Mattes's Musings by KC2GIK

 I never really understood why people would say the never will join ALPCA. I' not saying ALPCA members are better butr realize belonging to a club does have ups AND downs. I joined ALPCA in 1994 and nave a very modest collection I also have travelled around the country and made friends. ALPCA has also has a entire different side to it. I have made friends that go beyond license plates. My membership has given me the opportunity to expand my writing portfolio, no only with article in the magazine, but other publications. Folks who have met me in person know I have a disability. I have struggled to travel to meets, even my own, but with the help of fellow members, I have attended 14 conventions, been to dozens of meets and even help co-found the ALPCA Garden State Region. I also have written a handful of articles Not bad for someone who doesn't drive, can't use pen and has a hard time speaking. I am not here to sway people into joining. ALPCA is NOT for everyone. However I a

DISCLAIMER: I have never used crypto-currency and in t he camp that thisa FTX scandal will set it back, though how much I don't know. i know the basics and this piece is more of an overall overview on my take on the FTX scandal and the Congressional response. I will be watching Bankman Fried's testimony. The US Justice Dept. just released the charges against FTX wonderboy Sam Bankman Fried. The charges he's facing include conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud securities fraud and money laundering. T he Charges could mean, if convicted, he could be facing a jail sentence. Not to mention the slew of angry people who w ould like nothing better to throw him into a big dark pit with flesh eating bacteria. Ok that's a bit dramatic but I'm sure  they can recoup some of the money he stole. At first people say he was the next Warren Buffet only to realize he was really the next  Bernie Madoff or Kenneth Lay. From what I read, like Mark Zuckerburg, he really isn

First an apology Like 90% of my recent posts I  get distracted. This past September I had a wonderful thing happen............I GOT BACK ON THE AIR~  Well let's beginning! When I move down to Cape May I  had setup a temporary antenna on the bedpost.  It did the trick but the SWR was really high and I wound up blowing the finals in the Kenwood. My friend Dennis fixed in but I didn't want to go through that again.  KP works for an antenna company and it just so happened they were doing an install in  nearby Lower Township. So he convicted his boss, Warren and coworkers, Sid and Stephnen to make a pitstop down to Cape May to run the wires from outside into my room and to put an antenna on the roof. I finally have a station from home instead of having to run down to the firehouse to get on the air. Every since I moved to Cape May I dreamed about the possibility of working simplex!

  One of the highlights of the convention was seeing ALPCA member and all around good guy Norm Ratcliffe get inducted into the ALPCA Hall of Fame. I actually knew he was going to be inducted months ago because I wrote the biography for his plaque. It was a writing project I worked on since January and had to keep it under wraps until the convention. Norm has been a member of ALPCA for forty years and has definitely made his mark. Congratulations to one of my best friends from Canada!!!!

  So as a little chuckle on the eve of the forth I cruised outside Congress Hall. I passed a couple sitting in the rocking chairs with their two girls around 10 and 12. The older girl had braces on her legs I stopped, just threw out, CP? She nodded, Then I said I HAD THOSE don't worry they are not forever. She sighed. Then I turned to her sister and simply said your sister is going to teach you lessons you are going to use for the rest of your life;. The sister nodded. I didn't write this for a pat on the back. It just a feeling I got while on an evening cruise.

From my  Facebook status a few days ago:  CODA won best picture because not only did it break barriers, it did so in the most subtle way. As a person with a disability who loves music, it combined two aspects of my life. This amazing film is about a fishing family where everyone is deaf except the youngest daughter. iThe cover of "Both Sides Now" was absolutely perfect!~ I watched the amazing movie last night and you should too. After adjusting the above Facebook status multiple times in the last three days I decided that a few hastily assembled lines wasn't going to cover all the reasons why I truly enjoyed CODA. CODA is the acronym for C hild O f D eaf A dults. The movie is the story of the Rossi Family comprising of three deaf members, mother, father and son and the youngest daughter, Ruby, who can hear. The Rossi's are a fishing family from Worchester, Massachusetts who work the oceans. Emma is the typical teenager trying to balance, school, a social life hel

  First thanks to all of you who wished me a happy birthday!!! I had a wonderful dinner with my closest Cape May friends, more like family because they truly adopted me as one of their own. Second thoughts on another year older--people get teased about getting older-- I never minded because every year I live, I prove certain predictions about me when I was born were wrong. I LOVE proving people wrong. Each year that I live my life the way it should be. Could it be better? EVERYONE'S LIFE COULD BE BETTER, but it could be worse, a lot worse. Can I DO BETTER? Absolutely! I have a collection of scars, some self-inflicted. I ALSO can be proud of my accomplishments. I always said life is like a puzzle you have to figure out where the pieces fit, but I think I am putting my pieces together the best I can Here's to 44.....................and many more !!!!

  Lost another close friend, more like an aunt. Margaret McGee was one of my PT's growing up and helped me in ways I can't even begin to explain. From the time I was six months old until well into high school I saw Renee and her multiple times a week. They watched not only me but both my brothers grow up. She played with my brothers while Renee stretched me, they really were the dynamic duo. Chris and Petey's eyes lit up every time they saw those therapy balls!! Margaret will be remembered for her great engineering skills, she could adapt ANY PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. Her southern humor was unmatched. Her love for M&M's, especially peanut. I am absolutely devastated, the very thin silver lining in this dark could is she's now free of pain and reunited her parents along with all of the Golden Retrievers she adopted over the years. I will never forget how she changed my life.. Until we meet again..........

  Well it's that time of year again! We all think about new years resolutions we broke the last 12 months trying to get through this new world we have come to know. While it has been rough I have managed to find good news still outweighs the bad even though at times it doesn't seem that way.  I will try to make this short Let's start with my brother Chris, his wife Natalie, my nephew Zander and niece Quinn.  Well the good thing about working for Progressive Auto Insurance is Chris is always on the road so he never missed any work during this whole ordeal. He has worked out of his for years and nothing has changed. Natalie has been able to work remotely although she has been going into the office more. Both Zander and Quinn played soccer this year, I went to one game each. We went up there Christmas Day and stayed overnight. They are both getting so big. I keep warning Chris growing up with all boys is different than having ka son and a daughter.. I laugh he has more grey h