THINGS I MISS

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Looking back over the years, there are things I remember and wish I still had. Of course the reality is that life moves on, and I do too, whether I want to or not.

There are places that I miss from so long ago but still can feel the sense of being there. The streets I grew up on, the people that lived on them, and the memories that are associated with them, all play into the memory bag and give me great pleasure as I look back.

Maybe the thing I miss most though is the sense of security I had as a child, the idea I could always go home to a safe haven and be happy.

I remember going to school at Our Lady Of Lourdes, and walking up Stone Avenue pass the green grocer stand and remembering what I did to the poor man the day before, as I got him so mad he chased me and my friends with a broom! A satisfied smile would cross my lips as I passed the yet to open stand. He was a mean Old Italian that had a messy place but was good in a pinch, and he never held it against you the next day, because it was a new day.

There was Pete the Bungalow Ice Cream man who came around on summer evening after dinnertime and we all raced to greet him, with his penciled moustache and patient way about himself with kids.

I remember Dad coming home from work, walking from the Broadway Junction stop, or the corner of Rockaway and Fulton subway station, his grey fedora, hands in his pockets, NY Journal American under his arm, whistling as he walked, as I ran up to greet him, he would raise his eyes and look upwards meaning: Time for dinner.

Of course there were holidays with Grandma Frances, the anticipation of cousins coming from Patchogue, the incredible dinners she made and the festive noisiness of the affair, made for untold memories for me.

I remember high school, after classes, a few friends of mine would come over to the house and we would all go down in my parents basement and shoot pool, or hanging out with my friend Ernie after school, playing records and going into Patchogue after dinner on Friday nights to the movies or what ever moved us.

College became my social awakening, the idea that there was another place on Earth besides Bellport and Brooklyn, and people, all new who brought new ideas and thoughts to the table. Suddenly living for real, dealing with my own destiny, thinking about politics and marriage and career, all at once, all of it shaping my future and having fun doing it. And after all that, I still went home at the end of a semester or week or day, and still enjoyed the comforts of home and the tranquility it brought me.

I miss those rides on the Long Island Railroad, commuting to work as a single guy, dating new gals I met on the train, every weekend it seemed someone new came along. I had money, a new car and a great job; I was on top of the world, working on top of New York City, 32 stories high: in the clouds!

I was going to fancy restaurants for lunch or dinner, with clients and co-workers, seeing my work produced in large quantities, and feeling the excitement of the big city, the freelance jobs I’d get and the constant pressure my dad put on me to meet this gal or that gal from his place of business, not to mention the day my grandmother set me up with a dozy from the other side! (A blogue in itself)

Then there are those days when I married TLW (The Little Woman), meeting her on the train, the romance that grew and the life we made for ourselves, especially in the beginning. Before I knew it, I was a father, and not once, but twice.

We would spend the Saturday evenings with two little tykes at home before dinner, playing Mitch Miller records for the kids to learn all the old time favorites, and I would pour us a couple of scotch and waters and we all sang along, watching my daughter clap and #1 Son dance and sing to the songs. I bet he could win a trivia contest knowing all the words to ‘The Erie Lackawanna’ song.’

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY SISTER FRAN, WHO TURNS 39 AGAIN!

http://delbloggolo.blogspot.com/search?q=Fran

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF MY FAVORITE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, THE LOVELY NANCY UYENO, 29 YEARS OLD!

Playcrafters proudly presents
Every Christmas Story Ever Told 
(And Then Some)
A Comedy by Michael Carleton, 
Jim FitzGerald, and John K. Alvarez

Fridays and Saturdays,
Tonight, December 15, 2012
Boys & Girls Club of the Bellport Area
471 Atlantic Ave, Bellport, NY 11713

Curtain Time: 8:00pm
Suggested Donation: Adult $18 Seniors/Students $15

For children and adults 10 and above!

Synopsis of the Show:
Instead of performing Charles Dickens' beloved holiday classic for the umpteenth time, three actors decide to perform every Christmas story ever told.