on the eve of the half-century mark, last big entry. "Defining moments."
1)Father's death: nothing like losing your father @ age 5 to make you grow up in a hurry.
2)NY World's Fair: the sixties were an amazing time to grow up. This event pointed toward the future. We went nearly every weekend.
3)St.Gabriel's School: growing, meeting friends, learning the dif between asshole/classclown/leader. Fights, laughs, sex, Brother James. Being an Altar boy. wow.
4)Bellefontaine: earning my wings in prep/boarding school. First independence, first beer, first drugs. First experience getting kicked out. Magic times. The beer in the creek, hockey, friends from all over the country.
5)Cathedral Prep: where I ended up after getting kicked outta prep school. New thug on the block. When they learned why I transferred, I got immediate bad boy street cred. Not always such a good thing.
6)Cathedral College: whatthefuck made me think this whole Priest thing'd work out????? Looked GREAT in clerical garb, esp meeting girls for dates in the parking lot. Real babe magnet. No joke, they loved it. AND, remember, @ this time I'd reached my mgw-maximum gross weight.
7)Grad school: When it all hit the fan. Got kicked out, sent to rehab, my real life began.
8)Teaching: my first post rehab career-not job. REALLY made me part of the world again. Now, you gotta remember, this was the late 80's, when chain smoking and shades didn't get you kicked out of your position. The Keith Richards of the profession. STILL made it into Who's Who In American Education. hee hee.
9)Counseling: started on a path that led me to here. Met some amazing people-and amazing assholes-thanks for firing me Nassau county, best thing that EVER happened to me! Where I met the person who was to bear my son.
10)Running: where my third life began and currently resides. Enabled me to reach spiritual heights I'd sought in the Seminary. Enabled me to meet amazing REAL people.
11)The NY Marathon: My first, my best. The Alley Pond Striders got me in, they own my (running shoe) sole. Bless them. Picked me up and gave me props. The kid from Queens runs the city, therefore, OWNS the city, MY city, MY NY. Did a shitload of other marathons, none compares.
12)Stoney's birth: for anyone who doesn't have a child, you don't know. For those that do, ain't it sumtin'?
13)Cancer: Shebitch lost It's mind, I lost everyone I knew-those I didn't lose believe I'm Satan. Again, see #10 and 11, they saved my ass.
14)The next century: spent 50 years getting this way, let's ride the wave.
***You'll notice other than my Father's death, not too much written about this. Not very defining moments. Death sucks, it hurts, but after losing your male role model so young, nothing comes close to that.
*****We have a speaker come in to do a group 3x weekly. His program is called "Happier Horizons," really good stuff, i.e. there's no such thing as stress, don't be a sucker etc.....the ONE thing I disagree with: why do we in this country have an odd sense of entitlement? Only in the US do we feel a God given expectation to be happy????? Happy is OUR job, God gives us life, the rest is up to us. Another thing I learned in 50 years!!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
day 71
St.Francis this am, cool, 50 ish degs. NICE. Knee ok, surprised. Think I could'a pushed the 1/2 a bit harder, but again, don't wanna get injured with a month to go. What hurt my time was: in a shit corral (if you can't get a good start, you're fucked), and, in years past I was running with someone. With no one to pace, you're fucked.
One day to go until the half-century mark. STILL reeling from having to play DEA @ Toxichouse, but someone has to. THAT'S what sucks, It enables him, doens't even ask the right questions, and I get stuck holding the parenting bag.
I've been quite fortunate to date. There's nothing I'd change in my life-not even It. When we were a couple everything was copasetic. That was then. That which didn't kill me...
Eager to see what the future brings. STILL feel like a 14 year old. My inner child always wins ;)
One day to go until the half-century mark. STILL reeling from having to play DEA @ Toxichouse, but someone has to. THAT'S what sucks, It enables him, doens't even ask the right questions, and I get stuck holding the parenting bag.
I've been quite fortunate to date. There's nothing I'd change in my life-not even It. When we were a couple everything was copasetic. That was then. That which didn't kill me...
Eager to see what the future brings. STILL feel like a 14 year old. My inner child always wins ;)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
day 70
was tempted to do the Farley 5k race, but needed more miles, so did St.Francis. REALLY should'a taken the day off-day after a 1/2, but, gots'ta get them miles...mon.
Now for the weekend drama. Back to Toxichouse after the 1/2 yesterday. Stoney (used to be "keith," but you'll see as we proceed) and I were SUPPOSED to go to the movies, but he hit on Shebitch for $$$ and went with his peeps. It claimed he was going to the movies. I smelled a rat. I jumped in the vehicle and tracked him down. Guess what he was doing? Hint: One ____over the line sweet Jesus, one _____over the line. Yes kiddies, strike 2. BUSTED. And the best part, he hit on the idiot for money to fund his toking. So, he's grounded until he tests negative. I told him: "hope it wasn't good shit, if it was, it can stay in your system for up to 90 days)." Of course, I told him strike 3 results in his homelessness, he will NOT be living here. Not to mention the talk about: "If you get busted and the Nassau PD call, look forward to a few nights in Juvey, 'cause I ain;t bailing you out." Hopefully this'll make a difference. Grounding him sucks-he loves playing handball, but even he thinks it's fair. Killer part: Shebitch is strangely silent-didn't even question where he was going (when he asked for $$$). Fucking idiot. Hate the role this puts me in. I told him "putz, have you forgotten what I do for a living???"
Now for the weekend drama. Back to Toxichouse after the 1/2 yesterday. Stoney (used to be "keith," but you'll see as we proceed) and I were SUPPOSED to go to the movies, but he hit on Shebitch for $$$ and went with his peeps. It claimed he was going to the movies. I smelled a rat. I jumped in the vehicle and tracked him down. Guess what he was doing? Hint: One ____over the line sweet Jesus, one _____over the line. Yes kiddies, strike 2. BUSTED. And the best part, he hit on the idiot for money to fund his toking. So, he's grounded until he tests negative. I told him: "hope it wasn't good shit, if it was, it can stay in your system for up to 90 days)." Of course, I told him strike 3 results in his homelessness, he will NOT be living here. Not to mention the talk about: "If you get busted and the Nassau PD call, look forward to a few nights in Juvey, 'cause I ain;t bailing you out." Hopefully this'll make a difference. Grounding him sucks-he loves playing handball, but even he thinks it's fair. Killer part: Shebitch is strangely silent-didn't even question where he was going (when he asked for $$$). Fucking idiot. Hate the role this puts me in. I told him "putz, have you forgotten what I do for a living???"
Saturday, October 3, 2009
day 69
did ok. Had the Grete's Gallop today. Stayed in Manhattan overnight, did the 1/2 in the am. Didn't do GREAT, last year came in @ 2:03, this year 2:11(which is open to question. 2:11 was my gun time, for some reason chip time didn't register, but it is what it is. If I passed mile 12 @ 1:52, how the HELL could it have taken 20 mins to run one mile?????). Didn't push as hard as I could've, wanna run manana, but did well. No walk breaks. Also, in the back of my mind, didn't wanna get hurt with a month to go before The Big One.
Hooked up with Tom, bless him. What a sweet guy. Really a heart of gold (whatthefuck is wrong with him???).
Had fun @ the race, also after, typical NYC shit, was crossing against the light-2 tourists next to me-they'd stopped. I looked @ them shrugged, said "this IS NYC," and proceeded. They followed laughing.
Missed the usual suspects, once upon a time this was a group race, but as they isolate, I press on. Oh well.
Hooked up with Tom, bless him. What a sweet guy. Really a heart of gold (whatthefuck is wrong with him???).
Had fun @ the race, also after, typical NYC shit, was crossing against the light-2 tourists next to me-they'd stopped. I looked @ them shrugged, said "this IS NYC," and proceeded. They followed laughing.
Missed the usual suspects, once upon a time this was a group race, but as they isolate, I press on. Oh well.
Friday, October 2, 2009
5 days
almost to the half century mark!
Today: my bro's/buds.
1)Elementary School: Dennis Hevia: through the wonder of Facebook, we're still in touch, amazing. My first visit to a friend's house (he had 13 pairs of sneakers-I NEVER forgot that), his dad was the landlord of the apartment complex-so he was The Man.
2)Dan Browne: In the Mass Prep School, he was a day student, his dad ran the hotel in Lenox. MAN did we tear it up!!! Used to make pocket $$$ raking leaves @ the hotel, then spend the $$$ on beer-watching Happy Days.
3)John Loewenstein: after getting kicked out of the Mass Prep school, for the activities Dan and I perpetrated (hee hee-no regrets there kiddies!!!), I met this freak who looked like Christ's stunt double. We had class nights where one assigned class had the run of the gym for a night, followed by pizza. I had a tape recorder, playing Dead tunes, he ambled up to me asked "You a Deadhead," and the rest was history. The beginning of a lifelong friendship, he was the best man @ my wedding-after a 10 year gap in our relationship. First guy to confront me about my drinking. Little did either of us know!!!
4)Bill Sharp: my college running bud. @ this point, Loewenstein and I followed each other to the College/Seminary, where I ran into Bill. As he was walking up the stairs I noticed he had a Fleetwood Mac record atop his pile of belongings. Of course I commented that it was "pussy music," after nearly coming to blows, we became fast friends. Sort'a like rams butting horns. Spent many wasted nights @ his parents' home in Bay Ridge. Helluva guy. @ this point it was me, Bill, and John.
5)After rehab, I was an island, couldn't hang with the peeps-I was undergoing re-puberty remember? So, I toughed it out.
6)Steve Alexander: God bless you. Quite possibly the straightest shooter I ever met, sort'a like Bill. Sort'a like John. Sensing a pattern here??? Never dealt with bs artists. Anyway, met Steve when he applied for a job @ MATC, I interviewed him, couldn't hire him-another candidate was more qualified. He called constantly asking if anything opened up. @ one point he made repeated calls daily. Bless him. We hit it off. There was SOMETHING that connected us. He was in recovery, so was I; he got me into golf, same taste in females, and...and...RUNNING! The only real difference between us was cultural. Wow. 2 weeks after I started walking a lap 'round the middle school track, started running a lap, then...a mile!!! THEN he calls, tells me he got me into my first race: COW HARBOR!!! Helluva guy. Finally hired him @ CATC, had the best of ALL worlds: best wife, bestjob, now best friend. At least one still is with me. I remember like it was yesterday, our first round @ VA, first race I actually passed him, day we hunted down Alien golf clubs @ Black Friday/day after Thanksgiving sale. Miss him daily. Steve, I owe you alot. My bro. Even Keith remembers him. Would give you the shirt off his back, yet kneecap your ass to get a stray golf tee another had left behind. A mentioned I loved Doc Gooden, he got me a Doc Gooden signed baseball and card. What a guy.
God gave me amazing people.
Today: my bro's/buds.
1)Elementary School: Dennis Hevia: through the wonder of Facebook, we're still in touch, amazing. My first visit to a friend's house (he had 13 pairs of sneakers-I NEVER forgot that), his dad was the landlord of the apartment complex-so he was The Man.
2)Dan Browne: In the Mass Prep School, he was a day student, his dad ran the hotel in Lenox. MAN did we tear it up!!! Used to make pocket $$$ raking leaves @ the hotel, then spend the $$$ on beer-watching Happy Days.
3)John Loewenstein: after getting kicked out of the Mass Prep school, for the activities Dan and I perpetrated (hee hee-no regrets there kiddies!!!), I met this freak who looked like Christ's stunt double. We had class nights where one assigned class had the run of the gym for a night, followed by pizza. I had a tape recorder, playing Dead tunes, he ambled up to me asked "You a Deadhead," and the rest was history. The beginning of a lifelong friendship, he was the best man @ my wedding-after a 10 year gap in our relationship. First guy to confront me about my drinking. Little did either of us know!!!
4)Bill Sharp: my college running bud. @ this point, Loewenstein and I followed each other to the College/Seminary, where I ran into Bill. As he was walking up the stairs I noticed he had a Fleetwood Mac record atop his pile of belongings. Of course I commented that it was "pussy music," after nearly coming to blows, we became fast friends. Sort'a like rams butting horns. Spent many wasted nights @ his parents' home in Bay Ridge. Helluva guy. @ this point it was me, Bill, and John.
5)After rehab, I was an island, couldn't hang with the peeps-I was undergoing re-puberty remember? So, I toughed it out.
6)Steve Alexander: God bless you. Quite possibly the straightest shooter I ever met, sort'a like Bill. Sort'a like John. Sensing a pattern here??? Never dealt with bs artists. Anyway, met Steve when he applied for a job @ MATC, I interviewed him, couldn't hire him-another candidate was more qualified. He called constantly asking if anything opened up. @ one point he made repeated calls daily. Bless him. We hit it off. There was SOMETHING that connected us. He was in recovery, so was I; he got me into golf, same taste in females, and...and...RUNNING! The only real difference between us was cultural. Wow. 2 weeks after I started walking a lap 'round the middle school track, started running a lap, then...a mile!!! THEN he calls, tells me he got me into my first race: COW HARBOR!!! Helluva guy. Finally hired him @ CATC, had the best of ALL worlds: best wife, bestjob, now best friend. At least one still is with me. I remember like it was yesterday, our first round @ VA, first race I actually passed him, day we hunted down Alien golf clubs @ Black Friday/day after Thanksgiving sale. Miss him daily. Steve, I owe you alot. My bro. Even Keith remembers him. Would give you the shirt off his back, yet kneecap your ass to get a stray golf tee another had left behind. A mentioned I loved Doc Gooden, he got me a Doc Gooden signed baseball and card. What a guy.
God gave me amazing people.
day 68
God bless 'em.
HATE meetings, yet they always seem to go well, tonight was no exception.
First, the bored meeting, got the bidness taken care of, lots of loss this month in the club, but also many highlights-plenty of activity. Then, the membership meeting. Again, well attended, Ronit got a cake for Alan, completely surprised him-these two are quite a lovely couple. Then our speaker was amazing. Wow. I disappeared @ 9, they were still going.
Tom hit it on the head when he pegged the group as a family. Good call.
Manana the Grete's run. Rain predicted. SHIT. Spending the night in Manhattan.
HATE meetings, yet they always seem to go well, tonight was no exception.
First, the bored meeting, got the bidness taken care of, lots of loss this month in the club, but also many highlights-plenty of activity. Then, the membership meeting. Again, well attended, Ronit got a cake for Alan, completely surprised him-these two are quite a lovely couple. Then our speaker was amazing. Wow. I disappeared @ 9, they were still going.
Tom hit it on the head when he pegged the group as a family. Good call.
Manana the Grete's run. Rain predicted. SHIT. Spending the night in Manhattan.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
day 67
done!!!
St.Francis this am. YUMMMMM. THIS is my kinda weather. 49 degs, t shirt, shorts, and....gloves!!! PURRRRRRRFECT. (does it get any better than this???). AND, running shoes seem to meet my needs. No grueling knee pain.
Core training last night went well, missing the track work, but the midsection is happier.
Bored meeting tonight followed by membership meeting. Yecccccccccch. Never look forward to these.
St.Francis this am. YUMMMMM. THIS is my kinda weather. 49 degs, t shirt, shorts, and....gloves!!! PURRRRRRRFECT. (does it get any better than this???). AND, running shoes seem to meet my needs. No grueling knee pain.
Core training last night went well, missing the track work, but the midsection is happier.
Bored meeting tonight followed by membership meeting. Yecccccccccch. Never look forward to these.
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