Peek Out Of Peeker

Cheap Waterfront

2009-10-02T08:42:00.006-04:00

So I was checking MLSLI and found this home in Mastic Beach for sale. Price: $120,000K. And it's WATERFRONT!

No, really check out the little creek out back:

It's the green-roofed home with the pool in the backyard. It doesn't look like it has much of a backyard but remember the pic is far away (it has enough to fit a small above-ground pool apparently). The little creek is Lion's Creek. And though you can't fit a yacht in the back, I'm sure a nice little fishing boat or something (I'm not much of a boat connoisseur) could be used to navigate from Lions to Forge River and then beyond.

It's not a handy-man but definitely needs some TLC because it's described as having "lots of potential". The negative is that it's on Wavecrest so it has lots of traffic. But it's so far into the lot that you can't really see nor hear the traffic. Still, it's a 3bd 2bth home on a 100x200 lot for $120,000 is not bad at all.

The Times When I'm A Dick

2009-07-28T21:42:00.001-04:00

Female Friend: Oh my life. Blah blah blah and my ex.

Me: I don't want to know about your man drama.

FF: Why?

Me: Because I might want to fuck you one day and I don't want you to see me as your emotional tampon.

Surprise By Crappy Design

2009-07-06T23:04:00.003-04:00

You see that beautiful waterview home? It was for sale for about $239K and someone bought it.

Do you know what they did?

They painted it an ugly blue.

BLUE!

I mean, they could have powerwashed it and maybe tried to get the original greyish-wood color thing back; and make it look like a home that's in a beach community.

Which it is!

But no.

They painted it BLUE!

AN UGLY BLUE!

Is there a home abuse hotline I can call to report this hate crime?

The Rapture Right's View

2009-03-18T00:49:00.000-04:00

First 100 Days

2009-03-13T19:11:00.000-04:00

From the Onion’s feature on the Obama administration’s first 100 days:

DAY 41: Sixteen hours and 25 cups of coffee into a Treasury Dept. strategy session, Tim Geithner proposes nationalizing CitiGroup, Bank of America, all nine seasons of Seinfeld, toast, Albania, and the third law of thermodynamics.

Universe Forgive Me For I have Sinned...

2009-02-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

It's been almost a month since my last confession!

Oh dear, where do I begin? Well, I've been meaning to write about the meeting I went to at the Mastic Beach Fire House for the village incorporation they're doing in the area. It was in the beginning of the month so I don't have everything fresh in my mind but I'll try my best.

It was a mild winter night. The stars were shining, and the trees were singing ... OK, let me stop. I wrote in my other post that I was on the fence about the whole issue but I think I've warmed up to it a lot. The way it'll work out any taxes currently being paid to the Town of Brookhaven (with the exception of taxes collected for school, law enforcement, and waste disposal) will go to the incorporated village. Basically, the village will be set up to do code-enforcement and for planning (ie. if you have a plot you want to build a home in or an addition to your own home). Also, the taxes that the cable company, phone, LIPA etc. charge will come to the town. The way they presented it was a bit of a bore and confused people (nothing like rambling about a whole bunch of numbers without even so much as a friggin powerpoint), but most of the people got the gist of it.

I would say support for it was very high, with a few exceptions. There were some people there thinking that their taxes were going to quadruple or something and they don't want to pay an extra $20 a month in taxes. Of course, if the state raises the tax on the sale of cigarettes they'll be more than happy to pay that extra $60 a month to blacken up their lungs.

No worries, as their opposition was quickly countered with the power of love from the Carebear bunch that imagined the streets clean, the values of their homes increasing by 1000%, and them being able to leave their bicycles in the front of their homes without fear of them being stolen because ... well, they'll be incorporated! And it'll suddenly be Pleasantville!

They were looking for volunteers to do the census (which is the next step towards incorporation), and I was thinking of signing up but I don't know if I'd have enough time. They were also selling these funky green and yellow lawn signs that said "I Support The Village" or something like that. I was going to buy 2 (they were like $5 each) but I knew they'd be gone the next day if I planted them on my lawn. Yep, it's gotten that bad the past few years. It was never like that when I moved out here. :(

That's about it. This post seems rushed and there's something "off" about it for me. Maybe it's because it's been a while and homie's gotta get his groove back.

Video Interlude

2009-01-27T19:11:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Week

2009-01-27T19:10:00.000-05:00

"If you're worried about getting a job--or keeping one--start a company of your own. By doing so, you'll reap the rewards of your hard work and you'll only get fired if you fail. This is the land of opportunity. Live in it." -- Bruce Campbell

Lowery Stole The Show

2009-01-21T19:02:00.002-05:00

"REV LOWERY: Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around -- (laughter) -- when yellow will be mellow -- (laughter) -- when the red man can get ahead, man -- (laughter) -- and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: Say amen --

AUDIENCE: Amen!

REV. LOWERY: -- and amen.

AUDIENCE: Amen!"

Tomorrow ...

2009-01-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

Will be historic.

Video Interlude

2009-01-16T01:14:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Week

2009-01-15T09:43:00.001-05:00

"As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."

Justice William O. Douglas

Pick One Up!

2009-01-14T00:20:00.000-05:00

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #583, available in comic book shops nationwide today (January 14th, 2009). Look for the special variant cover by artist Phil Jimenez featuring the President-Elect and Spider-Man!

Flip This Neighborhood

2009-01-12T20:18:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, as I sat in Border's (I really wish we had something like that), I was thumbing through the Sunday Newsday and found myself reading a story in the LI Life section about the foreclosure crisis. Not surprisingly, there was a feature on Mastic Beach. The article (you can read it for yourself here) featured a street just not too far from Neighborhood Rd called Lynbrook Rd and interviewed a few of the residents in that small street. They spoke of how the vacant homes are an eyesore and bring nothing but squatters and others looking to steal (the copper pipes) or just cause damage to the properties.

One of the residents there expressed his love for the area and described how he has "deer roam into his yard and eat carrots from his hand". He was contemplating buying one of the vacant homes to fix it up and sell it but his wife is tired of the area and wants to leave.

Then I had an epiphany. What if a small group of local residents got together and did just that? Get a home, fix it up and sell it? The home has to be owner occupied, of course (I'm tired of all the rentals that bring shady people), and the objective is not to make money (though we wouldn't shy away from profit). The objective would be to minimize the vacant properties and have more owner occupied homes, affordable homes, to stop the "brain drain" in the island.

This group would have to be small (too many chefs ruin the soup) and each member would have their role based on the experiences that they could bring. I, for instance, have all my hard-money lenders, Realtors, and RE attorney connections. I'm handy with a hammer but it would be better to have a contractor or someone who's renovated a home before just to know the costs of material and have the renovation flow smoothly. Someone with a good eye for design would also be a good fit (I'm horrible at picking colors and all that design stuff). Someone who's good at marketing and could market the hell out of the property once it's done. And perhaps a silent partner to do small funding for small incidental expenses. I would, personally, prefer to take all the profit from the first year and not touch it. Keep it in the bank so that we'd have enough to bypass the lenders and pay cash for the properties in the second year (minimizing our monthly costs). I think a good goal for the first year would be to sell 4-5 homes.

Take this home that's on sale, as an example. It has fire damage but it's fixable. Now, how much would something like that cost? $50K? $75K? $100K? I don't know, I'm not a contractor. I do know that it's only $51K and could easily sell for $225-250K. So there's plenty to work with. Even if we'd have to sell it to break even it'll be a steal for a hard working family. And it'd definitely be better than a boarded up burned home.

Hmmm ... my brain is ticking. But I don't think I could set something up quickly enough to have the first home up for sale around April or May (the best month to sell a home). I definitely wouldn't want to have the first home out on the market in the fall or winter (the worst months to sell a home).

Celebrity Sightings

2009-01-11T18:53:00.002-05:00

So I'm on the Myspace (so 2008), and I happen to come across a profile of Courtney Culkin and it reads that she's a resident of Shirley, NY. "Wow" I said to myself, a Playboy Playmate living in our little area?

Then I keep looking and I see that Monica Leigh also lives in Shirley. Could it be? Really?

TWO Playboy Playmates living in Shirley, NY? Of course, these 2 females must deal with stalkers and amateur stalkers so they could be lying.

It would be my luck, of course, if they are.

Make Your Own

2009-01-11T17:18:00.003-05:00

I don't like it too much. I think it's too "close up" and the fact that I had changed the original to sepia before I uploaded this (I don't have the true original - pre-sepia) makes it look a bit weird.

Anyways, you can make your own here if you'd like.

Spottt

2009-01-11T16:47:00.001-05:00

I was looking through another site and saw an ad with a cute little doggie on it. I clicked on it and it took me to spottt.com. It's a free link exchange program where you get, well, link exchanges with other sites. Every time the "spottt" ad is loaded you get credits and those credits are used to display your ad on another site.

Just wanted to pass it along.

New Rule

2009-01-11T16:35:00.002-05:00

Kids who "tag" on homeowners brand new white vinyl fences should have someone come to THEIR home and write graffiti on their property. Chances are they don't own anything of value. So what the hell, why not write graffiti on them? Or maybe their parents can take blame for their poor parenting skills and have their cars written on with funky green spraypaint with the words "crappy parent" written on it.

Help Wanted: Womb

2009-01-11T13:46:00.000-05:00

Female needed, 18 to 34 for a 9 month position.
Duties include: getting pregnant, carrying offspring for 9 months in the womb. Healthy eating, no drinking, no smoking.

Benefits: Great sex. Drives to and from doctors office. Late night deliveries of weird food concoctions to satisfy quirky appetite. Give baby to father if preferred. No "baby daddy or baby momma drama".

Qualifications: Sane. Healthy.

Inquire within.

Video Interlude

2009-01-09T19:13:00.007-05:00

Watching the news and paying some fleeting attention to the situation in Gaza (I've become apathetic to the struggle between 2 groups fighting over land given to them by an invisible Real Estate broker), I was reminded of Suheir Hammad. I had a class with her at Hunter College and the few times that she spoke she seemed like an incredibly ditzy girl. It wasn't until after college that I found out from a mutual friend that she was a published poet. I still had my doubts about that until I saw her a few years ago on Def Poetry (which is the video above).

Watch it. It's powerful.

We're So Old

2009-01-09T09:57:00.004-05:00

So I've been spending an awful amount of time on Facebook these past few days. MySpace is so 2008. I've been getting friend requests from people I went to HS and college with. What I hear from everyone I get in touch with is "OMG, we're getting so old!"

The funny thing about all of that is that I don't feel old (I guess it helps when they keep telling me that I look the same). They're all putting pictures up of the HS days - the hair products girls were using back then is the reason for global warming Al Gore - and for some reason I don't feel like it was such a long time ago.

I wish they'd stop complaining about how old they are.

You're only as old as you feel folks!

Why Some People Shouldn't Breed.

2009-01-09T01:21:00.006-05:00

(01/08/09) HEMPSTEAD - An 8-month-old girl is recovering after police say her 25-year-old mother violently shook her because she couldn’t keep the baby quiet.

Authorities say Anna Candanedo was tending to her 8-month-old son Wednesday morning when her daughter started crying. According to Nassau Detective Sgt. Dennis Ude, she picked the girl up and shook her to get her to stop crying. After Candanedo put the child down, police say she realized her daughter was in distress and called 911.

Candanedo was arraigned Thursday on the charge of reckless assault of a child. The twin brother of the alleged victim has been taken away by Nassau County Child Protective Services.

The little girl is in critical condition with internal head injuries, but is expected to be OK. Candanedo is being held on $500,000 bail.

Play the video

The Family

2009-01-08T21:33:00.004-05:00

This is the little nephew Anthony, age 4 and 3/4. I took this with my cell phone this past summer and forgot I had it in my phone. I sat him on a small apple tree - I think they're apples, they sure do taste like them - that I have on my property and joked with him about leaving him up there. That's why he's got that funny "no don't do that" look. Love that kid, but sometimes I worry about him. He's got a loser for a father who's not in the picture. I think he's actually a top loser. Lieutenant of Losery. And when this kid is successful - which I'll make sure of - I know Lieutenant Loser will come a mooching.

Video Interlude

2009-01-04T18:34:00.001-05:00

Never in my 26 years...

2009-01-04T16:26:00.002-05:00

of living in NY have I witnessed what I did yesterday. I was at the Indian reservation getting some cigarettes for a friend (I don't smoke but since I was going to see her she had asked me to pick up a couple of packs on the way to her house) and there were 3 people ahead of me. A heavyish set woman, an elderly lady, and a guy probably a few years younger than me.

As the three of them were walking into the Peacepipe Smoke shop, the first person (the heavy set lady) tripped on the step into the shop, hit the wall and then fell hard to the floor. The store was pretty busy and you could hear (from outside as I still hadn't gone in) the gasps from people when she fell. What did the 2 people behind her do?

Nothing.

The old lady said "oh my" and kept walking. The healthy looking young punk ahead of me looked down and walked around her as if she were a bag of trash. Once I finally walked in I asked if she was OK and a girl that works there (and my future ex-wife) came over. We both grabbed an arm and she said "I think I need one more person". I laughed, and said "no you don't", squatted behind her put my arms under hers and lifted her up (thank you squat workouts). She was OK. Shocked and embarrassed but otherwise she was fine.

Now, I could understand the old lady behind her not doing anything. She seemed like she'd have a hard time getting around without her cane. But the guy in front of me was just a ... well, a dick.

Really, guy? You see a woman fall in front of you and you just walk by? Not even ask if she's OK? Well, it wasn't only him. There were a few other people in there and no one else came over to help.

What the hell is wrong with people? I wonder how many men in there would have jumped if she were a model. I'm sure they would have jumped at the chance of helping a hottie out.

I can't believe some of the people in this town.

/end rant

I'll Make This Short...

2008-12-31T16:43:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

The Not-So-Secret Hero Haven

2008-12-30T23:29:00.002-05:00

I live really close to TJs. I mean, walking distance to TJs. So when I first moved out here I thought I was in hero heaven. At first I thought they were a bit pricey -- well, I still do -- but their bread is just so soft and delicious, and they always put just enough ham, and just enough cheese, and just enough mayo to make a great hero.

They were never into sliced bread, or -- gasp -- that healthy elitist "wheat bread" that the city folk like to eat with their Diet Coke and carrot sticks. No. TJs has always been about the hoagies. The quintessential Italian bread with your meat and cheese. Lettuce, mayo, and tomatoes (tomatos?). They have some awesome hot sandwiches too, just to spice things up a bit. And you get a huge iced tea with your sandwich which I swear has crack in it. Or something resembling that.

But I've found a new place. A place not unlike TJs with it's down-to-earthiness; but there is a difference with this place. I can't quite place my finger on it, but all I can say is that the Haven 1 at Hero Haven is to die for. And best of all, they are reasonably priced.

Go check out Hero Haven on Neighborhood Rd. You won't regret it.

The Best Laid Plans...

2008-12-30T00:00:00.003-05:00

I see my attempt at blogging once a day has been foiled by Christmas. Bah-humbug and all that good stuff.

Today I noticed something that bugged me. Sometimes when I go to King Kullen, a cashier will greet the person ahead of me, but when it's my turn to pay for my items I don't get greeted. Then when I'm finishing bagging my stuff -- I like doing it for some nostalgic reason -- the cashier greets the person behind me.

Completely skips me!

Where is my courtesy "hello-how-are-you-I-really-don't-care-because-I-hate-this-shitty-job-and-everyone-here?"

Why do I get left out? It doesn't happen all the time but it happens enough for me to notice and I am not happy about it. I wonder if the cashiers have an "every other person" rule and I just happen to be the odd one out.

That is my rant for the night.

Goodnight,

M.

PS. I think this rant is a sign of me getting old.

Do They Know It's Christmas?

2008-12-25T20:49:00.003-05:00

The original version. Still a classic. And now I feel old for posting it.

12 Guido Days of Christmas

2008-12-25T20:46:00.003-05:00

I heard this on 105.3 all day as I was driving around. It may be offensive to some who are overly PC but it's funny.

On the first day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

A ride in his IROC-Z.

On the second day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the third day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the fourth day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the fifth day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the sixth day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Six Sergio Tacchinis,
Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the seventh day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Seven Piazza jerseys,
Six Sergio Tacchinis,
Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the eighth day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Eight fuggetaboutits,
Seven Piazza jerseys,
Six Sergio Tacchinis,
Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the ninth day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Nine balls-a-grabbing,
Eight fuggetaboutits,
Seven Piazza jerseys,
Six Sergio Tacchinis,
Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the tenth day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Ten hand gestures,
Nine balls-a-grabbing,
Eight fuggetaboutits,
Seven Piazza jerseys,
Six Sergio Tacchinis,
Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Eleven Sinatra CDs,
Ten hand gestures,
Nine balls-a-grabbing,
Eight fuggetaboutits,
Seven Piazza jerseys,
Six Sergio Tacchinis,
Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my paesan gave to me,

Twelve globs of hair gel,
Eleven Sinatra CDs,
Ten hand gestures,
Nine balls-a-grabbing,
Eight fuggetaboutits,
Seven Piazza jerseys,
Six Sergio Tacchinis,
Five pinky rings!
Four fresh cannolis,
All tree Godfadda's,
Two guinea tees,
And a ride in his IROC-Z.

Just Wishing Everyone...

2008-12-24T16:00:00.002-05:00

a Merry Christmas, Feliz Año Nuevo, Happy Kwanza, Happy Hannukah, and whatever else is left.

If you believe in all that. If not, Happy Winter Solstice?

There's Something About Mary

2008-12-24T00:53:00.004-05:00

I saw Mastic Mary today at PathMark (and I hit on a cashier at Best Yet who may have been way too young for me, but more on that later ... maybe). Apparently it's too cold for her performances in front of Kohl's. She's a fixture 'round these parts and there's always wild speculation about who she is and why she's always out there singing.

She's the one on the right, in case you didn't know (no idea who the one on the left is). Anyone know about her? Is her name really Mary? Why is she always singing into a toy microphone when there's no music playing?

Enquiring minds want to know.

I would have liked...

2008-12-24T00:35:00.004-05:00

to live this mans life.

Bonus points if you know who it is.

The Brick Testament

2008-12-23T23:30:00.003-05:00

Some of you may know about The Brick Testament already, but if you don't check it out. It's the bible played out in Legos. I kid you not!

It's funny as hell (pun intended).

I'm So Picky

2008-12-23T00:44:00.004-05:00

So I can't sleep and I'm thinking that maybe I need a new name for this blog. I mean Peek Out Of Peeker is funny because people can refer to it as POoP.

"Hey, did you read that new post on POoP?"

"Oh, shit, I gotta go check out POoP."

You get the drift.

Some of you know that I could get really picky about things and this time it's no different.

So your mission, if you decide to take it, is to suggest another name for the blog. I already have one in mind and it's pretty wild and crazy, which is no surprise because I'm just a wild and crazy guy. But I might like yours and I'm interested in seeing how creative everyone can get. ;)

My Browser Must Be Broken

2008-12-22T16:50:00.004-05:00

I think my Mozilla browser has a bug. As much as I try to type "huffingtonpost.com" on the browser I'm always getting sent to tmz.com.

OK, I'm really not, but it feels that way. Why? The front page at HP has a shirtless Obama and a link to another website where you can see him and the family tanning in Hawaii.

It's so papparazziish (copyright?!).

Dances With Suffolk County Legislators

2008-12-22T16:00:00.011-05:00

So I picked up a copy of The Press of Manorville & The Moriches and read an article about how the SC legislature approved a bill to take legal action against the Poospatuck Reservation for the "tax-free sale of cigarettes". Basically, the cigarettes sold at the reservation are supposed to be taxed if non-residents purchase them.

The problem isn't Sam the Smoker, or Carl the Cigar Chomper purchasing tax-free cigarettes. The problem, for the state, is the bootleggers that buy cartons by the trunkfull (literally) and then sell them in the city for $3-4 dollars LESS than what you would purchase them for in the boroughs.

The way I see it, that's a problem between the bootleggers and the state. The reservation should be able to sell them to whomever they want to sell them to without the state stepping in. According to the Poospatuck Reservation website, Governor Pataki "repealed all regulations concerning the imposition of sales and excise taxes on transactions which take place on Indian Territory in New York."

I'd be interested in seeing how this all plays out. The reservation is a limited sovereign nation (I state limited because they can't do certain things, like a preemptive strike at Saddleback Ranch for instance), and therefore the state is very limited in what they can require the "nation" to do. They're not recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (federal), but they are by the state.

We shall see...

Oldie But Goodie

2008-12-21T17:51:00.001-05:00

Pearl the Landlord. This lil kid is adorable!

The Landlord by Will Ferrell

What I Don't Crave

2008-12-21T17:32:00.001-05:00

So the rumor -- or maybe it's not a rumor, I'm just out of the "Cool People Who Tell Rumors" loop -- is that the last Roy Rogers in beautiful Long Island is closing down. That would be the RR's in Shirley.

It's replacement? A White Castle. As much as I want to meet Harold & Kumar I really don't want a White Castle here. It's not that I don't LIKE White Castle hamburgers. They're pretty yummy for some artery clogging reason. It's just that, well, I don't want any more fast food places around. When I first moved out here there was no McDonald's (only one around was the one in Moriches) and there was no Checkers. Everything else was around and I thought it was more than enough. There's also, supposedly, an Applebee's to be placed in that new shopping center on the corner of Montauk and WF, where the Staples is located.

I'm all for businesses opening up and bringing jobs to the area but I would rather see something original. A new business that isn't owned by some corporation. The Roy Rogers location (and the hardware store right across that just closed down) is a perfect spot for something ORIGINAL! It's right off of Sunrise Highway so people who thumb their noses at us, because we live in some supposedly horrible place that they only hear about in the news, can just get off at exit 58 and not drive very far for something cool.

How about an actual billiards place with a sit-down restaurant section and a bar area that lights up in different funky neon colors that would enhance your funky neon colored drink? Or a cool bar/lounge with a kareoke night or to showcase local bands or comedians? Everyone here that I meet around my age says that there is nothing to do here. I think we're all getting a bit tired of Mikes or the Manor House (even though it's under new management it's food is, apparently, not) and though The Beach Hut always has some awesome entertainment after 5PM it's only during the summer.

Please give us something other than a pre-fabricated fast food joint.

Oh, and we're getting yet another bank. Because we haven't had enough robberies.

Blog To See

2008-12-21T16:58:00.003-05:00

Scott Pasfield has an awesome blog with some damn amazing pics. I wish I had those super-duper photo skillzzzz.

I Just Noticed...

2008-12-21T16:33:00.002-05:00

I changed the name of my blog to Peek Out Of Peeker. And the acronym of that would be POOP.

::chuckle::

Community Organizing

2008-12-21T15:37:00.006-05:00

So I'm looking through some of the blogs of the local folk and I'm seeing a lot of enthusiasm towards village incorporation for Mastic Beach. Others are a bit worried about the tax implications and whether they want another "layer" of government.

I'm a bit torn on the whole issue. I understand the need for improving the area, but I wonder if incorporation is really necessary. I don't care too much about the tax implications or more of "big brother", I just think that what ails the community can be fixed without the need for incorporation. I see it as an easy way out, and I hate taking the easy way out (may be the masochist in me?). I also wish we could include the whole Tri-Hamlet/Moriches area and not leave them out. I'm pretty sure Shirley will also get incorporated but then it'll no longer be "Mastics Shirley & Moriches". It'll all be split up and the little dysfunctional family will be no more.

On January 20th the multi-universe will forgive our past transgressions and let us elect an inspiring individual to lead us for the next 4 years. What O has taught us (yes, I'm one of those supporters who affectionately calls Barack Obama "O") is that with the right knowledge, the right drive, and the right inspiration we could take matters into our own hands and change our community. One can argue that getting incorporated IS community organizing, and I could understand that argument; but in the end, incorporating would take things out of peoples hands and leave it all to a select few. Kind of how things are now.

We could educate everyone in the community about local town codes and who to reach when they see violations (and how to tactfully harass the town until they get things done).

We can get local papers to give us more ink when there are events happening that pertain to improving the area.

We can let our elected officials know that it's time to shape up, or ship out.

We can organize an "army of volunteers" to go out (when the weather is better) and hand out information. Gather information about the improvements that people want to see. Collect donations. Collect information about the people we talk to so we could create a database of people we can get in touch with to get even more volunteers and donations. It's a big community, and with lots of people, but I don't think that can stop us from becoming closer.

We can do that all without having to incorporate. Without having to hope that the Town of Brookhaven approves the application. We can do it without them.

Yes we can(*).

*OK that last part was a bit of hyperbole but I couldn't resist. Nor could I with this video that I love.

It's Still Funny

2008-12-21T15:04:00.004-05:00

Do Want!

2008-12-21T00:43:00.001-05:00

So I just found out this home here is for sale at $125K. It's a 4Br/2Bth cape in Shirley. I know some of you are looking at it and thinking "gross, it's all boarded up". But I see something else. I see some nice landscaping on a home in a dead-end street (second to last home in the end). I see a new fence. I see some bleaching and treatment of the shingles (sorely needed). And the property, though only 50ft wide, is 250ft long. That's right, the backyard is HUGE. Two-hundred and fifty feet huge. You can, literally, fit a large pool in the back with more than enough room to move around. Or, if you have a big dog he or she can run around forever. The best part of all of this ... you can WALK to Shirley Beach. It is just around the corner.

I want. I sorely want. I must get. It is a great investment. It needs work, but the location and price is worth it.

PathMark in Shirley

2008-12-20T20:24:00.001-05:00

I love to people watch. It's always very interesting. In this little Tri-Hamlet you get your share of amusing sites for sure -- someone must explain Mastic Mary to me -- and today was no different. I went into the PathMark in Shirley and saw a lady shopping in her bathrobe and bunny slippers.

OK, if I had been there at around 3AM I could understand. You know, sometimes you just don't feel like getting dressed when you have a craving for nachos and must, absolutely MUST, go to the store and get the beloved nachos.

But this was around 2PM. I'm walking down the Spanish foods aisle and there she is in all her fashionista glory. Grey bathrobe with blue PJ bottoms and pink bunny slippers. Hair a mess, and she had not a care in the world.

I literally stopped near her and pretended to be interested in the spices they had because I had to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. She was young, which surprised me since you only see that type of eccentricity from older folks. But she smiled, and I smiled back with a "thank you" on my mind because she literally made my day.

Today...

2008-12-20T17:07:00.002-05:00

Snow!