This is the first summer in which I am a full time worker in New York City. I had a lot of expectations regarding the change in my commute as opposed to the winter and anticipated the increase in New York City tourism. One of the elements in which I did not think about until it was walking, sprinting, strutting, and biking in front of me was the dress fashion (or lack thereof).

It is truly an “anything goes” dress code in the summer here in NYC apparently. Last week for example; every day was humid and at least 90 degrees outside. Last week, I witnessed jumpsuits, women that don’t believe in bras in extreme heat (trust me guys, it isn’t always a “good” thing), sweaters, beanies, and gloves. How is this possible? Do residents and workers of New York close their eyes in the morning and run into their closet with a “let’s get crazy” mentality? Is there a city-wide inside joke that I am yet to hear about? Are people getting hazed in public? Why would you want to wear a turtleneck on the subway in the summer, which reaches 100 degrees easily given the humidity? Needless to say, the subway rides I have taken lately are very strong on the nostrils. I must thank the women of NYC that believe their scent should be available to all individuals within a 5 mile radius for their help in masking some horrible body odor. It has been much appreciated.

I’m personally fortunate that I don’t have to wear a suit or tie, therefore I take full advantage of the slacks and button down shirt dress code presented to me. And no, I don’t rock out with the short sleeve dress shirts like the Night at the Roxbury. I don’t have the courage to pull that off. I also can’t see myself wearing my running shoes to and from work on the commute and then switching into my dress shoes once I walk into the office. I mean, are dress shoes soooo uncomfortable that you can’t walk in them for 15-20 minutes a day? If they are, maybe they aren’t a good pair or spending a little more time in the shoe store could make a world of difference. Nothing looks better than a guy walking down Madison Ave. with a thousand dollar black suit on and white Asics running shoes. I just don’t get it.

Thanks,

-Rob

Last month, my father, brother and I hit the seas to get away for a bit. My Dad loves cruises and given the recent loss of my Mom, we thought it would be nice to try and cheer him up a bit and tag along. Family outings prior to this cruise had been few and far between. Once we booked the cruise, a few of my Dad’s old friends decided to be part of the festivities that raised my Dad’s spirits even more. The ship we went on was the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas and it was a 10-day/ 9-night cruise to Bermuda, St.Thomas, St.Maarten, and San Juan. I’m not going to lie; I was looking forward to getting away for a while myself.

After sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic to make our way to Bayonne, New Jersey (I’m confident the entire city of Bayonne smells like a smelly farts, fart) where the ship was docked, we had a fairly simple process getting on the boat. Within approximately 20 minutes of being on the ship, I noticed the major issue that would haunt (and also lead to some pretty dark and cryptic jokes) us throughout the cruise; the average age of passengers aboard was a brisk 73 years old. It was wheelchairs galore. “Got a cane? Come onboard!” “Have 2 weeks left to live? This cruise is only 10 days!” “Extremely obese? There’s enough food onboard to make you explode!” Ok, the last point doesn’t relate to age but I did notice that every 3 out of 4 people aboard could have done without the non-stop availability of buffet food.

After making friends with several employees onboard, we all learned that the younger generation (those under 50) don’t typically go on 10 day cruises and usually settle for the 5 night affairs (no pun intended).
For those of you reading for details on the Explorer of the Seas ship; it was maintained extremely well, very clean; the service was terrific, everyone was very friendly; the food was above average; the alcohol drinks were great until the bill you received on the last night; the activities were above par; the entertainment for very good (I found the comedians to be hilarious, while the shows I could have done without).

If you are looking into booking a cruise and would like to leave out of the tri-state area, I recommend the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. Just watch your toes for excessive wheel chair rolling and cane stomping if you book a 10-day cruise.

Today marks the 6 month anniversary of my daily commute to New York City via the Long Island Railroad. Hooray. I must admit that I expected this commute to be much more tiresome and difficult to come to grips with, however, it has been a fairly manageable experience thus far. What is most interesting about the Long Island Railroad are the colorful individuals and interesting occurrences that are almost guaranteed on a weekly basis. I’ll share a few from recent memory so you can have a sense of what I’m referring to.

The Yawner

I don’t know how many infants this guy had at home, how many hours he had to work without taking a break, what type of chronic disease he had, or how many gallons of NyQuil he chugged before boarding the train, but this guy was as tired as tired gets. You think Paul Pierce looks tired? This guy made Mr.Pierce look like a school child addicted to pixie sticks. Known to always be at the most improbable of places at the most improbable of times, I happened to be sitting right across from this specimen as I headed home from a fun day at the office. The funny part was not that he yawned approximately 47 times all the way home (I kid you not, I was counting, and I had to get off the train before him. There had to be more) but the manner in which he made them. “YAWNNNNERRRRGHH!!!” This dude was tired and EVERYONE needed to know it. I’ve never heard such a ridiculous yawn in my life. This dude was the real deal too, he wasn’t joking. He would try to put his head back and close his eyes, but by the time he was in sleep position, Yanni the Yawner was back at it again, sounding the yawn alarm. The entire train car would peek ahead to see what this dufus was doing. I wanted to take a picture with him, but I was under the impression he’d tell me he was too tired.

Laurel & Hardy

A brother and sister combination made their way to Jamaica station a few weeks ago. I was catching my train home from Jamaica that day as it sometimes works out to be faster than going to Penn Station. As this tag team duo got off their train, I knew immediately that they didn’t have all of the cards required to play 52 pick-up. In fact, they didn’t have enough cards to play 1 hand of poker; these kids were lost in space. They seemed unsure as to if they needed to stay in Jamaica or if they were going to hop on another train to get wherever they were headed to. While they were trying to figure this out, they made sure to share with the general public (myself included) that they were “goin’ to get crunked tonight” and that the sister “ain’t bring no cell phone” with her “cuz I broke that sh*t last week.” Ok, fair enough to me. Just be on your merry way and don’t bother me was my motto at the time. They managed to ask a couple of people around them to identify which station they were at, not noticing the dozens of signs with the word “Jamaica” on it. Long story short, while they were busy being undecided and irresponsible as to where they were or what they were doing, the brother lazily walked a couple of feet away from his sister and back onto the train they came in on, only to have the door shut right behind him. The screaming and absolute panic that came afterwards from both of them was a sight to see. As the brother knocked on the train glass door, the sister just cursed her face off as the train pulled out of the station. What did she have to worry about though, right? It’s not like her brother was on an express train to the east coast of long island and she didn’t have any means of getting in contact with him right? Oh yeah…..that’s exactly what was happening.

This is just two of the several stories and situations that I get to witness on a weekly basis on the Long Island Railroad. Commuting is a very funny thing. Everyone has his or her own way of handling it. Some sleep, some read, some scream on their cell phones, some stare, some put on make-up (very badly), some look around creepily; you never know what you are going to get. I suppose it is for this reason that the commute is consistently fun and amusing. I am yet to mind the commute and I hope this trend continues.

Thanks,

-Rob

Less than a week after posting my last blog about losing my friend Mike, my Mother had a massive stroke. We lost her on 11/26/09.  It’s unbelievable how life can be typical, usual, and ordinary one moment, and miserable, depressing, and heartbreaking the next.  I’m still in a deep pattern of denial, but not having her around the house is really starting to take its toll.

I always had an interesting relationship with my mother. She wasn’t the easiest person to get along with. Extremely stubborn (of course 100% Italian) and very particular with what she wanted and thought, we didn’t always see eye to eye.  She had a tendency to speak her mind before letting her mind filter her thoughts appropriately (like I said, 100% Italian). This led to heated exchanges with all parties involved in our house. Although I did not always agree with my mother and how she handled certain matters, I will always love her and envy her ability to do what she loved and how she always took care of her family first, regardless of the circumstances.

My mother loved to cook. Five to six days a week, we were guaranteed to have a delicious meal on the table. It could be 101 degrees on a humid July day, and my mother would be in the kitchen at the stove working on a pot of tomato sauce that had been simmering since 5am in the morning. It was unbelievable. She loved to cook so much; she took her passion to our school district and became a lunchroom cook (yes, I was the lucky guy that had my mom waving to me every day during lunch). My mom would work all morning and afternoon in the lunchroom, and then come home and get right back on the stove and cook for us. We were definitely spoiled.

One of my most recent fond memories of my mother would be from a couple of years ago when she came downstairs into my mini-studio to ask me a question. Up to that point in time, I had just begun taking my music producing a bit more seriously and my mother didn’t really know what I had been up to. She walked into the room and asked me what I was doing. I told her “listening to my music”. She then responded; “Oh, alright, well dinner will be ready in 5 minutes.  Is that the radio you are listening to or is it your computer music?” When I told her it was my music that I wrote and created, she didn’t believe me at first, but then the “proud mother” look appeared on her face. I can still see it to this day. In the days to follow, I went from being an unknown music maker in my basement, to the prized possession of my family as my mom had called and spoken to every living relative of ours to tell them about “how professional and impressive” her son’s music was. I didn’t care much for all of the family attention, but I loved every moment of having my mom look up to me for what I was doing on my free time. Deep down, I think she was happy that I was doing what I loved and that I wasn’t letting my professional career get it the way. I have a great job and a great employer, but I don’t think it will ever satisfy my interests like music does.

I’m finding it very difficult to put all of my thoughts about my mom in this blog at the moment. I suppose I am fortunate that I have so many memories and stories with her and about her, this blog post would be more of a novel if I truly tried to do her justice. I think eventually, and hopefully in the near future, I will have some time to sit down and write about her. I know I will never forget her and everything that she has done for me throughout my life, but I would like to share her story. These past few days and weeks have been the most difficult of my life, and I don’t plan on them getting easier anytime soon. For the sake of my brother and Dad however, I have to step up and be the rock in the family and look out for them. If any of you have been through something similar, I give you a lot of credit, and for all of you that haven’t, I pray that you never have to. This sucks. I hope to be back soon with my next blog. I’m keeping my head held high that it will be with a lighter topic and something with my typical wit.

-Rob

It is 12:08am and I can remember exactly what I was doing at 12:08am 1,460 days ago. It was the last birthday I was able to celebrate with a great friend of mine. I was walking into my first bar (legally) and meeting him and other friends. Sometimes, it seems like an eternity ago, sometimes it feels like it happened just yesterday.

I (and many others) lost my friend 4 months later.

Why do I remember him so vividly at this particular time in my life? It is strange. Maybe it was because I was the last of our group of friends to turn 21, maybe he was simply having a great time that night (he knew how to have a great time), maybe he was just being a great friend. Whatever it was, he made sure that everyone in that bar knew that it was “my” night and this was going to be a night to remember. He made sure that I knew that he was proud of me. Why, I couldn’t tell you. You had to see how happy he was to see me that night. “I still can’t believe you’re here, wow, happy frickin’ birthday buddy”. This is why I will never forget that night.

It’s both funny and sad the things that we remember. I can’t recall a word any other person said to me that night, that day, that week. But I can write a script right now as to everything he said on November 11, 2005.

Miss you Mike.

Thanks,

-Rob

So I just finished watching the end of the Phillies game as they wrapped up the National League pennant. Congratulations Phillies fans and I wish you the best of luck in the World Series (unless you face my Yankees). After watching the game for “maybe” 2 minutes, I already had my fill of the horrendous play-by-play and broadcasting done by the “All-Star” TBS cast.

What is Ron Darling doing calling Major League Baseball’s Playoff games? I thought he was a stretch for Mets games. There was absolutely no chemistry between him and the other announcers. Chip Carey for example, who handles the play-by-play, couldn’t even be in the same room as Joe Buck if you ask me. He kept stuttering and mixing up the Yankees and the Red Sox with the Phillies. The Red Sox aren’t even in the picture anymore. What is he talking about? Yikes.

I noticed how bad this bunch was in the Divisional Series when I had to listen to Ron Darling talk about the Yankees lineup as if he were an experienced batter that had half an inkling as to what a batter does, thinks, eats, drinks, lives, plays, you name it….he really doesn’t have the slightest idea. For you Mets fans out there, don’t get me wrong, he was a terrific Major League pitcher, and he actually pulled off great color commentary during Mets games because he actually knows the team and organization pretty well. But what is he doing in that booth for the playoffs? Was Phil Niekro unavailable?  I was more than happy when I found out that the ALCS was going to be handled by the “better team” at FOX and that the NLCS had to deal with TBS and the “goon squad” for another week.

Now it’s time for me to cheer on the Yankees and hope that this year’s World Series plans to be a good one. Although I’m a Yankees fan, even if they don’t make the World Series, I would be content if the Angels make it a great series. I’m all for the excitement of the game. The Yankees better win. J

Thanks,

-Rob

I’m doing my best to make an honest effort in terms of advertising my music, my blogs, and my site. This typically consists of daily updates, sending tweets, the occasional YouTube Video, etc. My MySpace page has really helped me along the way since I’m reaching close to 10,000 people when I post an update. However, my MySpace page also drives me insane with the amount of nonsense that I have to deal with; why do I get over 20 comments/messages/posts a day for some “shady” party on the other side of the world, or a “dj club night” poster the size of my screen? Even better, who are the 27 random people that they manage to fit on the advertisement behind all the obnoxious type?

The best ones are “ladies night” or “techno night” where they have 19 random girls and 5 thugged out guys giving the camera their best smirk and looking as if they have just conquered the world. First; who are you? Second; what makes you think by me seeing these random people that it will entice me to show up to your venue? If anything, it tells me “not” to go there because I’ll most likely find these people there giving me the same smirk.

I understand that promoters are trying to get paid and based on how many people they get thru the door effects how much money they will be taking home. I get it. But why do such a sleazy job of advertising? As of now, its photoshop gone wrong. Why do you need all of the people in the background? Is it to show that there is a guarantee of someone else being there outside of yourself? If its your club or if you’re the photographer, do you go and hang out with your friends and say “hey Bob, you wanna get in on this flyer I’m making for MySpace? It’s for a Toga party at a pub on Tuesday night and I need you and 8 others for the background. Make sure you have a god smirk ready.”

I don’t know, maybe it’s just not my scene.

-Rob

This morning, I come to you from the loving arms of my Volvo dealerships service shop. I was due for an oil change and I just had to stop in to try Volvo’s new “Express Oil Change”. Does express generally mean over an hour? I’ve definitely surpassed that milestone already.

I understand that service shops are just like any other company and they need to make a sale to survive, but why do they make you feel like an abusive parent for declining their “Super Duper Mileage” Service? I’m a firm believer in the motto, “you take care of your car and it will take care of you” but that only includes keeping the fluids topped off and maintaining the oil. My parents have had all of their cars for 10-15 years a piece and they have never taken a chance with a “Super Duper Mileage” Service.

Don’t get me wrong, if it was $100, maybe $150 per service to have Volvo scan my car and do whatever it is that this service includes, I wouldn’t hesitate to get the extra work (however possibly unnecessary) done. However, at the price tag of $550, I’ll take a pass.

You should have seen the look on this woman’s face when I told her that I didn’t want to get the “Super Duper Mileage” Service. I could have strangled her dog or possibly taken the food out of her mouth.

How about getting my brakes done? My options are $450 at Volvo, or $175 at Goodyear. Hrmm…the decision is tough folks; Harvey the Volvo guy, or Frank the Goodyear guy. My money is on Frank. You can post all the photocopied certificates you want on the walls here at Volvo, it doesn’t take a heart surgeon to change car brakes. I bet I could do it if I had the time to read-up on the process.

Alright, here comes my service lady. Probably going to tell me that if I do not pay for the service, her son will not be able to go to college.

Thanks,

-Rob

Ok, fine, I could have been labeled as a geek in High School; I was in the marching band. I’m not going to hide it or deny it. It was fun, allowed me to sneak out of a lot of classes for “lessons”, and hitting the road every weekend in the fall to go to competitions was pretty cool I suppose. Every year, my High School hosts a competition and today I decided to take a stroll through memory lane. It’s always nice to see some old faces and hear the new music program for the year; or is it?

The students are starting to look like infants to me. Was I that small when I was in the band or in High School for that matter? I find myself bumping into some individuals that I really don’t want to bump into also. Do I say hi? Do I look the other way? Do I fake tying my shoelace for the 15th time to elude eye contact? Reminiscing can really be quite the chore. Then you have your old teachers. Do they remember you? Do they want to talk to you right now? Should you want to talk to them? I can stand on a stage in front of hundreds of people and not break a sweat. Here I am at my High School dripping from all of the odd questions I consistently ask myself.

I also notice that a lot of people tend to “fill-in” as the years go on. Did I do the same? I tend not to think so but who am I to decide. Jeez, I’m a mess.

Am I just crazy or is there a lot of things to think about when visiting your old “place of business”? Am I a dork for visiting in the first place?

Thanks for reading,

-Rob

To start off, I know that I am extremely late in speaking my mind on this matter as Kanye’s latest stunt occurred over a week ago. The full-time “real job” has been keeping me extremely busy lately and has taken me away from what I like to do best; making music and sharing my thoughts on my blog with you.

So what’s up with Kanye? I thought he “got it” after Mr.Parker and Mr.Stone (creators of South Park) ripped him a new one in an episode where they referred to him as a “gay fish”. Kanye went public saying that he was embarrassed by his actions and that he didn’t realize how out of control he had become.

Prior to this apology, I truly lost close to all respect for the guy. I mean, when he first came through the wire (pun intended) a few years back, he was the new creative hip-hop artist that had the ultimate backing of Jay-Z and the sentimental feel-good story with him surviving the car crash and now living his dream. I thought he was going to be a straight forward, stand-up, honest, and caring individual due to his background and by what he was preaching in his music. Turns out I couldn’t be any more wrong.

Overkill on sampling aside (I think they lack creativity), what is he thinking with all this stage time at award shows? Does he think that he runs the broadcast companies? Does he thinks that “everyone” wants to hear “everything” that he has to say? It’s scary to think that one person could be so engulfed in himself.

The recent Taylor Swift incident really put things over the edge in my opinion. Not so much because it was another Kanye outburst and he came back afterwards with a half-ass apology, but because of who he did it to. There probably isn’t a nicer, more innocent, subtle, down to earth musician in the industry right now than Taylor Swift. She makes the Jonas brothers look like Marilyn Manson. So what does Kanye do? Kanye steals the microphone from Taylor Swift to yap about absolutely nothing.

I don’t get it, I really don’t. Kanye has so much talent and charisma to be wasting it on stupidity and immature behavior. Set an example other than the miserable ones you currently set.

-Rob