Friday Jokes

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence. One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.

"One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me," said one boy. Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle. As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery. He slowed down to investigate. Sure enough, he heard,"One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me."

He just knew what it was. He jumped back on his bike and rode off. Just around the bend he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.

"Come here quick," said the boy, "you won't believe what I heard! Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls."

The man said, "Beat it kid, can't you see it's hard for me to walk." When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled to the cemetery. Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me..."

The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been tellin' the truth. Let's see if we can see the Lord." Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything. The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord.

At last they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all. Now let's go get those nuts by the fence and we'll be done."

They say the old man made it back to town a full 5 minutes ahead of the boy on the bike.

Sunday Quotes

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

Helen Keller

Friday Jokes

Today I am starting a new feature on my blog called Friday jokes. Every Friday, I will post a new joke. I hope today's joke gives you a laugh, chuckle or smile.


An Irishman's been at a pub all night drinking. The bartender finally says that the bar is closed. So he stands up to leave and falls flat on his face.

He figures he'll crawl outside and get some fresh air and maybe that will sober him up. Once outside he stands up and falls flat on his face. So he crawls home and at the door stands up and falls flat on his face.

He crawls through the door and up the stairs. When he reaches his bed he tries one more time to stand up. This time he falls right into bed and is sound asleep. He awakens the next morning to his wife standing over him shouting at him. "So, you've been out drinking again!!" "How did you know?" he asks. "The pub called, you left your wheelchair there again."

On-Line Dating

I have been in the on-line dating scene for a while now, but have had no luck yet. The woman that will sweep me out of my chair--figuratively speaking--is yet to be found. She is out there somewhere. I have to keep this hope alive. If other disabled people have found love, there is no reason that I can't. Being a man with a major disability, and in need of much assistance, can be a deal breaker, and some women can't get past the disability and see me for the person I am. But, this is not always the case. It is too easy to blame it on the disability completely. It may be that she just isn't that into me for other reasons, such as no common interests, a lack of chemistry, we live too far apart, or other reasons. I can't take a poor me attitude. I will either be lucky or unlucky in my pursuit, but it will not be because of a lack of effort on my part. I hope to succeed.

The woman I want to meet is someone who would be able to see past the disability and love me for who I am. Someone who would be friend, companion, confidante, and lover all rolled into one. Someone to spend the rest of my life with. Don't get me wrong, I have met women on-line, but they just want to be friends. I have no hard feelings about that. That is their preference. Of coarse, she would be caring, compassionate, and loving enough to not mind helping me out, but I am not looking for a nurse, that would a selfish reason for finding someone.

Before this, I always wanted to find someone, but I didn't put too much effort into it. But, now that I am Forty, I want someone to share my life with. I'm not getting any younger. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't put more effort into it ten years ago, and wonder if I would have been with someone by now, but this is idle speculation, and I resist these thoughts. What is past is past. I have to think of the here and now and keep my hopes alive.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I can't believe that 2009 is here. It seems that 2008 zipped by. Since it is a new year, it is time to look back on my life in the past year.

On the health front, 2008 was a very good year for me. Last year I had no problems with trach obstructions, as I did in 2007. For that, I am thankful. Also, a visit to the cardiologist and an echo cardiogram revealed that my heart was in good condition, despite the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. That put my mind at ease.

This year marked two significant events in my life. June was the fourteenth anniversary of me being trached and vented. This is always one of the most important events in my life. It represents my new lease on life, and the reason why I am still here to write this. In July, I reached a big milestone in my life: I turned forty. I celebrated with family and friends with a Spanish-themed party with flamenco dancers, a singer, and guitarist. It was a great way to celebrate my entrance to the forty something club, and most importantly, it represents yet another victory over Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

In the area of entertainment, it was a good year. In April I went to the Honda Arena in Anaheim to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was a great show. In May I went to the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater in Chula Vista, to see The Police in concert. It brought back memories of the 1980's, and after all these years, they still sounded good. In July, I saw Chris Isaak in concert at the Valley View Casino on the Indian reservation near Valley Center. He put on an enjoyable show. In October, I attended the Miramar Air Show, at MCAS Miramar in San Diego. It was great seeing all the awesome flight demonstrations, especially The Blue Angels who put on an amazing show.

The most unique event of the year occurred in February. I attended the Dinner with the Pros in, a charity dinner and auction, attended by athletes from the NFL, MLB, PGA. LPGA. I enjoyed meeting athletes, such as Junior Seau, Drew Bress, Phil Nevin, and David Wells, among others. It was an enjoyable evening, and for a good cause: to help troubled teens. I was able to attend thanks to friends John and Holly Carney, who organized the event.

The most interesting event last year, was going to the exhibit, A Day in Pompeii. It was a fascinating exhibit about the life in the ancient Roman city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The artifacts unearthed from the site, as well as the body casts of some of the victims buried in ash from the eruption, brought the past alive.

The only negative note in my life last year, was my close call with death in September. This occurred when my trach was accidentally pulled out and I stopped breathing. Thanks to the paramedics and the medical staff in the E.R., I was kept alive.

As usual, Thanksgiving and Christmas were enjoyable times spent with my family. That is what the holidays are all about.

In Memoriam

Cody Namesnik 1978-2008

A fellow DMDer, who lost his battle with pneumonia. He was a kind, and good-natured person. I never met him in person, but knew him online and chatted with him. He is still missed.

Michael Martin 1930-2008

A dear family friend. He died peacefully in his sleep. I miss his wit, interesting stories, kindness, and the visits. It was a privilege to have known him.

It's Christmastime

Christmastime is upon us again. Where did the time go? This is one of my favorite times of the year. I like the spirit of giving, peace, and goodwill that is a hallmark of this season. As a child, Christmas was the highlight of the year, and I was always excited at what gifts I would get. But, as I got older, I realized that the giving of gifts was far more rewarding. Opening gifts is a short term pleasure: once they are opened, the excitement wears off. But, the pleasure of giving lasts much longer. I get much pleasure seeing the joy in the eyes of my niece and nephews when they open the gifts from me. This year again I donated toys to Toys for Tots, a wonderful charity. It gives me pleasure knowing that children, who may have gone without toys on Christmas, will get toys because of my donations. Besides the giving, this is also a time to get together with family and friends; it would not be the same without them. My thoughts go out to those who are alone this time of year and wish they can find some joy. Merry Christmas to all.

Thanksgiving

On this day of Thanksgiving I am thankful for many things in my life. The following is a list of what I am thankful for.

1. Family
2. Friends
3. Good health
4. Being alive
5. Living at home and not in an institution
6. My caregivers (especially Ernie, who has worked for me 14 years)
7. My van
8. My cat, Lucky

He Did It!

On October 25, Matt Eddy, the first man to drive his power wheelchair(ventilator included) across the United States completed his trip at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California. On June 30, the thirty-one year old man with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy started his trip from the Long Wharf Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts and wheeled 2335 miles to Long Beach, planning his route as he went along. His trip aimed to increase awareness about disability and publicize his charity, Matt's Place, to help build accessible housing for people with disabilities. I hope he succeeded in that. He also showed that a person can do almost anything if he sets his mind to. Matt had this idea and made it reality. His determination allowed him to accomplish this feat. Great job Matt!

Check out his blog, Ramblings in the Dark. There is also a great article about Matt and his trip in the Press-Telegram of Long Beach.

Michael Martin 1930-2008

On October 1st, our dear family friend, Michael Martin, passed away peacefully in his sleep. Just the way he wanted to go. Two days before, he and his wife, Sylvia were down visiting us. I am so glad I was able to see him this final time.

My parents befriended Michael and Sylvia forty-five years ago, and they have stayed close ever since. Their daughters Blaire and Stacy grew up with my sister, brother and I. We shared many important events in our lives, such as the Bat Mitzvas for Blaire and Stacy, weddings, birthdays, graduations. They were like family.

Michael was an example of someone who had realized the American dream. He came to The United States from London, England with little money. He married, had two daughters and established a successful private investigation firm in Los Angeles. It was a privilege to have known him. He had a quick and clever wit, always had interesting stories about his life and his many travels all over the world, and was a caring and warm person. He was also good-natured and lived life to the fullest. I can still hear his laugh. It was always a pleasure to visit with him. Whenever he visited he was always glad to see us as were we. I will miss those visits.

On October 5th I went up to Los Angeles with my family to bid farewell to Michael. The funeral service, though tinged with sadness, was a celebration of his life. The service started with an acquaintance of his singing the Louis Armstrong song, What a Wonderful World. There were touching and even amusing eulogies by Sylvia, daughters Blaire and Stacy, and some of his friends, such as my dad. During the eulogies there were plenty of tears, as well as plenty of laughs and smiles. The singer also sang a song based on a poem Michael wrote about his concern for the environment, called Does Anyone Care? It was a nice touch to bring his words alive in song. At the gravesite, after the internment everyone released a balloon at the same time. The balloons rose into the sunny sky in a unified mass and were carried away by a gentle breeze. It was a fitting farewell.

My thoughts go out to Sylvia, Blaire and Stacy as they adjust to a life without Michael. He may be gone, but his memory lives on in all of us who knew him.

Miramar Air Show

On Friday, October 3, I attended the annual air show at MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Miramar in San Diego. It was an awesome show, especially for an aircraft fan like me. When I got there they had an air/ground assault demonstration with helicopters, jets and marines. The highlight was a massive explosion which created a wall of flame. The heat was so intense I was able to feel it from where I was sitting. They had a performance from the Oracle Challenger, acrobatic biplane. The pilot, Sean Tucker, performed some amazing stunts. They also had flight demonstrations of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the F/16 Falcon, the new F-22 Raptor. They had a legacy flight with a WWII fighter plane flanked by the F/A-18 and F-22. That is always an interesting sight. They also had a demonstration of the Marine Corps' AV-8B Harrier VTOL (Vertical take-off and landing) jet. Before I arrived they had more demonstrations of aircraft, but I was there for the most exciting parts. They also had all kinds of aircraft, both civilian and military, on display on the tarmac. This year, they had the new Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. It is supposed to be a replacement for the aging transport helicopters used by the Marine Corps.

But, the real stars of the show were the Blue Angels. They made their return to Miramar after a one year absence. I last saw them in 1986, before they switched over to the F/A-18 from the A-4F Skyhawk. Our neighbor at the time was a retired admiral and he got me some VIP passes to the airshow. I was given the red carpet treatment. I sat in the VIP section. Among the guests were some high-ranking military officials. We were right on the edge of the runway so had front row seats to all the action. After the Blue Angels performed I was able to get up close to the aircraft and meet the pilots. It was a great experience. But, I didn't see the Blue Angels again until this year. Last year was my first time back to the air show since 1986, but instead of the Blue Angels they had the Air force Thunderbirds. The Blue Angels have always been a staple of the airshow but last year they had a scheduling conflict. So, I was excited to see them again this year.

The excitement grew as The Blue Angels started their engines and taxied down the runway, and then with engines roaring, they took to the sky in a precise diamond formation. Once in the air, they performed one amazing maneuver after another. They did loops, rolls, inverted flights and all kinds of different formations. The most hair raising maneuver was the knife-edge flight where two Blue Angels fly towards each other and then fly past each other with only a few feet to spare. One plane is actually slightly higher than the other to give the appearance that they are going head to head. They also did a fly-by in a tight formation with wings overlapping. The wings are only eighteen inches apart! One false move would be devastating. It takes the breath away to watch. It was a fantastic show. I can't wait to see them again next year.