Rep. Solobay fends off 4 muggers in Harrisburg

Rep. Solobay fends off 4 muggers in Harrisburg This is my state representative, Tim Solobay. I'm very glad it turned out the way it did. It could easily have gone badly and ended his life....

If this happened when I was younger, I would like to think I would have done something very similar (being a second degree black belt).... Tim is 54 years old and managed to successfully fight off four teenagers, one of which was armed with a pistol.

In situations like this you have to immediately decide a course of action. Whether you choose to be a victim or choose to take action is a personal decision. Once that decision is made, you have to commit everything you have to surviving the decision.

Thankfully this worked out the way it's supposed to, Tim going home to his family and the robbers going to jail.

What Are You Reading?

I am currently reading Stephen King's Black House on my Kindle. So far it's a very interesting read and classic Stephen King. I guess I have been reading Stephen King novels since I was around 16.   I think you either really like him or can't stand him.

What are you currently reading? Did you have a summer book that you couldn't put down? My favorite summer book was Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell. If you have not already read it, what are you waiting for?

Service Dogs Part 2

This is SSD Thunder, he is a wonderful dog and was my second choice. It's very difficult to choose a service dog, they are all special animals. He was more affectionate than Misty and a little taller. It was a close call between the two, but I thought Misty was the slightly better choice based on the way she looked at me.. she was more attentive, at least in my opinion.

The final candidate was SSD Journey. A beautiful little female Labrador Retriever in her own right. I felt she was a little intimidated by my wheelchair, especially walking next to it. She kept her distance from the wheelchair while the other two walked very close beside me. If you're interested in making a donation to Susquehanna Service Dogs please click HERE

Service Dog Meeting

I had a meeting with the staff of Susquehanna Service Dogs on Friday and was able to work with three adorable black labradors. This is SSD Misty, she was the first dog they brought out for me to see. I thought she was a gorgeous dog and was so attentive.

I had to rank the three dogs in order of preference, not a very easy task to do considering they were all three beautiful dogs. I did however rank Misty as my first choice.....

SSD Thunder came in a close second followed by SSD Journey.... I will try to post their videos later this week.  In all actuality any of the three dogs would be perfect in my home. They were all very capable of performing the tasks that I require.

If you are a dog lover and realize how important a service dog is to someone with a disability and would like to donate to Susquehanna service dogs, please click HERE to send an online donation. Any amount would be greatly appreciated, and feel free to pass this request along to your friends !

Pittsburgh Penguins 5 ---Red Wings 1

I managed to be first in line for the first ever hockey game at the Console Energy Center
 

Last night the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5 to 1 in the first preseason game at the Console Energy Center.  I went down early and did a little tailgating prior to the game, then went over to check out the new Center.

After discovering it would be another 45 minutes till the doors opened, I had to make other arrangements to get inside.  I went around to another VIP gate and rolled through the doors to be greeted with this view.

What a beautiful sight

I was greeted with a fantastic view of the Penguins new home ice. It truly is a beautiful facility. I rolled around the center checking out all it has to offer. Then I went to check out my season tickets section.

I met two really nice guys Michael and Dany who will be the ushers in my section this year. Dany was really knowledgeable about the center and even pointed out were the golden beam  was located. I can't wait to discover all the little nuances like this throughout the center.

It was finally time for the players to take the ice and start the pregame warm-up, check out some of these pictures....

Then the lights went down and the buildings energy began to surge to an incredible level. When the puck dropped the place went crazy. I was so happy to be a part of it and kick off the start to the Penguins run for the Stanley Cup.

Now for a very short review of the accessibility, amenities and overall thoughts regarding the Console Energy Center.....

Accessibility: I found the building to be extremely accessible and the views from the accessible seating sections were fantastic. Previously when the crowd would stand up at the Civic Arena it would routinely block the view of the accessible section. It's not the case at the center, I always had a clear view of the ice.

The only issue I did have with accessibility was with the elevators. There are eight elevators in the center, which to me does not sound like a lot. I encountered a few able-bodied individuals using the elevators instead of the escalators...... If you do not need the elevators, please reserve them for individuals who do!

Amenities: There's literally everything you would ever expect to eat and drink at a sporting event.  I had a draft beer and an order of nochos.  My only complaint was the jalapeno peppers were a little soft... 

Overall Impressions: I absolutely love the experience of being at the Console Energy Center. I can't wait to see the home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Let's Go Pens! 

 

Emotional Day

It's strange how certain dates affect me and how emotions can be triggered.... Last night my insomnia was in high gear and I really did not sleep the entire night. It's not unusual and I often go a few days without sleep.... It's days like this that emotions can get the better of me.

Today is my mom's birthday, the first since she passed away this year. She is often on my mind so it's not unusual to be thinking about her. She had a long illness and I'm sure she is much better off now that the suffering is over. It's still a sad day...

Penguins Preseason Hockey

Tomorrow the Pittsburgh Penguins will be playing the Detroit Red Wings in the first preseason game of the season at Console Energy Center. I am really looking forward to going to the game and checking out where I will be sitting this season.

Console Energy Center has a great website that shows a 3-D view from any seat, you just enter your section number and row. I did this several times in order to check out my season tickets, but I'm still excited to see it in real life.

I plan on posting some pictures from the game on Thursday, so if you are a Penguins fan, stop back and check out my review on the new venue and the first preseason game of 2010. I hope to review the following:

1. Accessibility.... Wheelchair seating, elevators etc.

2. Concessions..... food, beer etc.

3.  Overall thoughts on the center

Speech to Text Presentation

On Sunday I did a speech to text presentation at Pittsburgh Pod Camp 5 , at the art Institute in Pittsburgh. It was a lot of fun and I received some fantastic questions from the audience.

It's always nice to get together with other like-minded technical geeks and discuss computers, assistive technology, social media and guerrilla marketing.

My presentation covered Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Microsoft Speech Recognition and Word Q./ Speak Q. Hopefully I get invited back next year, it was so much fun presenting and sitting in on sessions.

50 year old Beaver

Now that I have everyone's attention....

Beaver Stadium at Penn State University will be turning 50 years old tomorrow !

It is the second-largest stadium in college football behind Michigan's big house. Beaver Stadium seats 107,282 rabid Penn State fans and becomes the third largest city in Pennsylvania every home game.

It's seen 243 home wins and it's been coach Joe Paterno's home the entire 45 years he has been head coach. What started out as a 46,000 seat stadium has turned into a Mecca for the Penn State faithful. We Are Penn State !

Pittsburgh Penguins Season Tickets

I received a notice from the Pittsburgh Penguins, that my season tickets would be arriving sometime this week ! In anticipation I went online and purchased a ticket holder with a sweet Penguins logo on the lanyard. This should make things easier for me at the new arena.

I still cannot get used to saying the Consol Energy Center, I always want to say the arena. I wonder how many years will go by with people still saying " I'm going to see the pens at the arena."  It seems to me that Consol Energy could have kept arena in the name. What are your thoughts?

Simple Pleasures

Maybe it's because I slept last night, and for an insomniac a good night's sleep makes me feel 300% better than I normally do.... But my morning is starting off really well and I am enjoying sitting at my laptop reading the morning news and drinking Earl Grey tea...

I'm not worried about returning phone calls, scheduling appointments or any of that noise. My dog Nala is sleeping beside my wheelchair happily snoring... and I am taking the time to enjoy the morning.

Hopefully you are sharing in the feeling of contentment and finding the simple pleasures in your morning routine as well...

Wasabi Peanuts

I'm not sure, but I think I talked about these last year.... Wasabi Peanuts!  These were my snack yesterday afternoon while watching the Pittsburgh Steeler football game. They are fantastic, and the horseradish taste will definitely open up your sinuses....

The Steelers managed to win yesterday against the Atlanta Falcons at Heinz Field. The University of Pittsburgh also played at Heinz Field Saturday with a victory as well!

I'm not crazy about both teams playing at Heinz Field the same weekend. I think it deteriorates the grass and usually makes for a poor playing field for the Steelers especially later in the season.

My fantasy football team did well so I'm starting off the season with a victory. I do not know anyone in my league and this is the first year I am participating....

This weekend my hunting clothes were all washed in odor free detergent and hung up to dry. I still need to have my backpack put together and broad heads attached to my hunting arrows for next Saturday's opening day.

I checked the sunrise and sunset charts, it looks like sunrise will be a little after 7 AM so it's going to be a very early morning. The great thing about having insomnia, I never mind getting up early I am usually awake anyway.

Top 10 Albums (CDs for you kids)

What would be my favorite top 10 albums, albums that I could live on a deserted island with....

1.  Crosby Stills and Nash .... Daylight Again

2.  Meatloaf..... Bat Out Of Hell

3.  Jimmy Buffett.... Feeding Frenzy

4.  Grateful Dead.... Skeletons from the Closet

5.  James Taylor...The Best of James Taylor

6.  Hank Williams Junior.... The Best of Hank Williams Junior

7.  Neil Young.... Unplugged

8.  Eagles...Hell Freezes over

9.  Lynyrd Skynyrd ... Southerner by the Grace of God

10. Van Zant .... Get Right with the Man

what are your go to albums ?

9/11/10

It's been nine years since the senseless terror attacks on the World Trade Center towers, Pentagon and Flight 93. Today I will be remembering the thousands of Americans who lost their lives to Islamic terrorists. Our country is still at war, brave men and women are still on battlefields far from home. We can never forget and must always be vigilant in defense of our country.

TGIF

It's a beautiful day here in Pittsburgh and it's Friday! I spoke with my friend Dave about getting together at happy hour this evening for an adult beverage or two. I'm really in the mood for a cold Guinness, it must be the ancestral Irish coming out.

Last night my brother and I met two fantastic ladies who will be allowing me to bow hunt on their property. They have several acres and I will be hunting their Apple Orchard! The best part is it's easy for my wheelchair, I simply roll down across the lawn.

We set up my double bull archery blind  last night against some pine trees, to let the deer get used to it. I am really looking forward to sitting in the blind and seeing a few deer, hopefully getting a shot!

I have to say I have not been this excited about fall since my injury.. It's always an exciting time thinking about the possibilities of what may or may not walk by, presenting a shot for this Archer.

NFL Fantasy

Okay so I had to set up my lineup for fantasy football this week through ESPN. Wouldn't you know it one of my wide receivers is already suspended for violating the controlled substance act of the NFL. He may be out a total of six games..... for those of you expecting a completely different post, shame on yourselves. It's all about fantasy football, let's keep it clean here.

Crosby Hits Home Run

Computer Problems

Last night I started to get the Blue Screen of Death on my laptop. Of course it always happens when I'm trying to do something important like balancing my checkbook.

So I spent three hours this morning running diagnostics and fixing disk errors. Hopefully that solves the problem. I really enjoy computers, especially assistive technology. However when the computer stops working or starts to malfunction they can be a real pain in the ass!

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

I am currently reading Lone Survivor on my Kindle and absolutely love this book. It documents the true experience of America's finest Special Forces in Afghanistan. An operation that took the lives of 19 Seals.  Marcus was the only survivor.

It's men like this that make America great. Men who live with a heavy burden of protecting America. Trying to fight a war with extremely limiting rules of engagement.... It's an outstanding book written by a true American hero.

Tuesday's Thoughts

Tonight at 10 PM I will be glued to my television set watching the season three premiere of Sons of Anarchy ! It's definitely my favorite show and I have been looking forward to its return. I actually set my DVR last week to make sure I would be recording tonight's episode.

The Pittsburgh Steelers named Dennis Dixon starting quarterback over veteran Charlie Batch. I really do not think Coach Tomlin had much of a choice. I also believe Dixon can do a great job at quarterback if he plays within himself. As long as he does not force the football and cause interceptions I think the Steelers will be okay....

A few more weeks until the Pittsburgh Penguins open their preseason against the Detroit Red Wings. I am really looking forward to going to the game and seeing the new arena. I am also very curious to see my seats for the season. I still can't believe I am a season ticket holder.

A friend of mine recently sent me several pictures of interesting doormats. I like this one the best and did a little research (hey that's what I do) and found I could actually purchase this doormat for $25, what do you think is it worth it ?

Friday Sports Update

If you happen to be a Pittsburgh sports fan, you are probably not too happy this Friday morning. First of all you had to decide what game you were going to watch last night (the Steelers or the University of Pittsburgh).

If you are like me you kept switching back and forth between games.  Now typically the last preseason game in the NFL is not very exciting Coaches rarely play the starting players, it's more of a last-ditch effort for players on the bubble to make the roster or get cut.

If you're any coach except Mike Tomlin.... He continued to start Big Ben at quarterback..... which I can't really understand. Then he played Byron Leftwich, our supposedly starting quarterback for the four games during Big Ben's suspension.

If you missed the game, let me tell you how playing Leftwich turned out. He sprained his knee and will be out an undetermined amount of time.  This means our starting quarterback will either be Dennis Dixon or the veteran Charlie Batch.  I do not have a lot of confidence in the Steelers coaching decisions after the way Mike Tomlin ran the organization this preseason.

If you noticed all of the if's in this post good for you. Because I think the Steelers season is definitely iffy at best.

In other football news, the Pittsburgh Panthers lost to Utah last night in overtime.... They certainly had their opportunities to win the game but turnovers got the best of the University of Pittsburgh last night. I'm looking forward to some Penn State football this weekend.

CEO

If you've ever worked for a boss who reacts before getting the facts and thinking things through, you will love this!




Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.



On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy, "How much money do you make a week?"



A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, "I make $400 a week. Why?"



The CEO said, "Wait right here." He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, "Here's four weeks' pay. Now GET OUT and don't come back."



Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?"



From across the room a voice said, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino ' s."

Thursday Thoughts

Today is 90210.... remember that show? Yes I know I'm old no need to remind me.

Tonight the Pittsburgh Steelers play their last preseason game here at Heinz Field. I really don't have a lot of interest in preseason football. Especially tonight, because the University of Pittsburgh is opening their regular-season against Utah at the same time....I would much rather watch a game that matters.

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they would be giving away Free Hockey tickets to area students to a preseason game.... not a few tickets, but thousands. That's why you have to love the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchise!

It's going to be another 91° day here in Pittsburgh, I plan on combating the heat with plenty of Ice-Tea. I'm looking forward to the cooler temperatures this weekend and hopefully the start of fall weather.

Accessibility....

Would You Put up with This? Why should I?

What The Hell Were You Thinking

Ross police officer forced out over marijuana plant Today's what the hell were you thinking winner is Officer Ross ..... can you be more stupid ?

Head & Shoulders Troy Polamalu Commercial

I guess this explains why his hair is insured for $1 million. It seems like he is using his long locks as his individual trademark.

As long as he keeps playing outstanding defense I can tolerate the long hair for his Samoan heritage......