992. I was doing some work with a minor league baseball team down in Columbia South Carolina and there was a player who I liked who had become the back-up catcher, his name was Greg Beals. (Picture a blonder, younger Kevin Costner) The starting catcher was a younger guy out of South America somewhere who was pretty good but had a HUGE ego. While I was there I had accepted an opportunity to be the teams mascot which involved wearing this big huge baseball head with mouse ears on it and run around all night in a Mets uniform. Wasn't a bad job if you don't mind sweating and being beat up by little kids.
One night while I was out on the field during player intros doing my usual dancing and finger pointing, said starting catcher swung a bat and hit me in the big-eared head. PURPOSELY. That was it for me. I told Greg the following day before batting practice that I was going to curse the dude. Not 2 minutes later while ego-man was throwing the ball around with another player to warm up, a ball came wizzing by and missed his head by inches. (and it wasn't thrown by me OR Greg) 2 months later him and his ego were shipped to Florida for extended spring training.
Michelle Kwan can thank me for the lack of gold around her neck. She was cute when she was young but she grew into this self-absorbed skater who thought she deserved the title any time she stepped onto the ice. She even had an Olympic encore performance in which she wore a gold skater suit and even the SONG had something to do with gold. Putting the cart before the horse a little bit there, aren't we Ms. Kwan??!
Fast forward to 2001. Myself and a friend of mine are in the NASCAR garage at Watkins Glen. Dale Earnhardt Jr has just emerged from his hauler and is headed to his race car. All the stupid fans in the area become a swarm of bees on him. Rusty Wallace decides that this is the perfect opportunity to make a clean break for his motorcoach. In the process he body checks my friend, even though we're standing WELL out of the way and didn't even stop to apologize. Curse time. Crusty the Clown has had one win since and is retiring at the end of this season.
Jimmy Spencer has the GALL to say that Dale Earnhardt Jr's win at Daytona the first race after his fathers death was rigged. Gotta curse that bullshit. Jimmy hasn't been able to keep a ride since. He even failed to qualify at the Glen race I attended that year.
Kurt Busch decided to treat my favorite driver Scott Riggs like a road cone during the race at Indy this year. Can't tolerate that. This past weekend Kurt was suspended for the remaning two races for a run-in with the cops in Phoenix.
Travis Kvapil jumped into the #77 Kodak car this year after one of the most personable drivers on the circuit, Brendan Gaughan, wasn't even given a chance to succeed after one season with team Penske. Just announced that Penske is disolving said team and Kodak is not returning as a sponsor.
Shane Hmiel is probably pumping gas at a local station somewhere outside Cornelius, NC. I couldn't take any more of him running his mouth and blaming everyone but himself for his stupid wrecks. Suddenly he was suspended by NASCAR for an alleged drug incident. (hint: snifffffffffffffffffffffff) Good riddance punk ass!
Elliott Sadler was a clean cut, attractive and nice guy when he first came onto the Cup circuit. He e-mailed his fans personally once a week, giving out gifts to the fan who sent in the "question of the week". He was home grown, down home and totally charming in person as he was online. A few years later he got a ride with Robert Yates and started driving the M&M's Ford Taurus. He got two more wins and even finished in the top 10 in points that year. BUT...he makes one, or may I say MANY errors in the process. The down-home in him turns into MAJOR ego. He's cranky during fan interactions sometimes refusing to give autographs, he even becomes rude to people who have been following him since Day 1 or he just plain ignores their existance. (and I'm not talking about myself, this comes from many other trusted sources) Not to mention his overconfident pit crew start a rude chant right near me on pit road during the race at Watkins Glen that year. To sum it up they said they hate the town, they hate the people and they hate the track. Nice. I love his brother Hermie but that was the final straw for me. In 2005 he has had no wins and did not make the top 10 for the Race for the Chase. My plan is not to let him finish 11th in the point standings which would give him a 1 million dollar bonus and the opportunity to go to New York City for the drivers banquet, he's presently in 13th place. Nice number Eskwatch! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The moral of the story; Don't screw with me folks! You'll only hurt yourselves.

Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Harry

I've got to admit it, I have Harry Potter-itis. I think I have ever since the last book came out. So I'll put it out there that yes, I was at a store at midnight when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Price book was released. I wasn't dressed like Hermione, I wasn't wearing a wizards robe but I DID have my Slitherin leather wrist band on!
I didn't stand in line waiting; I walked into the store at about 11:30 and noticed that everyone was standing in ONE line yet there were two girls at two seperate registers. So I did the smart thing, I went up to the register that had no line. I had already pre-paid for my copy so I was proud to be the first person walking out the door with that big green book clutched to my chest. I went home and read until I got so dizzy I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.
Unless you've been living under a rock you should know that this Friday is the release of the new Harry Potter movie, and my personal favorite book so far, The Goblet of Fire. So far the reviews have been VERY positive but I also heard from avid readers that some parts of the book have been skipped over or cut back. Not a big deal in my eyes but that's yet to be seen.
I admit it, I'm excited to see it. Now comes the great debate: whether to see it at the regular theatre (or at least my FAVORITE theatre that has those lovely stadium-style seats so the person infront of you is actually below you) or taking the risk and seeing it on the IMAX screen. Whether to see it Friday or Saturday or wait until the holiday movie craziness has died down.
I'm sure some out there are debating whether to wear their Griffindor robes with their Hufflepuff scarf or their Hogwarts dress robes with their Ravenclaw hat. Maybe I'm not as hard-core a fan as I thought!

Hey look me over, lend me an ear...

I don't know when and where I began my love-affair with musicals but it's outlasted every man who's come into my life. (not that there have been many great ones anyway)
I suppose it's because I've been singing as long as I've been walking. I remember that my favorite song as a little kid was "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond and it still makes me smile when I hear it on an oldies radio station.
But getting back to musicals. Where did it start for me? Maybe it was when I was 5 years old and my kindergarden class was chosen to be the children of the king of Siam in the highschools production of The King & I. Somehow I was chosen as the child to run out and hug the kings legs. (Must've been my shyness problem)
Then like most kids me and my sister always put together little dance routines to songs we knew or to songs on the 8-track tapes or LP's my parents always played.
Then came the musical Annie. I think every little girl wanted to play that role. Get up in that red curly wig and sing"Tomorrow" to old bald Daddy Warbucks. Although I wouldn't have needed the wig, just some red hair dye.
In highschool I auditioned for the school musical my senior year and won a starring role as George M. Cohan's sister Josie. What I remember most about that was how envious all the other girls were when I had no idea who Josie even was or what parts were considered "lead" roles. I remember the tap dancing lessons we had to take and all the practice in the school cafeteria. And the dress rehearsels and wearing our stage makeup and our costumes when we made a run to Burger King during our lunch break.
Unfortunately being the "belter" I am when it comes to singing, my voice was shot after opening night and I remember not being able to hit my high notes the 2nd show. (and my over-acting was probably brutal as well. hey, I never claimed to be an actor)
I never saw Cats, I never saw A Chorus Line until it came out as a movie. It took me YEARS to see The Phantom of the Opera and it is, to date, the only opera I've ever seen. Les Miserables is just incredible and so is Miss Saigon if you don't mind leaving the theatre crying your makeup off.
I've also seen Fiddler on the Roof, Dreamgirls, Hairspray and most recently The Music Man.
Fortunately I live in a city which considers itself EXTREMELY artsy. The Eastman School of Music is one of the best music schools in the country and the Auditorium theatre, which is only 5 minutes from my apartment, brings the best shows to town. The Lion King in scheduled for a 4 week run here in the spring.
So you see, you don't have to live in a big city to enjoy the lights of broadway!

I really don't need these Girl Scout cookies

Can you go anywhere these days without seeing something about weight loss? Restaurants have Lo-Cal and Weight Watchers menu items, commercials aren't just about fast food anymore and TV shows; I don't even know where to beGIN there. (The Biggest Loser is my personal favorite. If nothing else but hoping that Bob Harper fitness trainer to the stars will either be sweaty, get wet or take off his shirt!)

Personally, I never had a weight problem up until the last few years. I was a stick figure in highschool, pretty much the same in college and all throughout my 20's and early 30's. Then that lovely metobolism thing slows to a halt and, next thing you know, the Body Weight calculators are telling you you're about 40lbs over what is considered "ideal". (okay, right now I'm about 18lbs over)

So it's been on ongoing struggle. The whole a-typical thing; the fad diets, the gym memberships, cutting out the carbs completely and gaining all the weight and more back once you re-introduced them, the plateaus, the binging without the purging.

Well, I have the perfect solution for weight loss. STRESS. Not depression, just STRESS. There is a difference. Depression gets your butt off the couch at 8pm and makes you drive to the local CVS for a candy bar or a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. (which you eat all of before 9pm) Stress on the other hand makes you THINK you want to order that plate of food, but once you start digging in it makes your stomach say "okay, two bites of the grilled chicken sandwich is quite enough, thanks. I'm full" That's where I'm at. And it works folks. I've been at a plateau weight for the last....2 months. Over the last few weeks my buddy stress has made me drop 4 pounds. Which probably isn't alot when you have 100lbs to lose but when you're down to your last 20...that's alot. Especially for a woman. (I'm convinced that men can take a walk around the block and lose 14 pounds.)

Oh to be a bear. They hybernate all winter and come out about 70lbs thinner, probably more. What a life!

is there room on the passenger side?

Keeping on the topic of music,..let's talk about this guy right here; Keith Urban.
Ladies love him, guys want to be him and even a homely NASCAR driver tried to grow his hair out and dye it blonde hoping to look like him. What can you say? He's great looking. Not just in pictures but in person as well and his Australian accent doesn't hurt him either!
My friend Valerie turned me on to him a few years ago. She called him her country version of the Goo-Goo Dolls' John Reznik. (just because of the hair I'm sure)
So I listened, watched the videos and admitted,...I liked what I saw. I even laughed when I heard he posed in Playboy with nothing but a guitar and a smile. (you can find the pictures on yahoo in their image files)
Two years ago another friend of mine got tickets for a Kenny Chesney concert. He has a couple good tunes so I agreed to go. Un-beknownst to me, Keith was opening up for him. I walked out of there with a WHOLE new appreciation for the man. (Keith, not Kenny) Not only is he easy on the eyes but he can sing, he can play the shit out of a guitar and he was such an amazing showman. He didn't pose like said headliner, he didn't wear tight jeans, sleeveless shirts or even a cowboy hat. (God forbid he cover up those amazing locks) He sat up there, acted like he was just one of the boys in the band and won everyone over who was in the crowd that night. If you go to see him expecting a twangy, semi-quiet country show.....you will be sadly disappointed. This guy is a rock star.
So next Wednesday November 9th I'll be sitting 2nd row-center for his concert here. Yeah, I'll probably be "enjoying the sights" shall we say, but it's the music that keeps me coming back.

Oooo...on the TLC tip!

I remember back when I was working a job that kept me on the road all year round, I was reading a People Magazine and saw this review about this new group called TLC. I can't remember who they compared them to but I do remember how highly they spoke of the first album and that Babyface was some how involved in the production. Not hearing a track from it, I let the mag influence my purchase a few days later. And it was love from there on. They were quirky, forward, said it like it was kind of girls. Not to mention they could sing, one could rap and they ALL could dance. I must've played their tape (no, not 8-track!) every ride home and to work. I had the whole dang thing memorized. (especially the harmony parts which I'm sure all my close friends will agree to)

And 13 years later I still love 'em. Yes Lisa has passed on but I hoped that would not stop them from making music.

But I must say that one of their songs that speaks to me the most is off their first release. The song is called "What about your friends". The part about money isn't what I can relate to, it's just about how people come in and out of your life. The fair-weather types, the ones who are friends with you for their own reasons and the ones who stick by you no matter what.

So to you my dear friends I give you a little hip-hop salute...you know who you are as you're reading this.

"Every now and then I get a little crazy, That's not the way it's supposed to be.Sometimes my vision is a little hazy,I can't tell who I should trust or just who I let trust me (yeah). People try to say I act a little funny,But that's just a figure of speech to me.They tell me I changed because I got money, But if you were there before then you're still down with me

[Chorus:]What about your friends,Will they stand their ground, Will they let you down again. What about your friends, are they gonna be low down,Will they ever be around or will they turn their backs on you.

[Rap:]Well is it me or can it be I'm a little too,Friendly so to speak hypotheticallySay, I supply creativity to what others Must take as a form of self-hate.Only to make an enemy,Which results in unfortunate destiny.They dog me out then be next to me, Just cause I am what some choose to envy.

Every now and then I get a little easy, I let a lot of people depend on me. I never though they would ever deceive me, Don't you know when times got rough I was standing on my own. I'll never let another get that clost to me, You see I've grown a lot smarter now. Sometimes you have to choose and then you'll see, If your friends is true they'll be there with you Through the thick and thin"

If you want to check out TLC's new song, here it is: http://www.allaccess.com/images/mailing/TLC/tlc2.html

"I AIN'T TO PROUD TO BEG, NO!"