Today is Thursday, September 1st and the summer is winding down to just a measly four days. It’s been an interesting summer at that: beautiful weather, clubbing on Fire Island and the city, hanging out with friends, dinners, lunches, doctors appointments and colonoscopies, etc., etc., etc. I’ve had a great time, mostly, but I think it is finally time to get off this ride…







The Grove with Reet



My good friend and fellow teacher Rita has been asking to go to Cherry Grove for awhile and yesterday was finally the day. She’d never been there before, at least as far as she could remember, and I was only too happy to take her. Ever since the hurricane/tropical storm on Monday, the weather has been picture perfect, almost fall-like, so it was a great day for a visit to the Grove.







There wasn’t a lot of activity over there, I guess because of the recent Irene visit, but you could sense the slowly building re-population leading up to the big weekend. Damage was really non-existent as far as we could tell. The only signs that Irene had come through were the buried fences around the sand dunes and a boarded up Jumping Jacks. Other than that and the small crowd, you’d never have known a hurricane had passed.







Rita and I had a nice day, walking around, having lunch, and of course having a drink or two at Cherry’s. Margarita’s was the drink of choice. Yum! In all, we spent about four hours in the sun, and really enjoyed a lazy, relaxing day in a beautiful place!







Time to get off this ride



Last night was the last time I would be going to Circus for awhile and in a way I’m glad. I’d planned on partying it up this last week and by the way things worked out last night, I’m going to follow through on those plans, but I definitely need a break after Sunday.



Rita, who’s had a newfound freedom these past couple of weeks, was ready to continue the party by joining me at Circus last night. Ozzie was going to be there as Ozzie, not Ruby, and it turned out he was one of no less than five people I’ve been connected with in recent months. Not a good thing!



I won’t go into the sordid details, but there were plenty of uncomfortable moments and by the time the drag show had ended I was done, mentally exhausted and I couldn’t wait to get home. I’m glad I’m going to Splash tonight because at least there I won’t know anybody…I hope!







Odds N Ends



I want to give a special shout-out to my friend Ivan, who I met in the city the other night for some dancing. Ivan is such a good guy and I’m so happy that he and I have remained friends. I had a blast with him and I hope he did too!



I just got off the phone with my ex, Joe. It’s funny because I was thinking about him a lot yesterday and viola, he called. Every once in awhile I get to missing him and even though our life together was a lifetime ago, I still feel like I need to connect with him sometimes. He’s still a great guy and I do miss having him around in my life, and even though I may not show it to him, I still get a little sad when we talk and I have to hear about his wonderful life with his new partner. Sigh!



I got a call from Arnoldo yesterday. He’s out of the hospital again! Let’s hope this time its permanent.



Writing Wednesday



Well, even though it’s Thursday, I’m going to post “Writing Wednesday” today since I missed it yesterday. Here’s what I’ve been up to…



Gather



Hurricane Irene weakens as it slams New York



New Music Releases for the week of August 29th



Lots of good stuff this week!



Y!CN



Though I missed a paid assignment on this topic for Y!CN, I still put a couple of articles up before, during and after Irene:



Waiting on Irene



A Not So Welcome Irene



The Cleanup



I also posted one assignment:



Twitter for iPhone



Examiner



Fun Stuff on Long Island this Labor Day Weekend





Can anybody say Elton John?



Of course, all of these articles are on top of the great stuff I've written here, lol. I wanted to mention also that I've got a couple of new sponsors for the site. I only choose places that I think are valuable and where I shop, so please feel free to click on any of the links below or anywhere else on this blog for great deals on cool stuff! As always, thanks for reading and have a great day!















Tweet

Read more »

Happy Hump Day everyone! It’s yet another beautiful summer day on Long Island and here I sit in my office, in the middle of the day, typing away, lol. This is my last bit of writing for the day, thankfully, and then I can get on with doing stuff I should be doing…outside! Here’s the latest from my so called life…





Photo Source: cbs news



Come on Irene!



For the first time in a long time, we here in the northeast are under watch for the latest hurricane, Irene, which seems to be heading in our direction. We’ve had these types of warnings many times in the past and a lot of them turned out to be nothing more than some rain and a little wind, and I hope that’s the case this time, too. They’re saying Sunday, so anything can happen between now and then. We haven’t had one since I bought my house in 98 and I shudder to think about one hitting here full force because I have a lot of trees in my yard. Fingers crossed and stay tuned…





Photo Source: Watt's Up With That?



Earthquake? What Earthquake?



I think I am probably the only person I know who didn’t feel the Earth trembling at yesterday’s earthquake, which struck in Virginia but was felt all over the Eastern Seaboard. I spoke to a couple of people who felt it around 2PM, but I didn’t even know about it until much later. They say it’s the strongest earthquake to ever hit the area at 5.6 on the Richter, and of course the end-of-the-worlders are out in full force. Gimme a break!







Opening up



As I told you the other day, I’ve been struggling a lot lately with the things I put on this blog. It all started when I got a nasty and derogatory email from a reader that made me do a lot of thinking. More than a week has passed now and several friends have given me cause to keep doing what I’m doing and not be affected by such malicious nonsense. After all, this is my space and if anyone doesn’t want to read it, they don’t have to.



Though I have no idea specifically what the emailer was referring to in his rant, I had removed a piece I thought he might have been responding to, a poem about my recent face to face encounter with him. At the moment I have no plans to republish it in full, but here’s an abridged version of the original that I had penned a week ago Sunday:



Yet another regretful episode in this muddled story

A chance meeting unforeseen

At almost the very spot where we first met

We’d both imagined this in our minds

Yet neither could know what really to expect



It all happened so suddenly

I looked up with disbelieving eyes into your face

And saw you looking into mine

And in a flash, all I could think of to do was turn and run

But you saw me as I saw you and called to me from behind



At that point, the deed was done

The circumstance of our encounter was settled

You were excited and I was terrified

My reaction dampened your evening and mine

The latest in a series of miscommunications between us



Running away was not the mature thing to do

Yet it was an impulse borne out of months of despair

And yes, anger, at the very thought of you

I regret the action and wish I could take it back

But what’s done cannot be undone



I don’t know how you expected me to react

With a smile and a hug, perhaps

Some genuine catching up of old friends

I laid it all out for you the last time

In a way I believed to be noble and complete



Whatever happens from here forth

Please understand that there were reasons for my action

Perhaps a little subconscious hurt thrown your way

In return for the hurt I’d endured

A little bit of karma in action



I know you couldn’t see

Through all of the discomfort between us

That deep down it was nice to see you again

In the flesh

The same person I so cared for once upon a time



So take good care of yourself

I’m happy to hear you’re in a better place these days

Should there be a next time, don’t worry

I promise not to turn my back again

Next time I’ll flash you a brilliant smile, I promise!



Reading this over once again, I don’t think there's anything about it I need to feel bad about writing, either on myself or on him. It's just the openness and feeling that I always express in my writing, no matter the subject. Yes, my experiences with him were some tough moments in my life and even though I’m in a good place now, contact of any sort inevitably brings back memories, bad and good. So I make no apologies for penning the piece, and I’m glad to share it once again with you.



It’s funny, but things have taken a sad turn even since I wrote the piece. After not having seen him for seven months, I ran into him three straight times at Splash, the last time being last night. Though I meant what I said in the last stanza, things haven’t gone exactly that way in subsequent encounters. There’s kind of a distant iciness there now, like we're both sort of pretending not to see each other while we’re standing just a few feet away. It's weird and uncomfortable, and no fun at all. I guess the circumstances from that night have brought us to this, starting with my reaction almost two weeks ago.



It’s a little unnerving and sad, but I guess that’s just the way it’s going to be. At least there’s just one more week of Splash Tuesdays and/or Thursdays for me, and so I’ll return to going there on Saturdays again afterwards and these random contacts shouldn’t happen anymore anyway.



Related post: Untitled



Writing Wednesdays



Well, I already missed the second week of Writing Wednesdays, and so here are links to some of the pieces I’ve been up to…



Gather



Amy Winehouse Tributes by Green Day, Coldplay and at the VMAs



Gaga’s “You and I” exemplifies her musical versatility



Spotlight on new music releases for the week of August 22nd



Preview of the 2011 VMAs



Yahoo Contributor Network



Elton John's Top Twenty Songs



Pesto: Easy, Delicious and Versatile



Volunteer's Corner: Working to Protect and Preserve the Environment of Long Island and Beyond



What Are You Listening To? Summer 2011



Examiner



Fun outdoor activities on Long Island this weekend



H is for "High Rise"



During my "Song of the Day" posting in dedication to Nick Ashford, who passed away yesterday, I mentioned another of Ashford and Simpson songs that I loved whose title just happens to start with the letter "H," the next letter in our Z-A Blogger's Challenge. Bonus! The vid's a little grainy, but the song is oh so sweet sounding! Enjoy!











Tweet

Read more »

Since I first started this blog as a means to promote my writing elsewhere, I've been somewhat remiss in doing so as this blog has takenn a new life of its own in recent months. Nevertheless, I am still writing for other websites and that's where I get paid, so I decided to do a new feature called Wednesday's Writing Recap. It is aimed at promoting all of the articles I've written (choice ones, anyway) during the past week, and so in our first installment, we have a little more than a week's worth to catch up on. Please feel free to click on any of the titles that might be of interest as it would help me greatly!



Gather



Gather is the newest site that I write for and even after three months I'm still learning the ropes. They are search engine driven, and as such my articles there only stay up for about a month's time. Unfortunately I don't get paid for anything I write there until I reach 150 page views and some of the articles below are close, so please do some clicking...



Missy Elliot comeback begins with new Katy Perry remixThe top ten videos of the '80s, chosen by the fans



I've always loved Missy Elliot and finally, after six long years on hiatus, she is back with some new projects and her upcoming 7th studio album, "Block Party."



David Guetta's Hot, New "Nothing But The Beat" Coming in August



Writing this one revved me upp for this album, the long-awaited follow up to the deejay/producer's smash "One Love" CD.



MTV VMA's first three performers announced



The VMA's are coming and they're always quite a spectacle. With the announcement of these artists to the performers list, this year should be no different. (*Mental note - Need to do a follow-up on this one!)



Amy Winehouse's music sure to follow trend in posthumous album sales



This one's all about how music artists' music after their death sometimes becomes more popular than before. Amy Winehouse has a lot of unreleased stuff that's sure to make waves once it hits the airwaves.



What to expect from Madonna's new album



Yes, as of July 4th, Mo is back in the sstudio. It's been a long time and any Madonna fan is super excited at the prospect of a new one from the Queen.



Fallon and Timberlake's 'History of Rap' proves genre's staying power



Recently Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake did another mash-up tribute to some of raps greats. There's a video linkk in this one, so be sure to check it out.



Yahoo Contributor Network



A Teacher's Unforgettable First Day at School



This was an assignment for Y!CN writers about best and worst memories of the first day at school. Since I'm a teacher, I shared memories of a day I'll never forget as a teacher.



Crossroads: A New and Unfortunate Direction



The latest and most unhappy turn of events in this real-life series....stay tuned...



Thank You for Being a Friend



A drag performance of the Golden Girls theme inspired this one!



Music Suggestions for a Gay Wedding in New York



This one was meant to be funny...lol



Amy's Legacy



My own personal tribute to Amy Winehouse.



Examiner



Keep cool this weekend at LI Theaters



Some really good stuff happening this weekend at theaters around Long Island.



The Coasters of Six Flags Great Adventure



This one's been updated to include the new Green Lantern coaster.



Five Guys Burgers n Fries



I've discovered a great new burger joint!



LI Catering Venues get in on Gay Wedding Market



You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?



Ascension Beach Party Weekend at Fire Island Pines



I soooo want to go! Kristine W, Alexis Jordan and Crystal Waters will be performing.



LIGALY's "Refresh Everything" proposal to fight anti-gay bullying on LI



LIGALY is always fighting the good fight, so get out there and help them win this grant.



Circus Wednesdays at Lizard Lounge



My new favorite Long Island gay bar!



Well, that's all she (or rather he) wrote! As always, a great big hearty thankk you to all of you who check in with John's World regularly. I truly appreciate your readership. Have a great day!



Tweet

Read more »

Today is Saturday, August 6th, 2011 and it is Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday. Google is honoring the occasion with a really cool logo, so if you’re reading this today, you should definitely check it out. Though Lucy was even before my time, I still grew up watching those hysterical reruns and still get a chuckle whenever I see them. Classic!

Throw Me a Topic

Ah, what to write, what to write? I’ve really wanted to talk more about the situation with my house, but I’ve been distracted from it the past couple of days (in a good way!) and I don’t really want to talk about it until I’m back in that mode, which I know will come soon. I made several phone calls this week and things are being looked at by the bank, so I have no idea where this is going to go, but I know I’ve got to prepare myself mentally. Stay tuned…

Friends and Food

As I mentioned the other day, my friend Eddie (AKA Rose) is here from Florida and I’ve been spending some time with him and Rich and Bobby (Dita and Blanche!). He, Rich and I hit the Good Steer the other night, which is one of those Long Island places that everybody around here knows. They have these delectable fried onion strings that they serve with their delicious burgers and though I don’t get there too often, it’s always reliably fantastic! In fact, I posted the words “Good Steer” on my Facebook page when I got there and several former Long Islanders made yearning comments about the place. For more on the place, check out this article on Y!CN:

Where to Find Great Burgers on Long Island

A Saucy Night at Splash with Oz

After leaving the Good Steer it was off to Splash. This was the third straight time that I’ve gone there with people. First it was Laura Kim and Michael, then it was Paul, and this week I went with Ozzie. Campus Thursdays is one of the club’s most popular nights and this Thursday it was as crowded as I’d ever seen it. Not only was the place packed in, but many of the patrons were a little wild, to say the least.

I’m starting to learn that Mr. Oz is one popular dude! We ran into a lot of people he knew, all from Long Island, of course, including Julian, the guy who won the Mr. Gay LI at Circus the other night. That dude I met at Ozzie’s house last week, Jeremy, also showed up and boy was he a grouch! All in all it was a great time, despite the naughty groping by the wild crowd. The deejay was rocking and before you knew it, Ozzie and I were heading out the door at 4:30 AM. I walked in the door to my house at 6… Am I getting too old for this…..nah!

Grove Party Tonight!

I don’t know what’s been happening lately, and I actually think I’m starting to miss going out alone, but we four friends are going to Cherry Grove together this evening. It’s been like forever since Rose has been there and I know several people who are also going, so I am very excited!!!! Stay tuned…

In honor of Lucille Ball’s 100th Birthday, here’s my all time favorite scene from the I Love Lucy Show. It’s an early episode when Lucy thinks Ricky is missing his native Cuba and she tries to make him feel more at home by dressing the place up like Cuba and putting on a side-splitting imitation of Carmen Miranda, of course with the help of Ethel, her partner in crime. So funny!



So thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend!

Tweet

Read more »

I just penned an article on the Yahoo Contributor Network and it's one of those sappy, mushy ones about Golden Girls and friendships and stuff. It was inspired by a drag performer on the Sea Tea last night who performed the theme song to that gayest of shows. Since three of my friends have been called by the names of Blanche, Dorothy ands Rose for years, I figured it was an appropriate subject for a piece and besides, I really wanted to post the song (and a picture!) somewhere. So please check out the article here and play the song while you're reading it, for posterity's sake! Oh, and thank you for being a friend!


Tweet

Read more »

It’s late Sunday night, or early Monday morning, depending on which way you look at it. I’m tired and I’ve been laboring all weekend on writing, though it hasn’t been as fruitful as I would have liked (I told you about the Amy Winehouse fiasco yesterday!), but there are a few things I wanted to talk about before I get overwhelmed with too much to write about, so here I go…

Amy, Amy, Amy

I do not intend to beat a dead horse with the Amy Winehouse story (excuse the pun!). Regardless of being a writer and wanting to get the story out yesterday in a big way, I am still a big fan whose really sorry for her loss and I don’t want to make anyone sick of her because Lord knows there will be enough out there in the coming weeks that’ll do the trick.

Through yesterday’s fiasco, I still wanted to do a piece on her, one that of course talked about her music and my connection to it. I call the piece “Amy’s Legacy,” because that’s just what her music is, of course, her legacy. If you like Amy’s music, but may not even know it all, take a look at it by clicking the picture below. I put links to the songs I talk about so you can listen for yourself at see what a talent she really was.


I'm placing the audio here for you to listen to of a song called "Amy, Amy, Amy" that I simply love. It's very jazzy and very sexy and of course since it's got her name three times in the title, it's probably the one song of hers that I've had in my head the most this weekend. Enjoy...





A Busy/Lazy Kind of Weekend

I think I’d be in real trouble if I ever became a writer full time. With the Amy Winehouse story happening in the middle of the day yesterday, I had to drop and then revisit articles that I was already working on. I really should have been finished, but when I’m home, in front of my pc, with no specific place to be, I tend to lose my discipline and waste a lot of time. It’s definitely becoming a problem because I’m neglecting a lot of other things I should be doing in the name of writing, which I’m not doing as much as I should….whew, that was a mouthful!

Anyway, a few months ago I declared that I was becoming organized, but just like my attempts to quit smoking, I haven’t been doing too good. Well tomorrow’s Monday and Monday is always a great day to start something new, right? So let’s just see where the wind takes us, lol…

Studio 54 at the Grove

Last night Cherry’s was having a “Studio 54 Disco Party.” I wasn’t thrilled about it, but it turned out to be better than I thought it was going to be. I still found myself dancing to the Jacksons “Dancing Machine” (She’s a dance, dance, dance, dance , dancing machine, whatcha get down, whatcha get down…), Kool and the Gang, and Yvonne Elliman’s awesome “If I Can’t Have You.” Of course there were some downsides, like Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” and Leo Sayer’s “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” which I absolutely hate. Disco group Musique was there performing their funky, sexy, “In the Bush,” which was alright. Let’s just say I’m glad it was only one night. Now I think they should do an
80’s night. Now THAT would be cool!

An anticlimactic reunion with an old acquaintance

I should not have been the only one going to the Grove last night. Someone of significance was going to be there and my friend Blanchie should have been there too, but unfortunately he had tickets to a show so I went by myself to see a person from our past, Kenny.

Back in the late 80’s, I used to hang out at the clubs with Blanche a lot, that is, until I met first Marco and then Joe. As I settled in to relationship status, Blanche found a new best friend, Kenny, with whom he would become very close. Kenny and I hung out together here and there, but he and I were never really close at all. I guess maybe there was a jealousy kind of thing going on…I really don’t remember.

Anywho, back in 87 or 88, Blanche and Kenny had a falling out and haven’t spoken since. Naturally since I was never direct friends with Kenny, it was the last time I ever saw him either, until now. In comes Alfonse and Billy, a former-couple-but-now-best-friends duo who we all kinda sorta knew from back then. I’d seen the two of them here and there since I’ve been single again, and on Memorial Day Weekend, Blanche spoke to them. They’re still good friends with Kenny, who now lives in Miami.

To make a long story even longer, Kenny has been up for a visit and the three of them rented a place at the Grove for the weekend. It would have been the perfect night for the two old friends to reunite even if for a night of reminiscing and catching up. Instead I was the one to get to see Kenny. All I can say is that time really does work magic, as whatever negative feelings I had for the guy back in the day were no longer there. I’m not saying I wanted to make all nicey-nicey with him, but it was actually cool seeing him for the ten minutes that I did. Besides, Kenny’s gained a few (he was always very thin), so… (He smiles!)

Wrap It Up John, Wrap It Up

Okay, so now it's definitely Monday morning as I've been writing this for more than an hour. I've got more to tell, but I'll save that for next time. I need to sleep! As always, thank you so much for reading and we'll see you tomorrow (or today? LOL)!
Tweet

Read more »

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! Summer is in full swing (and so are the high temperatures!) and I have yet to make it to the beach! I’ve had a frustrating couple of days since the weekend and hopefully I’ll put an end to it with this post and starting a brand new day…



Ziggy

Every once in awhile I like to refer to myself as the real-life Ziggy. You remember Ziggy, the sad, yet lovable cartoon character who’s constantly finding himself in unfortunate situations in his daily life…kind of like a born loser. Well for the past couple of days I’ve definitely had some Ziggy moments, where no matter what I decided to do, it was the wrong thing, and it seemed that nothing went my way.

iPhone Blues

It all started on Sunday when I went to Best Buy to get a new phone. My old iPhone curiously started behaving very badly during this, the last month of my contract and I’ve been wanting to get the new one. So I signed on the dotted line and walked out with my new iPhone 4. I was excited…that is, until Monday.

Sometime Monday afternoon I was playing with one of my newest apps, Cam Wow (check out an article I wrote on it here), when suddenly the phone blacked out. I thought that maybe it was the app, and I restarted it again only to have it happen several times over the next 24 hours, finally dying altogether at around 9AM yesterday. I needed to go back to Best Buy! And so my Ziggy Tuesday began…



Bad timing all the way through

My agenda yesterday was simple. I had two errands to do, or three now with the visit to Best Buy, and they had to be done in the morning. I was going to get my stuff done and then head on out to the beach in the afternoon, the time I like to go. Simple enough, right? Well, not for John on a Ziggy day.

Did you ever have one of those days where just every single little choice you make is the wrong one? Mine started when I forgot my receipt and box for the iPhone and didn’t realize it until I was about 20 miles from home. Deep breaths!

I just did what I had to do and went back home to fetch them and then go to Best Buy. By the time I did that it was noon and I was feeling a little peckish. There’s a really good pizza joint near Best Buy called Zeno’s and I figured I’d get a slice because otherwise I’d probably have to wait an hour or so before I could eat.

I popped on over to Zeno’s and grabbed a quick slice. I was in there less than ten minutes. That was the first of my timing mistakes as I walked into the cell phone area of the store seconds behind two other people who just happened to both need new phones and were both very curious shoppers. Needless to say, I stood there for almost an hour and fifteen minutes until they were both done, and to kick it off I just missed the salesperson I wanted to help me. (He was cute and he did seem to know a lot more than the other rep!)

So a mere two and a half hours later I walked out of Best Buy, at least with a new and working phone. They told me that this was the first defective iPhone they’ve ever gotten back. You see, I told ya: Ziggy!

A quick and easy trip to Staples…Not! A Ziggy day continues…

After Best Buy I had one more stop to make, and that was to pick up a new calendar/planner for the upcoming year. I always get the same one, from Staples, and it begins in July so I wanted to start using the new one right away. I had seen the one I wanted a couple of weeks ago, so all I needed to do was run in, pick it up, and be on my way. Easy, right?

Of course, in accordance with my Ziggy day, the entire store had been rearranged in the two weeks since I’d been there and I could not find the planners. I finally had to enlist the help of a rep who even had some trouble locating them in the store’s new configuration. I’d only wasted about ten minutes to that point…not too bad.

As happens on Ziggy days such as this, I always seem to pick the wrong line to get on. When I approached the register area, there was one register open, with one customer being taken care of and the other waiting behind her. I stood in back of the second customer. Within seconds, another cashier opened another register and called the woman over. I stayed where I was. As I waited, the cashier in front of me was being very chatty with his customer, a little too chatty if you ask me. He was asking her about the health of her pc, if she’d like to make a donation to charity, and explaining the benefits of a Staples Rewards card…it was a never-ending sales pitch.

In the meantime, two other people got behind the woman who’d been called over to the other register and even the two of them, who came way after me, got to leave way before me. In all, I stood there a good ten to fifteen minutes…as the next in line…before I finally moved to the other register. That second cashier didn’t even call me over. She could sense I was seething and was very quick and quiet with my transaction. It was a frustrating ending to a frustrating morning…ur day!

I got home about 3:30 PM after leaving my house at 8:30 AM. What should have taken two hours in all ended up taking seven, and of course there were a myriad of other Ziggy moments that elongated what was supposed to be my simple day. I never made it to the beach, and my next chance to go isn’t going to be until Friday, when I’m sure something else will happen. Another summer day wasted! Today I’m stuck at home because I’m finally getting my dishwasher fixed and they’re not coming until between 2 and 5 in the afternoon, so it continues. Grrrrr!!!!

So maybe you’ll see me here again sometime today. I’ve got plenty of time on my hands and hopefully I’ll be productive. In the meantime, along with the theme of this week’s Janet Jackson “Songs of the Day” and my Ziggy day, here’s a Janet and Michael Jackson video that perfectly describes my day yesterday. Enjoy!



Scream - Michael and Janet Jackson






Tweet

Read more »

A long, long time ago I received a pretty nasty comment on an article I wrote for what was then Associated Content. It was one of the first nasty comments I ever received and upon reading it I was angry and a little hurt by the whole thing. I mean, I always try to put my best out there, and I know that I’m always taking chances when I do, but criticism is not always easy to take.

After thinking about it I decided to do a follow-up article to respond to the anonymous comment. As I usually am with my writing, I write from my own truth, and I like to put things out there that are plain and honest, as I see it, and I think it’s the best way for a writer to handle such a situation. In my haste I deleted the original comment, but I did quote it in the subsequent article. Ever since, I’ve tried to make a habit not to wipe out the negative, as I should be able to take the bad with the good, and I always try to respond in accordance with my style.

Innocently enough, this morning I began a weeklong special in my “Song of the Day” posts of Janet Jackson videos, and I started off with one of my favorites, “That’s the Way Love Goes.” Just a few minutes ago I received an email telling me that I had a comment on the post and it read something like this:

“Ummmm Janet is on a sold out world tour and she doesn't need new material when she can perform her 36 number one songs and still sell out globally. You should be more concerned about your shitty ass cheap looking hole in the wall blog that gets about 2 hits a day. I’m laughing my ass off right now don't feel sorry for Janet she was just in 2 blockbuster movies and on a sold out tour and she has a movie deal with lions gate to make her own feature film. Janet is making millions every time she steps on stage...how much do you earn from your dumb ass blog??? “

Of course, upon reading such a comment, my blood began to boil. It still always does, even for just a little bit. Oftentimes I just respond with a comment of my own, hopefully to counteract whatever the commenter said, but this time I am once again moved to write an entire response to this “anonymous” person because I think it deserves it…and now I will speak directly to him or her:

Hey Mr. (or Ms.) Anonymous,

First of all, thanks for checking out my “shitty ass cheap looking hole in the wall blog.” As you pointed out, I could really use the hit. I try to make a habit of not deleting nasty comments such as yours because I think the words speak for themselves as to the type of person you must be to leave such malicious and uninstigated insults for no apparent reason.

For the record I love Janet Jackson...I even met her once. I didn’t say that her star has faded to insult her or you or any other fan. I was just stating a fact. Janet’s last top ten song was “Someone to Call My Lover” back in 2001, and the highest rated song she’s attained since was 2007’s “Feedback,” topping out at #19. She’s released three studio albums since 2004, the year of the “stupid nipple incident” (2004’s “Damita Jo,”, 2006‘s “20 Y.O,” and “Discipline,” from 2008), and although they all sold well, none of them produced any significant hits like from her earlier days. Of course, she’s a legendary star, but you can’t say that her status hasn’t waned in the past seven years or so.

Also, when you comment and put things out there, you should always check your facts. I did some checking and here’s what I found out:

You said she has “36 number one songs.” Well, not so much. Janet’s had 10 songs to reach #1 and 13 more to reach top ten status. I think it’s very impressive…it’s one of the reasons I love her so. But even if you add the 10 plus the 13, that’s still only 23, so I have no idea where the number 36 came from.

Look dude (or dudess), I’m a Janet Jackson fan. We’re on the same team. We should be nice to one another. Hey, I even wrote an article on my picks for her top ten songs (click here and leave a comment if you don’t agree, but be nice!) and I’ve seen her in concert six times, so I think I qualify as a bona fide fan.

As to the tone of your comment, I have to say there’s really no reason to be so nasty. I have one big mantra in life and you really should try and abide by it. It says “don’t be a hater,” and all it means really is that you shouldn’t hate on people for no apparent reason. It just makes the world an uglier place, don’t you think? If you disagree with something I or anyone else says, there’s a nice way to do it, ya know?

And for the record about this blog, I’m happy to report that I do get more than two hits a day here. In fact, out of all of the places I write, this is where I get the most hits, between 450 and 700 hits per day. Not too shabby, huh? As for what it looks like, well you’re entitled to your opinion, but I think it’s pretty cool looking for what it is. Hey I’m no expert, and I’m still learning tricks and stuff about working with a blog.

So please, if you or any of my other readers choose to respond to something I say, all I ask is that you come at me correct. I can choose to delete whatever it is you say anyway, or I can just leave it up there for others to make their own judgments as to your character (now there’s a reason to hate!), if you even care what that is (and I think maybe you might because you don’t leave your name!). Once again I thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my blog. I hope you’ll take heed of what I said and be a little nicer from now on…

Sincerely,

John



Here’s a little treat for any of you kids who love Miss Janet. It’s one of my favorite tunes, inspired by Carly Simon’s “You're So Vain,” and employing the singer's vocals in a cool way. Though it was remixed and released as a single featuring guest raps by Missy Elliot, I like the album version a lot better. It’s got a very bassy, funky beat and it’s great to dance to. Be warned though if you’ve got kids within earshot, the lyrics feature explicit language in this version.

Enjoy!

Son of a Gun




Tweet

Read more »

Good morning and Happy Friday! I don’t really have an agenda this morning, other than to check in for a bit. Right now I’m in kind of a bad place and I don’t know how I got here. For the first time since I can remember I was bored for hours and hours yesterday. I’m kind of in a writer’s slump, right when I have all the time in the world to write, and I can’t figure out why. I’m hoping that this post will get me going…



Chrissie’s Back

Earlier this week, my sister Chrissy came back from Kentucky, where she’s been living with her partner for the past two years or so. Mom had a little party for Ann Marie’s 40th on Wednesday night, so I got to see her for the first time in a long time. She looks good, but it’s kinda weird that she’s got this half-Kentucky/half New York accent. I dunno, I’ve been a language teacher for a long time and I know that scientifically you don’t develop an accent in such a short period of time. I think she’s got a case like Madonna had when she was living in England and used that cockney accent all the time, only she’s got a twang to hers…

At first I was under the impression that she’d be staying here permanently. I don’t think she’s really happy there in Kentucky and her partner is still there, so I think now that her visit is only temporary. We’ll have to see…

Some time with my long lost BFF

A good while ago I wrote a piece called “Fag Hags” and Gay Men: Hopeless BFF’s. In it I talked about how younger men have their share of so-called “fag hags,” or women who love to hang out with their gay friends, but as time goes on inevitably that friendship wanes as the fag hag goes on to live the life of a wife and mother. I spoke about one of my own fag hags in the piece, Vera, who I’ve known for almost 30 years. My life is living proof of what I said as I saw Vera yesterday for the first time since February.

Vera has developed a whole different life for herself than she used to have. She’s busy with her husband and two kids, Frankie and Isabel, and that’s fine for her. She brought ‘Bella’ with her yesterday and at first she was terrified of lil’ ole’ me. She eventually warmed up, but I don’t know, maybe that’s why I’m a little sad. It all goes back to being single and lonely I guess. I dunno, I always go back and forth with being alone…sometimes I love the freedom and other times it gets lonely. I only wish things would move along with this ineffective job search so I can start making my moves. It’s just so frustrating!

Anyway, my visit with Vera and Bella was pleasant enough. We shared a meal and did some shopping, just like in the old days only it was morning/early afternoon, which I think was a first for she and I. When we parted we talked about doing this regularly for the rest of the summer and we plan on seeing each other again in two weeks. We’ll see what happens.


Bella and Me

Bella and Vera

Pain and Tiredness

For the past few days I’ve had a pulled muscle in my back. I don’t know how I got it, but it’s a real pain in the you-know-what. I’d met Vera early in the morning and I was up until 3 the night before, so the combination of the pain in my back and being tired led me to my boring day yesterday. I had planned on going to Splash last night, but I got some early company and by the time my friend had left, I was tired. I went to sleep for the first time before midnight all summer.
So it’s a beautiful day outside and I need to break away from the pc and get my day going. Hopefully by the end of the day I’ll be able to get an article out and then maybe do something fun. We’ll see…
Tweet

Read more »

Happy Friday everyone! Today’s a great day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it’s humid as all hell, lol. Really, I so hate the humidity. Living just about two or three miles from the ocean makes the area where I live very humid and it’s simply disgusting. It’s the kind of weather where I’m already sweating just five minutes after a shower. Ugh! Anyway, here’s what’s happening…



Newsday

As I mentioned the other day, my hometown newspaper, LI Newsday, sent me a message on Twitter asking for a short interview so they could feature me. I gave them my number and they called with some questions. The woman told me to keep an eye out for its publication and voila! It appeared in yesterday’s edition. Check it out.

Here’s the link to the full piece online:

@jmyers22, John MyersKinda cool, huh?

And if you’d like to follow me, too, on Twitter, here’s the link to my profile: http://twitter.com/#!/jmyers22.

He’s Out!!!!!

At 9:05 this morning I received a very happy text message. It was from Arnoldo: “I’m out of the hospital!!!” Though his sister Mayela told me yesterday that he was finally getting out, it was extra nice to hear it from him directly. Today is exactly 7 weeks that he was in there. I’ve been too busy to make any trips there for the past couple of weeks, but I knew that his infection had finally begun to clear and that they were treating him for his other ailments. I guess it worked. Thank God!!!!

Splash Summer

Two nights this week I returned to my winter playing ground, Splash. Tuesdays and Thursdays have always been good nights, and so I figured I’d take the opportunity to return there for some midweek dancing. A lots been happening this week, so for the first time in a long time it was some much-needed dance therapy. Nuff said about that, but I will say the music was slamming both nights and I danced my ass off until the wee hours. It was fun!!!

Writing

I’ve been long-neglecting posting any of my writing on this blog. After all, when I first started it that was my main goal. Next week, I’m going to start publishing a regular feature of all of my pieces for the week. I think that’s important considering my writing is so spread out these days. So here are some of my recent pieces:

Yahoo Contributor Network

Una Fiesta - A humorous look at last Saturday night's party.

John's World: My Blog - A little look at this blog...

A Billboard piece on their Mid-Year Music Awards inspired me to choose my favorite albums and songs for 2011 so far:

Top Five Albums of 2011...so far!

John's Top Ten Songs for 2011...so far!

Some NY Pride as (Gay) Marriage Equality Bill Passes

Examiner

All new "Guys Night Out" at Alfies in Patchogue - There's a new gay bar in town, on Saturday nights, and it's right around the corner from where I live. The party starts tomorrow and I'm looking forward to checking it out!

New Coasters for 2011 - Summer is roller coaster ridin' time and here are some great new ones that are already out! (I so wanna go to Busch Gardens in Tampa!)

Gather

Billboard.com's Mid-Year Music Awards - What a cool idea!

Beyonce's "4" showcases the singer's maturity and talent - I dunno, but this one hasn't gotten nearly the amount of hits I would have hoped for. Beyonce's album is absolutely awesome and this piece was my first ever review so close to an album's release.

Extra-Special NYC Gay Pride Parade - This year's parade was really meaningful, well-attended, and a lot of fun! This one almost didn't get published...they said it wasn't entertainment, but news. So it ended up in their news page a couple of days late!

Cedar Point's New "Windseeker" - Okay, so it's not a new coaster, but it looks pretty scary!

Well, as you can see I've been very remiss with posting articles on here. These aren't all of them, of course, but they'll do for now. I'm off to work on a poem I've been playing around withh and then I'm going to get on with this very hot day... As always, thanks for reading! Ciao!
Tweet

Read more »

Today's song is probably my all time favorite dance tune. I remember hearing it in the clubs a couple of years ago and not knowing what the heck they were saying. I tried looking for it to no avail, but then one day I downloaded an app called Shazam on my iPhone. Shazam is the coolest app!!!! It listens to 30 seconds of a song and then tells you what it is, and this was the very first song I "shazammed" and then bought for myself.

"Let Me Think About It" has an unmistakable track that I can always identify from the first notes being mixed into the previous song and before it starts full force. Quite simply it's a song I cannot resist the urge to dance to and boy do I love to get down to it! So press play, step back from your pc, and dance!





Here's an article I wrote on Shazam:

Free and Handy iPhone Apps

Tweet

Read more »

Happy 4th of July everybody! It’s a gorgeous day outside and here I still sit in my pj’s at almost 2 o’clock in the afternoon typing away. I’ve got some holiday festivities going on later so I will get out of here eventually. It’s been a great weekend so far and at the moment I’m loving life…I hope you are, too!

Una Fiesta

On Saturday night I was invited to a graduation/birthday party for one of my longtime students, Jaqi. I’m always a little apprehensive about socializing with my students and their families, but she practically begged me to come and so I did. Going to parties hosted by Latin American peoples definitely has its quirks, which I found out on Saturday.

Once I began telling the tale, I realized it would make a great article, so I published it on Y!CN. Check it out right here.

It was fun and since I only posted one photo on the Y!CN article, I'm going to share some more here:






4th (or more like 3rd!) at The Grove

Yesterday was the big day at Cherry Grove, which was more or less a blast. There's a lot more to the story of yesterday than I have time for here, so I'll save that for next time. In the meantime, have a safe, healthy and happy holiday and enjoy this Spanish language song by Ricky Martin. It's one of my favorites, "Lola, Lola."




Tweet

Read more »

And walls come tumbling down
We'll be forever calm

I was listening to these words late this afternoon when I first heard that the New York State Senate was finally going to vote on the Marriage Equality Act, which would have legalized gay marriage finally in the great state of New York. Though I'm not a big believer in marriage as an institution, I do believe strongly that all people, including people like us, should have the same right to marry that straight people do.

The words are from a song by Erasure called 'In My Arms,' and the "walls" referred to in the song symbolize tonight the wall that's stood between gay people and the legal institution of marriage for years and years. When I saw the announcement of the vote on Twitter via my iPhone, I had a good feeling. Yes, this time it would pass. I turned up the volume and sang the words to this beautiful song at the top of my lungs, and this time with a whole new meaning...



I am a lifelong New Yorker. It's the place where I was born, the place I was raised, and the place I call my home. I've always been proud of being a New Yorker and I'm even prouder tonight.



Though I've been meaning lately to post links to some of the pieces I've written lately, I've been remiss, and I'm going to change that now for tonight's historic action by my state government moved me into action to share and to reiterate what I believe with all my heart. Here are links to what I wrote earlier tonight and some related material from the past. Check it out:

Some NY Pride as Gay Marriage Bill Finally Passes

Why Same Sex Marriage is a Civil Rights Issue

The Lovings and Today's Gay Marriage Debate

Gay Marriage Shot Down Again: When Will the Hate Stop?

Gay Marriage and the Traditional Family

As always, thanks for reading!


Tweet

Read more »

Happy Hump Day everyone! Today has been a perfect one for me, as I am finally well rested, basking in the afterglow of a memorable concert, and getting lots of writing done in the process. After being so heavily occupied the past few days, it’s nice to be able to have time to sit down and be productive. The weather’s been crappy all day, and my allergies are acting up, so I don’t mind staying inside anyway…

Kylie

Well, last night was the Kylie Minogue concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC and it was incredible! I went with Ivan, who treated me to front row seats in the mezzanine. Though I hadn’t written about it before, the last (and first!) time I saw her was in the same venue and my friend and I had floor ‘seats’ to, which really meant that we had to stand. Therefore it was difficult to get a good view of the show, although it was a good time anyway.

This time, however, I had an unobstructed view of the entire show. They were probably the best seats I ever had for any concert and so the show was highly enjoyable. What made it more enjoyable was the company. I’ve told you before that Ivan is a huge Kylie fan, by far the biggest I know personally. He is somewhat young and has not been to many concerts before last night, and he’s never seen his “muse” live and in person.

Ivan prepared for the event choosing carefully the clothes he would wear and since we had front row seats, he had a special poster made for the occasion in the hopes the star might just see it. As the show started, his eyes filled with wonder and enthusiasm as he watched his diva do her thing on the stage. It was just as much fun to watch him enjoy the show as anything else. Unfortunately the one time he tried to hold up his poster, he was told by security staff not to do so. Other than that, though, I know he had an awesome time, as did I.

I put up a review of the show this morning on Y!CN. Check it out:

Kylie Minogue at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom

I’m thinking of doing another piece on Examiner under my “Gay Issues” title, as it was a very gay show! Stay tuned for that, and in the meantime, here are some photos I took with my iPhone. They didn’t come out as nice as I would have liked, but some of them are decent:


'Aphrodite' the opening of the show!

Work it!

Cupid Boys!

Mmmmm...gladiators!


Kylie and her crew

Looking for an Angel

Finale

A genuine and inspiring young manIvan

I’d like to take a little time here to talk about Ivan. I first met him a couple of Saturdays ago at my favorite hangout, Splash, and he and I hit it off, so to speak, right away. We’ve gotten together a couple of times since and had fun together. He’s a genuine and inspiring young man who aspires to great things eventually. In a lot of ways he reminds me of me in that way.

Though I vaguely mentioned it earlier, I never said specifically that it was he who I inspired to start writing in his own blog, which he calls “Bruises Fade.” I am linking it here because he’s shared it on Facebook and I think he’s definitely got a good start to what promises to be the very enlightening story of his young life. So please check it out if you’d like to get to know this young man as he lives and grows.

The proverbial shoe on the other foot

Anyway, today is kind of sad when it comes to Ivan. Ever since we went out on last Saturday night (see Weekend Ups n Downs), I’ve been feeling that maybe I’ve led him into thinking that things might go along faster than I really would like them to. I’ve always had a difficult time not responding to kindness and affection with the same, and unintentionally I may have given him the wrong impression. The truth is, I’m still hurting right now and as I said in the not too distant past I don’t think I could be in another relationship with someone for awhile. I had this on my mind all last night and I couldn’t let it end without telling him so. In the process I’m afraid I’ve hurt his feelings, maybe even just a bit.

Since I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of such news, I can understand what he must be feeling and I wish it weren’t so. The very last thing I would ever want to do would be to hurt someone, and I only hope that we’ve known each other too short a time for him to hurt too much. Truth be told, I like Ivan a lot. He’s kind and innocent, hard working and bright eyed, very sweet, and I hope that he continues to be in my life from here on out, especially since he’s a Kylie fan, too, lol!

So in honor of last night’s show and as a big thank you to Ivan for taking me, here’s a clip of the Aussie diva covering the Eurythmics’ classic ‘There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart),’ live from the Hammerstein Ballroom. Check it out:


Pick up Aphrodite here:



Tweet

Read more »