Leo, You Are A Diplomat

Dear Leo-

My, how you have mastered the art of diplomacy!!! You hit the nail right on the head with many of us. I HAVE changed, but I prefer to see myself as action-oriented rather than a taskmaster (however, I do see bickering as a waste of time and energy). I honestly do not want any of us to lose sight of the main goal of re-uniting - having fun reconnecting with people who used to share our every day.

We all realize the great task ahead of the NY contingent. It is nerve-wracking getting things together for a group of people one has not seen for almost 4 decades. However, the NY contingent needs to realize how very much support they have from the rest of us, and just proceed in what they honestly feel is in the best interest of the group. Lets not get bogged down with the "stuff" of the get together - lets just get it accomplished and have fun. We all realize how much work this entails and we "out of towners" appreciate your efforts on our behalf. And thats all THIS taskmaster has to say on the subject.

Search for Glenn Korman

John,

I checked http://www.knowx.com and came up with these leads.

1) Glenn Korman
343 Park Ave
Nutley, NJ 07110-2803
(973) 542-1364

2) Glenn Korman
Wayne, NJ 07470-7950
(973) 696-0381

3) Glenn Korman
34 1/2 Saint Marks Pl
New York, NY 10003-8075
(212) 260-2408

4) Glenn C. Korman
105 North Ln
Chalfont, PA 18914-2423
(215) 822-5802

Leo made reference to them before but I don't know if he followed up on then all. Should I go further with these?

Second, I did a search on Intelius
Using Birth Dates to eliminate several Glenn Korman's, my feeling is that our Glenn lives in New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Third, I sent a message to Musiktech Advisors, Inc. http://www.musiktech.com/art_inside_bmg.htm
There is a Glenn Korman listed as Director of BMG Vault and Archives. BMG owns RCA records.
There is a younger Glenn Korman in the New York area and this may be the Glenn Korman at BMG.
We'll see if I get a response to my email.

-Tom

Doing A Great Job

Dear All-
When you attempt to please everyone, things get hairy. Let the committee decide where we are having this, and what we are eating. We have all opted to abide by the committees decisions, so there shouldn't be too much dissention there. Keep the menu as simple as possible to include SOMETHING everyone should like. If we don't get too far afield (nor too exotic), then everyone should be satisfied with the fare.

Let us not forget, the purpose of this is not to eat exotically, but to reconnect after 35 years. Sure its nice to enjoy some good food, but its better to enjoy some good company. PLEASE lets not let that fact get lost.

I, personally, honestly don't care exactly what we munch on - even if its cheese, crackers and sip some wine and / or beer. I am just looking forward to seeing everyone again.

So, for my vote, Committee members come to a consensus, and then tell me how much money I need to mail in to cover my share of the cost. It will be only myself coming to the reunion; I prefer white wine (go to sleep if I drink beer), but soda would be OK too. Sure, I have had lovely dinners at exclusive places in Manhattan (and elsewhere) but that is not what this is all about. Just tell me where to show up and meet you all and that will be that.
I believe I will be arriving at early evening on the 14th, staying with my friend in Queens and cabbing it to meet everyone. I will be leaving NY early afternoon on Sunday the 16th in order to arrive home in time for work Monday.

Lets aim at keeping the arrangements to a simple level so we can focus on the goal - of re-connecting and enjoying ourselves. Anna is a brave woman to host us all at her house. If that is the decision of the committee, so be it. Lets just do this!!!!!It will be real fun to see and speak with everyone after all this time. Please lets not spoil it with dissention about venue and menu and prices.

John,
The Pizza story may win funniest story on the Blog.
Who is the Chairperson of the Awards Committee anyway?

Out-of-Towners,
The contract was faxed back to the to the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia. I called tonight and "OLA Reunion" it is not set up in the system yet. It will take a few days. I'll let you know when to call and reserve. Thanks for your patience.

-Tom

Suggested Entertainment

Zeida-
Here's a suggestion for entertainment AND another way to keep costs down. How about have the rat pack entertain us with what they have seemed to do best throughout the years - urinate in various spots during the reunion and then we can all make guesses as to where the offending stain/order comes from??? Seriously, lets not get persickeny now. Lets just manage to all get together and enjoy each others company after all these years. Frankly the food and drink are secondary to just having us all together at the same time at the same place. Lets not lose sight of that please. And remember, it is virtually impossible to satisfy EVERYONE with everything, so lets just try to be middle of the road with whatever we decide to do.
However, since we are having the affair at Annas house in order to mitigate costs and have as much time as we want to spend with each other, lets just get the thing catered moderately, have some wine and beer and soda, coffee and tea and call it a night. Please don't make the choice of menu a big issue. We all just want to get together, not put on a grand showing of plenty. As far as I understood it, the main idea and driving force behind us all coming together again was because we want that chance to walk down memory lane again. Let's do it in as least of a stressful way as possible. Let's get together, eat and drink and enjoy each others company while listening to the songs we fell in and out of love to. That is my wish for us all.

Thanks Suzette

Good Work, Tom

Thanks for making the arrangements for us out of towners. If no one else tells you, it is much appreciated.
Suzette

OLA Reunion Hotel

I spoke with the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia Airport and put a hold on six rooms. We can always adjust up as needed. Check in time is 3:00 p.m. on Friday the 14th and check-out time is 12:00 P.M. on the 16th. When making reservations you must call the hotel directly at 718-457-6300 and mention "The OLA Reunion" in order to receive our group discount rate of $109. Everyone is responsible for their own charges. Transportation to and from the airport is included. Please check their website for amenities, etc. If this is OK with everyone, I'll turn around the agreement and we can move ahead to make individual reservations. Please let me know.

P.S. The Cabana sounds good to me. A few Mojito's at Anna's will work well too. Jo, I've been to a Chino-Latino resturant in Hong Kong. Once was enough.

Correction

Tommy- Your dates are right, but it is Friday the 14th of May for people from out of town arriving. Will 6 rooms be enough? Is Martha coming in from Miami? Has she committed? What about the other out of towners? Who are we and where are we coming from?

Sonja, Carol and I can share a room, we thought, IF the rooms are big enough to accomodate 3 people. I should be arriving late afternoon on May 14th and leaving for Florida sometime early afternoon on Sunday the 16th. This all depends on when the summer posting of sessions comes out for grad school. Hopefully that weekend will not be one of my school weekends.

As for a get together dinner, it sounds like a good idea. OR we could even meet at the lounge of the hotel for drinks as we arrive. I assume there is a lounge at the Crowne? I am thrilled at the idea of this get together. It will be so much fun to re-acquaint after 35 years.

Hope the NY planning committee is doing its job. A lot is riding on this thing going well. Any way I can help, long distance, please dont hesitate to ask.

Hotel Rooms

I put in a call to the Crowne PLaza LaGuardia Airport and asked for a group rate for six rooms arriving Friday, May13th for two nights. Unfortunately the Sales Manager was not in today and will return my call tomorrow. Please let me know how many rooms we will need.

Not to upstage the big event on Saturday the 15th, is there interest in a welcome dinner on Friday night the 14th, maybe for the Out-Of-Towners? Zeida, did you say that you knew a great Cuban Resturant in Queens?

-Tom

Music

John - Do you still have the list of CD's I sent you earlier in our Blog history? I can and will bring them all. The only reason I would not attend is if, once the summer session schedule for Grad school comes out, if my classes are posted for that weekend. Since they are all day, intensive classes ( from 9 to 5), missing even one class is deadly.
If you need me to resend all the titles, just tell me. I would like your spreadsheet and other paperwork to be complete!

By the way, where is everyoen this weekend? I have logged on a few times and no one has been here but me. Whats going on?????????

I'm Confused

Dear Josephine-
I thought the consensus was that we were catering in at Anna's house (God bless her!). Are you and Zeida looking for places to cater FROM, or alternate places to eat? I believe one of my friends, who lives in Flushing,used to be in the catering from home business. Would you all like me to give her a call and find out if she is still doing that business? If so, let me know this weekend, since I have Monday off for Martin Luther King day and I have some free time now. If not, OK, no offense taken, Just trying to help, if its needed.

A Guess

a) Robert
b)John
It seems that Robert or Glen were usually the instigators, and John was the more sensitive (sorry Leo) of the twins. Those are the reasons for my answers. I think John would have felt compassion for the little old lady, Leo would have laughed and thought the entire incident funny, and either Robert or Glen (or both) would have been doing the dastardly deed.

Leo, please note, that I did inquire as to the severity of punishment that Zeida was ready to mete out to you for your indescretion(many years ago). Word to the wise - don't tick her off!!!

To answer another question about female etiquette training, I can remember being taught to walk with a book on my head to "improve our posture" but am doubtful if it was in OLA or Mary Louis where this part of the curriculum was added.

The only thing I deefinately CAN be sure of was our sex-ed training came from those records we had tolisten to at home ( we had to take turns bringing it home with us). I remember having my dad come over that night to listen to the record with mom and I ( as directed by the nuns) Remember, my parents were divorced since I was 3. I remember listening to the record in my living room, watching my fathers face turn beet red, and when I asked him my first question:" Dad, I can understand about how a baby GROWS once it is inside the womans body, but please explain exactly how it gets there in the first place?" He stood up (quickly) and told me he had to go and that my mother would answer my question for me. I had a very hard time understanding his reaction for many years. Now when I hear of "new" programs in the schools designed to foster close parent-child communication, where the child has to take home a tape or CD, I remember back to those record - days at OLA and smile.
Does anyone else remember those records? It doesnt sound like you boys had to listen to these records. Did you? Or did Fr. Frazetta teach you all you needed to know???

Tongue-cleaning

No,Suzette, I would have asked Leo politely to correct his misdeed and I would have suggested he use his tongue as penance. Afterall was not humiliation the tool often used by our educators to help us grow up to be the best we could be. Thank god ,times have changed,because our generation suffered emotional and psychological damage at the hands of some,left to "direct us"in the right directions. I received my First Holy Communion at Ressurection ascension Church in Elmhurst. We had a nun who would repeatedly place pieces of soap in the mouths of boys who answered her back. On one horrifying occasion,the victim began to cry,spewing bubbles and vomit all over himself. She made him sit in the pew,without even allowing him to rinse his mouth or clean himself up. She humiliated him and abused him in EVERY sense of the word ,this not only scarred him but it affected all of us who witnessed this behavior,coming from a nun. Today,she'd be arrested,and rightfully so. Don't worry I have no wrath,when I get upset I resolve. And what can any of you possibly do that would warrant my disapproval?

Explosives in the bathroom

John, your memories are amazing. Remember there was a kid by the name of Raymond Asavado? I remember an incident of an explosive in the boys toilet. Roger Bubello must remember this, his brother Bruce was in that class. On another occasion, someone shot a paper clip into the Christmas Tree in the eighth grade reading class. I remember the no hands in pocket rule. Wasn't there are a sort of charm school that we all attended...how to sit with your hands properly placed, etc.?

An Indelible Mark

Dear John-
Your memories are vivid of these events. Sr. Joseph MUST have made quite a mark in your subconscious. For the life of me, I cannot remember any event from that period of my life with such clarity as you can in relating the bathroom incidents. Gee, and they always say GIRLS took long and did strange things in the bathroom. Thank you for publicly dispelling the myth!!!

Zeida- remind us all NEVER to get you extremely unpset with us, or we could all do some "licking" of unsavory places. (Would you really have insisted Leo clean the shower WITH HIS TONGUE???) Yuck!

Leo,an interesting revelation from my dad

I spoke to him last night and told him of your candid confession concerning the "peeing" incident. To my shock and dismay,he was quite amused and continued to tell me that "boys", just find that kind of act,very inviting and rebellious(which ,to my dad translates into a very"Macho" and "guy thing" to do). He then shared something with me that made my eyes pop out of my head. He said, that around your age,at the time of your incident, he and his cousins back in Cuba, decided to stand on a rooftop,in the town where they lived. They waited there for the town judge to pass ,and then they all simultaneously peed on this poor man's head. Lucky for them their grandfather was a good friend of the judge's and no arrests were made. They were,however brought into a small court house,where his grandfather and the judge took turns knocking their heads together until they gave up their tough exteriors and began to cry like baby girls. I was horrified! If I would have had a brother,my dad would have had a ball with him, teaching him the "Way of the MAN".I think he's very proud of you. He definitely got a good laugh,even though he had surgery Saturday and should not have been laughing,but what the HECK, HE'S A MAN HE CAN TAKE IT. I can't handle this double standard,I would have made you clean Anna's shower with your tongue. The same tongue you used to kiss the girls with. Talk later,YOU REBEL MAN!!!! Zeida

Oh Come On!

Dear Sonja-
Nice to hear from you. I take it you are not in agreement to my quick and easy solution for an ongoing problem we seem to have??? Or are you too much in agreement??
How come you have been so quiet of late? Will you be attending the reunion on May 15th? What have you been up to lately and why havent we heard some of your pearls of wisdom on the blog?
Happy holidays!

And where has Esteller Renee Casalli been recently? Renee, I got the pictures back from our brief meeting in South Carolina. Would like to send you a copy. Need your address, please.

A Possible Solution

Dear Leo-
After reading your heart-rending "confession" I think I have come up with a solution to make all parties happy. I feel that, since the question now exists, as to whether or not you ( and others) are REALLY potty trained, after 35 years, I feel the best way to offer Anna peace of mind is for the rat pack to wear catheter bags, to eliminate any POSSIBILITY of future "accidents" or irrational longings to urinate in untoward areas in Anna's home. This would keep you boys out of trouble, for once at least, and preserve the cleanliness of Annas shower (and God knows what other areas of her home which may strike your fancy). I believe we should put this up to a vote. All those who agree, sat "Aye!"
Suzette

Confess,Some More

My god,Leo,I didn't have a bathroom in MY basement but did you pee anywhere in my house that I(or my father) should know about? What were you guys thinking? I think the Rat Packers should bring Porta-potties with them to Anna's for the re-union. We wouldn't want you to get carried away and decide to pee somewhere unusual. Will the food be safe? Can't a person get some kind of foot fungus disease from showering in pee-infested showers? Anna,I hope you and your family survived without any lasting effects from this disgusting prank. Leo,when did your past madness end? or could we still look forward to more? Kinda like "The Neverending Story ". But really,did you ever do anything like that at my house,it would answer so many questions about my dog's strange behavior. Growing up is just NO FUN!!!!!!!! Right? Zeida

Leo, Your Pennance

Remembering Fr. Frazzetta as I do, if you said EXACTLY that to him, your pennance was probably ALL of the afore-mentioned items. I am sure if he could threaten to keep you at quite a distance from us girls, he would have felt that was a true "agony" for you, but I could also see him threatening with the other events also. So, I vote for a "5" choice - all of the above were true.

Josephine and Martha - welcome back! I missed you. Josephine, I think Alexanders is safe because I do not believe it is any longer in business there in the old neighborhood! Logging into the blog does not bother me, because it is the one surefire way we can communicate and know that everyone is seeing the same thing any time they choose to log in. No missed information, no miscommunication. So, no, it does not bother me at all. But then, I guess I am not bothered by too many things at this point in my life.

Maritina, it would be great to have you join the blog. Come on, girl. "Talk" to us!!!

I understand from Carol that she is working on dubbing some of her records onto CD's for the reunion, and I promise to bring my CD collections also. Nite for now.
Suzette

NOT a Lego Match!

Dear John-
Please rest assured that, no, Fr. Frazzetta was not my mystery dance partner and that I was not shaped in a convex manner(thank God), and his pot belly did not fit into any part of any of us girls, as far as I know. So, no, we did not fit like lego, nor like Lincoln Logs either. I think having him as a dance partner would have made me extremely uncomfortable, and we would have attracted much more attention that my partner and I actually did. Plus, in this guess, you have once again failed to consider all the clues I generously bequeathed upon the blog.

Leo, I am glad I was able to surprise you with my correct guess. See, it is not just Josephine who is agile of mind! But it would be nice to have Martha and Josephine back on the blog with us periodically. Come back, little Shebas! We miss you!!!

Zeida, I believe that when we once again meet, you will be busy diagnosing all our abberant behaviors and classifying them according to the most recent DSM volume. I am sure after this reunion, you will be able to write a book, but classify it as fiction, cause I am sure no one will believe it to be a true biography of OLA "characters".

I am really looking forward to this reunion. I hope and pray that it actually happens. Come on, planning committee - PLEASE meet and set things up for us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goodnight all. I'll check back on the blog before crawling under the covers for the night.

Impossible!

Leo,You're too much!! Father Fazzetta, the mystery dancer? Actually I had wanted to suggest the same but after our last mini-reunion meeting ,we can be sure,without a doubt that it would have been an impossibility. Father Frazzetta had many unique qualities but this one would not qualify,unless he was conducting research for his next Sex Education class. Your quess was just too funny and really OUT OF THIS WORLD. You're such a trouble-maker. LOL Zeida

Leo the Hair Puller

Leo-
I remember you used to torment some of us girls. I can see Elizabeth Griffin carrying through on a threat to go to Sr. Damien. She used to have long hair worn free-style. So, is she the girl whose tresses you tugged??
Suzette

Keep Your Day Job

Dear John-
You may have inherited a photographic memory from your dad, but please do not give up your day job to join Scotland Yard. James was not my partner on that evening, nor was it "love at first sight" ( I doubt James knew I was alive), nor did he use his bare hands on ANY part of my body - to be sure. Yes, you ARE right about one thing, I have given a multitude of clues, so I guess the answer will have to wait, as per Leo, until we meet at the reunion. The more I see of the guesses being made, the more sure I am that everyone will be very surprised at my partners identity. Hopefully he will be there, so that I can watch his face as I reveal his identity to one and all. So Orange Alert or not, your deductive reasoning will have to wait patiently for satisfaction. I am sure you will be surprised about his identity.

I was sorry to hear that Roger could not make the reunion. Perhaps after we all meet, and we put some of our photos onto the blogger, maybe Roger would be persuaded to put his out there for us all to share too. Roger, we'll show your ours if you show us yours (photos I mean!!!)

Say goodnight, Gracie!

Leo, the Diplomat!

Dear Leo- Your wish is my command, at least regarding my dance partner. I shall reveal all ( or at least that which NEEDS to be known) at the reunion concerning my mystery partner. Of course I would wish for both you AND Josephine to stand at the ready with your chosen equipment in hand to defend my honor (HA!). An ORANGE alert? Where did that come from? And yet, I can see both of you standing by and being very good at your self appointed jobs. Why is that??? As for defending my honor - ask Sonja. I have very nicely learned to take care of myself, as she chuckled about when we both attended Carols' wedding last year. Afterwards, we shared a cold one at an Irish pub and had some chuckles together about my "latent abilities".

The blog has been unusually quiet recently - perhaps due to the holiday season and family committments. I hope people come back to it though - its nice to log on and find a friendly message, instead of just spam in my email. I have not heard from Martha privately either. I know that she had been busy traveling for business for a while, and add to that the holidays, and perhaps that is why she has been so quiet of late.

Has the "delegation" checked out Anna's house yet, or is that planned for later this month? Does poor Anna know what she is letting herself in for? Anna, think! It is not too late to quietly make an excuse - like you have 3 panda bears nesting in the living room and they cannot be disturbed because they are an endangered species, or some such plausible excuse. Honestly, I think it is most gracious of you to extend the use of your home to us all - and VERY BRAVE of you at the same time.

Is John making another spreadsheet concerning menu for the evening? Miss Marus would be proud of you, John!!! I think our old teachers would be proud of all of us. We all seem to have made good career choices for ourselves and are happily ensconsed(sp?) in family lives. That is a rather uncommon occurance in todays world, you know. We did well for ourselves!!! Could it be that Catholic education set the stage for our future development????? Or was it that we didnt DARE disappoint our family and not live up to their expectation of us? Either way, we are OK.

Gotta get going for now. Hope to see other blogs later on this evening. Be well, one and all. Keep blogging.

I'm BAAAAACK!

Dear All-
The family and I just returned from the Bahamas, and it was wonderful. Extremely relaxing, and yet lots to do when you wanted to. The cruise out was a bit rough - but I am proud to say I did NOT take Drammine, and "held my own" so to speak. The eight days seemed like it would be a long time, but it flew, and before you knew it, we were packing up the suitcases and preparing to depart the island. So Sad!!! This is one place we definately want to return to.

No to answer you last query, John. No, unfortunately, you have again guessed incorrectly. Let me give you another clue: This gentleman was as tall, or slightly taller than I was at the time of the dance." That should point you in the right direction. I am surprised that your brother, the Riddler, isnt helping you out on this quest you have assumed.

Hope everyone had a happy, healthy holiday season. I look forward to May to bring the old class back together again.

Bye for now.

PS- Good work Sonja, with getting Maritina back into the fold. How did you do it?