Monday, August 12, 2013

COMEBACK VERSION 1.3

I know I stated in January "I have decided that this will be my last entry for a while, maybe ever". So like KISS and their 'Farewell Tour' in 2000, I am back because there is ALWAYS something happening around casa de McBride and I KNOW with no doubt in my mind that YOU need to read about it!!!! I just needed to take a break for a few months, KOOL AND THE GANG!?!?! OKIE DOKIE and we go a lil' somethang like this, HIT IT!!!!

 Not gonna lie to ya, this year has kinda sucked so far. Let the BAD NEWS commence! So everyone knows now, and frankly I could give an EFF if you don't, BECAUSE THEY WERE A HUGE PART OF MY LIFE!!!!! Anyways, after a very long time, My best friend and his wife (who is like a sister to me) are no more. I was told NOT to delve into it further but I need to let you know my LIFE changed at 4:10PM on 4/19/13....

 As you know Wylie (a pupper I had with a former girlfriend) passed away in 2010 and it took me over 2 1/2 years to realize Mary, my old girlfriend, did something very cool!!! Now I, and people that I know, have not always looked at her in the ‘brightest light’ from time to time BUT what she did was a very sweet thing, and I for one think she is very cool for doing this. At the same time Wylie had to be put down, I had a friend who went out to New Mexico and was going to send me some dirt from there. WELL I got a package and I ASSUMED it was the dirt so I just put it in a cabinet for when I did something in the yard and I needed a little 'fill in' dirt. In those 2 1/2 years, I moved it to the garage. One day a few months ago I was cleaning out the garage and said to myself, “Open up that package and dump the dirt in the yard and get it OUT of the garage.” When I opened it, there was a note from Mary and a bag of some of Wylie’s ashes!!!!!! The note said that they were ashes and I might want to scatter them at Lake Wylie (HENCE her name)… AGAIN, VERY COOL OF HER TO DO! So some of the ashes are by one of the trees I have in the front and off a dock at Lake Wylie.

 I turned 40 in April and I am happy to report that I haven’t had a midlife crisis yet and bought a Vette!

 My best friend’s (yeah the same one going through a divorce - it's not just a kick in the balls for him but it's when someone uses the top of their foot and causes a 'slapping' effect) dad was diagnosed with brain cancer and so I told Mrs. Boike that EVERYTHING that I am going through (Going to Duke Medical) is on hold because I can deal with my issues and she has A LOT on her plate! So with a ton on my mind, I went on my annual tour to go visit people in the OH., NY., PA. areas. Usually VA. is the last stop BUT I made the call NOT to go down there. Do I regret my decision? Is the Pope Catholic????? ANYWAYS, let's start;

 The night before I was to leave, my old friends Mike Carbonara and Boike came over and we had a couple, OK A LOT, of beers and talked about ‘stuff’ on the front porch. Needless to say, I didn’t get on the road until around 8ish and let me tell ya, driving eight hours with a bitchin’ hangover kinda stinks…

Mansfield, OH-

The first stop was Grandma McBride’s apartment at the assisted living complex in Mansfield, OH. She is 94 and can hardly see but STILL INSISTS to do everything herself. She made some Stouffers lasagna, like she did EVERY NIGHT when her and Grandpa watched me in 1989 while Catholic KATE and Big RON went to Hawaii. The next morning we went to breakfast with Sue who takes very good care of grandma and is just a freakin’ SAINT!!!!! We then went for a walk around the complex and she pointed out plants that she likes to take care of. AGAIN FOLKS SHE CAN HARDLY SEE BUT SHE MAKES DUE!!!!!! I then went to my cousin Chris’s house and he drove me around to some places I have NEVER seen and/or not seen in years…. One place we SHOULD NOT have drove by was my Nana’s old house! GOOD LORD!!!! WHAT A DUMP!!!! I will just leave it at that because I will get too upset about it. ANYWAYS! It was very cool to just hang out with him on his back patio and shoot the $hit about the demons that every family has, our grandpa and the Pink Floyd concert (which was his first) he and 90K other people were at in 1977 at the old Cleveland Stadium! HA!!!!!!!



One or the first regrets of the trip occurred the 2nd day I was there. I decided NOT to see my 95 year old Nana at the nursing home, I KINDA know myself and I don’t think I could handle it. This has been ‘weighing’ on my mind since the last time I saw her last June. Kripes when I went to see her at the nursing home, I almost ‘lost’ it. I know she doesn’t even know me anymore and from what the hospice nurses have said, she is very thin and feeble.



Before heading out, I stopped by casa de Amy (She’s my cousin) in a way it’s like mine, in shouting distance of a race track. Mine is Lancaster Speedway and her’s is Mid-Ohio. FYI- her hubby is pretty funny, I can’t go into detail BUT his body language around some people is pretty funny. Then I drove up to Cleveland for a game at Progressive field or whatever they call it now, for an Indians game.



I ALWAYS stay at my friend Scott and Dustin’s house where the hospitality ALWAYS rules and the beer is always cold! After last year's debacle of getting super drunk thus having a terrible hangover the next day. I only had a couple and we just hung outside and chit chatted for a little bit. YES!!!!! They are a gay couple!!! I know you were wondering that and don't lie and say you weren't. GET READY cause' I'm sooooooooooo getting on my soap box!!! TEST 1-2-3!!!! This thing on? OKIE DOKIE!!!! They are the coolest guys and they are A LOT nicer to fellow humans then some. I would LOVE to find a girl that loves me as much as Scott and Dustin love each other!!! THERE! I'm off now.


Allegany, Olean, Bolivar, Buffalo, NY SunnyHill Campground


After an evening of hanging out and drinking, I drove up to A-TOWN, Allegany, NY for some MORE!!!!!!
BUCKOFEST 2013- You might remember when an old friend of mine unexpectedly passed away in 2012. Well his mom who is a very sweet lady, and his step dad had a party for all of his friends and family. It was a great time! NOT only did I get to drink some of Scott Sonneborn's YUMMY IN MY TUMMY home brew but I also saw some old friends that I love spending time with.


HEY LOOK!!! We didn’t ever have anything BUT Kathleen Donavon had the ‘hey pass that over EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR’ look going in every picture! HA!!


A few of us stayed there until 3AM and during that time I was EYED UP by Cindy and made me feel REALLY CHEAP and one of Dave’s daughters FARTED A LOT hence I started calling her ‘FART GIRL’ which I don’t think her mother really appreciated. HA!!!!! I was up there for more than a week just :
  • Going to some dining establishments that I crave for a year between visits Like Renna’s, The Burton, The Chuck Wagon, Tasta Pizza, Randy’s Up The River and Duffs ( don’t get the mild hot ones! I couldn’t finish them because they were so HOT.)  One night my friend Kelly and I went to get some YUMMY IN MY TUMMY pizza and after we went to a local watering hole for a few drinks. Well we made the mistake of sitting at the bar next to this old DRUNK who was ‘undressing her with his eyes' from the first minute we sat down.…. He and I didn't get along from the moment we walked in. Not sure if he was just HITTING on her but he mentioned that he knew people in her family and that caused her to instantly gravitate towards him. In their conversation he said he was a Vietnam vet and I thanked him for his service and also said that I am sorry he was exposed to such a nasty chemical. He in turn said the exact quote 'Agent Orange wasn't that bad." REALLY!?! I respectfully disagree with you fine sir… I think he was arguing with me just to argue. Another argument revolved around NASCAR! I admit I was WRONG to a point but this ‘A’ hole kept on saying "DON’T ARGUE NASCAR WITH ME BECAUSE I KNOW MY NASCAR...." he kept on saying it over and over again. CRAZY LUSH!!!!!!!!!
  • Cleaning up some old friend’s graves because IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!
  • Going to CUTCO to have the knives my mom gave me (I think they are from the 70's) sharpened so I can cut me finger without even knowing it!
  • Just checking out places that I think about throughout the year. I LOVE history and so I go to places that I remember as a kid or someone on ‘DA BOOK’ (F/B) mentioned it.
  • Chillin’ out with someone and enjoying a cold beverage (usually a beer) on their porch while visiting. I did A LOT of this at casa de Kiener. It's where I stayed some nights, Oh and Kylee, their daughter, thanks for letting me sleep in your bed while I was there! Don't mind the wet spot, I just peed a little in it THAT'S ALL and their son said the quote of the TRIP when he told his little sister that "GOD doesn’t like liars and bad actors"! Speaking of beer, Saturday night 6-29 was the annual BEER-PA-LOOZA. Sure the turn out wasn’t that good, I blame the rain and the crappy @$$ carnival, BUT three events happened that made it all worth it to me:
    • Seeing Mike Wilber’s girlfriend and saying “Hi Joy.” See she wasn’t expecting me to remember her name. Needless to say, she lit up like a Christmas tree….
    • Seeing an old friend Stacey for the first time in over 25 years!
    • Seeing another friend Rita and meeting her funny husband Matt
  • Hanging out with Mark Vitale at the bar and him telling some GREAT stories about some of the trips we took to go see concerts in Buffalo or Rochester... He's ALSO a SAINT (at least in my eyes he is) for letting me hold his shoulder while he lead me to the bathroom!!!
  • One day my cousin Jeff and I installed a new POOP PIPE at Camper de Margeson up on Sunny Hill camp. Kinda glad I washed my hands AFTER it was done and it was BEER THIRTY on his DECK ‘MAHAL’!!!! I don’t need spinal meningitis.
  • Went up to Buffalo and was almost arrested at Ralph Wilson Stadium apparently they don't like strange looking people wandering around the stadium. FYI- they are doing some work up there because I heard jack hammers and stuff before I was 'escorted' to my car by security.... BEFORE I was 'almost arrested' , I was in the field house and I was talking to this guy. Buffalo Bills fans know who he is. He is the voice of the Bills and I was chatting with him while he was blowing his nose, The poor guy had a nasty head cold.....


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