September 12, 2006

  •    My new laptop is
    giving me crap with the SD memory chip from my camera, so pics will be
    a bit longer, but just take my word that this place is an eyeful. 
    I’m situated in a homestay with an Italian family, the Brazzinis, which
    is really just an old grandmother that makes breakfast and dinner for
    me and the other dude, my buddy Chris.  She doesn’t speak a word
    of English and neither of us speak any Italian, but thanks to my trusty
    electronic translator and my ingenuity plus my awesome dancin’ skillz,
    we manage.  I’m learning a lot though.  I got my own room,
    and since I was the first there, I got to choose, so I have a balcony
    in my room.  Yes yes, don’t hate.  By the way, they seem to be a
    pretty well off family, so it’s like I’m living on fifth ave or
    something.  The Brazzinis also operate a few cafes around Florence, so
    everytime our hostess doesn’t feel like cooking, we’d have dinner at her
    cafe, where one of her waiters named Nunzio, yes, Nunzio (that’s such an awesome name) can translate a bit for
    us.  It seems she works weekends, so saturdays and sundays we dine
    out.  It’s freaking awesome!

       The NYU campus
    is something of a gem itself.  “La Pietra,” that’s the name of the
    mansion that was donated to NYU.  I have one class there, and
    they’re pretty strict about that place since it’s basically a private
    museum.  There’s also this really nice garden behind it, but it’s
    off limits.  I’ll probably get a chance to check it out one of
    these days, but in the mean time, the rest of the campus is enough for
    me to explore.  Oh Oh!  And on a separate note, NYU is now
    considered an Ivy League School!  I’m an Ivy League student! 
    How ’bout dat!  I smart now!

       Anyways, that’s it for now, hope I can show off some pics next time.  Peace!

August 29, 2006

  • I’m In Florence folks, see you in December!

    Pictures will be up shortly.  Just need to hook up my computer to the school’s internet network.  I don’t have internet at the homestay I’m at, but there’s food.  Internet or Food, hmmm… tough choice.

    Hey, if anyone knows how to post videos up on Xanga, send me some instructions. 

July 27, 2006

  • Heart of Chinatown

    This is a little something I’ve been working on with Jack since I came back last September while waiting to get my school affairs in order.  It’s a 56 page booklet of Chinatown, on sale now in a few locations, hopefully it’ll be all over town soon.  Pick one (or twenty) up if you see it!

June 22, 2006

  • There’s
    been a lot of wedding’s going around.  I attended two consecutive
    weddings this month on the 10th and 11th, my brother’s and Zhi’s. 
    That’s me with my nephew Austin!


    The newly weds, my brother and his wife. 

    And these newly weds are Zhi and Alexa.

    And these gentlemen are the Agents responsible for bringing the fun into the party.

May 10, 2006

April 21, 2006

  • My nieces Gloria, Emily, and nephew baby Austin.  My family’s never without a baby.

February 10, 2006

  •    I went down to Ground Zero with Steve about a week after I came home and he said to me “This is the end of a chapter in our lives.”  He’s right of course; I can’t recall anytime else in my life that is so clearly marked from beginning to end as these four years have.  From that 11th day in September 2001 when Jack woke me up to see the towers fall, to that day Steve and I stood at Ground Zero, I have seen and done so much.  I think I grew the most during that time.
       I know I joke a lot about the ongoings out there and make light of things, and if that took away from the achievements of my buddies, that is not my intention.  We make fun because that’s all there is left for us to do. 
       So I never made it to Louisiana to help out.  Apparently, and fortunately, many of our buddies down there are doing well enough, or so they tell us.  My good buddy Rob tried to get some guys together to help out specifically the returning soldiers that were affected by Katrina, but it seems everyone is in good hands.  Not sure if that’s all true or all pride, but in the end, all we did was chip in a couple of bucks to raise the funds.  Never-the-less, our hands were extended.
       I kind of stopped updating my site since I came home, to just leave this part of my life here as it is.  But perhaps I’m ready to start a new chapter.

September 1, 2005

  •       The whole time I’ve been out here, I have two, maybe three people ask which unit I belong to.  Six years in the same military unit guys, anyone know?  We’re the NYS national guard out here, so we probably made the news once or twenty times…but if you don’t know what unit I’m in, chances are you’ve missed out on any news coverage out here about us.  I guess as long as we come home nothing else matters right?


          We’re flying out tomorrow, and us New Yorkers will have a home to look forward to.  A little 411 on what’s going on:  The unit we worked alongside with this past year are the 256 Tiger Brigade out of Louisiana.  These guys are leaving here a week after us, but many will not have a home to go back to.  I’m refering to Katrina and the devastation she caused.  I’ve been really looking forward to coming home, but that might be for just a short while.  If I can be of any help down there in Louisiana, then that’s where I’ll be.  It really sucks to serve a year out here in this shit hole and have no home to go back to.  Anyone who is able to get away for a while and is interested in helping out, let me know.  It may or may not happen, but some of us here are trying to put something together.  See you all soon.

August 23, 2005

August 19, 2005

  •       I read in a Reader’s Digest about this Joe undergoing one of those military post deployment psychoanalysis evaluations.  When asked, “what would you do if you saw a submarine in the middle of the desert?”  He replied, “I’d throw a snowball at it.”  “Snowball?  Where in the world would you get a snowball?” the doctor asked.  “The same damn place you got that submarine of course.” Badumpbump HAHAHAHA…well, I think it’s funny.


          Anyways, in about 14 days, we’ll be flying out of here back to Ft. Dix in New Jersey.  We’ll probably be staying there another two weeks undergoing medicals, paperwork, suicide prevention briefs, psychoanalytical evaluations etc..  They might keep me a little longer should I feel like being a smartass like the Joe above.  PEACE!!!