Tampa Bay trip recap; panic attack April 9, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Travel, Weather.add a comment
NOTE: At the end of this post, I recount my panic attack suffered early in my flight back to Islip.
Two weekends ago, I was in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region for a brief vacation and family visit. It was my first trip to Florida in two-and-a-half years when I saw family in South Florida, specifically Palm Beach and Broward Counties. This post contains pictures of scenery and roadways from this trip, all but two of them from Sunday, March 27. The last two are from the following day.
The view from my room at Safety Harbor Resort and Spa:
Driving through Safety Harbor:
McMullen Booth Rd (CR 611) and Main St. (Sunset Point Rd. after the intersection):
The main entrance to Innisbrook (after the traffic light-less Belcher Rd. intersection):
Turning left at Klosterman Rd.:
Belcher Rd. and Glen Eagles Pkwy. (pic taken at the aforementioned light-less intersection):
Two random pictures inside Innisbrook:
Two more pictures from Safety Harbor:
The last two pictures were taken Monday, March 28, from my grandparents patio at Innisbrook, overlooking the Copperhead course’s 2nd hole fairway:
After nice weather the previous two days, we were inundated by rain and thunderstorms. Our flight home in the evening was delayed a half hour, but avoided major turbulence. Before coming to that conclusion in-flight, I developed a panic attack on fear of major turbulence for the first half-hour. Here’s the story as I typed it from my laptop (partially revised):
As I boarded at around 8PM, I began to feel anxious. The heat on the plane didn’t help. Drinking water didn’t help, either. As our plane taxied and waited to take off, I began to feel tightness in my chest. Again, the water didn’t help nor did deep breathing. When we took off, the tightness turned to numbness and quickly spread to my face, hands, and somewhat to my feet. I was paralyzed in those areas for about five minutes as I continued to breathe as deeply as I could. At one point, I uttered through my frozen face: “I feel so helpless.” A man sitting across the aisle from me was reassuring, though I don’t remember exactly what he said. Gradually, I regained feeling. Once that happened, I thanked the man for helping me through my harrowing experience. I thanked him again when we landed and he patted me on the back.
Thankfully, the turbulence worries were initially for nothing. There were some bumps here and there later on, but I didn’t have another attack.
It was nonetheless a good trip.
3/29/12 UPDATE: This turned out to be the last time my grandfather, Carmen Chimeri, in person. He passed away on December 9. The last time I spoke to him was on the phone on my 30th birthday. I took this last March 27 at Carrabba’s in Palm Harbor, for his 80th birthday (albeit three days late):
I’ll conclude this update with a picture of Carmen on Christmas morning in 1994:
Winter 2011 in pictures March 21, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
Yesterday at 7:21 PM Eastern, spring began. That marked an end of a winter that started off with a bang in late December, all of January, and early February, and petered out.
That stage of winter that will stand out the most. I documented the season’s first storm here. Here’s the rest:
Friday, January 7
Thick wet snowflakes:
Wednesday, January 12
10.43 inches of snow:
Icicles outside my bedroom window:
They got rather big by the next day. I used a putter I had in my closet to knock them down.
Friday, January 21
3.5 inches of snow
I didn’t take any pictures, but left this witty status update on Facebook after shoveling:
Another snowstorm, another 2 1/2 hours shoveling. T.G.I.F.; thank goodness I’m finished.
Thursday, January 27
A wintry mix the day before turned to sleet and freezing rain (with a few rumbles of thunder) before turning to wet snow. The results were an inch or two of ice and about 12 inches of snow.
It was a pain to shovel, but I refused to quit…
…at least with the driveway and sidewalk.
It took five weeks for this gigantic bank to melt away:
This one melted a little quicker:
Saturday, January 29
The sun made it slightly easier to chop and scoop the ice and built-in tire tracks:
I finally got around to the sides and back yard:
Ice buildup and fallen icicles by the front gutter:
February began with an ice storm, but saw little snowfall the rest of the month. The only snow this month, March, came this morning when it briefly mixed with rain. There was no accumulation.
Let spring begin!
3/24 UPDATE: Winter has made a small comeback. Yesterday, snow mixed with rain at times during the day and fell by itself at night (after a thunderstorm mix):
About an inch accumulated. The snow stuck to everything, but it only partially melted on hard surfaces as of this morning. So, I shoveled the rest:
By this afternoon, most of the snow had melted.
That should be the last of the snow until the end of the year.
Dave Koz and winter storms February 6, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Weather.2 comments
Four years ago next Monday, Valentine’s Day, I was supposed to see Dave Koz perform at the Best Buy Theater (then the Nokia Theater) in Times Square. Unfortunately, there was a winter storm that day. So, rather than risk taking the LIRR to Penn Station and walk through the snow and ice on the way to the theater, my parents and I stayed home. We figured the show would be canceled. I’m sure it wasn’t.
This Friday, Dave returns to that theater. Though only a few snow showers are in the forecast, the friend with whom I was going to Dave’s concert had plans come up that night. So, once again, I miss out on him. Maybe next time.
I highly recommend Dave’s current album, “Hello Tomorrow.” You can buy it here. I played a few cuts from the album on CJazzPlus, my recent Live365 station.
Here’s hoping less snow and ice are in the forecast for the rest of the winter.
2/14 UPDATE: I may not have gone to Dave’s concert, but Katherine Gilraine did.
Post-Christmas 2010 Blizzard December 31, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in News, Personal, Weather.add a comment
The last week of 2010 began with a blast for the East Coast. A powerful blizzard/Nor’easter socked us with howling winds and 1 to 3 feet of snow. Winds gusted as high as around 50 miles per hour, which left me worried that I would lose power like I did during the March Nor’easter. But somehow, it stayed on.
I couldn’t find a snowfall total for Wantagh. So, I averaged the totals for Bellmore to the west, 10 inches, and Seaford to the east, 15.5 inches. That gave me 12.75 inches.
Below are pictures from Sunday, the day the blizzard began, and the three days of shoveling that followed.
Sunday, December 26:
Watched the snow fall, listened to the wind (impossible to miss), hoped the power stayed on:
Monday, December 27:
Shoveled the driveway from curb to front porch (with help from my sister and mom), left side of house:
Tuesday, December 28:
Shoveled a path from the front yard to the back yard patio:
Wednesday, December 29:
Shoveled the sidewalk, path linking driveway center to sidewalk, opening for a car to be parked in the street:
Winter is only a week old and we’ve already had a major storm. What else does this season have in store? We’ll find out in the weeks ahead.
For the New York City perspective on this blizzard, read Katherine Gilraine’s blog.
Guitars & Saxes 2010 Smooth Cruise recap August 12, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
8/18 UPDATE: I’ve added more pictures of Arlington Jones, Braylon Lacy, and Eric Valentine.
Yesterday, I went to my second Smooth Cruise in a row; this time, for Guitars & Saxes 2010. As usual, I took the sunset cruise aboard the Spirit of New York. As with RnR, the last time I saw G&S before yesterday was in 2008 at IMAC.
The ship left Chelsea Piers’ Pier 61 at 6:37. The set began at 6:50.
A sold out crowd saw Peter White on guitar #1:
Jeff Golub on guitar #2:
Gerald Albright on the alto sax:
And Kirk Whalum on the tenor sax:
They were backed up by Arlington Jones on the keyboards:
Braylon Lacy on bass:
And Eric Valentine on drums:
SET LIST
1. Intro Medley: Promenade (PW)/Roundtrip (KW)/Dangerous Curves (JG)/To the Max (GA)
2. Bright (PW)
3. All I Do (KW)
4. Shuffleboard (JG)
5. My, My, My (GA)
6. Influences: Oh Happy Day/The Thrill Is Gone/Mercy, Mercy, Mercy/Day Tripper/In The Mood
7. Medley: No Two Ways About It/Cold Duck Time/Goin’ On (JG)
8. Georgia On My Mind (GA)
9. You Are Everything (KW)
10. Bueno Funk (PW)
11. When the Saints Go Marching In
Now for a photographic journey through the Guitars & Saxes sunset Smooth Cruise:
The next three pics were taken from a closed-circuit TV on the deck below the stage:
I hung out on the dance floor for the rest of the set, beginning in the middle of “Georgia On My Mind”:
Echoing notes at the end of “Georgia…”:
Kirk making his way through the audience:
The James Bond sunglasses bit during “Bueno Funk”:
A wild drum solo from Eric:
We leave you with pictures taken outside before the set began. First, a look at Chelsea Piers shortly after embarking:
Hoboken:
Lackawanna Park:
Jersey City:
And finally, Lower Manhattan:
Thank you for reading and viewing.
UPDATE: Hello to author Katherine Gilraine, who was among the sold out crowd last night. Check out her recap here.
RnR Smooth Cruise recap August 7, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
On Wednesday, I embarked on my third Smooth Cruise aboard the Spirit of New York. The cruise was their 6:30 PM sunset cruise. In 2008, I saw Spyro Gyra. In 2009, I caught the Rippingtons. This time, the group was RnR: Rick Braun and Richard Elliot. It was the first time I had seen them since June 2008 at IMAC.
RnR was made up of Rick Braun on trumpet…
…and flugelhorn:
Richard Elliot on tenor sax…
…and EWI (electronic wind instrument):
Dwight Sills on guitar:
Nathaniel “Nate” Phillips on bass:
Ricky Lawson on drums:
And Ron Reinhardt on the keyboards:
The ship left Chelsea Piers’ Pier 61 at around 6:45. The set began shortly thereafter. So, let’s take you through that set:
1. Q It Up
2. Down and Dirty
3. Tijuana Dance?
Rick switched to flugelhorn for this one:
I went outside for a few minutes to snap some pictures.
The Statue of Liberty:
Lower Manhattan:
Brooklyn:
Back inside…
4. Inner City Blues (Richard only)
Richard began on the EWI…
…before switching back to tenor sax:
Ron had a wild keyboard solo:
Rick dedicated the next song to his late mother and all the moms in the audience:
And that song was…
5. My Funny Valentine (Rick only)
Rick was on vocals…
…and muted trumpet:
6. When A Man Loves A Woman (Richard only)
While Richard played inside, I went back outside just as we rode under the Brooklyn Bridge…
…and came close to the Manhattan Bridge:
FDR Drive:
The ship then turned around, heading back for Chelsea Piers.
Back inside, I shot another pic of the FDR Drive from my table:
Back at the stage, Richard was playing his heart out:
For this, he got a standing ovation:
Rick returned to the stage for…
7. Green Tomatoes
He and Richard invited the audience to get on their feet and dance:
Those on the floor didn’t leave until the set was over.
8. Keep On Truckin’
Richard sang through his EWI:
Rick appeared mesmerized:
Richard switched back to the sax at the end:
9. Grazin’ In The Grass
“Everybody scream!”
The band left the stage for what felt like ten seconds and came back for an encore.
10 (Encore). Rock Steady/Move On Up
“Rock…Steady!”
The “Move On Up” half of the encore:
The final note:
Afterward, I went downstairs to re-meet and re-greet Rick and Richard:
The set was exhilarating. And after all that, Rick and Richard had a moonlight cruise set at 9:30. I have no doubt that it was just as exhilarating then as it was for the set I saw. Thanks to Rick, Richard, Dwight, Nate, Ricky, and Ron.
Two Smooth Cruises ahead August 4, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Travel, Weather.add a comment
For the next two Wednesdays, I will be aboard the Spirit of New York for the sunset (6:30 PM) Smooth Cruise. This will be my third year aboard. In 2008, I saw Spyro Gyra. In 2009, I caught the Rippingtons.
This week, I’ll be seeing RnR: Rick Braun and Richard Elliot. Next week, it’s Guitars and Saxes with Peter White, Jeff Golub, Gerald Albright, and Kirk Whalum.
Photo recaps will be posted within a week (at the latest) after each cruise.
Long Island Radio & TV Day 2010 April 19, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, TV, Weather.2 comments
Saturday, for the second year in a row, I was on hand at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts for Long Island Radio & TV Day, presented by WCWP and the Long Island Wireless Historical Society. Last year, I didn’t show up until around 12PM. This year, I was there from start to finish. As a result, I saw more speakers, met more people, and took nearly twice as many pictures.
So, let’s take a trip through the day in pictures.
The north entrance:
The lobby:
The exhibits began in the lobby…
…and continued in the Atrium:
I wish I remembered Morse Code. I typed something into the bugs below…
…but I don’t know what.
Jay Elzweig’s exhibit:
WRHU:
Dawn-Marie Feiler and Angelica Ayroso worked the Telecare table:
I spoke to them a few times; they were very nice.
Connie Currie:
The WCWP exhibit:
Bill Epperhart, 1948-2000:
Kevin Jeffreys, 1949-2008:
Chloe from WBLI:
Bill Tynan speaking with voiceover talents Mike Pollock and Peter Rofé:
There were four lectures in the Patrons Lounge. The first was “Emergency Communications: The Role of Amateur Radio,” with Jim Mezey of W2KFV:
Next, “Woodstock Radio & Me” with Pete Fornatale, an alumnus of WFUV-FM and WNEW-FM; currently hosting “Mixed Bag” on ‘FUV:
Pete also signed copies of his book, “Back to the Garden: the Story of Woodstock.” Here, he poses with Bill Sobel:
Rick Mide speaking with Pete:
In the lobby, the South Shore Syncopators recreated a 1930s radio broadcast:
Back in the Lounge, the third lecture: “The Theremin: the history of the first electronic music instrument,” with Kip Rosser:
Kip speaking about the instrument’s inventor, Professor Leon Theremin:
The last lecture was by Professor Herb Norman: “I Love a Mystery: A look back at the great radio mysteries”:
Among the mysteries discussed, and excerpts used, “The Shadow” and “Lights Out”:
Clay Cole, of “The Clay Cole Show,” was also at LIR&TV Day. He signed copies of his bestselling book, “Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock ‘n’ Roll (1953-1968).” Here he is with Russ “Famous Amos” DiBello and Anita Bonita:
WNYG alum Ron Roberts and Howie Zeidman also spent a few minutes with Clay:
Bill Mozer:
Throughout the day, Glen Cove High School’s GCHS-TV operated a live webcast for the LIR&TVD website:
Except during interviews, an overhead camera focused on the heart of the Atrium:
(Did you notice me above the word “Radio” taking a picture of the monitor?)
Interviews were conducted by Maura “Bernie” Bernard. The guests were former “American Idol” contestant, and C.W. Post alumnus, Bryce Larsen:
Tracy Burgess and Lisa Ritchie:
Clay Cole:
Roger Luce of WBAB-FM, an alum of WCWP:
Don K. Reed of WCBS-FM:
And Eliot Goshman, yet another WCWP alumnus:
Here, we see engineer Cary Breiner, Bill Mozer, director Howie Zeidman, and NJ Burkett:
NJ speaking with Cary, Mitch Lebe, Bill Diehl of ABC News Radio, and John Von Soosten of Sirius XM:
Bill Dillane poses with Anita Bonita and Famous Amos:
Lisa Ritchie, Keith Allen, Anita Bonita, and Famous Amos:
Bill Sobel poses with Fresh 102.7’s Robin Marshall:
Ted David was next:
WLNY TV 10/55 anchor Michelle Imperato introduces herself to John Bohannon; David Plotkin of 1010 WINS:
John Leisher of WCBS 880, Ted David, Bill Diehl:
WLNY meteorologist David Weiss, Michelle Imperato, camera operator Joe Marcus:
Anita Bonita, Big Tom Lawler of WMTR, Famous Amos, Mike Erickson:
Jim Cutler shoots an interview with Ted David…
…and another with Jamie Mazzo:
I was also interviewed. I hope I made sense in it.
Michelle’s TV 10/55 co-anchor Richard Rose (center, in front of Ted) was also there:
Jerry Barmash interviewed Bill Mozer for his website, NY Media Examiner:
A tour of WCWP:
Back at Tilles…
We conclude with pictures I appeared in. We start with fellow radio fan Andrea Wiener:
My fellow WCWP alumna, Jamie Mazzo:
Mitch Lebe:
Roger Luce:
Jim Cutler:
Don K. Reed:
Anita Bonita:
Don “The Record Handler” Tandler:
Keith Allen:
And Robin Marshall:
Thank you to everyone involved. It was a lot of fun. See you next year.
NOTE: If I made any mistakes or left information out, let me know in the comments and I’ll update as soon I can. Thank you very much.
4/20, 12:45 AM UPDATE:
4/22 UPDATE: Jerry Barmash’s recap is up. I’m in it:
Mike Chimeri is a two-nights a week jazz host at C.W. Post’s WCWP. He is another person who circles the calendar each year for the LIRTD.
“I love it. It’s interesting to learn about the history of radio…and the history of wireless communication,” Chimeri said.
He also enjoyed meeting the amateur radio enthusiasts, along with the professionals from radio and TV.
All of that is true.
12/18 UPDATE: Today, I was saddened to learn of Clay Cole’s sudden passing. He will be missed.
Powerful Nor’easter March 17, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in News, Personal, Weather.add a comment
Last weekend, mostly Saturday, a powerful Nor’easter tore through the Northeastern United States.
Among those hard hit was Long Island, specifically Nassau and Western Suffolk Counties. Wind gusts were as high as 75 miles per hour. The highest gust in Wantagh, where I live, was 67 mph. Many trees and power lines were downed, among other damaging effects.
Some houses escaped with little damage and retained their power. The rest lost it for an extended period. Our house lost power shortly before 9:00 Saturday night.
The damage was so extensive that the Long Island Power Authority, LIPA, had to bring in crews from out-of-state to assist them. They came from places like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and even Canada. I hear crews working outside as I type. I can’t thank them all enough for the work they’ve done and continue to do.
I spent Sunday afternoon through Monday evening with a family friend that had power. Power was restored to my house at 6:45 PM Monday with cable returning a few hours later; in fact, minutes after I returned home.
Other affected areas took longer to get their power back or are still waiting, as I type, to get it back.
February 16 “Evening Jazz” postponed; will not be unpostponed this time February 15, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Radio, Weather.add a comment
I have postponed my show tomorrow night due to the snow and ice that will be in progress. This is what motivated me to unpostpone last Thursday’s show. I didn’t want to postpone consecutive shows.
See you Thursday at 7PM on WCWP.
2/16 UPDATE: I’ve been told there will be an automated jazz show tonight. So, listen and prepare to be surprised. I’m sure I will be.
MikeChimeri.com 
