Harper J. at Three 1/2 Months

For those interested I have posted a few pictures of Harper at Harper J.

Better than an Oprah

I just don't get it. Why Oprah? What's the big deal? I don't find her particularly funny or kind or knowledgable or entertaining. I mean, I just don't get it. Why is she so powerful? I've watched the show a handful of times. I can't really remember any of the shows and I don't remember being glued to the television by any of the material. There are so many things that are better than Oprah, I just don't get her popularity is all.

However, Rob Righter whom some of you may have already heard of has finally agreed, after much pushing and prodding, late night negotiating and a little bit of the old duck and swoop, to write a post or two or three here at Coney Island. You may recognize Rob from one of his many accolades. He was voted most promising white rapper in 1986 by a host of his peers who included none other than DJ Jazzy Josh and LL Cool Gorss. He is a reknowned poker shuffler as well as dealer taking time to not only smell the roses but to also excercise his vast knowledge of Temple Breathing (Reeling it in). He is a master storyteller as well as interpretive dancer. We are happy to welcome our new writer, Rob Righter.

You Might As Well Skip This Post.

I find the aesthetics of golf so attractive. Here are my top five aesthetic choices...


Titleist 690MB

I would own these if they weren't so expensive. They are also a little bit less forgiving than my Taylormade 360's. As soon as I am consistently breaking forty, I'd like to buy these.


Mizuno MP37
Pretty similar to the Titleist's.


Wilson Staff forged

I'd like to try hitting these. They are less expensive than the other irons. Most of the irons today have a thick upper line to encourage confidence. I'd rather look down and see a thin little blade that I have to get the ball onto.


Taylormade Rac
These came out a about the same tme my 360's came out but they were more expensive.



I love the tight printing on the Titleist Pro V1. Other balls use a thick font. The Titleist Pro V1 has this minimal small print.

Here are some design choices I really do not care for.


Callaway Fusion

It looks too heavy to even pick up. I hate all of the graphics and writing on the back. It's as superfluous as this post.


Nike Sling Shot
The metal on the back looks like an afterthought. I have to admit though, that I took a couple of swings with these and the clubhead seems to square itself.

Also, I'd like to apologize for this post. I'd just wanted to see what it would look like. I do that a lot. I tend to spend a lot of time previewing what this website would look like with different backgrounds. I just want to see what it might look like. I like to think of it as painting research.

The Bienko's: Part One

When my father comes to visit me in Ithaca, he always calls me before hand and we discuss our plans for the visit. It usually consists of scheduling a tee time, nailing down a hotel or sleeping arrangements, and talking about food. We both are more comfortable traveling when we have an idea of where we'll be staying, how we'll be spending our time, and what we'll be eating.

So a typical phone conversation will go something like this:
Dad: Did you get a tee time yet?
Cap'n: Yup, ten o'clock.
Dad: I called the Hotel today. Everything is all set. I figure we'll just barbeque on the grill or something once we get there.

Now, here I have to add that my wife spent two years at the number one Culinary School in the nation earning her Associates degree in Culinary Arts. She also has a Bachelors degree in Business. But my Dad doesn't want MaryJo to feel like she has to make some crazy dish when he comes. In fact, he'd rather she just relax and enjoy herself.

Dad: Tell MaryJo not to worry. We'll just keep it light. She doesn't have to go crazy making stuff. I'll do the cooking and cleaning. Maybe do some sausage and Hot Dogs. Maybe burgers or we could do steaks on the grill, but whatever. It doesn't really matter. I do want to get some clams from that place down town. Those were excellent last time. Just nice and easy...or pork loins, what about maybe pork loins. I have this way of cooking them Josh, oh man, I made them the other night, I killed 'em. Ah they were great.
Cap'n: Yeah cool. Sounds good.
Dad: Corn too. We've got to have some corn. We could do it in the mic or on the grill doesn't really matter. We can pick up some potato salad, just out door stuff. I could do an antipasta [sic] before dinner just to snack on...

I'm sure you get the idea. And I'll say this. He follows through with what he says. He does all the cooking when he gets here, cleans all of the dishes, comes completely prepared with the things he needs or runs to the store if he needs to and buys everything. He does not allow me to ever pull out my wallet. The part I want to draw attention to is the selection of foods. He lists like ten or fifteen different things he might want, or things that might be fun to have. He's not out of shape or anything. He plays basketball and works out and golfs consistently. We usually try to get to the store before hand to get some things but it's tough to narrow down the plethora of foods he rattles off. MaryJo and I end up just thinning it down to Pork loins and asparagus.

Well this weekend my Father threw MaryJo and I a Baby Shower/Congratulations on UGA/Farewell party in Fredonia, NY. He had tee times for 7:00am at his local course, we were sleeping in his bedroom and he did not want to hear any "no you don't have to do that's." And the food. The food...

Apparently when my Dad rattles off those foods he's not just talking out loud. There were (and I'm sure I'll forget a bunch of things) three different kinds of sausage labeled Hot, Italian, or Polish, all stewing in either peppers and onions, hot peppers or whatever the polish stew their sausage in, there were Four huge Pork loins, there were hot dogs, hamburgers, cheese burgers, antipasta [sic] with ham, salami, artichoke hearts, peppers, lettuce, pasta salad, tuna salad, salt potatoes, homemade pepper dip for chips, deviled eggs, cookies, two different cakes, one spelled "Harper, Harper" and the other, "Congratulations on UGA," Cookies, another seven layered cake, four dozen clams, a Labatt's Blue keg in a frig, Smirnoff Ice blast coolers or whatever they're called, Gatorade, Pop, Water bottles, a full bottle of Grey Goose Vodka etc. There's more stuff but it's getting redundant. I just couldn't believe it. It was a feast. I mean there were more than ten of each kind sausage. There were fourteen people there. We got to laughing with my Dad before we left at the quantity of food. He said, "Oh man, there’s a lot of food here...And we were worried we wouldn't have enough."

Well MaryJo and I wondered if we could say thank you enough.

Dad, if you read this, I just want you to know that the party was excellent. MaryJo and I could not believe all that you and Deb did in preparation. When we left, we talked about not knowing how to show our appreciation. How can we show you that we have genuinely thought about and thoroughly appreciate all that you have done for us these last couple of years? I just want to thank you again. The party and your visits mean so much to me, to MaryJo and especially to Harper. We all love you!
The Pork loins were incredible!

You deserve a High Five!