We met for lunch last Friday at the Bayside Diner. If I had met Joyce at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center I would have walked right on by. She…
By Dee Richard
It’s absolutely true. The plastic surgeon did a super job on former Queens Alternative publisher Joyce Shepard.
We met for lunch last Friday at the Bayside Diner. If I had met Joyce at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center I would have walked right on by. She looked so different I wouldn’t have recognized her.
Sitting across from her in the diner and discussing some of the various procedures such as the work done on her eyes, chin and jowls, it was apparent she looked somewhat thinner as well.
She attributed this to her breast reduction procedure. She said that since her original breasts were rather large and pendulous, having the reduction created a much slimmer and more youthful appearance. Upon my agreeing with her she said, “You have to see what a great job the doctor did.” And she flipped up her T-shirt.
She was sans her bra. I and all the other diners were in a state of shock at this uninhibited display. She then said to me, “Reach over and give them a squeeze and see how firm I am.”
After convincing her that such was not my inclination and that I would take her word for it, she pulled her T-shirt back down much to the disappointment of a cab driver sitting across the aisle from us.
Joyce tells us she and her husband are going to renew their wedding vows in honor of their 22nd anniversary. They are going to renew them in the Elvis Presley Chapel at Graceland after which they’re off for a few days in Las Vegas where they intend to rent a red Mustang convertible to drive to the Beverly Hills Hotel for a few days and then they’ll fly back home.
Now enough about Joyce, as she has taken up almost half the column. But before we leave her we must also mentioned she has a new hair style that has a soft, feminine layered look in her own natural dark brown color. It is very flattering and she really does look good.
This Thursday was, as usual, a killer of a day. It started off in the early afternoon with a stop at U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman’s office to drop off some photos of the young people that he appointed to the various military academies.
The second stop was the Queens Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Card Exchange and pool party at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel at LaGuardia Airport. This year’s theme was a Mexican Fiesta. Everyone was presented with a straw sombrero and a pair of maracas.
The Mexican food was great but the margaritas and sangrias were even greater. To complete the whole scene were five members of a Mariachi Band. A fun time was had by all. Be sure you put it on your calendar for next year; it’s a party not to be missed.
Speaking of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, its members want to remind you of their 41st annual day at Belmont Park Racetrack, which is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14. Luncheon will start at noon. Post time is at 1 p.m.
They also want to remind you that on Monday, Aug. 9, they will be having their fifth annual Frank Tempone Golf Outing at the North Hempstead Country Club. If either of these events is of any interest to you, you may contact the chamber at 718-898-8500.
Our third stop was the East Manor on Kissena Boulevard in Flushing, where the Chinese American Voters Association held its annual dinner. The food was great in most attractive surroundings. That organization is growing bigger and better every year.
The fourth stop was at the Douglaston Club, where a reception was held for Assemblyman Howard Mills, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer for his Senate seat. The event had the endorsement of state Sens. Serf Maltese and Frank Padavan.
The host for the event was member of the club, broker and president of Home NY, Doug Montgomery. Mills seems to be a very sincere, serious young man who says if elected he will do more than just talk. He will also act on his promises rather than have multitudinous press conferences that promise everything but deliver nothing.
According to Mills, Schumer has proposed more than 150 bills, eight of which actually passed. And those eight were renaming parks, streets etc. The senator, he feels, is not representing New York state’s best interests. He voted “no” on the transportation bill. Considering that his wife is the New York City Commissioner of Transportation, one can only wonder why he voted against a bill that all New Yorkers were clamoring for.
Our fifth stop was the Reception House in Flushing, where Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin and his William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club had their annual dinner dance. Brian is one of my favorite politicians. In fact, he’s a big huggy bear. Even though Brian wears two hats, he and his staff manage to do a great job in administering to the needs of his constituents.
The sixth and last leg of the journey was doubling back to the Chinese-American Voters Dinner to finish taking the photos I hadn’t had time to complete on my first visit earlier that evening. Are you getting tired yet? I am just remembering all that running around. And for me, that is just one day of my week. Isn’t it great to be retired?
This column will be somewhat shorter than usual as most of our sources for gossip and information are busily employed in registering voters and conducting petition drives and therefore do not have the time for our usual newsworthy chats.
Till next week, then. And don’t forget to check out the Focus on Queens Page.
Call me at 718-767-6484, fax me at 718-746-0066 or e-mail me at deerrichard@aol.com.
Have a wonderful week,
Dee
