Friday, August 31, 2007

TEN YEARS AFTER

On this date ten years ago, my day started with the ringing of the telephone in my hotel room in Scotland.
We were on a much-needed vacation, and I assumed it was a friend calling to tell me of our golf plans for the day.
That wasn't why he was called.

"Did you hear about Princess Diana?"
"No. What did she do...get married?"
"Nope. She's dead."

That call turned an idyllic vacation into...well...a different vacation.
Because after a call to the station, I was pressed into service to cover her funeral.
This post was going to be about those days in London, but I'm going to take a detour.

(But before I do, one quickie: A bunch of local reporters were working out of CNN's London headquarters, including me. And that's where I heard the line I'll never, ever forget. The reporter for the Tribune stations...Channels 11 and 61 among them...began her story: "It was the greatest day of Princess Diana's life, and she wasn't there to see it."

I SWEAR TO GOD!

After some prompting from others, I said to her, "Look, you can tell me to (unprintable), but...it wasn't the greatest day of Princess Diana's life, because her life is over. And she wasn't there to see it because she's dead."
And I walked out of the room. Someone told me she changed it. I still think Channel 61 owes me.)

Now the detour. While I was in London to cover the funeral, another remarkable woman died.
Mother Teresa.
Much of the media will be preoccupied remembering Diana on this anniversary of her death.
It is an "event."

But do you think the tenth anniversary of Mother Teresa's death (next Wednesday) will attract the same kind of attention?
Of course not.

Yes, Diana did good work (AIDS, land mines)...but Mother Teresa dedicated her life to good works in a God-awful place.
And in the end, given recent revelations that she questioned her faith and even the existence of her God, Teresa may have been infinitely more interesting and complex than Diana.

But Mother Teresa wasn't a hot babe who wore a tiara, and died with her gazzilionnaire boyfriend in a Mercedes in Paris.

So there you go.
And here I go.
Off next week. (Another idyllic vacation?)
Talk to you soon.

Posted at 12:18 AM by Gerry 4 comments

Thursday, August 30, 2007

SAFE AT HOME


A friend invited me to attend Wednesday night's Yankees-Red Sox game.
A tough call, but I had to decline.
I was OK with my decision.

Then I saw that Beckett and Clemens would be pitching.
I was a little less OK with my decision.

I was having a pretty good day at work.
And then they started coming.
Email after email. Picture after picture.
I figure, judging by the picture, the seats were 6 rows in, along the third base line.
Good seats. Really good seats. Great seats.
I was a lot less OK with my decision.

But then, as I watched the game while writing the 11pm news (and sending unprintable responses back), it dawned on me.

Sure, I could have been in great seats watching baseball's greatest rivals play on a perfect night at a storied ballpark.
Sure, I could have seen a future Hall of Famer and the game's best pitcher this year face off.
Sure, I could have been there when Youk's late home run made it tight late in the game.

But I elected to be right here at NBC 30, to serve you, our loyal viewer.
I elected to perform my job to the very best of my ability...to keep you, our loyal viewer, informed of important developments in your hometown, your state, your country, and yes, your world.

I was more than OK with my decision.
I felt good, I felt fulfilled, I felt pride.
And as I sit here conveying my deep sense of personal satisfaction to you, I have just one simple question.

Is anyone actually buying this line of &%#*?
Yeah, that's what I thought.

Posted at 12:23 AM by Gerry 7 comments

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

I AM NOT GAY!

AND NEITHER IS IDAHO SEN. LARRY CRAIG!

In his non-news conference Tuesday Craig said: "I am not gay. I have never been gay."

Thanks for sharing.

It would have been news if he said: "I am gay. I have always been gay."

But it would have been huge news if he said: "I am not gay. BUT I USED TO BE!!!"
Or maybe: "I am not gay. BUT I MAY BE TOMORROW!"

It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

He said he pled guilty "in hopes of making it go away." He didn't even tell his family, friends and staff because, "I wasn't eager to share this failure but I should have anyway because I AM NOT GAY."

This is a U.S. Senator?

(Random thought while watching news conference: he profusely apologized to fellow "Idahoans." It's pronounced "Ida-HO-ans." I couldn't help but think maybe Imus should move his ranch there to be an IdaHOan.)

Craig also resigned his prominent role in Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
Romney, of course, stood up for his friend Larry, telling CNBC: "He's disappointed the American people."
Romney compared Craig's actions to President Clinton's fling with Monica Lewinsky and former congressman Mark Foley's overtures to male teenage pages.

Mitt may be the most politically expedient candidate in American history.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Posted at 12:21 AM by Gerry 0 comments

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

A member of the Stratford town council proposed an ordinance to ban baggy pants that expose underwear.

Alvin O'Neal (a rather natty dresser, by the way) would have had police fine offenders up to 250-dollars.
Police, of course, have nothing better to do.
Monday night, the entire town council rejected Mr. O'Neal's proposal.

Do I like the look? Of course not, but the kids who favor it couldn't possibly care less what I think, and apparently they don't put a great deal of stock in what many of their parents think.
Then again, did we? What did our parents think about pegged pants...bell bottoms...madras pants...and polyester leisure suits (especially in lime green or coral)?

Not much, really. But it was a "fashion" phase many of us went through.
They all passed. And so will baggies.

Really, is it any worse than plumber's butt crack? (Hey, I LIVED with it.)

At least the kids wear boxers, and not briefs.
And someday they'll look at old pictures of themselves and wonder, "What the hell was I thinking?"
Just like we do.

Posted at 12:34 AM by Gerry 8 comments

Monday, August 27, 2007

I'M A WHAT???


"You're a senior."

"Can't be."

"You are, get used to it."

And that's how I found out I was eligible to play in the Men's Club Senior Championship at Tallwood Country Club.*
A casual conversation with a playing partner, who asked if I entered the tournament.

It took me a few days to come to terms with being a senior.
I kept telling myself I don't look like a senior, and I don't feel like a senior.
But then I wondered what a senior looks and feels like.
All this, as I was engaged in a worthwhile give-and-take of emails with a viewer who didn't particularly care for the on-air banter after last week's story on the sex lives of, yes, seniors.

I know, I know, "age is just a number," and "you're only as old as you feel."
But when you reach a certain age, you start to wonder about things...some morbid, mostly not.

Two observations I live by come from my mother (who is not full of advice, and lets her 3 little boys lead their lives as we see fit).
Ten years after my father died, she says her only regret is that "we didn't do more." (And they did quite a lot.)
And she's amazed "at how quickly time goes by."

So with my wife and with my friends, I do try to do more (which isn't hard in the least).
And I, too, marvel at how quickly time has gone by. (I was 25 YESTERDAY!!!)
Days can seem like hours now, and seasons pass like days. (Where DID summer go?)

I'm willing to call my mother a senior, but I can't call her elderly. When I see or talk to this soon-to-be 78-year-old woman, I don't feel as if I'm talking to an "old person."
As a matter of fact, I try not to use the world "elderly" in my news writing, because I think that's a pre-judgment without knowing the person.

So I'm a "senior." Get used to it. I have.
I think.

[*OK, OK, stop guessing. I'm 55. And I finished second.]

Posted at 11:56 AM by Gerry 2 comments

Friday, August 24, 2007

NO ONE CARED!

FOX has cancelled "Anchorwoman" after one episode.

ONE EPISODE.

Many, many oh-so-important people in our oh-so-important news business were gnashing their pearly whites over this affront to local television news, to the women who anchor that news, to journalism, to GOD AND COUNTRY, DAMMIT!

Since FOX announced the reality show about a model's makeover into a news anchor at a teeny tiny Texas TV station, I've read dozens of oh-so-important articles decrying FOX, the management of the teeny tiny Texas TV station, and Ms. Lauren Jones herself, whose resume includes being one of "Barker's Beauties" on "The Price is Right" and a WWE diva.

BUT NO ONE CARED! LESS THAN 3-MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED THE SHOW! IT'S BEEN CONSIGNED TO WEB SITE HELL!

All the journalistic teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing apparently made the assumption that you all care about the business of local television news.

Why would you?

The very people paid to take a broad look at our world turned out to be terribly myopic.

A fine, fine lesson to be learned.
Nobody cares about the labor pains. They just want to see the baby.

Posted at 12:22 AM by Gerry 4 comments

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

HAIR YESTERDAY; GONE TODAY

Look at that magnificent mane. I thought it would never go away. But it did.

That was me...circa 1977...when I was the weekend sportscaster at NBC 30, worked at WPOP, and did UConn hoops on the Connecticut Radio Network.

Thick, curly, jet black hair.
Going, going, almost gone.

I bring this up because a co-worker suggested during a conversation the other night that I might need a hairpiece (though the context of the chat had nothing to do with our newscasts.)

That will never happen. Nor will hair transplants.
Why? I remember wondering, when I was young, what I'd look like when I got old.
Now I know.
Not that I'm done getting old (or even close to it, I hope).
I look like what I'm supposed to look like, whether I like it or not. (And I'm perfectly OK with it.)

I grew up with a bald grandfather.

And I grew up with a bald president, who seemed like a grandfatherly type to a kid.

Imagine. Every day at noon, Big Brother Bob Emery, the (also hair deprived) kiddie show host on Channel 4 in Boston, would have his audience drink a toast (of milk, of course) to the President of the United States while "Hail to the Chief" played.

So I saw the bald president every day, and I saw the bald grandfather every Saturday.


Hair didn't seem so important then, and it doesn't seem so important now.
And it's getting less and less important by the day.

You want a rug or transplants? Great! It's your head.
Will cosmetic surgery or some other kind of enhancement make you happy? Go for it!

I, for one, will take all-natural, though it won't get me in the catalog of local TV news anchors.
Besides, I still wonder what I'll look like when I get old(er).











Posted at 11:31 AM by Gerry 6 comments

THE WRITE STUFF

What's the most important part of my job?
I always ask that of students when I speak at schools and not one has ever given me the answer I want to hear.
The answer (as far as I'm concerned) is writing, and writing well.
If I don't understand what I write, you're not going to understand what I've written when I read it back to you on the air.

I happen to enjoy writing, and good writing includes good spelling and proper grammar.
Yes, spelling and grammar count, and I won't even get into penmanship. (Somewhere down the road they'll be asking, "What's a pen?")

I've heard the argument (even from teachers) that concentrating on spelling and grammar stifles little Joshua and Ashley's creativity. (What ever happened to John and Mary?)

REALLY? Why can't they have it both ways?
Teach them how to spell and construct a sentence properly, THEN let their little imaginations run wild.

If they don't learn early on, they never will.
I've seen it on resumes, and in the writing of young people in journalism.
I've even had attorneys tell me their young lawyers can't write a brief that won't embarrass them, because they border on illiterate.

In this world of instant information and communication, what they do know is text messaging. They're expert abbreviators.
But words are wonderful things, and properly assembled, they can say wonderful things to the world.
Look at the U.S. Constitution. It's a beautiful document in every way. Just imagine if the nation's founders had text messaged it to each other. Come to think of it, do you think our current leaders could produce a piece of work like that?

I guess spelling needs to be sexy again.
Hey, the National Spelling Bee is now a nationally televised "event."
Maybe they can get Joey Fatone to host it. Whatever it takes.
And maybe we can go back to calling elementary schools "grammar schools" again.

But something tells me the dwindling number of us who care are fighting a losing battle.
I hope not, and with the school year about to begin, here's to the teachers who do fight the good fight, and make a difference every day.

Posted at 12:45 AM by Gerry 6 comments

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

STRANGE DAZE

What do these items...a metal drum, a shopping cart and a Chevy pickup have in common?
They were the near-final resting places for 3 people who overdosed on drugs the last few weeks in Connecticut.
This summer drug use has spawned a different kind of drug problem in Connecticut. Disposing of the bodies of people who overdosed and died.

Really, you don't have to read on if you don't want to. Go ahead and click away. I understand.

Earlier this summer, a body was discovered in a metal drum...floating in Bridgeport harbor. Ooooh...could it have been a mob hit? No. Turned out 2 guys got high, one OD'd, and the other freaked. So he stuffed the body in the drum (after a slight dismemberment to make the body fit the drum), and sent it out to sea.
A couple of weeks later, a body turned up in a shopping cart in New Britain. Another OD checkout...the body unceremoniously dumped because his drug buddy freaked.
And on Monday, 2 people were in court to face manslaughter charges. Seems they, too, dumped the body of a fellow heroin pal. In the woods. But they apparently felt bad, went back, and put his body back in his pick-up for police to find in Thomaston.

It's the damndest thing. I've never seen a run of similar stories like these. Troubled people meeting a sad end, and being dumped like trash.

So how about some sort of amnesty act...something that would let people (once they emerge from their drug-induced haze) bring their late companion's remains to...where? A hospital? Maybe a funeral home. Somewhere with a shred of dignity.

This is what I'm thinking.
Maybe I need a good re-progamming. Or vacation.







Posted at 12:35 AM by Gerry 0 comments

Monday, August 20, 2007

FANTASY FULFILLED


No, not THAT kind of fantasy. Get your mind out of the gutter!
I got to stand before upwards of 10-thousand people Saturday night at Recreation Park in Willimantic with a fabulous band behind me. If only I could sing.

David Foster (right) and the Mohegan Sun All-Stars (AKA the Shaboo All-Stars) staged a concert to raise money (thousands of dollars, as it turned out) for Windham Hospital. (See previous post.)

And for some reason, David (AKA "Lefty") asked me to introduce them.
This was one of those events where they were happy to have me, but they couldn't have any idea how happy I was to be there. (That happens a lot with charity golf tournaments, too.)

The show opened with Jonathan Edwards and the James Cotton Blues Band, and let me give you a couple of snapshots.
One was seeing Edwards meandering the grounds after his set (in orange shirt, red pants, and sandals). I briefly thanked him for being part of the soundtrack to my college years.
Another was seeing Cotton, after his set, leaning against a trailer doing...well...I wasn't sure. Simply surviving, I think. I left him alone, which I'm sure he appreciated.
And one more was seeing old friend Wayne Norman of WILI (voice of the Huskies, along with Joe D.) with UConn hoops great Wes Bialosuknia in tow. Wes seemed quite content to just be there with a cold one in his hand.

And what a great crowd. Before I introduced the band, I had to read a letter from the Governor congratulating Lefty and recalling the Shaboo years. Nothing like a show-stopper, reading a letter from the Governor. I may have embellished that letter a little bit...deleting a line here, inventing a line there.
The crowd went nuts, and I'm glad the Governor wasn't there, though I know she has a sense of humor. (God, she'd better have.)

Sometimes this job brings attention that I don't care for, and I don't need or want. But this was one of those nights that really makes it all worthwhile.
And on the way home...a State Police DUI checkpoint! Lucky me. All I had do drink all night was cold water.

Round out the weekend with a nifty 43-43-86 at the TPC with an old friend on Sunday...and the weekend was a good reminder that I lead a charmed and lucky life.
And I appreciate every minute of it.

(By the way, the pictures above are from a slide show on the Norwich Bulletin's web site. They were taken by Aaron Flaum.)

Posted at 1:04 PM by Gerry 0 comments

Friday, August 17, 2007

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE


Once upon a time, there was a place called "The Shaboo."
The Shaboo Inn, to be precise, in Willimantic.
Opened by a young man named David "Lefty" Foster in 1971...the Shaboo was a music mecca until 1982.

Foster introduced Connecticut to new groups called Aerosmith and The Police. He brought in up-and-comers like Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt...and established stars like B.B. King and Count Basie.
And he put together an excellent house band known as The Shaboo All-Stars.

Saturday night at Recreation Park in Willimantic, Foster will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the closing of the Shaboo with a concert.
It will be a fundraiser for emergency services at Windham Hospital.

It's a good lineup. Jonathan Edwards ("Sunshine," "Shanty") opens the show at 5...the James Cotton Blues Band takes the stage at 7...and David Foster and the All-Stars perform just after 8:30.
By the way, they're no longer the Shaboo All-Stars, they're the Mohegan Sun All-Stars.
Hey, gotta change with the times.

And the reason I'm flogging this is...I've been asked to introduce the All-Stars.
Happy to. Should be fun.
They want me to read a proclamation from the governor before the show.
Isn't that why ANYONE goes to a folk/blues/pop/rock concert?
To hear, "Whereas... Whereas... Whereas..."?
Don't worry...we'll figure out a way to make it fun.

It's a good deal. Tickets at the gate are just $10, and for a good cause.
Our weather boys say it will be a beautiful night...maybe a bit chilly.
So bring a sweater.
After all, those of us who remember the Shaboo...well, we're not as young as we used to be.

Posted at 12:16 AM by Gerry 0 comments

Thursday, August 16, 2007

JESUS IN THE KITCHEN


I'm a couple of days late on this one, but...

We've done stories on Jesus appearing in trees and on toast, and this week, on a kitchen cabinet in Manchester.

Malynda and Eric Smith have lived in their house for a year, and never noticed Him until their daughter pointed it out last week.

Honestly, I think the image looks like Santa Claus having a bad day. Others have said it looks like Chewbacca or a werewolf.

I'm sure every time one of these stories crops up there are true believers, and there are true cynics (you lookin' at me?).

But one thing is certain. No matter where Jesus pops up...in nature, on furniture, or in food...a television station will cover it.

And that's OK, because it's fun (kinda)...people mean well (mostly)...and maybe it'll bump (hopefully) another car accident, vacant house fire, or insignificant shooting from a newscast somewhere.

And I'd like to think that Jesus himself is having a good laugh, too.
Hey, it's good public relations for Him. And it's free.

Posted at 12:23 AM by Gerry 1 comments

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

THE DAY MEAT LOAF CRIED




An actual headline on one of the Phil Rizzuto obits on the A.P. wire Tuesday:



PLAY-BY-PLAY VOICE AT END OF "PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT" DIES

But sure enough...that's all the 20-somethings at work knew the Scooter for...his voice track in the Meat Loaf song from the original "Bat Out Of Hell" album.
(And unbeknownst to Rizzuto at the time, the song had nothing to do with baseball.)

And the 30-and-40-somethings knew him for something else.
Perhaps their (not actual) headline would have read:

MONEY STORE MAN DIES

After all, an entire generation of non-baseball fans thought Joe DiMaggio really was Mr. Coffee.

You have to reach people into their 50s and 60s who remember Rizzuto for what he gained fame for: playing shortstop for the Yankees, then broadcasting their games.
Even death is generational. So naturally, the headline for us codgers:

HOLY COW!

Posted at 12:37 AM by Gerry 3 comments

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

EQUALITY AND JUSTICE FOR...?

If I needed someone to show me the way, I could do much worse than Hartford activist Cornell Lewis.

He waited 3 weeks, then called out the news media and the politicians Monday on their handling of and reaction to the Petit murders.
He said, far more eloquently, what I tried to say in my post on July 25th (A Heinous Crime).


He knows his comments are open to debate, but it's a debate worth having.



Here is a link to the Associated Press story on his news conference.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--homeinvasion0813aug13,0,3857603.story

Posted at 12:26 AM by Gerry 0 comments

Sunday, August 12, 2007

MERV

Merv Griffin's passing brings back fond memories of WPOP radio.

Among an unbelievable cast of characters, I met my wife at WPOP...and I met Joanne Nesti there, too.
And what we all had in common before we even got to know each other was that we worked for Merv Griffin.
Merv owned 6 radio stations in the 70s, including WPOP (1410 AM) and WIOF (104 FM).

When he visited WPOP, it was a bona fide big event (above).
Joanne wore a dress, and I wore something other than a tee shirt, and I believe I even shaved that day. (All big deals then.)
Beyond that, I don't remember much except thinking, "What a nice guy."

And I thought the same thing a few years later when he returned for WPOP's 50th anniversary bash.
Joanne and I had moved on to television by then, but I did a live interview with him, and he couldn't have been nicer.

What a career: big band singer, actor, talk show host, game show creator, entrepreneur, businessman.
What a life.
What a nice guy.

Posted at 10:52 PM by Gerry 0 comments

GAG ME


Eric Gagne.
Pronounced "GAHN-yay."

Pronounced by Yankees fans "Gone? YAY!!!"
Pronounced by Red Sox fans "Gone? Oh vay."




Posted at 9:50 PM by Gerry 4 comments

Friday, August 10, 2007

KEY QUESTIONS


Took my wife's car to work on Thursday, which I rarely do.
But this isn't about the car.
It's about the key chain.

In addition to the fob and key, there are 10 plastic things hanging off it.
Nobody seems to know what these plastic things are actually called, but you probably know what they are.
They're from stores, and have bar codes, and I hope she's getting discounts for carrying these things around.

Let's see...there's Hallmark, CVS, a local nursery (as in flowers, NOT babies), our car insurance company, a shoe store, Healthtrax, Stop & Shop, Stew Leonard's, Big Y, and Shaw's.

I thought she did the food shopping at just one of the above, but hey, I'm just one of those sloths who opens the refrigerator hoping to see food inside. She does the dirty work.
But I digress.
Also on the key chain: another little thing made of black plastic. I believe it's a Mobil Speedpass, or whatever they call it.
You can barely find the key buried in all the plastic things.

That's a lot of stuff for a guy to carry in his pocket. ("Hey, is that a bulge in your pants or are..." you know the rest.)
Women have pocketbooks to put all those little plastic things (and key) in.
Men just have a pocket.
Sometimes I wish manbags caught on.

Posted at 12:31 AM by Gerry 0 comments

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

HANK AND BARRY


Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio vs. Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.

My first memories of Major League baseball stretch back to the 1959 World Series...the fabulous double play combo of the "Go-Go White Sox" vs. the powerful pitching tandem of the Dodgers, still new to L.A.
Yeah, I'm old.

I vividly recall the 1960 Series between the Yankees and Pirates. The Yanks won 3 games by lopsided scores, but lost in 7 to the Bucs on Bill Mazeroski's home run. (I have a friend who says he still hasn't gotten over it. When he told me that, I hung up on him.)

But the first time I followed every day of a season with a religious fervor was 1961, when Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris engaged in their epic one-on-one battle to eclipse The Babe's record of 60 home runs in a season. The People's Choice (Mantle), hobbled by injury, finished with 54. Maris hit 61, off the inept Tracy Stallard of the equally inept Boston Red Sox.

It was thrilling, as was the race 37 years later between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to push Maris's mark aside.
In both instances, the nation celebrated the achievements of remarkable men.

But now we know what we know. Or don't know.
Neither McGwire, Sosa, nor Barry Bonds (who hit 73 in 2001) have admitted to taking steroids. Maybe we'll never know.

What should have been a national celebration of breaking baseball's greatest record (maybe the greatest record in American sport) Tuesday night was met (outside San Francisco) with a collective shrug.

The consensus is that Barry Bonds cheated.
America doesn't cheer for cheaters.

I can't buy the argument proferred by some that this is an issue of racism. Bonds didn't break Babe Ruth's record, he broke Henry Aaron's. And Bonds never had to come up to the bigs through the worst kind of racism that Aaron was forced to endure.

And there was Hammerin' Hank himself...on the scoreboard at the ballpark with videotaped congratulations to Bonds. I got the impression someone was standing off-camera on bended knee saying, "Please, please, please, Mr. Aaron, please do this for baseball."
Hank looked like he had just finished licking the lead paint off a toy imported from China.

When we moved a few years ago, I was going through some boxes, and came across a yellowed piece of paper in a WPOP folder.
It was Associated Press wire copy from 1974...a bulletin (when bulletins were really bulletins)...announcing Hank Aaron had just hit his 715th home run.
For whatever reason...that I'm a baseball fan or just the sense of history of the moment...I thought at that time it was important enough to tuck it away for posterity.

33 years later, Henry Aaron still means something to me. Something good. Something joyful.
The joyless Barry Bonds means something to me too. But it's not so good.
He managed to suck the life out of what should have been a national celebration of achievement.

Such a shame.

Posted at 12:47 PM by Gerry 4 comments

INSTANT GRATIFICATION


Spent a lovely weekend on Cape Cod with most of my family.

My brother and I played golf (naturally, we were paired with 2 guys from Connecticut), we dined on the water, we enjoyed each other's company. All in all, a nice family weekend.

But the best part? I power washed my mother's deck.
As I noted in a previous post, I am a person of limited talent when it comes to home improvement and/or tools.

But last year, a friend turned me on to this little baby electric power washer. I borrowed it, and was enthralled. So my wife bought me one for our anniversary. (If a power washer doesn't say 'love', what does?)
It takes no skill whatsoever to use this thing, so I'm good with it.
And in a couple of hours, I took this deck and turned the clock back 25 years on it. Good as new. Except for the one rotted board it blew away. (My brother will replace it. He has skills.)

I love power washing. It's kind of like vacuuming and spray painting at the same time. (I can do both without hurting myself.)
And why do I love power washing?
Instant gratification. First there's dirt, then there's not.

That's why I do windows. First there's dirt, then there's not.
That's why I don't do laundry. No instant gratification.
That's why I vacuum. First there's dirt, then there's not. (And sometimes you can even HEAR the dirt!)
That's why I don't really cook. No instant gratification.

I used to feel that way about mowing the lawn.
Then I traded the mower to a neighbor for four dozen Titleists.
Now THAT was instant gratification.

Posted at 12:19 AM by Gerry 3 comments

Thursday, August 2, 2007

LADY DUI


An item from my post last Friday:

LADY DUI.
Have you seen the billboard for the attorney who specializes in drunk driving cases? Markets herself as Lady DUI.
"Sir Manslaughter" can't be far behind.
----------
Lady DUI is Teresa DiNardi. She works for Shelton-based Ruane Attorneys At Law. The firm specializes in DUI cases.
My first big hint was that the web address contains “dui.” I’m sharp like that.

My second big hint was the web site itself, which says, in part: “Ruane Attorneys has dedicated our practice to the focused defense of DUI cases, from initial arraignment at court through appeal to our Supreme Court. By only focusing on DUI defense, we commit ourselves to finding ways to win these cases whenever possible.”
The web site says Ms. DiNardi has been practicing for about a year, hired after her graduation from law school.

I got a letter from Lady DUI on Thursday, dated July 31st. Ms. DiNardi was not pleased with my brief observation.
As far as I know, you don’t have to offer equal time in the blogosphere.
But in most cases, I think that’s the fair thing to do, and I think this is one of those cases.

Here is MOST of her letter. (I was going to put it all in, but it’s long, and I didn’t realize I’d have to transcribe it myself. My personal assistant has the day off.)
((By the way, that last sentence was a joke. I’m a hoot, huh?))

I’ll be back afterward.
************************
Dear Mr. Brooks:

I happened upon your blog recently and I noticed you took offense to my billboard which referred to me as Lady DUI. You, I believe, make a caustic comment that “Sir Manslaughter” wouldn’t be far behind.

As a journalist who benefits from the 1st amendment, I find it curious that you would fail to take full advantage of our nation’s cornerstone principles yet fail to recognize the other constitutional bedrocks of our great nation.

As an educated man, I am sure you appreciate that an attorney who defends certain people doesn’t necessarily endorse the crimes alleged. Have you ever questioned any attorney whom you have interviewed regarding a murder defendant if they endorsed murder? Of course not, because such an allegation is ludicrous. However, you seem to fall into the camp of small-minded people who presume that a person who would engage in the defense of someone charged with DUI is a person who endorses DUI.

I am not in favor of driving under the influence. I am on the roads of our state daily, and I have family members and friends who are at risk when the drunk driver is on the road.

As a person with some notoriety and influence in our community, I would respectfully request that you choose not to lump me in the category of someone who is in favor of committing crimes. Each day I represent persons charged with DUI. I have represented guilty people and I have represented innocent people. Each person charged deserves to be afforded the rights our laws provide.
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OK, I’m back now.

I couldn’t agree with Ms. DiNardi more. Everybody…guilty or not guilty of any crime…deserves full representation.
And I never for a moment was under the impression she’s FOR driving under the influence.
I am well aware decent people can do stupid things (hello!!!), and need lawyers such as Ms. DiNardi.
Anyone who enjoys a cocktail (hello again!!!) could suddenly find a need for her phone number.
Repeat offenders…well…that’s another thing.

But my initial observation was never about her expertise, or my view of the judicial system.
This was all about how her talent is being marketed…how she’s being sold to potential clients.
Her firm’s web site says Ms. DiNardi “is available to represent you on your DUI case at rates much lower than Attorney Ruane.”
Then why isn’t HE on a billboard that calls him “Sir DUI” or even “King DUI”?

Hey, whether or not I find it more amusing than appropriate (and I do)…the advertising campaign is working. We’re talking about it. So she and her bosses are getting their money’s worth.
Which…again…could give firms specializing in other crimes ideas.

But that’s how we got started on this post in the first place.
So that’s my cue to say I think I’ll take a long weekend. See you next week.

Posted at 10:39 PM by Gerry 1 comments

A BAD MEMORY

The collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis brings back 24-year-old memories of the collapse of the Mianus River Bridge on I-95 in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich.

We were "lucky." It happened well before the morning rush, and "only" 3 lives were lost when the bridge collapsed on June 28, 1983.
My most vivid memory of covering the story was standing on the highway and looking at the gaping hole.

I couldn't envision anyone driving along the highway and believing their eyes.
"Is there a piece of highway missing? Couldn't be."
But it was. Something that "couldn't happen" happened.
And something that couldn't happen has happened again.
The circumstances are different, and in 24 years the world has certainly changed.
In 1983, there was no Homeland Security Department, and no one had to say terrorists had nothing to do with the Mianus River Bridge collapse.
Now there is, and they did. Quickly.

We will, of course, have continuing coverage of this story on NBC 30 News, NBC 30.com, and NBC Nightly News.

Posted at 12:21 AM by Gerry 0 comments

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

RED & THE LEPRECHAUN


Somewhere, the leprechaun is doing a jig, and Red Auerbach is sitting and smiling with a rolled up program in one hand and a victory cigar in the other.

The Boston Celtics matter again.
With the additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to go along with Paul Pierce, the C's are suddenly contenders.
Three all-stars...none of whom have a ring...all of whom desperately want one. It should be fun.

It's been a difficult 20 years, with the deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, and missed opportunities in the draft lottery.
But I never stopped being a fan, because I never lost my appreciation for the only championship team I grew up with.
Once upon a time, they were the "sure thing."
The Red Sox teams I grew up rooting for were awful until 1967.
The Patriots were a joke.
The Bruins were also pathetic until Bobby Orr came along, but they owned the town. After Orr's arrival, you couldn't get a ticket.
(All-time favorite bumper sticker: Jesus saves, but Espo scores on the rebound!)

But the Celtics...they just won title after title. Eight in a row, 16 in all. And tickets were always available.
I grew up listening to Johnny Most turning Russell, Cousy, Sam and KC Jones, Heinsohn, Havlicek and so many others into hoop gods.
The Russell era gave way to the Havlicek-Cowens years, which morphed into the Larry Legend regime.
And all that time, through so many different owners, Red was baiting the refs, pulling the strings, and infuriating everyone else in the NBA by finding ways to keep his team on top.

The Celtics taught me about teamwork. They never had the league's leading scorer. They didn't care about stats. They cared about the rings.
And now they finally have a chance for jewelry with the new "Big 3."

(Two quick stories: one of my brothers worked briefly as a repo man when he was younger, and he had to repossess Johnny Most's car. Johnny was on oxygen at the time, and when he was led into Johnny's room, Johnny took off the mask, summoned what was left of his gravelly voice to state his case, and within minutes, my brother found himself saying, "Johnny, I was never here."
And when I was the sports guy at WPOP, I covered the Celtics' "home" games at the Hartford Civic Center. Players Don Nelson and Henry Finkel came down for a news conference to help announce the Hartford schedule, and when it was over, there were still 2 cases of cold beer sitting on a table. They asked if anybody would be drinking the beer. Getting no reply, each tucked a case under an arm, and left for the ride back to Boston. My how times have changed.)

So if what appears to be an ash falls from somewhere above onto your head...maybe it's Red...firing up another stogie, and having a good laugh with the leprechaun.

Posted at 12:34 AM by Gerry 2 comments