One year with iPhone April 11, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Health, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, Travel, TV.add a comment
A year ago yesterday, I boarded the iPhone bandwagon by switching from an LG enV3, which I had for 3 1/2 years, to an iPhone 5. When I’m not texting or making a phone call, it’s a great alternative for internet access. My workouts with the Nike Running app have gone further than I was going in my first iPhone post last July. I’ve gone as far as 5.35 miles in one workout and broke 100 miles for the month of March.
When I need to comparison shop, I use shopping apps. When I want to listen to the radio, I have the TuneIn app. I’ve downloaded apps for several networks, network affiliates, and cable channels.
But I still wish the internal hard drive was bigger; maybe with the next iPhone.
Winter 2013-2014 recap March 28, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Technology, Weather.add a comment
3/31 UPDATE: Pictures of this morning’s wet snow added at the end of this post.
4/16 UPDATE: Post revised to reflect earlier snow than I previously remembered and a coating early this morning.
The winter of 2013-14 didn’t begin and end at the official times. Winter weather bled into mid-fall and early spring. The first snow came over a month before winter and the last came a month after winter. The first storm to produce an inch or more of snow came two weeks before winter and the last storm to do that came a week and a half after winter.
This post serves as a photo recap of most of the snow to affect my neck of the woods – Western Long Island.
Unlike the previous two winters, there were a handful of storms that left six or more inches of snow. Luckily, February 13 was the last storm of that kind. The rest of the season featured minor storms with little to no accumulation.
November 12:
December 8:
December 10:
December 14:
As I went outside to shovel, the snow switched to rain and the air temperature approached 50 degrees, about 25 degrees warmer than when snow began.
January 2-3: See separate post
January 21-22: See separate post
January’s snow was powdery and lightweight because temperatures were well below freezing. As you’ll see below, most of February’s snow was wet and heavyweight as temperatures were near or above freezing when it fell.
February 3:
February 5:
A couple of inches fell on February 9, but were powdery and light. It was nonetheless hard to shovel because of the frozen slush in the driveway from the previous two storms.
February 13:
February 14:
As I noted at the top, this was the last big snowstorm of the season. A smaller storm dropped a couple of inches on February 15, which didn’t stop me from going to Manhattan to see saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa perform.
February 18:
After this quick coating of snow, we were treated to six days of above normal temperatures; perfect melting weather.
Snow showers came through on the afternoon of February 26, also leaving a coating, which quickly melted in the sun, despite temperatures in the 20s.
March 3:
March was a month of near misses and close calls. It began with this storm. Nearly a foot of snow was initially forecast, but in the 48 hours leading up to the storm, computer models kept suppressing it further and further south. Thus, the snowfall forecast dropped all the way down to an inch at most. We ended up with less than that, but I still shoveled it.
The next near miss came on March 17. Once again, a lot of snow was expected initially, but that threat went away quicker. Again, up to an inch was the final forecast and we didn’t get a thing. I woke up on St. Patrick’s Day to a dry driveway.
The ultimate near miss came on March 26, a week into spring. This would be a blizzard, like the one on January 2, but with wet snow, like the three storms in February. Up to nine inches was expected for a while, but the storm was suppressed to the south and east, making it a bigger threat for eastern New England and Atlantic Canada. For them, it was a monster with tropical storm-force gusts on land and hurricane-force gusts at sea. For us, only a coating fell, which quickly melted. And wind gusts behind the storm were no higher than 50 miles per hour.
As pretty as snow is when it falls, it is a pain to shovel. So, as of now, I won’t miss winter completely. Luckily, as we move deeper into spring, milder temperatures are ahead.
Before long, the three Hs – hazy, hot, and humid – will return, and the pesky Bermuda High will keep humidity-breaking cold fronts from coming through. By then, cold air and snow will be a refreshing thought.
3/31 UPDATE: Earlier this morning, around sunrise, rain began to mix with sleet and wet snow, and then it changed to all wet snow. About an inch fell over two hours and is already melting, as of 11AM. Here is how it looked:
This should be the last snow of the season. If I don’t post anymore updates, you’ll know it was.
4/16 UPDATE: It wasn’t. A shot of unseasonably cold air behind a cold front turned any precipitation to sleet or wet snow overnight. Temperatures were near freezing at the time. It dropped a quick coating, which I found on my sister’s car and the backyard deck when I woke up after sunrise:
The coating will melt fast in the warm April sun, even though it’s only 35 degrees as I type at 9:30 AM. Since it’s spring, a freeze warning was issued for this morning. Temperatures will return to normal by the weekend.
2013 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming, 2014 Hall of Fame Announcement October 22, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology.add a comment
Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Later in this recap, I share the aircheck from my Homecoming Weekend show and behind-the-scenes pictures from the pre-record. 2/26/18 UPDATE: Video that I shot for DVD has been reworked for YouTube and is embedded before my aircheck and behind-the-scenes pics.
I was at LIU Post on Saturday for their annual Homecoming celebration. I was there primarily for WCWP’s barbecue and announcement of 2014 inductees to their Hall of Fame.
I arrived on campus at around 2:30. After getting situated, I decided to head to Hickox Field for a little while:
In the lower right window of the press box are Neil Marks, Jeff Kroll, Dan Cox, and Pat Kroll:
Jeff Kroll described the above picture this way when I posted it to the WCWP Alumni Association Facebook group (account links removed):
We’re on the lower level of the press box…..hard to see clearly, but on the far right side, that’s Pat Kroll, sitting next to her is Dan Cox, standing next to Dan with the red shirt on (glad I had red on that day for identifying purposes) Jeff Kroll, and Neil A. Marks is standing next to me. Sat 10/19/13. Post 58 Pace 0. Pat was coordinating with Joel Feltman (down on the sidelines) for field interviews. (sign still says CW Post Campus!)
He later added:
If you look at the upper level of the press box, toward the left side, the third person in….that person is operating the scoreboard from what used to be the WCWP booth until the 2000’s. THAT was really home!
11/10 UPDATE: Jeff had one more thing to say about this picture tonight:
I received this note from Dan Cox today:
“I saw Bryan Collins today at the Field Hockey final. He told me the grandstand demolition begins next Monday. Looks like new press box by next fall. I hope!” If that happens, the press box goes with the entire grandstand. And this great shot will be a timely memory for those of us who have spent so many fall afternoons there. Thanks Mike Chimeri! Great timing to have taken that picture last month!
I’m honored to have taken it.
10/21/14 UPDATE: The press box was still there this year, but probably for the last time.
As Jeff noted, the LIU Post Pioneers dominated the Pace Setters (get it?) 58-0. I was at the field in time to catch the Pioneers’ second-to-last touchdown.
Touchdown!:
The extra point is good.
Satisfied, I walked back to WCWP. The Pioneers’ last touchdown came during my walk back. I could faintly hear the public address announcer declaring, “touchdowwwwwwwwn!”
Maura “Bernie” Bernard brought photo albums of past Homecoming weekends at the station:
She also prepared for show in Studio 1 following the Homecoming Game:
Meanwhile, in Studio 2, alumni interviews were recorded:
The interviewee here is Jay Elzweig:
The Hall of Fame plaque, introduced at this year’s ceremony:
Plaques dedicated to the late Dr. Herb Coston and Bill Epperhart:
Joel Feltman and Jay Mirabile look through some of the albums:
At 5:00, Pete Bellotti and Bernie Bernard announced the 2014 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame:
The inductees are Rita Sands, Frank D’Elia, Bill Epperhart, and Ted David. Bernie interviewed Ted over the phone.
John Mertz and Bobby Guthenberg listened along:
The announcement and interview with Ted can be heard here:
2014 WCWP Hall of Fame Announcement
Later, in Studio 2, Jay Mirabile and I were interviewed:
Thanks to Zach Parker for taking those pictures during the interview.
Here is that pre-recorded interview, which was later edited by me, but my edit isn’t the one that aired:
Interview with Mike Chimeri & Jay Mirabile
As Bernie’s show drew to a close, she posed for this picture with me, Jay Mirabile, Bobby Guthenberg, Barry Albano, and John Mertz:
The final aircheck of Bernie’s show:
The Disco and Funk King Show was next:
I had a wonderful time at Homecoming this year. It was great catching up with my fellow alumni, and meeting some in person for the first time.
2/26/18 UPDATE: Here is video that I shot for DVD and have reworked for YouTube:
The rest of this post is devoted to my Homecoming Weekend show – CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri – which aired at 3AM on Sunday, hours after I left campus.
I recorded the show back on October 4.
I took some behind-the-scenes pictures while recording, starting with this self-timed shot:
Here is the playlist, complete with my copious notes to mention during the show:
I made sure to mention whatever notes I wrote down, but unfortunately, I had to edit some out for time. Each pre-recorded hour had to be exactly 59 minutes long.
Here is the aircheck from the 2013 edition of CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri:
The file is downloadable here.
It’s mostly from the console when I pre-recorded the show, but I mixed in elements from WCWP’s stream as the show aired.
Boarding the iPhone bandwagon July 6, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Media, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, Travel, TV, Weather.add a comment
On an unseasonably hot day in mid-April, I switched from an LG enV3 (VX9200) to an iPhone 5. Soon after, I bought an Otterbox Defender case for it (which includes a belt clip holster) and a Logitech wireless headset for extended phone calls.
I’ve downloaded 30 apps so far. Among them are two for radio, nine for sports, three for news, three for weather, and three social media. I bought two apps: a tip calculator (which was standard on my old phone) and the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
On the first day I had the iPhone, it took a few hours to load all my contacts to iCloud. But they’re in and some are categorized by ringtone, something I hadn’t done with my previous phones.
The Nike Running app has been instrumental in getting me to run three miles (or more) every day. Most of the runs have been outdoors, but I ran on my treadmill on a rainy day last month. And with temperatures now hovering near 90 degrees each day, I may have to do more indoor runs on my treadmill or step machine.
The iPhone’s camera has come in handy when I don’t have my Nikon D5100 on me. Most of the pictures taken with the phone are of recently replaced Town of Hempstead street signs and new traffic lights. Some examples:
The one downside is the internal drive is only 13.5 GB (gigabytes) (billed as 16 GB). It makes me wish there was a microSD slot for an additional 16 GB, or even 32.
Regardless of that, I’m glad I finally boarded the iPhone bandwagon. I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.
Five years! April 15, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Personal, Technology.add a comment
Five years ago today, I took one giant leap into the blogosphere and launched The Mike Chimeri Blog. The blog was created as a replacement for the original MikeChimeri.com’s “News from Mike” page where I wrote about the latest events in my life. The problem with that was I would erase previous entries, which were in an occasionally updated text box on that webpage. (That site was created with WYSIWYG software.) Luckily, I cut and paste most of those entries to a Word document.
I kept the original MikeChimeri.com up for four years until I finally made the logical decision to recreate pages at the blog and transfer the MikeChimeri.com domain to it. And so it was on May 14, 2012, 11 months ago yesterday, that The Mike Chimeri Blog became MikeChimeri.com!
Busy Saturdays (and one Friday) ahead April 13, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology, Travel, Video.add a comment
I have a busy pair of Saturdays (and one Friday) beginning next week.
Next Saturday, I’ll be at the second annual WCWP Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. As I noted in mid-October, this year’s inductees are Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, Bill Mozer, and Maura “Bernie” Bernard. Like last year, the ceremony will take place at the Tilles Center Atrium. But unlike last year, it will take place in the afternoon rather than the evening.
The following Friday and Saturday, I’ll be up in Milford, Connecticut, for both nights of keyboardist Jay Rowe’s annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. In the Friday show, for the first time since 2008, Jay won’t be the only keyboardist performing. Alex Bugnon is one of the guests scheduled to perform, along with saxophonist Nelson Rangell, and guitarists Marc Antoine and Nick Colionne. Saturday’s lineup consists of guitarists Jeff Golub and Chieli Minucci, and saxophonists Marion Meadows and Vincent Ingala. This will be the first time I’ve seen Jeff since he unfortunately lost his sight.
At both events, I’ll have the same video and audio equipment as last year, but I’ll be using a new digital camera. After getting the Nikon D3100 last May, I lucked into swapping it for a new D5100 earlier this week.
You know the drill: After each event, I’ll post a photo recap here at MikeChimeri.com. Crafting posts will be easier now that WordPress lets you post all the pictures at once.
Until then, so long.
WCWP Homecoming, 2013 Hall of Fame Announcement October 23, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology.add a comment
Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
2/26/18 UPDATE: Video that I originally produced for DVD is now on YouTube. It’s embedded at the end of this post.
Half a day after CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri aired on WCWP, I headed up to LIU Post for Homecoming festivities and the announcement of the 2013 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame.
The WCWP tailgate table adjacent to the Pratt Center and Hickox Field:
After taking those three pics, I walked to WCWP, located in the Abrams Communications Center.
Following the LIU Post Pioneers football team’s 20-15 win over the Millersville Marauders, Bernie Bernard took over WCWP for the next three hours:
Meanwhile, outside, it was time for the big Hall of Fame announcement.
The announcement began with Pete Bellotti introducing Dr. Paul Forestell, the provost of LIU Post:
Then, Pete read off the names of the 2013 inductees: Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, Bill Mozer (below)…
This picture was taken before Bernie came out to say a few words:
Jay Elzweig, Dan Cox, Pete Bellotti, Bill Mozer, Jeff Kroll, Dr. Paul Forestell:
Shortly after the announcement outside, Bernie broke the news on the air when she did a phone interview with Steve Radoff.
Later, Bernie was joined in the studio by Pete and Bill:
Mike Schanzer (aka Mike Hendryx) was also in on the conversation:
This picture was sharpened a few times to counter the blur:
Congratulations to Steve, Harry, Bill, and Bernie your induction into the WCWP Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 20.
2/26/18 UPDATE: I also shot video at Homecoming, originally made for DVD. I revised it for YouTube:
CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri on WCWP: 2012 edition October 20, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Technology, Video.1 comment so far
Previous CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri recaps: 2011
Early this morning at 2:00, CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri aired on WCWP 88.1 FM. It’s part of the station’s – and its university LIU Post’s – Homecoming Weekend, which started last night at 7:00 and ends late tomorrow night.
I recorded the show two weeks ago, on October 5, as seen in this picture…
And two vidcaps:
All of the above was shot on my Nikon D3100. The vidcaps were taken from behind-the-scenes video of the recording process. Here is the final cut of that video, which I produced last night:
And here is the finished aircheck, as recorded from the board.
As you listen, follow along with the complete playlist with written notes (click to view larger):
The “separate page” with the Jeff Lorber Fusion comparison table (click to view larger):
I’m heading up to LIU Post this afternoon for Homecoming festivities and the announcement of the 2013 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame. I’ll have a recap in a later post.
My experience at Day 2 of 2012 New York Comic Con October 15, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Books, Comedy, Film, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
Other New York Comic Con recaps: 2014 Day 1, 2017 Day 1, 2018 Day 1, 2019 Day 1, 2021 Day 1
Friday marked my first time at the annual New York Comic Con, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 11th Avenue on Manhattan’s West Side. The Javits Center stretches from West 34th to 40th Streets, but the main entrance is at West 37th.
My day at the event was scheduled around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel, which was to be held at 6:45 PM. Bored at home, I left the house just after 1:00, 90 minutes earlier than I planned. I walked to the Wantagh LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) station (a 20-minute walk), bought a round trip off peak ticket in a ground-level vending machine, and waited on the platform for the train to arrive. I saw one person in costume, which meant I wouldn’t be the only one bound for NYCC on the train. With the air temperature in the low 50s and a stiff breeze, I was dressed for winter: a winter coat and a long sleeve shirt, but no costume. As the joke goes, I went as myself.
After an hour-long train ride to Penn Station, I walked up to the street and had two slices of pizza at Famous Famiglia on 8th Avenue, one of many locations in New York alone. It was an appropriate lunch on the day of the TMNT panel.
After passing the Houndstooth Pub at the corner of 8th and West 37th Street, the site of many contemporary jazz shows I’ve attended, I crossed west and then north to walk on the north side of West 37th. There were groups of people ahead of me also heading to Javits. Part of the walk featured an overpass above Dyer Avenue, which leads into the Lincoln Tunnel. Once at the Javits Center, I walked in the green entrance.
Friday was the second day of four of the Con. A sold-out crowd packed the Javits Center, making the indoor temperature feel like close to 80. If only I had chosen a spring jacket and short sleeve shirt.
According to my camera, I took the first picture in this post at 3:18 PM, within 40 minutes of arriving at Penn Station. Let’s see those pics, shall we?
I expected to see press conducting interviews, like Bill Schulz and Jesse Watters did last year, but I only saw crews passing by with their equipment off (seen here after I left the Show Floor):
Taking the escalator to the Show Floor:
Leaving the Show Floor:
The next few pics are LEGO displays built by LUGs (LEGO Users Groups) in New York and Connecticut:
Quidditch:
I put the camera down for the next hour and a half to take in the sights and sounds, and grab an early dinner at the food court.
By the time I got to the conference room where the TMNT panel was, there was a line. I took this pic of the schedule board while waiting on that line, which went on to extend well past me:
As the wait continued, Peter Hastings, one of TMNT’s executive producers, walked by taking pictures of the line. I recognized him from a Talkin’ Toons with Rob Paulsen podcast back in May. As he passed near me, I asked him, “Are you Peter Hastings?” He said yes, then wondered as he shook my hand how I knew who he was. I told him it was from his body of work, and I cited Pinky and the Brain and TMNT; all I could think of offhand. I couldn’t tell if he was scared, shocked, or flattered that I knew of him. It reminded me of when I was at the will call booth at the old IMAC in Huntington before a Rippingtons concert in 2006. (You can see my pics with Jeff Kashiwa and Steve Reid here.) Musician Tom Huber was in line ahead of me and I recognized his name when he told it to the ticket taker. I told him I knew of him through his background vocals on two tracks from Steve Briody‘s (“BRY-dee”) “Keep On Talkin'” album. Tom’s response was, “Are you kidding?” In Peter’s case, he assured me the next day on Facebook that he was flattered. I thanked him for that.
NYCC staff opened the doors to the conference room just after 6:20. I managed to get an aisle a few rows in (behind a few reserved rows).
(After the above pic, I switched from my Nikon D3100 to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 because I don’t yet have a long lens for the Nikon. I switched back after the panel.)
The panel began at 6:47 with the TMNT title sequence projected on screens and through theater-style speakers. The crowd erupted in cheers as Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello approached the dais.
Donnie, Raph, Mikey, Leo:
The panel was moderated by Ray Rahman, a writer for Entertainment Weekly and “somehow, the senior Ninja Turtles correspondent, which is a title I take as seriously as you guys do”:
Here is Ray’s pre-panel write up.
The panel consisted of executive producers Ciro Nieli…
and the aforementioned Peter Hastings:
The rest of the panel was four cast members: the voices of three of the four turtles and their sensei.
Sean Astin as Raphael:
The aforementioned Rob Paulsen as Donatello:
Rob was also Raphael in the original TMNT series that premiered 25 years ago. (Talkin’ Toons podcast live: original cast reunion)
Greg Cipes as Michelangelo:
…and Hoon Lee as Splinter:
Rob acknowledged that TMNT voice director Andrea (“ahn-DRAY-uh”) Romano was in the audience. She stood up and waved to everyone:
(That was the best image I could get. Sorry about the poor quality.)
Greg, Rob, and Sean reenacted a fight scene from the show while watching the scene on screen:
What they were reenacting:
Greg and Sean looked at the screen to their left (above) while Rob looked straight ahead at the reverse side of a second screen.
It ended with Donnie screaming in shock!:
What the scream looked like animated:
Ciro, Greg, and Rob watching the sneak previews:
As quickly as the panel began, it was over.
An hour flies when you’re having fun.
As the crowd left, a music video set to “Gangnam Style” by Psy played on the screens.
Meanwhile, Greg stuck around to greet fans and sign autographs:
Some of my pictures from the panel were vidcaps (or screencaps), pictures captured from my computer screen while playing video, which I then edited in Photoshop (cropping, adjusting color). My camerawork was iffy because I used a mini tripod and tended to shake. Neil Vitale did a much better job than me. Here’s his video:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles airs Saturday mornings at 11:00 Eastern on Nickelodeon.
About ten minutes after the leaving the conference room…
…I was out of the Javits Center.
Fifteen minutes later, I made it back to Penn Station’s LIRR terminal. On the train ride back, I sat next to two people that also attended NYCC. One of them came with a group of anime fans and she was dressed as a character. But I don’t remember which one.
I arrived home at 9:45. It was quite an 8 1/2 hour adventure, one that I won’t soon forget.
We leave you with a picture of the ticket holder I wore and badge that it held:
10/16 UPDATE: Meredith Blake of the Los Angeles Times wrote on Friday about how New York Comic Con is catching up with the bigger Comic-Con (note the hyphen) International in San Diego.
10/19 UPDATE: Andy Levy of Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld was on the Show Floor last Friday when I wasn’t. Click here to see his report.
MikeChimeri.com 
2013 in review December 31, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Art, Audio, Commentary, Film, Health, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, New Age, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Radio, Technology, Travel, Weather.add a comment
The following is an excerpt of an end-of-year post WordPress created for MikeChimeri.com. Scroll down for my editorial.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
Click here to see the complete report.
2013 was the first full year for the WordPress version of MikeChimeri.com. April was a transformative month that saw my upgrade from a Nikon D3100 camera to a D5100, and finally join iPhone nation. I upgraded from an LG enV3 to an Apple iPhone 5. (I ended up giving my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 to someone very special.) A week after those two upgrades, I documented the 2013 WCWP Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. A week after that, I was in Milford, Connecticut, for the first two-night Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert series. April also marked five years since The Mike Chimeri Blog was launched; MikeChimeri.com launched in May 2005, seven years before merging with the blog.
In addition to some new contemporary jazz releases, I broadened my musical horizons by adding Return to Forever, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, and various Christmas compilations to my collection. I posted more expressway and parkway pictures. I spent most of the summer scanning old 35mm pictures and recording cassettes and microcassettes to one of my hard drives. I returned to LIU Post and WCWP in October for my annual Homecoming Weekend Show and Homecoming itself. I attended Charlie Fillizola’s art exhibit at Wantagh Public Library. And besides SJFS, I attended concerts in August, October, and November.
I didn’t mention this in any post, but there was one dark spot in 2013: the loss of my paternal grandmother, Marilyn “Mazz” Chimeri (née Garing), in early July. She was the last of my grandparents remaining after I lost my maternal grandparents, Lennie and Arthur Rose, in June and November 2010, and my paternal grandfather, Carmen Chimeri, in December 2011. I miss them dearly, but feel lucky to have known them for as long as I did. I love you all.
I hope for the best in 2014, not only for myself, but for each and every one of you visiting this site. Have a happy and healthy new year.