The eight Romeos present were Paul Girard, Joe Lapiana,
Steve Winter, Jim Sicuso, Joe Pignatiello, Jim Terlizzi, Mark Ryan and Ed DeSchuytner. You can see some photos at the link below …..
https://plus.google.com/photos/108806068200291783388/albums/5847882154664422785?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/108806068200291783388/albums/5847882154664422785
Thank God for GPS cause the streets in Winthrop are all
one way and narrow. Parking was limited with one hour on the street near the
restaurant and a parking lot in back. I parked in back with one spot left and
had to wait for a delivery truck to exit the lot after dinner. The others
parked out front at one hour and the waiter at the restaurant said that they
never ticket. Lucky this time no-one got tagged.
I arrived shortly before twelve noon and Ed and Joe L. were
already having the Grand Margarita in a huge cocktail glass. I’ll have one of
those was my reply when the waiter asked. The drink was quite good. As others
arrived the waiter got various beers and sodas. I later commented that my
brother-in-law makes frozen margaritas by the eye ball method (two jiggers each
of tequila, triple sec, margarita lemonade mix and a glass of ice) in a blender
for 30 seconds. Yum Yum.
We were all seated at a long table in the back as the
waiter brought drinks and some nachos with salsa for the table. We also ordered
some other appetizers to share. After, we ordered the main entrees which
included steak, chicken and fish fajitas.
Everything was very tasty and large portions.
The conversation was lively as always and bounced around
the table. We talked about buying new cars or leasing, the new flat less tires,
oil change kits, GIC insurance, wines, trips, and science fairs.
Jim S. said that he went for dinner in Boston and then later
to the Wine Expo. Although the tickets were $100 a pop, you could sample all
the wines for free. After 20 samples he lost count but was feeling pretty good.
He talked about some of the expensive wines that he enjoyed and other at the
table commented their likes and dislikes. After the tasting, Jim went to leave
and get his jacket which he had checked. There was a huge crowd of 200 people
ahead of him. He went over to the VIP table and asked if the concierge could
get his jacket for a small tip. He said sure and quickly returned with the
jacket but refused the tip. There are still some nice people.
Ed talked about looking at new BMWs and the new “flat-less”
tires. Supposedly you can drive on a flat (hard rubber inside) for 50+ miles
before changing the tire. However, at the dealer you need to get two new tires
to keep the balance correct at $300 a pop. What happened to the $5.00 re-treads
that I used to put on my first car in the 1960s.
Ed also said he bought an oil changing kit for his car.
Supposedly the under carriage of the car has a protective cover that makes it
hard to change oil and get at the drain plug unless you have the right tools.
The kit has a hand pump where you suck old oil out of the dip stick and then
replace it with new oil. The oil filter is also up top and easier to replace.
Ed bought the kit on-line for about $80.
Unless you have a real old car you can’t even tune-up the
car any more or do your own repairs. Everything is computerized. That’s the
price of modernization.
Jim S. was telling me that Medford HS now has a new
principle that came from Revere where Jim works. I guess he is trying new
administrative procedures in Medford that the faculty isn’t too keen on. The
new guy always has to put his spin on things.
Joe L. will soon be selecting a new health plan. He had
Blue Cross but the town he retired from is switching to GIC. He was asking
about what the best combination of GIC plans would be. We all suggested the GIC
with OME for those who also have Medicare.
I’m sure there were a lot of other topics that were discussed
but that’s all that I remember. You know “Old Age and All”.
Lastly, it was mentioned that even though we send email to a lot more people, only the regulars mostly show up. We all have busy lives and move in different directions but it would be nice to see some of the other retirees.
