INCREDIBLY COOL PEOPLE I'VE MET BECAUSE OF MY BOOK

By Steve Ludwig

As a result of getting the word out there about my first book, SEE YOU IN CCU - A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY, I've had the good fortune and extreme pleasure of meeting, and befriending, some really cool people.

AND, I've developed an appreciation for the independent artists and entrepreneurial scene I've come across during my journey.

It all started back in March of this year. A friend of mine (let's call her Mare [because that's her name!]) contacted me and told me a friend of hers hosts an internet radio show, called "Legends Radio," and he'd be nice enough to interview me on his show to talk about my book. Wow! Imagine that. I contacted the host - Evan Ginzburg - and he couldn't have been a cooler guy. If you're a movie buff, I'm sure you've heard of  The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Well, Evan is the Associate Producer of that movie, and he acted in it. That's not the only movie Evan's acted in. He's also appeared in The Nowhere Room (which I'll talk about in a bit), A Story About Ian, as wel as quite a few wrestling documentaries.

Evan gave me a choice of a twenty-minute time block I'd like to be on the show. A full twenty  minutes for an unknown like me to talk about my book!

Check out this ninety-second promo about Legends Radio, and be you'll be amazed at the diversity of guests Evan's had on his show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dptXJEdrgI

Allow me to backtrack a bit. Mare is the mom of a former student of mine (I'm a teacher). Her son is named Rye Joseph. Mare and Rye met Evan through their mutual admiration of professional wrestling. Since school, Rye has gone on to become an award-winning director, and along with Evan (and singer Theresa Sareo), they've produced the award-winning documentary Theresa Sareo, Alive Again. Theresa is a New York-based singer who was the victim of an impaired driver of an SUV. She was struck by the SUV, and as a result of this horrible accident, one of her legs had to be amputated. Evan, Rye, and Theresa produced this inspiring story (which Rye also directed) of Theresa's amazing comeback after her operation. I was fortunate enough to see the movie. I guarantee you'll be inspired, but a warning: you'll shed more than a few tears (some of joy, some of sadness) along the way. Here's the link to the official promo for Theresa Sareo, Alive Again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K_o38wG3x4

Speaking of promos, may I take a moment to do some shameless plugging of my own? 

Rye Joseph never forgot his ol' teacher. Rye contacted me and asked if he could shoot a promo for my book. HE asked ME, not the other way around! How nice was that? So one Saturday afternoon, Rye, his girlfriend YuMei, my wife Sue, and I met in Central Park to shoot the promo. Here's the result of that day's shoot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlKnapX8VrY

Back to Evan Ginzburg. Not only does Evan host Legends Radio each Wednesday from 7-9:20 PM, he is also the talent booker for Gizzi's Cafe, at 16 West 8th St., NY, deep in heart of Greenwich Village. Guess what? Evan also invited me to do a book-reading at Gizzi's, ten days after my radio appearance!

So while I was talking about my book on his show, Evan also publicized my appearance at Gizzi's. Gizzi's is a an extremely cool place. Here's the link to upcoming events:

 http://www.gizzisnyc.com/news-events/gizzis-news/

I still ask myself, how did I get to be so lucky? Well, one thing I've learned is that people in the independent artists field look out for each other; they help one another. 

That's why I'm dedicating this week's blog to getting the word out about these cool independent artists I've met along the way. 

Now, Evan is such a multi-faceted artist, I could easily fill this entire blog just writing about him! Evan's also the author of two books: Apartment 4B, Like in Brooklyn (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Apartment-4B-Like-in-Brooklyn/247449945372696), a true, tender reminiscence by Evan of his growing up in Brooklyn, and Hey Cabby, A New York Cab Driver's Million Miles Behind the Wheel (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hey-Cabby-A-New-York-Cab-Drivers-Million-Miles-Behind-The-Wheel/348546495230714), Evan's loving tribute to his dad and all the stories Evan was told as a kid by his dad.

As I alluded to earlier, Evan is a walking encyclopedia of all things professional wrestling. Visit Evan's website,  http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling3/thenandnow/, for a look at all things wrestling.

And for an overview of all things Ginzburg, visit Evan's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/evan.ginzburg).

If not for Mare's introducing me to Evan, and Evan himself, none of the things I've experienced as a result of publicity for my book would have happened.

So Evan, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You didn't have to do any of what you did, yet you went above and beyond what a first-time author deserves.

I mentioned that Evan had set up an appearance for me at Gizzi's. Well, on that evening, Evan introduced me to another really cool guy. His name is Solomon Chertok. Solomon is an independent movie producer, screenwriter, and actor, and on that evening at Gizzi's, a behind-the-scenes sneak preview of one of his films, The Nowhere Room, was the main event. Here's the intriguing trailer of the movie:

http://vimeo.com/43054669

A bit of background on Solomon: It would seem "film" was always in Solomon's blood. He's related to filmmaker Paul Mazursky, as well as the late actors Edward G. Robinson and Zero Mostel. Author/Writer Joel Eisner (he wrote a Batman book about the 1960s Adam West TV show) is also a relation to Solomon.

Solomon himself has acted in numerous independent shorts. In addition to the Nowhere Room, Solomon has produced Double, The Cost of Living, Little Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Magic Scrolls, and others.

Check out Solomon's movie work at his IMDb page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1760964/

From 2005-2008, Solomon created a New York City film event, "Sundays in the City Movie Marathon." Independent features, shorts, animation, and documentaries have screened at this film event.

So on this evening at Gizzi's, there were scores of media people there to speak to the makers of The Nowhere Room. One member of the media was TV interviewer Cognac Wellerlane. Cognac has a unique online interview show. See for yourself!

http://www.cognacscornermag.com/

Now here's what I mean about how super independent artists are, how they look our for their own. Evan introduced me to Solomon that night; I had not met Solomon at this point. Solomon told me that, although he couldn't promise me anything, he'd try to get me an interview on Cognac Wellerlane's show. 

This was too good to be true! Here were Evan and Solomon,  each with a million things on their minds that evening, yet they found the time to help me out. 

My friend, Lloyd Gold, was my musical accompanist that evening (more on Lloyd in a bit), and he and I were indeed interviewed by Cognac. Here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y_sKw0Sa4A

One thing had led to another thanks to Evan and Solomon. Lloyd and I appeared on the Staten Island cable TV show, Home Invaders, hosted by Hector Bosa. A fellow guest on the show was health coach, Kirsi Paalanen. 

Lloyd and I met Kirsi about an hour before airtime, and it was plain to see she knew her stuff! 

Kirsi is the founder of My Orange Villa (http://myorangevilla.com/). The mission of My Orange Villa is to help you look and feel your best on the inside and out, both passionately and healthily.

Kirsi's appeared on the Dr. Oz Show, and she has worked in consulting and marketing for a number of Fortune 500 companies.

 I've been lucky to have benefited from Kirsi's vast knowledge of all thing healthy.

A few years ago, I had quintuple open-heart bypass surgery; pretty serious stuff, right? Needless to say, it's important that I maintain as much of a healthy, nutritious lifestyle as I can. Well, every now and then, I get cocky and eat some things I shouldn't. As a result, I find myself putting on a few pounds. 

I mentioned this to Kirsi, and thanks to her expertise, I was able to lose eleven pounds in ten weeks! Kirsi suggested a sensible, safe way to do this. There are many products Kirsi has available on her website to meet the varying needs of her clientele. For my needs, she suggested a weight management shake (SiseLean) and a liquid, one-teaspoon-three-times-a-day supplement containing resveratrol. 

Before allowing me to order these products, Kirsi wisely insisted I first get the OK from my cardiologist. He ok'd them, and thus started my eleven-pound weight loss. I remember while we were being interviewed on Home Invaders, and I was good-naturedly joking with Kirsi about adding the resveratrol to some wine. She joked right along with me; that easy-going manner of Kirsi's is evident when you visit her site, My Orange Villa, and view her accompanying videos. Check out Kirsi's Facebook page, too: http://www.facebook.com/myorangevilla

Here's picture from that day on Home Invaders (Lloyd, Kirsi, Hector, and yours truly):

Hey, also, when you get a minute, check out Hector's fun-filled Home Invaders website: http://www.rarobertsonproductions.com/HI/HomeInvaders/index.html

Back in July, I received a text message from Solomon to give a gentleman named Gary Scudero a call. Gary hosts a Queens cable TV show called Talents Unlimited. Solomon told me to mention his name to Gary, and sure enough Gary was happy to have me as guest.

(By the way, if you'd like to appear on Gary's show, email him at  bartlby@juno.com.) 

Because I had met Solomon through Evan, I emailed Evan thinking perhaps Evan first asked Solomon to speak to Gary about me.

Evan replied, "Nope I had nothing to do with this one. It was all Solomon. That's the way he is; Solomon takes care of people."

The goodness of these people is overwhelming. 

When Kirsi had found out I was going to be on Talents Unlimited, she alerted her Facebook and Twitter followers for me, as well.

It's such a neat, friendly network of people.

So Lloyd and I appeared on the first segment of Talents Unlimited. After our segment of the hour-long live show, we stood off camera and watched the second half - a fashion show (can you blame us for hanging around?).

One of the models was wearing this neat little purple number...kind of a retro outfit.

This model came up to me after the show. She had listened offstage to my interview about my open-heart surgery. 

We spoke for a few minutes, and we exchanged business cards.

Her name is Rachel Russo, and she's much more than someone who was "...wearing this neat little purple number."

Rachel has a Masters Degree in marriage and family counseling, a Bachelor's Degree in psychology, and is a certified Intentional Relationship Coach. On her  website, Rachel describes herself as a "Dating, Relationship, and Image Coach for Marriage-Minded Singles and Couples."

Her writings have been featured in many publications, including Elle Magazine.

So much more information is available for you at Rachel's website: http://rachelrusso.com/RR/Home.html

And "...Because You Should Love Your Life No Matter What Your Status," Rachel has an additional website called Status Makeover at http://www.statusmakeover.com/.

Rachel will be a guest on this Wednesday's LegendsRadio.net show with Evan. If you can't catch the live broadcast at 7-9:20 PM (Rachel's segment is at 8:40), catch up afterwards. All of Evan's shows are archived on his website.

I recently had the pleasure of doing a book-reading at a wonderful new coffee house in Ridgefield Park, NJ. It's called The Coffee Machine and it's located at 175 Main St., Ridgefield Park, NJ. It's owned by Pat Silvestri, and he does a really cool thing. 

Pat has an open mic night on Thursdays, plus he showcases local talent, musicians, artists, and authors. Pat was nice enough to allow me to be the first author to do a reading there.

Well, I never would have known about The Coffee Machine had it not been for my friend, and artist, Lynn Paret. She recommended me to Pat, and he in turn booked to me to appear at The Coffee Machine.

Let me tell you about Lynn. 

She's a fantastic artist. Her work has adorned the walls of The Coffee Machine.

Here's a small sampling of her amazing talent:

 

Visit Lynn's Facebook page at Lynn Paret's Portraits: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynn-Paret-Portraits/138696932816457?ref=ts

Lynn's another example of one independent person helping another. Had it not been for her, I wouldn't have been booked at Pat's Coffee Machine.

Lynn's also a reporter for the Cliffview Pilot newspaper (www.cliffviewpilot.com). She's written some really great stories...and, yup, sweet Lynn did a story about my book!

Way earlier, I mentioned my former student, Rye Joseph. Rye has mentioned to me that if you or anyone you know may require his services, you can contact me (Steve) through this blog site, and i'll forward your request directly to Rye.

I also mentioned that my musical accompanist throughout my book-readings and TV appearances has been Lloyd Gold. 

Lloyd is a fellow teacher, and he's been the leader of his band, Lloyd United for over ten years (www.lloydunited.com).

When Evan booked me for my first ever reading at Gizzi's, I knew I'd be nervous about appearing alone on stage, so I asked Lloyd if he'd join me.

He's been helping me out ever since.

here's a sample of Lloyd and me working together at one of my readings, at The Coffee Machine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HcTxX03AOQ.

So thanks to all of you who have helped me promote my book, and to whom I've met along the way.

And if I may request anything at all of you, my dear readers, it's to SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS OF ALL KINDS!!!

I'm proud, in my very small way, to have been welcomed into their community. Please make the independent arts a part of your lives.

Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/LudGuy

So, hey, I have a radio show called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE, at www.PlanetLudwig.com. You may enjoy it!!

IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS BLOG, WOULD YOU KINDLY VISIT MY WEBSITE, www.ccubook.com, AND CONSIDER BUYING MY BOOK, SEE YOU IN CCU - A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY...

AND, HEY, IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD TO VISIT, CHECK OUT MY BROTHER TOM'S BLOG:

 secondgrademinds.wordpress.com.

As always, thanks so much for reading my blog!  --Steve

    

The following is an excerpt from my to-be-released-sometime-in-2014 book, FEELING WELL - SURVIVING LIFE AND STUPID PUNS:

OUR PUG, GEM

By Steve Ludwig

May I begin this little episode by saying that I'm sure we can all agree that our pals, the dogs that make our lives better and so much richer, are each the best dog in the whole world?

There's no other dog like your own, right? You won't get an argument from me that your Buddy is better than my Gem. 

But for Sue and me, Gem is our best dog in the whole world.

He was about two-and-a-half years old when we made the poor guy pose in that shirt up above. (His look pretty much says it all, doesn't it?)

That was about eleven years ago; Gem'll be fourteen on his next birthday in January.

Our little guy has slowed down quite a bit; he's gotten a lot grayer, and he's become a lot more dependent on us. 

And there'll never be another dog like him...

We named Gem after the character, Jem, from Sue's favorite movie, To Kill a Mockingbird. When we took Gem for his license and papers, the person filling out the form spelled Jem as "Gem." But we felt that it was a perfect mistake: our new little pug was a gem.

Sue and her friend Marie went to buy Gem from a breeder in southern New Jersey. Sue, her brother, and their parents grew up with pugs, so it was understood that a new dog would have to, naturally, be a pug. The plan was to buy a dog as a companion for Sue's parents, who were in their seventies at the time. They live in Toms River, NJ.

Sue and I would keep this new dog for a while, take him to a vet and make sure he was healthy before turning him over to my in-laws.

The breeders had told Sue on the phone that they had one pug left, a six-month-old.

When they brought Gem out to show to Sue and Marie, Sue thought to herself that she had never seen a weirder looking animal: his eyes bugged out to each side, his feet looked as big as horses' hooves, and when he walked, he looked like he was drunk!

The breeders assured Sue that his eyes would kind of "go back in and straighten out" as he got older and he'd learn to walk better; he walked that way now because he mostly walked on sand in his kennel and outside.

And also...he was the one everybody kept passing up and not taking.

It was obvious to Sue: This is the dog we have to have!

Knowing how loving, loyal, and mushy Gem is now, it breaks my heart to think that, for six months, he probably got his hopes up each time perspective "parents" came to look at him, only to be put back in his kennel.

But thanks to our friends, Liz and Edie, we were able to find out about this breeder, and our Gem.

Liz and Edie recommended this breeder to us because they had gotten their two pugs, Gert and Ernie, from there. As a matter of fact, Gert and Ernie are Gem's half-siblings; they share one parent.

And here they are, Gert on the left and Ernie on the right, in all their glory:

Gem's half-sister and half-brother are now in pug heaven; all the more reason to love Gem more and more every second we have left with him.

Gem does indeed live with Sue's parents in Toms River, as he has since we  brought him there twelve years ago, but it's never been in doubt that he's our dog. We visit him often, and he comes to stay with us for days on end quite a bit. 

He's simply been on "loan" to my in-laws all his life...

Gem and I first connected for keeps when I took him for a walk way back when. 

He had been living with my in-laws for a couple weeks when he developed a cold; normally nothing to worry about, but because he was new, we wanted to be sure, so we brought him to our vet up here in northern New Jersey.

All was fine, it was just a cold. When we got back from the vet's, I took Gem, runny nose and all, for a walk up the block from our house.

The poor little boy was exhausted from his cold; he stopped walking, plopped himself down on his backside, and looked up at me with those sad, pleading eyes.

"Whatsa matter, baby? Ya worn out?" I asked him.

I picked him up and started carrying him home. It was during this walk back home that he ever-so-gently placed his tired head on my chest and stared at me with loving, grateful eyes, all the way home. I talked calmly and gently to him, assuring him that we'd take care of him and make him all better. I was his savior! I was his forever hero...

And at the risk of sounding immodest,  it's clearly understood by everyone in the family that I'm Gem's favorite. Everybody else takes a back seat when I'm around. I'm the guy he leans against on the couch, I'm the guy whose legs he curls up in when we're in bed for the night.

Oh, don't get me wrong, Gem gives others in the family their due attention; it's just more so for his hero.

I always point to Sue and tell Gem, "This is your hero! Sue's the one who saved you back at the kennel! She's the one!"

It's so funny how Sue tells it. When she goes to visit her parents without me, and she arrives at their house, Gem of course goes crazy with joy...Company!!! He jumps up on her, gives her a lick, and then immediately runs to the door to look for me.

I can just hear him thinking to himself, "Where's Steve? Where's Steve? You guys are married; where is he?"

When I mentioned Gem in my book, SEE YOU IN CCU, I referred to the little boy as "Super Pug." And here's why that guy in the picture above is so super.

During the Christmas season of 2005, the vet discovered a cancerous mass cell tumor in Gem's neck. 

It was removed; the vet told us that with aggressive radiation, Gem's survival rate was 85%.

Well, that was certainly a good number!

What followed was six weeks of radiation, five days a week.

My in-laws, bless their hearts, would be driving at 6:30 AM each of those days, bringing Gem to the vet for his treatments. 

Gem would sit with them in the waiting room, on my father-in-law's lap, and when the doctor came out, good ol' Gem would dutifully jump off his lap and walk to the middle of three doors for his treatment. 

After a while, Gem didn't have to be led to the room. As much as he probably hated the treatments, that cute little boy would walk by himself into the room, followed by the doctor.

When his treatments were finally over, the radiologist called our vet to tell her that Gem was one of the nicest, sweetest dogs he ever treated. I could imagine Gem licking the radiologist each time he prepared Gem for his treatment.

 Gem kissed everyone. It seems ever since Sue brought him home from the breeder, he trusted all, and he loved everybody. He was grateful for the life he had been given.

To this day, Gem's skin is bare on his neck where the radiation permanently scorched his hair.

In 2008, Sue's dad told her that Gem had been walking funny lately. Sue made the ninety-minute ride down to their house to observe Gem.

Within a couple hours of getting there, Sue saw to her horror that Gem's eyes were rolling around in his head; he couldn't stand. He kept falling over.

She put him in the car and immediately brought him to our vet up by us.

They kept him for two days for observation, and then gave us the grave news: In all likelihood Gem had a brain tumor, and his chances of survival were about 10 %. His eyes had stopped rolling around, but he was still walking cockeyed.

The plan was to bring him to a specialist in Red Bank, NJ, who would X-ray Gem's brain to confirm our worst fear.

Gem slept with us in our house the night before I drove him to Red Bank; needless to say, Sue and I didn't sleep.

I can only imagine what my in-laws went through that night, retiring to bed without their beloved Gem.

As I sat in the waiting room the next day with him, I held Gem closer to me than I ever had. Let's face it; if the X-rays showed what we figured they would, the next day would probably be our last together. Sue and I had already decided the night before that we would put our little guy to sleep if the tumor was a reality.

When they came to get him from me, I gently placed him off my lap and onto the floor. 

Normally Gem would pull back and resist at first when one of the vet's assistants would take his leash. This time it was almost as if he had given up; he licked the assistant's hand when she bent down to pet him hello, and wobbled away with her.

"We'll see you tomorrow," she said to me.

That night was even worse than the one before. The next morning Sue went to work; she said she couldn't bear to be there when we got the bad news. I took a personal day from my teaching job; Gem was a member of our family, and he needed me to be with him in his time of illness.

I waited in the room for the doctor to come. He didn't have Gem with him. As he placed the X-ray in the holder for me to look at, I thought of how I would tell Sue that Gem was no longer with us.

The doctor said, "He's got an infection in about 95% of his sinuses. With very aggressive antibiotics, it should clear up. Unfortunately he's lost his hearing permanently, but many dogs live good, quality lives without hearing. He's deaf, but he'll live. We'll bring him in to you in a minute."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard!

"He doesn't have a brain tumor?" I never thought I'd be saying those words.

"No. A very serious, but curable infection. Because he was walking funny, I wanted to check his spine, so I X-rayed that for you at no charge. He has a vertebrae that's a little out of whack, so he'll have trouble getting up and down stairs and on and off the couch."

When they brought Gem to me, he was still unsteady in his gait, and he still looked like he had a brain tumor.

He looked tired, all drawn out.

I put Gem in the car and called Sue.

She got on the phone and said sadly, "Hello?"

I almost couldn't get the words out.

"He's OK. He's gonna live. Our little guy has a bad infection."

Sue just started crying, I started crying, and I told her I'd call her parents with the good news.

In the four years since then, Gem has, incredibly, hung in there. The vet has assured us his quality of life has not been compromised with his deafness. He's had another malignant tumor removed, this one from his paw. Here he is when we brought him home from that procedure, still a little groggy from the anesthesia. Notice the bandage on our tough boy:

He's had other little things throughout the years.

Gemmy-boy has survived numerous rashes on his body, and recently he's had four benign tumors removed from various parts of his body.

We've decided if the time comes and there's a malignancy, we'll remove it, but no more radiation. Certainly no chemo.

Gem's been through enough.

We carry him up and down the stairs, on and off the couch.

I put on my bathing suit, sit in the tub with him during his bath time, hold the nozzle and let that warm water gently spray all over his body. We stay in the shower for a good half-hour, that spray massaging his aging joints.

He sits in my lap and lays his head comfortably on my chest...Just like he did all those years ago when I carried the little guy home with his cold.

He loves cuddling up with me on the couch, under a blanket, and waiting for bedtime:

Oh sure, he's a few pounds heavier than he should be, but he's our boy.

And he still lovingly annoys the heck out of everybody, begging for table food and treats. But we'll continue to feed him a bit of a meatball, some pasta, a little ice cream, some cheese...

We're happily gonna spoil him more and more.

And when that day finally arrives, and Gem joins his sister, Gert and his brother, Ernie, he will have left us with a lifetime of unconditional love, of undying faithfulness, and a family with an emptiness that can never be replaced.

...Just like your dog, the best in the whole world.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Are you a lover of pop culture? I am! And I have a radio show called STEVE LUDWIG'S CLASSIC POP CULTURE, at www.PlanetLudwig.com. Why not give a listen at your leisure? Thanks!

IF YOU ENJOYED READING THIS BLOG, WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO CONSIDER BUYING MY FIRST BOOK? IT'S CALLED SEE YOU IN CCU: A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY.
JUST GO TO MY WEBSITE  www.ccubook.com  FOR ORDERING INFO. IF YOU BUY DIRECTLY FROM ME ON THE SITE, IT'S HALF-PRICE.


AND FOR ALL THINGS NEWSWORTHY, MY BROTHER TOM (AND HIS BUDDY SINCE SECOND GRADE) HAS A COOL BLOG. IT'S CALLED "SECOND GRADE MINDS," AND YOU CAN FIND IT AT www.secondgrademinds.wordpress.com .

And as always, thank you all so much for visiting my blog!  ~Steve Ludwig

WE ARE REAL HE-MEN!!

By Steve Ludwig

Well, OK, maybe the picture above doesn't invoke genuine fear, but here we are, the HE-MEN, from a 2007 trip to Milwaukee. Yeah, that's right, we toured the Miller Brewery, just like real he-men should! You got somethin' to say about that? We hope not, 'cause we can't run away from you real fast anymore...

The picture of us up there was taken by another of us he-men: Ang Stampoulos. Here he is:

All that picture-taking tires a guy out!

So who are the he-men? I know you didn't ask, but here goes anyway...

We're made up of a group of manly male teachers (some retired) who have had some sort of affiliation with Franklin Elementary School in North Bergen, NJ. As long as you taught there at one time, subbed there at some time, worked there in another capacity at one time, or are a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin, you might be considered for entry into our select group of numbskulls. 

Who has the final word on who's in and who's out? Our renowned president, the Honorable Anthony DeMarco makes that decision. Here he is, deciding:

Why exclusively Franklin School?

"Because I said so," said President DeMarco.

Each year during our Easter break from school, we thoughtful, caring he-men give our wives a break, and we go on a trip. The trip is to a different baseball stadium, and we kindly allow our wives their freedom for three to four days. 

We've been to ballgames in Tampa Bay, Arizona, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, Milwaukee, and others. We just celebrated our tenth anniversary of he-man trips. 

A few years ago, we went to Boston and the home of the hated Red Sox; I kept a little journal, written in the third-person, of our goings-on. 

May I share with you what it's like to be on a trip with some REAL he-men? 

OK, let's go back in time, as the he-men invade Beantown...

Of the 32, 379 fans at the May 3 Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, only nine were true "he-men." He-Man President Tony DeMarco led eight fellow teachers on a trip to Beantown on May 2, 3, and 4.

Making the trip alongside President DeMarco were recently-retired Al "Dean and Director" Bayley; Jeff "Official Photographer and Foreign Language Specialist" Cabrera; Joe "Resident Social Director" Fontana; Lloyd "Resident Rock Star and Ukulele Master" Gold; Steve "Fifth Beatle and Regular Guy" Ludwig; Chris "Pride of the Yankees" Paglione; Tony "Resident Wizard and Scientist" Roes; and Ang "Mr. Fix-It and Driver" Stampoulos.

Taking advantage of the 1:00 dismissal on Friday, May 2, the he-men made an early start of the festivities as they were driven by limo from Franklin School to the Newark Port Authority.

See what big shots we are?

Tony Roes, former mentor to Lloyd Gold, was given the unenviable task of keeping Lloyd in line throughout the weekend; he failed miserably.

As the ride to Newark proved, Roes was, indeed, in for a long weekend.

Arriving on time to catch their Amtrak train, the group was temporarily detained as the usually nimble and sure-footed DeMarco fell out of the limo, releasing the limo driver's tip into swirling winds of the clear Newark sky.

The five-hour train ride up to Boston must have seemed even longer to the many confused passengers passing through the he-men's car on their way to the bar / food car.

There was also some excessive baggage:

Weekend activities included rooting on the Devils vs. the Bruins in the Cheers "Bull and Finch" Bar, much to the dismay (and anger) of the baby Boston fans.

The weekend, naturally, also included a visit to Fenway Park. The Red Sox weren't playing the Yankees (the Twins were in town), but that didn't stop more than a few of the he-men from wearing their pinstripes proudly in enemy territory. President DeMarco showed no fear as, in his Yankee garb, he got fresh with the backside of the dopey stilted Red Sox guy.

Once inside Fenway, irony reared its ugly head as "Mr. Fix-It" Stampoulos sat down and promptly broke his Fenway Park chair. A Mr. Fix-It Boston worker who actually knew how to fix things had to repair Ang's damage to the historic landmark:

Chris Paglione, as he paraded throughout Fenway dressed in all things Yankee, addressed the jeering crowd with, "Get over the Babe Ruth thing already!!"

A visit to Quincy Market on Saturday night saw many bachelorette parties roaming the grounds. Luckily for the brides-to-be, Lloyd brought his ukulele along. He serenaded them to the strains of, appropriately, Madonna's "Like A Virgin."

After a day of rooting against the Red Sox, the phrase "to the strains of" was quite accurate in describing Lloyd's voice. This picture of Lloyd is able to be shared with you because, thankfully, Jeff Cabrera did not leave his camera in the pocket of the jacket that he left (and never found) in the subway car on the ride back to the hotel later that night.

 Back outside the hotel at 2 AM, Steve Ludwig stood, devouring a box of Entenmann's Donuts and washing them down with ginger ale and milk. He was soon joined by Gold, Cabrera, and DeMarco, as the four of them stuffed their mouths and solved all of the world's problems (or at least how to get to the USS Constitution the next day).

Sunday morning at breakfast found Al Bayley and Ang Stampoulos wondering why they got stuck sharing a room with Ludwig; secretly, Lud wondered the same about them:

Gratefully for the rest of the he-men, the two voices-of-reason, Joe Fontana and Tony Roes, plotted the day's trip to Old Ironsides. They first asked Stampoulos directions to the historic battleship; then walked in the opposite direction. Brilliant! Ignoring Ang's suggestions, the he-men walked the Freedom Trail:

We certainly felt we were in our element:

This walk on the Freedom Trail certainly proved prosperous: the group found thirty-two cents on the streets and sidewalks of Boston. This money promptly went towards the next year's trip to Atlanta.

At least Boston showed the president of the he-men the respect he deserves. The street sign says it all:

Before long, the sea-faring he-men found themselves at the USS Constitution--"Old Ironsides"...

...and proceeded to make themselves at home, matey...

Having shown the sailors on-board the Constitution how it's done, the he-men made  one more visit to Fenway, where the Red Sox lost to the Twins, much to the delight of the he-men.

The ride home to Newark was a bit more subdued than the ride was going up a few days earlier. 

The nine weary travelers stepped off the Amtrak train in Newark (much to the delight of the other passengers) at 10:30 Sunday night. In a few short hours they would be back at work, teaching and spreading knowledge to the youth of America. They would also share their stories of their trip with any of their colleagues they could force to listen.

And so ended another trip-- a trip on which these wonderful gifts to mankind, the He-Men, spread goodness, sunshine, and lessons-to-be-learned to the fortunate city of Boston.

Next year it would be another city...

It's simply what they do.

BUT WAIT! The He-Menia is not over! Check out our first YouTube video below. It's a trailer of the upcoming HE-MAN CHRONICLES. C'mon, you can spare fifty-five more seconds, can't ya??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VEOdiufN7g&feature=g-all-u

IF YOU ENJOYED READING MY BLOG, WOULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO CONSIDER BUYING MY FIRST BOOK? IT'S CALLED SEE YOU IN CCU-A LIGHTHEARTED TALE OF MY OPEN-HEART SURGERY. YOU CAN BUY IT FOR HALF-PRICE (that's $7.99) IF YOU BUY IT DIRECTLY FROM MY WEBSITE: www.ccubook.com.

And well, hey, I also have two brothers, and they each have a blog of their own.

Check out my brother Tom's blog is at: www.secondgrademinds.wordpress.com.  In this latest entry of Second Grade Minds, he and his buddy (since second grade) discuss the recent Cheney vs. Palin rift. It's great reading.

AND FINALLY, AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND FOR READING MY BLOG!  

Steve Ludwig