Major Life Decision

I am on the doorstep of employment and rather then being excited I am scared to death. I have studied for and passed the state insurance health accident and sickness exam and have a meeting in a couple hours to become a agent for a major company. The problem is the job has no benefits, no employment designation, no salary (100% commission based) and would force to give up my existing income sources, my primary insurance and force me to hire a full time PCA which is no small task. It also an industry (sales cold calling based) that has a high upside but a low success rate and high level of turnover. I would be given no more then three months to prove myself and could wind up out on my ass with no sources of income having paid a ton of out of pocket up front cost. Can a beggar be a chooser? Does someone who's have held down full time employment at the advanced age of 28 really turn down an opportunity? I have two hours to make up my mind and I have no idea what am going to do? I hope I make the right choice!

Red Sox Preview

I hated to say it guys but I've never been so down on a Red Sox team to start a season. I hated the way the team threw a quality manager like Terry Francona completely under the bus at the end of season. It seems like Ben Cherrington has no real power as the team's new GM as he was given no authority over the managerial search. Bobby Valentine is a character but he's a baseball relic who might even have us bunting this season. The team did nothing to improve the bullpen or the starting rotation in the offseason and probably weakened both areas by moving Daniel Bard into the rotation.

There is an extra wildcard spot to play for this season but I see the Yankees, Rays, Angels and Rangers all ahead of the Sox at this point so it seems the team needs to have great health and catch some breaks to make the playoffs. The team's strengths are the top 3 starters Beckett, Lester and Buchholtz and the top five in the batting order. Beckett completely melted down at the end of last season (I was in Baltimore to see it) Lester has never fully lived up to his potential and Buchholtz is coming off a major back injury. Adding to the pressure on the top three starters is the team's totally lack of pitching depth. Felix Doubront has always been a fringe prospect at best and seems unlikely to holding down a starting spot all season.  I will never understand the idea of putting Bard in the starting rotation. He's never been able to repeat his delivery and has had an ungodly walk rate at every level as a starter. Turning a solid closer into a fringe fifth starter is the height of stupidity. Even it doesn't work journeyman Aaron Cook is in the minors along with draft bust and constant tease Andrew Miller. Not to worry though Dice-K might be back in June. (God help us)

The Bullpen is a totally mess as the team foolishly traded for the super fragile Andrew Bailey (already out four months) and the vastly overrated Mark Melacon. Things are so bad that Alfredo Aceves who couldn't win a rotation spot goes into opening day as the closer. The rest of the bullpen is a series of washouts, get ready to cough up a lot of leads this year.

The lineup is solid but there's no way Jacoby Ellisbury can be counted on for 30 homers again and Ortiz is always on borrowed time. Two outfield spots are currently held down by Ryan Sweeney and Cody Ross while shortstop is maned by Mike Alves none of which I trust to be productive. Even if Pedoria and Gonzalez put up monster numbers I don't see the offense being good enough to carry a suspect pitching staff. (see September)    

This seems like a .500 team that lacks chemistry and doesn't yet trust their new manager. I like the Rays pitching to carry the division with Yankees finishing second and getting a wildcard. I don't see third in the division making the playoffs as the second wildcard will likely come out of the AL West with Anaheim and Texas feasting on the bottom of their division to win 95 games. I'm sorry to say it but I don't see the Sox making the playoffs again this year.

Solo Adventure

There is so much stuff going on in my life right now and very little time to write about so I'm just going to ramble on for awhile. I'm going back to New York tomorrow to see my beloved UMASS Minutemen in the semifinals of the NIT. What makes this trip special is that I'll be traveling solo for the first. My parents are nervous and honestly quite upset with me but 28 seems like the right time to prove that I'm an adult. I'll be waking up at 5am packing, getting ready going to Boston on a 7:30am train and then catching a train from Boston to New York at 9:30am. It's going to be a boring morning for me and am spending a crazy amount of money but it feels great to do something for no other reason then I wanted to do it. I was also on a crazy high when I decided to do this from finally getting a job. I have to spend hours cramming for my insurance exam on April 9th but after passing that I will begin working for Aflac.

I'm still not convinced I can sell insurance but it's all commission so I have to learn quickly. After six years of looking when someone offers you a job you take and worry about the details later. It feels weird to be studying again but I've been good at cramming for test all my life so it's kind of fun to be doing it again. If you seeing me writing too much or hanging out on Twitter yell at me to study because I'm really good at putting it off.

It is sad to say goodbye to my Patriots tickets after eleven seasons. I've had been great memories at Gillette Stadium but its time to move on. The days are long and my body completely rejects cold weather at this point. I just couldn't live up to my half of the bargain, if I could have gotten a job years earlier I'd keep them for my kids but I've been hanging my Dad out to dry for far too long now.

My NCAA bracket was totally garbage again with my mother once again somehow in position to pull off an upset win. Nothing in the tournament has really surprised me and it has been void of any real drama. Kentucky should roll to the title without being seriously challenged next weekend as injuries and suspensions doomed biggest threats UNC and Syracuse. I feel great for coach Calipari but hope someone pushes his team to the buzzer and gives us one memorable game in the tournament.

Extremely excited to have Mad Men and Game of Thrones back on the air. Mad Men was decent last night and set the table nicely for the rest of the season. Lane Pryce remains the secret weapon of the show and was given some great moments in the second hour last night. Game of Thrones premieres this week and promises to be awesome so it's nice to having something to look forward to on Sundays again. I might even suffer through season two of the Killing depending on well my studying goes.

I wish I could write more and in much further detail but I have so much work to do today. I can't wait to tell you about my journey later in the week. It promises to be an adventure and it's great to see the Minutemen doing well again. I am also seeing Once on Broadway while I'm there which is one of my favorites movies and has some of my favorite songs so I'm really excited about it. I'm off to study and I'll be back to write when I return home Thursday.

No Dogs Allowed in Milville

The weather was awesome on Wednesday so I took advantage of a rare chance to get outside in the middle of the week and tried my hand at hiking. After breakfast at Lou Roc's Diner Colleen and I ventured out to Uxbridge to see how we could do on the Blackstone trail. That trail was a fairly easy and straightforward two mile walk. The only complication was a step up to a bridge that let to Stanley Mill that prevented us from totally completing the journey. I was feeling confident enough in my new found driving abilities that was decided to make the confusing eleven minute car ride to Milville to try our hand at Milville Lock.

The first sign of trouble was a low gate at the entry point that I failed horribly at ducking under. I managed to squeeze between two rocks and sped my way down the trail getting about ten feet before sinking into a pile of rocks and getting completely stuck. I am famous for not paying attention when driving but that was not the case here. I did see that there was a way to avoid the rock pile but I was convinced I could plow through it. After spinning around a couple times and having my wheels not move at all it became apparent that we were not getting out on our own. After a couple elderly gentlemen passed by with little interest in helping us I was willing to call in the voluntary Milville Police and promise never to show my face in town again.

It was at this moment that our first good samaritan appeared in the form of a 6'4 gentlemen in his forties. I was confident this guy could help pull me out but he turned out to be the weakest man in Milville. After four or five really lame attempts at yanking me out he retreated to his car to go home and get a shovel. I had no confidence that this guy could get me out with a forklift much less a shovel so I prepared myself to spend a long time at the start of Milville Lock. Two ten year old boys came flying down the trail on there bikes and offered to help. One was a little guy and the other was a chubby kid but they took one try at pulling me out and all of a sudden I was free. It was a true King Arthur moment and I feel confident that these young men will soon be ruling over the small town of Milville as they are clearly the strongest in the town. As we were getting in the car the first man returned more ashamed then relieved that we had been freed by a couple of ten year old boys.

After taking a couple of minutes to collect ourselves I decided never to return to Milville. We made yet another pass through Uxbridge to try to find Blackstone Gorge. After several minutes of GPS confusion we made it to the town of Blackstone. The Gorge served as a good photo opportunity and as made our way back up to the car I temporarily got stuck in the sand. At this point we swore off outdoor activities for the day although we did make a quick pass through Purgatory Chasm quickly realizing there was no way that was going to happen.

The rest of the night was spend more in our comfort zone shopping and going to dinner. I enjoyed trying "hiking" since we are always looking for outdoor activities to do. I will give it another shot in the near future but probably won't pass through Milville. There tiny adult male population is just too weak and I get stuck in enough figurative ruts to have to worry about getting caught in actual ones. While the town's future looks bright based on the capabilities of its young children for now I am slapping Milville with the "No Dogs Allowed" tag which will become a running feature in the blog. If you have any ideas of things you want me to try pass them along and I will write about it and see if it passes the accessibility test.

New York State of Mind

I am having a very tough time readjusting to being home after a wonderful trip to New York. I enjoyed very second of my time there and got to do many great things. It was great to see basketball at Madison Square Garden, a terrific show on Broadway and places like the Empire State Building and Central Park. While all of these things were great what I loved most about the city was the freedom. The idea that you could go anywhere at anytime. Our hotel was centrally located on 29th street and we were never more then a few blocks away from something great going on and many interesting people. As someone who never used to walk anywhere I also took great pride in traveling 12.5 miles in the chair during the day Friday.

Allow me to contrast this for a second with being home. I can guarantee you that I won't travel 12.5 miles in the chair during the next 60 days. Living on a dirt road with no sidewalks for miles there is no safe way to get around to get around the neighborhood. Back to being home alone all day and having no way to exit my own house it guarantees that during a 70 degree weather week I will be locked in the house between the hours of 8-4 everyday. This is what I struggle the idea that there is a world of endless possibilities that I thrive in and then in my daily life I am stuck in an empty with TV reruns even though I have no real world responsibilities. It is different when your older have a job, family and other stuff going on but I am stuck in this daily monotony solely because of my disability and that sucks.

What draws me to places like New York is not the bright lights but the idea that possibility is around every corner. After being there it is impossible to believe that anybody is supposed to live out there days on a dirt road left only to ponder the world around them. I miss the walks to get food and getting yelled at for not crossing the street fast enough more then anything else. That just doesn't happen here and don't thinking it's asking a lot to want that.

Now that you have allowed me to complain let me go on about the details of my trip. I left with Jackson from Providence on the 6:15 Amtrax train. It was an easy three and half ride that we passed by him kicking my ass in Scrabble. We arrived at Penn Station around 10 and had to wait half an hour for a ramp to get off the train. It usually doesn't take that long but the people there only heard wheelchair and brought up an actual wheelchair rather then a ramp. Penn Station is really big and hard to figure out so it took us awhile to figure out how to exit on street level. It was a quick two block walk to the hotel the Holiday Inn express where we waited for Matt to come and take us out. He arrived around 11pm and took us to the "Flying Puck" a bar right down the street. I downed two beer felt drunk already and got hit on by a Georgetown fan in a suit. He was giving Matt crap for being a Syracuse fan and really enjoyed touching my leg for some reason. Good to know I can draw attention if I ever have to switch teams and an interesting welcome to the city. We were feeling tired by the travel and left around 1:30 to unpack and get some sleep.

Thursday was Big East Tournament day with the marquee match up being Syracuse-Uconn at noon. Knowing that we made the short walk to Madison Square Garden to trade out the tickets I got on Stubhub. Sadly no one know where to send us because MSG was not in charge of handling tickets to the event. We were assured we would have no problems and went to grab a quick breakfast. We returned at 11:15 and were sent to guest services on the 6th floor who sent us to the 5th floor courtside entrance which got us really excited. The 5th floor guy looked at our tickets and basically laughed at us while sending us to the 9th floor nose bled section. The usher there had no idea where to send us and called for a supervisor. There was a wheelchair section in the 400s and we were sent there as the game was starting. The sight lines were pretty good up there similar to being in the roof boxes at a Red Sox game, but I was disappointed I couldn't pull off my seating upgrade magic.

The game was a good back and forth game that Syracuse pulled out in the last four minutes. They did not shoot great and as usual didn't rebound so it was no surprise to me when they lost the next day to Cincy. The arena was 70% percent Syracuse fans and we enjoyed making fun of the guys in front of us for swearing at the refs all game even though they did it a good job. The energy in the building kind of died for the second game with a good chunk of Syracuse fans leaving. Being in the 400's we had to take an elevator to try to find a bathroom. When we got off the elevator Jackson pointed out Pat Riley was right next to us. I wanted to talk to him but he was tied up in conversation and Jackson was having none of it. Apparently he has a personal code where he doesn't like bothering famous people. The second game was running past 4:30 and we were trying to meet Colleen for dinner before having to return for the night games. Georgetown was up 11 with 7:00 minutes left and made the executive decision to leave. We met up with Colleen a block later and she took us to a Cuban place Havana Central where Matt and her boyfriend John would meet us. We got there just as the game was going into overtime but the food and drinks were good so we didn't care that we missed it. After a very enjoyable dinner we headed back to the Garden.

We enjoyed the Marquette-Louisville game that Louisville won going away and decided to skip the USF-Notre Dame to go out with Matt. We decided to go to a basement comedy show at HA Comedy Club. I was very disappointed no one made a cripple joke since I was a foot in front of the stage and they made fun of the very ten people in the room. They were mostly drunk and foreign people but the best exchanges came from the last comedian putting a very drunk housewife heckler in her place. We left there after 2 and headed back to the hotel.  

Friday was sightseeing day with Colleen and we met her at 10am for a walk to the Empire State Building. After getting our tickets we headed up to the 86th floor which really popped our ears. We let a nice family with Ginger Twins cut the line with us and headed out to see the fantastic view. While all this was going on we apparently missed a marriage proposal going on at the opposite side of the building. That would have been awesome to see so I was disappointed to miss it. We left about 45 minutes later and headed to Times Square Visitors Center to get a listing of Broadway shows. We went through the listing carefully we me pushing hard for "Once" and Jackson hoping for "Spiderman." We spent an hour making a list of 10-12 acceptable shows and headed out to look for tickets. Sadly "No Dogs Allowed" at our top 3 choices including "Once" and the "Lion King". When Memphis was pet friendly (cripple) and could give us four seats close together we pounced. After grabbing lunch at an Irish Pub, we then made the long journey to and through Central Park failing in our attempt to find worthy street artists. I really wanted to feed the ducks but apparently that is frowned upon. My chair was low on the power and would force us back to the hotel before going to the show. It was already 4:30 and we were an hour walk away so we lucky to find a bus I could get on to get us back to Midtown. While charging the chair we failed at several attempts of ordering Pizza before sending Jackson and fresh out of work Matt to go get it. After eating quickly Jackson Colleen and I headed out to meet John at the theater while Matt stayed behind to take a nap.

I encountered a broken foot plate on the way over but still made it with 10 minutes to spare. "Memphis" is a story of disc jockey Huey Calhoun who was first white guy to play black music in Memphis. He was a hard character to root for but the actor had good comic timing and the actress playing his black singer girlfriend was a really good performer. It was a funny show with good musical performances and served as a great introduction to Broadway for me. I highly enjoyed it and look forward to going back again. The show ended at 10:30 said goodbye to Colleen and John who had a parade in the morning and headed back to the hotel. We found Matt half asleep unaware of how longs plays were and not in the mood to go out. Jackson and I headed out to Upright Citizens Brigade Theater but "No Dogs Allowed". By now it was really cold and after searching one block in each direction for something to do we stopped for more pizza and headed back to the room shortly after 1am.

Saturday we had breakfast at the New Yorker Hotel before taking off for Penn Station to go home. I have already made plans to go back again when my mom goes for a few hours on April 7th. Jackson and I really enjoyed everything besides my kicking and snoring at night apparently. I did a get job controlling myself because I had to drive long distances and there were no major disasters. I've caught the big city bug and I'm bound to get in trouble because Worcester is not enough for me anymore. As I seat on the doorstep of 28 I am determined to start exploring it and New York was a great place to start. As Boston people we grow up hating New York but there's an awful lot to love about it and I would be lucky to end up there in the future.

NCCA Tournament Picks Guide and Preview

Here's my thoughts on the NCAA Tournament as I use this as an exercise to help me fill out my bracket. You guys can use it to win some money by going against all of my picks. I'm going to go through it region by region and try to help some novice fans out.
South Bracket: Kentucky is the #1 seed and clear favorite to make out of this region but this is the toughest region out of the four. It features the best game of the first round #5 seeded Wichita State against #12 seeded VCU. Wichita State has been the best mid-major team all year and has Final Four talent. VCU made the Final Four last year as an #11 seed and has won 16 games in a row. The winner of this game would face Indiana who has already beaten Kentucky this year. Defending champion UCONN would be Kentucky's second round opponent. Duke is the weakest of the #2 seeds and is unlikely to get past #3 seeded Baylor in the Sweet 16.
Bracket Winner:Kentucky
1st round upset: #10 Xavier Over #7 Notre Dame
Team that could ruin your bracket: Wichita State

West Bracket: I could this the second hardest bracket to forecast. I consider #2 seed Missouri the favorite in the region over #1 seed Michigan State. This is mostly because red hot #8 seed Memphis looms as a very dangerous second round opponent for MSU. The middle of this bracket is full of possible upsets #12 Long Beach over #5 New Mexico and #13 seeded Davidson over #4 seeded Louisville. If the higher seeded teams survive those games they are always capable of beating Michigan State. Louisville is coming off a big win in the Big East Conference Tournament but didn't impress me much in person. The first round game I am most excited about in this region is a possible Iona Marquette battle which would probably be the highest scoring game in the tournament. Missouri's road would include Florida and Marquette who play similar style and can't take advantage of their lack of height inside.
Bracket Winner:Missouri
1st round Upset:Long Beach over New Mexico
Team that could ruin your bracket:Murray State

East Bracket: Syracuse is #1 seed this bracket and while it has a decent draw is too risky to pick to make the Final Four. Possible second round opponent Kansas State can take advantage of their lack of rebounding and possible third round opponent Vandy can shoot over the top of their famous 2-3 zone. #2 seeded Ohio State is the safer pick because they should cruise through the first two rounds before a showdown with Florida State. Harvard in the tournament for the first time since 1946 was unlucky to draw SEC champion Vandy but should put up a good fight. Gonzaga vs West Virgina is the best 1st round game in the bracket.
Bracket Winner:Ohio State
1st round upset:Montana over Wisconsin
Team that could ruin your bracket:Kansas State

Midwest Bracket: This bracket is all about the showdown that looms between #1 seed North Carolina and #2 seeded Kansas. They have seemingly easy roads to face each other as #3 seeded Georgetown and #4 seeded Michigan are very shaky teams. The last team to make the field NC State has a real chance to win two rounds and I predict that the two biggest upsets in the tournament will come from this bracket. I see #13 seed Ohio beating Michigan and #14 seed Belmont beating Georgetown. Creighton vs Alabama is the best first round game in this bracket.
Bracket Winner:North Carolina
1st round Upsets: Belmont over Georgetown, Ohio over Michigan, Cal over Temple  
Team that could ruin your bracket: NC State

Final Four: I have listed Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio State and UNC as my Final Four and if it goes that way I don't see Kentucky losing. I see the majority of people filling out brackets picking Kentucky, UNC or Syracuse. If your in a poll make smart picks to get to the Final Four but pick someone like Missouri, Kansas or Ohio State to win it to gain extra points to separate you from the field. Overall I see a pool of 11 teams capable of making the Final Four: Kentucky, Baylor, Duke in the South. Missouri and Michigan State in the West. Syracuse, Florida State Ohio State, Vandy in the East. North Carolina and Kansas in the Midwest.
Title Contenders: Kentucky, UNC, MSU, OSU, Kansas, Missouri
I hope this helps you feel out your brackets. My Mom won a pool last year so sometimes it's just dumb luck but hopefully this help you make some educated guesses. Good Luck everybody helpfully over 23 years filling out brackets this is my year!
 

Leaving on a Slow Train

My bags are packed heavily and in a few short hours I am off to Manhattan. After a crushing first round defeat in the Districts, a slew of network television reruns on the way and an ice cold job market I can't get out of here fast enough. The official reason for the trip is the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals, but they are merely an expensive to get into the city for a few days. I have 50 short hours of fun that pretty much has to get me through the next six months of extreme boredom. I've been pretty good at finding a way to get away on "Spring Break" every March and this trip promises to avoid the sunburns of Fort Lauderdale, the frost bite of Montreal and the straight up debacle that was Foxwoods. It will feature public intoxication, overeating, getting lost on subways and a ton of smiles.

I will try not to work Jackson too hard but there won't be a lot of sleeping on this trip. The only promise I make him is that I'll hold my liquor like a good Irish boy and avoid puking. We get in kind of late tonight 9:30 or so but that gives us more then a few hours to hit the bars. Thanks to the folks at Stubhub we have a marathon day of four games tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. I can't wait to see "the world's most famous arena and we'll see what there handicapped upgrade policy is because we have nose bleed seats. It will be nice to see Matt who has been working hard for the corporate man and turned into a real penny counter. (just kidding city terribly expensive) We don't want to collide his Worcester and Brooklyn too much it would ruin the new mythology I've given him. Colleen is also in the city this week and is taking us sightseeing on Friday and I promise to not to jump off the Empire State Building. Jackson and I are really bad at documenting thinks but I'm sure some drunken pictures of me will be popping up on the internet ruining my chances to run for public office.

I  have a solid two weeks of clothes packed for a short trip so if Jackson comes back alone Saturday I've gone rogue and do not want to be found. I have the greatest of expectations for the next few days so hopefully things go smoothly and even if they don't it will make for a great adventure. With my birthday, the NCCAs and Saint Patrick's Day next week I should be able to manage my post vacation depression fairly well but there will be plenty of time to deal with that after 50 hours of LEGENDARY Fun!

Magic Season

I have coached Wachusett Regional High School Basketball in some capacity for my entire adult life. Coaching basketball is my true passion in life and what I do best. High school basketball does it mean much to a lot of people, but for me it is my life's work. In the past twelve years I have coached over 150 players and watched grow from scared teenagers into men far greater then myself. I have been a part of great teams, bad teams and everything in between over the years and never come across anything like this year's team. It is not supremely talented, it isn't even that confident in itself, what it is however is incredibly committed to each other and willing to do whatever it takes to win.

When Coach Gibbons asked me to be part of the day to day coaching staff against this season I could not have been more excited. I coached the team in summer as I have done each of the last six seasons and we had struggled to find our game in a disappointing 3-9 summer campaign. There was some encouraging signs 3 of our starters played on an AAU team that qualified for nationals in Orlando and some young players seemed to be developing nicely but we seemed destined to struggle just to get to 10-10 and qualify for playoffs. My excitement level for the season was further dampened when it was determined that I would not be able to sit on the bench during the games because of MIAA rules that prevented summer league coaches from coaching during the season. I felt like it was going to be hard for me to be "all in" this season. Then we reeled off four straight wins to start the season and stunned Cambridge in an out of district game. Despite an ugly style of play that featured turnover filled low scoring games we found ourselves at 13-3 in district play heading into a ten day break in play.

During that break we lost our starting center to injury and began working with a life coach to deal with an increased lack of confidence in our play. During these grueling hours long session the team showed amazing courage in baring there souls to each other and sharing personal fears and goals. No team I have ever been a part of has been as open with each other and believed much more in their teammates talents rather then their own. We came out of that break 3-1 to finish 16-4 and earn a #3 seed in the playoffs.

As we prepare for our first playoff Thursday night it is hard to describe all the emotions that I am feeling. I never wanted anything for anybody more than I want a championship for this special group of kids. As a coach you know how rare it is to really have a legitimate chance to win a championship and to be able to do it with a team you really love. As coaches this is our Superbowl week we all try to morph into John Wooden and try to figure out the right buttons to push. You are fully aware that at the end of the week many tears will be shed and you can only hope that they are happy ones. I was not expecting to be so emotionally invested in this again but this team has brought back my passion for the game, brought me back closer to so many great friends and reminded me what my true calling is in this life. When we end practice on practice I will be given the last word like I am the day before every game and I will have my team totally prepared and willing to push themselves furthered then they ever have. It's a responsibility I cherish and never take for granted. Our players give my more then I could ever give them. They give me respect, inspiration, purpose and love. I could not be more excited about the opportunity we have in front of us and to see how this unexpected and magically journey ends. My blood truly runs Wachusett Green and I feel so lucky to have great friends and mentors like Al Dion and Tom Gibbons who allow me to be a part of something so special.

My First Solo Day Out

As many of you know I have been making a real effort to start becoming even more independent. I have been thinking for sometime of things I can do on my own instead of staying home all day. Since we live close to a movie theater I thought it would be a good first step to see if I could spend the day there on my own. One of the things I hoped to accomplish by doing this is to establish the idea that even though I don't have a car during the day that I might not always be home all the time. I've called this the "God Will Hunting" philosophy that one day someone is going to come home and I'm going to be gone and on to doing better things.

My plan was not very well thought out and kind of spur of the moment. I knew I had to leave at the same time my sister Jill left for work which turned out to be 11:30. My transportation for the day was Red Cab which has a couple of cabs with wheelchair lifts in the back. If I had planned this out a day in advance I could have taken the WRTA van for $2.25 but I would have loss the element of surprise that I was going for since they call the night before to confirm. The five minute ride cost me a whopping $15 and of course the driver didn't have change for my $50 bill. I settled for what he had in his pocket and loss $10 in the exchange. I got to the front door at 11:45 only to find the doors locked, apparently they don't open until noon during the week. I stood outside and waited for the manager to come open the door which they did ten minutes later. My journey was not off to good start and was complicated by the fact nothing good started until 1:00pm. I had brought a book to kill time, but quickly lost interested and caved to buying a ticket to the first movie of the day "Man on a Ledge" at 12:30.

I had countered on all the doors being closed to the actual screening rooms and found an usher to rectify the situation. I alerted him to what I was doing for the day and he said they would be around often to help me get in and out. I stupidly forgot to having just leave the door open and was stuck in that theater for the duration of the movie. It was a private showing as no one else ever entered which made me uncomfortable. I sat through seventeen minutes of previews and very by the numbers heist film. I was pissed that my crappy phone didn't have service inside preventing me from sending amusing texts to my friends during the film. The movie ended at 2:39 and I sprinted outside to inform people I was still alive.

I had left a note for my Mom on the table in my worst possible handwriting that I was out and would call her later. With no one getting home to let me until 4:15 I had to see another movie. The problem was since I had no service inside I had to make sure I was around to call home before 5pm or would risk her having a full blown panic attack. This meant I had to see the next movie showing a 3:05 "One for the Money". I was not looking forward to being the only person in a Katherine Heigl movie and luckily their was a lone older gentlemen in the back saving me from total embarrassment. I don't hate Katherine Heigl but her jersey accent in this movie was unbearable. It was a truly terrible movie that couldn't end quickly enough. I rushed out at 5:05 and called my mother for a ride home. She figured out where I was and had been awaiting my call.

She had arrived home to my brother Matt calling and despite my note the two of them failed to figure out what was going on. She frantically called Jill three times at work until she got a hold of her to find out where I was. It was not my intent to scare her but simply to establish that I am capable of being anywhere at anytime. I hope to expand on this idea and head out to different places around the city before working my way up to longer trips. The ultimate goal of all of this is to be able to get to the point where I can show up at anyone's door at anytime. I used to call this idea "going off the grid" but really means is that I can get to the point where I can be as impulsive as anyone else.

The day itself was not all that entertaining, seeing two bad movies in empty theaters is not a great time. It was however something I was proud of myself for doing and hopefully shows how committed I am to shaking things up. I was able to establish that I can do something completely on my own and it will give me confidence to do more in the future. As long I can avoid total disasters, I will continue to push the line of what I can and can't do on my own until I am satisfied with all the outcomes. The day is coming soon where I just might be knocking on all your doors when you least expect it.

Boston Part 2 The Captain and Charlestown

After last week's amazing experience taking the train into Boston, hanging out at the aquarium and taking in a Bruins game we decided to do it again. For the second straight Tuesday me and my partner in crime boarded the 10:35 train from Union Station to South Station and endured no problems during the pleasant 90 minute journey. The plan for the day was the historic Freedom Trail which this particular idiot writer didn't understand at all. I am so unaware of my own surroundings that I actually thought the Freedom Trail was a stand alone museum or a closed in area of the city. After informing Colleen of this and her responding with the right amount of laughter, we headed down that magic red line which is a lot harder to follow then it seems.

 Our first stop was the old Statehouse and after snapping a quick photo headed into the Visitors Center to get a map. There was a slight step up to get in which my chair wasn't in the mood to make so the Visitor's Center was not all that visiting. Having gathered the necessary maps and materials we ended up at Faneuil Hall. My job for the day was for me to figure out how to get around on my own and hit all the walk buttons. I failed this test several times in addition to struggling mightily at being trip leader and following directions. If this was an audition for a solo voyage  in the near future I don't think I got passed through to the next round. Faneuil Hall had a very small elevator that got us up to the museum and the Great Hall. An old Parks Department guy perked up when we entered and went into full scale tour guide mode. The hall had several impressive paintings including a very large depicting Daniel Webster taking on the floor of the Senate. Colleen was not happy that the painting of George Washington and his horse was identical to the one that already hangs in Mechanics Hall. We then made our way to the Artillery Museum on the next floor that featured some cannons, knives and marching drums. There was also numerous naval uniforms and medals that are worth checking out.

We then headed out to Quincy Market and its various shops and eateries. The tour guide had shocked us when he revealed that Faneuil Hall was really only the hall and museums and everything else was Quincy Market.  Apparently people have most using the wrong terminology when discussing their shopping trips. The outer area really wasn't my thing a lot of chain stores that didn't have great wheelchair access. Our one piece of shopping was done at the Fine Arts Museum store which was fine with me because that is a museum I want to see on my next trip so it served as kind of a sneak preview. I was impressed with the wide array of food court options on the inside but that many options overloads my brain so it was just a quick stop for coffee and a cookie. The next stop was the Holocaust Memorial which is very basic and as sad as you could ever expect.

It was here that we began to encounter some of the less wheelchair friendly parts of the trail like Paul Revere House and a couple of the churches. There were also several short cuts through the trail that had stairs so we had to go up and around a lot. We did get a nice picture in front of Paul Revere's statue and were able to find a way into I think it was Old North Church which was very cool.  

 My favorite part of the Freedom Trail was the Bunker Hill Monument for reasons that were probably only funny to me and Colleen. It had long been established that this would be the easiest place for me to go the bathroom so we were always going there even though it was the most out of the way. What I did not know was just how long that red line on the ground for going to go for, I kept waiting for it to stop and it just kept going. My old chair would have died a half an hour into this trip but armed with the impressive battery life of the Permobil 350 I made it all the way to Charlestown. We got there at 4:15 and it closed at 5 so we weren't really interested in hanging around and chatting. That did not stop a guide from calling us in during the middle of his lecture and going on endlessly about the battle. With the clock ticking and the bathroom way across the street we just had to bail even though the guy was mid sentence. I have no doubt I ruined his life but he had a family there to keep him company. A family by the way that said they had been bumping into us all day on the trail despite the fact I had no recollection of them whatsoever.  By the time we get back to the North End was dinner it was 5:15 so we essentially went 90 minutes out of the way to go the bathroom, but at least I can say I made it to Charlestown!

Dinner this week was at Antico Forno I step down in price from Strega but no less upscale. One again I played no part in the ordering process. I'm kind of lame in that regard, but I like to simply go with whatever someone else wants. We had an appetizer which I think was Antigno but Colleen can correct me. It was very good it was like a fried rositto and meatball dish that we followed with a sausage and broccoliti pizza. We passed up wine this time and went with martinis which brought out my bitter face even though I downed three. We then made a stop at Mike's Pastry which I made sure we didn't skip over this time and ended up picking some awful M&M thing. I would learn on the ride home that Colleen's choice of red velvet cake was a million times better.

  The sporting event this time was Celtics vs the last place Bobcats. I was quite mad at myself for not getting a better game but it couldn't have turned out better. It just so happened that Paul Pierce needed 9 points to pass Larry Bird on the Celtics scoring, list which he got on a three early in the third quarter. It was nice to see a cool moment in team history live and I was shocked to find out it was Colleen's first Celtics game so that made it even better. The Celtics start at 7:30 instead of 7 so it's a lot harder to make the 10:20 back to Worcester and we missed it. That left us with an hour wait for a 11:30 train that only went as far as Framingham. This made for an extremely long day this time around but an equally awesome one. These last two weeks I've been able to do a lot of awesome things that I wouldn't have otherwise done. They were easily two of the best days of my life and take on added significance with Colleen taking her vast talents to NYC next month. It has been awesome to share new experiences, conquer fears and focus on accomplishing more then I previously thought possible. I don't know if I'm ready for a solo trip, I'll probably focus on conquering NYC first but for the first time it seems not only possible but right around the corner.