Welcome to my world, Wednesday night, March 2nd, 2011. Well, today is hump day and now we’re on the downhill slide towards the weekend, thank goodness. Tomorrow’s a short day for me, but not for a good reason. Once again, I’ve got a date with the dentist for a periodontal cleaning…not gonna be pretty! Anyway, my former student/current buddy Max is on his way over, so I’m going to try and keep this one short. Here goes:

A nice reaction



After writing yesterday’s post, I knew I had a winner. After some good feedback from friends and readers I decided to rework the piece for YCN. You can check it out here. Already it’s gotten several comments and I’ve gotten a couple of texts, which I’m going to share two here:

John, If you are going to write these kinds of articles, can you please put a disclaimer on the very top that says, "WARNING: Grab the tissues!" OMG, tear running down my cheeks, I can't even hardly see the screen to type this. I love that Diana song, way too many memories....if Joe reads this and doesn't call you...he may have to deal with me :) Hugs!

Michele Starkey commenting on YCN

I love comments like that! And here’s a text from my buddy Laura Kim:

Your piece, “Remember Me” actually made me cry. My birds thought I was having a breakdown. Dale (her boyfriend) just rolled his eyes and smacked me in the head, lol.

I love writing these types of pieces, where I interweave musical lyrics with my personal experiences (Like I did in Soundtrack of a Relationship, which is still getting decent hits!). I got another great complement today from an old friend, Caroline. For whatever reason, the link I put to the blog piece on Facebook got her attention and she read it. Here’s what she said:

JOHN!! I am ashamed to admit that "Remember Me" is the very first blog written by you that I have ever read!!!! I am not sure what YCN stands for but it is certainly worthy of ANY publication!!
Of course I did not stop at "Remember Me". I also read your Father’s Tribute: I and II. I intend to go back and read more of your blogs (when time allows). Thank you for that. I am now a “John Myers GROUPIE!!! LOL!!

That’s exactly why I write! I know I have a gift for it and I only hope that someday I’ll touch enough people in that way. I’ve just got to keep on keeping on…

I think these types of pieces are definitely my niche and I hope to do some more like them in the future.

Here are links to the other pieces I’ve published on Y!CN:

Diana Ross’ Top Twenty Songs

Pop Music News Weekly, March 1, 2011

And for Examiner:

Photo exhibits, pro wrestling and more around Long Island this weekend

Well not much else is going on this boring Wednesday night. I’m going to leave you with one of my newest favorite songs. It’s called “Own It” by the Black Eyed Peas off of their latest album, “The Beginning.” The song is about living for your dreams and owning the chance to get them:

“This is your chance to own it
This is your chance, your moment
This is your chance, don't blow it
Go out and own it”

Enjoy the song, it’s very inspirational, and thanks!

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It’s Tuesday night and it’s already been a long week! Yesterday was the first day back from winter break and the students were all mentally still on break, making the one day seem like at least two. (Okay, maybe I was still on a mental break, too!) I was a busy boy last night catching up on some end of the month deadlines, and so I didn’t have any time to post here. So here’s the latest from my so called life:

Call Her “Miss Ross”



As I said, I had a few pieces to work on yesterday, one which was submitted as a feature article and the other that I published. Both pieces were on one of my favorite singers, Diana Ross. Diana was my first diva, coming to know her at the time in my life when I first started to become aware of myself as a gay person. I credit her with initiating my love of dancing and dance music in general, as well as that special fondness for female performers whom I’d come to love in the years that followed.

Diana Ross was the guest on Friday’s Oprah show and I probably should have written these two pieces in advance of the show instead of afterwards. When I took a look at Yahoo on Friday night, I saw that she was the top trending search that evening and I would’ve gotten a lot of page views as a result. Oh well, lesson learned! Anyway, I hope there’s still some leftover interest in the diva as people watch the reruns on their DVR’s. Maybe then I’ll get some decent hits from them after all.

The first article, which I published, is called Diana Ross: My First Diva, and it’s one of my favorite types of pieces to write. That is, it’s written as a personal memoir talking about my own personal experiences with the singer and how she’s been a part of the soundtrack of my life. I’ve got plenty of fond memories surrounding Ms. Ross and I shared some of them in the piece. People tend to enjoy these types of articles as well as I enjoy writing them, so please check it out!

The other piece is meant as a companion to the earlier one. It’s another one of my “top ten” lists, only since Diana’s catalog is so vast I had to make it a “top twenty.” It should be out soon and I’ll share the link when it’s out.

Remember Me



One of my favorite Diana Ross songs is one from way back in 1970. Of course I never knew it until much later, but I simply love the lyrics and being the sentimental sap that I am, I associate them with special people who’ve come and gone from my life at one time or another and whose memories I will forever cherish. Take a look at the lyrics as you listen to the song:



Remember Me -(Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson)

Bye baby, see you around
Didn’t I tell you I wouldn’t hold you down
Take good care of yourself, y’hear
Don’t let me hear about you shedding a tear
You’re gonna make it
You’re gonna take it

Remember me as a sunny day
That you once had, along the way
Didn’t I inspire you a little higher
Remember me as a funny clown
That made you laugh when you were down
Didn’t I boy, didn’t I boy

Remember me as a big balloon
At a carnival that ended too soon
Remember me as a breath of spring
Remember me as a good thing

Bye baby, see you around
I already know about the new love you’ve found
What can I do but wish you well
What we had was really swell
I won’t forget it, I have no regrets

Remember me as a sound of laughter
And my face the morning after
Didn’t the sky beckon us to fly?
Yes, you’ll remember the times we fought
But don’t forget me in your tender thoughts
Please darlin’ oh yeah

Remember me when you drink the wine
Of sweet success and I gave you my best
Remember me every song you sing
Remember me as a good thing

Remember me as a sunny day
Please darling, remember me as a good thing
Remember me when you drink the wine
Remember me as a good thing
Remember me as a big balloon
Don’t forget me darling

The very first person I ever applied this song to was my high school girlfriend Karen. After about two years of being boyfriend and girlfriend, I ended once I’d begun to realize my true identity at the age of 19. Karen was and still is a very special person to me. She brought me out of a timid high school shell that I’d been living in for several years and for that I will be forever grateful!

I remember you, Karen, as a sunny day that I once had along the way.



Joey D was a good friend of mine for many years. In all of my life I’ve never shared such a connection as the one I had with him. He and I worked together at Stern’s Department store for several years and he became a long time friend after we both stopped working there. For years and years we’ve shared many a laugh and plenty of good times together. Unfortunately, about ten years ago Joey suddenly disappeared from mine and everyone else’s life in pursuit of who knows what. I haven’t heard from him since December of 2000. Until the day I die I will forever remember this very special person.

I remember you, Joey, as a funny clown, that made me laugh when I was down.



Kevin was one of my first steady boyfriends, and one I’ll never forget. When I met him he was engaged to the lover of his best friend who was a lesbian. He agreed to marry this girl, who was from Sweden, so she could stay in the country to be with Lisa, the friend. What he got in return was the chance to fool his family once and for all with a big, gaudy wedding. It was a memorable experience, for there were two wedding ceremonies, one at the justice of the peace and one at a reception hall. On both occasions I was the one who spent the night with the groom.

Kevin magnified my love for Diana Ross. To this day I’ve never met anyone who was such a big fan of anyone’s. It was he who taught me the magic of the Supremes and many other unbeknownst to me Diana Ross songs. I still have a cassette tape he made me for Valentine’s Day full of his favorites.

About six months into our relationship, Kevin confessed that he had cheated on me and ended the relationship before I had a chance to. I was heartbroken, but Kevin told me that I was special and that he wanted to remain friends. You can imagine the thoughts that were running through my head at the time, but true to his word, he persisted in his word and we did eventually become great, great friends.

In the summer of 1990 I got a call from Kevin. He was finally pursuing his dream of living in Miami. He had a fondness for Latino guys and Miami was a hotbed for that. He’d bought a condo on Key Biscayne and quit his job. I was happy for him and excited that I’d have a place to visit, but unfortunately this would be the last time I’d ever speak to him.

In January of the following year, I got a call from Outi, the woman Kevin had married years earlier. She told me that Kevin had died of AIDS. He had gotten sick soon after moving to Florida and faded quickly. I was shocked and heartbroken, to say the least. To this day I still think of Kevin, and he’s one person who certainly left us way too soon. He was only 33 years old.

I remember you, Kevin, as a big balloon at a carnival that ended too soon.



Joe has been the one and only love of my life so far. Together, we spent 20 years full of all the kinds of memories that any couple might share. I remember about a week after I’d met him he came to visit me at my job to ask me a question.

“Do you like Madonna?” he asked.

Did I? Of course I did! It turned out that he bought two tickets to an upcoming concert in the hopes that I did indeed like Madonna (an understatement!). Next came one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me:

“Well, the concert’s in August and I want you to know that if things don’t work out you can still come.”

That would be the first of many fond memories I’d have of/with Joe: “Thinking of you” cards left on my windshield early in the morning; moving in together; trips to Aruba, Bermuda and Italy; buying our first house together; Broadway shows; parties, and countless other great things I will always cherish. Though he and I are still in one another’s lives, of course it’s different now.

I remember you, Joe, as a breath of spring. I remember you as a good thing!



These are but a few of the special people who’ve come along in my life only to go forth from it eventually. Though they are no longer with me, I will always remember them with great fondness and I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent with each and every one of them.

Summer’s coming!

Spring is definitely in the air now that February has come and gone and the weather begins to ease up from the wintery frost. Summer dreams are beginning to wander into my mind and I’ve begun to do what most others start to do in January: get ready for it by trying to get into shape. Though I am currently in the best shape of my life, I’ve never quite gotten over that hump of having a great build. After months and months of neglecting my workout routine, I’ve finally returned to it and I’m remembering why I always did it in the first place, determined to reach that goal.

Getting exercise works wonders for your psyche. I’ve been pushing myself pretty hard the past couple of days and it’s helped me get some of my self-esteem back. For the first time in my life, I’m hoping for a six-pack, and judging by the feelings in my abdomen, I’m on my way…



For once and for always, thank you so much for reading. See you next time…

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Yesterday, Diana Ross made an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. It was the first time in a long time that she's been in public and of course I had to DVR it. Diana Ross was my first "diva" and she was there through those crucial times in my life when I was discovering who I was.

Back in 1980, I bought her "diana" album, which contained the then current hits "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out." I remember spending hours upon hours listening to it in my room. I credit the album for making me dance for the first time in my life, an activity that you all know is one of my favorite things to do to this day.

Throughout the years, thee have been many fond memories associated with Diana's music. One of my first loves, Kevin, was a huge Diana Ross fan and we shared many hours together listening to even her most obscure stuff. When I first met Joe, he and I had already had tickets to see Diana at Jones Beach a couple of weeks later, and though we didn't go together, we did get to see each other at the concert. Of course, over the years we'd see her a few times, once even with Kevin!

Alas, in recent years Ms. Ross has faded from public view and even to me she's faded into the past. Every once in awhile though, like now, she makes an appearance and I find myself once again reliving memories through her music. Since she's made such an impact on my life I'd like to pay homage to her with a "Song of the Day" nod.

Though her vast catalog of music spans five decades now, much of her greatest stuff was created before the video age and so there aren't many songs to choose from. Yes there are videos of live performances, but having been a Diana Ross fan since the late 70's, I've seen her many times and I've always been disappointed in many of those performnces because she often changes the melodies around somewhat. As I searched through the "Diana Ross" playlist in my iTunes library, I came across one of my favorites: "Missing You."

The song was recorded in 1984 for Diana's "Swept Away" album and was written by Lionel Ritchie in tribute to the recently slain Marvin Gaye. Diana and Marvin were close friends, having both started out with Motown during the 60's. They recorded a lot of music together, including one of my favorites, "You Are Everything." This one reached #10 on Billboard's Hot 100 Charts in early 1985 and is beautifully written and performed. Though the song was written or a specific purpose, I believe most anyone who's ever lost someone in their lives can relate to it. So, enjoy the beautiful and tender "Missing You," by my 1st Diva, Ms. Diana Ross:



Missing You

Since you've been away
I've been down and lonely
Since you've been away
I've been thinking of you
Trying to understand
The reason you left me
What were you going through?

I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
Ooh ooh
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns

As I look around
I see things that remind me
Just to see you smile
Made my heart fill with joy
I'll still recall
All those dreams we shared together
Where did you run to, boy?

I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
Ooh ooh
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns

Sometimes I've wondered
I didn't understand
Just where you were trying to go
Only you knew the plan
And I tried to be there
But you wouldn't let me in

But now you've gone away boy
I feel so broken hearted
I knew the day we started
That we were meant to be
If only you'd let me!
I've cried so many tears
Gotta face now all my fears
We let time slip away
I need you boy
Here today!

There was so much you gave me
To my heart
To my soul
There was so much of your dreams
That were never told
You had so much hope
For a brighter day
Why were you my flower
Plucked away

I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns
Ooh ooh
I'm missing you
Tell me why the road turns

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