Big Room!

Some how Karen and I got a handicap room on the ship! Boy, was everyone jealous of us! We even had enough room to host cocktail parties before dinner.

Ah Venice...

I'm Back!

After 2 weeks and 12 cities I'm back. We had a fantastic time! For those of you that don't know what the hell I'm talking about Karen, MJ, Davey, Ed, Dominic, Suzi and I just got back from a 12 day cruise on the Queen Victoria in the Mediterranean. We stopped in Italy, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, France and Spain. There will be a lot of good stories and pictures to follow but it will take some time so here is part one.

Karen, MJ, Davey and I flew from Newark to Roma and then on to Venice but 2 of our bags only made it as far as Rome so Karen and I had to stay behind and waste a day at the airport. We walked pretty much every area of the Rome airport and two hours later we found our luggage and another 2 hours later we got on another flight to Venice. That really sucked big meatballs! The problem started in Newark when we checked in. The women helping us checked two bags to Venice and two to Rome but we didn't catch it until Rome. Moral of the story...when making a connecting flight double check your luggage destination tags!

Saturday in Philadelphia!

Monday is the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania so some of us went down to Philly to canvas some neighborhoods and help register voters. Jeannine and three of her friends went down from Brooklyn and Gabrielle and I drove down together from Jersey.
I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never done anything like this before nor have I ever been to Philadelphia before. At least I can say I helped at least a little to try and change the way things are going in this country and as a bonus we got to see Bruce Springsteen.

Barack Obama

From NBC's Cat Corrigan and Abby LivingstonPHILADELPHIA -- Bruce Springsteen hit the streets of Philadelphia with a mission yesterday: to elect Barack Obama. The Obama team estimated that 50,000 people showed up to see the Boss's free concert in the heart of the City of Brotherly Love. A native son of neighboring New Jersey, Springsteen's songs and message were targeted to Pennsylvania's working men and women.
Just hours before the concert, Obama staffers hastily broke down a platform of risers set up for network cameras because they obscured the view of the people in the streets. When Springsteen climbed onstage, he came sans E-Street Band, and was clad in jeans and a plain plaid shirt.
His set kicked off with "Promised Land," a song he performed during John Kerry's 2004 presidential run. He later followed up with the Kerry theme song, "No Surrender." In a nod to his 2004 performances, he said, "I tried this four years ago. This time we're winning."
Mid-concert, Springsteen pulled out written remarks he had prepared for the event. His speech was as much an homage to Obama as it was a scathing critique of the Bush administration, which he called "a disaster."
He continued, "I've spent 35 years writing about America and its people and the meaning of the American promise. A promise handed down right here in this city. Our everyday citizens have justifiably lost faith in its meaning."
With that flourish, he launched into his de facto theme song for Obama, "The Rising." The tune, originally written for the firefighters who died in the World Trade Center, has taken on an evangelical pro-Obama interpretation in the campaign. Springsteen sang and preached the Obama gospel, performing a solemn and rare acoustic version of the song.
To finish the uncharacteristically short set, Springsteen strummed his guitar to the crowd chants of "Yes we can!" which then morphed into Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land."
As Springsteen walked off the stage, he said, "It's up to you now."
With Election Day a month away and voting registration in Pennsylvania ending on Monday, the gathering was as much about political tactics and registering voters as it was about musical inspiration. The number of volunteers with clipboards prowling the event for unregistered voters sometimes seemed to rival the number of unregistered voters themselves. Leading up to the Springsteen appearance, appeals were made to text message the campaign, the same tactic used at Obama's acceptance nomination speech at Invesco Field to give the Obama team a built-in database of phone numbers to use in the final days of the Colorado campaign.

Millie's Crown

She is so funny I had to share this video with you all.

Happy 2nd Birthday Millie!

Millie Jean turned 2 on September 6th and what a little lady she has turned into!

I love you Millie!

Cooperstown, NY

Karen and I went to Cooperstown over the Labor day weekend. We stayed in a great B&B, The Meadowlark Inn, just north of Otsego Lake. We had to pass a couple Amish in horse drawn buggies on the way up and I think I ran over a rabbit but it was nice to stay off the beaten path and relax in the countryside.
This was my first trip to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall Of Fame. We had a great time and it was well worth the wait.
The drive to Cooperstown is an experience in its self. It really is in the middle of no where. We followed MJ & Davey up while they lead the way with their GPS which took us on every little back road between here and there. I guess when you choose shortest route on the GPS it doesn't mess around. It was very funny, we were even on a gravel road at one point that I'm sure was some one's drive way.

MJ & Davey only stayed one night so after we ditched them we went for a few drinks and dinner at the Otsego Hotel on the lake. Now I know where all the rich white people hang out upstate. It was a beautiful day though to have a drink and relax by the lake.

On monday Karen and I went to Howe's Cavern on the way home where every Japanese tourist just also happen to be. At least we're short and we blended right in. We spent an hour an a half 162 feet below the surface wandering the caverns and freezing are butts off. The caverns are a cool 52 degrees at all times. There is even a place where people actually get married down there.

Thanks for another great holiday Karen!

The end