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February 9 blizzard pictures February 10, 2017

Posted by Mike C. in Health, Personal, Photography, Video, Weather.
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This is my 400th post!

After the January 7 snowstorm, I was prepared for a bombardment of similar storms, or even blizzards. But outside of light snow the following Saturday and last Tuesday, the rest of January was relatively quiet. The only heavy precipitation to affect Wantagh was rain. There was the potential for a snowstorm on Super Bowl Sunday, but it never materialized. Relieved, I let my guard down. Last Friday, I told my friend Rob that I didn’t expect anymore big storms the rest of the season.

I was wrong.

On Monday, I learned that there was another storm on the horizon, and this one would not miss us. And as usual, the forecast for yesterday’s storm, ironically on the heels of unseasonably warm conditions on Wednesday, worsened as it approached. 6 inches of snow was the max in Monday’s forecast, rising to 10 inches, and then 14. Also, the winter storm warning was upgraded to a blizzard warning because the wind forecast increased. (Coincidentally, there was a blizzard four years ago yesterday.)

As snow fell yesterday, I went about my daily routine inside, including running on the treadmill for the first time in two years. At around 12:30, it seemed like the snow was about to end, but the radar filled up with more snow while I was on the treadmill. Snow didn’t end until around 4:00. 20 minutes later, my sister Lauren and I shoveled the driveway.

I brought an 18-inch ruler outside with me to measure snow in the middle of the driveway. I was surprised to only measure 8 inches of snow. Assuming that wasn’t the resulting of drifting, we were lucky. Nearby North Massapequa received a foot. Shoveling took about an hour. Thank you, Lauren, for your help.

This brings us to a photographic timeline that begins early in the blizzard and ends after shoveling:

8:28 AM:

10:19 AM:

12:12 PM:

2:03 PM:

4:02 PM:

5:47 PM, after over an hour of shoveling:

5:57 PM:

And here’s a video timeline:

Light snow with less than an inch of accumulation is forecast for tonight and rain is expected on Sunday. High temperatures will be above freezing every day for the next week. That should speed up the melting process.

I’ve learned my lesson: I’m not declaring in the middle of the season that we’ve had our last snow of the season. In fact, I expect at least two more snowstorms before spring. After they strike, I’ll post about them here.

January 7 snowstorm & January 8 aftermath pictures January 10, 2017

Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.
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The first significant snowfall of the season came on Saturday when Wantagh received about 9 inches of snow. The initial forecast that I saw on Thursday called for a third of that, but as with most winter storms, the forecast track moved closer and closer with each run. I was prepared for up to a foot, but we were a few inches short. This is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to forecasting winter storms and snow accumulation. Either the forecast starts high and goes down or it starts low and goes up and up and up. That’s what happened here, and I doubt it will be the last time that happens this season.

Nonetheless, I felt I needed to photograph the storm and its aftermath for posterity. Below is a photographic timeline from the latter half of the storm to the day after:

January 7, 3:35 PM:

3:36 PM:

3:45 PM:

9:09 PM, after shoveling:

Snow was tapering off, but still accumulating. I chose to shovel anyway and shovel new accumulation in the morning.

January 8, 11:04 AM, after additional shoveling:

11:08 AM:

11:13 AM:

2:05 PM, after my mother shoveled what was underneath her car and my father’s car:

As I type, milder temperatures are forecast for the next few days with rain coming tonight into tomorrow; perfect melting weather. Until the next snowstorm…

10 years of weight loss and maintenance January 2, 2017

Posted by Mike C. in Food, Health, Personal.
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The mid-2000s were an unhealthy period of my life. I repeatedly indulged in desserts and dinners. I went from normal weight to overweight to obese. I surpassed 200 pounds late in 2004 and climbed all the way to 233.4 when I stepped on the scale on the morning of January 2, 2007, ten years ago today. By then, even my size 42 pants were too small. Enough was enough. I vowed to go on a diet. My goal was 160 pounds.

This diet required a lot of discipline, going for long periods between meals, and limiting myself to under 2,000 calories. I had a little over 2,000 calories on January 2, but the days that followed saw my daily calories drop to 1,600. A typical day began at noon with an Atkins bar, which was 240 calories at the time. A few hours later, I would eat a can of Progresso soup, either Hearty Chicken and Rotini or Homestyle Chicken. At the time, both were 200 calories. An hour or two after that, I ate two cups of Ronzoni Ziti Rigati with 1/2 cup of Ragu Traditional or Meat Sauce and four teaspoons of Kraft Parmesan Cheese. For dessert, which came after another hour or two, I ate three 100 calorie packs of Pringles or Sun Chips. Eventually, those would be phased out in favor of either Special K vanilla or chocolate bars that were 90 calories each, and then Quaker Chewy Granola Bars that were 100 calories each.

Besides eating, I also made an effort to walk daily with the aid of a step counter that I attached to my belt. In my hour-long walks, I averaged around 6,000 steps.

While on my diet, I skipped Easter and Passover dinners, adhering to my routine. When I was in Florida in March to see the PGA Tour’s PODS Championship (now, the Valspar Championship) at Innisbrook Resort, where my grandparents lived, I stuck to my eating routine. My grandpa Carmen was nice enough to buy the foods that I ate daily for the four days I was down there. A few days before the trip, I fell below 200 pounds. By March 30, I broke 190. On April 27, I broke 180. I was below 170 on May 18.

I reached my goal of 160 pounds on June 16, and my body fat was below 20%, but I was not ready to stop. I continued my diet, falling below 150 pounds on July 24 and breaking 140 on September 7. I had lost 93 pounds in eight months!

I added calories to my daily intake, remaining below 2,000 per day until October 10.

In the following months, my weight hovered in the mid-to-upper 130s. My lowest weight was 134 on April 25, 2008, a day which also saw my lowest body fat: 11.7%. My body fat would hover within 12% (varying tenths of a point), occasionally breaking 13%.

Throughout my diet, I took selfies, though not in the common way, to document my progress. Here are those selfies, all from 2007:

January 30: 215.2 lbs.:

February 19: 205.6 lbs.:

March 5: 199.8 lbs.:

March 30: 189.2 lbs.:

April 20: 180.8 lbs.:

May 9: 173.6 lbs.:

May 29: 165 lbs.:

June 16: 160 lbs.:

July 3: 155.6 lbs.:

July 16: 152 lbs.:

August 3: 147.6 lbs.:

August 26: 142 lbs.:

October 1: 137.4 lbs.:

October 28: 135.8 lbs.:

I was still able to maintain my weight for the first half of 2009, but my body fat was regularly within 13% by this time.

Unfortunately, the second half of 2009 marked the beginning of my regain. At first, I was able to keep my weight in the low 140s, occasionally reaching the upper 130s. But by the summer of 2010, I was averaging mid-to-upper 140s. By late 2011, I was averaging the low-to-mid 150s.

After Hurricane Sandy, I had reached the upper 160s to low 170s, where I remained until August 27, 2013. That day, I weighed 173.2 pounds and vowed to begin a new diet. The weight loss was slow at first, but I was down 12 pounds on December 23. Unfortunately, Christmastime dinners and desserts followed. Eventually, I was able to find an under-2,000-calorie routine and stick with it most of the time. There were days where I faltered, but not many. I had broken 160 pounds a few times between January and March 2014, but always came back above 160. That changed after March 16. I have not been 160 or above since. I haven’t been 150 or above since June 29, 2014. I fell through the 140s thereafter. I went below 140 pounds several days between September and December, but no lower than 138.8 on two days in October. I otherwise hovered in the low 140s, except for two days after Thanksgiving when I topped out at 146.

I remained below 140 pounds between June 2015 and January 2016, even breaking 130 several times in October and November. After peaking at 144 pounds in early June 2016, I fell back below 140 by mid-June. I was able to hover in the low 130s starting in mid-July, with body fat staying within 11%, but Christmastime eating has put me in the mid-130s and increased my body fat to around 13%. That’s where I stand as of this post.

What helped me lose my weight the second time around time was running, rather than walking the first time, with the help of the Nike+ Running (now Nike+ Run Club) app on my iPhone. Between May 2013 and May 2015, I opted to run and walk. But then, I challenged myself to only run. If I needed to rest, I would stop, and the app would pause. My early runs were around three miles, then four, then five. Nowadays, I’ll run up around 7 1/2 miles, running above eight miles on a few occasions. My average pace has gone from around 15 minutes a mile, when I started, to between 7:30 and 8 minutes per mile today. From spring to fall, I ran outdoors, but I opted for the treadmill in the winter. So far this winter, I’ve continued to run outdoors. In April 2016, I began stretching before each run, something I should have done all along. I seldom experience stiffness thanks to those stretches. Friends say I should run in a 5K, 10K, or higher, but for now, I feel more comfortable running on my own, setting and achieving goals. In the early days, my goal was 80 miles a month. These days, I like to run at least 100 miles a month. It’s even more satisfying when I reach 130 or 140 miles. My first month above 130 miles was September 2015. In September 2016, I broke 140 miles. And just last month, I broke 150 miles. That’s high enough for me; I don’t want to overdo it.

Since August, my eating routine consists of a protein bar, almonds, Progresso soup, pasta, and six graham crackers. That’s around 2,000 calories. There are days when I’ll break that routine, which I hope will be few and far between in the months ahead.

If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, I wish you luck. Thanks for reading. I’ll leave you with a second diet before picture from August 2013 at Planting Fields Arboretum…

…and an after picture from October 2016 during my live WCWP Homecoming Weekend radio show:

Audiobooking 3 December 23, 2016

Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Audiobooks, Comedy, Film, History, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Pets, Politics, Radio, Sports, Technology, Theatre, TV, Video.
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Here is a list of the audiobooks I’ve listened to on Audible in the 13 months since my previous “audiobooking” post:

Jack Kemp: The Bleeding-Heart Conservative Who Changed America by Mort Kondracke and Fred Barnes
Rush Revere and the Star-Spangled Banner by Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh (read by Rush)
Dirty Daddy: The Chronicles of a Family Man Turned Filthy Comedian by Bob Saget
David Spade is Almost Interesting: The Memoir by David Spade
My Seinfeld Year by Fred Stoller
How I Slept My Way to the Middle: Secrets and Stories from Stage, Screen, and Interwebs by Kevin Pollak with Alan Goldscher (read by Kevin)
So That Happened: A Memoir by Jon Cryer
Love That Boy: What Two Presidents, Eight Road Trips, and My Son Taught Me About a Parent’s Expectations by Ron Fournier (read by Jonathan Yen)
I Know What I’m Doing – and Other Lies I Tell Myself: Dispatches from a Life Under Construction* by Jen Kirkman
Out Came the Sun: Overcoming the Legacy of Mental Illness, Addiction, and Suicide in My Family by Mariel Hemingway
My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir by Garry Marshall (1934-2016) with Lori Marshall (read by Garry; foreword read by Hector Elizondo)
This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett
I Remember Me* by Carl Reiner
I Just Remembered* by Carl Reiner
Killing the Rising Sun: How America Vanquished World War II Japan by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (read by Robert Petkoff, except for intro and chapter on Bill’s father)
Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life by Melissa Joan Hart
Settle for More by Megyn Kelly
Lucky Bastard: My Life, My Dad, and the Things I’m Not Allowed to Say on TV by Joe Buck
Let Me Tell You About Jasper…: How My Best Friend Became America’s Dog by Dana Perino (a few chapters read by Peter McMahon, Dana’s husband)
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett

* – Left-wing viewpoint occasionally expressed

As I noted in my previous post, these books get me through workouts, bedtime, and boredom, but mostly the first two. As long as there are audiobooks read by my favorite public figures, I will continue to listen on Audible and chronicle those books on this site. Until next time…

Smooth Jazz for Scholars 2017 dates/lineup December 22, 2016

Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.
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Keyboardist Jay Rowe has announced the dates and lineup for his 2017 Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert series. The announcement came earlier this week on Facebook:

… reserved seating tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Smooth Jazz For Scholars benefit concerts to be held on 5/5/17 and 5/6/17. Tickets cost $40 each for 1 night and $70 for 2 nights. The artist line up for 5/5/17 is Rick Braun, Nick Colionne, Jeff Kashiwa and Will Donato. The line up for 5/6/17 is Steve Oliver, Steve Cole, Chieli Minucci and Nelson Rangell. The show will be held at the Parson’s Complex 70 West River Street Milford, CT. 06460. Doors open at 7pm showtime at 8pm. Send check or money order payable to Smooth Jazz For Scholars Inc. P.O. Box 3723 Milford, CT. 06460. Call 203-874-4150 for additional assistance and questions if needed. Thanks.

Yes, Smooth Jazz for Scholars is in its 15th year. It will be my 11th year in attendance; my 10th anniversary. This will be the first time SJFS is held in May since 2012, the last year the event was only one night.

It’s the first time at SJFS for trumpeter/flugelhorn player Rick Braun and saxophonist Will Donato. Can we expect Rick and Will to play through the audience on songs like “Cadillac Slim” (Rick) and “New Life” (Will)? What whistle song does Nelson Rangell have in mind? Why have I made a habit of asking questions in these lineup posts? Two out of three questions and more will be answered in early May. And I’m happy to report that SJFS will not conflict with the 2017 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony. That will be held on April 1; no foolin’.

Friday, May 5
Rick Braun
Nick Colionne
Jeff Kashiwa
Will Donato

Saturday, May 6
Steve Oliver
Steve Cole
Chieli Minucci
Nelson Rangell

Location:
Parsons Complex
70 W. River St.
Milford, CT 06460

Tickets: $40 for one night, $70 for two nights

Reserved seating tickets can be purchased by check (like I will) or money order payable to:
Smooth Jazz for Scholars, Inc.
P.O. Box 3723
Milford, CT 06460

For questions or additional assistance, call:
(203) 874-4150

I leave you with recaps of the first and second nights of the 14th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars.

5/8/17 UPDATE: This year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars is complete. Recaps can be seen here and here.

Acoustic Alchemy at Iridium on my 35th birthday November 20, 2016

Posted by Mike C. in Food, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel, Weather.
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Other Acoustic Alchemy recaps: June 2008, October 2010, June 2012

11/24 UPDATE: I forgot to note that this trip to see Acoustic Alchemy at the Iridium came ten years to the date after seeing Yellowjackets at Birdland on my 25th birthday. I referenced that trip back in April.

Thursday night, on my 35th birthday, I took a trip to the Iridium in Manhattan’s Theater District to see British contemporary jazz band Acoustic Alchemy perform. It was my first time back at the venue since October 2012, one week before Hurricane Sandy.

Following Chieli Minucci and Special EFX at the Long Beach Jazz Festival in September, I learned through fellow audience members that Acoustic Alchemy would be playing at the Iridium two months later, on November 17 and 18, to close out their U.S. tour. My birthday falls on the 17th, so I bought a ticket for that night. There were two shows each night, at 8:30 and 10:30. As usual, I chose the early show.

Since I would be on my own at the Iridium, birthday dinner and ice cream cake with my family was moved up to Wednesday night. My parents, sister, and I ate dinner at Margarita’s Cafe, a Mexican restaurant in North Wantagh:

Ice cream cake was waiting back at home:

We usually get Carvel cakes, but this one was from Friendly’s. It tasted just as good.

I spent much of my 35th birthday afternoon responding to “Happy Birthday” wishes on Facebook. One of my friends, radio personality Don Tandler, quipped in his wish that I’m no longer in the young demographic, which is 18 to 34. I got a chuckle out of that.

At about 4:10, I took an extended walk from my Wantagh Woods home, to make up for not running, to the Wantagh LIRR station and bought an off peak round trip ticket for Penn Station. I boarded the 4:59 train and arrived an hour later. I responded to more birthday wishes on the train.

I was told the Iridium door wasn’t opened until 7:30, which meant I had a lot of time to kill. Rather than take the 1 Subway train to West 50th Street, I walked all the way from Penn Station to the club.

The walk took twenty minutes. I stood outside for about ten minutes before figuring out I could wait inside at the bottom of the stairwell.

I was first in line.

Once staff began letting ticket holders in, a few minutes before 7:30, I chose a seat at a center table right by the stage.

While waiting for the set to start, I took a picture of the monitor as this upcoming event image was on screen:

8:30 arrived and the show began. The image below was posted to Acoustic Alchemy’s Facebook page a few minutes in:

You can see me, camera in hand, right by the stage. You’ll also notice the stage has been renovated since my last visit.

Acoustic Alchemy was made up of Miles Gilderdale on electric guitar:

…and acoustic guitar:

“The Detroit Shuffle” vocal medley:

Filling in for Greg Carmichael was Nate Najar – a native of St. Petersburg, Florida – on acoustic guitar:

Rounding out the band was Gary Grainger – out of Baltimore, Maryland – on bass:

Vocalizing on “One for Shorty”:

Gary’s brother Greg on drums:

…and Fred White on keyboards:

There were ten songs on the set list:
1. Homecoming
Originally heard on: Reference Point, 1990; Arcanum, 1996; Live in London, 2014

2. Overnight Sleeper
Originally heard on: Natural Elements, 1988; Live in London, 2014

3. Mr. Chow
Originally heard on: Red Dust & Spanish Lace, 1987; Arcanum, 1996

4. The Detroit Shuffle
Originally heard on: American/English, 2005

5. One for Shorty
Originally heard on: Roseland, 2011; Live in London, 2014

6. Clear Air for Miles
Originally heard on: Back on the Case, 1991

7. Ariane
Originally heard on: Blue Chip, 1989; Live in London, 2014

8. The Beautiful Game
Originally heard on: The Beautiful Game, 2000; Sounds of St. Lucia, 2003; Live in London, 2014

9. Catalina Kiss
Originally heard on: Blue Chip, 1989; Arcanum, 1996

10 (Finale). Kidstuff
Originally heard on: The Beautiful Game, 2000

Here are wide shots, starting with Miles’s high notes on “The Detroit Shuffle”:

The finale – “Kidstuff”:

The last note:

“Thanks so much, guys!”:

There was a meet-and-greet after the show. I let Fred White know on Facebook, in the days leading up to Thursday, that I was coming, so he was happy to see me. The feeling was mutual. It was also nice to see Gary Grainger, who I first discovered through his appearances – and Greg’s, as well – on many Ken Navarro albums. I had a female audience member take our picture:

My camera’s lens focused on the wall rather than us, which happened in a few attempts at a picture the night before at Margarita’s. Since time was short, I didn’t have that audience member take us again. I told Fred, “I’ll get it in editing.”

Thank you to Miles, Nate, Gary, Greg, and Fred for their musical 35th birthday present. I had a blast.

And thank you to everyone that passed along birthday wishes the day before, on, the day after, two days after, and even three days after my birthday.

Jeff Dunham at Carnegie Hall October 22, 2016

Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Hockey, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Politics, Sports, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.
Tags: Achmed, Bubba J, Carnegie Hall, Jeff Dunham, Peanut, Walter
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(10/26 UPDATE: I have censored the few curse words that were in the recap.)

(10/23 NOTE: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Jeff’s show ran “about 70 minutes.” I have corrected that to read “2 hours and 13 minutes.”)

I was in Manhattan for the second night in a row yesterday. Thursday, I was down in Greenwich Village to see the Chick Corea Elektric Band. Yesterday, I was uptown at Carnegie Hall to see ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham. Pictures weren’t allowed during the show, which was part of Jeff’s Perfectly Unbalanced Tour, but I took my plenty before and after. I had to use my iPhone 6 because mobile devices were all that were allowed.

This was my fourth time at Carnegie Hall, but the first time in the Stern Auditorium. My previous three trips were to see pianist Lisa Hilton in the intimate Weill Recital Hall.

Jeff Dunham and his crew made their way to Carnegie at around 4:30. Jeff posted live video of the walk to Facebook:

About an hour after that streaming video, I left the house for the Wantagh LIRR station. It was the last day of a warm and humid air mass. Nonetheless, like Thursday night, I wore my green spring squall jacket in case of rain. There was nary a drop; only fog and mist when I returned six hours later. There had been rain earlier in the day, but while I waited for the 5:59 train for Penn Station, Wantagh was in between rain bands. The band to the east must have been intense because there were impressive cumulonimbus clouds:

Low cumulus clouds set in starting in Queens, appearing dark against the setting sun.

There were New York Islanders fans on the train through Jamaica. They changed there for the Atlantic Terminal train to Barclays Center where the Islanders went on to beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-2.

The train arrived at Penn Station at 6:55. From there, I took the E train to West 53rd Street and walked four blocks to Carnegie Hall.

Once there, the crowd had to wait until 7:30 for the Stern Auditorium doors to open. After getting a bottle of water, I got to my balcony seat. Trivia, social media posts, and pictures were shown on the monitor:

The ceiling:

There was a welcome announcement at 8:03 following by three intro videos at 8:06. Since they’re from Jeff’s YouTube channel, I’ve included them below:

After an auto-tune montage, the show officially began at 8:16. The voice of Achmed the Dead Terrorist announced Jeff and he walked on stage. I looked at him on the monitor most of the time since I was so high up.

I took ten pages of notes in a 7 x 5 notebook. Below are some of those notes. I’ll try not to give too much away.

Jeff’s opening act:

Informal election vote: Hillary – cheers, Donald – more cheers
Why he’s a ventriloquist
Family – daughters, Audrey, twin boys
How Jeff and Audrey found out they were having twins, Jack and James
The twins’ birth
Changing diapers in NICU
Breastfeeding
Baby pictures – meme photo (“I CAME OUT OF YOUR WHAT???”), then actual photos: their first birthday, Jeff holding them like dumbbells, at Disneyland
Left stage, came back
Videotaping show to include message to sons when they’re older

After the opening act, it was time to open the boxes and bring out the characters. Walter came first:

“Oh, shut the hell up! (mocking laugh)”
Joke about New Jersey
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? “Uber.”
Joke about auditorium appearance
Sick of election garbage – doesn’t like either candidate – like going in for colonoscopy
Cut to a video:

Plug for Jeff’s YouTube channel – about to reach one million subscribers
Another video:

“You know, folks tell me that I should run for president”
Wife
Life after death
“If Trump becomes president, José’ll be out of the show” (a reference to José Jalapeño on a Stick)
Being an older parent
“Say good night, Walter.” “Thanks, everybody!”

Before bringing out the next character, Jeff announced that his next special will be taped in Dublin, Ireland, in May for Netflix. It will debut in August. The theme will be family. Jeff found out he is of Irish descent. To that end, a new character he tried out at Carnegie Hall was an Irish baby he was trying to get adopted:

Big head
Adult voice with brogue
Influenced by the other characters (“I keel you” from Achmed)
Much smarter than apparent age
Cursing (from Peanut)
Mother gave him up for adoption
Vaccination/shots – “Gin, rum, vodka”
Can’t walk, but can pub crawl
“All the drunks just think I’m a leprechaun”
“And that’s the new baby!”

Bubba J:

“I’m doin’ pretty good!”
“…watchin’ NASCAR and drinkin’ beer”
Twins
Wife
Running for president
“Press the flesh”
Debate/da bait, defense/da fence, Syria/Siri
Fracking: “Me and the wife are down to once a month”
“Say good night, Bubba J”

Peanut:

“Dat’s goooooooooood!”
(singing): “New York…..”
“Two infants at your age, how the hell did that happen?!”
Running gags (toward Jeff, into mic): “’cause you’re old”, “’cause you’re an a**h***”, “’cause I’m an a**h***”
Porn riff (“chicka-chicka-wow-wow”) – baby-related dirty talk
Caffeine zaniness – “It’s great!”, “Yes!”
Coffee enema
Lost a shoe – “No, dude, I found one”
Peanut fell off and his mouth was stuck open – after a few minutes of incoherent speech (“ahh***”), Jeff closed it
“Jeff-fa-fa”
“Nnnnnnyeow!”
Spoke to two men in the front row
Hearing aid joke (pretending to cut out)

Achmed the Dead Terrorist:

“Most beloved terrorist throughout the world”
Achmed’s origin story – tried out Dead Osama a year after 9/11, six blocks from Ground Zero – crowd loved act – retooled as Achmed starting in Spark of Insanity
“Greetings, American infidels!”
Usama Bin Laden is “dead dead”
“Do you know me, infidels?!” – cheers – “Thank you, I keel you (2x)”
“Achhhhhmed”
“It’s not funny!”
“Silence! I keel you!” – cheers – “Thank you, I keel you”
Achmed’s many kids: “…and Steve”
Games
Life story: “Once upon a time, (boom!). The end.”
Presidential election
“Oh! Bomb! Ah!”
Questions: “Dear Achmed…” – by my count, 19 questions – Favorite breakfast cereal: “Life” – Hugh Jorgen (huge organ): “I can’t believe you fell for that!” – Legs fell off, then arms, then ribcage

After one last joke, that was it. Since it was over, I resumed photography. There was one last bit of business for Jeff: a crowd selfie with his wife Audrey.

Here’s how that selfie looked:

As you can see, balcony members weren’t in the picture, but I don’t mind.

In all, Jeff was on stage for 2 hours and 13 minutes, leaving the stage at 10:29.

I took a selfie of my own a few minutes later:

Then, I made my way down the stairs, through the lobby, and out the door. Merchandise was available in the lobby:

Rather than walk back to West 53rd Street to take the E train again, I walked to 59th Street-Columbus Circle station.

I took the 1 train back to Penn Station:

I would have taken the 11:08 LIRR train to Wantagh, but there happened to be an 11:01 express train that didn’t make local stops until Wantagh. So, I boarded that one. There were some passengers that didn’t realize it was an express and had to change at Jamaica for the later, entirely-local train. It only took 43 minutes to get to Wantagh! Now that’s what I call express! I wouldn’t have arrived until 20 minutes later had I taken 11:08 train.

Thus ended my six-hour adventure. Jeff was hilarious, as always. I wish the show was available on video so I could watch it again and again. My notes and memories will have to do until then.

While I slept, Jeff was live on Facebook as his YouTube channel surpassed one million subscribers!

Congratulations, Jeff, and thank you to fans like me for getting the channel to a million and beyond.

Chick Corea Elektric Band at Blue Note October 21, 2016

Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel.
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After a month away from the Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village, I returned last night to see the Chick Corea Elektric Band. It was the first of two shows in two nights. Tonight, I’m going to see ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham in the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Pictures aren’t allowed, so that recap will be all words. (10/22 UPDATE: The recap of that show is now up. I was allowed to take pictures before and after, but I was still quite descriptive. Jeff’s YouTube videos and social media posts are also included in the recap.)

After the seating issue when I went to see Lee Ritenour in August, I opted for a seat further from the stage last night. It was still cramped, but my table seat was against the wall, which meant I was free to get up to take pictures without getting in anyone’s way. It was quite a workout, in addition to the 7.6 miles I ran in the afternoon. I was seated across from Phil, an avid Chick Corea fan from Vancouver, and his wife Kim. They made the time before the show worthwhile.

Now, the backstory: Pianist, keyboardist, and composer Chick Corea turned 75 back in June. In honor of this milestone, Blue Note arranged a two-month celebration/residency, which began Wednesday night with the first of five nights of the Chick Corea Elektric Band. The residency ends with Return to Forever meets Mahavishnu (Orchestra, I assume) from December 8 through 11. That show will combine half of Return to Forever, Chick and drummer Lenny White, along with Mahavishnu John McLaughlin on guitar. Victor Wooten will round out that band on bass.

The Elektric Band featured its definitive lineup, first heard on Light Years, the band’s second album, in 1987.

Chick Corea played keyboards:

…piano:

…and, during the encore, keytar:

Eric Marienthal was on alto sax:

…and soprano sax:

Frank Gambale on guitar:

John Patitucci on bass:

…and Dave Weckl on drums:

The 8:00 set consisted of six songs with extended solos. The songs were:
1. Trance Dance
Originally heard on: Eye of the Beholder, 1988

2. C.T.A. (Miles Davis cover)
Originally heard on: Paint the World, 1993

3. Jocelyn – The Commander
Originally heard on: To the Stars, 2004

4. Beneath the Mask
Originally heard on: Beneath the Mask, 1991

5. Silver Temple
Originally heard on: The Chick Corea Elektric Band, 1986

6 (Encore). Got a Match?
Originally heard on: The Chick Corea Elektric Band, 1986

The encore started with an audience call and response intro. Chick would play:

…and the audience would echo:

Then, “Got a Match”:

The last note:

After the set, I briefly caught up with drummer Dave Weckl and we posed for a picture:

I had a longer conversation with saxophonist Eric Marienthal, whom I’ve seen perform many times: with the Rippingtons in 2005, David Benoit in 2006, at Smooth Jazz for Scholars in 2008, solo in 2011, and with the Jeff Lorber Fusion in 2014, my first time at the Blue Note.

Just as we were posing for a picture, bassist John Patitucci walked by and I asked if he could get in, too. He did:

I interviewed both Eric and John on The Mike Chimeri Show over a decade ago. All interviews can be heard here. (Out of self-consciousness, I haven’t listened since editing them for air.)

The Chick Corea Elektric Band put on a thrilling show last night. If you’d like to see them and get the same thrill I did, they play at 8:00 and 10:30 tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday night.

Here is the rest of Chick’s residency schedule:

October 26-30: For Miles
November 2-6: Three Quartets, the Leprechaun Band
November 9-10: Experiments in Electronica
November 11-13: Flamenco Heart
November 16-17: Chick Corea Big Band
November 18-20: The Piano Duets
November 22-23: Chick Corea & Gary Burton
November 25-27: Origin II
November 30-December 4: The Music of Return to Forever – Acoustic
December 7: Chick Corea with John McLaughlin
December 8-11: Return to Forever meets Mahavishnu

10/30 UPDATE: Highlights from all five nights of the Elektric Band at Blue Note were posted to Chick’s Facebook page:

2016 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming, 2017 Hall of Fame Announcement October 10, 2016

Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Comedy, Football, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Travel, Video, Weather.
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Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022

Later in this recap, I share the aircheck from my pre-recorded Homecoming Weekend show that aired early yesterday morning. To see and hear my live show on Friday, click here.

After kicking off Homecoming Weekend on Friday, I returned to the campus of LIU Post for Homecoming itself.

On my way to campus, I put on WCWP, whose signal wasn’t entirely clear at first, and listened to the Post Pioneers‘ Homecoming game against the Saint Anselm Hawks. The game had begun moments earlier and it was already 14-0! As my mother turned toward the Abrams Communications Building, where WCWP is located, the Pioneers scored their third touchdown to go ahead 21-0.

When I made my way from WCWP to Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium, all part of my Homecoming Day routine, it was 35-14 with a minute to go in the first half.

Before standing by the gate adjacent to the field, I photographed the carnival rides in the parking lot:

Skies were cloudy and the air was mild and humid. There was spotty drizzle, but not enough to scare me away. (My camera isn’t weatherproof.)

Joe Szadok and Jeff Kroll, on the right end of the press box (their left), called the game for WCWP:

The series of pictures below are the touchdown to increase the Pioneers lead to 41-14, followed by the extra point that made the score 42-14:

The Pioneers would go on to rout the Hawks 63-20 (thanks to a missed extra point) and improved their record to 6-0.

On my way back to WCWP, I zoomed my camera lens to 300 mm lens as an Emirates airline jet flew low in its descent toward JFK International Airport:

The spotty drizzle intensified to a light rain shower, so I had to put my camera under my jacket for the rest of the walk back. Except for walks to and from Hillwood Commons for snacks from the vending machine, I didn’t leave WCWP until my dad picked me up an hour into Mike Riccio and Bobby G.’s radio show. More on that later.

I was pleasantly surprised to see faces from my early days at WCWP, especially Joe Manfredi, the former director of operations:

Also on hand were Billy Houst and Karen Fiorelli, who took this picture of Joe, him, me, and Jay Mirabile:

Jay is my biggest champion, always propping me up on Facebook, complimenting me and my talents.

John Zoni hosted the halftime and postgame shows:

Bernie Bernard, who once again had a show after the football game, spoke to Jeff and Joe, still in the press box, during the postgame show:

Here’s Bernie, moments into her show:

When she wasn’t playing music, she played host to a cavalcade of alumni, starting with Bobby Guthenberg, AKA Bobby G.:

Next were Jeff Kroll, fresh from the press box, and Pete Bellotti to announce the 2017 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame:

The 2017 inductees are Neil Marks, John LiBretto, and John March.

Jay Elzweig gathered by Jeff and Pete’s mic to discuss his history with WCWP and “The Original Hootenanny” show:

Jay resurrected “The Hootenanny” in a show that aired at 4AM yesterday following my show.

Bill Mozer, who had his camcorder and 4-channel portable recorder set up in Studio 2, also spoke briefly. I was diagonal from Bill’s setup and shot the pictures you’re seeing here from the same spot.

After a few songs, David Kaplan was next to speak:

He invited his daughter Alexa, a student at LIU Post, to join him at the mic.

David and Alexa gave way to more songs, then Roger Luce and Mike Schanzer (AKA Magick Mike Hendryx):

Mike had a solo segment, as well:

Unlike on Friday when he followed me, I followed him in the interview chair (via vidcaps):

Bernie’s last aircheck of the show included Jett Lightning and Wolf German, a former student of hers:

Wolf is enthusiastic and affable, and it was a pleasure to meet him. Jett agreed.

Jett stuck around for Mike Riccio and Bobby G., and Bill Mozer checked on his setup:

After the above picture, I packed up the camcorder and tripod and left Studio 2. I came back in for one final shot during Mike and Bobby’s phone interview with Chuck Taylor:

As you see, Jay Elzweig stopped by the studio before he left for the night.

When I got home, I edited pictures, selected which to post here and Facebook, and began mixing camcorder video with my recording from the FM tuner and studio board. All the while, I listened to the rest of Mike and Bobby’s show, and Bruce Leonard and John Commins after them. Here’s the final cut of the video, which I rendered and posted to YouTube yesterday afternoon:

While waiting in Studio 3 for my dad to pull into the parking lot, I had Jeff Kroll take pictures of me with Alana Leider:

…and John Zoni:

Then, I took pictures of Pat Kroll and Lew Scharfberg:

Alan Boritz and Pat Kroll:

Lew Scharfberg, Jeff Kroll, Bruce Leonard:

…and finally, Bill Mozer and Bernie Bernard:

Thus ended a busy day at LIU Post. It’s always great to catch up with alumni I know and meet alumni for the first time. It’s also great to hear the various shows throughout Homecoming Weekend. “I’m listening to the very end,” I wrote in the WCWP Alumni Association Facebook group during Jeff Kroll’s 10PM show last night. “You sound great, Jeff.”

Here’s how Jeff signed off just before midnight:

Until next year, I’ll leave you with the aircheck from the prerecorded Instrumental Invasion with Mike Chimeri that aired at 2AM yesterday:

…and the playlist.

As I noted last week, I recorded the show from home. It sounded great on the web stream, which I was awake to listen to.

2016 WCWP Homecoming Weekend, first few hours October 7, 2016

Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Education, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Video.
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For the second year in a row, I was the leadoff hitter, so to speak, for the WCWP Homecoming Weekend. Instrumental Invasion with Mike Chimeri kicked things off at noon today.

I left the house just before 9:00 and took the Hicksville-Wantagh Community Shuttle to Hicksville LIRR Station. Once I got there, I had to wait a half hour for the n20H to arrive. I was at LIU Post by 10:15.

Once I got to WCWP, LIU Post’s campus radio station, I set up in Studio 2 and took a few pictures:

Eventually, noon came and the show began. After my first aircheck, I had Jeff Kroll take a picture of me at the board:

Jeff and his wife Pat were in the building during my show, as were Bruce Leonard and Magick Mike Hendryx, whose show followed mine.

I took two more pictures during the show:

Overall, I had a great show. There were a few mistakes and flubs, but that always happens in a live broadcast. Here’s how I looked and sounded during talk breaks: