New York, New York

In July of 1986, my cousin Fred and I traveled to New York City. It was my first plane trip. After landing, we were on our way to meet a friend of Fred's. To get there, we had to take a subway. I was a little nervous, since this was my first time in a big city. When you watch TV or the movies, you always hear about New York and all the nuts.

So, within 5 minutes of boarding the subway, this crazy person starts talking in my direction. He says, "If anyone crosses this line, I will kill you". He said it over and over. I thought to myself, "This is going to be an interesting trip.

A cool part of the trip included seeing baseball games at Shea stadium and Yankee stadium. The Yankee game was sold out, but my cousin knew how to overcome that obstacle. He said to put a $10.00 bill in your hand and sneak it to the ticket taker. It worked!

The other part of the trip involved going to some cool restaurants and seeing the 100 year anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. There were some pretty spectacular fireworks over the water.

On the way back, my nutty cousin jumps in between two guys who were fighting. I thought, "Good idea Fred, start a riot".

Overall, it was a good experience for me. It gave me a desire to see more of America.

Giving Back

Inspired by others who have been an example to me, I have decided to introduce a new feature to my blog called "Giving Back". Every now and then, I will spotlight a ministry that I am giving my time, talent or 'treasure' to. This week, I am featuring a ministry that will provide orphaned and disadvantaged children with a backpack and school supplies.

For more information, click here.

But hurry, donations can only be made until August 8th.

Weed Wackers and Birds

A few weeks ago, my weed wacker decided to stop wacking. So, it was off to Lowes to purchase a new one. When I returned, I learned that there was an injured blue jay hiding in the tall grass where I needed to trim.

So, I decided to wait a day to let Mr. Blue Jay get better or to let Mr. Blue Jay go where birds go when they die. Which brings me to a question. With the countless number of birds that there are, why is it, you almost never come across a dead one? It's a mystery.

Although, I did recently. When they are without feathers, they look a lot like dinosaurs.

Back to the weed wacker story. So, the next day, I want to finish trimming, but my wife wants to look for the bird again. I'm thinking, "If he is still there, he doesn't have long to live". Anyway, she finds it, but I decide to trim anyway.

So, I start the wacker and all of a sudden, I feel this sharp pain on my leg. Somehow, the plastic string that does the cutting leaps out and lashes me. This is very odd, because I was standing a few feet away and the string was only about 4 inches long.

I guess I should have waited another day to do the wacking.

Plumbing Issues

When I lived at my townhouse in Tampa Palms, I was relieved that the association maintained a lot of things that I did not have to concern myself with.

I did have to do some things. I am not a Mr Fix It, but I try.

One time, I had to make a toilet repair and by the time I was done, water had been shut off to all 216 units at Faircrest. I had accidentally broke a valve and water started gushing everywhere. I called the office and they sent someone down. At the time, the units did not have an individual shut off or neither of us knew where it was.

So, the Faircrest employee called the office and they in turn shut off the water until a plumber could be brought in.

I didn't make a lot of friends that day with my neighbors.

Snow Tunnel

As a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, we had our share of snow. It was fun to play in it, especially if it meant a day off of school.

One day, my brother and his friend built a snow tunnel. Where they would take turns crawling through from one end to another. It looked like fun and I asked if I could try it. They said sure. Little did I know that they had a plan for me.

As I was crawling through (it was about 5 feet long), one end of the tunnel was closed off. I turned and the other end was closed off. Those 'jerks' had collapsed the tunnel on purpose. I was definitely scared.

All I could hear was their laughter. I wasn't able to dig my way out. Fortunately, they decided I probably needed to be rescued and they dug me out.

Better Eating = Lower Cholesterol

Every time I have had a physical (for as long as I can remember), the blood work always came back with cholesterol levels that were too high. The doctors would always give me a booklet describing what foods to eat, etc.

They would also say to come back in so many weeks and have my blood work taken again. If the numbers didn't improve, they would recommend medication.

I never would come back because I hate being on medication.

This past year and a half, I finally decided to eat healthier. Having lost 50 pounds, I was interested in seeing what my latest cholesterol numbers would be.

For the FIRST time that I can remember, the numbers were good.

So, eating healthier was the answer for me.

I still miss my Doritos.

Vision Update

I'm glad to report that I no longer see any 'floaters' or 'flashes' in my left eye.

For those who are new to my blog, my retina was 'almost' detached as a result of an injury while playing basketball. I had to have several surgeries and there were some scary moments.

I'm thankful for all the prayers and support.

I have a final checkup this week, but I feel that it will confirm what I am experiencing.