Jayism.net - Weblog

I am sitting here typing with my headphones full of Wilco's A Ghost is Born and glass of Jameson by my side. I talked to Charlie earlier today. We were talking about how we were all listening to some of Jay's favorite bands today. It really got me thinking about how much he enriched my life. I can't say I would have gotten into Wilco, The Jayhawks, Ryan Adams, The Eels...the list goes on and on...without Jay saying "you gotta check this out" and handing me a disk. Some of the most influential and fun times I have had in my life happend with Jay by my side. He helped my pick out the ring I gave my wife. We ran 26.2 miles together. We shared time that was only between the two of us and those are the moments I think about today. I know I am one of many who feels this way. Cheers brother. Wish you were here.

The best song will never get sung
The best life never leaves your lungs
So good, you won't ever know

--Wilco "The Late Greats"

Hey all,

The Jay Frazier All-In No-Limit Texas Hold'em Charity Poker Tournament will be held at the Rock Creek Mansion in Bethesda on Friday November 7th at 7:00pm.
$75 buy-in includes Open Bar/Buffet and Silent Auction. E-mail jaystourney@yahoo.com
if you want to play! It will be a great time for a great friend!

Also, if you want more info, just go to: http://www.jayism.net/events/allin08.htm

~Lisa

Dear James D,
It has been a year since your Dad's passing and there is not a day that goes by that we don't think of him. Sometimes the thoughts make us laugh out loud and other times it is hard to hold back the tears.

I have been fortunate to be let into your life. When your Mom asked me to be your godfather, I was so honored and full of pride. I held you in your first hours of life and it is a moment I will never forget. Not only because I could see your parents in your eyes, but also because I knew how proud your father would have been that day. His smile and laughter would have radiated the halls of Holy Cross. To see you grow and see the love that surrounds you is a joy and I know your father loves you very much as well.

I want to tell you a few things about your father. He was a man of great moral strength. He put other's first and did all he could to help those in need. He was a friend that you could always count on. He was the funniest person I have ever known. If you could turn laughter into energy, the laughs we all had could light up the earth. He had emence love for your mom and your family. The mere mention of them would light up his face and bring a joyful tear to his eye. He might not have wanted me to tell you that, but he was as sentimental as it gets. Which is something we all loved about him. He loved live music. He was a walking reference of films, music, musicians, books and sports. He loved to sing and entertain. Whenever he walked into a room, people noticed. He stood up for what was right and never looked down on anyone for the things they could not control. He overcame obsticles and always tried to be a better person. He enjoyed life and all of the adventures it has to offer. He loved the Redskins and the Orioles. He had an eye for photography and for seeing things other might not see.

When your father passed, not only was the church full of people... it overflowed. They had to put extra seats out into the hallways. At his viewing, it was tough to move through crowed. I tell you this to illustrate how much your father was loved by all. Your Uncle Charlie, Uncle Chris and Aunt Sara were supports for everyone during a time that was very tough for them. Your grandparents and Mom showed everyone love and support at a time when they needed it the most. These are the people who are part of you and their strength is something you should be proud of.

James D., we all love and support you. I could go on and on about your father because I think the world of him, but what I want you to take away from this is this: Your Mom and Dad love you with every fiber of their being. Your family loves you more than you could know. Always remember through the tough times and the good that there are people you can count on. Take advantage of every opportunity given to you and celebrate life.

Much Love,
From Us All

As the ACC men's basketball season comes to a close in just over a week, I am wondering what Jay's take on the year would have been. The last time I saw Jay was toward the end of March last year when he and Q rolled into Charlottesville to watch a few days of the NCAA Tournament with me.

At the nadir of Carolina Basketball, more than five years ago now, I would receive phone calls from Jay after being blown out by the Terps. I insisted that the tarheels were in a 'rebuilding period,' but he simply laughed and said, "they just suck." He knew how to rattle my cage, for sure.

As I fill out my bracket this year, I will wonder which pick Jay would have made in each contest. Anyway, I will dearly miss you during the upcoming tournament, Jay. Much Love. Chuck.

Alright all you Jay fans -- the baby is here! HE came this morning at a very early, unspecified hour. All I know is that nana's phone call woke me up! Here are a few details: James Dominick Frazier; 7 lbs; 19 1/2 inches; brown eyes; shaggy hair style. And thanks to Christian, photos are now available (trying to attach.)

Jay -- we love you, miss you, and are slap-happy with thanks that you left this for us.

Hey Everyone...

Here are a few events coming up soon to help celebrate Jay:

---------------------------------------------------------

The Jay Frazier First Annual No Limit Hold Em Poker Tournament

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Check-in starts at 5:30 pm, cards will be
Dealt at 6pm.

Buy-in - $60 donation per person to benefit The James Frazier Memorial Baby Fund and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Parkside Condominiums North Clubhouse
10520 Montrose Avenue, Bethesda, MD

To reserve your tournament spot today, please e-mail Candace Moxley at candacemoxley@yahoo.com to see if spots are available and you can mail your check and information to:

THE JAY FRAZIER TOURNAMENT
c/o Candace Moxley
1011 Gilbert Road, Rockville, MD 20851

------------------------------------------------------------

THE JAMES FRAZIER Sunday Redskins Happy Hour (after the Army 10 Miler)

PLACE – Rock Bottom Bethesda, 7900 Norfolk Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814

DAY - Sunday, October 7, 2007 from 12pm-3pm (Upstairs Bar & Club area)

$10 donation per person gets you:
· Complimentary Game Day Appetizer Buffet
· Redskins on the Big Screen – 1pm kickoff
· Free Pool Games
· Entry into Rock Bottom Growler Gift Pack Drawing
· $2 Pints
Raffles will also be available for Redskins Tickets, and other great events in the area.

RSVP to: bethesda.banquets@rockbottom.com

If you hung around Jay enough, or hell just met him a few hours earlier, you’ve probably heard him use a word or phrase repeatedly and it stuck around in your daily jargon. As I was growing up and, of course, getting teased by my three older brothers, there was one word Jay would call me that irritated me to no end- Quaninchia. I have no idea where he came up with this absurd nickname, but now it doesn’t really matter. I’ve adjusted and thankfully the nickname has been shortened and in fact I’ve learned to love it. So I’m setting down some other familiar idioms, which for most include a back story.

“Mon-key”
“ Bi-ll Buck-ner”
“1986”
“Gar-y Will-iams”
“YO!”
“Cento per cento”
Hug & Release!”
“Dou-bles”
“Cello Goodbye”

Thanks Jay Lee for the nickname and the jayisms!

For Jay's nuptuals, we thought of an original way to celebrate...we would call it the bachelor party olympics. Here were the rules:
Bachelor Party Olympic Format

Fellas,
The format will be double elimination and points will be given out to teams from 1st-last place based on event. Points will be based on # of teams. 6 will be the most points awarded, 1 will be the least. We will start with the outside events and work our way indoors to make the most of the daylight.

Teams are:

Jay “Probe” Frazier and Billy “Buy-in” Bendarz
The bachelor teams up with a fierce competitor. This team will be one to watch.

David “Doc” Frazier and Barney “The Captain” Forsythe
The wily veterans who know all the tricks of the trade.

Chris “Ponyboy” Frazier and Jeff “Z-Train” Forsythe
Youth has it’s privileges….and this team has an all access pass.

John “Johnny G” Giuliano and John “Johnny Ryall” Forsythe
The Johnnys, A one two punch of sexy and possibly the dark horse of the Olympics.

Christian “House” Payne and Chris “The Neuralizer” Newby
Student of many…master of none…but desire like none other. We bring the noise!

Jason “Goat” Forsythe and Justin “The Carrier” Donovan
Athletic…successful…suave…a definite Olympic favorite.

EVENTS
Wiffle Ball Homerun Contest-In this event teams pitch to each other and are given 10 strikes. The team with the most home runs wins.

Bocce Ball-This will be a tourney style event that is a game up to 11.

Cornhole Tourney-for those who don’t know…you will know soon enough. It’s kind of like horseshoes, but better. We will two boards going at once. Double elimination tournament style. Games are to 21. Rules will be explained before event, but is played very similar to team horseshoes where team members are on opposite sides.

Ping Pong Doubles-Tourney style event that goes to 15 win by 2.

Foos Ball-Tourney style event played traditional style

Darts-A timed “cricket” style event. Teams must alternate turns to close out all numbers. Team with the fastest time wins.

Obstacle Course-This event requires teams to navigate several stations. Flip cup, Quarters, Beer Pong, and Hi/Lo cards( you have to guess 5 cards right in a row to move on)

Poker Tournament- This is a team event as well as individual. Team members are awarded points for how far they make it in the Tourney. Winnings go to individuals. Buy backs are permitted, but once you are out, you cannot accumulate points. Also, when buy back in you will have to match the big blind ante.

So here it is fellas…get your Irie up and bring your "A" game because it is on like Donkey Kong.

With these rules in hand, we drove down to Snail's Pace and let the games begin.

Much Love Jay,
Christian

I wanted to add this entry to illustrate how much Jay cared about his family. Jay certainly provided an abundance of laughter that always made me feel like we were old friends, but of all my experiences surrounding the man affectionately referred to as "Brautworst," this still gives me much to think about.
Jay, Lisa and myself had flown to Vermont to attend John and Carrie's wedding. As many of of you may know, I have always been short on funds. Jay found a way to book very inexpensive air fair to Vermont and provide some space for me to crash in his room, which turned out to be at the foot of Jay and Lisa's bed...The quarters we all shared along with another dear friend of ours, Layla, were tight to say the least. The entire weekend was an absolute blast!!!
The first night was very animated as you can imagine. After some time, everyone began to unwind and passout in our various corners of this little room. However, Jay and I stayed up talking ourside over drinks. Anyway, it was not what he said to me that impacted me most, but rather it was the look he had in his eye when he said to me how much he worried for his brothers and Sara. Everyday of his accomplished life, Jay lived for everyone else. He put into action how he felt. His endless optimism surrounding his belief that he could help Sarah,Charlie and Chris was comforting beyond words. We stayed-up all night talking about our families
Jay made me feel like it was ok to be concerned and to express my feelings about what the future might hold. Jay serves as a inspiration to me because of how much he cared for you guys. I can only say, "Thank You!" Dizzle

In May 2002 Jay came over to visit me in Italy, as I was finishing up a semester in Rome. It was his first time there and he loved it! We did a whirlwind tour of the country visiting Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Cinque Terre, Milan, Venice and Florence. I had a blast sharing Rome with Jay! He was like a little boy, being able to explore a new part of the world that he knew his little sister loved. And I played a role that as his little sister, I have never had before with Jay, nor will ever again- teaching him and showing him things he hadn’t seen or encountered.

So a couple memories stand out from the trip, one that occurred on a train from Cinque Terre to Florence. We were meeting up with our parents, who had gone a day ahead of us, while Jay and I hung out at the beach a little longer. Once we were about ten minutes into the trip, the conductor comes by to check our tickets. We had some mentos out and feeling friendly the conductor helped himself, however odd that is, and he saw us having fun using a camera. I had a small Polaroid sticker camera with me that we were goofing around with, and Jay wanted to get a picture with the conductor. So these two big guys crammed into the tiny frame, looking like buddies, all excited-typical Jay making friends wherever.

Another fond memory happened once we arrived in Florence, where Jay learned a valuable lesson quickly- the difference between a toilet and a bidet. We were in an ice cream store, getting the tastiest flavors, when all of a sudden Jay stopped eating, looked up and said, “ Ooh.” Then he turned and walked as briskly as possible across the piazza to our hotel, while I stared and laughed at this hysterical image of a large foreign man bolting to make it in time (you all know what that walk looks like, we’ve all done it). When he returned, he said the story got even better because he struggled with the room key, got to the bathroom and sat down relieved. He looked to his side and realized he was not on the toilet but the other facility that European bathrooms are equipped with. He made the correction in the nick of time and the hotel never knew how close they came to buying a new bidet.

Jay was good to go the rest of the trip and left me with a hilarious memory!

Love,

Q