Things I really miss..

We've had many straight days of rain here in Jersey, on and off and it's giving me some cabin fever and longings for time's past. It's got me thinking about things I really miss that I was day dreaming of recently.

1. Great concerts. I still reflect on seeing U2 at the old JFK stadium in Philly (since torn down) during their Joshua Tree Tour back in 1987. It was the best concert I've been too...it was magical, ethereal and the energy in the crowd was intense. I still remember the ambience of the whole crowd singing "I still havn't found what I'm looking for". Which has become a life anthem of sorts for me.
My second favorite concert was seeing The Replacements play during my senior year at Rutgers at the gymnasium on College Ave. Iggy Pop opened up and it was a feast of musical excellence. The whole crowd danced and a minor mosh pit was formed with a few stage dives. It was in about 1992 or 1993. I still like Paul Westerbergs solo work since the Replacements broke up.

2. I wish I could go on vacation to Hilton Head Island and stay at the Hyatt at Palmetto Dunes resort. Our family vacationed when I was a kid at Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes. I have great memories of Hilton Head. I understand it has become very over-developed in recent years and is not as quaint as it used to be..seems to be happening all over. Something great gets discovered by Everyone and then loses its charm. I feel the same way about Long Beach Island, NJ, it just got way too over-developed and the charming seafood restaurants became sterile, cookie cutter and "Disneyfied" into a plastic remnant of what they once were.

3. I miss St. Louis. I had a wonderful 90+ year old home that was all brick and hardwood floors with a big yard. I paid 93k in 2000. Can't touch anything like that on the east coast for less than 400k or more. I miss the Starbucks on the Delmar Loop by Washington University. The great people watching. The used record store Vintage Vinyl had great deals on used lp's and cd's. I met a girl I dated briefly at the laundrymat a block away. I miss the great architecture of St. Louis, the friendly mid-western demeanor not present in the east coast, Forest Park, South St. Louis and all it's cool neighborhoods like Grand St. I used to relax at Mokabe's cafe, they catered to a lesbian crowd but they allowed a token hetero like me in once in a while as long as I was a paying cappucino drinker. The outside patio with tables and chairs was a great place to smoke cigarettes, drink coffee and watch people while flipping through the local paper of events, The Riverfront Times. I miss the bbw's of the area, the finest in the country in my opinion. A big shout out to all the lovely bbw's in Missouri and Southern Illinois. The east coast can't touch your charm.

4. I miss long conversations with many old friends, in person, not by email or phone. I wish Kevin, Michael, Seth, Rey, Kevin, Rob, Raymee, Mike and others were around the block so I could hang out with them. People move, times change and life goes on. I always miss old friends and learn to appreciate what each had uniquely to offer as a friend as time goes on. I miss you all. I love my current close group of friends and am blessed to have them. I will also miss those who have slid into the distant rear view mirror of life.

5. Right now I'm really missing Gunny the dog. His owners picked him up yesterday after I watched him for about 2 weeks. I miss him. He was a great canine companion and a friend. It really makes me want to get a dog of my own in the future. I think having a dog brings a lot of joy to life and is great for the soul. I was sad washing out his water bowl and food dish today knowing I won't see him for some time. The new apartments I will be moving to don't allow dogs! Only cats. Shame on them. I'm calling the ACLU for a dog discrimination suit, I'm sure they can find something in the Constitution protecting dog lovers, or at least they should! How mean can they be not allowing dogs? Yeah I know, you say well rent somewhere else or buy a place of my own.. I plan on saving to buy a place, I much prefer being a home or condo owner and then I can have a dog with a nice little back yard for him/her to walk around in.

6. I miss a lot of other things right now, too many to count. I'm going to take my mind off that and focus on the nice things I do have right now. I have healthy loving parents, several good friends, plenty of food to eat, I'm not broke (well not totally), I have a new job I'm about to start that I'm totally grateful for, I have tons of travel and life experiences under my belt and if I would just quit smoking cigs and lose more weight I'd be pretty darn healthy too! So I thank God for all the blessings I do have. I wish my father a very Happy Father's Day! Thanks for bringing me into this great but at times crazy world. And thank you for all the great things you have done for me over the years. I wish for many more great years ahead of happiness and health.

Peace to Jah. Enjoy the day!