The Reo - Nov 9, 2021

We got together at the Reo Diner in Woodbridge for a Cuppa on Nov 9th. 

A little better turnout...   Dave, Walt, Jack, Vince, Peter Donnelly, Frank Geremia and Bob Filoramo continued the Cuppa Club tradition started more than 9 years ago, and we all had a nice lunch. Frank told us that today was a "2 lunch" day for him, and had to leave just as his lunch was served. He took it in a bag and promised better planning going forward.

As it happens at Cuppa's on a regular basis, we got right into some things, this time involving finance, the NY Giants, track for the age-challenged, changes at the NJ shore and questions about how big the universe is.

Frank Geremia's second lunch date was to celebrate the success of a client's portfolio, which Frank told us reached $5MM, having started around $2MM.  We approved his leaving early, considering that achievement. Before he left, Frank told us a story about being at an NFL occasion, where he was fortunate enough to be able to get the autographs of Joe Namath and  Phil Simms, who were both Superbowl MVP's. He tried to go for a trifecta when he saw Eli Manning at the same event and asked for his autograph. Within minutes, one of Eli's "men" showed up and told Frank that Eli cannot sign anything without his  PR team approving it. A few of us thought that was a bit wimpy on Eli's part...

Dave told us about an experience where he found himself in a 5K race for seniors that he happened to hear about while he was  in New Orleans. It was a last-minute decision to enter the race, which he heard about in a conversation with a friend. He said he was pretty fit at the time, and didn't think 5K would be a problem. "It's only 3 miles, and New Orleans is as flat as a pancake -  I can handle that," he remembered saying. What he found out was that although New Orleans was flat, the bridges over the water were not, and one of those bridges was the course for the race. The first half of the race was uphill to the highest point of the bridge, and back down the other side. The second half of the race was a U-turn, and then back up and down the same bridge.  There was a lot of talk about lactic acid after that.

That got a conversation going about all the bridge construction going on in NJ shore towns like Sea Bright, and the changes that have come to those communities in the form of some very large homes, some of them just on the other side of the dunes that separate the homes from the water. There was talk about the damage that came to that area with Hurricane Sandy, and the impact of recent weather in the area. It seems like a crap shoot to build so close to the ocean, but it hasn't dampened the building and conversion activities. Good luck, everyone.

A few guys got into a discussion about scam calls, and the experiences they had with calls like, "Hi, Grandpop. Do you know who this is?" or "This is the Windows department. We have noticed that your computer has a problem and we want to help you fix it." Everyone had their own version of a response to this nonsense, although some said they never engage the caller when they get the call.

Somehow, Jack and Vince got off on a chat about how big the universe is, or more accurately, how big all the universes are. Then the discussion got to how long these universes have been in existence, and how our lifetimes are just blips in the larger scheme of things. Pretty deep stuff for a Cuppa.

Lunch came and after Frank said his good-byes, we all chowed down. We had  our picture taken and we said our good-byes around 2 pm. 

Our next Cuppa Club get together is scheduled for Tuesday, December 14th @ noon. If Covid news continues to show improvement, we will return to the Reo Diner but we will pay attention to the NJ news and schedule accordingly. Vince will keep us posted.      Until next time, stay safe. 

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We got together at the Reo Diner in Woodbridge for a Cuppa on Oct 10th. As Vince and  Peter Donnelly pulled into the parking lot, it was apparent that  they were not nearly as crowded as they usually were, and then we  saw the sign on the door about limited staff, asking patrons to be patient. Our service was fine, but we hope they get things worked out. It sorta' isn't a Cuppa without the Reo.

We were a little disappointed at the turnout, but Walt, Jack, Vince, Peter Donnelly and Bob Pipchick continued the tradition and had a nice lunch. Walt said he was not sure how he was going to get anything to eat, since Bob Filoramo usually gives Walt's order, and Bob was not there, but Walt managed to take care of it.

As it happens at Cuppa's on a regular basis, we got right into some things, this time connected to the weather, flooding  and the like.

Bob Pipchick got hit with the rain and flooding that was part of Hurricane Ida, and took on quite a bit of water in his  basement. He lost the wood floor and quite a bit of other household  stuff. Someone mentioned that it's not only single-family homes that have water problems. Apparently the 96 story building as 432 Park Ave in NYC has had severe problems, including flooding that shut down elevators for several days. Not sure how the water got up to the 84th floor,  but you can follow the story on the web.

That got Peter Donnelly to tell his story about  flooding in his hi-rise in Guttenberg that cut off elevator service  for 3 days. The building is built on the side of the Palisades such  that the entrance lobby which is on Palisades Ave, is actually on the 17th floor of the building. Apparently, the recent heavy rains  caused water to rush down from the lobby floor to floors below.

Jack relate a story about being in Hilton Head  during Hurricane Sandy, when he got a call from his son that there was flooding in his house, and that the power went out. Jack said the only thing he could do to help was to buy 2 generators in South Carolina and drive them home, where they provided some help during a week when they had no power. 

Vince and Jack spent some time talking about health insurance plans, and the differences between employer-sponsored plans and private plans. Lunch came and we all chowed down. We had  our picture taken and we said our good-byes. 

Our next Cuppa Club get together is scheduled for Nov 9th. If Covid news continues to show improvement, we will return to the Reo Diner but we will pay attention to the NJ news and schedule accordingly. Vince will keep us posted.      Until next time, stay safe. 

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 As a precaution regarding Covid, we got together at  the Rum Runner in Sea Bright for a Cuppa on Sept. 14th. They have a  dining room that is open to the outside, and since it was such a   great weather day, we had a great lunch and kept ourselves safe at  the same time.

We were a little disappointed at the turnout, but Walt, Jack, Vince, John Ricci, Peter Donnelly and Bob Filoramo had a great day and were part of a celebration that was a lot of  fun. More on that in a bit...

True to the form of past Cuppa's, we got off on a few interesting conversations. 

There was quite a lengthy discussion of hearing  aids. WHAT? I said hearing aids... Bob Filoramo was doing some research into different models and he and Jack went into quite a bit of   detail about how well different brands work, and the range of cost of these really small - and getting smaller - devices. It seems that models offered by Costco are more reasonably priced than others,  although at $2,500 per pair, they aren't exactly giving them away. Jack mentioned that they will be introducing a new model for $1,500 per pair. We will check in with Bob to see what he decides to do.

Peter Donnelly brought an article about Jersey City  that he shared with the gang.

After lunch, Vince let the gang know that the number  of '58ers who are still in their 70's had been reduced to one, and  pointed to John Ricci as the official hold-out. It turns out that  there was actually another '58er still under 80 at the time of the  Cuppa, and that was Jack Smith. As of this writing, Jack has joined  the rest of us "Octo's".

Vince mentioned that several '58ers had celebrations  of their events - Bob Filoramo had a car parade pass by his house,   leaving a box of 80 green bananas on his lawn; Dave had a video made   in his honor by his family;  Walt received a book published by  his family, and Peter Donnelly received loads of emails from his '58  classmates after his sister got the word out about his birthday. 

Vince mentioned that we were here to honor another  '58er today - Jack Gavin - who had turned 80 only a few days before.  And with that, a birthday cake was presented to Jack, courtesy of   Stephanie Grillo. The Editor cannot remember a prior Cuppa when  everyone had dessert after lunch, but 6 good-sized slices of cake  disappeared pretty quickly. As part of the fun, Bob Filoramo stood to read a limerick put together for Jack.  You can see  that here. 

It was a good time, and we look forward to celebrating the final 80th birthday of the Class of '58. More to  come on that.

With dessert finished and all reading completed, we  packed up and headed home. Jack was seen walking out with a big box  under his arm. We think there were a few more slices left in the   box.

Our next Cuppa Club get together is scheduled for  Oct 11th. If Covid news improves, we may decide to head back to the Reo Diner for the October Cuppa, but we will pay attention to the NJ   news and schedule accordingly. Vince will keep us posted.

Until next time, stay safe. 

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After missing the chance to get together in 2020, a Prep '58 contingent once again gathered at Bar Anticipation on Tuesday, August 17th, to catch up, say hello for the first time in two years, and take care of some '58 business. All in all, 30 Prep '58 guys and gals were there to share a great day.  It was just shy of our largest Summa Bash since it started in 2015. 

We had the same private space we had in 2019 - Bar A calls it their Mahogany Room - with wall-to-wall windows, a private bar and bartender, all to ourselves.... 

Once again, we had visitors from far and near... Our perennial long distance visitors - Frank & Jenny Brzenk, from Michigan (and Germany), made it once again. Dick McConville and his wife, Pat, came down from Massachusetts. 

We also had a neighborhood visitor - John Ricci from Sea Girt - We think John walked... And we were delighted that Sylvia Connors joined us for the day. Welcome, Sylvia.

After an hour and a half of catching up and sharing what's been going on, we sat down to lunch. We had our own private menu, with a great selection and great prices. You could tell the food was good, because the room got a lot quieter when it came out.

After lunch, Eddie Burke gave us a report on the Prep '58 Scholarship Fund, which is at $150,000, up from the $50,000 starting point when the fund was established in 2008. Eddie encouraged us all to consider a donation to the fund, which now supports a Prep student every four years. Eddie also mentioned that the annual tuition that the Fund helps with will approach $23,000 this coming year, up from $300 when we were at Prep.

We had a new first-timer at a Prep '58 gathering - Pat McConville - and as is our custom, we gave Pat her own Prep '58 Cuppa Club mug. As we have done in the past, we are advising Pat that the mugs are capable of handling many kinds of liquids, beyond coffee. 

As the day was drawing to a close, Vince announced that there would be a raffle of two baskets loaded with cookies, courtesy of Stephanie Grillo, owner of Confectionary Designs. In an act that some labeled extortion, Vince limited the raffle to those who have sent in Bio's. 

After adjusting her glasses to see the names of the winners, Stephanie awarded a basket each to Eddie Burke and Jenny Brzenk.  Congratulations to the winners..

We have a lot more pictures of the day, which we have assembled into a photo video which you can see here. 

That's it from Bar Anticipation. We look forward to an even larger crowd at next year's Summa Bash. Our next in-person get together will be a Cuppa Club on Sept. 14th, at the Reo Diner. We hope to see a good crowd.

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We were back back at the Reo for a Cuppa on July 13th, and though we didn't set a record for attendance, we had a good session. Jack, Vince, Peter Donnelly, Frank Geremia, John Ricci, along with Cuppa first-timer, Ed Bradley, spent the better part of 2 hours in lively conversation.

After Fr. Ed led us in saying grace, we set off on all sorts of discussions...

Ed showed up with the Cuppa Club mug he received at the 60th Reunion, and told us that he wanted to christen it at a genuine Cuppa Club get together. More on that later...

Frank Geremia, Jack and Vince went on about retirement packages that they and others received when they left various places of employment. Vince received a 39 month package with pension contributions and health insurance for the whole ride. Frank told us about an acquaintance, Ed, who was fortunate to have been laid off three times in his career, each time receiving a parting package. Nice work if you can get it.

Fr. Halligan was remembered for his work in Quito, Ecuador, where he started vocational training for the indigenous folks there to teach them a trade, while at the same time teaching their children to read and write. Everyone came out winners in that situation.

We had a conversation a while back about seasons tickets for the NY Giants at Giant stadium, and we had another one on Tuesday. Seems like there are a lot of feelings around it. John Ricci and Jack still have theirs, and I think Frank said he does too. Vince decided that he wasn't going to pay for the phony "license" that the Giants wanted him to buy for the privilege of then pay even more money for the tickets themselves. A La-Z-Boy recliner and a 65" HDTV looked like a better alternative to him.

Somehow we got from a discussion about transferring a lease on a car to the cost of parking a car in the city. Vince told us that he and Stephanie were laying out $900 per month for 2 spaces when they lived in NYC. They now pay $160 for two cars in their current apartment building. Frank told us that he was aware of a building in Brooklyn where you have to buy the parking space, and mentioned that the cost was $100,000 for the space.

And, true to his word, Ed asked for some coffee after lunch and officially christened his Cuppa Club mug. Nice work, Ed. That may be the only time a mug was actually used at a Cuppa.

After lunch, we noted that the regular Cuppa for August will be replaced by the Summa Bash at Bar-A on August 17th, and that our next Cuppa Club get together after that will at the Reo in early September. Vince will announce the date later. We hope we see a big crowd at the Summa Bash. If you haven't notified Vince that you will be coming, do so ASAP.

Until next time, stay safe.

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Our last face-to-face Cuppa at the Reo was back in February, 2020. 16 months later, we are back and better than ever!

We had 7 guys in all - Walt, Vince, Bob Pipchick,  Frank Geremia, Peter Donnelly, Bob Filoramo and his son Marc, and we all enjoyed a great lunch in an old familiar setting.

There was the typical banter for a Cuppa...

Vince and Frank Geremia were swapping stories of their days on Wall St. Frank also told us the story of how he and his son went into business together in an investment advisory company after Frank had decided to retire. https://www.geremiafinancial.com/

In a grand gesture to provide continuity from our last Cuppa at the Reo, Bob Filoramo ordered lunch for Walt. It was Walt's favorite Reo lunch - "Pancakes and sausage - extra crispy."  We think it is the only thing Walt has ever ordered there.

A few guys couldn't find their "usual" on the menu, and asked the waitress to check with the kitchen to see if they were still available. It sorta' worked out, but a few went with, "OK, we'll eat whatever you brought us..."

There was a lot more conversation, but the editor has gotten so used to recording the Zoom Cuppa sessions, that his steno skills have gotten a little rusty. Of course, you can hear it all by joining us next time!

Before we left for home, Bob Filoramo presented Vince with a cartoon, and a bag of 8 green bananas. Bob told the story of how a year earlier, Vince showed up at Bob's surprise 80th birthday party, and presented him with a proclamation, written by Jack Gavin, and a box of 80 green bananas, with best wishes on his 80th birthday. You can hear the story in detail and see a video of Bob's party here.

After lunch, we all agreed to do it again at the Reo on Tuesday, Jul 13th . We hope we see you there!

Stay safe.

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 Our last face-to-face Cuppa was in February, 2020. 15 months later, we were back with a lunch at the Rum Runner in Sea Bright, NJ, on May 11th.

The Rum Runner is a great place to eat, and gave us a table indoors, with a full-width door opening right behind us - the best of all worlds.

We had 8 guys in all - Jack, Vince, Bob Pipchick, Dave, John Ricci, Frank Geremia, Roger Bernhammer and Peter Donnelly enjoyed a great lunch in a nice place on a great day.

There was the typical banter for a Cuppa, with a bit more chatter about masks, and being able to get back to some version of normal.

Peter Donnelly brought a photo of the Peninsula House, where his family spent their summers back in the day. It burned down under suspicious circumstances in 1986.

After lunch, we all agreed to do it again - in person - on Tuesday, Jun 15th at the Reo Diner. We hope we see you there!

Stay safe.

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