Billy decided to start 2017 with a ride on the long anticipated 2nd Avenue subway, since it opened on the 1st to the public. On the morning of January 1st, 2017 he boarded the Long Island Railroad in Islip and arrived at Penn Station about 80 minutes later. It was early so to kill time, he walked west to the Hudson Yards station at 34th Street & 11th Avenue – the extension of the #7 Flushing Line that opened in 2015. Naturally he took photos, and went down the very steep and long escalator to the mezzanine, and then to the mezzanine over the tracks. Billy took the #7 train to Times Square and then walked to the Broadway Line (where the Q train runs) to wait for the first one to go up 2nd Avenue just before noon. But it was quite early and to kill time, took a Q train downtown to Brooklyn – over the Manhattan Bridge to DeKalb Avenue and wait there since it was no fun sitting around at Times Square waiting for one to say “96St./2Av”. Finally one that did say “96St./2Av.” showed up and Billy boarded it, and met up with family friend Bill who is also a transit buff and they rode up Broadway, 63rd Street and finally to 2nd Avenue where they took photos of each of the stations (72nd Street, 86th Street, and 96th Street).
Billy had only a very light breakfast and by 12:10 was quite famished. He invited Bill to join him at a pub but he had plans in the evening and was meeting other people at 96th Street. Since Bill could not join Billy, he said goodbye to Bill and the friends he was meeting and walked upstairs to the street, (taking several photos), to Manny’s on Second near 94th Street. Billy had been there a couple of times before with the Bees softball team, and back in 2013 and to dodge the construction mazes. This time there was a subway line and no mazes, and he decided to have lunch there. There were several TV screens showing NFL games, including the New England Patriots – Miami Dolphins game. Since it looks as if the Manhattanites who live in this part of the Upper East Side are from New England, they were wearing Patriots gear and going crazy when the Pats scored. Billy ordered a cheeseburger and a pint of Arbita Purple Haze, and since this was not McDonald’s, the bill came to over $20 before a tip. Billy brought enough cash and settled it before going back to the subway to meet up with Ellen’s cousin Susan, who was actually covering the opening of the line for her employer, an engineering firm. Billy and Susan met up at the 72nd Street Station’s mezzanine and we spoke about the new line, and the state of New York. Then they both headed downtown to get their trains home.
The next day Billy went to the Bay Shore CVS to print 3 photos from the Army Navy Game weekend last month (when Ellen & Eileen went to Hagerstown MD to visit Ellen's cousin). Since the cousin does not have a computer, it is necessary to make prints and mail them. Billy used a USB port got the 3 pix for Ellen. As he was leaving he accidentally backed into a car in the space perpendicular to the head in space he was getting out of. A lady was watching him so he figured that she would rat on him inside, so he decided to park the car and go inside and tell the staff. It turns out the card belongs to the assistant manager, and the little scratch and dent mushroomed into a big deal. The manager called the police and they finally came over 60 minutes later – they did not think it was too serious since it was a dent/scratch incident with nobody injured. But Billy did get a police report and when he got home had to call Allstate to file a claim. Ellen was not too pissed off. Neither was his friend Charlie the professor. Both Charlie and Ellen agreed that the manager made a big deal out of nothing. However, Billy also had to file an accident report with New York Stare Department of Motor Vehicles and Allstate.
On January 16 Billy got a free lunch from the firehouse (leftovers from the lunch after the 50-year member’s funeral). And while Ellen was waiting for a delivery of oxygen from the vendor, Billy took Eileen into town to see Monster Trucks. The film got mediocre reviews, but both he and Eileen thought that it was OK; and kind of timely, since it takes place in North Dakota (but is filmed in British Columbia) and the issues with the fracking in western North Dakota, and the Native Americans’ tribal lands being violated, are both in the news. After the movie, they walked over to Sugared Up for some gummy candy, and a small red Valentine’s Day bear. After work on Thursday the 19th, Billy went to the American Legion Post meeting when he got home, bringing with him the dossier form that the commander gave him to fill out. Interesting that the only things that he thought were worth mentioning are that he plays softball (since 2001) and basketball (since 2008), serves in the Islip FD (since 1985) and belongs to St. Mary’s Parish (since 1984). On Sunday evening, (the 22nd) he changed into a sports jacket, dress shirt, and tie to attend the dinner for the American Legion Post 411 past commanders. When he got there, he got himself an American Legion tie (will owe the post $16). He managed to talk to some of the Post’s other members while there, and told them that he plans to be there for the breakfast on Sunday morning, the 29th.
Billy had taken out a CD from the Islip Library of the Chieftains performing with various other artists. One of the artists was Imelda May- an Irish singer and musician, who performed the song Carolina Rua. Billy checked out videos and articles about Imelda and was quite impressed with her. She had shed her blond streak and makeup and is now natural. Pretty woman either way, but he says that he prefers the natural look himself (no visible tattoos either).
On the January 29th, he went to monthly breakfast at his American Legion post. He had invited Ellen & Eileen but they were still asleep when he got back, so he says that he will not bother asking them too often any longer. Since the 3 of them had signed up earlier in the month to go to a concert by harmonica pro Jia-Yi He at the Islip Library, that is where they headed later that day. Jia-Yi Hewas accompanied by a piano player, who was assisted by a page turner. Jia-Yi He is Chinese American (immigrant) and he explained all about harmonicas, and performed several compositions, including 4 waltzes, The Flight of the Bumble Bee by Rimsky-Korsakov, and Juke by “Little” Walter Jacobs. Excellent show. For dinner, Billy and the ladies went back to H202 and this time he and Ellen enjoyed some paella - delicious but messy.
On the next Thursday, it was the meeting at the Rusy Bohm American Legion post. When Billy got home he went to the post for the meeting and got his Legion cap (similar to the “flight cap” that he wore during his USAF days). During the day, he saw that President Trump wants to repeal the Johnson Amendment, which tells churches that they cannot preach politics. If that is gone, he fears that we will not have a separation of church & state.
Over the following weekend, he went to the defensive driving course at the library that was sponsored by AARP. Sitting across the table from him was the widow of a man who was in the Islip Fire Department, but had resigned shortly before Billy joined. Next to her was a man who was actually in the Islip Fire Department but resigned in 1982, three years before Billy joined. Both knew several members of his first fire company – Fire Police. As for the course itself, Billy had taken it before but he says that it always helps to be able to get his insurance reduced. Billy also says that he is starting to realize that his reflexes are slowing down a lot, and may help explain why he has a hard time turning his body all the way when he is backing out. He mentioned that he wishes that he lived in a place with more public transit alternatives, since he hates driving.
Around 5 PM on Super Bowl Sunday, Billy, Ellen and Eileen headed to the American Legion post to watch Super Bowl LI – the Atlanta Falcons vs. the New England Patriots. They enjoyed some pub grub (washed down with a Jack Daniels & 7-Up for Billy). Up to the 3rd quarter, the Falcons were leading but it was too good to last. The Patriots came from behind, tied the game, and won in overtime 34—28. Like Yogi said, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. They also enjoyed the half time show with Lady Gaga. But Eileen was a bit restless so they headed home in the 3rd quarter to watch it there. After the game, Billy watched the ESPN Channel and it featured Mark Bingham, the man who organized the fight against the hijackers on Flight 93. The show confirmed two other things about Mark: he was a great rugby player, and was gay. The show kind of dispelled the stereotype of gays as being non-macho. Also, the show brought home the point that Billy’s religion teacher in Junior Year said over 50 years ago – we have gays among the best athletes. The show featured Mark’s mother, and it turns out that she is only a few weeks older than Ellen and Billy are. She had Mark in 1970 at the age of 20 (Ellen & Billy had Eileen at 40). Possibly she married the father, who left them shortly after Mark’s birth, because this being 1970, there was no Roe vs. Wade decision for almost 3 more years. Anyway, the show has gotten Billy interested in rugby. Definitely not to play, but to watch.
On Sunday, February 19 Billy headed to the Tanger Outlet Mall in Deer Park. He noticed that he needed new shoes so the first stop was the Bass Shoe Store where he got a pair of topsiders, and a pair of oxfords with high sides – almost a cross between chukka boots and oxfords. And since his train friend Michelle gave him a discount card, he got 30% off, so the two pairs of shoes only cost him $93.32.
On President’s Day Billy took Eileen to the Islip Movie House to see Lego Batman. They both thought it was cute, and quite different from the 1960’s TV series with Adam West and the live action Batman movies with Christian Bale. Since both realized that they needed some exercise, after the movie, they drove to Field 6 at Jones Beach so they could walk from the parking lot to the West Bath House and Back – about 2 miles. They took 12 pix and Billy mounted them on Facebook and Google Photos. After their walk, Billy suggested that they go to the Islip Starbucks for a nice dessert treat. When they got there, one lady was taking up two tables with her stuff, and at another table two ladies were finished with their coffee and were taking up a table. Billy ordered an Ethiopian blend coffee, Eileen ordered an iced tea, and they shared a scone. They returned to the Boardwalk the following day, and when they got back to Islip they stopped in the local Subway Sandwich Shop for lunch, and then at Nook & Cranny Gift Shop and Eileen got herself a new mini beany baby.
On February 26th, Billy had breakfast at the American Legion Post in the morning. In the afternoon, he headed to Glen Cove to pay my respects to a retired FDNY Battalion Chief named Jim, who had passed away in the middle of February. Chief Jim was a friend of Billy’s parents, his aunts and uncles and some of his cousins. Chief Jim and his daughter Karen came to Billy’s mom’s wake in October 2015, so Billy had to return the courtesy, and acknowledge a brother firefighter. When he got home he changed and the 3 of them went to Viva La Vida restaurant in Oakdale for some good Mexican cuisine.
He also started a site called Billy’s New York on www.webs.com, called http://billys-new-york.webs.com/. He had one like this on Homestead until he ended my relationship with that provider - not free and not user friendly. But later he learned that www.webs.com said that he violated terms of the agreement and the site was frozen. He could not understand why, and rather than argue, he deleted the website and told about his personal New York on his blog. As of March 18, he has the four outer boroughs covered. Since Manhattan played an important part in his life, even if he never lived there, he is saving that borough for last. Please check back often on http://billyhill29.blogspot.com/.
Billy had his annual evaluation on March 6th, and it turned out favorable. On Tuesday, the 14th, (π Day) the New York office of his firm was closed due the snow emergency so Billy was home. The New York Metro Area was anticipating several inches of snow on Long Island, but the South Shore, especially in Suffolk County, only got 2 inches. It was a bit worse further west, the city got 6 inches or more in some places. After the South Shore got its maybe two inches, it was rain. And you don’t have to shovel rain. He had the snow on the lawn, but almost nothing on the street or driveway. He later went into town to respond to an alarm on Sunrise Highway, and hung around the firehouse and got to ride on the engine to an automatic alarm on 45th Street. When he returned to work on Wednesday, he saw that the city really did get hit harder with the snow than the Island, so it was no fun walking between Penn & the office on Park Avenue.
Billy was off on St. Patrick’s Day since he had an appointment with a dermatologist to have the skin tags on his right eye removed. These were larger and more numerous than those on his left eye, which were removed in late 2016. When the doctor was done, Billy said that he felt a lot better about his appearance. The next day he and Eileen went to the Islip Movie House to see the live action version of Beauty and the Beast. They both enjoyed it, especially the special effects. And the next day, the 3 of them went to a restaurant named Pier 44 in Babylon to celebrate Eileen's 27th birthday. Billy enjoyed some great seafood, washed down with a glass of German wine.
On March 25th, he learned that the chaplain of his American Legion post had passed away from COPD and pneumonia. Later in the evening he went to the wake at the Powell Funeral Home in Amityville to participate in the American Legion memorial service (similar to the numerous firematic services that he has attended in the past 30 years). He said that he was proud to participate in the service.
Billy was off on March 29th off, so in the morning he went to an appointment with his internist on East 72nd Street. He rode from Herald Square up to 72nd & 2nd on the new subway line – without having to change trains! At the doctor’s office they ran the usual tests. His heart & lungs are OK, but the jury is out on the blood work right of April 1st. Since this was a Wednesday, Eileen had bowling and he went to East Islip Lanes to watch her bowl the usual 2 games. She got and 87 in the first game and 75 in the second game for an 81 average.
On March 30th, he walked over to the Transit Museum Store in Grand Central Terminal to check out the photo exhibit on the 3rd Avenue Elevated Line during its last years. Like Billy has always said, it was real estate interests who really wanted it gone – build luxury apartments and high rise office buildings. The original residents got screwed (and displaced). And the transplants got it from both ends: more crowding, and two fewer transit lines than in 1940.
Billy had been growing a beard since the beginning of the year, but figured that it was getting a bit scraggly, and since it was all gray, made him him look older than his 67 years. On April 1, he headed over to the barbershop for a haircut and to have the beard shaved off. His coworkers said that he looked better without it. Later in the day the 3 of them drove into Manhattan to go to an Eliane Elias concert at Birdland, to celebrate Eileen's birthday. It was the 11 PM show, and that helped since it was not as bad a drive through the Midtown Tunnel and going across town to 10th Avenue. They arrived early so they had some pub grub and watched basketball at the New York Brewery. Around 10:40 they walked over to Birdland to get their seats (right next to the stage). When Eliane came out to the stage, she walked right past Billy, Ellen & Eileen. She performed several classics, including The Girl from Ipanema and You're Getting to be a Habit with Me.
During the workweek, Billy was quite busy, and on Thursday April 6th it rained and he opted to take the subway from Penn Station to Grand Central. He headed to Herald Square and headed to the Broadway Line, and managed to cut his hand on the banister. When he got to Times Square, he saw that the Shuttle was screwed up: one track was out, and the alternate route, the #7 line, was out due to a passenger needing medical help. With 8 minute head ways, he realized that it would be a very long time before he got on. So he decided to brave the drizzle and walk east. He did not get that wet, and arrived around 9:10. The evening was a lot better, since in the evening when he attended his American Legion post meeting, he won the dark horse drawing.
On April 5th, he got his blood work results back, and the blood sugar is a bit high (not dangerous). The physician’s assistant advised him to cut down on carbohydrates, cake, and candy. He promised that he will do that and also cut out soda when at the firehouse - stick to water and coffee.
April 8th, 2017 was the time for Billy’ 50th anniversary high school reunion. Around 4:15 he left for St. Francis and was doing well on the L.I.E. until around exit 39 when it started to crawl. It got so bad that he had to bail out at Little Neck Parkway and go to the Grand Central. Billy says that the fact that it seems that most Long Island people don’t know how to merge or drive uphill pisses him off to no end. But he got to the Prep with time to spare and headed to the auditorium and found his class. At 6 PM the Palm Sunday Mass began, followed by the honorary alumni inductions and the Hall of Fame inductions. After the Mass and inductions, the alumni from 1967 and earlier headed to the library for cocktails and dinner. Billy’s class only had a total of 7 attendees. The 7 alums said that this is a very poor turnout, even if several of their classmates have passed on.
Billy was off on April 17th since Ellen and her brother had to go to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. Bill had to watch Eileen and they I headed to Jones Beach Field 6, and despite some rain further east, they walked the Boardwalk to the concession stand and back. Billy had wanted to try the All-American Hamburger Drive In, on Merrick Road in Massapequa, so they headed to Merrick Road from the Wantagh Parkway and then east, past the Nassau County PD 7th Precinct and the site of Sonny’s Jazz Club (Ellen and his first date on October 14th, 1978). All-American has been owned by the same family since 1963. He thought that the address was 4289, placing it on the North Side of the street, so naturally he drove past it, and finally decided to turn back at Massapequa HS. He tried to use Google on his cell phone but it did not work (what a surprise!!) so he went into a strip mall and asked a smoke shop owner. He said it was right across Merrick Road – at #4286! He had gotten the last digit wrong. But they had finally arrived, and he ordered a fish sandwich for Eileen, a cheeseburger for himself, and a box of large fries for both. They liked what we ate, and then went across the parking lot for ice cream at their sister store – Marshall’s Ice Cream Bar. Eileen got cookie dough and Billy got banana chip. Then they headed back home on Merrick Road to Route 110 and then the Southern State Parkway to Islip. They stopped in Nook & Cranny and Eileen got another Beanie Baby, and then to the Islip Library to hit the Internet.
On April 30th Billy went to the American Legion post for breakfast, and then stuck around to helped clean up the post’s property – he was detailed to help some other members clean off gum from the chairs that are used in the hall that the Post uses when it rents it out to outsiders. He would be back at the Post on Mothers’ Day with Ellen and Eileen, where they enjoyed a special Mothers’ Day breakfast, which included some nice cake. Later in the day, they went out to dinner at the Babylon Fish & Clam House on Fire Island Avenue, not far from Pier 44. Billy enjoyed sangria, seafood gumbo, and broiled scallops. It was a good time for all of us, but a bit expensive. However, he said that Mother’s Day only comes once a year, and Ellen is definitely worth it.
On the same day as the two successive ambulance calls (May 21st), Billy and Eileen went to the Islip Movie Theater to see the latest Wimpy Kid film: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. This is the 4th film, released 5 years after the third. In that time most of the child actors aged out, so the three sons (as well as the parents) were re-cast. This may have not pleased the critics, but Billy and Eileen enjoyed the film. While it has been over 50 years since he was middle school age, he said that he can still relate to the title character (Greg).
Ellen had made an appointment with Babylon Honda to bring the Accord in for servicing. Billy took off on Thursday so he could bring it in, and not have to worry about rushing to work . While there they made an appointment to bring the CR-V in for its preventative maintenance, and that was for Saturday the 27th. After he picked up the CR-V on Saturday, he headed to the Bay Shore Shop Rite to help other members of his American Legion post (Rusy Bohm #411) sell poppies. But due to a communications glitch, another group had permission to conduct a canned food drive in front of the store. So he headed home to have lunch and then take Eileen to the Islip Library so they could hit the Internet, and take some items out. Then they headed to Starbucks so Eileen could have lunch (he just had coffee) and then walked to Nook & Cranny and Eileen picked up another Beany Baby. The next morning the members of the Rusy Bohm Post were selling poppies again, this time in front of the Bay Shore Bagel Boss. Billy joined them for a little while, and also bought a poppy to put onto the CR-V's rear view mirror. He then headed over to the firehouse to help with the truck clean up.
When Billy got home from the Memorial Day Parade, he changed and then Ellen told him that Eileen would like to go to the movies - to see Pirates of the Caribbean, Dear Men Tell No Tales down at the Islip Theater. They both liked it, but he found it a bit hard to follow in some parts. After the movies, they went home and Billy went over to Stop & Shop to buy lunch provisions and Poland Spring water. While he was being served, he felt in his pants pocket and did not feel his house keys. He called home and they were not there. When he did get home Ellen and he looked all over the house, and called the dispatcher at the fire house to see if anything was found (none were). He also went to the movie house to tell the staff to be on the lookout for a set of keys. Then he headed around the corner to the firehouse to get some coffee and this time, he felt in the change pocket of my right front pocket, and there they were!! The change pocket on these pants in much larger on the other pairs, and he did not feel the keys since they did not bulge. Billy happily went to the movie house and the dispatcher to tell them that he found them and they don't have to look out for them.
When Billy was going to work after the Memorial Day weekend, when he got on the train in Islip at 7:10, there were no signs of problems (and no e/mails telling us of any). When he and his train friends got into Nassau County, one of his train friends started to get e/mails informing us that there were 15 minute delays in the East River Tunnels thanks to a broken third rail in one of Amtrak's tunnels. Billy was nodding off by the time the train got to Jamaica, and when he woke up they were almost next to the Sunnyside Yards and already late. He tried to e/mail his boss and the office administrator to tell them that he was going to be late thanks to the train issues. To top that off, the calls did not go through for a while - probably because thousands of other LIRR "victims" were in the same position. On one happy note, the e/mails finally did go through. They ended up getting into Penn Station at around 9:40 (instead of 8:25). Billy reached his East Side office at 10:00, but since does not start work until 9:30, he was "only" 30 minutes late (which can made up using personal time off that would be lost otherwise). The train friends and he were discussing the unauthorized person on the tracks on Friday afternoon that caused the mess that day - it was a teenage girl who committed suicide. Terrible, and they really felt sorry for her parents.
Saint John’s University has had its Grand Alumni Homecoming Weekend on the first weekend in June. On Friday is the convocation where alumni who did well and greased the school’s palms got awards and recognition (Billy is too broke to grease their palms while he is alive). On Saturday is the Great Lawn (Quadrangle) Party & Picnic, and they went to it. At the picnic Billy enjoyed a cheeseburger, a veggie-burger, and salad, and followed by cotton candy ices. Around 3 PM Billy headed to the D’Angelo Center to attended a seminar with the athletic director, the softball coach, the soccer coach, and a provost. Each one spoke, and the provost told us about how SJU helps student athletes with studies and maintaining standards. Billy told this to his friend Charlie the University of Dayton professor, (who had also taught at St. John’s 30 years ago) and Charlie said that the speakers are basically full of shit.
Billy had promised the commander of his American Legion Post that he would be helping with manning the Post’s table at the semiannual Islip Street Fair, and after lunch he headed into town to do that. He helped to sell poppies, American flags, and tee shirts. He asked Ellen and Eileen to come on down to say hello, and by the time they were ready and arrived, thanks to the rain, the Post had finished pulling up stakes (as did a lot of other vendors). When the ladies finally got to where the table was, he met them and they walked over to Coyle’s for Ice Cream. After Coyle’s they walked back to the Post to get their cars. Ellen and Eileen went home while he went to the firehouse for coffee and to use the computer.
On Thursday the 8th the LIRR was fucked up again on the way home. A car or person was on the tracks in Bay Shore. The scoot was held at Babylon when Billy got there at 7:25, with no announcements en route. But Billy planned to go to the wake at Claude Spencer in Babylon of his former next door neighbor, so he asked Ellen to come and pick him up and take him there. She and Eileen had gone in the afternoon, so they waited for him in the parking lot. It was sad that the neighbor was only 48 years old when she passed on. Billy did get to speak with some neighbors who are still alive.
Billy had ordered two CD’s produced by Oxford’s Fat Possum Records – Not the Same Old Blues Crap Volumes II & III. He has listened to both volumes and says that they are both great listening. He also says that it is not surprising that British artists were impressed with this style of music 50+ years ago, and covered it and released it here. Also, on the 10th two books that he ordered from Square Books LLC (The Little Red Book of Football Wisdom edited by Neils Aaboe and Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta by Robert Palmer) arrived in Islip.
On Father’s Day Billy took Eileen with him to see Cars 3 at the Islip Movie House and they both liked it. After the movie, they walked over to Sugared Up for some loose candy and another Beanie Baby. In the late afternoon, the 3 of them went out for Father’s Day dinner at Mango Tango, where Billy ordered crispy duck while Ellen and Eileen ordered Thai noodles and sesame chicken (Mango Tango is an Asian Fusion restaurant). As it turned out, three other members of the Islip Fire Department were also there with their families. Since it was Father’s Day, Ellen used her credit card to pay for it.
Since Bill has been reading Deep Blues his interest in the blues has been revived (which he liked since high school), as well as the Mississippi Delta. It has also made him was to take out his guitar tuned up and trying to pay it again.
On the Internet, Billy checked out other independent bookstores and set up an account with one in Syracuse NY called Books End: He finally got in touch with the manager of Starkville’s Book Mart & Café, but she said that their website is not accurate and if he wanted a specific book, he can call them and they will send it to him. Billy says that he might do that but will stick mainly with Oxford’s Square Books LLC.
On June 25th, Billy went to his American Legion post for breakfast. Besides some good things he won’t make at home (like sausages, hash, and bacon), he got to talk with some visitors and members of the Ladies’ Auxiliary. After breakfast he went to Best Market on Islip Avenue for the lunch provisions, and to also use their bottle redeeming machine. When he came home he watched TV, falling asleep a lot, until Eileen told him that she wanted to go for a walk to Coyle’s. That they did, and at Coyle’s Billy had cotton candy ice cream while Eileen had birthday cake flavor.
Billy was off on June 28th, since he had an appointment with his internist for the quarterly physical & checkup. He even got to use the new 2nd Avenue subway line again to 72nd Street. But it turns out that he may be a borderline diabetic thanks to high blood sugar levels, and must cut out soda, candy, and too much pasta and bread (at least white bread).
The next day the Long Island Railroad was screwed up in both directions for Billy: 30 minutes late getting into Penn in the morning. And in the evening after the softball game and the pub, everything went well until Babylon. When arrived at that station there was no scoot (shuttle train to Speonk), and no announcements on the way out on the electric train and one when he reached Babylon. It was going to be 30 minutes late, and he and quite a few other passengers were quite pissed off. Billy says that he thanks God for cell phones and cars, since he had to call Ellen to come to Babylon to pick him up.
Billy has said that the book Deep Blues has really stimulated his mind to listen to the Delta Blues singers. So on the Internet, he has found to enjoy Bukka White, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Jimmy Reed. He also got to listen to cover versions by English bluesman John Mayall doing some covers of blues standards. He is trying to get the Islip Library to get him some CDs from blues artists on Fat Possum Records (based in Oxford MS). He asked the librarian to order CDs from artists like Songhoy Blues, T-Model Ford, Asie Payton, and Junior Kimbrough). On July 1, he could pick up a CD titled Sunday Nights, which is a recording by various artists covering songs by Junior Kimbrough.
On Canada Day, Billy spent a good part of the late morning and early afternoon in Huntington Village. There was an appointment with a JP Morgan Chase Private Client Group adviser, and he was up in the Huntington office on July 1st instead of in Islip. Billy arranged to have an IRA transferred over to Chase, who will become the new trustee. After the meeting, Billy decided to have lunch there, since the Huntington Village is a foodie’s paradise. He headed to Route 110 (New York Avenue) and walked past the Book Revue independent bookstore, and then the Revue Café. Since that looked like a nice place, almost coffee house style, he decided to eat there. It turns out that it is connected to the book store, decorated with 8 x 10 photos of people who were there for book signings (among them President Trump, Charlton Heston, Yogi Berra, Mariano Rivera, Former President Carter, and Joe Torre). Billy’s cousin who owns an investment company also wrote a book about wealth management and participated in a book signing there a few years ago.
The next day Eileen wanted to see Despicable Me 3, so Billy and she went to the Islip Movie House in time for the noon showing. After the movies, he did some yard work: setting up the front hose, trimming shrubs, pulling weeds, and setting up the de-humidifier in the crawl space (lots of arthropods living there now). There was work the next day (slow day) and on Independence Day, after lunch Eileen and Billy walked into town where he visited the ATM before they went into Coyle’s Ice Cream Parlor. Billy had Mississippi Mud while Eileen first ordered cookie dough and then changed her mind and insisted on birthday cake, which Billy got that for her (no extra charge). Since wasting is not good, they shared the cookie dough cup. To top off the walk they went across Main Street and stopped in Sugared Up where Eileen got another beanie baby (a fish named Walter) for her collection. Then they walked back home to burn off some of the calories.
On Thursday July 6th, Ellen called Billy at work to say that her cousin Charlotte was evicted from her Rockville Centre apartment, due to being $4,000 in arrears on her rent. The cousin had been living in the apartment building since it was built in 1960. So the ladies headed into Rockville Centre to help her pack, load up her car, and they followed the cousin out to Islip. So she was staying with them from the 6th of July to the 12th, when she went to a hotel in Rockville Centre. But since that was temporary, she is back with them since July 18th, but hopefully will be placed permanently into an assisted living facility in Nassau Count after July 26th. The cousin is still with Billy,Ellen & Eileen as of August 29th. Billy ended up taking her to Walmart to renew her cell phone card for August. On July 22 Billy visited the new L. L. Bean store in Smith Haven Mall and treated himself to two new golf shirts, and a bar of balsam soap. When he got home to Islip he stopped by Dang BBQ on Islip Avenue to make reservations and to see if it is handicapped accessible (it is, but it does not open until July 25th). He decided to call La Vida Viva in Oakdale and made reservations for the cousin, Eileen and him. Ellen is going to her 50th anniversary reunion in Rockville Centre with St. Agnes High School, therefore she could not join them. The 3 of them enjoyed the restaurant, and he made Charlotte pay for herself. On the way home, the cousin had trouble getting into the CR-V. Being morbidly obese is definitely a handicap. When Ellen got home she told me about how irresponsible and careless her cousin is. And that might be why she got evicted from her apartment in RVC.
During early July Billy started to read Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s new book, Coach Wooden and Me. Already he can see what a good man the coach was. There are 6 maxims he learned from the book that we should follow: never lie, never cheat, never steal, never whine, never complain, and never alibi. After July 24th Billy started reading Paterno by Joe Posnanski. It was quite interesting and it revived his interest in Nittany Lions football, to the point that he ordered and received a Penn State cap, t-shirt, and coffee cup.
On August 2nd, Billy went to ENT Allergies and Associates at their Islandia office. It turns out that his hearing is going faster in the left ear than in the right, so he had to schedule an MRI for later to rule out brain tumors. Otherwise, the doctor removed wax in the right ear, and it is actually the jaw that is causing some of the issues. Billy made an appointment with Zwanger Pesiri Radiology at their West Islip location. They told him not to have any metal, including his wedding ring! That meant trying to remove it with Vaseline, and after numerous unsuccessful tries, he went to his tool box and used wire cutters to snip it off. Even if he could have slipped it off, he would not have gotten it back on. Then on August 5th, he had the MRI and he will know the results on either the 7th or the 8th if he has brain tumors. And he found out on August 9th that he does not have brain tumors! Another bullet dodged!!
Later on in the evening after Billy returned from the 4:30 Mass at St. Mary’s Billy took Ellen and Eileen, along with Charlotte, to Dang BBQ. It was a bit busy, but it’s like a roadhouse, where we order at the counter and a waitress brings it over to us. Billy had a pulled pork sandwich with macaroni & cheese, washed down by iced tea. The cousin kind of got on his nerves, as well as Ellen’s.
On the afternoon of August 20th Eileen and Billy drove to Babylon Village to walk around town. They parked on Carll Avenue across from St. Joseph’s Church and then proceeded south to Main Street. At the Babylon Fire Department’s main house (next to the Village Hall) Eileen took photos of Billy next to a GMC 2½ ton truck owned by the Department (probably for brush fires) and then they headed to Argyll Lake for a walk and more photos, including one of a statue of Robert Moses. The next day North America was treated to a solar eclipse, but while New York did not experience the total eclipse, they did get a partial eclipse. Billy joined several coworkers and headed outside during lunchtime to check it out. He got to see it thanks to borrowed eclipse glasses. But it was too cloudy so the viewing was not the best.
The next day while looking for quotes about teachers, he linked up to https://lonerwolf.com/. The site was created by two free thinking Australians and focuses on not following the crowd/pack, on having soulmates (and Ellen is definitely his soulmate), personality traits, purposes in life (for him, maybe to serve as a warning to others?).
On August 24th Billy went to his internist’s office, taking the new 2nd Avenue subway to 72nd Street and walking to the 400 block. Blood work was done, and also an EKG that turned out favorable, but the jury is out about the blood work for a few days. He then walked down 2nd Avenue to Mee’s to wait for his friend Charlie & Charlie's wife Debbie.
Billy finished the book on Leo Durocher (Leo Durocher - Baseball's Prodigal Son) and is glad that Leo finally got enshrined in Cooperstown, in 1994. Since August 21st he has been reading The Streak by John Eisenberg, about the two Major League Baseball consecutive games played streaks accomplished by Lou Gehrig and then passed in 1995 by Cal Ripken Jr.
Billy was appalled by the troubles that occurred in Charlottesville over the statues of Confederate generals. The generals and the Civil War are part of our history, so the statues belong in museums, as opposed to public spaces. Even the descendants of Generals Lee and Jackson agreed. Billy and others were also horrified with the death of the woman run down by a car in that city. Later he got pissed off at that ignorant Klansman who called the Afro-Columbian news reporter by the N-word and insists that he is superior to her. Judging from his command of the English language, it is not very likely.
Billy also says that he hates Nazis since the country fought a war to rid the world of their beliefs. Besides, by being intolerant of people that are not like you it deprives you of a chance to enjoy other cultures, and cuisine. Just think, without African Americans, the world would have no blues, jazz and Rock & Roll. Also, Billy says that he would not have had a chance to read some of Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s books like Coach Wooden and Me and On the Shoulders of Giants. With no East Asians there would be no entrepreneurs who have turned whole neighborhoods of cities upward, and there would be no opportunities to enjoy great cuisine from places like China, Japan, Korea and Malaysia. South Asians (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh) introduced us to the great sport of cricket, music on the sitar, and great cuisine. And all of these groups have given us decent people to live with us. And for all of those members of the master race who are not higher up on the social ladder (not rich or famous), thanks to these people you can blame them for all of the “wrong mistakes” that you made instead of themselves.
On August 27th, after a shower, watching some television and having lunch Billy took Eileen to the East Islip Street Fair. They walked from the west parking lot of St Mary’s almost to Carleton Avenue and back. And while there they got some freebies like pens, a ball, water bottles, and a copy of the Quran (the Islamic Center of Long Island had a table there and he figured, why not learn about the people who are in the news so often). After the fair they drove to Islip for a visit to Coyle’s: s’mores for Eileen, Mississippi Mud for Billy and then they walked to Caroline’s Flower Shoppe before walking back to the firehouse to come home.
On September 7th, Billy got an email from St. Francis Prep informing him and other alumni that former English teacher and fellow alumnus Mr. John Monaghan passed away on Wednesday the 6th. Billy had Mr. Monaghan in sophomore year, and Mr. M did seem to watch out for Billy in that chaotic sophomore year. Billy also e/mailed over 15 of his classmates to tell them, just in case they did not receive the notice from the school.
Billy was off on September 13th because he was helping Ellen and Eileen, as well as Ellen’s other cousins Bobby and Regina, move former house guest Charlotte move to Mary’s Manor. The five of them helped bring Charlotte’s stuff up into her apartment (#409) and open some of the boxes. Charlotte did not lift a finger, and Ellen and her cousins were a bit pissed. Charlotte could not keep all of her things from her former Rockville Centre apartment, so Billy got to take home an unopened box with two crock pots in it. He will keep one, and will donate one to the thrift shop. After they left Mary’s Manor around 4 PM they had a late lunch (or is it an early supper?) at the Panera Bread eatery in the strip mall at Peninsula Boulevard and Rockaway Turnpike. Then they headed to Long Beach going past where he and Ellen lived from 1979 to 1984. The site of the apartment complex is still razed thanks to Tropical Storm Sandy, but it seems to now be overgrown with grass. Once they got to Long Beach they headed east to the Ocean Parkway and home.
After he returned The Streak to the library. Billy took out a work of fiction by Martin Walker titled The Templars’ Last Secret. This book is the latest one is a series about a police chief in a small town in southern France. The book has gotten Billy interested in France, and also to read the earlier books about the police chief. And after he finished the book about the Knights Templars and southern France, he took out The Answers by Catherine Lacey. It takes place in eastern Tennessee and New York City and tells the story of a transplant who tries to be cured by holistic medicine, and then starts for a service company as a girlfriend to a movie star.
On September 16th, Billy watched part of the Islip High School Homecoming Parade on Main Street. Since he had other things to do, he did not join the other firefighters on the apparatus in the parade. Later in the afternoon at 5:30 he, Ellen and Eileen met his friend Tom and his wife Eilish for dinner at Café Americano. Billy enjoyed macaroni & cheese and a chicken burger, along with a rose wine. All of them liked the place the restaurant and would recommend it to anyone. After dinner they all walked around Main Street for a bit. Billy even asked two Middle School kids who won the football game – Bellport did, 36-20. And on the following day, the 3 of them met Billy's bother in law and his wife at Mac's Steakhouse in Huntington Village. They agreed to take the 3 of them out to a nice restaurant in gratitude for our “hosting” cousin Charlotte for 2 months. There was a nice red wine, and Billy enjoyed roast duck – something he will never make at home because it’s too greasy and he's the only who will eat it. Theyall had a great time and recommend it to anyone visiting Huntington. Over the following weekend the 3 of them went back to Mary's Manor on Sunday to continue helping Charlotte empty out the moving boxes. They emptied out 7 of them, and there are still more to do. After the unpacking, they headed back to Islip where they had dinner at Mango tango, the Asian fusion eatery in town. And like the prior weekend, Billy had roast duck, since he said he should enjoy it while he can.
On Saturday September 23rd Billy headed to the Long Island Blood Center to donate a pint of blood, after dropping off papers to be shredded, recycles to be disposed of, at the library. In the evening, he headed over to Bottoms Up to join the other Engine 2 members for some drinks (one round of Irish whiskey for him) and pub grub (a po’ boy).
On September 27 after work he hopped the subway to 66th & Broadway to go to the McCallen/Loughlin Societies’ reception before the Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of Star Wars. Billy could not go to the performance ($100 a ticket is high, and getting home would be a pain). But the food was good and he got my picture taken with another grad, but left around 7 and took the #1 train to Penn and the 7:30 train home.
At the end of September, he also took out a book by Jim Dent, Courage Beyond the Game, about Texas Longhorn football player Freddie Steinmark who died of cancer in 1971, after having his leg amputated at the hip. Billy said that he remembered reading about Freddie in the news back then. When Billy finished this book in October 2017, he was very impressed with Freddie, as well as Longhorns football, and the University of Texas. He also became interested in Austin. On October 1 there was an active shooting in Las Vegas Nevada – 59 people dead and over 400 wounded. The worse mass killing in American history up to now.
On October 14th, Billy visited a new gift shop (Sophia's) in Islip Village to buy an anniversary gift for Ellen. It was the 39th anniversary of their first date, and his friend Charlie advised him not to forget to get a gift. Charlie suggested flowers, but Billy opted for a nice sofa pillow. The next day was the semi-annual street fair, and he promised to help man his American Legion Post table there. After breakfast, church, and coffee, he headed down to the post to park his car and walk to the table where he helped sell poppies, as well as t-shirts. In the mid afternoon, Ellen & Eileen stopped by and he joined them for a walk to Coyle's for ice cream (Bailey's Irish Cream for him) and then on to Noon & Cranny where Eileen got another critter (a mouse this time) for her collection. He then walked tha ladies to their car while he went back to the table to help take everything down and bring it back to the Post.
Billy was off on October 16th since Ellen and her brother had to go to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to see the specialist regarding myopathy. They did not want to bring Eileen along, so he stayed home from work to watch her. After some errands, he and Eileen drove into town, first to gas up the car, and then to drop odd expired medications at the Islip Pharmacy, go for a short walk on Main Street, and then pick up lunch at Starbucks (a chicken wrap, pumpkin muffin, and potato chips) which they took home to share. After lunch they drove first to Robert Moses Park because Billy wanted to walk along the Boardwalk there. But Eileen insisted on Jones Beach, so they went back across the bridge to Ocean Parkway to head west. Once they got to the Jones Beach Field 6 they parked the car and walked 0.6 miles from Field 6 to the building in line with the Water Tower, and then headed back for a total of 1.2 miles. Two days late he was off again, since he had to go to the Ear Nose Throat Allergy Associates in Islandia to see about the possibility of a hearing aid. It might not be a bad idea except for the cost, and it’s not covered by insurance. In the afternoon, around 4 PM they all went to East Islip Lanes, so Eileen could bowl with her league. Billy got to watch, and help coach Eileen. Like the other girls, she bowled two games, and came home with 87 in one game, and 92 in the second game.
On the book front, he’s enjoying Frank Maggio’s book, Notre Dame and the Game That Changed Football: How Jesse Harper Made the Forward Pass a Weapon and Knute Rockne a Legend. Frank mentioned the dormitory system at Notre Dame that seems to foster friendship and closeness without the greek system – no getting beaten, abused and humiliated to buy friends. Billy definitely wishes that he went there instead of St. John’s. But like the other recent books he’s read, he is becoming more of a football fan, even if he never played anything but a few touch games 50+ years ago.
On October 21st, Billy, Ellen and Eileen went to the 5th annual St. John’s University Oktoberfest. The first two were at the University on the Quadrangle, but starting in 2015 they held it a Plattdeutsch Park Restaurant in Franklin Square. It was not in the main restaurant, but outside on picnic type tables with a brau haus for beer and other drinks, and a fast food type of counter to get the goodies. This year, like the previous two, started at 1 PM and they did into leave until 12:40. Naturally the Southern State had slowpokes, so they arrived around 1:20. Billy had a German meat loaf (Lebenkäse) and potato pancakes, and shared French fries and chicken fingers with the ladies. He and Ellen shared a Pilsner beer, while Eileen had iced tea. Naturally he brought his camera and took several photos. There was also a photo booth set up by www.sweetartsnyc.com. so the 3 of them posed there on two occasions. At around 3:30 Ellen persuaded Billy to buy one ticket for the raffles, and so he did, and won two polka music CD’s. They left around 3:45 and drove along Ocean Parkway home.
On November 2nd, Billy went to the business meeting of his American Legion post. The 3rd Vice Commander said they should boycott the NFL and its sponsors, and was selling bumper stickers that advertise that. Billy says that he doesn’t like it that the players are kneeling during the Anthem, but this is not North Korea. As for watching the NFL games, he generally only watch parts of them over the Sunday afternoons. He is starting to prefer NCAA games where teams like Notre Dame, Syracuse, Navy and Penn State strut their stuff. And he generally don’t patronize most of the NFL’s sponsors’ product anyways (such as Anheuser Busch, Hyundai (they have 2 Hondas), Mars Candy (he said that he is trying to avoid sweets), Proctor & Gamble, and Dannon (they buy a different brand of yogurt).
Then the next day, Ellen called Billy at work to say that his aunt in Florida (his mom’s favorite sibling and BFF) passed away on October 29th, two days after her 91st birthday. His aunt had been suffering from colon cancer since 2015, and in fact everyone thought that she would pass away before his mom. By she did stay with them for two more years and with her passing, she is with her late husband and her BFF (Billy's mom) in heaven. My cousin later called us to say that his mom was cremated with no services, and her ashes will be mixed with her late husband's and scattered somewhere in Florida (probably the Keys)
On November 5th, Ellen, Eileen and Billy went to the Mass of Remembrance, which is held on the first Sunday after All Souls’ Day at St. Thomas More Church on the campus’ Quadrangle. They got to the campus a bit late, but did not miss much of the Mass (only a few opening prayers, and others came in after them) After the Mass they enjoyed a continental breakfast in the church conference center and then Eileen and Billy took a walk around the Quadrangle, cutting across the path that runs between St. John’s Hall and St. Thomas More Church) and they stopped so he could take some photos of Eileen in front of a large Celtic Cross sculpture on this walkway. Then they headed to the car and drove to Mt. St. Mary’s Cemetery to visit his parents’ interment sites, and also his aunt’s, which is in the same mausoleum, before heading home.
On the 11th Billy got up early to dress up for the various Veteran’s Day ceremonies that his American Legion post was going to participate in: at the memorial at Moffitt Boulevard & Commack Road, Town Hall West, the post itself, and at main Town Hall (where town officials spoke to the crowd). Especially during the Town Hall ceremonies, Billy said that he felt proud to be a veteran, and despite the emotional stress that England Air Force Base caused him, he knew that he did the right thing. When I got home he changed, had lunch, and then went to town with Eileen where they walked along Main Street for a bit, and stopped in Nook & Cranny where he bought myself a belated birthday gift (coffee cup) and Eileen got another beanie baby (a purple spider named Crawler, which the owner said was free, since it was Veteran’s Day. Eileen would later give Crawler to her thrift shop coworker Shannon as a token of friendship.
Billy was off on the 17th so he could take the Accord to Babylon Honda for servicing. The routine preventative maintenance was done, and earlier in the year the service staff recommended that the struts and other suspension elements be overhauled, since they are over 8 years old. We agreed to that and later in the day we got our Accord back, but are $2,056.00 poorer. And on the following Friday, he brought the CR-V to Babylon Honda for the next round of servicing. This trip only cost $230.00.
Later on November 24th he and Eileen rode out to Patchogue to check out the stores and restaurants in the village. They parked in the eastern part of town, away from the action. But they did get a nice walk in before heading back to Islip. And once they got to Islip they stopped in Little Shop of Shamrocks to get some gifts: an Irish tea towel for Ellen & Billy for their 38th anniversary, a sheep critter for Eileen, and Cadbury Dairy Buttons for Eileen and Billy to snack on.
Billy took out a book (The Chicago Cubs – Story of a Curse by Rich Cohen).and read it over a couple of weeks. He says that he can relate to what the Cubs fans went through, the only difference being that the Mets made it to 5 World Series between 1946 and 2015 while the Cubs did not make it to any. After he returned the Chicago Cubs book, he took out one titled Dinner with DiMaggio by Dr. Rock Positano. While reading this book, Billy started to realize that Joe D may have been a hard ass in some ways, he was private, and lived by certain rules: be trustworthy, be on time, and when you meet him for anything, don’t invite another without his previous OK, and he says that that is not such a bad set of rules for me to follow, along with being trustworthy, punctual, and having respect others’ wishes. Later chapters showed a few more qualities of Joe’s that to emulate: having principles, not leering at women, treating women with respect, and not using the locker room English around the ladies. Joe was a stand-up guy – never ratted on anyone, and did not like it when others did.
On November 26th, the 3 of them went to the Creative Ministries' Noel Ruiz Theater in Oakdale to see Beauty and the Beast. Billy's Legion post was using the play as a fundraiser. But whatever the reason, they enjoyed the show. It was the 4th time that Billy and Eileen saw it .
He was off on November 29th since he had an appointment with his internist: blood work, and having his heart and lungs checked. He also told the doctor that he is feeling pain in his lymph nodes under his right armpit. The doctor recommended a dermatologist, so later in December Billy will go to see one in Bay Shore. After the visit, Billy headed over to 2nd Avenue to grab the Q line to Herald Square and then the LIRR home. After lunch he and Eileen rode up to Sunken Meadow State Park to walk the entire length of the boardwalk - about a mile and a half. They both got a lot of exercise.
On Friday, December 1 after work he walked over to the Yale Club for the Firm’s Holiday Party. They remodeled the lobby since Billy was last there and he said that he could not find the portrait of Bart Giamatti. It looked so strange that he thought that he walked into the wrong place. The fool was good, but the “music” was shitty and loud (new modern dog shit). Around 9 PM he got a car service home but shared it with two Manhattan residents. One of them lives on the 400 block of East 83rd Street so she and Billy got to talk about Trump and she hopes that the new tax bill really screws the regions that voted him in – the Midwest and the South. Then the next day the 3 of them headed to the Billy’s American Legion post for its Christmas Party. Since the Islip Town Holiday Parade was also in progress, parking was difficult, but they got a spot in the Post’s parking lot. Once inside they bought a sheet of raffle tickets for a Chinese Auction type of raffle, and they dropped tickets into several bags. In the end Billy won a gift basket of Italian cooking items, and also a gift certificate to Fat Fish restaurant, on the Great South Bay.
Billy and Eileen have really been doing a lot of walking lately. On the December 2nd, he and Eileen walked to the American Legion post to check to be certain that the Christmas Party was on. Then the next day after lunch and a visit to the Islip Library, they went for a short walk on Main Street, and stopped at Sugared Up for some candy and so Eileen could get a new Beany Baby (a pig named Peppa Pig).
Billy is enjoying Joe and Marilyn and saw that thanks to her chaotic childhood, Marilyn was obsessed with pleasing others, being loved, having friends, and succeeding. Sounds familiar. For Billy it was an obsession for the perfect friend (best friend forever) and also large circle of friends, a perfect girlfriend, and then having to succeed and be the best. Now he says that he can see where people used friendship to exploit and gull him into their confidence. Today he feels that just a friend or two is OK, he has his soul mate (Ellen). He says that you just have to treat people decently and everything else takes care of itself. And after finishing Joe and Marilyn on December 17th, he came away with the feeling that while Joe D may have been a very difficult man to know and get along with, he was light years better than the Kennedy brothers who exploited Marilyn.
During the first half of December, it was a mad house for Billy at work: there was a major client to create invoices and cost centers for, and a colleague was out on paternity leave. But he managed to get everything done and in the processed, earned brownie points and overtime.
On Sunday, December 10, Billy and Eileen wanted to see Daddy’s Home 2 at the Islip Movie House. He was a bit difficult to follow since he did not see the first one). But he New England footage was great, and he liked the lesson that Dylan. one of the kids, learned in the bowling alley. So if art imitates life, other kids were not successful and proficient, just like Billy was (and still is) in sports.
Billy had a fire call in the early afternoon of December 16th, and when he got home he and Eileen to the library and after that, they drove to Babylon Village to go for a walk. He parked around the corner from the fire house/village hall and they walked along Main Street to Deer Park Avenue and then up Deer Park Avenue to where Monsoon is. He wanted to walk through a parking lot back, but he saw a trio of teens and with Eileen, with him, he was not taking any chances. Instead they retraced our steps and stopped at Country Cupboard, a boutique at #5 West Main. They ended up buying a small stuffed snowman which Eileen promptly put onto their Christmas tree when they got home.
On December 19th, Billy went to the dermatologist and he checked out the lumps in his armpits, and it turns out that they were was cysts, and not lymph nodes that were swollen. Billy also has eczema and not psoriasis on his palms and fingers. When he got home he picked up Eileen and they drove to Field 6 of Jones Beach State Park and walked 0.6 miles to the East Mall (just past the Water Tower) and back for a total of 1.2 miles. Billy naturally bought a camera and took a total of 14 photos, and uploaded them to Facebook. There were two also 1930’s vintage cars parked in Field 6: a 1938 Plymouth coupe, and a 1936 Buick sedan, and he made certain to photograph them, as well as stops on the Boardwalk. On the way home they stopped at the Subway in Bay Shore and got turkey sandwiches which they took home to enjoy. Billy was also foo on December 21st, since he had to reschedule his appointment with Long Island Eye Care in Rockville Centre. Since that was not until 1:30, in the late morning he and Eileen went to the firehouse for coffee and maybe some water for Eileen. They went inside the rec room where Billy got my coffee and Eileen accessed the computer and printed two Spice Girls photos. Then they walked to Starbucks to get lunch: a chicken wrap, potato chips, and a cookie and went home to enjoy them. Once Ellen game home from her neurologist, he drove to Rockville Centre and Long Island Eye Care. It turns out that his eyes are OK, but like any 60-something, he is developing cataracts.
Billy just finished a book titled The Misfit's Manifesto by Lidia Yuknavich. While Billy admits that he did not have the crazy life that Lidia had, he felt like a misfit in school, all the way from elementary school to college, and then in the Air Force. He feels that today he does not feel like a misfit at home with Ellen and Eileen, but while now out of school, he still feels like a misfit at the Islip Fire Department, 32 years there notwithstanding. He is not an alcohol abuser, and does not like to make a lot of friends, after too many bad experiences in school and in the service.
After he returned The Misfit's Manifesto, he took out Split Season:1981 by Jeff Katz. He hopes to catch up on baseball events of 36 years ago that he missed since he was only a fan in name back then.
Over the Christmas weekend Billy went to church at St. Mary’s on both Sunday and Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve he and Eileen drove out to Sayville to take a nice walk, from the fire headquarters and along Main Street for several blocks. On the way back to the car, they stopped at Irish Crossroads, and bought a nice Celtic patterns coloring book. It will be keeping the three of them busy in the future. On Christmas Day he went to the 9 AM Mass at St, Mary's, and later the 3 of them hosted their friend Bill for dinner.
On December 13th, he and Ellen ordered several CD's from Amazon. Just before Christmas, the Grand Funk Railroad CD, E Pluribus Funk, arrived. Then on Boxing Day, December 26th, the other one arrived - a double CD of the greatest works of Jackson Browne.
Billy ended 2017 by going to the movies in Islip with Eileen to see Jumanji.
He said that there were some good red letter events, but several that left a bad taste in his mouth. He hopes that 2018 will be better.