rockpile

Sometimes good things do NOT change. Most NY State Parks are decent. It can be hard to get a reservation for a nice site sometimes. I also like Nick's Lake near Old Forge. A LOT depends on what you are looking for: "camping" today can be in a $100K bus or a dome tent in the woods.

I just finished A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut. I am currently reading Living Well by Montel Williams and Live from New York - An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live which is really a well organized chronological collection of anecdotes from people who were "there" from 1975 to 2001 by Tom Shales Shales and James Andrew Miller. I opened Getting Stronger by Bill Pearle for some pointers before going to the gym this morning. I also opened the New Testament today for some metaphysical inspiration.

I guess a RIP from the Pooj really is a RIP! The article names my three favorite authors growing up - Clarke, Asimov, and Heinlein. We were reading the Odyssey in school when 2001: A Space Odyssey was in theaters. It helps to read the book before you see the movie! Just finished reading Behold a Distant Star. Hope you find some answers on this new odyssey, Sir Arthur!

Well, I guess I should really think about starting mine!

Go ahead, Ken - be a whore. Hell you ran for President! Actually, that is VERY cool!

For now I also removed my personal photo, since it was not displaying anyway. I do not know if that "background" option was causing a problem too. Just a thought!

When I was in high school, the teacher would have slammed his head, and if he complained, the response would have been "Well, stay wake!"

Thanks! It does not matter whose name is counted for the donation. The important thing is that we all take a minute to pay back a portion of our blessings to help any good cause (money, time, kindness - it all counts!).

None of it comes to me. All donations are directly to the MS Society. I am not aware of any fees. <edit> if you are not sure you can make a pledge and send a check directly to the NMSS.

That is wonderful news! I tip my glass of Cabernet Savignon to you for beating the odds. May peace and health fill your life.. Rock

This year's walk is dedicated to Kevin Everett, who does NOT have MS, but he has the fighting spirit that is an inspiration to all. Rockpile with the happy feet is walking the walk again this year to raise money to try to find a cure for multiple sclerosis. Many of you know I have MS, which is one reason I walk. My personal MS treatment has changed from giving myself injections of Interferon B, then Copaxone, and now getting monthly IV infusions of Tysabri, a more aggressive treatment (a procedure my insurance categorizes as chemo-therapy). This is keeping my MS "somewhat stable", nearly 12 years after my initial diagnosis. Hell, I am almost a normal human being! What is multiple sclerosis? Remember Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley? In real life he is David Lander. I had the honor of meeting him a few years back. This is from his website : ABOUT MS Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that at least 400,000 people, mostly women, in the U.S. have MS. Each week, 200 new cases of MS are diagnosed. Symptoms range from numbness in the limbs to paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can last a lifetime. While the progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted, advances in research and treatment are giving hope to those affected by the disease. Message from David L. Lander When I was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in 1984, there was nothing you could do about it. Doctors would say, "diagnose and adios." Now, there are treatments available to control this progressive disease. If you have MS, discuss with your doctor how treatments can help you alter the long term course of your disease. His autobiography Fall Down Laughing - How Squiggy Caught MS and Didn't Tell Nobody is a great description of what it FEELS like to have MS. This year once again my fantastic family and friends are joining me in the Walk. From 2002 to 2005, we collected donations of about $1,600 total. In 2006 alone you helped us raise $1,020 !!! In 2007 my team raised $1,880 - and I (YOU) made the individual Top 100 Club for Western NY! MOST OF THESE FUNDS WERE RAISED RIGHT HERE AT TWO BILLS DRIVE! You humble me. This year our goal is $2008. If you are so inclined, I would appreciate any donation you care to make. NO amount is too small (or too large, heh). At least check out my web page (see my signature) and wish me luck! tom / rockpile - older than dirt and twice as ugly.

Because he did not want to exclude your posts. "Just Jack" is a good choice of names, and you will be happy to know I tried to squash that little bug on your avatar.

Beam me up, Scottie. *-) Good luck fixin' the warp drive!

How is the southern tier, Harriet? Just heard from a friend that Perry is a white-out.

NEW TOTAL 4/22: $ 1,665 - CAN WE HIT $2,000 WITH THREE WEEKS TO GO???? LOTTERY WINNERS (4/15): 1. dsmack: Darryl Talley 1990 NFL Pro Set card - autographed 2. USMCBillsFan: By A Nose - Fred Smerlas hardcover - autographed 3. Aussiew: Buffalo Bills Gourmet Jelly Beans (great souvenir but about 15 years old - eat at your risk) 4. JiS: Buffalo Bills fan license plate There will be THREE MORE winners drawn by Mrs. Rock 4/22! Eligibility: $10 minimum sponsorship registered by midnight 4/21, and you have not won a prize yet. Prize List (one of the following): 1. Armed and Dangerous - Jim Kelly hardcover 2. The Buffalo Bills and the Almost Perfect Season hardcover- Vic Carucci (used library book in VG condition) 3. Media Guides (set): 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000 4. Buffalo Bills Kodak pin (1989) 5. Keychain: A piece of astroturf sealed in acetate (1990) 6. Buffalo Jock Rap - paperback trivia book (1989) Bills, Sabres, Braves, Bisons, and more I will see what else I might scare up by next weekend. After the walk, there will be a BONUS drawing - EVERY sponsor will be eligible, including those who have won previously. Autographed Billy Shaw B&W photo - about 8 x 10 inches in a plastic sleeve with certificate of authenticity EIGHT Winners to date: Golden Wheels: Thurman Thomas, 1990 Score "Ground Force", autographed Mile High: Andre Reed, 1986 Topps, autographed Possum: Where Else Would You Rather Be? - Marv Levy - autographed AiO: Steve Tasker's Tales From the Buffalo Bills - Steve Tasker - autographed dsmack: Darryl Talley 1990 NFL Pro Set card - autographed USMCBillsFan: By A Nose - Fred Smerlas hardcover - autographed Aussiew: Buffalo Bills Gourmet Jelly Beans (great souvenir but about 15 years old - eat at your risk) JiS: Buffalo Bills fan license plate

Tommy Shannon Show Kay Bee Ray Dee Oh!

I saw Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen and The New Riders of the Purple Sage on the same Bill at UB in 1971. To get high that night, you only had to breathe!

Until I saw this, I thought I was old!

Do you like music? I am not in awe of music artists, but live music is what it is all about. It can be an obscure trio at a dinner theatre, some guy plinking keys in a dive club. When done right it is different every time. I put down 75 cents to see an unknown band once and it was Aerosmith before they were a hit. Concerts with Leon Russell, Taj Mahal, David Bromberg, Jetro Tull, Grand Funk, the Who, the Clash, Holy Smoke, Santana, Dave Matthews, Bela Fleck, Dave Brubeck, Rusted Root, Weezer, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Goldfinger, The Band... Hell, Taj Mahal did one show solo (piano, guitar, dobro, banjo), the next time I saw him it was funk band, the last time it was jazz/blues fusion band. The Jefferson Airplane played until the arena turned off power to their amps. The Crash Test Dummies put on a show that makes their CDs seem inadequate. Bela Fleck and his Band came on stage with Dave Matthews Band to jam to "Ants Marching" in the encore. Jethro Tull chanted and only a few of us picked up on it and joined in to "A New Day Yesterday". John Bonnamasso played a Hendrix style version of that same Tull song. An obscure local band was playing in Niagara Falls, and Neil Young joined them for a few songs - IN A RESTAURANT! This stuff cannot happen in a recording studio! Only listening to music and never seeing it performed live is like watching people have sex instead of having sex! You are missing the heart, passion, and soul of the music!!

LOVED Lou Reed but never saw him. The Kinks were FUN! After two hours, they still had not played a song I did not know.

Memorial Day weekend, 1966, the SANDSABARN, Warsaw/Perry, NY The Blues Magoos "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" One hit wonders, with a great sound. I had to lie about my age because it was a teen club and I was only twelve! This song is on a compilation CD called Psychedlic Pop - real garage band trippers: The Animals The Byrds The Electric Prunes The Jefferson Airplane Tradewinds The Strawberry Alarm Clock The Lemon Pipers Status Quo Eire Apparent Vanilla Fudge Fever Tree The Blues Magoos What, no Bubble Puppy!? My favorite? This is very hard, but - The Who in 1973 right after they released Who's Next?

Yeah, Ken is one of the Good Guys!

Thanks. I have literally NO vacation time. For the moment I am an employee of the recruiter, and a consultant to my future employer if things are right. I will be at the camp (night practices), maybe one pre-season, opener with tailgate, and that Monday nighter looks fun, and a December game is a requirement. UPDATE ON LOTTERY - There will be FOUR winners announced tomorrow! If you sponsor me by MIDNIGHT TONIGHT ($10 minimum), and have not won yet, you are eligible for a Bills related prize. Prize List (one of the following): 1. Darryl Talley 1990 NFL Pro Set card - autographed 2. Armed and Dangerous - Jim Kelly hardcover 3. By A Nose - Fred Smerlas hardcover - autographed 4. The Buffalo Bills and the Almost Perfect Season hardcover- Vic Carucci (used library book in VG condition) 5. Media Guides (set): 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000 6. Buffalo Bills Gourmet Jelly Beans (great souvenir but about 15 years old - eat at your risk) 7. Buffalo Bills Kodak pin (1989) 8. Keychain: A piece of astroturf sealed in acetate (1990) 9. Buffalo Jock Rap - paperback trivia book (1989) Bills, Sabres, Braves, Bisons, and more 10. Skore Buffalo Bills playing cards - 52 card deck still in plastic 11. Buffalo Bills fan license plate After the walk, there will be a final drawing- EVERY sponsor will be eligible, including those who have won previously. A signed Billy Shaw B&W photo - about 8 x 10 inches in a plastic sleeve with certificate of authenticity

Kenny with Fish (nice sig, Jack!)

I knew that, but the style definitely mimicked Vonnegut. Imagine seeing a paperback by Kilgore Trout on a supermarket rack in the 70's, and NOT buying it! Do most people actually read books anymore?