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I've had this sitting in my Drafts for almost 3 months now. I just couldn't post it. I think it's because I felt like it was more final that way. Dumb, I know, but it's just always been hard for me to press PUBLISH.
My Papa passed away a few months ago, a few days after coming home from the hospital. He passed quietly in his sleep that afternoon, a week before his 56th wedding anniversary to my Nana. He was surrounded by family and I truly believe all was right with him when he went. He told me maybe 6 months ago that he didn't like how people had to go through what he was going through. It was a moment I'll always remember. We rarely had serious conversations that didn't end in laughing at each other, making some wise ass comment, or that took an overly serious tone.
But he was right. He didn't think it was right for anyone to live a life like he did and not be in control of so much of it at the end. I couldn't agree more.
Papa was the most easy going, funny, witty, smart guy you could ever meet. He was sarcastic but wasn’t an old grump. He had a way about him. He was older than old school. He defined the term. He was the hardest worker, he did a job until it was done right, he truly was old school. He was a tough old Irish bastard from Dorchester Mass. who loved his family and friends and didn’t want to be fussed over. He was a Sea Bee. He was a loving husband, a father for 4, a grandfather of 9, and he lived to see his first great grandchild.
I miss him a lot. I can't imagine what my Nana is actually going through, I get small glimpses of it when I talk to her sometimes. I called her today and got her voicemail, only to hear my grandfather's voice asking me to leave a message. I didn't expect it and it kicked me in the balls. Bittersweet. More bitter than sweet. The lump in my throat hung around for a while after that.
But it's great knowing I can call my Nana and hear his voice still. I'm sure she feels the same way.
Papa, we love you, we miss you, but we know you're hanging around up there keeping an eye on us.
“To be Irish is to know that in the end the world will break your heart.”
About a year ago I sent an email to the apartment complex I live at because some of the trees were leaning precariously far over during the winter. Windstorms always brought big branches down. Sap would drip over all the cars. There were maybe 3 that were clearly dead that needed to be removed.
Earlier this week I got a letter on my door telling residents to move their cars Thursday morning because they would have a tree service here to take care of some of the trees. I thought, "Well, it only a took a year but at least it's getting done, right?"
Yeah, right.
I came home tonight to zero trees.
At first I was all
And after looking around I was all
I'm gonna go ahead and hope/pray/pretend that the whole tree removal had absolutely nothing to do with me. At all. In fact, I'll pretend I don't even have an email account so I can deny I ever emailed anyone.
A couple weeks ago my cousin Melissa asked how I felt about going to New York City for the weekend on one of my off weekends for football. I thought it was just her thinking out loud, I didn't think there was really a chance we'd be able to make it happen.
I was completely wrong.
My good buddy Zap ( my team's Running Back and Melissa's boyfriend ) had a unique situation for us - his mom's boyfriend had an apartment in New York that he wasn't using and it was ours if we wanted it. So the trip was planned. Jessie, Zap, and I all had Friday off and Melissa was done with school around 12. We tried to get out of New Hampshire around 1:00pm.
Which never happened.
At least we sorta got out of the state around 5pm.
We finished dinner around 6pm and were on our way. Our GPS said we would be there by 9:30pm.
WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.
Traffic. In and around Boston and Worcester. All over the place. But not in New York.
Driving into New York was only a slightly mentally jarring experience. Even at night it was busy as hell and you only have half a second to jump into a lane if you need it. You can't use a blinker, it shows a sign of weakness and intent. It's like blood in the water during a shark frenzy. You might as well dig your diving knife into your thigh while you're at it.
We found the parking garage right near the apartment, brought our stuff upstairs and immediately headed outside.
To our right...
And about 500 feet to our left and down the street..
I knew we weren't too far from a lot, but I didn't realize how close. To everything. Times Square feet away. It was amazing. Insanely busy, lit up like a gigantic Christmas tree, tons of stuff to do and see. It was surreal.
Probably one of the coolest things we saw the entire time were street peddlers. Whether the were playing instruments out of boxes and pans and tins and using the sheet metal on the wall behind them or they were drawing charicatures or doing spray paint art it was all beyond words.
This guy was so fast with everything he did, he was so fluid it was like you were in a dream. He was one of many doing the spray paint space art, and it was all just awe inspiring.
We only got pictures of him but this is what they do (video is from Times Square and the guy kind of looks like the guy we watched, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it were him).
Before we knew it we were getting pizza at 1:30am and needed to get some sleep so we wouldn't waste the day sleeping.
For the record - no pancakes were made on Saturday. None. Not a single one. Melissa said she would make them. She didn't know how. She still needs to learn how to make pancakes. She let the entire team down.
Also - when sleeping in close quarters with other people it is important to bring earplugs, maybe even industrial grade. And duct tape to make sure they aren't removed in your sleep. From said snorers. Make note of that. It may help you later in life.
In any event, we got up fairly early and wandered the streets looking for something to eat (again - no pancakes). I hate my Ortiz shirt on, Zap had his McCourty shirt on. Trouble would find us. Right? Not before breakfast! Nothing comes between men and them breaking their fasts.
We wound up at a cool little diner, I ate right next to a guy wearing a Jeter shirt. An old man eating behind us laughed that 'Ortiz' and 'Jeter' were eating next to each other, and Jeter broke out his sense of humor and said 'I guess it's ok if he eats near me!'. It was a good meal for me. Better for him I am assuming since he ate it in 38 seconds.
We headed to Central Park which is OH MY GOD IT IS MASSIVE AND INSANE AND THEY HAVE THESE BIKES EVERY 10 FEET DRIVEN BY THESE GUYS OFFERING YOU RIDES FOR $50 EVERY 100 FEET AND FULL ON SOFTBALL GAMES AND HOLY SHIT THERE ARE LIKE 10,000 RUNNERS AND SPECIFIC RUNNING LANES AND THERE WERE SO MANY IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS A ROAD RACE GOING ON.
It was alright I guess.
One of the things I had to see in New York was Strawberry Fields and John Lennon's Imagine Mosaic. It was the day before his birthday, it was amazing.
For such a small, little tribute to him it was pretty moving, the simplicity was everything that Lennon was. One word, one dream, one awesome little place in the middle of Central Park. So cool.
The only other thing I knew we had to do was go to the American Museum of Natural History. Everyone said it had to be on our list. It wasn't too far from Central Park so we headed on over there.
HOLY CRAP.
Massive museum and upon first walking in, you are just floored. You're faced with dinosaurs that are so tall you can't even guesstimate how tall they are. A Night at the Museum flashes before your eyes. And you start to wonder what time everything comes alive.
It was everything I thought it would be and more. DINOSAURS. LIKE EVERY SINGLE KIND YOU CAN IMAGINE AND THEN 200 MORE. HOW CAN YOU BEAT THAT?!?
We headed back to the apartment to get ready to go out to Ground Zero and have dinner and I clicked my FitBit activity monitor to see how far we walked that day. We were upwards of 9 miles at that point. 9. FREAKING. MILES. Now I don't have to work out for a month. I know, right??!
Ground Zero and the new World Trade Center was beyond words. It was beautiful, quiet, sad, inspiring, solemn, emotional, mind blowing, all in one. We saw a couple holding each other crying. We saw 4 police cruisers there sitting watch. We met a man selling small magazines that outlined everything that happened and will happen with the rebuilding. He showed us a building that was absolutely massive and then showed us in the picture that it was only 1/3 of the size of either tower. It was the one part of the entire weekend I felt we didn't rush at all. We just took it in.
We couldn't get into the 9/11 Memorial, tickets take over a month to get. A return trip will find us there. Absolutely.
Never Forget.
We had a great time, better than I could possibly hope for and fit in during such a short period of time. The people? The friendliest you could imagine, everyone wanted to help us, everyone wanted to give us their input to where to go and where to get a bite to eat. Friendly ribbing about our Patriots and Sox gear. Amazing city, awesome company, I cannot wait to do it again.
Even if it does mean I'll be close to the Meadowlands and the Jets and Giants again.
I had a lengthy conversation with some people today about things you need to know about if you grew up in the 80s. Things that are 'must know'. Things that are pivotal to friendships and relationships. Things that impact your life so greatly that it helps create who you are. This is one of them. If you don't know what this is from there is a really huge massive chance we can't be friends.
There's always that chance we can be friends, albeit incredibly small. But odds are if you don't know what this is and where it's from and why it's super fantastic awesome, well, odds are you won't get most of the references I make on a day to day basis and we will spend a lot of time staring at each other having no idea WTF the other is talking about.
If you don't know what this is, it's ok, it really is. It's not the end of the world. Just delete me from your life and we'll both be better off.
I'm not sure what possessed me to go running today in 85 degree weather with close to 100% humidity, but I learned a few things:
Things I Hate
People randomly beep/swerve at you to scare you
People that randomly throw things at you (ie: cigarettes, soda cans, Slurpees)
People that don't know what side of the road to ride their bikes on
Having your hamstring ball up on you when you are doing your post-run stretch
Things I Love
Running through sprinklers
Good music to run to
An awesome song coming on at the right time to help you when you are struggling
Running as the sun goes down
It felt good to run 3.5 miles, not during it of course, but after all was said and done. I didn't think I would be able to pull it off, when I started and I was stiff and achey from football practice yesterday but sometimes good things happen when you least expect them.
I've talked about irrational fears before. I seem to have many of them, one of my biggest being dying before I read all the books in my library. Or writing all the things I want to write before I can. Or eating all the things I want to try. And lately, watching all the movies/shows I want to. Bizarre. I know. Exceedingly. It's a consumptional fear I guess.
I have no reason for these fears. None. That I know of at least.
So I do what any rational person will do in my situation: I consume. I read as many of the books, watch as many of the shows and movies, try all the things I want to eat. I'm sure psychologically this is fascinating to some shrink, but to me it's mildly annoying.
It doesn't consume me in the sense that it takes up my entire life, it's just there. Lurking, all the time. I guess it's probably that I'm worried I'll miss out on something. Which is odd because it flies in the face of how I normally live - enjoy everything I do, every day, the good times and use the bad to offer perspective. And I'm more than content with that and how I live.
Consumptional irrational fear. Maybe I'll get over it, maybe I won't. But it won't ever define me.
“Someone once told me the definition of Hell: The last day you have on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.”
- Anonymous
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine
Boston sports teams are spoiled rotten. Some cities have never won a single championship. In the history of any single sport. In the last ten years Boston has won each of the major championships at least once. 7 championships in 10 years. That's more than a lifetime's worth.
The success is staggering when you look at it:
17 Larry O'Brien Trophies
7 Commissioner Trophies
6 Stanley Cups
3 Lombardi Trophies
The Bruins pulled the monkey off their back last night, being the last team to win a championship but this is just as sweet as any of them, with the exception of the Red Sox winning it all in 2004. I mean, come on, no one ever expected that. Entire generations lived and died in between their championships!
I felt blessed to take in the first Stanley Cup since my dad was a teenager with some of the best friends and family you could ask for. I only wish I could have celebrated with more of my friends and family, but they all suck. And I'm awesome.
Anyway, Mark brought up a great point last night - there are only technically 13 metro areas / cities that have all 4 major sports. How many have done what we have? Only 1 actually - Chicago. But Chicago's trophy case pales in comparison to Boston's. If only Michael Jordan played another 10 seasons on the Bulls, then it may have been close...
So today, if you are a Boston sports fan, take a second and reflect on all the highlights over the last decade. Enjoy it. Embrace it. Celebrate it.
As many of you know, I don't have many rules on my blog. It's my personal space. I cuss. A lot. No topic is off limits. I speak my mind. It's my place to unload what is on my mind and just be myself.
But one topic I almost always stay away from is work. To me it's as off limits as I can get. I rarely talk about it because my coworkers are my second family, and yet they are far enough removed from me in my real life that I don't want to drag them into this small little space I have. It's mostly for them, not for me. We all have work stories, I just don't choose to share mine.
Most of the time.
Tuesday we had our Annual Conference at the Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa and as usual it was fantastic. It's a lot of work, but fun at the same time. Great people made it what it is as always. Paradise up in the mountains. So quiet. Serene. Beautiful. Just awe inspiring.
A lot is packed into the 3 days we were up there, from setting up to breaking down to general and concurrent sessions on various interesting topics and cool demos to amazingly awesome food and entertainment. The rewards for the work put in is well worth it.
I had some time to soak it all in and take some pictures along the way.
Two of the coolest mini-donkeys you will ever meet!!!
This guy was the man. Look at him - hopped up (pun intended...) on top of the Angora Rabbit cages to look inside the barn. Pretty athletic little goat.
This was taken about 1 second before his ears went back and stared at me intently. He was about to fuck me up. For real.
One of the highlights for me was seeing Randy Pierce and his dog Quinn. Randy went blind at the age of 22 and has not let that slow him down one bit. He is more than an avid hiker - he is quite amazing. He created 2020 VisionQuest - a charity that helps the New Hampshire Associated for the Blind and Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Randy's goal is to hike all forty-eight 4000 footers with Quinn within the next 4 years. There is no doubt in my mind that they will accomplish it.
Do yourself a great service and check out Randy's website, his story, his videos:
Two of my favorite quotes from his talk with us were, "Create positive adversity" and "Sight let's you see where you are, vision let's you see where you are going".
If he isn't inspirational to you then you don't have a pulse.
Disaster striking Japan has been heart wrenching to follow. Countless dead, families trying to reunite with each other and having no closure, billions in damage, entire towns wiped out, potential nuclear meltdowns.
And then there are the animals. The pets. The ones that cannot fend for themselves. Yes, I am sounding like Sarah McLachlan but I promise I won't play her song. I'd like to not cry today.
The people of Japan need our help but the animals do as well. You can always text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami throught the Pacific. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Message & Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 90999 to STOP. Text HELP to 90999 for HELP. To see the full terms applicable to donations, please visit www.mgive.org/T. Receipts for donations are available at www.mgive.org/receipt.
That being said, the animals need a leg up. They have been affected just like the people of Japan. They are in trouble. They need our help.
They are survivors. But they need us. If you can give them any assistance, please do so. If you can't, please spread the word.
This is ultimate loyalty. Pretty remarkable. Watch until the end. Trust me.
For the record, both were saved. Both are safe. Because of good people that care.
Please donate, even just a bit, if you haven’t already to any of the following:
With all the bad shit going down in the news lately, do you think the Mayans screwed it all up and mean to pick 2011 as the year the world blows up instead of 2012?
Sometimes I get sad. Sometimes I get pissed. Sometimes I need a reason to smile.
And every time that happens I will return to this. And do just that.
I have a major problem with IKEA. In that I am always thinking about going to IKEA to get more stuff that I may or may not need and spend hours there and look at any and all things that may or not be limited to shit I would even want to buy.
Do you ever go long stretches or time forgetting about some kind of food you love to eat? I'm not talking about oranges. Or Chunky Monkey. I'm talking about something you make on your own. Your own twist of baked Mac and Cheese. A peanut butter and honey wrap. An omelette with ricotta cheese and spinach. Ahhh, the problems of a fat kid. Forgetting kinds of food to eat. First world problems.
About 8 years ago I tried to get my vanity plate at the DMV and was denied. I requested HYNDSY. I was told it was graphic and rude. The example I was given was "Look at that HYNDSY".
Really?
I got it after I called a supervisor, but only after I was given HYNDS. I had to wait even longer because the plate I wanted was profane.
Profane.
If I had a dollar for every plate I have seen since then that was actually graphic and profane or just downright rude I would be able to single handedly be able to pay for vanity plates for everyone in New Hampshire.
If you're looking for a couple inspirational stories, stories that will knock you off your feet and give you some serious perspective you should check out the book The Long Run by Matt Long. It's a true story about a FDNY firefighter who loses both of his legs after getting hit by a New York City bus and he keeps on going.
The other story hits closer to home. It's about a guy named Randy Pierce who lost his sight but not his vision. With the assistance of his guide dog Quinn, Randy is seeking to become the first person every to summit each and every 4000 footer in New Hampshire. Randy came and spoke where I work and I felt honored to hear his story and encourage everyone to take a minute to read about his story and his big plans.
If Randy looks a little familiar it's because he is in one of the most iconic Patriots pictures ever with his late dog Ostend, right above the 5 in the Bruschi banner:
I've talked before on here how I would love to hike all of the 4000 footers and before meeting Randy I was truly geeked about it, but right now I'm looking forward to climbing my first 4000 footer with Randy. He is one of the most inspiring, well-spoken, friendliest, amazing individuals you could ever hope to meet. I am truly humbled to have met him and cannot wait to see him again this May at our Annual Conference.
Speaking of football, I am pretty confident the NFL Players Union and the owners will get things done so we will have a full season in the fall. $9 billion is at stake. Some players have enough money to hold out indefinitely. Most don't. Most owners won't want to lose a boatload of money. And most fans won't forgive them if an entire season is lost.
This is one of those must see Rollins videos. Not optional. Watch this. Now.
This will always be hilarious.
A little over 2 months have passed but congratulations needs to go out to Mark for getting the monkey off his back and winning his dodgeball championship. In the past Mark has been on the receiving end of tough losses but this time he pulled it out and is on the receiving end of a big, giant win.
