Mattes's Musings by KC2GIK

It shouldn't come to a surprise to anyone  that the  entries in thnis blog have been limited this year mainly because I have focused on mainly the baby poems \ this year. Together I wrote four of them, including  one for my neice's blessing back in April. It seems the momentum continues and the idea of  seeing my Facebook friends announce the birth of their bundles of joy provides instant material. In return I e-mail them a poem, which keeps my skills sharp. The main plan was to use them as examples to get some paid material. As for poetry in general, I have been struggling, but m,anaged to pen "Four Golfers" . This is an ode  to my father and his golfing buddies that I composed on a day dad didn't come home from playing golf until after dark. The realization that the slightest inkling of an \idea needs to come out as soon as it can. The easy thing to do is blame lull in both this blog articles and everything else on an interuption in living. I was going to o...

If you have been reading this blog for the past few months you might have noticed I added a blog called Love that Max by Ellen--Max's mom. Max was born with Cerebral Palsy on December 4th, 2002, Ellen explains Max's Story the only way loving mother could...from the heart. I imagine my own mother jealous t hat another woman finds the time to blog while raising a son with CP and a younger daughter. My mom had three boys and that was a lot!! This may sound cruel but I sometimes have to chuckle because I can picture my mother going through the same things as Ellen whil I was growing up. Come to think of it my mother's middle name is Ellen, strong name for strong women. I first stumbled on the blog a few months ago and have been hooked euver sense. To put a cliche on it I feel I really know Ellen AND Max and would love to meet them. (You can insert the eerie Internet stalker music now) Well maybe not MEET them but reading Ellen's blog often makes me reflect. Max t...

Ok I am going to try to not sound c ompletely ANTI-CHRISTMAS MUSIC but I thinkm most would agree it does get out of hand. I had friends tell me some stores start in with the music right after HALLOWEEN, which is completely insane in my opinion. The radio stations and the stores go completely overboard and play thesame fifteen or twenty song over and over, makes me want to barf. I know exactly what song is being played from the first few notes not even. Remember the TV show "Name that tune"? Well you have to wonder how many more winners there would be if the show just played Christmas music? I can tell you everybody would win, if they celebrated the holiay or not it would matter. C The problem I see is that the war on Christmas does indeed have a point, I don't agree with the point, but thaqt's another issue. The problem I see is they can't go into any store or the mall without being blasted with Christmas music everywhere trhey go. There are a select few song...

It's not everyday I get to help my brothers and sisters in emergency services so when this post started floating around Facebook I decided to download it and throw in on Bergenscanner. Then after some thought, and realizing the blog was being neglected, it seemed like the right thing to do. Many don't realize even though Hoboken is a city the EMS down there is all volunteer. My times in Hoboken can be traced back to their Saint Patty's Day Parade. Yes I have been to a few of them, luckily I have not needed the EMS any of the times. Although I always see them racing to a scene every time I visit th e city. My cousin also lives there so I have to know she'll be taken care of if anything happens. There are a lot of people supporting the shore towns, I figured it might be better to support a cause a little, After all I have had plenty of people support me over the years, it's the least I can do to thank them! Send donations to: Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps...

It's not everyday I get a chance to highlight someone else's comments on my blog. Fellow ALPCA Heartland Region President J.D. Adams posted the followng status on his Facebook page. The message was so heartfelt I decided to repost it here. I will have my own write-up in the coming days. In roughly 5 hours there is going to be a License Plate swap meet starting...you say big deal, right? Yeah J.D., you've gone to a hundred plus of these things....but this one, which I'm not going to be able to attend, is a little different....This one is being held in Allendale, New Jersey....My fellow Regional President Justin Mattes and fellow ALPCA Garden State Board member Marco Tramelli havebeen scrambling to get this one put together so the "Show will go on!" I stress out enough when a meet has small weather problems, talk to Fenzloff before Dunkerton and you'll understand, but I can't even imagine what these guys have stressed on for these past two weeks and th...

I posted this to the listserv and thought it would make a great recap to post to the blog!!! Not even a Nor' Easter earlier in the week nor a minor table storage could stop the little meet that could from coming together in Allendale, NJ. For the second year in a row members from as far away as California assembled at the Guardian Angel Church for a full day of trading tin! Plate trading was hot and heavy, conversation ranged from reports of storm damage to the convention next June in Reno. By 9 am the usual crowd was busy trading Andy Bernstein was showing off his newest graphics for sale(I picked up a new Alabama wheelchair motorcycle plate) while Ron Ridolph was busy collecting donations for our annual auction. Jason DeCaesare was documenting everything on camera while his cousin and newer ALPCA member Nate Miller was acquiring a few jems for his fledgling collection. Also in attendance was former President and ALPCA Hall of Fame Member Dick Yourga who graciously donated a C...

I never understood or will understand Ann Coulter's use of the word "retard" to reject the thesis of a obviously very smart man, namely the President of the United States. To be honest though I'm not surprised, she's provactive, she's is dying for attention and s he'll stoop down to any level to diss President Obama. Just like Rachel Maddow, Michael Moore, or any othe left-wing nut did to President Bush when he was in off ice. I was offended because once again while racial slurs and objectionable sexual labels are considered very taboo in this day of political correctness, the outrage isn't the same when people with disabilities get mocked. There isn't an universal condemning of the langauge like there is when the "N-word" is hurled at black people, or people of different faiths are called by the inappropriate terms. The "N-word" is beeped out of TV the word "retard" is openly used even in over the air broadcast...

Below is an e-mail I sent to the PLATES Listserv last Thursday while out in Hershey. It was the second time I took the Amtrak train out to Harrisburg and then the Dauphin County Paratransit from the train station to the Giant Center next to Hershey Park I have hijacked Rick's laptop to check my e-mail and log onto Facebook, figured I drop a note. First let me assure folks the train ride out and the ride on the paratransit bus went very smoothly!! I managed to get the same driver as last year and the lift didn't breAK. People have remarked about the weather I concur PERFECT~! I have been cruising the fields with a light breeze. Yesterday I met with Dr Rader, he again thanked the club for its efforts turn the dream of a wheelchair run into a reality, WE STILL NEED CONNECTICUT. I also lined up another article deal Plates have been plenty but there's a noticaable drop in overall attendance from previous year. The usual suspects have made appearances Roger, Marco, Gerry, et ...

Well it all started at the convention in Erie, Pennslyvania I John Ferguson setting up his him setting up his table with the lastest non-passenger plates from the Caymans. I saw everything but a wheelchair plate, which John explained is one of the rarest types to obtain on the Island. During our discussion he smiled and said he'll keep his eyes out. He then saw my display I brought to the convetion entitled "Route 66 by Wheelchair" and knew it just wasn't a display, it was to make people away of folks with disabilities. John and I became close friends and exchanged e-mails. When the convention in Texas rolled around the next year John convinced my parents if they allowed me to get ther4e on my own, he would keep an eye on me. Well despite a few minor bumps in the road, a diverted plane and a lost and then found cellphone among them, John and I had a blast! After the convention he and I continued to converse via e-mail. A few weeks ago John just sai d in a passing e-...

Alabama: At Least We Aren't Mississippi Alaska: 11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong! Arizona: But It's A Dry Heat Arkansas: Literasy Ain't Everything California: As Seen On TV Colorado: If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother Connecticut: Like Massachusetts, Only With Less Character Delaware: We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water Florida: Ask Us About Our Grandkids Georgia: We Put The "Fun" In Fundamentalist Extremism Hawaii: Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru (Death To Mainland Scum, But Leave Your Money) Idaho: More Than Just Potatoes ... Okay, Maybe Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Good Illinois: Please Don't Pronounce the "S" Indiana: 2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free Iowa: We Do Amazing Things With Corn Kansas: First Of The Rectangle States Kentucky: Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names Louisiana: We're Not ALL Drunk Cajun Wackos, That's Our Tourism...

Mike Adams,WA2MWT, Ramsey's OEM Coordinator, passed away earlier this week. Besides being a friend, mentor and all around great guy he was a member of the 10-70 Repeater Association. The 10-70 Board decided to publish a few tributes to Mike Adams in their newsletter, but I missed the deadline. So I decided to put it on this blog instead. May Mike rest in peace My friendship with Mike Adams started the way most of my current friendships have started.......through e-mail. Mike had stumbled upon my website by doing what countless others h av e done, searched for frequencies for towns in Bergen County. Of course he already had the frequencies for his hometown but wanted to listen in to different towns in the area. He e-mailed The original exchanges back and forth gave us a chance to get to know each other better. >At the same time David Kozinn started a mailing list for Northern New Jersey police scanner enthusiasts, I was the second member, Mike joined the group sho...

Sometimes travelling realitively close to home is better than travelling far away. Jason DeCaesare, a fellow plate guy, photography buff, computer whiz and all-around great guy, decided to break in his new car with a road trip to Woodcliff Lake to pick me up. Our plan was focused (forgive the pun)on photography. I never actually took a trip into the city, or anywhere specifically for taking pictures compared to Jason who takes these trips on a fairly regular basis. Jason, like myself, is advid fire buff! He has literatelly thousands of images of firetrucks, from the FDNY to Ohio to everywhere in between. So one of the goals of the trip was to shoot some of the local departments. Jason picked me up early Saturday morning and we headed into Rockland County NY where qwent around to the different firehouses, all volunteer. The firefighters at the Nyack fire department where great, not only did they allow us to look around the firehouse, the pulled their trucks out so we could shoot them...