A Published Author

It seems as if I spend my every day doing some form of writing. At work, I author Web pages, social media posts, e-mail marketing campaigns, and more. Outside of the office, of course, I also dabble in blogging and satisfying my own unending desire to express my own opinions on any and all subjects under the sun. But other than as part of a faceless cog, an anonymous writer in a vast and talented marketing communications staff, nobody had ever seen fit to take my work and publish it.

Today that changed, as your humble blogger has succumbed to the immense peer pressure and examples set forth by Francase and Big Daddy Jeff and joined the Examiner.com staff, covering New York Politics. I'm still undecided about the platform -- either it's the most democratic voice of the people on a large scale ever undertaken by a Web entity or it's a brilliant link farm/ad serving profit monger, I can't tell which -- but I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to covering the nuances of one-party rule here in the Big Apple with a more straight and sober approach.

Don't worry, my three readers; Geek Soap Box will never go anywhere. I will always need a platform to opine on topics outside of local politics, particularly involving copious amounts of snark and profanity. Just expect some occasional and shameless post whoring and links to my other work on occasion. 

And on that note, here's a teaser of my first published piece: As Weiner packs, challengers line up to fill his seat.

Monday marked the close of the tumultuous scandal that came to be known as Weinergate, as former United States Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) submitted his official letter of resignation and began the process of cleaning out his offices as two giant blue recycling bins stood guard outside his District of Columbia office.

With Weiner's resignation effective midnight tomorrow, it will fall upon New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to call for a special election to fill the embattled congressman's seat. As the process unfolds, several contenders are speculated as having great interest in throwing their hats into the ring.

Like they say on the big blogs, click over to read the rest.

A Noble Heart Burns

My alma mater was in the news last night, as a two-alarm fire on its premises sent billowing, acrid, putrid smoke into the Manhattan night.

A massive blaze tore through the prestigious Regis High School on the Upper East Side Friday night, fire officials said.

The two-alarm fire broke out on the second floor of the Catholic school, on E. 84th Street, near Park Avenue, around 11:50 p.m.

It took more than 100 firefighters from 25 units about 90 minutes to bring the inferno under control, according to the FDNY.

Two firefighters were taken to New York hospital with minor injuries, but no one was believed to be inside at the time flames erupted.

Fire officials said the blaze did not appear to be suspicious, although the cause was under investigation.

Truly, we may never know what caused the fire. Perhaps it was a disgruntled former student, angered over the fact that his idea to live in a log cabin without power or running water (Unabomber-style) in an effort to write the Next Great American Novel failed. Or perhaps it someone abused at the hands of our former Jesuit headmaster. Or maybe it's just that the building was really freaking old and something was bound to happen one day.

Regardless, and perhaps in terrible taste, I cannot help but feel a slight tinge of schadenfreude at the school's sad misfortune (having nobody in the building and no major injuries at the time helps). While Regis definitely shaped me into the man that I am today, I'm not exactly sure that's a good thing, as a sea of pseudo intellectuals and utter lack of support system cause a young Geek to flounder and struggle aimlessly through his angst-filled teenage years. I may be your son, fair Regis, but my spirit is definitely not from you.

Idiot

An SUV drives up my street and double-parks outside the local delicatessen, as many are wont to do on a given day on a bustling thoroughfare. Unfortunately, this particular time, a patrol car operated by New York’s Finest happens to be right behind the SUV.

The cop honks his horn at the stopped vehicle in front of him. Nothing.

The cop honks again. The SUV driver, confused as to what is happening, rolls up the street perhaps no more than five feet, and then promptly puts the car right back into park. Still double parked, but now slightly further down the street.

Another honk. No reaction.

A fourth honk. Nothing. The officer is left with no choice but to flash his lights, exit his vehicle, and promptly issue a summons to the offending driver.

Exit question: Just what in the blue hell was the SUV driver thinking? Was he unaware that double parking is illegal, despite displayed signage to the contrary (not to mention common sense)? When a cop honks at you, you move! Circle around the block if you must; by the time you return the officer will likely be long gone. But to sit there in a state of defiance or oblivion–and then to get angry and yell at the officer? Congrats, dude, you win the Moron of the Day Award.

Solara Snowpocalypse 2011

The single task I loathe most when it comes to automobile ownership has to be cleaning the thing off after a major winter snowstorm. Miss your window of opportunity and you will find your vehicle either plowed in behind a five-foot wall of ice or otherwise encased within a giant frosty cube that nary a chisel can crack.

So, given the horrific snowfall that has plagued New York in the new year, I knew I was heading for trouble when I ventured downstairs yesterday to scope out my beloved Solara’s status … after weeks of letting it sit idle in my apartment building’s lot.

Suffice to say unburying the car proved to be an insurmountable task, primarily because a one-foot thick ice wall prevented me from even getting close enough to the vehicle to open the trunk and grab my shovel and scraper. The car did “beep” at me when I hit the unlock button on the key fob, though, so at least the battery is OK.

It’s my fault that it’s come to this; I should have remained vigilant in digging out after each storm, lest they join forces with weeks of sub-freezing temperatures to create an impenetrable barrier. It’s just another example of how my pervasive procrastination and apathy prove to be my worst enemy. Guess I’ll have to pray for an early spring thaw.