Mattes's Musings by KC2GIK

I am writing this entry in  two parts the first part is the report I sent to the ALPCA discussion list where I described how the meet went. The second part is an observation of the lunch that followed at Charlie Blood's Well another great Garden  State meet has come and gone and this was the best meet yet! This year 52 ALPCA members and their guests gathered at the American Legion Hall Post in Elmwood Park, NJ. This was the farthest south we had the meet, even if  it was only a few miles, picked out by Ed Natale. This turned out to be a major hit! Doors opened a little prior to 8 AM to swift trading and a few good laughs. Steve Benson aka 16 Lizards came from Arizona to take the unofficial long distance award for the second year in a row, his partner in plates Mike Glauboch took the drive up from Kentucky and Chuck Bahnor drove out from Indiana. We really do attract members from all over. My  co-host for the event was Jason DeCesare who helped in every w...

Yesterday I composed an entry about the passing of Joe Higgins, a former  fire chief and the OEM Coordinator for Woodcliff Lake. Let me step back and reflect on the past few days. I learned of Joe's passing via e-mail from Herb Kuehlke the current OEM Coordinator and Joe's friend for over forty years. Even though I knew Joe was sick, and the news wasn't a shock, I immediately hopped on my scooter and drove to Fuscos where George confirmed Joe had passed away Friday night. One of the things I vividly remember George saying was Joe passed away at home, surrounded  by his family. For some reason I felt the same way  as I did when my grandparents passed, after a long battle, he finally won the war. Joe was in Heaven now doing was he always did looked oout for those he cared about. That evening I heard the announcement over the radio, it had finally sunk in. Being the popular fellow Joe was, Spearings Funeral held a wake both Tuesday and  yesterday with the mass today. M...

  This is the e-mail I sent out to the bcraces Yahoogroup about Joe Higgins. I don't want to repeat myself but I will say I will always remember Joe for his radio knowledge and his dedicate to OEM and the fire department. It is with deep regret I announce the passing of Joseph A. Higgins, Jr., KC2LCX, the former OEM Coordinator and former Fire Chief of Woodcliff Lake, NJ. Joe died early  Saturday morning after a long illness. Besides being a fire chief and OEM coordinator, he was a former chief of New Jersey Search and Rescue as well as an active member of New Jersey Elder Law Association and taught religious classes at Our Lady Mother of the Church here in Woodcliff Lake. His wife Josephine is active in the Tri-Boro Ambulance Corps. and is a former Councilwoman and  Mayor of Woodcliff Lake. On a personal note, Joe was not only a mentor, but a true friend whom I've known for over twenty-five years. I went to school with his son M...

I have  noticed that a lot of the previous posts have stayed "drafts" for one reason or another but I feel this will be completed in one sitting, mainly because it is World CP Day . Although October is CP Awareness Month , yes we share it with Cancer Awareness Month. I have been reading CP blogs and posts this morning, especially Love That Max where Elen Seidman doesa wonderful job describing what it's like raising a son with CP. Man I have grinned and nodded more times while reading about Max's life than I'll ever admit on here. I sometimes find myself commenting "Wait until Max gets older...." Then I had a thought. Those loyal readers remember when I did the Diversity Day up at the Branchville School in Connecticut where I talked to kids about it's like living with CP. I always wanted to do more of that but never really pursued it, although it  has crossed my mind from time to time World CP Day raises awareness about people living with Cere...

As I have previously said in this blogs my folks have bought a house in Cape May back in April and we have been going own there every now and then, but the house is now under c onstruction (more on that in another post). While searching for things to do, I found they sponsor movies on the beach every Thursday night. Unfortunately I only am finding out about this now while I';m back north, although I did catch the Fourth of July  Fireworks early this summer. Upon closer inspection, the movies  are really family oriented l ike Sherk  and Princess Diaries however tonight is the biggest night of the series, the movie  I think the enitre town waits for every year, the grand fiinale, JAWS !! Yes I think  it's extremely wise to show this movie at the ENDS of the season rather than the beginning for very obvious reasons. I would usually  dismiss such an event listed on the Internet,let alone event I can't attend, but it's just so perfect.  It';s one o f the ma...

Now normally  a 2.3 mile trip is nothing to write home (or on here) a bout but last night  was definitely a travel worth nting. It seems the Cornerstone has lost a bit of its luster over the past year, the crew which I have affectionately called my drinkiong buddies have moved north of the border./ Now actually even though it's closer to my  house Westwood Taxi charge $25 without tip where as a trip to the Cornerstone is  $15 with tip, so it is only on special occasions I go up there. Last night I had it in me I wanted to try something different. Maybe it was a little reward for getting back in the pool in over a month or writing a baby poem, though I still have three l=eft to write, so much for celebration.  Thoughts of the past few weeks flash through my  mind and I think it could have been I just needed a little more action the Cornerstone had to offer on a Thursday night. When the taxi dropped me off at the Cornerstone instead of going into the bar I ...

It's funny how many people aree decrying the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, or should I say sad? I have been reading al l the postings about the trial, wa tched some of it myself on TV and heard th e wannabe lawyers annd prosecutors want a crack at  George Zimmerman. I have also glimsed at the pathetic tweets by all these "civil rights activitist" nsaying Zimmerman got away with murder, did he really? I really think that sunk their case against. Well that and that fact they overplayed thei hand but saying his actions were motivated by Trayvon Martin's skin color. Well wh en your house and your neighbor's houses were robbed by  people don't  you think you would be a bit more on edge? I al so am disappointed that people said George Zimmerman "profiled" Trayvon Martin and that's why  he followed him. I believe Trayvon Martin started beating on  George Zimmerman just based on the fact  if George Zimmerman had any brains he would know startin...

If you have seen movies like The American President   as well as other programs or read nin books, you know that Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken  with Polio and therefor in a wheelchair for most of his life. However because television wasn't a mainstream item back in FDR's day only a handful of  people knew about his disaBility. They didn't have the ADA back then, the White House became the first accessible government building because FDR needed to get around and there are pictures of him at the desk in the Oval Office with his legs covered so the public wouldn't see the b races. He did everything he could to hide his disability because unfortunately, it was a sign of weakness. Even todday I believe being a person of color, while is isn't still isn't easy in this day in age, pales in compared to having a physical, mental or emotional disability. When Barack Obama was nominated back in 2008 there were many on the left who accused MOST of the right of being ra...

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/jury-finds-kermit-gosnell-guilty-first-degree-murder-191903698.html This kind of stuff does make me sick in all kids of ways. First of all the Hippocratic oath taken by all doctors is "First do n o harm", Gosnell abused women and killed their children. He's disgusting and should rot in a cold dark cell that's after  he is beaten within an inch of his li fe. I am usually am for the death penalty but I feel it would be to easy a punishment for this monster.  If there were any real justice he would contract some illness and instead of doctors helping him, they let Gosnell suffer for a very very long time! I would give him just enough medical attention to keep him  alive, barely for years. Or I would snip HIS SPINE although the only downside he c-couldn't feel anything else so that's out of the question. This is one of the few flaws I see in the "cruel and unusual punishment statues".  I truly believe there shoul...

I again got scolded again  on the ALPCA e-mail listserv and was given a "last warning". What horrible thing came off my keyboard? What was so shock so despicable that one more "objectable comment" will make me banned? I simply \inform another member  his problems were not unique and nobody cares. Now I have recieved plenty of harsh  truths in life, some stung a bit more than others. Did I like them? NO! Did I always see the advice people were trying to give? Of course not. However I have never accused people of being insensitive. It started when a fellow member who runs a few meets in North Carolina complained aabout low attendance and other problems.  To make matters worse I have been  asked nicely to apologize. Usually I bite the bullet and admit I was wrong but even the people who objected to my post didn't object to  the idea, just the way  it was  presented. This seems to be a reoccurance in my writing, it doesn't matter if it's an e-mail o...

I'm  a big fan of Billy Joel, ever since I got into music at a young age, he is my favorite artist. Notice I didn't say singers, although I get a chill up my spine when certain songs of his come on the radio. I joined a fan group on Facebook dedicated to Billy Joel, not just his music, but his life, some news clips and other stuff. Like any other Facebook Page with hundreds even thousands of people all aroound the world. There's a debate trending on whether "Uptown Girl" should have topped Michael Jackson's Thriller at the Grammy's for best song. As much as I like "Uptown Girl" and respect Billy Joel Michael Jackso n's "Thriller" did more for Mr. Jackson's career than "Uptown Girl" did for Mr. Joel's career. Also remember I am a poet and a writer who has studied both songs not just as musical composiitions, but as poems, which is basically what a song is without the instrumental components.  Below is the post I a...

In honor if President Obama's first State of  the Union of his second term in office I decided t o do something new as part of  this blog. I wanted to highlight some of the lines that caught my ear and a few reactions from others on Twitter. My commentary appears below the line. Also it should be mentioned that some of the folks in the gallery were wear green ribbons in remembrance of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. First I have to point  out not  one word was spoken about the mess in Bengazi which was my biggest disappointment. We haven't had an attack on an embassy in years and I would think if the President wants to quite his critics on a particular matter, he need to confront the issue, even if he spins it. Obama: " Let’s set party interests aside and work to pass a budget that replaces reckless cuts with smart savings and wise investments" The problem with this line is there weren't any "wreck less" cuts in the first place. Democrats ...

Even though I was rooting for t he 49ers, stroke of luck had it I got a chunk of the pool for the second year in a row. My trip  to the ,Cornerstone this week is covered and then some. This year my folks decided to host a Super Bowl party instead of visiting family or friends. At first I was looking to go  out eithrer to a friend's house or down to the Cornerstone however when  money for a pool started changing hands I decided to stick aro und, and I'm glad I did. Not only did I win part of the house poll  I was witness \to some antics I shall not repeat on this blog but suffice to say there wasn't a dull moment befoore, during or after the game. Everybody agreed the commercials were not up to par with one exception, the Budweiser clidsdales commercial was I viewed online prior to the festivities. I was extremely disappointed I didn't see  actually it on TV during the actual game. The  commercial stars a newborn horse which grows a bond  with the far...

When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions. Claudius, Act IV, scene v Within a 38 hour timeframe I went from axnious to overwelming happy to disappointed back to happy back to axnious now back to disappointed. People wonder why I don't like roller coasters well maybe it's because I have the emotional one too many times. Justin Mattes Two  quotes, a very famours one from Shakespeare's Hamlet the other my Facebook status update written yesterday. It's actually the first thing I wrote since calling Sean a "fucking hyenia" fo r him laughing at mt dispair. I promised myself I wouldn't rehash this story over and over again but here I am anyway. It all started with an invite to a party in the city, which intself is a big deal, something about going into the city is a big deal.  Added to the fact I got this idea in my head it was time I...