125 things

Today 8-16, I saw my life flash in front of me when someone ran a red light and came within 10 inches of t-boning my @ss and almost making me a quadriplegic and a future of sucking on a straw for dinner each night, so I decided to give you more info, some say I do this already, about me. WOO HOO!!!! It's 125 things 'you may not of wanted to' know about ME!!! So set your phaser guns to 'FUN' and let's get this thing started.


1.Name- Robert Andrew McBride. I was only called Robert on the first day of school by a new teacher or when I was in trouble with my parents. I have been called AndY (NOT AndI), Drew, RA and Andrew.
2. Does NOT have cable TV.
3. I still laugh like I am in 8th grade when someone calls another person 'douche bag'. Another good one is when my older brother calls me R Gay.
4. I don't hate anyone, even you Mary. Sure there are people I choose not to associate with but that's as far as I will go. Hate only eats you up inside.
5. Piggy backing on #4. You can tell BIG TIME if I don't want to associate with you.
6. I'm what you call a 'penny pincher'. I live by the motto, "if you can't afford it then you don't need it." Credit card companies are like the evil empire in Star Wars.
7. I think Dave and Sammy were both great for Van Halen. They brought a lot to the table. Gary Cherone was a full fledged debacle.
8. Politically I refused to be labeled! I am conservative on somethings and liberal on others. I think ALL politician's sole job is to piss down your back and tell ya it's rainin'. I'm all about 'free will'! Only you truly control your destiny. It's still “We the People' Right??????
9. I think people use verses from the Bible to TRY to justify their actions.
10. You can sit there and tell someone till you're blue in the face how you would deal with a certain situation but I think you have no idea what you are going to do if it happens.
11. Stress to me is being an 18 year old kid about to storm the beaches of Normandy knowin' damn well that the chance of living are slim to none.
12. I LIKE the Buffalo Bills and Sabres BUT at the end of the day I know I have a freakin' mortgage
 payment to make at the beginning of the next month so I don't live and die with every win or lose. 
 PRIORITIES!!!!
13. I love watching documentaries.
14. The instrumental at the end of 'Layla' is the ultimate to make out to.
15. The only reason I loved school (Charlotte Catholic High School '92) was seeing all my friends..... I was a terrible student. I think my final GPA was like 2.3 or something like that, but I put on my 'big boy' britches and went to community college for 2 years then to Appalachian State University and I have a 4 year degree and I have the diploma to prove it!!!
16. I have never been married and so I DON'T have a crazy ex that's still pi$$ed I got the couch from the family room in the divorce.
17. I cried uncontrollably the last time I saw my grandpa alive...... Does it make me less of a man??? I don't think so....
18. I have over 1850+ songs on my iPod ranging from every decade from the 50's on up and every style. My musical tastes were formed by hearing what my older brother and his friends listened to. Also songs that remind me of certain chapters in my life.
19. If I'm not talking it's because I'm really sick and if I open my mouth I'll yack.
20. I drink beer and wine and that's it.. I would welcome a random drug test because I know I would pass with flying colors. Other people at work????? Well!?!??!?! Let's just say I would stay really busy having to do all the work that others did before they were canned.
21. I think all your priorities in life change when you hold your child for the first time. It's no longer about you, that little guy/gal totally relies on you.
22. A footnote to 21, I HAVE NO CHILDREN NOR AM I ANY BABY'S DADDY!
23. If you ever get a hand written letter in the mail from me it's a pretty good sign that I really, really, really  like you....
24. Is NEVER in a hurry to get someplace.
25. I don't wear underwear.... Too restrictive!!!! I gotta let'em breathe ya know! WHAT???? Too much
info???
26. Usually comes up with some great ideas while driving or when someone is yapping about some cr@p in a meeting.
27. I try to go to mass every weekend. Let me stop you before you tell me that you grew up Catholic but don't go anymore because you disagree with the church. I know you can make a case about the Catholic Church having all kinds of problems but let me ask you, doesn't every religion have issues????? This is how I see it, there has to be someone, guy or woman, up there looking over me because they have gotten me out of a lot of jams in my life.... Plus it's kind of a family tradition..... When Peter Cawley got off the boat from Ireland in the 1800's he was Catholic....
28. Has trouble sleeping on Sunday nights, always has and ALWAYS will.
29. Thinks Sammy said it best in 87, BUT ONLY when YOUR house is in order!! 

30. Always winks at the little girl with Down syndrome when I am in the communion line.

31. Has seen Sade twice and frankly she is the ONLY artist I would still pay money to see. OK, I'd pay to see Rush too!!!

32. LOVES taking naps!

33. Loathes 'plastic' AKA fake people.

34. Was born at Olean General Hospital.

35. Could give 2 $hits if you are gay, a different race or religion, if you are cool with then I am
sooooooo cool with you and if you are an @$$ then I will be one to you too. We are ALL in this $hit together right?

36. Can be snobby to you.

37. Likes my sister-in-law because she puts up with my shenanigans.

38. Knows how to weld.

39. Is a home body.

40. Hates the circle of life.

41. Lives pretty close to Lancaster Speedway and is cool with it.

42. Is a loud talker.

43. Remembers a lot of things that people have done to me and vice verse.

44. Can yell with the best of them.

45. Knows that money and power are some crazy drugs.

46. Is 40 and is STILL afraid to tell my mom if I got a chick 'knocked up'.

47. Believes in the 'crock pot' and NOT the 'microwave' style in most things in life.

48. Likes 'routine'!

49. Is flirtatious but that doesn't mean I want to swap spit with ya in a luke warm shower.

50. LOVES snacking on pretzels. 

51. Cares more about others than I do about myself.

52. Opens a door for a lady and gets pi$$ed and says "YOU'RE WELCOME" if she doesn't say thank you.

53. Can't sing.

54. Won't talk to ya if I am pi$$ed. Something I learned from my mom.
55. Tells you how I feel whether it's good or bad so no one can EVER say "GEE, I wonder what Andy thought?". Does it get me in trouble sometimes? Does a bear $hit in da woods?????
56. Does NOT have a criminal record.
57. Is pretty good finding stuff on the Internet, PUBLIC RECORDS EFFING ROCK!
58. Knows that sometimes you just have to realize that you can't fix 'stupid'!
59. Drives 60 MPH unless someone is actually driving slower than me and I have to pass them FYI- that RARELY HAPPENS!
60. ALWAYS breaks into the Phil Rizzuto voice when I hear 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' "OK, got a real pressure cooker goin' here."
61. Is moody.
62. 'Tolerates' some people.
63. Likes dogs more than cats.
64. I'm only Quicken Loan's (mortgage) beeeeeeeeeeoootch... I hate debt with a passion. 
65. Is NOT politically correct.
66. Hates litter bugs.

67. Has a pretty good F.I.C.O score.

68. Likes their fries and the way they kiss but other than that I am not fond of the French.

69. Has no desire to travel abroad.

70. Knows in most situations it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

71. Will let you talk about something that 'you think' is right so you will look like an idiot to others.

72. Thinks you have to have some mental issues to think the only way out of a situation is to kill yourself.

73. Hey!! I was born that year. ANYWAYS, thinks that we MIGHT be better off if CA. fell in the ocean. Just sayin'.

74. Thinks EVERYONE has something in their past that they are not too proud of.

75. Trust is HUGE with me!

76. Lives by the motto 'if you don't ask, you don't know'.

77. Will TEACH you how to fish and will NOT give you one!

78. Gives a hand wave and acknowledgment when someone lets me into a lane and EXPECTS the same from someone.

79. HATES pickles!
80. Worked at a radio station.
81. Is one stubborn S.O.B!
82. Knows how to do a Rosary.
83. I think everyone has baggage. With that said, there are two kinds. 'Carry on' which is small enough to stow in the overhead compartment/under your seat. Or 'check in'....... It's so big the airline has to put it in the cargo area because you can't bring it on with you...
84. Knows that if you put something on DA BOOK (f\b) you have to EXPECT someone will respond with something that you don't agree with!
85. Thinks torturing in some form is okie dokie. It makes ya talk! I know it would 'help' me sing like a canary. 
86. Drives a Honda Civic and will NEVER get anything but a Honda for as long as I am on this planet.
87. Doesn't like calling customer service (usually it's someone in India) but I ALWAYS have patience and I am friendly to whoever I talk to because it's NOT their fault that the company they work for is trying 'to cut corners' and save some money which puts the poor person in a quagmire.
88. Knows there are only two guarantees in life. 1. You WILL die. 2. You WILL be taxed. 
89. If I only say "OK" to you then it's a pretty good chance that I can't say any thing else because I am so upset that I will start crying.
90. Has been spat on twice in my life.
91. 99% of the time I DON'T trust someone with a hyphenated name.
92. May not agree with 97% of the stuff he pulls BUT I would have some beers and watch a game with President Obama.
93. The first thing I notice if we are talking is if your glasses need to be cleaned.
94. Refuses to 'text' and drive at the same time plus it's against the law.
95. Kinda gets fired up if I send you an email and you don't respond.
96. I will 'admire' a woman from afar but will not do anything more about it.
97. I keep very good eye contact with ya when we are talking.
98. I can still rattle off my childhood best friend's phone number.
99. I tend to giggle A LOT when I am writing an email or a reply on DA BOOK that I think is pretty darn funny at least it is to me.
100. I love being an uncle to three pretty cool kids but it sure is nice to be able to go home to my quiet house.
101. Knows that YOU cannot make someone love you!
102. Can change the oil in my car and I kinda like doing it.
103. Doesn't smoke.
104. Is an EXPERT in my opinion.
105. Thinks that hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20.
106. I really don't give a poop about 'keeping up with the Jones'... Odds are that they are as broke as MC Hammer.
107. Doesn't have any tattoos. I figure there is nothing in this world so important that I want to go through the pain to have put on my body.
108.  Likes giving a 'gift card' for Christmas or birthdays. Some might say it's NOT 'personable' BUT I have found that it gives people a choice in getting something they like instead of ACTING like they are happy with a sorry @$$ gift you gave them.
109. Loves 'pushing the envelope'....
110. Believes Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.
111. Can be extremely loyal, sometimes to a fault.
112. Does yoga 5 days a week and I'm NOT a new aged hippy!
113. Accepts the world as it is.
114. Thinks that if there are NO kids and pets involved then there is NO need to have ANY contact with your ex. There is a reason why they are called the EX!!!
115. HATES the circus!
116. Believes that it is a form of child abuse if you don't plan to pay for your child's future college expenses.
117. ALWAYS carries a Rosary in my right front pocket.
118. Kinda likes saying something to pops that causes him to give me the 'BIG RON I'm sooooo disappointed in you' look........
119. Hates looking at someone's bad teeth.
120. Sometimes get scared about my future.
121. HATES being late and being absent from stuff. As matter of fact, I have told my bosses that if they don't hear from me and I don't show up to work, they BETTER call 911 because I am either dead or incapacitated.
122. Loves being a smart @$$, good luck trying to get a serious answer out of me.
123. Thinks the ONLY reason people say they are 'sorry' for something is only because they were caught.
124. Kinda gets FIRED UP when someone doesn't capitalize the 'B' in my last name.
125. AND FINALLY, knows that opinions are like @$$ holes, EVERYONE has one!

COMEBACK VERSION 1.4

 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…

 SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!! I will have an update each Monday of the week for the month of August... Each new update will be in RED..

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 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..... 

 The final regret happened on the Monday 7-1. I decided NOT to go to VA. I just felt at the time that it was the right thing to do AND I went a different way home. I took Hwy 219 down to I-80 not only did it NOT save some time BUT the dang McDonald's in Brockway, PA charged me EXTRA to use my check card instead of cash…. Not sure which one riled me up more BUT I will NOT go that way again, MARK MY WORDS!!!

 And I will leave you with these wise words from the this guy: "ALWAYS remember that you CHOOSE the things in your life! NO ONE ELSE!" HA! I have no idea if he EVER said that but it soooooooooooooo sounds like something he would say.

RIP NANA!

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.....

BUS TRIPS Revisited after 20+ years.....

 The Chronicles of DA BUS TRIPS to concerts! FIRST OFF, this kind of stuff will NEVER happen again. Think about it as a parent, your teenager comes to you and says “Can I go to a concert on a bus that another teenager rented oh and BTW, there will be NO adult supervision.” You would say ‘H’ to the ‘E’ to the double ‘L’ NO!!!!! Anyways, I don’t know about you BUT I LOVE telling people that as a 14 year, my friends and I went on a rented bus to a concert of some band that is of no more but was HUGE at the time. People are blown away!!!! According to the GODFATHER of the trips, Todd Hopkins, This is how it started:
 “One day while on a typical after school "hanging at the fantastical Olean Center Mall" session, we were walking to Blue Bird Coach Lines on Union St to catch the Bona Bus home. As we stood there waiting, I said "you know Dave, We should charter a bus to UB Spring Fest to see the Ramones." Dave thought about that for a minute and then replied "How would we go about this bus idea Todd?" To which I responded "I'll call Blue bird and try to set things up," So when I got home, I called the Blue Bird office and said to the woman who answered "I would like to charter a bus please." She asked me for the pick-up time and location, and asked which type of bus we required and gave us pricing options. I realized that the $$ was completely feasible and that if we could fill each seat, it would only cost about $10 per rider. Later that evening we realized what a great service we would be providing people so nobody would need to drink and drive. It also afforded many who had no means to get to Buffalo or Rochester an opportunity to go see a concert.”

 So it began with the pioneer trip to UofB’s ‘Spring Fest’ (4-88) to an all day festival where the Ramones were headlining. I was on this trip!!!! WOO HOO!!! The school principal and a few teachers actually watched us get on the bus! Their ‘red flags’ were raised when they received a bunch of notes from our parents asking us to be excused from school on the SAME day!!! Word on the street is that they were amazed how organized we were in pulling this off. Can you verify that Mr. Petruzzi? ANYWAYS, I can tell people that I saw Living Colour before anyone knew who they were! HA!!!! I soooooo remember Corey Glover telling the crowd of maybe 200 people, to STAND UP because we were all sitting on the ground….. An act before the Ramones took the stage was Grand Master Flash…. Sure they were on the ‘downward spiral’ of their career BUT still!!!! People at work are AMAZED that a white boy saw them and actually knows who they are! HA!!!! The Ramones were no thrills just B@LL to the wall music with the only thing between songs being Dee Dee yelling 1-2-3-4!!!! One of the many HIGHLIGHTS from that day was Todd and Dave leading me to an empty car (Ford Taurus) at the side of the stage. I wasn’t quite sure why we were there until I saw all four of the Ramones get in and being whisked away. WOO HOO!! I was 5 ft away from freakin’ ROCK ‘N’ ROLL legends!!!!! I remember Todd yelling at Joey that he wanted to play ‘pocket pool’ with him and Joey saying ‘”WHOW!!! I don’t play for your ‘team’ kid.” HA!!! I soooooooooooooo just made that last part up BUT Todd did say something and Joey said “ALRIGHT MAN!”

06-88 Monsters of Rock (Kingdom Come, Metallica, Dokken, The Scorpions, Van Halen) Rich Stadium, Buffalo: Dare I say, one of the greatest days of my life! As an 8th grader and 25 years LATER I still pinch myself when I think of it and say “was I really there?”…. So many memories, the trip up and getting PLASTERED at 9AM in THE MORNING, people screaming that Steve Lippert was SHOT when he really had a bottle thrown at him, people wondering where my brother was when he was passed out someplace from all the booze he drank, Billy Miller being taken to the E.R and having his stomach pumped because he drank too much Night Train wine, Watching Van Halen with my best friend Mark Singer……. I could go on BUT I will resist the urge.

03-89 Metallica/Queensryche Buffalo: I wasn’t on this one but Todd wrote “Dave and I were at the dept. store in the mall that had ticketmaster. Bob & Phil Quinlan's mom worked there. We would always stop there on paydays, get our checks cashed and she would look up any shows coming to Buffalo, Erie or Rochester. On this particular day she saw that Metallica just went on sale. There was no internet yet so we were able to get third row on the floor. The 2 end seats. When the lights went down for Queensryche we ran like hell around those first 2 rows and ended up front row center right up against the wall. James Hetfield literally stood over us”.

05-89 Cinderella, Bullet Boys, Winger Rochester: I was not on this one either BUT Todd told me that on the way home the state troopers stopped the bus and boarded it. He said that he was freakin’ because everyone was drunk or hung over and the police were walking over empty beer bottle and stuff going from seat to seat looking. It turns out they were looking for someone that just escaped from jail. Basically they could give a cr@p about all the underage drinking that was going on, they were on a mission to find this escape fugitive and that’s it….

12-89 Motley Crue/Warrant Rochester: Again, I was NOT on this one but Mark Vitale and Mark Singer told me a great story about it. Usually the bus driver was very cool! Heck, I think he was the same guy for a lot of them, he was the husband of one of the managers at McDonalds where Todd and Dave worked BUT this was a different driver and he was kind of a prune! He wouldn’t let everyone drink on the bus. WHAT THE H@LL, he had a conscious!!!!! So after some ‘negotiating’ he agreed to let everyone have ‘adult beverages’ BUT only after they got out of the city limits? Not sure how that would help BUT OH WELL! Mark Vitale donated his services and packed his little Dodge Colt full of ALL the booze and met the bus at the designated place where everyone paid him for his services and they loaded the bus up with all of the alcohol. I forget how much $ he told me he made BUT it was A LOT!

06-89 Ozzy, White Lion, Vixen Darien Lake- Even after moving to Charlotte, NC 10 months before, Mark Singer and I STILL talked on the phone at least every month and he asked me if I wanted to go up on a bus to see Ozzy Osbourne at Darien Lake in June. WELL DUH!!!!! Of course I do!!!!! I knew it was going to be a BLAST being I had been on two already. Well I don’t remember the trip up because Mark Vitale made me some lemonade and vodka drinks. Needless to say I was PLASTERED! The concert you ask?? Well I have no idea, I assume it was good. The one thing I DO remember about was making the HUGE mistake of getting some chocolate cookies and milk and downing it!!! HUGE MISTAKE because 10 minutes after that they had to stop the bus so I could PUKE on the side of the highway!!!!! HA!!!!!!!!

06-90 Aerosmith/Metallica/Dokken/Black Crows at Silver Stadium Rochester: Todd stated that Dave Howard started organizing the trips BUT when I emailed him he stated ”I was not at that show. I think Mike Z and doc did that trip.” So who did this trip and WHO is Mike Z. and 'doc'?

This is from Todd:

"Here are a couple corrections and answers to your questions. It was the Crue/Warrant/Bullet Boys show that Dave Howard put together. The bus left from the old Kmart parking lot. When Dave and I arrived as participants and not organizers for the first time, we were greeted by everyone freaking out about Jack being a dick not allowing alcohol. We knew him very well....he drove a few of our earlier trips and yes he was married to one of my McD's managers. He said that the Blue Bird folks had caught wind to the whole underage drinking thing we had going and he didn't want to get in trouble. We talked him into the outside the city limits thing. The Silver Stadium show with Metallica/Aerosmith/Dokken/Black Crows was organized by Dave and I. I can't tell you a damn thing about the show because my girlfriend at that time left her ticket at home in Olean. I stayed on the bus with her the entire day while everyone else enjoyed the show. It was pouring rain and Richie B was moshing down in the front in like a foot or so of standing water. He lost his shoes."

COMEBACK VERSION 1.2

 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 in June 2012. 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. 

 I will have an update for you next Monday, OKIE DOKIE???

COMEBACK

 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…

 SCREEEEEEEEECH!!!! I will have an update each Monday of the week for the month of August... Each new update will be in RED..

FINALE

So you know, I, ANDY McBRIDE, has been dealing with a health issue for the couple of years or so. If you have been on the emails that I have sent or I have told you then you already know. Not going to my 20th class reunion was the kicker!! I wrote this to a friend of mine:
 Oct 15, 2012
"It started out fine. Friday, a bunch of us met at the football game and drinks afterwards. As you are aware, I have some health ‘issues’ and I tend to slur and kinda walk funny. Well I am still very self conscious about it. Well a couple people made comments to others to make sure I had a ride home because people thought I was drunk….. They meant no harm whatsoever BUT I kinda saw the writing on the wall so while lying in bed that night I made the decision NOT to go to the actual reunion the following night. I didn’t want people to see me like this and think I was a DRUNKEN FOOL. Plus I kinda felt bad because I have said stuff to some of the girls that I don’t think they or their spouses found too amusing…  I think it was just best that I didn’t go. Do I have regrets? SURE but I still think it was the right thing to do. This whole experience made me realize that I need to just announce to all that I have some ‘issues’ and quit trying to hide it like I have been for the past 2+ years…. "

Let's start from the beginning shall we:
Oct 10, 2010

subject: GETTING MY AFFAIRS IN ORDER!!!

"I soooooooooooo just gave my mom a heart attack!!! SORRY MOM!!! First off to all that didn't know, a little background info for ya, I have been having some balancing 'issues', I just can't do the stuff I use to be able to do. Simple stuff, so I went to a neurologist and he had me have a cat scan done, TALK ABOUT A NOISY MACHINE!!! It's like standing next to a freakin' freight train.. Anyways, I just had my follow up appointment with him and he said it's not a tumor! And it's not MS, which I made the mistake of telling my mother it might be. He said that it's a hereditary gene that is causing my cerebellum, which controls my speak and balance, to shrink. THERE IS NO TREATMENT FOR IT! It is a gradual thing. SOOOOOOO!!! I MIGHT eventually need a walking assistant, like a cane or wheelchair. He wants me to get some more blood work done, so I am off to have that done. EVERYONE!!!! Sure I'm a little freaked out by this BUT as God as my witness, THIS WILL NOT STOP ME! I, Robert Andrew McBride, will just need to put on my 'BIG BOY BRITCHES' and deal with it. And I expect y'all to do the same. Sure there is stuff I can't do or I am really slow at doing BUT I'm STILL Andy!!! OKIE DOKIE????? That's it! I really don't want to talk about it anymore...... Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go get POKED with a needle and then going to the DUMP to be asked by the attendant where I am from because I talk funny...... BYE!!!"


I went to get a 2nd opinion and so the following emails are about the second Dr. I saw.

Nov 22, 2010
"Not sure about if you had to take it in your school but we had to and when I become fired up due to incompetence and confusion I go into the 'IOWA TEST MODE'. That's where I shut down and don't really care what the outcome is. First off, The Dr. I saw name was Patel! Cool guy but his ENGLISH SUCKED so he talked and instead of me asking him to repeat it because I didn't understand him, I just nodded my head and said yes. I THINK he said something about it maybe being a vitamin deficiency, I guess I can look forward to a stocking FULL of vitamins for Christmas right mom? THEY DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A COPY OF THE EFFING CAT SCAN!!!! I guess I have to get an EFFing copy of it and bring it to him!!! DUDE!!!!! Ya think that after spending $1700 EFFing bucks the Dr. I go to get a EFFing 2nd opinion would have the data cd along with my medical records! SWEET JESUS! ANYWAYS! He examined me and all that fun stuff and said a few things. BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!! SO AT THIS POINT I REALLY DON'T CARE IF I NEED A NURSE TO WIPE MY @$$ EVENTUALLY! Let's just ALL agree that I'm CURED and everything is OKIE DOKIE! I'm just slow doing stuff, THAT'S ALL!!!!! I DO NOT want to talk about it anymore! NO MOM, please don't call me. FAMILY, DO NOT bring it up at Thanksgiving, Ya want me to go home earlier, then bring it up!"




Jan 24, 2011
"Okie dokie, First off, I was REALLY pissed the last time I went and saw the Dr.! They had NOTHING, including my freaking CAT SCAN/MRI...... So that's why I sent that BLISTERING email. I was PISSED!!! Anyways, I had an appointment this afternoon and I was VERY LUCKY to have Mrs. Boike, a registered nurse and a hospital administrator go with me. She was ABLE to explain EVERYTHING to me and when the Dr. said something SHE WOULD write it down and ask further questions. This is what went down:

1. He thinks I have spinal cerebellum ataxia BUT he wants to run a few more tests to see, KRIPES! It could be just a vitamin deficiency.
2. He order a blood test and I had it done a few minutes ago. They are for certain things like vitamin stuff and ect.
3. I have to PEE in a jug for a day so they can analyze that too! (I think I'll wait to do that on a Saturday because it would FREAK out EVERYONE at work if I was walking around with a jug full of PEE!
4. He is going to have another DR. check out my MRI and get this thoughts on it too.
5. I'm going to start having some genetic testing done too. (They come to your house to do it.) That's pretty cool if ya ask me.

May 6th, 2011
I'm running out of patience..... The Dr. has me do the SAME stuff every time I am in there PLUS he told me that the EFFing lab LOST my blood work so I have to go and give 10 more samples of blood again!! I LOVE getting pricked by a needle!!!!! Very relaxing! (Rolling my eyes).........  Due to a scheduling conflict, Mrs. Boike was not able to come with me but if she did, ALL HELL WOULD HAVE BROKEN LOOSE let me tell ya..... She is a 'GOD SEND' because she makes the Dr. stop and says "Can you please explain that so Andy can understand that". I can totally tell that the Dr. HATES being 2nd guessed and made to explain stuff in 'layman" terms.... BUT it is my health!!!

Nov 4, 2011
NO answers!!!!! I went to my Dr. appointment today and we are STILL at where we were over a year ago! They have run quite a few tests, KRIPES! I can't tell you how much blood they have taken and DON'T get me started about the $! F.U.B.A.R best describes it.... He recommended that I go to the Duke Medical Center for a 'DR. that knows what the EFF they are doing' my opinion, to examine me plus he wants me to go to a physical therapist so I can learn to do stuff WITHOUT falling.... I'd write more BUT all day and Mrs. Boike will attest to this, I've been on the edge of 'LOSING IT' so I will try not to talk about it anymore until I have a few days to digest the UNCERTAINTY...... Trying to keep my chin up, So now you can FIRE away with the questions I KNOW you have. Will I answer them???? MAYBE, Maybe NOT! It depends on my mood."

Again, it’s called spinal cerebellum ataxia, ‘GOOGLE’ it! I did once and it kinda freaked me out. There is a video of someone with it trying to walk…… That image will ALWAYS be in my mind! So now we are all on the same page. I have had 'issues' with my balance for the last 5 or so years but being the male I am, I just ignored them and went on with my life BUT one day two summers ago, I just couldn't hide it anymore and my mother ORDERED ME to go to my Dr... He said EVERYTHING checked out groovy. Blood, Urine, EXT. BUT he said that he would feel more comfortable sending me to a specialist.

HA!!!! Sometime I will tell you the story involving a certain EX supervisor, my family, friends and an MRI/CAT SCAN appointment. All I will say about it is, Issac Newton 3rd law of motion "For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action." sums it up quite well. ANYWAYS, it affects my balance and my speech as if you think I am DRUNK because I slur really bad sometimes. A great example of this was at the last BEER-PA-LOOZA when an ex cop, Tammy R., gave me a sobriety test and I failed because I was doing something with my eyes..... I SOOOOOOOOO wanted to tell her but I didn't..
Some people think that I don't ACT like I have something wrong with me, Sorry BUT I WON'T be one of those people that ACT THEIR ILLNESS! I CHOOSE to NOT let it stop me and be like my nephew Jack who is autistic, happy with the way I am NO MATTER WHAT!!!!! Sure I have my good and bad days BUT I'm STILL Andy McBride, some might say that I am still immature, cold, snobby and just flat out contentious, I'm just slower at what I do. Whether it be doing anything that's normal to working on projects I have at casa de McBride or doing everyday things. So no more of this!

So if you see me going down the stairs at work and I am slow, It’s not that I am holding you up on purpose, it’s just that I have to take my time, OKIE DOKIE? Also, I don’t want you to think I am ‘hitting’ on you when I ask to hold your hand when we are someplace and I need to get up and walk to the restroom. I just need something ‘steady’ to hold on to sometimes. A great example of this was when I was graciously asked to be a pall barrier at Dave Donavan’s funeral and I asked Todd Hopkins, Richie Bess and Mike Nenno if I could hold on to their shoulder while we walked so I didn’t fall…. I fall sometimes and YES it’s embarrassing, I am still young so hopefully I don’t break anything, BUT I hate that other people see it because they can get upset seeing something like that. I think it was last time I was up at the Boike/Mese farm in VA. and he saw me fall and I know it upset him to see it. I get CRAZY LOOKS when I say how early I get up in the morning to stretch, do yoga and work out but it helps me control the 'balance issues' I have.. I've held out telling everyone because I have learned that people treat you different when they know something is wrong with you, plus when people see you the first thing they ask is about your health. To be honest with ya, I REALLY don't want to talk about it in depth..... Please don't think that I'm ALWAYS 'happy go lucky' with all of this. 99% of me accepts my fate but there are times I get very upset with this, it’s not every day a couple neurologists tell you that you will need an ‘assistant’ to help ya walk. And by ‘assistant’ they mean a freakin’ wheelchair….. I don’t care who ya are! That’s a big pill to have to swallow.

I'm THINKING that in the next couple of months that I MIGHT go to the Duke Medical Center and have ANOTHER EFFing neurologist check me out again, HOPEFULLY one that can help me!!! I have started working out the details and I just need someone to go with me because I have a SNEAKING suspicion that they will need to do a 'spinal tap' on me (FUNNY BAND BUT A SCARY PROCEDURE) to hold my hand and to take notes of what they say. Mrs. Boike is doing the research to see what Dr. I should go to and that will be the one I go to because she knows what the EFF she is doing and I TRUST her!!! ON a side note, YOU can tell BIG TIME if I don't trust you!!!! It's a HUGE thing for me!!! Always has and ALWAYS will be..... BUT in all, I hope the nurse is HOT who has to 'clean me' when I can't do it myself anymore and always to JUST LET IT BE!! ****** So you know, I deleted a few comments after I spoke with some former and current friends in the H.R (Human Resources) Dept. that would have MIGHT riled up some people BUT, I did leave the following statement in BECAUSE......******* As always take care of yourself and I would LOVE to take a drug test at work! I'd pass with 'flying colors' you would too right!?!?!?!

ACTUNG!!!! I have decided that this will be my last entry for a while. GOD SPEED KIDS!!! I have a few more blog entries in DA WORKS, because I am ALWAYS THINKING

and I MIGHT post them in the future. The KEY word is MIGHT!!!