Saturday, August 21, 2004

I saw Neil Simon's Rumors at Hofstra University Friday night. I don't do theater much but this was fun and I may have to go more often.
Since I am in a Long Island state of mind - I searched for other blogs from Long Islanders:

Lenndevours (I eat. I drink. You read.) This blog focuses on food and wine, two of my favorite things. Long Island has some great wineries "out east", many of which offer tours and tastings. (If you want a good fruity wine for the summer try Pindar's Summer Blush)


Don't bother me with trifles - great name, apparently a Long Island mother.

The Same Boy You've Always Known - heavy on music.


That is about it - I don't blogroll local bloggers because Gen X Revert is really about Catholic stuff but occasionally I like to read and post about Long Island. If there are any other Long Island bloggers out there, let me know.

Update: I just found Long Island Scene which is not a blog but a resource center for Long Island stuff.
Billy Joel: The Downeaster Alexa

I was a bayman like my father was before
Can't make a living as a bayman anymore
There ain't much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain't no island left for islanders like me


News12 Long Island is doing a series on why young people are increasingly leaving Long Island. The easy answer is this: HIGH COST OF LIVING. Even an educated, successful person can find it difficult to live here. The houses are too expensive, taxes too high, and the price of everything from milk to gas to car repair is higher than most other places. Besides the economic factors, Long Island used to be a great suburb to grow up in, with low crime, ample parklands, and pretty towns, but increasingly is nothing more than a collection of ugly stripmalls and Uber-Marts. We used to snobbily look down our noses at Queens and Brooklyn for more than just their high crime rates. They also had constant traffic, noise, limited parking, and streets lined with garbage blowing in the wind. With the exception of crime, which is still very low on Long Island, we can't claim those other things are "city problems" anymore. Much of Long Island is starting to resemble the city with graffiti everywhere and constant traffic. So many Long Islanders are moving to Florida for the lower cost of living and better landscape. I see myself someday moving elsewhere as I just don't see the Island as being as unique and special as it once was. I actually grew up across the street from a small farm - it was sold and two houses were built when I was young. I loved to drive around when I was 18 and just got my driver's license but today I find driving here a chore I avoid. We don't have too many nice villages either and it is too difficult to get to the ones that exist, such as Huntington. Many people moved here from Brooklyn and Queens to escape the problems of citylife but now Long Island is not the promised land anymore. One can only move east to a certain point before one ends up in the ocean. I hope Long Island can stem the tide long enough to redevelop and plan its growth out so it remains a good place to live. Ironically NYC can show us some ways, since it has turned around in many positive ways.
Bishop Murphy Announces Marianists Will Direct St. Martin De Porres Elementary School

Wow, this was a surprise! I have mentioned this community of religious brothers and priests several times on this blog as they educated me at Chaminade High School. I am sure they will infuse new life into this elementary school but hope their community is not being stretched too thin. It will be interesting to see if the falling enrollment will be reversed as a result of the brothers running this school, as this is what happened when they took over a diocesan high school and created Kellenberg High.

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Ted Kennedy's name was on the No-Fly List in error. I guess it should have been on the No-Drive List instead.

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

It's My Blog And I'll Link To Myself If I Want To....

Suit says Tassone cut 178 checks to pay about $1.1M in bills and, as arrest loomed, tried to hide $300G

This is the latest on the Roslyn school district chief who embezzled millions. Since this blog is mostly about Catholic stuff, I refer readers to my previous post on this scandal and the similiarities with the Catholic Church's scandals.
Cool! I did not know this but Dappled Things mentions the Blogger Navbar that is suddenly at the top of all blogs. It seems the search box is tied to the current blog so you can search for something on Gen X Revert, i.e. if you put in "Jimmy Breslin", three previous posts regarding this bigot will be displayed. Note the correct spelling is "Breslin" not "Old Drunk".

I need to go to confession.

Monday, August 16, 2004

America's top party schools named

Where are Steubenville? Christendom? Thomas Aquinas? Are these not the ultimate party type schools?