Guy stuff.

Walk Now for Autism

India at Shea Stadium Two years ago, our daughter India was diagnosed with PDD-NOS - an Autism Spectrum Disorder. After two years of intense therapy and lots of support from organizations dedicated to families of children with Autism, India still has some trouble with speech and language but no longer presents with the symptoms associated with Autism. Please help me give other children the same opportunity by supporting me as I walk with Team 352X in this year's Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism fund-raising event. Walk Now for Autism is the signature fundraising event of Autism Speaks and is…

Continue ReadingWalk Now for Autism

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

Picked this up from Dyanna at MySpace... 10 years ago - April 27 1997 1.) How old were you? 27 2.) Where did you go to school? One semester removed from Jersey City State College, where I met Salomé. 3.) Where did you work? Poets & Writers 4.) Where did you live? Jersey City, NJ and/or West New York, NJ (long story) 5.) Where did you hang out? Random bars, mostly. 6.) Did you wear glasses? Yes. 7.) Who was your best friend? Claudia 8.) How many tattoos did you have? 1 9.) How many piercing did you have? 2 10.)…

Continue ReadingHow Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

Anxiety, Autism and Arthur Avenue

Beyond Salomé and the kids' birthdays and our wedding anniversary, I'm not very good at remembering specific dates, but 5/3/2005 will always be a memorable one because that's the day India was diagnosed with autism*. "Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified" (PDD-NOS), to be specific, the catch-all term for a laundry list of autism-related and autism-like disorders that, I think, is part of the reason for the recent explosion in autism diagnoses over the past 10 years or so. It's been a long two years for us since the, full of emotional highs and lows, but overall, she's come a long way thanks to early intervention and the…

Continue ReadingAnxiety, Autism and Arthur Avenue

A Bar, a Beer, a Notebook and a Pen

Me, Self-Portrait Back in my early poetry days, at the very beginning in the summer of '97, I wrote the majority of my poems sitting at the shadowy bar in Botanica, a pint of Brooklyn Brown always at hand as my pen scribbled furiously in my notebook. Tonight, a series of unexpected events set in motion by Roger's bailing on the Mets game and me unable to find a taker for the extra ticket, found me watching the game at Coppersmith's, a pint of Magic Hat #9 always at hand as my pen scribbled furiously in my notebook. It's been a long time since I've written…

Continue ReadingA Bar, a Beer, a Notebook and a Pen

On procrastinations and resolutions

The Writer's Block: 786 Ideas to Jump-Start Your Imagination Jason Rekulak Between the improving weather, tee ball and the new job -- plus occasional virtual forays into Elona and the return of new Grey's Anatomy episodes -- comics have gotten the short end of the stick the past couple of weeks and my Comic Book Commentary blog output has slipped dramatically. It doesn't help that I'm steadily moving away from floppies in favor of TPBs and OGNs -- a move Marvel and DC are making especially easy lately with their overdoing it on the big event crossovers that have curbed my enthusiasm quite a…

Continue ReadingOn procrastinations and resolutions

Spontaneous Drinking Network

John Barleycorn In an effort to streamline the "Hey, let's go have a drink tonight!" process, I've created the Spontaneous Drinking Network(TM), a group of friends' cell phone numbers in my address book to whom I can send a text message whenever I'm in the mood for a drink with others who have demonstrated the ability to handle their liquor with aplomb, with the time and location where I intend to do battle with Mr. John Barleycorn and would like them to accompany me.ie: SDN: Trailer Park Lounge, 271 W 23rd St @ 6pmLike the Bat Signal, this alert could come at anytime, but…

Continue ReadingSpontaneous Drinking Network