Hey:
Saturday afternoon on my way into the city, I couldn't get a seat on the LIRR. That's pretty unusual, the ride in on Saturday is usually pretty uneventful. But when I saw some of the get-ups of the passengers, I remembered what was causing the unusual crowd....
Santa-Con.
Every second Saturday in December, a bunch of folks dress up in Santa suits, or hats or fugly sweaters, and go on a pub crawl.
And look man I'm not judging. I've done my share of bar crawls, I did the Hat Party in Rockaway from 1993 till the year Tim was born (on Hat Party Weekend, the nerve of him). Karl, Ray and I did the Dirty Dozen, the Baker's Dozen and 14 bars downtown (well 13 and Good Sports) and Karl and I once did what we called The Golf Course, that's right kids, 18 bars in one night. We once kicked around the idea of doing one called the marathon, starting at a bar in Staten Island, and hitting few bars in each borough. I'm no stranger to these crazy things.
But Santa-Con seems to bring out the ugly. Seems like there is excessive fighting,puking and other assortments of involuntary bodily ejections. Manhattan residents have been raising Cain about it because it's seems to be a quality of life issue.
I don't care about any of that, I just don't like standing on my train rides. Interestingly enough. I was able to sit on the ride home. All the drunks were up front. I sat in the back. I really thought i was going to be in the middle of the freak show, but thankfully not.
OBITUARY FOR A HERO
In a year where true American heroes were hard to come by, especially in the political world, we really couldn't afford to lose one as large in stature as John Glenn was.
Glenn, who passed away Thursday at the age of 95, was of course, the first American to orbit the earth. He was also a decorated war pilot flying several missions during World War II and the Korean War. He became the third American into space (after Alan Shepherd and Gus Grissom) and the first to reach the earth's orbit.
Following his retirement from NASA, Glenn ran as a Democrat for the US Senate from Ohio, losing his first election in 1970, but capturing the seat in 1974. He would hold the seat for 25 years, retiring in 1999. He gave the keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, and was considered a strong candidate to be the Vice Presidential nominee (a job that eventually went to Walter Mondale)
For the most part, Glenn had a scandal free political career (he did get caught up in the Keating 5 scandal, but was exonerated) but really it was his contribution to the space race that he will be most remembered for. The battle for space supremacy in the 60's between the US and the Soviet Union was huge. The Russians were winning big in the early 60's as they were the first ones to get a human into space and the first to get a man into orbit. Glenn was able to match the Soviets and keep us in the race, till we finally put a man on the moon in 1969, to claim victory.
Glenn also hold the distinction of being the oldest person to ever go into space, flying a mission at the age of 77 in 1998.
When Star Trek was on in the late 60's, it described space as the final frontier. It really is, when you think about it. So many of the people who led us into that frontier are gone. Both the aforementioned Shepherd and Grissom are gone, Neil Armstrong died a few years ago. Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins are still alive (though Aldrin was hospitalized recently after a trip to Antarctica). But the numbers are dwindling.
John Glenn was one of the best we had to offer. He lived a full life, but he will be missed. RIP.
WHAT A DRAG IT IS GETTING OLD:
So sang Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones classic 1966 hit Mother's Little Helper. For most of us, maybe it is, but Jagger, in his own strange way is trying to defy the laws of time.
This week, he became a father for the 8th time. Having 8 kids is unusual enough, but having 8 spread out over 46 years is entire different story all together. And having one at 73 years of age is just plain strange. Maybe it's not politically correct to say so, but it just is.
And what the hell was the baby momma, Melanie Hamrick thinking? She's 29 and a dancer, is she that hard up for money and fame that she would fool around with an old man? I know Mick's in great shape, I know he can still move on the stage like he's 50 years younger, (he's got the moves like Jagger after all) but Good Lord, he is still wrinkly and well, old!
And I could defend the woman if he was a decent guy like Paul McCartney, but most accounts are that Mick's a royal a$$hole. And none other than Keith Richards himself sounds that trumpet the loudest, so don't take my word for it either.
Bottom line here is that Mick Jagger now has a son who is younger than his great granddaughter. Let that roll around in your head for a little while.
Two weeks till Christmas
Have a Great Week!
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