oceancityrealtor's Blog

Ahhh, as a wide eyed youth attempting to become a muscular young man I decended upon the World Gym (long gone) at Wheaton Plaza. As I entered I was hit with the "clanging" of wieghts, bright colors of the gym clothes of the "era" (thank GOD they are long gone) and the distinct smell of a locker room et al. Anyway, I jumped in to the scene...of, molecular dislocation.

This is a term used by my favorite radio personality, or BOSS JOCK, the Greaseman"! Who as it turned out would ultimately join my new favorite place to hang out...World Gym.

Well, the ole' gym crowd was filled with "personalities"...not necessarily famous...just personalities. You had the hair plugged late fifties guys, the make-up laden house wives/or ex-housewives- spandex and all, the young aspiring football/baseball jock kids (me and friends), the actual fitness freaks spending hours on treadmills and aerobic classes, and the hero's of the day (sadly) the JUICERS....although at the time I (among my peers) did not no they were?

Anyhow, at the gym (I had become quite the gym rat) I had a chance to "spot" (term for watching/helping someone while they were lifting heavy wieghts) a man who was very nice and altogether familiar...his voice was anyway. I dared to ask him if I knew him and he said his name is Doug, but he is known as "The Greaseman"....WHAT! Are you kiddin me, unbelievable , I knew (me the teenage Jay...pimples and all) the freakin' Greaseman..."Nino" the BOSS JOCK himself...wow. And beyond all of this he was a cool, nice down to earth guy, who after the initial "wow" factor wore off became just a friend at the gym to me.

I worked summers in Ocean City, MD (my home now) and the Grease's Band played at a local bar...I went and met the Grease there...and what instant cred that gave a single summer cop that night? I don't need to say anymore. The picture is of me, The Greaseman and a good friend and old supervisor of mine Timmy Keane the night of the show.

How glad i am to hear the Grease is back "at home" with DC-101 on Saturday mornings! When I am in the DC area I won't miss his broadcasts....unique and creative....everything that is missing from all the other morning garbage shows nowadays. Thanks Grease you made an impression on an old gym rat now...when you are in Ocean City look me up...and we'll head over to 67th St...where I still workout at World Gym. Now, I am afraid to admit I fall into some kids list of "personalities" at the gym....

Well, as summer winds down here on the beautiful beaches of Ocean City, Maryland...and students pack up and leave for college, foriegn workers pack up and leave for Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Nepal, etc....I will be packin' up to head to College Park- FOR TERP FOOTBALL!!

Ah, the smell of sausages cookin' on grills, the snap of a cold beer being opened (no more kegs saddens me) , a sea of red clad people (old and young), did I mention the smell of sausage? The season looks promising with a bunch of returning starters and a linebacking corps like no other in the ACC! Jordan Steffy will get another shot to start the season, and will not dissapoint...with the addition of James Franklin as the new Asst. Head coach and running the offence. The FRIDGE can do what he does best oversee the Team and Coaches and take the TERPS to the ACC Championship! Bring on the Blue Hens, California, BC, FSU, Clemson and Virginia Tech...woooo weee what a schedule, it's gotta' be one of the toughest? If you can't get to the games because you are in Ocean City, buying a great condo...here are the radio stations you can catch the games this year: WQMR 101.1 FM Ocean City & WTGM AM 960 Salisbury.

www.awisemove.net

How many times have you relied on the promises of candidates? Whether they are your local County Commissioner, Mayor, State Delegate, Governor (Esp. ours in MD.) all the way up to Presidential promise...and promise...more of everything. He/she if elected will be better educators (more teachers, supplies, schools$$), more morally based, prosperity, experience, spend money on roads-military-environmental issues-  blah,blah,blah...

Do we as a society really see or benefit from these promises? No, this is a big stage ...we benefit only through our own actions, as individuals. We are dependant on ourselves to gain the education and experience for economic success- never will you succeed economically if you rely on others (Govt.). Moral values are up to us...religious and cultural beliefs US...we must take control of these issues in our own lives and pass them to our children. Whether Obama or McCain promises you this or that does not matter, they are entities- the only thing they can help us as Americans achieve is the ease to achieve ..ie less tax burden, security as a nation, and law. When Government increases it size...it increases its burden (what if we had a national sales tax...whatever income level you find yourself- you are taxed by what you can purchase?? hmmm, that means far less attorney's, no CPA's, really no need for the entire IRS...well, that's just to big a lobbying block for that idea, huh??)

Take your stimulus checks and use them appropriately, pay off debt, if you have little debt, open an IRA or hell invest in Gold? If you aren't getting a stimulus check and find youself in the top 1% of all earners, your Govt burden has led you into paying nearly 40% of it, while in 1980 the burden was 19%? Hmmm, there goes the idea of Tax Breaks for the "rich".

Well, my point is ,listen very little to most of the "fluff" that comes from politicians...they are all the same. Take the energy you spend complaining about them and redirect it to you and your achievements, your beliefs, and ask the politicos to just let you do them...without intrusion, just provide the basics. Oh, and all the money they promise to spend on you and your programs (the stimulus checks)...that is your money...my money...and mainly that 1% of the wealthiest Americans money- so spend it wisely...get to that 1% level..and when you meet one "thank them".

Now, thats a name I am sure not too many people in Adams Morgan are saying while enjoying a beer and talkin' sports? This is the last name of The Heavywieght Champion in a sport more compelling, technically challenging, and just overall better (in my opinion) than stale ole' boxing. The sport is Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

Do a Google Video Search on this Russian fellow, whos first name is Fedor...and check out some of his fights (none a true loss). Starting as a Russian military champion...then to Japan and PRIDE...winning all the way. He had his second fight this past Saturday with a beast named Tim Sylvia (two time former UFC Champion) a champion himself. Fedor disposed of Tim in less than a minute- UNREAL! This guy would beat any boxer, mixed martial artist around today or ever for a really fun debate!

I hope this sport catches on in the DC area as much as it is sweeping the rest of the nation...a great sport that deserves coverage! BTW- Go SKINS!!

www.awisemove.net

Tony Snow was a reporter, speechwriter and White House Press secretary that I truly enjoyed listening to. As a reporter he truly reported, unbiased and professional...and established a connection to me (the viewer). In his role as press secretary he commanded the podium with humor , class and knowledge. He interacted and controlled the audience of his peers with straightforword answers, and always remained diligently loyal to the Office he served.

I pray for his family, and will miss Mr. Snow. Add a note on your thoughts of this terrific newsman.

www.awisemove.net

 

I'm a REALTOR, as you may ,or may not know. So, as a REALTOR I am forever being solicited from this or that media outlet to advertise. I do, and have advertised heavily, at great expense I might add. The advertisers I have and do work with are professional and competent and I generally use/read...or subscribe to their service. But, take note of the mess you see in the picture above......

Well, as my (Verizon) cell phone rings, this is what some contracted (I am sure..?) delivery person did to my condo's parking lot in Ocean City, Maryland. These are Verizon telephone directories strewn through our parking lot...dumped essentially! As you or anyone else might have been...I was and am pis**d off...and WILL NEVER recommend/advertise and in the process of changing the aforementioned company as my phone provider. This is absolutely the end of any dealings I will have with this company..only to be mentioned once!

A few weeks prior, I might add, YellowBooks were delivered to our building with a knock at the door if you were home. If you were not home they were place inside the storm door or directly in front of the storm door....NOT thrown in a parking lot...and across someones parking spot.

So...anyone at the irresponsible company be it known..NOT to solicit advertising from me,..or phone service...or internet...NOTHING. Clean up your act, or stay out of Ocean City.

Anyhow...it's beautiful in OC...Hope to see you here?

 

Eiyy yii yii, what a slog it has been since Saturday night. The onset and typical stall of a strong Nor' East wind.

As I watched the news (all of 'em) Fox, Weather Channel, the local Eastern Shore stations...., had the same forecasts. They were for rain for a day or so....then sun and warmer weather. Ah, the thought was nice- and I certainly am a fan for seeing the glass as half full at all times. BUT, now heres a big BUT, the wind had shifted offshore from the Northeast. Well, I am noooo meteorologist/weatherman or qualified as anything close....BUT I have lived on the coast for a long time. And , everyone I know who has lived here any substantial amount of time- can tell you- when this happens we're in for a stretch of cold, rainy, dark and miserable days. This is a Nor' Easter.

I know I shouldn't infer that I can forecast weather ('cause I can't) BUT, this scenario usually happens- and it seems the forecasters always blame the mountains....I blame the Mountains to the west and the Strong Northeast wind holding the fronts? I'd love to know if this makes sense.

Well, for my glass half full part....it has been four days and counting (we Ocean Cityers usually say these last five) soon there will be SUN, FUN and Spring to be enjoyed! So, come on down. www.awisemove.net

It is always sad when a home or business is lost by fire, or otherwise. But for us in our Ocean City resort town, our boardwalk, is near and dear too us. Too many people it is the heart and soul of Ocean City, MD , with all the smells (good and bad), sights , food, rides and games. A bit "honky tonk" and cheesy, it is none the less a huge part of the resort's identity. We lost a part of that identity, at least temporarily, on Sunday.

A fire swept through the Dough Roller at S. Division Street and the boardwalk, gutting it and another business ...as well as several apartments. This restaurant, maybe not the favorite for the likes of Emeril, but a favorite stop for thousands of visitors over many years. The restaurant had tables outside to people watch (one of my favorite past times) and convenient food to munch on. Now, the restaurant will be torn down until it is (and it will be) inevitably rebuilt.

But as we push on towards our most busy of seasons...summer....a void will be left for at least the summer of 2008. That void will be felt at the corner of S. Division St. and Atlantic Ave (more commonly known as "The Boardwalk")....until you rise again...we'll miss ya'. www.awisemove.net

Maybe it's just me, help me out here?

Have you ever been on the mess of Interstate 95 around the Wilmington, Elkton, Dover criss cross? Specifically coming south looking to get on Rt 1 towards the beaches...Dover? Okay, then you might be able to feel my pain....here it is.

Logically, maybe ,if Del Dot put ANY thought behind the signage on this interchange a sign MIGHT read "South towards Dover (your State Capital) and Beaches (probably a large tourist/revenue generator for the lovely first state)"? NOT...I repeat NOT "Christiana Rd Exit"...huh, wha...the flip? Who in their right mind ...other than the owners of the Mall itself (maybe thats where this all leads a conspiricy theorist may suspect?), would have that notification on one of the most travelled, not to mention confusing exchanges around? Man, oh man....what was Del Dot thinking?

Every once in a while Maryland comes out lookin' good....other than the taxes Mr. Governor. I love my home State regardless of the administration...I mean that.

www.awisemove.net

I won't pretend to take credit for this...but like all of us our "Inboxes" get filled with forwarded stuff all the time. 98% of the time I just "Delete" them...but some, like this strike a cord...Hope you enjoy...:

 I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet. If we wanted to  know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!


There was no email! ! We had to actually write somebody a letter ...with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!


There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!


We didn't have fancy BLEEP like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone And somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!


And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, You had no idea wh o it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss,  your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like "Space Invaders" and "asteroids" and the graphics sucked BLEEP! Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination! And there were no multiple levels  or screens, it was just o ne screen forever!

And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder And faster and faster until you died! . Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you wer e just screwed!


Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!


You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off Your BLEEP and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we Had to use the stove or go build a frigging fire .... imagine that! If we Wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over th e stove forever like an idiot.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled.

You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Regards,
The over 30 Crowd

www.awisemove.net

January 1st, 2008...Ocean City, Maryland, .....92nd Street and the beach. This is where it happens every year for the past thirteen, and will continue into the future. Thousands, at a minimum "a thousand", gather to participate in the Penquin swim benifiting local hospital (Atlantic General). I have attended in the past and watched in a little bit of awe, and shock as hundreds of people old and young (even very young& very old) jump into the cold, or very cold, January waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Notice I said "attended" and not "participated"...well, this year was different.

I along with hundreds of other idiots jumped in ....and whew, it certainly takes your breath away! I walked out through the surf as my feet and lower legs quickly numbed. I continued out (mother nature had the laugh...it was low tide) to waist deep water enough to be able to dive under a wave. Well, I did it....and did it again...with a little surprise that either time I wasn't affected as badly as I thought by the temperature - or, that like my legs, I was becoming numb as well?

Well, out I got.... myself, wife and friends went to the Bull on the Beach for some lunch- and to warm up! And maybe a shot or two of Tuaca....?

Talking with Bull on the Beach owner at the restaurant, Phil Houck, I learned that over $32,000 had been raised through the event for AGH! Great time and thanks to the Houcks and everyone involved in the Penquin Swim!

www.awisemove.net

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and enjoys this time of year, no matter the faith!

If you get a chance, before January 2nd, make a trip to Ocean City and check out the Winterfest of Lights. It is pretty awesome in it's "slightly" tacky way...and a nice time for all ages. You will be driven around Northside Park in a trolley while listening to Christmas music themed to correspond with the light displays. After your ride, jump off and let the kids visit Santa, and grab a hot chocolate (no liquor unfortunately)...lots of fun.

Take a minute or two this year and think of all our troops abroad fighting the good fight...GOD Bless them and our USA!

www.awisemove.net

Although the title says "The Cradles Were Rocked" it'd probably be  a safer bet to use "The Old Guys/Gals..." . But we were Rocked by Van Halen (less Michael Anthony and add Wolfgang Van Halen).

So, when I heard that the Reunion Tour was moving forward and they had had a well recieved show in Charlotte I thought, "Damn, I missed DLR's Van Halen when I was young...I wanna' see 'em now!" But the caveot being I knew the history was alittle shaky between the band members ..to say the least. So, I figured I'd wait until right before the DC show and buy the tix through C-List. Thats what I did and landed decent floor seats for close to cost.

Well, my brother, who lives in Columbia Hieghts, and I stopped and had a few drinks and burger at Fuddruckers and off we were ...back to 1984 ish. Except I don't have a bowl cut or hair anymore.

They opened with my title and went pretty much non-stop for two hours. I thought they were great and had a helluva lot of energy for guys pushin 60 I suspect. Eddie ran around tirelessly, and killed the guitar like normal. DLR did some nice round house kicks and moved (not quite as vigorously as Eddie) and sounded great. Although, I am far from an audiophile,but I thought the sound guy(s) sucked...there was a lot of noise. I quess they (sound guys) are hard to come by...the only good sounding concerts I've been to lately was Aerosmith (they sounded straight ff the CD)!

Anyway, the finale was JUMP with confetti and everyone singin' along...GREAT TIME !!

Somthing to think about ...how many bands nowadays (from about 1995 on, and excluding Hanna Montana) can sell out, or have sold out arenas individually?  Not many...the super groups of the 70's, 80's and early 90's did routinely.

www.awisemove.net

Just got an email from my cousin in the San Miquel area of Southern California. He also sent some pictures he took from his house...WOW. The pictures were taken at 4:30 am.

I'll post more when they are approved...GOD Bless those folks.   www.awisemove.net

Now,my study is not really a study, but an experience that may or may not support anything in the unreleased NASA domestic air safey study? I just find it coincidental and somewhat topical, so read on.

On our way home from a wonderful, and highly recommended, third trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands, we were approaching Charlotte International Airport to catch a connecting flight to Reagan. A gorgeous Saturday the 20th of October, on an otherwise uneventful USAir flight. The landing gear was down, and being a REALTOR, we were at the perfect altitude for me to look at several partially completed housing developments surrounding the airport. I made this statement to my lovely wife, who politely, blew me off with a random head nod acknowledgement (she was filing her nails you know?).

Just about at the same moment the engines gunned or roared to what sounded like enough horsepower to propel us into space. The nose went from a landing angle to a liftoff angle in no time (pretty impressive if not for the fear). The landing gear came up and we were also in a turn to the right, a pretty sharp one at that. Needless to say, my wife stopped filing her nails and her attention, as everyone else on the flight was directed at "what the heck is goin' on?" thoughts? My thoughts went from a few seconds of fear to relative calm (I rationalized it as ...hey I can't control any of whatever is happening) figuring if I heard a loud bang or a sudden thump...I wouldn't have been "blogging" anymore.

Well safely back in a circling pattern high above Charlotte the very calm, confident Captain addressed his shaken group of vacationers. Sounding as if this was almost routine (and I liked that in his voice) he stated somthing like this," Well folks our fantastic air traffic controllers informed us that there was a plane still on our runway, while we were at approximately 500 ft from landing..." Well fifteen minutes later we were safely on the ground, ...I quess that part is obvious because of this long winded post.

Fast forward to later that evening at my moms house in Rockville (after my dissapointment in Marylands loss to Virginia), watching the Fox news and hearing about this "near miss report from NASA?" Well, that is topical, isn't it??

www.awisemove.net

By the way, when we were on the ground at Charlotte taxiing in, I saw ,as did the guy in front of me, two fully marked up PAN AM jets....I thought they were long out of business??? Any info on this...just curious?