Horrified

The next time you leave your home, stop a second and look back at it.

Now imagine that place of yours smashed, leveled and destroyed. Think about what it would be like if your home was reduced to a lifeless pile of rubble. All the beams, studs, sheet rock, shingles, lying in a huge pile.

Or imagine it's gone without a trace. That one blows my mind. A gaping hole where the foundation was and no other signs of it having been there in the first place. All the toys, books, pictures gone. TV is a memory. All your clothes blown away. Take it to that level of detail. You can't find anything that belongs to you. Or if you do find some of your things, they're no longer usable. Every memento, every photo, souvenir... gone.

Think about that. Think about how you'd cry. Or how the kids would.

Think about that.

Then do something to help someone to whom this has happened.

You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief

Not A Bucket List

I'm definitely not writing a Bucket List, because that's not necessary. I'm not going to be exiting the building any time soon, thanks. But this battle with Multiple Myeloma has definitely renewed my enthusiasm about the future and about living. And I do have a list of things I want to do. And it will all take place after we say "F*ck You" to cancer. So let's call it my F*ck It List instead. It's going to be an ongoing process, so stay tuned for updates.

Here's what I have so far:

The F*ck It List:

1. Wake up every day and thank God for everyone in my life, in particularly my 3 kids. And I'm going to say that prayer every single morning.
2. Get a Fiat 15. Small car, big heart. Like some of my friends.
3. Get my career back on track. I'm going to take this situation from a job to an adventure. I love what I do.
4. Get physically fit. Enough so that I might be able to be proud of being in pictures.
5. Pose in a photograph with my favorite Country Singer, Kristy Lee Cook.
6. Pose in a second photograph with my favorite TV star Alyssa Milano, because yes, I'm a groupie.And meet & greet with Nia Peeples. For the same reason.
7. Go on all the lunch and dinner dates I've been lining up. I have a lot of those to catch up on.
8. Spend a nice long weekend in Woodloch Pines with my kids, who choose Woodloch over Disney World. That's how great that place is.
9. Attend my High School reunion with some of the best people I know.
10. Ride a bicycle again. More than a block, that is.
11. Grow a mullet. Ok just kidding about that.
12. Get a tattoo.  OK just kidding again. I'm way too chicken.
13. Do anything it takes to reconnect with some people from whom I'm drifted apart. Some of them are worth the effort.
14. Visit my friends out West. Again. Best time ever.
15. Visit my friends down South, too. Namely Virginia. (The State)
16. Beat the hell out of the life expectancy statistics for Multiple Myeloma. Oh, man, Social Security will pay me!
17. Become a department manager at work. Yes. I love that place. And I'm going to get my career back on track.
18. Read the Bible, cover-to-cover, again.
19. Have lunch with Geno, and with Marie O'Kane cuz we're all going to get better.
20. Love a lot of people who have loved me. And never forget that love. And support. And become active in Multiple Myeloma Awareness. And find a way to thank Michelle & Tommy Brennan, and Rex, my lifelong buddy, for the Blood Drive. Oh, and Rose Mary Brennan too. She donated blood even though it practically killed her.
21. Spend the rest of my life thanking my parents, brothers, sister, and sister's in law for the support. More than you'll ever know.
22. Thank my friends from Facebook and Twitter for the endless support.

That's just for starters.

What's a buck?

Alyssa Milano & Milo
Raising Funds for St. Jude

Cancer is a mean bastard. It's as indiscriminate at the most evil criminal on Earth. Anyone can be attacked by cancer at any time, without warning, without mercy.

Us older folks, well we're supposed to get sick at times. We can be told what we're up against, and have an understanding of what we're fighting. Eventually, we're all supposed to die anyway, so it's annoying and saddening, but not always surprising. Things go wrong, and with age, we grow to expect it. I'm fighting cancer now, and it at least seems like a fair fight.

But cancer goes after kids. Other diseases attack kids as well. But cancer is particularly vile.

St Jude's Children's Hospital helps those kids. It's always armed and ready with the best weapons to fight the evils that plague our kids. But it does so with the help of thousands of people like us. Giving what we can, when we can.

What's a buck? In some places it's a cup of coffee. A snack. Or even a DVD rental. So giving a buck might mean some of us have to do without one cup, one bite or a movie. When you think about the battles these children fight, every single day, you realize how much more they give up. Every day. No playing outside. For months on end, these kids can't be with friends their own age. They rely on grownups for companionship. They play with other sick kids occasionally, but for most it's a lonely battle wrought with sacrifice.

But if you've ever met one of these kids, you're astounded by their spirit, their resilience. They see life as we all should, a day-to-day gift with no guarantees. They cry sometimes. But minutes later they bounce back, ready to share a laugh or a giggle or a toy.

Let's do something to help. Those kids would never ask for a handout, believe me. It's up to us to get past our limitations, our egos, our selfishness.

Why not help Alyssa Milano and the cause of St. Jude's Children's hospital? Give up that extra cup of coffee, or bag of chips. There's always tomorrow for us. And with our help, there can be tomorrows for countless kids who are in need.

Check out the campaign here: Alyssa Milano & Milo Raising Funds for St. Jude

And give what you can, when you can. In the tradition of Social media, share this story if you can't donate. Let's get people involved.

Let's Get Ready To Rumble

I got invited to a fight. I don't much like to fight. But this time I better get over that and get ready to slug it out.

On Friday, July 13th, (gotta love that date) my oncologist diagnosed me with a cancer called Multiple Myeloma. It's a nasty little cousin to Leukemia and Lymphoma. If you want to know a little more about it, this website can help define it for you.

This cancer has no cure, but we can stomp it into remission. That's the goal. My kids and I talked it over, and they're with me all the way. My parents were with me that day, so they're up to speed too, and, as usual, behind me 100%.

I don't think it's going to be easy. I'm not kidding myself. This little devil messes with the bones, so I'll have to be a lot less clumsy. Don't want to break any more bones, thanks.

On July 19th I'll go in for a bone marrow biopsy, I guess to confirm and stage my cancer. I'll get more info from the oncologist once he has those results. I had a lot of dental work done this week so that my mouth is in good shape for the oncoming treatments.

I want this to be a very loud, public battle, because I want to show cancer who's boss. And I want you all to join the battle so maybe some other people can benefit. I figure if I win, other people will win too. I'm not a hero, I'm not a superman. I'm just a regular guy who is in the fight of his life. Let's let other people know they're not alone in their fights.

Let's kick some ass. :)

Thanks for reading.

NAILED IT!

OK I've figured out how to know exactly when someone has been abducted by aliens.

When someone calls you, and you miss the call, you typically call right back, no?

The phone rings, and rings and rings. And then goes to voicemail. You never hear from that person again.

They're gone.

Abducted.

Simply Put

I think any company that fires a Guardsman for complying with active military duty should be put out of business. I also think that any company that refuses to hire a Service person should suffer the same fate. We owe a lot to these people and employing them is the least we can do.