Decent weekend

Well, I tried to keep busy this past weekend. On Saturday, I went shopping with my niece, Angela. I should say, she shopped, I looked. On Sunday, my sister-in-law Linda and I went to a home show in Daytona Beach. Both days I was exhausted afterward. Watched the Steelers-Giants game yesterday at home (it was broadcast here). Thought the Stillers were going to pull it off. Guess not.

I decided to do some volunteering at the Cancer Institute at Florida Hospital. Today I went and signed a bunch of paperwork and got a TB skin test. This is more involved than I thought it would be. I'm going to be trained to work in the resource room. Just one afternoon a week for now. I'm glad to be able to do it.

I lost my absentee ballot after spending 2 hours trying to decide how to vote on the constitutional amendments, judges, and other things I never think about. My completed ballot, signed, sealed and waiting to be mailed, just up and disappeared. Quite the mystery. It seems I can go to the polls (early voting in FL) and explain the situation and vote there. I was hoping to avoid that. Is it just me, or does all this early voting invite numerous opportunities for voter fraud? I think I know the answer to that one.

Polling: Art or Science?

If you're wondering why the political polls differ so widely, you can read this interesting article from the AP here.

My newest favorite commercial

A new Nike commercial,"FATE," from their Leave Nothing series, featuring LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu. Catch it right here. Love this!

Phooey

I wish I had some motivation to do something. I don't. I've been very tired all week. Frustrating. I do wish the weather would cool off soon. Maybe I'll have the gumption to do the loads of yard work waiting for me to tackle.

The MRI didn't show any abnormalities in my ear, so I guess the doctor will have to decide what's next, if anything. They scan your entire brain in addition to the structure of your ears. The MRI did show vascular changes due to aging. I'm not even 50 yet! I am curious to know exactly what that means, based on the Alzheimer's/dementia that runs rampant in my family.

Tomorrow Joyce and I are going to visit my friend Maxine who lives in the Villages. It's a little over an hour from here. We'll go watch the Steelers at Beef O'Brady's near Maxine's home. Go Steelers!

Blog Action Day - Poverty

Today bloggers unite to highlight a worldwide issue: Poverty. I am not one who thinks that government has the answers to everything. Far from it. But, I do believe that we are to look after one another. The Bible tells us to look after widows and orphans and the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:34-40 instructs us:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

There are countless ways to help others in need...giving not only cash, but donating time and services. If you do not have a favorite charity and you wonder which organizations use their funds efficiently and honestly, take a look at www.charitynavigator.org, which serves as a watchdog of non-profit groups.

Now, back to me. :) I had my MRI scan yesterday to check out what's happening in my ear. Open MRI is the way to go. Didn't get that crawling skin, claustrophobic feeling. I should have my results tomorrow or Friday.

The compressor on my A/C unit bit the dust over the weekend, so as I write this, a new unit is being installed. Didn't really need that big expense right now, but I guess there never is a really good time. I would complain about how hot and miserable I've been since Saturday, but I just posted about world poverty. so that wouldn't be very appropriate now, would it?

Jacksonville - The Southern HQ of Steeler Nation!

We had a great time at the game Sunday night. It was a close game and of course, it always helps when your team wins. We met a bunch of Steeler fans, including those from the Jax Steelers club and Steel City Mafia. The weather was good and there was a nice cool breeze. The next day, on the way back, we stopped in St. Augustine for lunch and visited the shops in Old Town.

The stadium had so many Steeler fans waving Terrible Towels, it was almost like a home game! Below is an article from a former NFL player who agrees that the Steelers are the best fans in the NFL. By the way, 25% is a low ball figure for the amount of Steeler fans in the crowd.


Tuck's Takes: Steelers fans are unquestionably best in the NFL (by Ross Tucker)

The news out of Jacksonville Monday morning that approximately 25 percent of the fans for Sunday night's Steelers-Jags contest were waving yellow Terrible Towels came as no surprise to me. The Steelers have the most dominant fan base in the National Football League and their ability to consistently travel, en masse, and infest other team's stadiums gives the Steelers a competitive advantage that no other franchise can claim.

For the record, I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, was an Eagles fan during my youth and subsequently played for five NFL squads that were not located in Pittsburgh, so I have no allegiance whatsoever to the Steelers or their fans. I just call it like I see it.

Seemingly minutes within signing with a new team, a player will be told by someone within the organization that, unequivocally, they have the best fans in the world. And though there are thousands of die-hard fans in Green Bay, Washington, Dallas, Buffalo, Cleveland, New England, and every other NFL city, the simple truth is very evident to every player in the NFL: Steelers fans are the best in the business.

My thoughts on NFL fans were confirmed in a recent straw poll of a couple active players who said the Steelers fans far and away do the best job of taking away a home team's advantage. None of the players wanted to state their feelings publicly and disenchant their own fans, and for good reason, but the fact remains there is nothing quite as powerful in the NFL as Steeler Nation.

I realized this for the first time in 2004, while playing for a resurgent Bills team that was one win away from a playoff berth. Running out of the home tunnel and seeing the smattering of Terrible Towels and black and yellow in the stands was disheartening. The Steelers had already clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, so this final regular season game was meaningless to them, yet their fans had made the trip in droves.

Though playing at home doesn't assure a team a victory, there are typically four significant advantages to playing in the friendly confines. There is no travel involved. The field and facility are familiar. The players can certainly feed off the energy of the home crowd. The noise can make it difficult for the opposing team's offense to call audibles or utilize the snap count to their advantage. Ask any offensive tackle how much fun it is blocking elite rushers on a silent cadence. They flat-out detest it.

The significant presence of Steelers fans in opposing stadiums, whether they are Steel City transplants or folks who traveled in for the game, effectively eliminates the last two advantages. It is difficult to feed off the energy of the home crowd when you look up in the stands and see that a significant portion of the crowd is actually cheering for the other team. Plus, the noise is not nearly as deafening when less than 80 percent of the fans in the stands are screaming in unison.

All of this adds up to the Steelers having a significant competitive advantage based upon their fans' ability to partially, if not completely, eliminate some of the basic reasons teams are so happy to play at home in the first place.

I know exactly what everyone is going to write in their e-mails to me. First, people are going to comment on the Jags having arguably the worst fans in the NFL, and I will not dispute that in the slightest. People in Jacksonville would probably be more excited to watch an SEC clash between Kentucky and Vanderbilt. But it is not just Jacksonville. Seemingly, no stadium is truly immune to the Steelers culture.

Secondly, I am well aware that the Packers, Raiders, Cowboys and Redskins, just to name a few, have great fans who pop up in away stadiums every time their team is on the road. Trust me, it does not compare to Steelers fans. I have played for some of those teams and it is not even close. The Steelers have the best fans in the NFL.

Steelers!

Can you believe this is the first time I've mentioned my favorite NFL team this season? Yeah, me neither. This Sunday night the Steelers play the Jaguars in Jacksonville and I will be there!

I'm having a colonoscopy on Election Day. LOL. I'm sure you didn't need or want to know that. Because of that "date," I requested an absentee ballot. Holy moly, I'm glad I did....there are tons of (local) issues to vote on that I know nothing about. Going to have to do some research before I complete it!

By the way, voter fraud is NOT COOL. Get your act together, Ohio! (My former neighbor state)

Hey! It's my birthday!

Wow, where did the year go? I was undergoing my 3rd chemo treatment this time last year. Hard to believe that much time has passed already.

I saw a new ENT doc yesterday. I like him. They did another hearing test and my hearing in my right ear is actually worse than the last one. My hearing in my left ear is perfect. Thank God for small favors. There was a point about a month ago that I thought my hearing had slightly improved. This was just as I was finishing my 2nd (and stronger) round of steroids. Since I had a ravenous appetite the entire time I was on them, I've decided I'd rather live with hearing loss than wanting to eat 24/7. The other downside to long-term steroid use is that it can cause necrosis (the death of living cells or tissues) in the hip joints. Since I already have severe arthritis in my left hip...well, steroids is probably not the best option. The ENT said they can inject a steroid into the inner ear canal, which would avoid the systemic approach of oral treatment, but I will need to see an ear surgeon for that. I will have that MRI I've been putting off. It will hopefully determine the cause of the sudden hearing loss and perhaps it can be treated. Until then....HUH??? Talk to my left ear please.

I am discovering how many times one can renew a library book. FIVE. I'm lucky if I read a chapter every other night. So I am only halfway through "Prodigal Summer" by Barbara Kingsolver. I find some of her views slightly annoying, but I enjoy her writing style and she is often able to combine descriptions of nature with some very profound thoughts. I'll share one with you:

Eddie Bondo had spoken of acorn woodpeckers he'd seen in the West, funny creatures that worked together to drill a dead tree full of little holes, cached thousands of acorns in them, and then spent the rest of their days defending their extravagant treasure from marauding neighbors. How pointless life could be, what a foolish business of inventing things to love, just so you could dread losing them.

So very true and something I need to be reminded of often. It brings to mind Matthew 6:19-21:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.