I started at West Virginia University in May of 2005, deciding that I would take my time in getting the degree. It was a good amount of work - paper and paper, discussion reponses that wreaked havoc on alot of the nights, and somewhat flaky classmates at times.

I completed the program entirely online through WVU. WVU is in The Big East Conference with an enrollment of approx. 27K and located in Morgantown, WV. Ironically, I have yet to visit the campus.

I'm still somewhat torn if I should flaunt the letters - somewhat in vogue or somewhat snobby depending on how you look at it. Plus, what should they be: MMC, MSIMC, MIMC?

I doubt I'll use them. Undercover.

We half joking say around the NCAFP office that family medicine needs another 'Marcus Welby' television show to help it stand out. For anyone younger than forty, the show had a hugely successful run in the late-60s to mid-70s. It was about a family doctor and his prevails in caring and mentoring. (See this link for info)

Well, Buffalo may have their hit on television right now. It's a show about a doctor of sorts; a love doctor!

The show is titled `Confessions of a Matchmaker` and is both entertaining and bittersweet. Novak is hillariously pragmatic with her dating advice, and you begin to ask yourself 'shit - Buffalo looks happening`. I've already seen people I recognize. I could see this being the 'Dawg The Bounty Hunter' of real-world dating. Novak is king in a Vinny Parco kind of way.

If you haven't seen it - check it out at the official 'Confessions' website. Runs in a tough spot right now though - Saturdays at 10:30 pm, but I could see it changing if we're the norm.

If you're really into Buffalo and want to monitor what's up, here's the sites I visit. It's like you never left home....

1) Buffalo Rising - Elmwood-esque, updated daily. George and Newell do a great job.
2) Illuzziletter - Joe is still at it, but now has a gigantic following. The down-and-dirty of Buffalo politics.
3) The Buffalo News

The American Society of Association Executives administers an accreditation and designation called the 'Certified Association Executive' (CAE). Only 5% of association professionals have pursued taking the exam, and you must have worked in the industry for a minimum of three years, plus completed around 50+ hours of development education prior to taking the exam. Since I'm not officially an Executive Director or EVP, the minimum for me was five years. I had some development hours, but mostly used my Masters coursework from WVU.

It was one of my goals this year to prepare and pass the test. I found out this week I passed. For what it's worth, I can now put the 'CAE' letters behind my name. That and 25 cents....

Here's what I came away with in taking the exam for others considering it:

The Material - Don't sweat the legal stuff as much. The Professional Practices book delves into all you need to know about that area. Also, of the three texts they recommend, principles and practices are by far the most important. Read them. It worked for me. Supposedly the authoritative literature is changing; if you are a specialist, you should have an idea on your area that atleast check off off learning segment.

The Tricks - Read Ben Martin's 13 Tips (http://caeexam.blogspot.com/2005/03/13-tips-to-help-you-pass-cae-exam.html), especially Tip #7. Think at a national level. Read the question carefully. Always look to gather more data before acting on something. Staff - management. Board - policy. Study groups of some type help some, but your mileage will vary. If anything, you get to meet other association people and talk things out.

The Test - The questions on the exam we very similar to a variety of study exams out there. Check with your state/local society to help you connect with these materials. Remember to pace yourself; go back to the questions that were tough and stick with your gut instinct. Don't second guess this; it is usually right.

Work threw me a little party. My wife and family patted me on the back. Some of my professional colleagues took notice and have offered encouraging words.

For that it has been worth it. Go for it yourself.

My public speaking club - Capital City Toastmasters - held its annual Spring Speech Contest. The contest is part of Toastmasters Internationals Speech contest series. I entered the 'Table Topics' portion of the contest. This has contestants speaking 'off-the-cuff' about a topic they don't know until called upon.

Our club's contest question - Describe the last 24 hours - was basically slow-pitch softball. I took a chance and basically went into an act. The good 'ole 'It was hell' routine. It went over fine and I moved to the next round.

The Area Contest

I had been to several area events before, just not as a contestant. This one was held at a library in North Raleigh. The question caught all of us three combatants off guard. 'You were on a ship 20 years ago. Tell us what has changed and what has stayed the same'.

Had no idea on how to respond. I came up with some very, very lame story about how was still a man, a patriot and a friend. I just tried to keep talking. Nothing really made sense. Somehow, I won the chance to proceed to the division level.

The Division Contest

This turned out to be quite an event. I arrived at exactly 6:59 pm. Had I arrived anytime after 7:00 pm, I would have been disqualified. Thank goodness I decided to ask to directions from the very place the contest was being held at.

There were approximately 60-70 people there and I went against 6 others.. The question was 'Pick any moment in history to go back to and state the reason why'.

I came up with playing pool with the kings in medieval Europe. In hindsite, it was somewhat lame, although I thought I did a good job with it. I thought I performed well.

The judges obviously thought differently. Although I failed to win, place or show, I got a little trophy for my efforts.

Holland New York
1840 Leather Tanners
- John's father & brother were indentured servants

John Graber (Joanna)
-Howard Graber (Grandfather (dad's dad)
One Brohter / 6 sisters
- Arthur Graber / eddiys father
- Ethel
- Elsie
- Agnes
- Margeret
- Helen
- Dororthy


Eileen Graber (Kavanaugh) (13 children)
- Four Brothers
- 1 died in fight
- James
-Bill
-Joe
= Other guy killed in bar room fight

- Edith (oldest)
- Margaret
- Kate
- Mary
- Camella
- Anna


Mom's Side

Bert and Florence (Shea)

Bert Brown
- Came from Cleveland
- Youngest of 11 children
- Gussie married cop
- Like Buffalo. Got job with NiaMo.
- James (Detroit)
- Jim (detroit)
- Two sisters:

- Rhett:
- Two daugthers (Mary /Ellen)
- Ellen
- Mary Catherine
- Jimmy (!)
- Ann
- Michael (lawyer)
- Mary (died suddenly)
- four girls

- Gussie stayed in Ohio:
four children
(son / three daughters)

Florence
- Brother Danny
- Anna (Sister)
- Grace (Sister)

- Helen (Sister)
- Judy (statler)
- Walter (brother ?)

florence has 2 children
- Grace (Mother)
- Maryann (Aunt)
- JayBee
- Maureen
- David
- Donna
- Daniel James Brown (died in Hospital - never came home)

Hevesi is New York's Comptroller - the chief fiscal watchdog of the Empire State's vast financial enterprise and especially its 14.3 billion pension fund.

Turns out that good ole' Al used a state employee as his wife's personal chauffeur to the tune of over six figures in state money. Patently illegal and a rather eggregious use of power, a watchdog tip line Hevesi's office set up (actually, an idea he championed) was used to blow the whistle on him. Caught red-handed, after the accusations surfaced, Hevesi tried to make amends by actually paying the money back!

But that's only part of the story. Information has also surfaced that paints a similar pattern with Hevesi from the past - namely, misappropriating organizational funds to ferry his wife. That time he also paid the money back and got off the hook...sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Granted, Hevesi' wife has had numerous life struggles with her health that many can sympathize with. But that's no excuse; it's just bad government. To think his wife needs to be offered 'security' is simply ludicrous.

Hevesi may have been thinking that he can survive this - atleast until the election. Heck, it worked the last time, right? With key supporters like Spitzer still holding strong, it at least plausible.

I wouldn't bank on it though.

Attorney General hopeful Cuomo is already saying he'll prosecute - a no-brainer really. Spitzer will change his tune as well; its just a matter of time.

Let's hope that he resigns and does so quickly. And most importantly, let's see the new incumbent take a real close look at that office and its personnel. Hevesi's actions and apparent disregard for ethics have more than likely attracted a similar breed.

Without a good and thorough housecleaning, its likely that these types of scandals can continue. Let's nip them in the bud now.

I can only hope bad govenment - atleast in the NY Comptroller's office - comes to an end quickly.

There are a few things one should consider when owning an older vehicle. Here's my story.

Check All Belts - The first thing to realise is that they build cars differently now days. Where something can be rubber instead of metal, it just might be that way. On the Jetta, for instance, I found out that my Timing Belt had broke and needed replacement. Unfortunately, I was driving while it happened. This inturn cause MAJOR damage to my intake values. Big error and costly. Fifteen benjamins.

Address The 'Funny' Things - The ignition key on the Jetta always went it funny. Not smooth. Felt almost like the wrong key. Part was put in wrong originally and inturn caused all sorts of problems. Starter, ingition switch. A judgement call or laziness, who knows. Only nine benjamins this time. However, there would be more.

Trust Your Instincts - The shop that completed the repair the first time got it back again. Their warranty covered everything, but it was a hassle. Lost my car for nearly a week. Finally, I get my car back and it breaks down the very next day - but this time I'm 90 miles from home out-of-town for work. Big fiasco that keeps me up to 2:30 am - thank God for Erin for picking me up. Because I was so pissed off, I lost trust in that shop. I decided to take it to the people who fixed my first problem. Yea it cost me another five benjamins, but I trust them. Plus I got a warranty. The other shop just seemed to be replacing parts.

I've addressed my concerns with the previous shop. Seems like they issue may have been non-OEM parts that didn't work well together. It will be interesting to see how it plays out....

Join AAA and Get The Plus Membership - I have been a AAA Plus member since 2000 because I drive used cars and anything can happen. I used my 3 free tows all up within the last six months. If I hadn't on had that, the tow I needed from Greenville would have cost me about $300.00. It didn't cost me anything.

The saga continues.

Currently in the pool and billiard world, a new tournament promotion company and tour created last year has been all the rage. Big prize money, slick televsion and advertising, all of the best players either 'chosen' or accepted by winning a tournament. The tour's pitchman and founder is world famous master con-man Kevin Trudeau.

The International Pool Tour (IPT) is what everybody's talking about, even my favorite pool site, AZBillards.com, is lit up with it, even publishing a mini user forum made exclusively for its promotion. The tour offers the one thing that has been missing in pool for forever - reasonable prize money for winners. Because of this, people are just going nuts. In a sense, interest has been renewed I guess.

I've come to my own conclusion. I feel its a well-organized hustle. The tour is built on the premise of everyday pool players chasing big purses. To qualify for entrance, a player who doesn't already have an IPT 'card' must win or come runner-up in a qualifying tournament. Entry into these tournaments is either $750 or $1,500. The player chooses which fee he/she pays. One point: if they pay the lower fee, they are only entitled to half of the prize payouts during the 'championship'. While this is a steep entry fee for sure, it's easy to see how the IPT Qualification Tournament Entry System could atleast help offset some of IPTs large purse tournaments.

The way the tournaments are set up masks the fact that the qualifiers are simply a long shot for even an advanced player. But they also appear to be seeding the larger payouts as well. While many of their tournament qualifiers are attracting only 15-20 players, some of their bigger 'tour-card' qualifiers have attracted 75. For example, with 2006's 150 qualifying tournaments averaging 12 players @ $750, that's $1.35M. Still not a huge pot, but good seed money.

The point is that even with the seed money, the Tour is unsustainable long-term. In reading the IPT website, Trudeau does certainly make a great case for the tour, claiming that anyone who hasn't built a multi-billion dollar enterprise themselves shouldn't be critical. I especially liked his Q & A page

A Google Search on Trudeau
The most clear and convincing look at Trudeau (and possibly the IPT) came from a simple Google search, and of course the July 05 Salon article, titled What Kevin Trudeau doesn't want you to know . There's countless others in the mainstream media about this swindler, including ones in the New York Times. All give a straight-talk, no nonsense look at one of the best modern day hucksters.

All-in-all, the people Trudeau's hustling have never seen the money that he say's he committed to providing the tour. I'm certain they could care less; they just want to get paid. But it's a hustle in its grandest sense.

The Hustle
The billiard industry has struggled for decades to free itself from the image of dirty tricks and scoundrels. With a niche audience that the game attracts, I don't see this changing anytime soon. While Trudeau claims his tour will help free the sport from this very perception, I think his involvement may just reinforce it. Anybody even half literate would come to the same conclusion. That's where the hustle lies - atleast for now.

What will be interesting to see is how the IPT will shake out. There's already rumors of him 'selling' the tour. As of today, I don't recognize a lot of corporate sponsorship. I still can't see the model...

I'm sure he'll figure out how to scam or hustle somebody with the tour. I see it culminating in the same way as many of Trudeau's past scams: someone's going to foot the bill. And it won't be Kevin.

It was great to see Jeff for the first time in about a decade. After purchasing my original publication, he focused on building the Shooter's Tour into a multi-state production with over 1,000 players. I guess he took a sabatical from publishing, opened a pool room in Perry and is now refocusing. I'll definately be trying to follow how he's making out up there in the coming months.

What was interesting is that he told me Carl Galante has a bunch of old copies of the original Shooter. Since I don't have anywhere near the complete set myself, the next time I'm in Buffalo, I'm going to try to get with Carl for copies.

Closure of The Pump Inn
On a more disappointing note, I found out that The Pump Inn closed back in November, 2005. For anybody into bar box pool knows, the Pump was synonmous with pool players, Saturday night action and charity tournaments run by Norm and Diane Skulski. I got to speak with Diane about the closing; she's now working at the old Metropolitan right next door to Pocketeer. I think that space has a fantastic amount of potential as the next mecca for Buffalo bar-box.

Looking back, I think I probably was hanging out at The Pump during its heyday. Every weekend brought a lot of players. KC Cogan, Mario, Jerry Howard, ReyRey, Phil Segio, the Kid, Fast Eddie, Billy Soles, Uncle Mark, Mark Hatch, Paul McKeal, Dennis Hatch, Joe Coia, Santo Merlo and the late Joe Mueller all would be there on Saturday nights for the eight ball tournament. You never know who would stop in. I saw a few touring pros and road players stop by. Everybody would match up. Of course who could forget AFT, Diane, Larrry the Magician and some of the other characters.

It went on for awhile - about a good year and a half I would say. Every weekend. Then things gradually petered off. Everybody just sort of moved on. It was great while it lasted. I got to see it first hand.

Here are the events as I remember them. The whole time was just absolutely fantastic. These were the happiest days in my life.

Friday - Drive & Rehearsal Day
I began the day by picking up Jim Little - Tiffany's boyfriend. I thought it was going to be a hassle and all finding him at the airport. Turns out I was running a bit late - I thought. It turned out to be almost perfect timing.

I met him right outside the terminal. It was a picture perfect interlude. He jumped in. And we were off.

We got gas and some shit and got of the road. It was Raleigh traffic at 12:30 pm and it wasn't so bad.

Our drive was pretty relaxing. There's was some traffic. We got through fine. Right around Wallace, however, we took a little detour.

Right at the Wallace exit, there was something up on 40. We got off and decided to catch a bite to eat at McD's. It dawned on me that we had to see Dr. Blair and Blair Family Practice. Unfortunately, it turns out that he was closed. Snapped some photos to prove it.

Since Wallace is only about 40 miles from the coast, we just jumped back on and missed everything. Interestingly, though, myself and Jim got a first hand look at this guy lose control of his car. He took out about 8-9 of those posts. The guard rail held, though. It was pretty freaky in a cool sort of way.

We finally got to the hotel at about 3:40pm. AFter checking in, the candles needed to be done. All hands were on deck. Everyone helped and they got it done in about twenty minutes.

I put out some fires and went with Mark to go pickup the cake. Apple Annies. After a quick stop to Wings for some flip flops, we had to get back from the rehearsal dinner.

The Rehearsal went great. The food was good. It was a nice setting. People really got a hoot out of the gifts we got them. Even Tommy made it - although somewhat later than expected, but still. Hopefully his food wasn't that cold... I thought the whole thing was just wonderful. Very nice time had by all. .

We got back to the hotel about 10:15. Everyone went to the bar pretty much. I just sort of visited with everyone. It was so special to see Erin with her friends. It was just such an amazing sight. She was just so 'having a good time'. Never seen her like that....Perfecto.

Got to visit with everyone. I was feeling good. Unbelievable actually. Just so great seeing everyone have a good time.

I saw Erin for the last time just about 12:00 Midnight. Before we parted ways, we walked down the aisle - just the two of us. We practiced our wedding kiss and even the twinkle. We listened to the waves. The ocean. We hugged...
I won't see her again to the wedding.

I concluded by hanging out with everyone at the bar. Bill Bond and Dan Bond showed up. Hanging out. Was great.

Near the end of the night, I was especially stoked by with the toast Charles made. He sort of roasted me. It was fantastic.

The exclamation point of the night was when the security guard had to kick us out. Not really a big deal.

The Rehearsal
This happened Friday night and started in the hotel. Nick took some excellent pictures of how some of it happened. Thank God for these!

We all met in the hotel's lobby and greeted. Carol got things going.

The rehearsal dinner turned out pretty cool too. The food was excellent and the room was the perfect size. What was even neater was the scenary as well.

After dinner and stuff, we gave everyone thier gifts. Tommy ended up getting there later than expected. But it worked out fine..

We all went back to the hotel and hit the bar. Erin got to hang out with her law school buddies. It was the happiest I've ever seen her while hanging out.

It turned that the idiot bartender decided to close the bar. She had three deep and buying at the bar. Tommy eventually ordered some shots...the bitch charged him some outrageous price.

The night ended with something awesome from Charles though. He had brought this truly excellent champagne and offered a toast. Everyone was there...very cool.

After that I went up to crash. I didn't get too much sleep. Tomorrow was a big day

Saturday - The Big Day

My big day started out by getting breakfast and spending some time with family and friends. The hotel ended up having a pretty bomb breakfast bar with great food. I got a chance to have breakfast with Dad, the D'Amicos and saw a bunch of other people. I met some of Erin's family for the first time.

I was nervous about seeing Erin - but I was assured that she was still in her room.

After breakfast, I hooked up with Mark Edwards and we grabbed cues and headed over to Break Time to play some. I had never been to Breaktime in Wilmington, but had heard about it for awhile. I turned out that the place was one of the better pool rooms I had been to. Great equipment. It had an attached bowling alley too.

After Mark kicked my ass for a couple hours, we had to pick up the cake at Apple Annies. When I went in, I overheard a couple in front of me talking about their wedding. I chimed in to tell them we were using Nancy Hearn. They told me that they had heard of her too, but had thought that her tasting cake was 'really dry'. I felt a lump in my throat; how could this be? Anyways, I decided to keep it a secret.

After that stop, I also picked up some hankerchiefs. I needed these to wipe Erin's eyes.

During this time (it actually started some in the pool room) I could feel myself getting pretty keyed up. Not a shaking nervous mind you, just a tight feeling in my stomach. It came and went.

I got back to the hotel about 2:30. I went over to the bar and we watched a little bit of the Sabres game. It was the first game in their series with Carolina. Turned out the won, thankfully.

At this point it was about time to start getting ready. I went up to Kirk's room and did my thing. Erin supposedly was doing her's one flight above.

My wedding party met me here eventually. Dad was there, as was Jim. We just shot the shit for a bit. Tommy had the great idea to play some cards. After some argument, we ended up playing some hands. We even had some 'chips' so to speak. At the end of the game, one of the players even took his winnings; it was a real hoot.
I really would have liked to watch the Preakness. It had been scheduled to run at 6:10 pm. (It's a good thing we didn't)

Finally, about 5:57 we all walked down. This was it.

I remember the ceremony quite well. I remember walking to down the aisle in formation. I remember having trouble getting the words out for the vows. It was just a great ceremony. I could hear the ocean.

After the ceremony we took photos on the beach. It was cool. After that our reception started.

After we walked in, we immediately did our first dance. This was something that we had worked pretty hard on. While I didn't know we I was going to do, I knew we were going to do well. I think we nailed it!

After that, the formalities took over. I thought my brother Vince gave an excellent speech. But Erin's father's was the best. I thought Megan did a great job too.

The food and the rest of the party was great. We visited as many tables as we could together. I think people had a good time.

After that I relaxed a bit and just tried to take it all in.

The only thing I regret was missing the last dance. I got tied up with BB.

Everything wound down and everyone sort of either left or went to the bar. Myself and Erin retired briefly but came back down to hang out a bit. The security guard was a bit more foregiving tonight.

Sunday - The Wedding Breakfast
In the morning, Jim and Kathie hosted a wonderful wedding breakfast for everyone. If gave us a chance to see everyone once again before wishing them off.

After we hung out and packed up everything, mostly everyone was either headed back to Raleigh or waiting to fly out that night. Erin and I had to get back because we were flying out early Monday. Besides, we were having house guests on Monday night (Bobby/Rob/Danny/Jill) because they were catching the Sabres game in Raleigh.

We were at sea by the time the Sabres lost.

Cartier-Bresson's most famous and lauded photograph was an image of man jumping over a puddle in a rail yard. The shot is considered by many as one of the greatest photographs of all time. Here is a copy of it:

Cartier-Bresson specialized in natural-light, 50mm photography. Click here to see and learn about his life and work.

Recently on a trip to Wrightsville Beach, NC to do some wedding planning, we stopped by the restaurant where we'll be having our rehearsal dinner - The Bluewater Inn. While having lunch dockside, I snapped the shot below. I think it contains some elements similar to Bresson's famous work, if only a few. Kind of a throwback. (Shot at 70mm/f18/100)

One thing Cartier-Bresson tried to teach other photographers is to use their instincts and to look (feel) for the 'decisive moment'. More often than not, in their pursuit of mechanical perfection and the resultant hesitation, they miss the shot entirely. Cartier-Bresson always stressed 'take the shot!'. He was the master of the decisive moment.

This is much easier said than done.

According to Bresson, "To take a photograph means to recognize - simultaneously and within a fraction of a second - both the fact itself and the rigorous organisation of visually perceived forms that give it meaning." In laymen's terms, it's called fleeting reality. You hestitate, you miss it.

I think that's what I did somehow in the shot above - if only in a small way. If I would have thought about of the other things (focus, aperature, etc) I would have missed it. I shot anyway.

Take the shot!!!!

Erin and I watched the game with Megan, Greg, Shelly and Ernie at Megan's house. The big screen made it all the more enjoyable. I got a call from Tommy earlier in the day that he was in Pittsburgh. Don't know what bar he was at, but he said it was nuts.

I was a bit nervous during the game. Had my doubts; especially after the divisional playoff game and Bettis's fumble on the goaline.

Anyways, it was enjoyable. I even got some work done for my paper. Go figure.

Basically I ran a free ad in the Raleigh auto section of the site. I no soon clicked 'publish', that about 7-10 minutes later my phone rang. It was an interested buyer who wanted to take a look.

We arranged to meet a half-hour later in the parking lot of a shopping center close to my house. I arrived and took him for a spin.

He liked the opportunity and the price. We agreed and made a deal. Case closed. Done.

He picked it up the next day - cashier's check in hand.

I don't know if I could have possibly streamlined this any faster. I guess you get lucky sometimes. I paid nothing to run the ad and didn't even include a picture.

The Buffalo News ran a piece on the district that hightlighted some recent retailing changes on the strip. Two popular retailers - Kuni's Sushi Bar and Thunder Bay - both have recently decided to move on.

The article, Retailing on Elmwood continues to grow with new mix of shops, basically went into how the strip continues to see changes. Well - no shit. This is constantly happening on Elmwood and any 'strip' for that matter. The rent has always been fairly reasonable and the area is hip. The article pointed out that '...25 new businesses have opened or relocated in the last six months to the Elmwood Village district between Forest Avenue and North Street.'

Pictured is Kuni Sato, owner of the wildly popular and recently shuttered Kunis Sushi Bar. The original Grabers was in the storefront at mid far-right, in the heart of the Elmwood strip.

The only bummer - and an important one - with the Strip is that for the independent retailer, generating the foot traffic needed is quite a challenge. Although its the city and there is traffic, it's not enough. For those that struggle with advertising budgets, most of the stores survive but probably don't make a lot of money. Grabers did alright in this regard.

The article quoted Nussbaumer of Thunder Bay and Sato of Kunis. What I thought was interesting was Newell's comment relative to the look in the eye's of new retailers. The hope. After years on Elmwood - something I can attest to - this outlook becomes a bit more 'measured'. You have to go through it to understand.

In all fairness, though, I thought one of the highlights of the article came in the last paragraph with the quotes from Ward and Maureen Pinkel, the owners of Urban Surf and Snowboard. I helped both of them out a lot with their store and its promotions.

In a touchy feely sort of way, I also was tickled on how I could see where the old store used to stand. From the photo, not much has seemed to changed since '99. The overhead signs are gone. I can tell Vito's still there (of all the retailers - he raked it in) Fond memories of the apartment above the shop.

Anyways, here the quote I though was cool. As written:

"It's the end of an era with Thunder Bay closing," said Maureen Pinkel, who owns the urban clothing shop with her husband. As she talked, she considered how the new vacancies could be opportunities. Perhaps, she said, her new neighbors will be even better.

Her husband agreed. "I'm not worried," said Edward Pinkel. "This is the hottest property on Elmwood."

Basically I got tapped because the currentl leadership thought I would do a good job. Hopefully that turns out to be accurate. It will be hard topping what Dwayne has done for the club. We were a President's Distinguished Club in 2005 - meaning CCT was in the top 16% of all clubs in North Carolina and nationally (I think).

Part of what made this so strong is that Dwayne got the ball rolling for this year too. Several of the milestones have already been reached. I we can stay on track, we can reach the Distinguished status again in 2006.

I'll be attending as many meetings as possible during the year. With school, work and the business consuming my time, leading CCT in 2006 will be a challenge as far as time goes.. But I think I have a solid team; this should make the responsibility a touch more manageable.

I flew in on Saturday morning and arrived in Buffalo just before 11:00 am. Charlie was there waiting; it seems he had been told 10:00 and had been there for an hour. I don't know how this happened. I was clear that i was getting in about 11ish. Whatever.

Anyways we shoot the shit as he drives me over to Lynn's where I stayed. I guess he had recently purchased a house and was re-habbing it. It was right by Lynn's house. The house was completed gutted on the inside. Ths only thing that was in place was the studs. It was kinda small of the inside, but it should come out real nice. The backyard was real big. That was definately a big plus for the house.

Well Lynn and everybody was home when I arrived. Supposedly, they had just got back from a funeral. We hung around for awhile. I read the Buffalo News. I always do that. There is almost like nothing better - family banter at the Carrow kitchen table.

I had been bumming, so the wedding was at 2:00. I grabbed a quick shower and got dressed for the cermonly. Not a tie or anything; sort of like a dress-down day at work. Myself, Lynn, Tiffany and Judy. We got to the church - Sacred Heart on Abbott - about 2:15. On the way over I read a little bit about Scott Peterson in San Quentin.

The ceremony was nice. There were about 40 people there. It was a nice ceremony; the pastor was especially nice and had seemed to take a special liking in them as a couple. After the cermony we greeted them and left. Back to Lynn's to chill. We left for the reception at about 5:15 pm.

The reception was at Brookfield Country Club in Clarence. It was really nice; it's too bad that it was darker by the time we arrived. Like late-dusk. I had heard it's really beautiful. The hall was decorated with a good amount of candles. White candles. It was a great atomosphere. They had their dj - DJ SLIM - playing the saxaphone. it was cool. Of course you recognized a lot the faces...a good time.

I sat at a table with Danny, Jill, Amy and her date Chuck. Supposedly, Jacob had gotten strep throat and couldn't attend. Amy's date Chuck had come it his place. Danny and Jill are always a treat of course; I always get a kick out a Danny, if anyone understands good humor its him. We talked about the wedding; his 'officiating' of it; shit like that. Banter. Graber family banter.

Before dinner, Nicole and Travis did this fabaulous couple dance. Nicole is a professional dancer, or as close as you can get. She really knew what she was doing. They had a routine and everything. A real treat. Everybody got a big kick out of it.

The dinner was absolutely fantastic. It was I believe filet mignon, with some sort of chicken-something. Both were excellent. The dessert was this cake that was just soooooo good. A strawberry number of some sort. Very good. I couldn't say more for the food.

After dinner, we all sort of mingled. Just a real good time. I relaxed casually and hung out with everyone. I got a chance to hang with Joel Giambra for a few. That was cool. I also made a point to talk to Travis a bit. They were from Wisconsin. Have a deep family there. His grandfather had helped found the Packers, went on to be a Congressman. Sort of like Jack Kemp. He seemed like a nice guy. They also seemed very happy together. You could just tell. They and their friends seemed like arts people. Everyone had a good time. I danced a bit and made a fool of myself a bit. The one drink I had was a vodka-tea.

We got home and crashed. The fall back hour really came in handy.

Sunday we got up, had coffee and then went to the Nite Capp for breakfast. I guess Butchy Minnick had recently remodeled and the place was popular. Anyways, myself, Lynn, Nig and Judy went. Good food. The only problem is that it took forever. Like waaaayyy tooo long. I think we waited about 45 minutes for our food. Either way, no hurry, but come on.

Afern we got to Lynn's, we relaxed a bit and then I jumped in Nig's little tracker and drove downtown to see Bobby. With the election coming up, and him being so busy, he's been working Sunday's. I met him in his new offices at The Leg. Since I used to work there too, it brought back some memories. It was the first time I had been in their offices since they moved them. They are now in Old County Hall on four.

We just hung out for a couple of hours; standard fare when I chill with Bob. I took a bunch of copies of the literature he did this past cycle. I plan on reading them on the plane. It was cool to chill. Just like old times.

After that I drove back home. Hung out a bit. Packed. Printed out my ticket. Tried to make some envelopes for Lynn (failed - what did I expect from MS Publisher?). Lynn and Nig dropped me off at the airport about 5:50 pm. Getting through security took me about 10 minutes.

Overall it was an excellent visit. I didn't get to catch up with Hummnel. It was cool to get to see pretty much everyone in the family.

What's interesting is that the community in which in is located has a fair amount of other homes renting as well. Supposedly, investors purchased a number of the units before the builder changed the terms a bit to fend them off (or so I am told). The pricing on the units given its location was extremely generous. In any event, this is my first experience as a landlord. All still goes well.

I did it as her (our) Grammy looked on.. Erin and I have a long-running joke as to who can get in the best graces of Grammy on any particular occasion.

The funny thing about the whole thing was getting the darn ring through security without Erin discovering my plans. I had originally put it in my bag, but decided against it knowing full well that I would have to walk through security with it.

Anyways, we got to the airport. Now when you travel with someone, seldom are they out of close proximity. We get to the scanner and I purposefully let her go first. She walks through fine. No problems.

Just as I put the ring in the box, I get nervous about she seeing it as it rolls through. It would have wrecked the surprise. Since I had nothing to cover it up with, I just decide to take a chance.

Then I get asked to step aside for a closer inspection. Oh brother! Thankfully, there was a lighter in Erin's purse that held things up a bit and distracted her. I motioned to a screeener (a women) and quickly told her what was up.

She grabbed my tray before anyone saw. With a smile and a wink, all was well.

The flight turned out to be a great time to catch some zees. We landed in Baltimore. We had arranged a rental car and shuffled off to snag it. Erin - being the control maven she is, had pole position and down the highway we went. What was funny is in that I had her convinced along the way that 'I had no idea' when I would propose. It was like a daily grilling lately. Since we hadn't gone to New Orleans, (my first idea ruined) I was jonesing for another plan....

At Grammys.
We got to Grammy's about 11:30. Its this great place in Mechanicsburg called Bethany Village. As is custom for Thelma, she was thrilled to see us as we walked in the door.

As usual Erin had to excuse herself (imagine that?) so I quickly pulled Grammy aside and clued her into my intentions. She was all game and truly excited for Erin. I made her sit down on the sofa so she could have ringside seats - the perfect view. I called Erin over and told her that Grammy and I had something important to discuss and run by her. Just as she sat down, I think it struck her, if only for an instant.

I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Estatic and in tears, she really didn't say 'yes'. (I suppose that happens to a lot of gals in that position). After a prompting from Erin, I slipped the ring on her finger. (That was a bone-headed move on my part -duh?)

Conincendentaly, just as I slipped the ring on Erin's finger, Grammy thought she heard the doorbell ring. I told her she must have been mistaken, and that it was probably just the 'bling bling' she heard. OK- I just made that up).

Just like that it was over in a flash. We had to get up the next day to attend our beautiful Godchild's christening. Erin kept quite in announcing the news on the next day - Gabrielle was the center of attention.

My birthday turned out to be great again. Erin treated me to a wonderful dinner at this little restaurant in Raleigh - Cappers. Their food is always good. Get the Sea Bass; I did. Always do.

It was just a great chill-out dinner with the two of us.

Thirty five is a funny age. Just yesterday it seemed I could remember turning 30. Was in Buffalo. Working for myself and Latko. In debt.
Now of course its different.

Well, five more years to forty!

I officially closed on my townhome yesterday - April 22, 2005. The complete transaction ended up costing me $1,812.65 out of pocket. For that I built a 1,655 sq. ft. home for just under $143K. It's in an area where the median home price is $414K.

I'll be posting pictures of it in the Library. I tracked its construction process in a series of archives to be published in the coming weeks.

Now the process of moving begins once again. Since Erin is building one almost across the street, we'll be neighbors ;)

I got to introduce myself with Jerry Meek. He is a young activitist in the party and currently running for State Chair. We had a nice conversation.

I also got to finally meet Lorrin Freeman, Wake County Chair. We had been emailed back and fourth about the voter DB I helped them with. She told me they've already used it a few times. It was good to make the connection.

Looking at the many elected officials that were there, it was interesting at the dearth of young office holders. I think there was only two people under forty.

The only sorry part of the whole event was the Silent Auction - it set me back some.

After the party, I checked my mail and received the precint organized meeting info. If I can find the time, maybe I'll check it out.

The County of Erie is in dire straits right now - needing over $100M in 'new' revenue to patch a budget gap. County Executive Giambra proposed a sales tax increase, which would have brought the local levy to 9.25%. It failed legislative approval after months of wrangling.

Because of this, three people I know are seeing layoffs. In sum, the County will probably layoff about 1,200 people. My brother, sister and my friend Mark will all be pink-slipped.

Who knows how long the furlough will last. Estimates center on June of this year. No matter how long, its tough.

It seems that by the year Buffalo and WNY are getting in worse shape economically. No jobs. Bankrupt or near bankrupt governments. It's a real shame. A lot of people are caught in the middle.

On the flip side, though, is that change needs to come sometime. Sooner rather than later is always a popular, pragmatic approach. This situation is a result of years of bloat, overspending and spending on the ifcome.

It's sad. The County Executive came into office much like a white knight, bringing new energy, promises of smaller government and a couple of new ideas.

Nothing has panned out. Government is larger. Ideas has been largely a lot of hot air, and energy is gridlocked the legislature and the region's unwillingness to take risks.

In light of this, I encouraged my friend Mark to seek greener pastures. Now would be the perfect time. I'll keep you posted on what happens on that front.

Time will tell what will happen to everyone else. Of course hind sight is always 20/20, but did I time it right when I relocated..

Below is a listing of my notes from the talk. I think the group enjoyed it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Just yesterday, the FTC reported that identity theft rose over 15 percent last year. They reported that over half a billion dollars lost due to this type of theft and other frauds. Identity was top on the list

Consider some statistics for 2003:
Est Victims of identity theft in 2004: 9.3 million
Average amount of money spent to clear thefts: $1,495
Number of hours victims spent recovering from identity theft: 600
Average number of credit card applications through identity theft: 8.4

Talk Into
First - (How)
Next - (Prevent)
After - (What if Victim)
Finally (Consumer Protection Week)

How Does it Happen

Show of Hands
Bits and Pieces that identify us
Theives - hook or by crook - obtain these facts
Turn the into fiction

Largely lost wallets
People you know
Corrupt Employees
Hackers
Spyware
Garbage
Phishing

Prevention

1) Get copies of your credits reports
- Fair Credit Reporting Act
- 1 free per year
- Quick Discovery is huge

2) Be guarded with your info
- Don't carry info
* most frequently reported source was a lost/stolen wallet
- Ask before revealing your social

3) Pay attention to billing cycles for your accounts
- your mail
- Use electronic monitoring of accounts:
BetterBus Bureau recommends:
-fast
-constant


4) Secure your computer / Buy A Shedder / Receipts
- Secure Certificate
- DSL/Firewall
- Vigilent with email
- Phishing

What if a victim
0) Close Accounts

1) Contact 3 Credit Bureas
- TransUnion
- Equifax
- Experian

2) Fraud Alert placed on your credit accounts

2) Contact the Police department
- report
- documentation

3) Identity Theft Affidivit
-often overlooked

National Consumer Protection Week

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mom and baby were doing well. I'll get Erin to send me a photo for posting. We visited them in the hospital and took some shots.

Ainsly Law is an emerging firm in Raleigh and is in the process of expanded their family law practice. Erin will be helping to spearhead the expansion. Its an exciting opportunity for her.

Small firms have that 'front lines' appeal that I would love as an attorney. In a larger setting, an attorney may not get a chance at litigation until years down the road. Or so I'm told.

Erin and I are both very excited for her new opportunity. I had the opportunity to meet her co-workers, as well as the firm's principal. All very nice people.

A plus is Beer 30 Wednesday's. Go Erin!

Erin's favorite team is the Steelers. Being from Pittsburgh and all, I can hardly blame her. Well it turns out that even 15-1 couldn't get them to the Super Bowl. Beating Brady in a big game is a big chore.

As usual we watched the game at Sharky's. In the grand scheme of things, it was pretty crowded. Much more so than in the beginning of the year.

I thought they were still in it up until that 3rd and 17 play where they got called for holding. That was huge. Turned out the Patriots scored two plays later and put the game out of reach.

If only it would of been different.

Well, I get to watch Brady in the Super Bowl again in a couple of weeks. I've been saying since 2001 that he could be the greatest quarterback the game has seen. His numbers a pointing to that..

We'll have to see what happens...

What was really just a minor dusting of snow - approx 1 inch - created such a mess in and around Raleigh, that the governor declared a state of emergency.

Erin and myself got stuck in traffic on Glenwood for about two hours before we eventually gave up on where we were going and turned around. We ate at the Red Robin for the first time.

One of the nice things about living in Raleigh that I've come to realise - and count on - is the fact that snow around here turns to ice very quickly. When it does, all bets are off and the city shuts down. Snow days are great any way they come. I'll take em.

So we got a bit of a snow day today. Things are clearing up - basically back to normal. I guess the forecast is calling for more snow tomorrow.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

It started out the my mortgage broker transferred to another part of the company and left me hanging. The new broker that took over my account eventually left himself.

When the date of closing got moved up unexpectedly, I needed to get the ball rolling so everything would be inline. Turns out I was given wrong information.

I was pissed. I called the company - CTX Mortgage - ranting and raving. I thought it was terrible how I was being treated. Well, that got their attention, but now I didnt' believe a word they said. One person told me one thing, another told me another. All this for being a 'slam dunk' transaction.

I decided to call another one of the preferred lendors. This time things are going much more smoothly. I secured a better rate and looks like I'll receive some better perks for the life of the loan.

That'a something mortgage brokers can't offer.

I'll update this entry when everything is complete. I'm certain there will be atleast one surprise.

When Erin and myself were in Buffalo for New Year's, we all went to the Emmerts for a visit. I had good time. Lynn, Nig, Judy, Charlie were there. We all chatted and took photos. It was good to be there.

Sadly, Jack passed away some days later.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

EMMERT - John G., painter and decorator
1/8/2005

John G. Emmert of the City of Tonawanda, a retired self-employed painter and decorator, died Thursday in Kenmore Mercy Hospital after a lengthy illness. He was 78.

Known as "Jack," Mr. Emmert was born in Buffalo and was a Navy veteran of World War II, serving in the European and Asiatic-Pacific theaters with the rank of painter 3rd class.

Self-employed for more than 35 years with Emmert Decorators, Mr. Emmert was an artist and craftsman who had a passion for the works he created. He also worked for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, from 1982 until his retirement in 1992.

Mr. Emmert was a member of Knights of Columbus in Kenmore. His hobbies included golf, bowling and gardening.

Survivors include his wife of 52 years, the former Maryann Brown of the City of Tonawanda; two daughters, Maureen Adolf of New York City and Donna M. of Buffalo; two sons, John B. of Washington, D.C., and David W. of Rochester; a half-sister, Phyllis Ketterer of Hamburg; a brother, Donald of Williamsville; a half-brother, Brad Hafner of Lake View; and three grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Monday in St. Christopher's Catholic Church, 2660 Niagara Falls Blvd., Town of Tonawanda. Private burial will be in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Town of Tonawanda.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It started yesterday when I looked closely at a statement that came from WVU. I regularly just quickly glance at them, or ignore them altogether.

As I looked, I noticed that I'd been overcharged multi thousands of dollars on my tuition and a refund was due to me. This is a 'normal' thing I was assured by the FinAid office. A quick glance at my online account confirmed it, but doubly so. Seems they did the same last semester, too.

Normal, really.

So I called them, and the good fortune that I suspected- some $2,400 - is owed to me. They'll be cutting the check in the coming days.

My bet is that I can make more with the money than just paying down the loan. It's already been earmarked for the house.

Nice.

A busy day nonetheless. Sue turned 60 and we had a party. A normal day.

I got to thinking how hard it can be keeping up with entries. Things happen pretty quick. Now that vacation's over, we'll try to continually post.

Samuel's Grande Manor in Clarence was the place for New Year's Eve. There was about 600-700 people here. What was cool about it was that they served breakfast at the end, at about 1:00 a.m.

We got to the stadium at about 9:15 a.m. We hooked up with Dennis for our free tix and had a beer with him. It was good talking to him. I saw Tom Ottis for the first time in years. After hanging a bit, we went back over to Nigs shop and hungout.

Erin got to take a look at all of the memorabilia and shit. We bought a hat for Tiffany and went back to the shop. Mark Hummel got to meet E.

Turned out that the Bills lost. Didn't make the playoffs. Oh Well

This year - for the first time since I can remember - I didn't go home for Christmas, but instead, spent it with Erin and her family in Raleigh. After celebrating ourselves on Christmas Eve, we awoke and went over to the M's around 10:30ish.

To offer the blow-by-blow, I'd still be writing through my vacation. It was a great time..even Oscar behaved himself.

We concluded the evening by visiting a Mulligan family friend's house.

Overall, this probably was the best Christmas I've had as an adult....fore!

I picked this story up at the New York Times. It's about this scumbag tenant that reminds you of the character in Pacific Heights.

Basically, a widow used some insurance money to invest in real estate in New York. Instead of using a broker, she rented it herself and failed to uncover some 'issues' with her current tenant.

Long story short - he hasn't paid his rent and is using every legal recourse in the book to continue living for free. This is absolutely proposterous.

It also made me cringe. Hopefully, NC laws provide the Lessor better recourse...

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/realestate/19Assets.html

There's actually some bit of the story that goes along with it. The photo did end up turning out OK, but just getting to that was a project in-and-out-itself.

Erin has had this idea for months. I wasn't too keen on it for a couple of reasons. I didn't want to disappoint anybody, so we went full force anyways. Getting there however led to some interesting moments.

I set up a camera - a brand new Nikon D70 - on a tripod and took a series of delayed shots. Took the file to Wolf Camera for prints. Pretty easy all around.

The only hard part was getting everyone to smile. Let me just say that the dogs were the easy part.

Who knows, this might become a tradition...

I had worked with this gentleman at a past job, and he had taken a liking to my brother Jim, who had also worked there. While Jim was sick with cancer, he would come by and see him and spend time.
He went on to pursue a career behind the badge.

I guess when he didn't show up for work - which he was accustomed to be an hour early for - the boys went knocking and found him. Miraculously he's still alive, but is paralyzed.

He'll mostlikely wake-up, if he hasn't already. And you thought a hangover was bad.

Peace be with him.

Update - 12-19-04
I was told news today that this gentlman has passed away. Peace be with his family during this time.

Looking back, this has been the first Christmas in probably forever that I've been done - or nearly so - so early. I always liked the last minute rush of the 23rd or 24th. Although it stressful, I basically shocked myself into the 'mood'.

This year, Erin sure helps. It's nice to have a tree...things are just different.

In a good way.

This was Erin's first official court case as an attorney in Wake County, NC. As it was pro-bono work, she handled the whole thing on her own. It was excellent that she took it upon herself to get in the courtroom and litigate.

Good for her...she was pumped. Seemed she handed some scumbag his 'hiney' if you know what I mean.

She's currently investigating opportunities. If you are in need of a great lawyer, let me know.

Here it is:

Enjoy.