rockpile

Note: Make sure you select "Support Tom (Rockpile)" about half way down the right side under the picture if you want to sponsor me and my team. The MS links at the top sponsor the MS Society directly, which is also cool! Two day total is already $210

I thought Pluto was a dog.

Rubber wrist bands are OK. They were very popular a couple years ago. I had one for MS and another for cancer. Anything that raises money for your "cause"!

Thanks!

Yup, 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. (self-serving bastid ) My personal MS treatment has changed from giving myself daily shots of Copaxone to getting monthly infusions of Tysabri, a more aggressive treatment which is keeping my MS "stable", almost 11 years after my initial diagnosis. Hell, I am almost a normal human being! What is multiple sclerosis? MS is an unpredictable disease that attacks the central nervous system. Symptoms range from mild numbness in the limbs to the severities of paralysis or blindness. The cause of MS is unknown and researchers are working to find a cure. MS is different for each person, so there is no single category or label that does justice to his or her experience. This year once again my fantastic family and friends will walk the 10K with me. Our current theme is "Send Me On My Way", after the upbeat song by Rusted Root. From 2002 to 2005, we collected donations of about $1,600 total. Last year was a Super Bowl year - 2006 total alone was $1,020 !!! MOST OF THESE FUNDS WERE RAISED RIGHT HERE AT TWO BILLS DRIVE! This year we raised the bar and the team is shooting for $1,500. If you are so inclined, I would appreciate any donation you care to make. NO amount is too small (or too large, heh). If nothing else, check out my web page (really neat special team picture there) and wish me luck! Click here to Send Me On My Way! Also, good buddy Fezmid is generously repeating his DVD offer. I have a few of these myself - they are terrific. peace, Rockpile

I think you are just being mean.

Reminds me of "It takes a village." !@#$ that, it takes parents with a spine.

Well, positive thoughts are NOT appeciated around here! I still like Kelly too. So, he is not perfect, so what? I will never understand people.

It is on eBay right now!

That was a high point of a pretty lame show. You do not have to like or hate Gore to appreciate humor. DeCaprio was really giving him a BJ though. He is a gullible kid.

Almost perfect - a perfect return would have them owing you $80. The whole tax system is such a GD joke it makes me want to puke. I usually get a pretty good hunk of change back, only because it is hard to predict the yield from my wife's business, so I withhold too much. I have reluctantly chosen to err on the side of caution after being fined one year because I withheld too little. A perfect system would be no taxes. The next best thing would be everyone pays X% of their gross earned income, period. I would consider some allowance for children you support or a select few other exemptions. No paperwork, no loopholes, no hassle. There must be a way to make a flat tax work. Face it you earn it, it is taxed at that time and taxed again everytime you spend it or save it. I am sick of Uncle Sam's hand in my pocket.

Unlimited food and well drinks, three restaurants, a grill, and three bars. Food was available 7am to 11pm. Bar was open until about 1am. We only went there because my sister-in-law needed a good kids club for her three young'uns. I did NOT like the resort's shows, but they had a couple decent bands come in to the night club. The food was very good - just not much variety from day to day. That can get monotonous. I mostly drank beer (Sol, Tecate, Dos Equis, Corona) and tequila - shots, and margarita on the rocks (lime juice, water, mineral water, sometimes triplesec, tequila, and ice).

Was Ben sick all week? Poor kid! I once sat next to a guy about (twenty years old) for a couple hours who alternated between sleeping and barfing in a bag. GREAT flight. Hard to ignore it but also hard to get mad that someone is sick. <sigh> God, Rochester was a mess that morning wasn't it?

Since it was pre-paid, we still went on our vacation to Mexico, even though I have no job to "vacation" from. Without going into too much detail, Puerto Vallarta Mexico is wonderful. We had a heck of a time getting a flight out of Rochester on 2/14 with all the blizzards. We got canceled twice, missed one stand-by, then got a stand-by finally to Chicago. From there we took a 2:15am flight to Mexico City, and then another 90 minute hopper to Puerto Vallarta. After reviewing the news, I guess we were just lucky to get there. Our luggage took a different flight and arrived before we did. All told the delays made it a thirty hour flight. Usually it is 90 minutes to Chicago and 4-5 hours to Mexico. With layovers and customs - 8 or 9 hours. We actually just missed only one day of our vacation. We stayed at an all inclusive resort, but we only used that as our base of operations. From there we took exploratory day trips by local bus, and a couple planned trips: one by luxury bus, and one on a very large catamaran. Weather was superb. Even when the temperature is 85-90 degrees, the breeze off the Bay of Banderos makes it comfortable. Mrs Rock and I met a close friend there and has a blast. She is much nicer as she approaches the equator. We took a day trip to Mismaloya and beyond, that included a tour of a tequila factory - yum. Also took a night trip to a remote beach - clear skies, thin crescent moon, bright stars, historic pagan dance performances under the Orion constellation, torches, and a great buffet. I was in heaven! Old town Puerto Vallarta is still my favorite - the beach there is called Los Muertos. We actually saw humpback whales from shore. I have a favorite restaurant called Cafe de Olla, that has a seafood chowder to die for! It contained squid, shrimp, and about a half of a crab in a soothing broth. YUM! The Mexican people in general are so wonderful. They are SO unlike the stereotype we see in the U.S. media - lazy and stupid. They are kind, smart, friendly, hard-working, family centered, and polite. We got along fine but they do not like most 'gringos', who act as if they are "better" than them. Back home to arctic temperatures again and back to looking for a job. I am so glad this vacation was prepaid before my lay off. I needed the time to decompress!

I assumed it was on tomorrow and missed it! I am not really disappointed.

Are you channeling DC Tom?

I have heard of people, after leaning on horns and flipping off a driver who cut them off and almost killed them, being arrested for "road rage". I never said it should be an arrest, but I still do not think you should flip off a cop (well 99% of the time anyway).

Actually, since he did it in his car too, couldn't he be cited for road rage? You DON'T flip off a cop and then expect to walk away. ...and people wonder why I am an anarchist.

I thought that was already the law! Jaywalkers are fair game in NYC.

This might help: Poe

I prefer the 3 for $10 - 750ml bottles of Italian wine at the local liqour store. Reds are my favorite: Shiraz, Merlot, Cab Sav, Chianti - specially from Italy or South America White wines I like: Pinot Blanc, Riesling, "white" Chadonnay (not aged in wooden barrels) and Vergennes. Favorite winery: Arbor Hill - a few miles north of Monica's Grape Pies.

Good place to buy Vegemite though.

If I am honest with myself, I have to agree with you. I still do it sometimes, but I know I am just pretending I am NOT breaking a law, to make me feel better about it.

I was born there but grew up in Hamburg. Man, in the sixties, your car would get dirty just PARKING it in Lackawanna. Hopefully it has cleaned up some. South Buffalo in general was great. My parents were WWII vets and 1st generation immigrants (Grandma was a Rosie the Riveter). Anyone who looks at what they had to overcome and then complains about how tough it is today is a f**king baby. Sorry to deflect your post, but aren't you guys tired of arguing about whether or not ripping a CD is legal yet? I recorded the Beatles White Album when it "debuted" on WKBW on a reel to reel, but later bought the vinyl.

Happy Birthday, Steve!