#121212concert Part B or White Boy NOT in Paris

Ok, so I feel like a shit.
Why?
Because I trashed Kayne on FB yesterday. Now I feel bad since he seems like a good guy.
Here's why:
I was working JFK yesterday.The Air France 7:10 flight, the huge A380 plane, was all queued up with hundreds of people eager to get on the plane. (Always surprises me why they are in such a rush to get in front of each other. Plane not going anywhere until ALL are on-another story).
So, I look around and see a couple of regular looking guys standing pretty much right in middle of the pre-boarding area in plain view of everyone. One of the dudes is quietly talking on the phone.Not smiling, not laughing , just regular soft talking. (maybe?).
As he turns I see that I definitely recognize this face-yep, you got it, Kanye West. Swear! I figure I HAVE to get a pic with him.
Yes, go figure. A pic with my FAVORITE entertainer.
But I don't want to interrupt him so I wait, and wait and wait. Now I think he is pretending to talk so as not to be bothered.
As the boarding is about to begin he slowly works his way to the 1st class line. But he hesitates. Not sure why.
This is the moment.
I go over, ask if we can get a shot together "for my daughters", and he nicely complies. Took a quick buddy shot then stepped away laughing to myself about my comments yesterday on FB and now meeting him.
But he remains in an off  spot and not really in line.
I go to young woman at the counter and inform her that Kanye West is there and can she move him up.
She says OK and to tell him.
I go over to him tap his buddy on the shoulder and suggest he go to the front of the line.
He looks at me and then moves up.
Not far enough.
So, I go back and say :"ALL THE WAY". Kanye looks at me with an appreciative smile and nudges past others to the front.
Pretty cool I think. From the stage of the #121212 concert to the front of the line for VIPs.
As I walk away, I see a woman I know who handles the queues and asked if she saw him.
"Oh yes, sure," she said. "I told him to go to the end of the line."
"Why" I asked, "he is a VIP".
"VIP or not" she replied. " When you travel in economy, you take the other line".
OOPS.
Kanye, hope you enjoyed being treated like a VIP.Next time travel business class.

Like they say, you can make this stuff up.Buzzfeed.

Oh, and by the way , what was that you were wearing at the concert. Meggings? Clothing castoffs from Sting?

( And for the record, come on you entertainers. Tip the Skycaps, wheelchair pushers and service people will ya!)

#121212concert

Big thanks to all who participated in the #121212concert event. Bigger thanks to all the people who came from all over the country to help out; and to the men/women in the field who worked 16 hrs while going back to homes without power and starting alll over again the next morning. #Sandy was a major blow to our area and many have lost much. At the same time many of us were only dealt a glancing blow from her wrath and for that we are all thankful.
Interesting to see the performers and actual time they spent on the stage.I could feel the level of concern or lack of it. For example Billy Joel, Bruce, Bon Jovi and Alicia sung from the heart while The Stones seemed to be there more as an expectation than desire. Mick suggests that when it rains in London we help out. What gall, but not unexpected from a group who has turned more needy and greedy as they age.Hey, did you actually donate from the money you received from the NYNJ concert goers recently?
But age and genre are major points of my short blog today.
Is Rock & Roll on life support?  What is going to happen to this genre of music after all the grey beards begin to murmur old lyrics in the nursing home? Did you see all the greying of America there on stage. Notice the lack of any young and upcoming R&R? I did not. Will this genre be relegated to muzak only in another 5 years? Hate to be stuck with Kanye going forward! He personally annoys me with pompous and silly theatrics. Maybe this is why the R&R standard bearers get so much interest during these shows. They all seem like the last concert-they are a dying blue -jeans breed. And, hate to say it but come on Daltry, or should I say Tom Jones, enough with the open shirt. Not sexy at this point in time.If I had to retire my Speedo you have to retire the naval exposure. LOL Rock on.

Barrier Islands After Sandy-Long Beach, NY

Well, my quest to see the barriers islands along the south shore of Long Island, NY continues. I went by Long Beach 30 days after #sandy. Like most places the whole oceanfront and properties up to 2 blocks north got a beating. The board walk extends along about 2 miles or so along the Atlantic and many large buildings occupy the area with many renovated into nice living apartments and condos over the years. The boardwalk is a favorite of mine to bike ride off season to get some fresh air and see who else is about enjoying the scenery. A buddy of mine lives in one of theses buildings and is now staying with a friend in Manhattan because he is so depressed by the wreckage. He was fortunate living on the 9th floor and did not lose possessions but his building did not have elevator or electric for three weeks.Long Beach got hit hard. Just yesterday dead cars were still being removed, a huge mountain of sand is being amassed due to contamination, and household debris grows daily as people still clean out their homes and businesses.
There are the regular daily visits of curiosity seekers that drive up with cameras strung around their neck taking photos of the twisted boardwalk, dangling garbage cans and small signs of rebuilding here and there. One can hear the sighs of concern and amazement as they peer under the collapsed boardwalk and out to the ocean where before walls of sand obscured the same view. In the background you can see big work trucks, bulldozers and contractors still removing feet of sand from the roads and parking lots which held some cars buried 6 feet of sand. Now you can see the profile of surfers back in their favorite rips along the beach. For them, the ocean is a place of comfort and challenge. Many of these surf rats live in the area  and will go back home after catching some waves and sift through years old collections of stuff and continue the painful task of selecting the few salvageable to keep as memories of days past.They are reconciled to the whims of nature and live many others along the Mid-Atlantic, muddle through the despair, pain eventually building back what they once had. The flying of the American flag is a testament to their belief in our ideals of facing challenges and overcoming them.

Turkey Awards 2012-Nominate

Turkey Award 2012- Nominate your Turkey!

There have been so many dumb turkey moves by so many people this past year I thought it would be appropriate this holiday to award the worst offenders.

 -Who or what company or politician has done the biggest Turkey move of the year?

-Maybe we can get this in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade next year!!

-Mine is Hostess-for the executives who tried to pluck the company for millions for themselves and for the unions who stuffed the workers.

Go to @bigmahi on Twitter to Nominate yours!

 

Thank You all for Your #Sandy Help

I was one of the thousands of people who was hit by #sandy and suffered along with hundreds of thousands in the Metro NY and NJ area. I posted frequently on Facebook to share the abrupt change in our life, and give an account of what many of us were going through.
We had gas to cook and  make hot water for showers but no power. When was the last time you did not have the convenience of electricity. I can tell you it was not fun.
I want to make it clear that while were inconvenienced and out of our element there were so many others who did and are still really suffering from loss of home, pets and even lives. I feel for them.
But the man purpose of this post is to thank the many individuals who helped clean up and restore power and order to a chaotic area.
I happened to talk with workers from all over the Northeast who helped LIPA get power on. They worked 16 hours a day, many without a good meal or even a "thank you". Well I say "thank you" again to all of you.
I also had the chance to run into members of the DMAT team at JFK airport on their way home. Delta Airlines was very helpful and accommodating to the 200 or so men and women I met there.

Here is one man from the #DMAT team, direct medical assistance team, part of the government dedicated to providing emergency and disaster medicine throughout the state and country. He was one of many that were situated in the Nassau Medical Center where up to 800 displaced people spent days waiting for power and services in #NassauCounty, NY. He was leaving from JFK on Thursday along with about 200 others returning home to many different states. I would like to thank him and his team for contributing to the medical care of those in the area shelters.
If you would like to support these people please #SHARE on #Facebook  or Retweet and hopefully it will eventually find it's way back to many of these humanistic people.

Veterans Day-Moment of Reflection

Veterans Day-Easy to overlook with the recent weather crisis around the East Coast but let's take a moment to reflect. Reflect on the many service people who have chosen to join the military to fight and support the USA.Many of have not always agreed in principal to our leader's positions on wars over the past 50 years but I hope we all can agree that we owe a debt to the rank and file men and women who place themselves in harms way to help support the American way of freedom and democracy. Let's not forget  the veterans and our need to now provide for them as they age; let's not forget the returning young people who have endured horrible conditions in the Middle East and now need jobs; let's not forget the families that lost breadwinners and have children and financial nooses to deal with; and let's not forget that we are all in this together and need to cooperate and give a little to move our country forward and provide for all.
Here's to the Veterans who we give thanks for your service and dedication.

Power-Finally-11 Days after "Hurricane" Sandy and following Noreaster

POWER!! After 11 days we got power back at 4pm today.This followed endless tweets and emails to various officials and LIPA ( power company). None were answered but we did get a couple of  general updates ( which turned out not to be accurate).
At 8am this morning I had been offered the use of a generator by a friend. I used precious gas to head to Babylon and meet him for the valuable exchange. While on the way home I found a pile of cut firewood left in a parking lot by a good soul. Packing as much wood into the car for back-up in case the generator did not work I headed home to (1) get the wood into the house (2) get the generator set up (3) get odd numbered gas for the car and generator.
By this time my wife and daughters were emotionally drained and physically exhausted by the lack of heat during the last really cold nights.
Reaching my house I noticed more activity by LIPA crews than I have seen in 10 days. All along our adjoining streets crews were in cherry picker, and surveyors going from home to home inspecting electrical boxes for damage. We had to sign affidavits that
we were visited. Hopefully this was the final step in getting power back. One of the workers said it was not anticipated for power restoration until Monday. So I had to get a move on and get wood into the house and then the gennie going.
However I saw a LIPA power truck go by and hailed him down. Jim, the worker, was also burned out it like the rest of us. He said that he had a short list of homes that needed to be shut off before power could be turned on. Glitch was he lost or thought a hysterical resident took the list to stop restoration if her house was not included. I volunteered to coordinate with the surveyors and try to get the names back to him as he continued to do his job. He took off one way and I another.
It was good fortune that I met the surveyors 2 blocks away, gave them the info then rushed back home to continue to carry the 100 logs into the house.
(Funny just a while back my wife said we never use the fireplace,. Well, over the past
11 days it was one center of emotional strength and some physical comfort. Amazing how the strong flames can provide a sense of security and nexus of family.
That along with steam heat generated from large pots on our stove provided the minimal degree of warmth.)
Turns out that as he drove back he confessed that the list had fallen into his lunch pail. He apologized and we laughed a bit. He also shared that the power company had changed payroll services last week and his total paycheck for 16 hr days was $314. He sure was upset. But he did hie job none the less. Thanks Jim.
Lots of interactions with neighbors coming and going, more chats with Jim about timing for possible restoration and thinking of how to hook the gennie to the furnace kept me very busy as I worked to beat the setting of the sun-not worried about vampires but blood chilling as evening approached.
I was just finishing stacking the last of the precious wood when I noticed a strange glare off the kitchen wall. I went in and low and behold, the lights were on! I went from room to room and YES, each one was working. Then I darted to the thermostat and put the temp at 75! Hell, time to celebrate. I then Tweeted my joy to many, and texted friends that had been supported.I went out and shouted "Power" to the neighbors. A couple returned the call! We were feeling good.Finally.
I want to thank all of you who showed concern, compassion and love. I have a bit of mixed feelings towards those who totally ignored our discomfort but isn't that always what happens?
So, as if nothing happened, I sit at my computer, able to type easily and not worry about my cell dying and trying to find power. We just ordered chinese food and it will be good to sit at our table again, watch Shark Tank and appreciate our good fortune.