Warren Zevon - Detox Mansion (live 2000)

DROPKICK MURPHYS - BOYS ON THE DOCKS

Sitting on the deck enjoying this great day in the sunshine with my little dog Nala. I love wireless internet, great music and the start of summer !

BMF Activator : Cabela's

BMF Activator : Cabela's

It's Hard to believe that cabelas is selling the perfect trigger activator for $19.99. If this was in any disability catalog it would be $59.99 easily.

I plan on getting more involved with hunting this year and will hopefully get to participate in one of the local disability hunts in the area. I'm really looking forward to fall and getting out there again.

Poor Man's Trigger Adapter

'Sack Tapping': Boys Punch Groin, Testicles in Dangerous Game, Post Video Online - ABC News

'Sack Tapping': Boys Punch Groin, Testicles in Dangerous Game, Post Video Online - ABC News

OK What the Hell is wrong with kids today....... I'm telling you right now if someone "taped" my balls it would not be a game. It would definitely be go time and the sorry individual would think twice about ever tapping me again.

Are kids today so bored with life that they think this is funny ? Do they have too much time on their hands and everything handed to them ? Or are they simply just crazy.......

Adventure Skills

In 2000 I had the opportunity to attend a camp sponsored by Shepherd Center called adventure skills. It's a weekend filled with activities like shooting, riding jet skis, quads (the vehicles not the people, although I'm sure some of that happened too), fishing, scuba diving etc. etc. etc.

Last week adventure skills had their annual camp, check out the video here . I am going to make an effort to get there next year. The camp is completely accessible and a fantastic time for everyone involved.

In New York, Ground Zero Mosque Plan Faces New Obstacle - ABC News

In New York, Ground Zero Mosque Plan Faces New Obstacle - ABC News
let's ask ourselves, is this still America? Are we free to practice any religion we choose without persecution?

I do not see the problem with having a Muslim Mosque built a few blocks away from ground zero. If not there, where? What is the magical distance? Let's not discriminate, let's not hate, let's not let the extremists poison our value system.

America is founded on freedom, let's keep it that way.

GOLFER'S HONEYMOON:

A guy out on the golf course takes a high speed ball right in the crotch writhing in agony, he falls to the ground. As soon as he could manage, he took himself to the doctor.

He said 'How bad is it doc? I'm going on my honeymoon next week and my fiancée is still a virgin - in every way. The doctor told him, 'I'll have to put your willie in a splint to let it heal and keep it straight. It should be okay next week.

He took four tongue depressors and formed a neat little 4 sided splint, and taped it all together; an impressive work of art.

The guy mentions none of this to his girl, marries her, and goes on their honeymoon.

That night in the motel room, she rips open her blouse to reveal her beautiful breasts. She said, You're the first; no one has EVER touched these.

He immediately drops his pants and replies, .....'Look at this, ....still in the CRATE!'

Insurance companies... a Rant

Prior to my injury I was a working professional with the forethought to take out a long-term disability policy. I am really glad I did, but sometimes the paperwork associated with it is a little ridiculous.

Every year I have to fill out a form for the insurance company. I wonder if they expect my condition (quadriplegia) to change ? They asked questions like do I need any assistance with ADLs (activities of daily living) if so how much assistance do I need ?.....

Let's see, I'm paralyzed from the chest down, cannot feel or use my hands or fingers or transfer to my power wheelchair independently, I need to have someone reposition me every four hours when in bed. I cannot go to the bathroom myself.... etc. etc. etc. I have attendant care and rely on family for support.

Another question they ask is what types of activities did you engage in before your injury. Yes, let's walk down memory lane at all the activities I could perform independently, that helps with depression. Lets list a few

1. Walking, simply walking and being independent.
2. Running, I ran cross-country in high school and enjoyed running.
3. Hunting, independently hunting with my bow several states each year.
4. Skydiving
5. riding my motorcycle
6. boating, knee boarding
7. camping, backpacking ,hiking etc.
8. karate, was a second-degree black and enjoyed working out
9. fishing in Canada every year
10. traveling independently
11. being able to feel pleasure instead of constant burning
12. shooting, rifles and handguns
13. dancing
14. riding mechanical bulls
15. SCUBA diving, swimming
16. playing football
17. playing hockey
18. playing softball
19. playing volleyball
20. barbecuing
21. opening my own beer
22. feeling confident physically and not vulnerable
23. shooting pool
24. driving a car
25. Being Able to Do Anything I Really Wanted!

I'm done for the day..... this rant is brought to you courtesy my long-term disability insurance carrier.

Penguins fans worst nightmare - Hossa and the Blackhawks vs. the Flyers

Penguins fans worst nightmare - Hossa and the Blackhawks vs. the Flyers I can't begin to tell you how much I am hating having Philadelphia and Chicago play for the Stanley Cup championship.

Philadelphia barely made the playoffs, their players are mostly goons and as a Penguin fan I hate all things Philadelphia.... I certainly cannot root for Hossa and the Chicago Blackhawks.... I guess I will not watch the Stanley Cup this year, someone just wake me when it's over.

I actually wore a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball hat the last few days, how sad is that? I think I need an intervention, preferably with alcoholic beverages being served by scantily clad women.

I'm sure it's the only thing that can stop this downward spiraling event from occurring again. The only orange and white cream sickle uniforms I want to see are the following.....





I wonder if these ladies can skate? What are your thoughts on the Stanley Cup this year? Even if you are a Philadelphia fan, feel free to comment. I may not post it, but feel free to comment anyway....lol

New Roof is On

The construction crew arrived on time yesterday as promised and put the new roof on over the course of the day. The construction company Fire Dex used was Founding Fathers Construction, owned by Bob Belan (724) 384-8599

I thought Bob and his guys did a really professional job on the roof as well as cleaning up. Working with the insurance company and Fire Dex was relatively painless to resolve the problem quickly. It was a bad storm and things could have been much worse.

Rehab Day at the Park

Klingensmith health care sponsored a wheelchair seating clinic at PNC Park this past Saturday. I had the opportunity to attend and met some fantastic vendors along with practitioners (physical therapist, occupational therapist).

It's nice to see what technology is available, especially from Permobil. Which I believe to be one of the best manufacturers in power wheelchairs on the market today.

I was also impressed with Pride Mobility and their ability to operate environmental controls through the wheelchair joystick. It was great to discover how pride incorporated the integration of the environment with a wheelchair.

Speaking about using the wheelchair joystick to control the environment, are you familiar with the R-Net Mouse Module it's a great piece of assistive technology that allows the user to use his or her joystick as a mouse which connects via Bluetooth to a laptop or Pc.

I currently have it installed on my Permobil C-500 and will be talking about it in future blogs. So far it has certainly been working out well.... I'm such a geek I know, no need to point that factor out in the comments. Lol

New Roof Coming Soon

The roofers will be here in the next hour to replace one side of the roof that was damaged in last month's storms. I'm really impressed with the way Fire Dex of Pittsburgh handle the situation from the start.

Sometimes dealing with contractors can be a very stressful situation. When I called Fire Dex they said they would arrive at 7 PM and they did.... some contractors never show or arrive hours late.

Hopefully the new roof goes on as easily as the emergency repairs. The only downside is the noise that will follow all day today..... at least it will be finished !

SRV - Life By The Drop

ZZ Top - Rough Boy (music video)

Seafood, It's What's for Dinner

All my talk yesterday about oysters, lobsters and beer had me ravenous for seafood. So we settled on muscles for dinner, steamed in white wine and garlic sauce with fresh herb bread. Meals this good should be illegal.....

ipad so easy a two year old can do it

Time Away

I have been thinking about taking some time away. Getting back to that one particular Harbor, and what better harbor than Plymouth Harbor Massachusetts....

I called my friend Matt and found out what his schedule would be like this summer then called and booked an accessible room on the ocean. I think my spirits have been lifted and I can distinctly smell the salt water already.

"Gimme oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year and I'll feel fine." - Tin Cup Chalice 1974 Jimmy Buffett. Matt's in charge of diving for lobsters, I'm in charge of beer and the best wine.



The trip is a few months away but I'm looking forward to it.... Is that Jimmy Buffett playing in the background? What are your summer plans? What are you looking forward to?

Joe Sestak, Rand Paul Primary Wins Warn Incumbents About Voters' Mood - Elections 2010 - ABC News

Joe Sestak, Rand Paul Primary Wins Warn Incumbents About Voters' Mood - Elections 2010 - ABC News Yesterday I voted for Joe Sestak, I could not vote for Arlen Specter. 30 years in politics is way too long for any one candidate, if the President of the United States has term limits shouldn't every political office?

It's only my opinion but I impose my own term limits (two), after that I vote you out....

Too Funny

A man and his wife walked into a dentist's office.

The man said to the dentist, "Doc, I'm in one heck of a hurry. I have two buddies sitting out in my car waiting for us to go play golf, so forget about the anesthetic, I don't have time for the gums to get numb. I just want you to pull the tooth, and be done with it!

We have a 10:00 AM tee time at the best golf course in town and it's 9:30 already... I don't have time to wait for the anesthetic to work The dentist thought to himself, "My goodness, this is surely a very brave man asking to have his tooth pulled without using anything to kill the pain."

So the dentist asks him, "Which tooth is it sir?" The man turned to his wife and said, "Open your mouth Honey, and show him.

Thanks Joe Pat

Election Day in Pennsylvania 2010

Today is primary election day in Pennsylvania 2010.... Of course it's raining, which means voter turnout will be even lower than normal.

When I was younger I used to be one of those people who did not vote. I thought what was the point, I did not really care about politics anyway and after all, politicians are all the same right?

For the past 10 years I have voted in every election. I'm not sure whether my voting makes a difference or not in the grand scheme of things, but at least I have my say.

I vote for the candidate of my choice, I impose my own term limits and I'm a visible voter with a disability. So in the end, maybe my vote does make a difference... if only to me. And by the way I do not use my finger to vote, my fingers do not work. I use a mouth stick to touch the screen and make my selection independently.

Cripz webcomic

I stumbled across this website Cripz and thought it was pretty funny. I'm looking forward to reading more, go give it a try and send these folks some comments.

You have to love good cripz humor, wheelchair not required

Miss USA 2010

This is Ms. Pennsylvania 2010. Remember when photos like this would get you kicked out of the contest ?

I'm not sure whether to thank Donald Trump or shake my head and say what did you do..... what's your opinion on the lingerie photos in this year's contest ?

It's over

The Pittsburgh Penguins hockey season is over. Last night the Montréal Canadiens defeated the Penguins 5 to 2 at Mellon arena.

It will be the last game played at Mellon Arena, which has a long hockey history dating back to October 11, 1967. The first game played was also a loss to the Montréal Canadiens, maybe it's fitting that the last game was also a loss. The Penguins were never able to win a Stanley Cup on home ice, hopefully the new arena will have better luck.

As a fan it's difficult to end the season. But at least the Penguins fans were better behaved than the Montréal Canadiens fans last night. In Montréal there was rioting, shops were destroyed and police were necessary.......

It was a great season and I'm certainly looking forward to next year already! Someone just let me know who wins the Stanley Cup, I may not be watching hockey for a while....

Sometimes I Hate to Admit It

I'm tired and emotional today.... I'm sure it is lack of sleep (insomnia) and the stress of the last few weeks catching up with me. It's one of those days

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Montreal Canadiens -Game 7- "This is What You Liv...

Grandma?

Little Tony was 9 years old and was staying with his grandmother for a few days..
He'd been playing outside with the other kids for a while when he came into the house and asked her, Grandma, what's that called when two people sleep in the same room and one is on top of the other?

She was a little taken aback, but she decided to tell him the truth. It's called sexual intercourse, darling.

Little Tony said, 'Oh, OK,' and went back outside to play with the other kids.
A few minutes later he came back in and said angrily,

Grandma, it isn't called sexual intercourse. It's called Bunk Beds.
And Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you.

Anger management

Game six Pens and Canadiens

I went down to Bigfellas Pizza last night to watch game six between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montréal Canadiens..... Let's just say the game did not turn out like I wanted. At least the pizza and wings did not disappoint me.

The Canadians forced a game seven in the series. The Pens will play at home Wednesday night at 7 PM with the winner advancing.... The losing team will end their season Wednesday night. I'm not ready for hockey to be over, it's not like I'm going to suddenly start watching or caring about Pirate Baseball....

Yinz Luv 'Da Guins!, PIT vs. MON (Games 4-5)

Game Five Pittsburgh Versus Montréal

Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Montréal Canadiens in game five of the semi finals here in Pittsburgh at Mellon Arena 7 PM.... The big screen will be in operation since the game is broadcast on versus TV.

I think it's really childish of NBC to refuse to let the Penguins broadcast games on the big screen outside the arena when NBC is broadcasting.... It really does a disservice to the fans who want to come down to the arena and be a part of the Stanley Cup experience.

The series is tied up at two and I am hoping the Penguins can pull ahead in tonight's game. In other hockey news, the Philadelphia Flyers managed to win against Boston last night to keep the series alive. The Flyers are trailing, Boston leads 3 to 1.

As much as I hate Philadelphia, I hope they stretch the series out. Tiring Boston out and providing no downtime for Boston to recover from the series. Hopefully the Penguins win the series against Montréal and face the Boston Bruins next, but one game at a time.

Friday's Thoughts and Beer

Last night turned into quite the hockey gathering of the faithful here at the house.... It was a good night, but unfortunately the Penguins lost to the Montréal Canadiens.

Montréal tied the series at two games apiece, the next game will be Saturday here in Pittsburgh. Hopefully the Penguins can take the lead again, I'm not ready for my hockey season to be over just yet.

Having friends over to watch the game was exactly what I needed. I tried Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat Beer last night for the first time. I've been a little congested the last couple of days so unfortunately I could not really taste the cherry flavor... But others said they could not taste it either, what's your opinion?

Best NHL Commercials

Game four- Pittsburgh versus Montréal

Tonight the Penguins will be playing the Montréal Canadiens in game four of the series, with the Penguins leading two games to one....

I'm really looking forward to the distraction of hockey, my friend Mark is coming over to watch the game this evening and that's always a good time.

I have two sets of friends named Mark and Dave, the pre-injury Mark and Dave and the post injury Mark and Dave.... They were finally able to meet each other at the funeral this week.

I like to keep things simple and I thought it was really convenient that these guys have the same names....lol If their names were different, I would just call them Mark and Dave anyway, so it all works out. Hey that's how I roll.

Funeral process

I made it through the funeral process, although it was very difficult to say the least. I spoke with some very good friends which made it easier.... Thanks for coming those of you that could.

I had a good relationship with my mom and spoke with her almost every day. I'm very sorry to see her go but I am thankful she is no longer in pain or suffering. In the end it's about quality of life, everything else doesn't really matter.

My Mom

My mom passed away last night, I just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers over the past few weeks. I really appreciate all your kind words.