J.P.

Bearpupuk tagged me for a meme. So here we go.

1) What was I doing 10 yrs ago?
I was Program Director of Top 40 radio station WOWZ/WOWB, “Wow-FM, The Beat of Central New York”. Earl and I were still in the honeymoon phase, even though we were two years into our relationship. We were experiencing our first spring in our first house.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today:
1. Answer awaiting e-mail in the inbox
2. Take a shower
3. Plan out tonight’s gig (I should get hopping, less than two hours until I spin)
4. Take a short nap
5. Avoid beer

3) 5 snacks I enjoy:
1. POPCORN!!!
2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
3. M&Ms
4. Peanut butter on saltine crackers
5. Chocolate Chip Cookies

4) 5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Contribute at least 10% of our wealth to the For All Kids Foundation
2. Pay off the bills of my immediate family members and other equally important people in our lives
3. Invest for the future well-being of our nieces and nephews
4. Buy a few homes – especially one in Ireland
5. Invest in our local economy to improve the local presence and give the corporate hogs a run for their money

5) 5 of my bad habits:
(Forgetting to go back and edit parts I skipped in a document!)
1. The excessive use of the word ‘wicked’
2. Looking for greener grass on the other side
3. Analysing any given topic six ways from Sunday before making a decision
4. Putting up my own blocks that prevent me from losing inhibitions
5. Retreating into my own space and not reaching out to others when they could use support

6) 5 places I have lived:
1. Upstate New York along Lake Ontario (my hometown near Pulaski, N.Y.)
2. Jamestown, N.Y.
3. Boston, Mass.
4. various towns between Boston and Worcester, Mass.
5. Utica, N.Y.

7) 5 jobs I have had:
1. Department Coordinator/IT coordinator level 3 at Digital Equipment Corporation
2. fastest cashier in the store at Hills Department Store #66
3. Community Residence managers at The Resource Center (Chautauqua County ARC) and The Arc of Oneida County
4. Just about every position available at a Top 40 radio station
5. IT Technical Support for a regional telephone and internet connectivity provider

I could tag five folks, but I’d rather see just who grabs this and runs with it.

Someone didn’t care that I was up until 3:15 a.m. Per his rules I must be up at 8 a.m. for tuna time.

He’s more persistent than Grandma City ever was, but I don’t think she was up in the morning for tuna.

As I type this first sentence of this entry, I realize that I’m probably going to sound like a cocky prick as my words flow onto the screen. It’s a good thing I don’t care.

I have always been a fan of driving. I am a motoring enthusiast. I love roads (hence my career as a civil engineer), I revel in construction, I relax by driving as far as I can, only to turn around and come back home. My farts smell like exhaust fumes.

One concept that I can not wrap my head around is the idea that driving is scary. I have talked to many, many people from this area over the years that are afraid to drive in “the city”. They’re afraid to drive on the “interstate”. Mind you, during these conversations they are talking about our city: a primary contributor to the “rust belt” with a population of about 50,000 or so and our interstate, one of the shortest in the entire country clocking in at just over three miles long.

As a teenager I was counting the seconds until I could get my driver’s permit. On my 16th birthday (which was a Friday the 13th by the way) my mother took me down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and I promptly took the written test and passed with just one question wrong; we filled out the proper paperwork and I was behind the wheel on the way home. It wasn’t my first time behind the wheel, I once drove home from a neighboring town at 14 years with my Dad in the passenger seat. I had driven a fork-lift all over the lumber yard my family owned and I had ridden motorcycles and mo-peds.

I reveled in the experience of driving, and per the rules of my parents, went through one winter on my permit and Driver’s Education before getting my license before I turned 17.

As I mentioned before I can’t wrap my head around being scared to drive. I’ve driven through Los Angeles and Orange County while yapping on a cell phone and snorting coke (totally kidding about the last two points), I’ve thoroughly enjoyed 128 around Boston at rush hour, I’ve bombed through Phoenix on I-10, I’ve driven the 190 in Buffalo in the middle of a whiteout and I’ve driven through Dublin on the other side of the road with the wheel on the other side of the car. I know my limits and I know the limits of the vehicle I’m driving. When I’m in the driver’s seat, the car is an extension of my body and I treat it as such.

So here’s where I become a prick.

1. Freeway on-ramps are designed for you to reach the speed of the traffic on the freeway before you merge into traffic. Don’t look back at me in your mirror with bewilderment because I’m trying to coax you above 25 MPH. There are exceptions to the rule on outdated parkways in the Northeast.

2. When you are sitting behind the wheel of the car you are there to drive. You are not there to shave, put on makeup, talk on the phone, counsel the children, eat a meal or make a bagel.

3. Modern traffic signals will not know to change in your favor until they sense that you’re waiting. Creeping up to the light at 10 is just going to prolong the experience for all involved.

4. The “stop line” at intersections are not randomly placed anywhere. Traffic engineers have taken countless precise measurements and have strict standards to adhere to regarding their placement. Just because you can’t make a left turn properly (cutting the angle short across the other lane of traffic) doesn’t mean that you have to make mean faces because I’m right where I should be awaiting for you to complete your idiocy. Don’t look shocked when I stick my tongue out at you.

5. The left lane on the freeways of the United States is NOT the ‘fast lane’, it is the ‘passing lane’. If you’re not passing anyone, you don’t belong there. That’s why we are spending additional taxpayer’s money putting up signs that say “KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS”. This is just common sense. If someone blinks their lights at you (a common practice in Europe) because you’re dawdling in the left lane, don’t get all offended, you’re the one that is wrong.

Now, get out there and enjoy the driving experience. Happy motoring!

Earl and I are planning a little vacation the week between my spring and summer semesters. I think we are going to spend five days or so in New York. We’ll take the train down and do the Big Apple thing. This way we’ll be sure to be at GB:NYC5 (or is it GB5:NYC?)! (Gay Blogger meet)

Here’s a picture from last year’s GB:NYC. We had a lot of fun on “Bear Hill” in Central Park.

Earl and I are back from our trip to New Haven, Connecticut. Saturday night was the final of the four performances of the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus; the performance was at the Shubert Theatre in the hip ‘burg of New Haven. Out of the four performances, this audience had the most pep and it energised the performers on stage.

The Shubert Theatre is a ‘union hall’ where they employ capable technicians to do capable, yet specific things for all the performances at said venue. This is the way these things work and in many cases the techs can be somewhat cranky; I was fortunate to encounter an easy-going sound man that was very content with me mixing and running the show after he got everything setup to their specs. (He was basically getting paid to make sure I didn’t blow the place up). The show went off nearly-flawlessly as far as sound production is concerned (there was a couple of microphone glitches that I was partly responsible for) but for the most part I was pleased with the sound of the show. I know the audience was entertained and the performers had fun so that’s what’s most important to me. I hope to have the opportunity to do this sort of work again in the near future, because I really like it a lot.

One of the songs performed in the show is “Could It Be Magic” by Barry Manilow. It’s a 1993 remix that I introduced Greg (the director) to back in January and he decided it to use it in the show and give it to David, a performer that hasn’t had the opportunity to sing a solo with the chorus before. David got together with Jeffrey and arranged the song into a duet (complete with choreography) that I have to admit was quite impressive. I have performed this version of the song at various charity benefits over the years but I’m going to say that David’s performance of the track literally brought tears to my eyes and gave me goosebumps. When Earl came down out of the balcony after the show, he remarked that “Could It Be Magic” was excellent and gave him goosebumps. It’s good to a performer shine when given the chance.

After the performance, Earl and I joined Greg (director), Bob (partner) (of “Greg and Bob” that I mention from time to time) and Nicole (Bob’s friend) and headed to the cast party at the York Street Café and Bar where we had a really good time. There’s a certain amount of intrigue that comes with being a relatively unfamiliar face in a city and Earl and I sort of revel in that. We made some new friends and look forward to visiting New Haven again soon. As always Greg and Bob were very hospitable. We like them.

This morning we met up with Greg and Bob (the same ones) for brunch at the same café before they went to New York (the city one) to see Gypsy while we went left for New York (the state one), which we call home.