catesta

Since moving back to New York I've been able to again make regular visits to the cemetery. I'm happy about that. My grandfather was in the funeral home business so he made sure that everyone was set up properly. Most of the family on my Father's side that immigrated to America are inturned there, as well as a sister of mine that passed when she was an infant. It is also where my parents will be. St. John Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens is a magnificent place if you've never seen it. Yes it's filled with dead folks, I know, but the history and beauty is really something. I often find myself looking at other monuments and wondering about the history of the people there. Today I happened to notice a headstone that was engraved back in 1929 with the name of a man. It also had his wife's name, but only the date she was born and not the date she passed. It made me think that she was not in the plot. Also, the plot was in an area that typically has maybe 6 to 8 family members under one monument. There were no other names. I couldn't help but to think how sad it was the man's wife did not get buried by him. Is it possible she was and it never got marked? Or, since he died in 1929 and she would have only been around 32 years of age, did she get re-married? Who knows.... What I do know, is it appears that it all ended with him. No other family has been placed by him and it does not look as if anyone comes to visit. If that is the case then I am most definitely sad for him. (Although, I 'm sure he doesn't know or mind) It was my Grandfather who taught me the importance of keeping in touch with your history and never forget those before us. I don't have the ability to visit my Mother's family often as they are all in Italy. But here in NY I go now and pay my respects at least once a month. That is up from once every year or two while I was living in Phoenix. I'm curious how many of us here keep that link with the past active or alive. In other words, do you ever make a trip to the cemetery? And yes, I have been drinking a little.

I hope not.

Straight from the source..... A record high temperature of 61 degrees was set at Laguardia today at 0359 PM EST. This ties the old record of 61 set in 1951. It's still about 55 right now.

nyuk nyuk nyuk

Tell me about it. We've got a 14 year old "gadget operator" living with us. I'm very afraid....

I just found the time to laugh my ass off....

I will be the first to say I was a terrible student. Even today I still have problems with proper grammar, among other things. (see what I mean) BUT, I had and still have common sense. My map reading skills are outstanding. I can balance a checkbook ,and the only problem I've ever had in figuring out the amount to leave for a tip has been based solely on my recollection of the quality of service. If true, this is just plain sad. Study: Most College Students Not Literate Enough for Complex Tasks By BEN FELLER AP Education Writer WASHINGTON Jan 20, 2006 — More than half of students at four-year colleges and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers, a study found. The literacy study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the first to target the skills of graduating students, finds that students fail to lock in key skills no matter their field of study. The results cut across three types of literacy: analyzing news stories and other prose, understanding documents and having math skills needed for checkbooks or restaurant tips. Without "proficient" skills, or those needed to perform more complex tasks, students fall behind. They cannot interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, compare credit card offers with different interest rates and annual fees or summarize results of a survey about parental involvement in school. "It is kind of disturbing that a lot of folks are graduating with a degree and they're not going to be able to do those things," said Stephane Baldi, the study's director at the American Institutes for Research, a behavioral and social science research organization. Most students at community colleges and four-year schools showed intermediate skills. That means they can do moderately challenging tasks, such as identifying a location on a map. There was brighter news. Overall, the average literacy of college students is significantly higher than that of adults across the nation. Study leaders said that was encouraging but not surprising, given that the spectrum of adults includes those with much less education. Also, compared with all adults with similar levels of education, college students had superior skills in searching and using information from texts and documents. "But do they do well enough for a highly educated population? For a knowledge-based economy? The answer is no," said Joni Finney, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, an independent and nonpartisan group.

Oh yeah, well I could kill you and chat about it on a VPN.

"Virtual Personal Network" I'll be damned. I've never heard of such a thing.

Sounds very much like the 'NSA Today' chatroom? If your passport contains a dozen or so stamps from Damascus, Cyprus, Malta, etc and accumulated 'Awards Points' from the Holiday Inn Samarkand, Tbilisi or Madison, Wisconsin, you get that special invitation. Ha! I almost made it in, but I've never been to Madison.

hehe Funny, but can be true. Selfishness is way under appreciated. My suggestion is simple. Like others have said, cut out all the bullshit. You don't loose points in life if you only take on what you can handle. I've done way more on a daily basis than I or anyone should have for years. And did it without really keeping any official schedule or planners. I had/have an assistant that did a real good job keeping shit in order, but it utlimately falls on me to get it done. When it comes to work I just delegate more, when it comes to my personal life I just refuse to take on more shit than I want to deal with. I still don't use a planner other than scribbling some notes down in a pad from time to time. Of course, I don't recommend that method of organization for just anyone.

Cool, as long as you're gonna get paid.

That sucks. Good luck.

Sad.

Obviously try and book your hotel ASAP. The rates are always high, but will only get higher during that time of year. If possible look for something in mid-town. Another option is to check some of the vacation rental services online. You can sometimes find great deals on very nice apartments in Manahttan that are rented by the day or week. Rates will be better than most hotels, considering what you are getting. Example Another It would be cool to hang, so let me know after you finalize plans.

I'm down!

I think I'll be making this one.

I had no idea Warne died while playing.

Okay. Just as long as I don't have to show them #2.

I'm holding both of them hostage in the closet of a third floor studio apartment on the upper east side. Can I get message to them?

Happy Birthday!

Almost missed it. I hope it is/was a good one.

Salute!

At the moment it is 19 °F. We were hit pretty hard with snow Sunday. I was out from 12:00 AM until around 3:00 PM with the crews. Tomorrow it should be back in the 40s.

Not totaly. He lost sight in one eye and can see very little in the other. When I studied with him, he could still read the Syncopation book. When you studied with him did you address your crtiticisms about his playing?