(Repost) Time to Wine and Dine with The ARC Mid Hudson

About the Event

Enjoy a delicious four-course dinner with wine pairings courtesy of Stone Ridge Wine & Spirits, and an exclusive auction, while being treated to a performance by Ian Flanigan, all in support of The Arc Mid-Hudson.

We are delighted to have Bob Siracusano from Sawyer Motors and Tim Sweeney from Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Nutshell Realty as our hosts.

This is an event that you definitely won’t want to miss!

6:00 pm-10:00 pm

$135 per person

Tickets Required

Must be 21+ or over to attend. 

NEW LOCATION! Now at the Diamond Mills

in the Diamond Mills Ballroom

25 S Partition St, Saugerties, NY 12477

https://www.diamondmillshotel.com/

The link for the event and tickets is here: 2024 Wine and Dine – Campaign (classy.norg)

Please consider donating to the ARC Mid Hudson or attending this wonderful event or those that come in the future!!

Until next post, Dear Readers, stay safe, stay strong and, as always….

Shine On!!

From the Hudson Valley Writer’s Guild: Wonderful Words!!!

Word Fest – Hudson Valley Writers Guild (hvwg.org)

As a fellow poet, I do my best to support the local poetry scene, as I feel as if I didn’t, it would be a sacrilege. I personally would like to be there if I can, but I want to promote this wonderful event.

To those in the Albany area, please support these wonderful fellow poets. I know personally how open they are, as fellow poets and friends.

Until next post, Dear Readers, stay safe, stay strong and, as always….

Shine On!!!

(Repost) Everyday I’m Chargin’

I know, Dear Readers, that I’ve spoken about it before, but I feel like the above meme says a lot about how completely draining it can be to be social.

Especially for my fellow Spectrumites, since we do our very best to be as “normal” as possible, masking our every flaw. All in the name of conforming, in the name of “fitting in”, of simply behaving.

I don’t want to say that rebelling on the status quo is always a good thing, sometimes it’s necessary to do so. That being said, doing so for hours, days on end can be totally draining. So much so that recharging can take a lot of time, depending on the person, to get back to “normal.”

That’s why it’s important for us to find a balance between being social and being kind to yourself.

Being kind to yourself can help you in the long run, finding a balance can help you thrive in rough times, help us understand each other and help us all….

Shine On!!!

Letters For Lent 2024: Faith Through Trials -in Memory of the late Joseph Defino Sr-

Thirty Years Ago, Seven Minutes Became More

I remember vividly when I first heard of Riverdance. I was introduced to Irish dance thanks to my late Aunt Helen as she produced a VHS copy of the first edition of what I consider to be a masterpiece: Riverdance.

Simply put, I was spellbound by it.

Thanks to my older brother, whom I owe a lot to honestly, I was able to join him in seeing Riverdance from the famous Radio City Music Hall and was just as enchanted then as I am now.

It all started with the following clip, from the Eurovision Song Contest of 1994 and I hope you all enjoy the following video.

I know, Dear Readers, that this is a short post, but I’ll work on my other posts.

Until next post, stay safe, stay strong and, as always…,

Shine On!! Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all!!

The Hot Take: Looking Beyond

The Games Are On!! (From the Greats from BuzzerBlog!)

From the video itself:

The 2024 24-Hour Game Show Marathon, raises money for charities every year by performing a giant game show game night with friends and loved ones. Barely any sleep, lots of trivia and fun, and it’s all For The Love of Game Shows.

Being a game show fan myself, I’m looking forward to seeing this wonderful Marathon, it does a little of good raising money for charity. Even though I can’t donate to them directly, I want to be able to share this worthwhile event.

So, please support this great event, donate only if you can and, above all…

Shine (or Game) On!!!

(Repost) Carol Zaloom, A True Artist…

(Writer’s Note: In honor of International Women’s Month, I felt it only fitting, Dear Readers, to repost this memorial post to the late Carol Zaloom. Suffice it to say, she meant a lot to me as well as she did many other artists.

I only hope that I’m doing my part to honor her.

Stay safe, stay strong, and as always…

Shine On!!!)

Dear Readers, this was a post that I didn’t want to write, but I feel like I need to, if only for the fact that it might resonate with you.

I have the sad duty to report that my dear friend, linocut illustrator, Carol Zaloom, passed away earlier this past weekend. Simply put, she was an artists’ artist and a friend to so many in the local artists community, myself very much included. She was an amazing cook, incredibly funny and lived in an quaint Irish quarryhouse that went back a long time with her partner, “The Poetic GodFather of the Hudson Valley” Mikhail Horowitz.

During the annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour and her Open Houses, the aforementioned Quarryhouse became a place where I felt the most welcome, where I felt like I was at home. The Quarryhouse reminds me of the bathhouse from Miyasaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away in its very ambiance and it was simply amazing. It became my go-to place during those times. In fact, Carol was the one whom inspired me to watch the masterpieces of Hayao Miyazaki, something that I’ll always be grateful for.

During a performance of Mik and his partner is comedy, Gilles Malkine at the famous Woodstock School of Art, I sat next to Carol and was introduced to a friend as an adopted son by Carol. She later said that I was an artist, an open mind, appreciative of the arts.

An artist and an adopted son. Those titles are ones that I’ll always cherish. Always. It’s something that I’ll always be proud of.

I know that how I’m feeling isn’t different to other Spectrumites who find those whom welcome them with open arms, as I have. My thoughts and prayers are with Mik and those who loved my friend, Carol.

Thank you, Carol, for being the wonderful person, fabulous artist and adoptive Mom to me and those whom you inspire. Thank you for helping us all….

Shine On!!!

A Lenten Halftime Pep Talk

Dear Readers, I want to give those whom (like me) are going through the Holy Season of Lent a bit of a pep talk.

I want to do so for you all if you’re going through a hard time during Lent, for myself if nothing else, but I feel this could be a pep talk for anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

Maybe, it’s been a tough road.

Maybe, it’s been hard to find time or opportunities to make those plans come true.

Maybe you’ve taken on too much, all at once. Or too less and it’s become too easy.

Maybe, you feel like giving up the fight, feeling as if the fruits of your labor are for nothing.

Maybe, you find yourself distracted, all of the things you gave up are calling for you and you’ve succumbed.

Those things are natural, these things happen, sometimes life gets in the way, things out of our control.

These are the times to regroup, to focus, to knuckle down on the things that matter most.

The works will say that it’s too late, but it’s never too late to start again.

Maybe you’ll fall again, so keep on going on, step by step, day by day. Keep carrying the cross you have, knowing that you’re not alone.

He is with you…

We are with you,

You’re not alone, not now nor ever.

Keep fighting, keep striving for what you feel is the right course of action. Keep clinging to His promises.

Be not afraid, He is with you, always!

So, keep pushing forward, keep staying strong in adversity and live everyday wanting to….

Shine On!!!

Letters For Lent 2024: A Light in the Darkness -in Memory of the late Joseph Defino Sr-