Boyzoid's Blog & Stuff

After 3 years, I figured it was time to update my blog design.

What you see here is the result of that decision. I am happy. I like it. I hope you do, too.

Right now you may be asking yourself 'Who is Kevin Boss?' and/or 'What is 'it' that he gets?' I will get back to that in a bit, but let me give you some 'back story'. I have not talked about it on my blog, but shortly after Christmas last year my father was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. He has been getting regular chemo therapy (his last round is this week) and since the diagnosis, we have made several attempts to go visit and each was thwarted by illness or bad weather. This past weekend, we were able to finally get up to NJ to visit.

OK, now back to Kevin Boss and what it is that he gets. Kevin Boss is a tight end for the New York Giants (an American Football team). He played a huge part in the Giants winning Super Bowl XLII (If memory serves me correctly, he had the longest pass play in that game) and since has proven to be one tough guy. He took some hits last year that would have knocked out most people, but he not only got back up, but held on to the ball. He is, in my opinion, probably the best Giants tight end since Mark Bavaro.

So, now you understand that I have somewhat of a 'man crush' on Kevin Boss, what does he get? He gets that the only reason why he can play football for a living is because of his fans. Here is why I think that.

This past Saturday, my mother and my wife took my kids to a local mall to make some pottery (there is a store there that lets you pick stuff out and paint it, then they fire it in a kiln and glaze it). After they were done and were walking around the mall, they saw a sign saying that Kevin Boss was there singing autographs. Being the awesome wife she is, my wife got in line and called me (I was having lunch with my dad not far from the mall). Initially my dad and I were not going to go because we did not think we could make it in time. However, my wife called back shortly to let us know that Kevin would be there longer than scheduled, so we hopped in the car to head over.

When we got to the mall, my dad dropped me off at the door and said he would meet me inside. When I got to the store, it was practically empty, with only a few people inside. I yelled to my wife and instantly I heard my kids getting all excited. When I got to the table I saw that Kevin Boss and the other people there were being entertained by my kids (anyone who has met my kids can probably imagine what I am talking about). My kids got their picture with him and I got an autograph.

While we were waiting for the boys' picture, my wife was told that one of the women that was there was Kevin Boss' wife. My wife went over to her and asked if it was possible for Kevin to maybe wait a few minutes until my dad got there and explained that he was fighting cancer. Kevin's wife spoke with him and he agreed to meet my dad. (Keep in mind that this was now well past the time he was scheduled to leave and that they had already 'cut off' the line) When my dad got there, they brought him up to meet Kevin and Kevin stood up to get a picture with my dad (apparently, my dad was to only one he stood up for when taking pictures). It was the first time in quite a while that we have seen my dad really smile.

Most professional athletes I have seen (especially at these pre-scheduled signing events) would not have made this simple, yet meaningful gesture. In the short time we were there, I noticed that Kevin was always very nice and polite and spent some time talking with his fans. It seemed to me that he enjoyed being there with his fans - it reminded me a lot of how Phil Mickelson interacts with his fan.

I was so impressed that when we got back to my parents house, I sent a message to Kevin on twitter thanking him for taking the time to meet my dad. A short while later, I received a reply back from him, you can read it here. (if the link does not work, there is an image of it below) To me, this shows that Kevin Boss is truly a class act and he 'gets' why he is able to play football for a living - because of his fans.

Kevin, if somehow you actually read this, thank you again, you made a lasting impression on all of us (especially my kids). I meant what I said in my tweet, all professional athletes could learn from you how to interact with their fans. Please don't ever change - on the field or off.

Here are the pics of my kids and my dad with Kevin, as well as his twitter reply to me.

You may be too young to remember, you may not even have been born yet, but, today marks the 30th anniversary of a significant event.  An event so memorable, that 30 years later people, like myself, can remember every detail, every moment as the event unfolded. An event so improbable, that 30 years later, it is still labeled as one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports. Of course, I am referring to the 'Miracle on Ice'.

For those who may not know what I am talking about, the 'Miracle on Ice' occurred during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY. It was a hockey game between the United States and Russia. At the time, the Russian hockey team was the best in the world, most of the players had been together for over 10 years. The United States was basically a group of college kids who had not played together for more than 10 months. 

Up to this point, the Russians had won the gold medal in hockey in every Olympics, except one, since 1956. That one exception, they lost to the USA in Squaw Valley in 1960. In the four Olympics after Squaw Valley the Russians went 27-1-1 and outscored their opponents 175-44. In 1979, the Russians beat the NHL All-Stars 6-0.

For me, this game had significance not only because I was, and continue to be, a huge fan of sports and the Olympics, but because we beat the big bad Russians. At the time, things were not going well in the US. This game gave us all a glimmer of hope for the future. I know it sounds silly, but that is what I remember at the time.

At the time, the names of the some of the payers, Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Ken Morrow, Mark Johnson, Neal Broten were more well known than some of their counterparts in the NHL. 

Some images I have etched in my memory are Jim Craig skating around the ring with an American flag draped over his shoulders, Mike Eruzione, standing atop the medal stand, gesturing for the rest of the team to join him on the podium, and who can for get Al Michaels' brilliant commentary of the last 10 seconds of the game which still gives me chills and culminated in 'Do you believe in miracles? YES!'

There are certain events in our lifetime that we will never forget where we were when they occurred. For some it was Kennedy's assassination, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, 9/11, etc.. The 'Miracle on Ice' is one of those events for me, however, there is one glaring difference - it was a happy memory.

This year at CFunited, Liz is planning an 'Open Mic' night where conference attendees will be able to share some of their talents.  If you have some kind of talent, sign up to preform. Currently there are people signed up to play music, perform magic and read poetry.

Based on the fact that I spent a short period of time performing stand-up comedy, Liz, from Stellr, has asked me to be the emcee for the Open Mic. What does this mean?  Well, I will be the one introducing all the acts, and interspersing some of my old stand-up routine (and hopefully some new stuff) in between performers.

A friend told me, "if you do good, the audience will love it, and well, if you bomb, the audience will love it, but in a different kind of way. So for the audience, its a win/win". I find it hard to argue with that logic, but really hope I don't bomb. 

Oh, and hurry up and register, the early bird ends real soon. The chance to see me make a complete fool of myself might just be too good of an opportunity to pass on. You know you want to see if I will, so you better be there.

Yesterday I made the trip out to Northern California for MAX. I made it here without any major issues, but there were a few weird things (good weird, not bad weird) that happened solely because I am a Ginats fan.

It started in the wee hours of the Morning at Dulles Airport. I should note I was wearing a Giants windbreaker  While I was sitting at the gate waiting to board the plane, one of the Vrgin America (great airline, BTW) emplyees who was making announcements told me she was also a Giants fan at that becasue I was 'showing my colors' in DC, I could board the plane when first class did.  I thought it was a cool gesture, but just that, a gesture.  However, when it came time to board the plane, she called for first class passengers, passengers with chilren or who need exra time boarding the plane, and "my Giants fan".  It was not a huge deal, but still pretty cool that I could just gt on the plane and sit sown.

The next 'weird' thing accured at the golf course (Does anyone think I would come to California and not play golf?). We played Poppy Ridge in LIvermore, CA. On a side note, this was an absolute gem of a find.  It was a really nice course (I would rank it in top 5 I have played in the US) and the vista from the course was simply stunning. Back to the weirdness... when we checked in at the club house, one of the guys behind the counter noticed my Giants shirt and mentioned that the 'general manager' was also a Giants fan.  We I paid for my greens fees, the cost was quite a bit lower (about $40.00) less than what I expected to pay.  When I verified the cost, we were told, 'I gave you the guest rate' and when I asked why he said because the general manager woudl have told him to do so since I was a Giants fan.

What I find funny about both these things is that I got some preferential treatment becasue I was a Giants fan in DC and Northern California when I would ot have gotten any such treatment in New York.

I always used to say that your age was just a number.  Of course, that was before my own age became a big number.  Today I turn 40.  Which, to many, means I am 'old'. Like most people (ok, men) I know, I spent the last week or so fretting over turning 40.  I spent a lot of time dwelling on what I have wanted to do, but have not; things I had hoped to accomplish, but fell short.

It was not until a recent IM conversation with a friend of mine that I realized I was going about it the wrong way.  I should not be dwelling on what I have not accomplished, rather embracing that which I have. So, with that in mind, I tried to come up with a list of all the things I have done in my life, rather than those I have not.  And, because you are a faithful reader, you get to see my list.  This is in no particular order, other than how it came to my mind.

• I married my best friend
• I have been to the Parthenon
• I have been to Spain
• I was the 'king' of the circus (I was 10 or so)
• I used to do stand up comedy
• I have delivered 3 babies (1 even has 'Scott' as his middle name)
• I have gone hang gliding
• I have saved someone's life
• I have had 2 successful careers
• I have flown in a helicopter
• I have a somewhat popular blog
• I have visited the White House
• I have gone bungee jumping
• I have played golf at the Old Course
• I have seen the birth of both of my children
• I tried out for Jeopardy
• I have seen Tiger Woods play golf in person
• I have seen Wayne Gretzky play hockey in person
• I have been to Yankee Stadium (numerous times)
• I have taken my kids to Yankee Stadium
• I have taken my kids to Disney
• I have met Bruce Springsteen
• I have met Leonard Marshall (true Giants fans will know who this is)
• I have seen my favorite football team win 3 Super Bowls
• I have seen my favorite football team lose a Super Bowl
• I have been to a Giants palyoff game
• I have been to a Yankees playoff game
• I voted for Ross Perot
• I have been on TV
• I have been in the newspaper
• I was at 'ground zero' after 9/11
• I have played golf in 4 different countries
• I have written an article for a magazine
• I bought a house on a golf course
• I have had 2 eagles in one round of golf (on a course I never played)
  
• Did I mention I married my best friend? If so, its worth mentioning again

Keep in mind this list is by no means all encompassing, but more to help me appreciate all the things I have accomplished in my life, rather than to dwell on those I have not.

I apologize for the lack of technical posts here recently.  Most, if not all, of my technical posts have done at the Alagad blog. Be forewarned, this is another non-technical post.

In June, I am speaking at Scotch on the Rocks and will need a passport. The last time I had a passport was when I was in high school (a long, long time ago) and because it has been expired for so long, I needed to apply as if I never had a passport. This is where the story begins...

I submitted my passport application in December, along with the required documents, which included my birth certificate.  Keep in mind this is the same birth certificate I used for many purposes, such as getting my driver's license, getting my original passport and even more recently, getting clearance from more than one government agency.

About 4-5 weeks later (maybe longer) I received a letter for the Department of State that because I was born in Hudson County, New Jersey, I needed to get a 'new' copy of my birth certificate from the New Jersey Division of Vital Statistics.  A phone call to the passport agency revealed that, at some time in the past, there was some 'malfeasance' in the Hudson County Registrar's Office, and any birth certificate issued by that office was no longer acceptable for acquiring a passport.

It seems that in order to obtain your birth certificate from the New Jersey Division of Vital Statistics in a timely manner, they suggest that you order it through a third party named Vital Check.  This does not come cheap.  it cost me $55.00 for 2 copies of my birth certificate.  it also did not come quickly, it took about 3 weeks before I received the copies.  I quickly sent one of the copies to the passport office as they requested. Basically, it was the exact same thing I sent earlier,  but on different paper.

Fast forward about 2-3 weeks and I get a call from the passport office (which really took me by surprise) letting me know that the new copies were also not acceptable as the date my birth was filed was not legible on the copy. Crap!

So, I ring up the New Jersey Division of Vital Statistics.  I was able to speak with someone who was very friendly and appeared to willing and able to help me.  They assured me that new birth certificates with all the correct information would be sent to me. Surprisingly, a week later, I received the new copies.  Unfortunately, aside from the date they were printed, they were identical to the copy I was already told was not acceptable.

I ring up Vital Statistics again this morning (the office was closed Friday), and after about an hour of trying to actually speak with a human, I get the same person I spoke with last week.  Again, very friendly and very eager to help. They explain that the only thing they can do is 'manually type' the birth certificate and send them to me (which is frighteningly similar to what they told me they were going to do last time). They assured me that it would 'go out in the mail' today. So, heres to hoping that is indeed the case.

All this hassle, and stress of possibly missing my trip, because of a small case of 'malfeasance ', God knows how long ago, in Hudson County, NJ.  This just reaffirms my belief that New Jersey is a great place to be 'from'.

We moved to West Virginia in May of 2003. In September of 2004, my oldest son started kindergarten.  Like most kids, this was a huge change from his routine,and like most parents, we worried about him when he was at school.  See, my son has Cerebral Palsy, a result of a stroke he suffered around the time of his birth.  He is not profoundly handicapped, but he does have some needs that other kids might not.  Having someone outside of our family tend to those needs scared the crap out of us.

He seemed to like it well enough.  I think the sense of independence made him feel good.  Unfortunately, this did not last long. His personality started to change.  He was always very happy and out going and he started to become a bit introverted.  He even started to ask if he could stay home from school.

After speaking with our son, we found out that there was a girl in his class who was constantly picking on him and bullying him. The worst incident was a day that my son asked us if he could buy his own lunch at school instead of bring one.  We agreed and he took some of his own money so he could buy lunch.  At lunch that day, he went and ordered his own lunch and paid for it with his own money.  As he walked away from the cashier, the girl who had been bullying him pushed him from behind and caused him to fall and spill his lunch all over the floor.  This devastated him, and nearly crushed his desire to go to school.

We decided we needed to discuss the situation with his teacher.  Now, I may be old fashioned, but you should get a war and fuzzy feeling form your child's kindergarten teacher.  This was not the case with son's teacher, she was like the Ice Queen.  She looked angry all the time, and was very abrupt when she answered questions.  After discussing this incident and other similar incidents we were basically told, 'Its just kids being kids.' Not something you want to hear when its one of your kids involved.

As is the case with most parents, when we dropped off my son, or picked him up, we would talk with other parents, especially the parents of children in the same class.  Thinking maybe we were overreacting, my wife discussed some of the issues we had (such as the way the teacher spoke to the children).  Seems we were not the only ones who had these issues.  Yet, somehow, the teacher found out that my wife had these discussions and one day was summoned to the principal's office.  She was asked not to discuss this teacher with any other parent while on school property.  She was being treated like one of the children.

The straw that pretty much broke the camel's back was actually behavior my wife mentioned she observed between the teacher, teacher's aide and another child in the class. There was a bot who befriended my son.  It was obvious he came from a family that had a difficult time making ends meet. He is also African-American.  I only mention this because I feel it important to the story.  One day, around Christmas, the school had one of those little 'stores' set up so kids could buy little gifts.  Each class was brought down to the 'store' together, with the help of some 'class moms', of which my wife was one, to buy stuff.  This child could not buy anything as he did not have any money. Feeling sorry for him, my wife let him pick something out for himself that she would pay for.  While the class was lead back to their classroom, my wife paid for the item the child wanted.  

When  she returned to the room, the teacher and teacher's aide were yelling at the child because they assumed he stole the item, even though the child and my son both told them my wife paid for it. My wife was mortified, and even after she told the teacher that she did pay for the item, they assumed my wife was trying to cover for the child.

Even before this episode, we had discussed other options, such as requesting he be moved to a different classroom (which the school was reluctant to do), change schools (which the school board was reluctant to do and the closest private school was about 30 miles away) and homeschooling.  I have to admit, when my wife first mentioned homeschooling, I was against it.  I had know 3 people in my life, to that point, who were homeschooled, and they were all really weird. But, it was still a viable option.

After much debate and discussion we decided to try homeschooling for the rest of the school year and then revisit the issue in the summer.  My wife did tons of research on curriculums, and even joined the TORCH group (a home school group at the church) so we would have plenty of resources available to us.  

In January of 2005, after the Christmas break, we (more accurately, my wife, began homeschooling our son.  Almost immediately, he reverted back to the happy-go-lucky kid we knew and loved. And I think it was more beneficial for my wife than it was for my son.  As part of the TORCH group, he went on class trips, and was invited to social gatherings.  The little experiment was a success, and we decided that as long as it was a viable option (meaning as long as we thought it was what was best for our kids) we would continue to homeschool them.

My attitude towards homeschooling has changed and I have become somewhat of an advocate for it.  it is not perfect, it is difficult and it is not for everyone, but for our children, at this point in their lives, we feel this will benefit them more than going to public school. As a priest, who is a good friend of mine, said, 'During their most impressionable years, you kids will spend all day, every day, in a loving, caring environment.  Nothing else will do more for your children's self esteem and confidence than that.'

One thing my wife and I are very passionate about, but I rarely, if ever, blog about (I should change that), is that we home school our children.  I can get into the why in another blog post, but suffice to say, it has been one of the most fulfilling endeavors of our lives.

I am going to be replacing my laptop and my wife's desktop with Apple products.  I want to get a Mac Book Pro, and my wife is leaning towards a Mac Book.  While I was looking around at prices today, a friend pointed me to the education section of their site. I was stunned to see this, where Apple offers the same educational discount for home schools as other educational institutions.

It is refreshing to see companies like Apple offering discounts like this.  I hope more companied follow their lead.