Dave's Grouper (almost)

In the early 1990's, the Pittsburgh Pirates actually had a good baseball team. They made the playoffs for three straight seasons. I tried to watch as many games as I could, but the only way to do that was to go to a local pub and ask them to show the games via satellite.

Myself and a Pittsburgh buddy (his name was also Dave) convinced the owner of a local Beef O' Bradys to show the Pirate games. Of course, we were pretty good customers, so it was a win-win situation.

As a side benefit, the food was very good. I would mostly order the wings. One day, I tried the grouper sandwich and it became another of my favorites.

During this time, I had become friends with the owner. I used to tease her about renaming the grouper sandwich on the menu to "Dave's Grouper". She almost did it. I think if the Pirates had kept winning (and I had stayed as a regular), I probably would have been able to convince her.

But, it was not meant to be. Since 1992, the Pirates have set a record as the team with the most consecutive losing seasons.

I still like their food though.

Great White Heron

The other day I was sitting outside the room we rented in Siesta Key Florida when a Great White Heron swoops down a few feet from where I was.

I was startled at first, but then I remembered from a previous trip that the birds are just looking for someone to feed them.

So, my wife and I looked around and decided to feed the bird some bread. But this bird was not interested in eating that. He made it known. Each time we threw a piece, he pecked at it and threw it away. He then shook his head like he was 'saying no'. I thought that was funny.

Then, we looked for something else. The only other thing we could find were some Pringles. Once again, the bird pecked at it and decided to let us know that it was not what he wanted. Once again, the bird shook his head like he was 'saying no'.

Next time we will have to have some seafood.

Sarasota Wedding

This past weekend my wife and I had a nice long weekend in Siesta Key Florida. It was so nice to finally get away and relax. With my new job I have only had one vacation day since I started last December.

The purpose of the trip was to attend a family wedding (my wife's niece).

The wedding took place at a place called the Powel Crosley Estates. The estates bordered the Gulf of Mexico and it was a beautiful location. It was an outdoor wedding which took place at 5:00 PM. I have to say that I sweated off most of the Doritos and other junk food that I ate that weekend.

Fortunately the rains stayed away. The ceremony was lovely. It was officiated by a Pastor that we know from a local church. It's always good to hear the wedding vows and to be reminded of the importance of God in a marriage.

The reception was also nice. Lots of delicious food. It was good to see family that I had not seen for a while.

Skinny Finger

One of the problems with losing a lot of weight is that sometimes the weight comes off in the wrong places.

Recently I was washing my hands and when I left the bathroom I discovered that my wedding ring was missing.

I checked my pockets, the sink, the floor, and the trash can, but found no ring.

I even looked in the toilet, but still no ring.

I double-checked the trash can and found it. Whew!

It turns out that my finger had gotten a little skinnier with all my weight loss.

Waiting Room Misery

I'm sure everyone reading this blog entry can relate to this story.

The other day I had an appointment at the doctor's office. Being conscientious, I arrive a few minutes early for my appointment. After signing in, I proceed to sit and wait. Eventually, I was called back to have my vitals taken. Normally, after that, I am escorted to the next waiting room.

However, this was an exception. Instead of moving to the 'little' waiting room, I was told to go back to the big waiting room.

So, there I went. I watched Bay News 9 for a while until the news segments started to repeat (that's when you know you have been waiting for over an hour). Eventually, I got bored with TV and made my way over to the fish tank.

At that point I was starving and started to think I would love a fish sandwich.

I started a conversation with a lady who was also waiting a long time. Turned out she was a dog lover and so I killed 15 more minutes talking about pets.

Eventually I was called back to the office and I thought "Finally". However, the 'little' waiting room awaited. I ended up sitting there so long, I got claustrophobic. So, I walked out of the room to get some air. Just then, a lady walks by and scolds me for trying to escape the jail cell I was put in.

She asked if I wanted a magazine. I said, "No thanks". Another 10 minutes went by until I finally saw the Dr.

I was there for over two hours. And then, I hit all the rush hour traffic.

At least my checkup went well.

Middle School Detention

After elementary school things got interesting. The kids from my nice quiet middle class suburban neighborhood would be bused to Bridgeville.

Bridgeville was where the rough kids lived. I think some of them may have lived under bridges.

Anyway, school started and I got to see kids who looked different than me. I was a little scared.

One day, there was some incident (I don't remember the details), but me and a few other kids were told we had to stay after school for detention. Now, I was really scared. I did not know how I would get home. I really depended on that 3:00 bus to get me back to the safety of Rockhill road. I'm sure (looking back now) that there were later buses, but they never told me that.

So, I had to think of something. I resorted to the oldest trick in the kids playbook, the "fake illness".

It worked. After giving an Oscar winning performance, the school nurse called my mom and before too long, I was on the way home.

I never had to serve my detention time. And, I avoided major trouble for the rest of my middle school days (until, high school).

A Dog's Life

Rusty and Bob are not dogs that are comfortable laying on the floor. They find that to be too hard on their bodies.

They climb up on the bed when they need to unwind (after a long day of walks and squirrel chases).

The spend their days sleeping and eating and walking.

Ah, the life of a dog.

Biblical Luncheon

My wife and I attended a special Biblical Luncheon yesterday at Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater.

We were invited by a friend who is part of a team of people who will be going to Guatemala in November on a medical mission trip.

To be asked to support such a worthy cause was an honor.

The luncheon was great. The food that was served was from the time when Jesus was living (of course, he is still alive today!).

To make it even more realistic, the servers all wore costumes from that era as well.

It was obvious that the mission team put a lot of effort and planning into the luncheon.

It was cool to see all the children participate as well. They walked around serving bread and olives to each table.

There was also a silent auction and bake sale that we enjoyed (delicious brownies and cookies!).

We were very blessed to have been invited to such a special event.

ps: And, to make it even better, we we got to hear an awesome sermon from Pastor Willie on fear.

Giving Back - International Coastal Cleanup

My first YMCA volunteer opportunity occurred yesterday. It involved removing trash from the coastal area along Tampa Bay. What was funny is that the place we were cleaning was only a few minutes from where I work. There is a beautiful park on Cypress Street that has a beach and a lot of nice places to walk. I will suggest it to my co-workers as a place to take a lunch to one day.

Here are some facts about the cleanup ...

Benefits of the International Coastal Cleanup

• Join half a million volunteers around the world to make a stand for our oceans and waterways.
• Be part of collecting data presented to world leaders regarding ocean policies.
• Receive service hours for giving back to the community.
• Free T-shirt or tote bag and other giveaways while supplies last.

We arrived around 8:00 and we were pleased to see several boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts. We met our YMCA team and picked up our gloves and 'trash-grabbers'. My wife was in charge of the clipboard. Part of the project was to document the objects that people are discarding.

Most of the items probably were objects that boaters threw overboard. We found many bottles (plastic and glass), Styrofoam, plastics, etc. Dozens of trash bags were filled.

Getting to the items was the tricky part. You had to ease your way down a hill to where the water met land. Once you made it through the weeds and trees, you could pick up the objects and toss it up to a teammate. I survived with only a few scratches. I narrowly missed being eaten by an ant hill. Overall, it was fun (and a good workout).

There were several hundred volunteers from many different companies, schools, and other organizations.

It felt good to make a difference.

I look forward to my next opportunity to give back.

Movie Review - ‘The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry’

For the past few weeks the church that I attend, Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church, has been promoting a new movie called ‘The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry’.

Click here for a preview.

The premier of the movie was yesterday (9/18/09).

The movie, set in 1970, is about a 75-year-old man that starts meeting with these three 12-year-old boys, to motivate them and encourage them to want to live for God.

For people who like action, car chases, and graphic violence, this movie may not be their thing. But, I encourage everyone to see it.

The pace of the movie may seem slow, but it delivers a powerful message. It encouraged me to want to draw closer to God and to share what God has done in my life with others.

The acting was good. There were some laughs and some moments where I got teary-eyed.

Just a simple act of kindness (cutting someones lawn without asking for money) was inspiring.

I hope that many people will see the film and encourage others to do the same. There are very few inspiring movies being made. This was one of them.

The Interstate Shooter

When you walk your dogs as often as I do, you occasionally come across unusual/criminal activities. Such was the case a few years ago. As I was walking along the road that parallels I-75, I heard the sound of a gun and then 'metal sounds'. As I got closer to the noise, I noticed a kid with a paintball gun hiding behind a bush and firing the gun at trucks as they passed by. His goal was to hit the side of the truck.

As the concerned citizen I am, I decided to try to put an end to the shooting. The nutty teenager easily could have killed someone.

Fortunately, there was a police officer who lived just a few houses away. So, I loaded up the dogs and we drove to the officers home.

As luck would have it, he was home. He came to the door and we explained the situation. Here is where the story takes an unusual twist.

The officer told us he did not want to get involved because he didn't want to cause problems with his neighbors. He gave us a number to call. I thought to myself, this guy must have been absent when they handed out the courage badges.

So, we went home, shaking our heads, as the kid kept firing away. I filed an anonymous report via a police department website.

I thought how this could make an interesting Twilight Zone episode. In my imagination, I could see the kid firing the gun which would cause an accident involving the policeman's family. Of course, there would not be any serious injuries, but the officer would learn that he needs to do the right thing.

Best $3.78 Lunch in Tampa

Since relocating from the Rocky Point area to the Westshore business district, my buddy Dennis and I have set out on a search to find the best lunch places in Tampa.

So far, our favorites are Wright's , Castellano and Pizzo, Schillers, and Ja-vahz.

Wrights is famous for their sandwiches, cakes, and cupcakes. I like to get the 1/2 sandwich (turkey and cheese) and cup of soup. I also always get a slice of chocolate cake.

Castellano and Pizzo is known for their hot Italian buffet. The only thing odd about the place is that the clientèle is 95% men. We think there is a secret back room where there are poker games going on.

Schillers has great sandwiches and german potato salad. They are an old-fashioned family owned deli built on trust. When you pay, you just tell them what you ordered.

Ja-vahz is a recent find and I was asked to keep it's identity a secret. But, being a blogger, I have to share my experiences. They have to have the best combination of food/value in Tampa. For example, the other day I ordered a cup of soup. You would think that is all you would receive. Here is what you get (for $3.78):

• A large bowl of delicious homemade soup
• Fruit cup
• Two slices of warm homemade bread

With homemade iced tea, the price skyrockets to over $5.00!

The same meal at Panera Bread would cost over $10.00 and the large bowl of soup would be smaller than the cup at Ja-vahz.

So, that is the 'lunch' rundown for now. We will keep searching and I will have additional lunch reviews when warranted.

Black Lab Puppies

Just received word from my wifes cousin that their purebred black lab puppies are now ready to be placed in homes.

The last information I have heard is that there are 1 male and 6 female puppies still available.

They are 8 weeks old and have had two vet visits.

They are asking $200.00.

If interested, send an email to ddiebold@gte.net and I will give you their contact information.

Fence Fraud

Did you ever type your name into a search engine (like Google) just for fun? I did this the other day and was surprised to find it listed within a website of a company that had recently installed a fence for us. We needed a fence repair because we had this out of control cactus that had grown so wide that it had expanded the fence to where the dogs could escape. The fence also was beaten up from the dogs leaping against it every time a squirrel would go on a mad dash as it tried to escape being killed by Bob and Rusty. So, we searched the internet and got some quotes from a few companies. One company had a cool website and had a lot of good customer feedback from previous clients. I now know why. We hired the company and they did an average job. A few weeks after the fence was installed I saw gaps in the fence. Overall, I was not impressed with their workmanship. But, if you see the image and text below (from the companies website), you would have thought the opposite. They claim that I said "Very Professional Did Great Work". I never did. So, don't believe everything you read on a website (except, for this one). ps: I sent an email to the company asking them to remove my name and comments. I wonder if they will, they don't have a lot of integrity to have lied about someones comments.

Very Professional Did Great Work Dave Diebold - New Tampa, Fl.

Return to Basketball

I went to the YMCA last Tuesday with the intention of using the exercise bike while listening to my IPOD. When I arrived, I saw some guys shooting basketball and I thought to myself, "That would be much more fun".

I haven't played full court basketball since I injured my eye (see related story) a few months ago. I hurt my eye playing while basketball at the Y and it required a few surgeries to repair my retina. My eye has healed (although, I still see some small floaters now and then).

Anyway, I decided to make my return to my favorite sport. I also needed to work off the ribs, chicken, potato salad, baked beans, corn on the cob, etc that I pigged out during a Labor Day picnic.

So, I started shooting around and sure enough, within a minute, a have a ball hit my head. Fortunately, no damage was done. Just felt dizzy for a minute.

Eventually, we got enough guys to play some games. I am happy to report that I played well and made most of my shots (even though, I was the old guy on the court).

I was also happy that I did not get winded. I was able to run up and down the court without gasping for air. That is why I like basketball - I like to run and once in a while make a basket.

The nicest part was seeing some of the guys I used to play with. They asked where I had been. 99% of the people I have met at the Y are great and friendly people. That is why I have decided to volunteer at the Y. It is a healthy, wholesome place to go to.

Giving Back

My company has decided to become more involved in the community. This is great. I have been looking for more opportunities to 'Give Back' and serve others.

The first event is a 5K walk sponsored by the American Cancer Society for Breast Cancer research.

Click here for more details.

If you would like to support me, you can click this link.

Deep Dish Day

This past Wednesday, the boys went out to eat Chicago-style. Dennis had just returned from a conference in Chicago last week where he dined at Giordano's. They are famous for their deep-dish pizza.

Based on his experience, we decided to try the local franchise located on Dale Mabry highway.

So Dennis, Mark, Rick, and myself made the drive from our office to the restaurant. Once we arrived, we placed our order and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. It turns out, the deep dish pizza takes at least 30 minutes to bake. It felt like we waited almost 40 minutes.

This made Rick a little nervous because he had a meeting to get back to.

Just as we were making plans to have to get our food as a takeout, the pizza arrived. It was worth the wait. But next time, we will call in our order.

We arrived back at the office just in time for Rick to make his meeting.

9/11 Memories

On the morning of September 11th 2001, I was at my desk working as a Systems Engineer for Verizon listening to a sports radio show. The sportscaster started to comment on things he was seeing on the TV. Something about a plane hitting a building in New York.

Within a few minutes, people started to gather in a conference room where a TV was broadcasting the breaking news.

By this time, the second plane had already hit the second World Trade Center tower.

The room was mostly silent as people watched the buildings burn. When the first tower collapsed, many people cried out. Everyone knew right away that we were under attack and that our lives would never be the same.

I remember telling a co-worker, the airports will be shut down immediately. I wasn't sure how people would ever be able to fly again.

Since I had the option, I decided to work from home the rest of the day. Of course when I got home, I did nothing but watch the news. I don't think much work was accomplished that day/week.

The next day, I did return to the office and I admit that I was a little paranoid. Since, we were a major telecommunications center, I was concerned that we could be a target. To make things worse, we had no 'legitimate' security. Just a couple of 90 year old guards (I exaggerate a little).

But, things eventually returned to normal.

I sometimes think we have become too complacent. I am concerned to this day that something bad is going to happen. But, I know that God is in control and I must live my life to the fullest. I can't change what may or may not happen.

Garage Sale Bust

This past Saturday, we decided to have a garage sale. The last time we tried this, it was part of the Tampa Palms Community Yard Sale event. Because they did not advertise, we did not sell very many items. For a related story, click here.

I had reservations about attempting another garage sale, because I did not think we would sell enough to justify the effort. Boy, was I proven right.

One major obstacle was our location. We live way back in Tampa Palms. It is a cul-de-sac within a cul-de-sac. So, we were not going to get any people who were just driving by.

We put up signs and advertised on Craigs List. Two of signs were stolen and the other was changed to point to a different direction.

We did get about a dozen cars that came by. Mostly, people who had GPS systems that could find our house.

With only that much traffic, we sold about $5.00 of merchandise. When, you subtract out the cost of the signs, our profit was less than $1.00.

The only good thing was that we got to meet some new neighbors.

So, next time, we will be donating our items to the church or other charities.

No more garage sales for me (ever).

A Quick Healer

The other day, after we came home from church and a visit to Tarpon Springs, we found our dog Bob unable to put weight on his back right paw.

He was fine when we left that morning. Maybe he got injured wrestling with our dog Rusty or he just got hurt some other way.

It was sad to see him in distress. He didn't seem to be in any pain, so that was good. Occasionally, he would hop on three legs if he needed to go outside. For the most part, he just laid in one spot. This is very unusual for him. He is always fighting for our attention. If we pet Rusty, he shoves Rusty out of the way so that he gets all the loving.

When it came time for a walk, Bob just looked at me with his sad brown eyes as Rusty and I rode off. Rusty at first was looking for Bob, but that only lasted a few seconds. He has happy to be going for a walk.

The next morning, I am happy to report, Bob was back to normal. It must have been a muscle sprain. I guess dogs have the instinct to know what they need to do to get better.

I am glad that he is a quick healer. He is back to his old self.

Ah, the Smell of Hand Sanitizer

A tradition at most churches is the greeting. This is where the congregation takes a few minutes to shake hands and fellowship with other people. With the recent flu outbreak, some churches are taking precautions when it comes to this part of the worship service.

Our church recently sent out an email advising people to not attend if they were feeling any flu-like symptoms. One reason why, is a member of our church recently came back from a mission trip with the 'Swine' flu.

So, anyway, our pastor made a little joke about shaking hands yesterday - something like, "Turn around and greet someone, if you have washed your hands". I noticed that the normal hugs and handshakes were a little less frequent than in the past. I also noticed that after we sat down, there was a strong smell of Hand Sanitizer floating in the air (some of that was from the bottle we brought).

As far as stuff going around, my wife and I had dinner with some friends last weekend. I learned just the other day from my wife, that when their daughter returned from Guatemala, she came down with a terrible cough, with no other symptoms.

Fortunately, for their daughter, her dad is a nurse practitioner. So, after a few days, she was back to normal.

I hope to avoid the flu this year. The place where I work is going to provide free flu shots for all their employees. I guess it is just not churches taking precautions.

Tarpon Springs and a Tear

It was great being back at church today (after missing a few weeks). To celebrate, my wife and I decided to visit Tarpon Springs after church to have lunch and do some shopping.

A good friend at work, Dennis, owns a spice and tea store. For my local blog readers, I suggest you visit his store the next time you are in Tarpon Springs. Here is a link with more information.

As we approached the store, we were met by a blockade. Turns out Tarpon Springs was having an Arts and Craft festival. This was nice, but I was bummed out because it looked like we wouldn't get our secret 'free' parking spot behind my friends store. But, I decided to try the back streets and fortunately I was able to navigate to the special parking spot.

Anyway, we had a nice lunch and visit with Dennis and his family. I also saw Jerry, a coworker from a previous job who helps out at the store.

I didn't have any unusual experience in Tarpon Springs (which is a not good thing for a Blogger), but I must rewind the clock back to when I was at church.

As I was sitting in Bible Study class, I looked down to look at my Bible and I noticed that the pants I just bought (and worn for the first time) had a 'tear' in the worst spot possible. Fortunately, we were sitting in the last row and I was able to 'hide' from everyone.

I couldn't believe it. I recently went from a size 40 to a size 34 and so I had to get a whole new wardrobe. Turns out, I am not done with that adventure.

Snake Gets Rodent

On my latest dog walk through what I call the Snake Field, I actually had an encounter with a Rat Snake. I was walking Bob, our Sharpee/Retriever mix when I hear the sound of a field mouse shrieking in distress (for a few seconds). The noise was just a few feet from where I was standing. I couldn't see anything at first, because the grass was so high.

But, as I peered into the weeds, I could clearly see the body of a rat snake and the end of the field mouse (it's tail).

I moved away as fast as I could because Bob wanted to investigate. This is the area where he has detected the scent of mice in the past. This is also the area where I saw the remains of a rat snake that had been cut up by the TECO lawn-mowing crew. The grass in the Snake Field is rarely cut. The tall grass is a perfect invitation for all the critters that need a place to hide and hunt. It is not the best place for humans.

I need to find a new place to walk the dogs.

Spiderman Visits Westshore Pizza

The other day I went to lunch with a couple of my co-workers, Todd and Marbert. We decided to go to Westshore Pizza in South Tampa.

It was a great lunch, I had the meatball sub with fries. Marbert got a couple slices of pizza and Todd ordered a Philly Cheese steak.

We talked mostly about sports. Marbert confided that he wanted to be each of the following:

1) An Olympic swimmer
2) An NFL player
3) An NBA player
4) Etc

We explained to him that he needed to be an athlete first.

Todd gave Marbert some other advice on relationships. Todd is a very wise person.

As we were leaving, I was met at the door by a man dressed as Spiderman. I am totally serious. He did not have the face mask on, but he was carrying it.

He stopped inside and left just as fast. I tried to get his picture, but as most super heroes, he was too quick for me. Todd and Marbert said they thought the man was mentally-challenged. I thought he was just trying to help people in distress. I thought I heard someone scream inside Westshore Pizza, but now that I think about it, it was after he entered.

As we were backing up to leave, he appeared again. I told Marbert to get up next to him so that I could take his picture, but it was not meant to be.

Spiderman was carrying something else with him. I thought it might have been a bag of flies.

Overall, it was a very entertaining lunch. One that I won't forget soon.

The Whitney Houston Super Bowl

The 2nd Super Bowl that I attended was in Tampa, Florida. A friend of mine had gotten tickets and asked me to go. The New York Giants were playing the Buffalo Bills. The game is probably best remembered for Whitney Houston's rendition of the National Anthem.

It was also the game that took place after the start of the Gulf War. Security was extremely tight. It took a long time to enter the stadium since every person had to be searched. There were military helicopters patrolling the skies. I remember calling my mom and telling her what to do if some terrorist event occurred. I found out after the game, that there were precautions in place to handle a biological attack.

Fortunately, all went well, and I got to see an amazing game.

The game came down to the last play of the game where Buffalo kicker, Scott Norwood missed the game winning field goal.

It was an exciting game that I was fortunate to be able to attend. I also got some great souvenirs (to be placed on eBay soon).

Of course, the Steeler Super Bowl that I attended in 2009 put that game to shame.

The Diggers

Rusty and Bob love to play. When they get hot and can't get to the neighbors pool, they do the next best thing.

They dig. The hole on the left was about four feet deep. Fortunately, they did not come across any irrigation pipes.

If you look carefully, you will see little Bob hiding from Rusty in the hole. You can't hear him, but Rusty is extremely mad. He thinks he should be king of the hole.

The hole came in useful a few weeks later when we had the family over for Easter. The 'Golden Egg' was hidden in the hole. It's amazing what older 'kids' will do to get a prize. I will search for that photo and post it one day.

A Tribute to My Dad

The other day my sister Donna attended a special tribute to my late father, Don Diebold. The purpose of the tribute was to honor the work he did to have a major bridge repaired while he served as a township commissioner.

Over 40 people attended the event which was covered by the local papers.

The bridge was know as the 'Crooked Bridge' because of how it was designed.

Here is a story that was in the local papers.

As you can see by looking at the plaque, my father served his local community for 37 years. Helping to get the bridge repaired was just one of his accomplishments. I remember how we would be out shopping or wherever and he would know everybody. He tried to help as many people as he could.

I know that I could never equal his tireless service, but my wife and I have decided to start small. We are beginning our YMCA volunteer service next month. It's just a small step to giving back a small portion of the lives we have been blessed with. My father would have been proud.

I am proud to be his son. I wish I could have been there for the ceremony, but I look forward to seeing the plaque the next time I am back home.