It's Superbowl Time!

Whenever January is about to end, I'm always reminising on the "missed" Super Bowl XXXV...

January 29th, 2001(because we are 6 hours ahead of you Americans)

The date is engraved in my memory, not because of the missing out on the Super Bowl XXXV, but on the birth of my eldest son Michael!

My wife and I were upstairs in our bedroom, she with a huge belly, me with the remote control.

We were counting the time in between contractions, meanwhile watching the pregame ceremonies... Calling the midwife to be told that it might take another couple of hours! So on with the Super Bowl...

When only half an hour later, the time between contractions was getting really smaller, we called again: the response was that it was not yet time, impossible that it was this short between contractions. But she would be on her way to come check it...

15 minutes later, she arrived wondering how it was possible that my wife was so far that she was in labour already. Thank God my mother-in-law was already here to help out, 'cause there was no more time to call on the maternity assistant.

I never got to watch that Super Bowl, but it was OK. I was enjoying my new found Fatherhood (and still am) with my son: Michael Rubin.

Michael because... She said so. Rubin because of a man we both respected and should be respected by everyone: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter!

Today, just days before Super Bowl XLVIII, Michael turns 13... Today he became a real Teenager... So today I want to say: Happy Birthday Dude!

Nuts about Vinyl

A lot of you know that I cannot withstand the smell and look of vinyl records... I got a couple of records myself!

No matter where we go to, I always need to bring something. I even check on-line to look for record store in the vicinity...

To show our appreciation for the real deal, there is a Record Store Day!!! This year it the 5th in a row...

So... You can find me in a local record store on April 19th. as that is the day we celebrate!!! Spending my birthday money wisely!

Anyone up for 18 holes?

I ain't got the skills... I ain't got the gear... 
But I sure as hell got the elbow!

And it got nothing to do with baseball!!!

Then how comes I got it? I ain't playing no golf.
I ain't no pitcher! I throw lots of BP (batting practice for you illiterates).

The remedy? 

 
 "Keep doing what you do". "Take some drugs against the pain"...

I don't see myself getting a Tommy John at age 45!

So I will go with the meds!!!
 

Dear major of Amsterdam

Dear mayor van der Laan,

This morning the news reported that you say the police can stop preventive, extensive strip-search of the clubbing people in the centre of Amsterdam as less and less weapons are found...

So I would imagine that the cops no longer needed to frisk people will be freed up to arrest assh*les that gang up on innocent clubbers and beat the hell outta them. Even when they are down still kicking them in the head with all the injuries that you imagine as a result.

I assume that you will free up the money, to place more cameras to document the incidents? We all have seen the footage on TV & heard the outcome of the trial... Sentences are lower than normal, because of the use of these images that might have "damaged" the suspects!!! 

I am not saying that those cameras do not help, but men in blue (typical Dutch name for cops) do give a certain sense of safety when seen out there!

So, dear major van der Laan, if you do stop the frisking, please do not also take the policemen of the street...

Kind regards.

What is important?

So... How did Sinterklaas and/or Santa Claus treat you??? That of course depends on your behaviour over the past year...

But to get back to the title of this post... What is important?
What is important to me can be completely unimportant to you!
So you might think what is he going on about? WELL! 


Someone close got admitted to the hospital. He was not feeling well for a couple of weeks. He was poked at and tested for several things, but the end result was not what we all had hoped for...

He's going to be checked out even more over the next couple of days.
 

So to answer my own question: What is important?

To me... Now... My friend's health!