Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Small But Growing
Check this out. Blogger tracks your traffic. Sure, I'm not a big site. I get a few readers each day thanks to my 5 followers! But this is cool! Here are my stats from the past 30 days. Who knew I had readers in such far away places. Hello to all! Here's to a Happy New Year - 2012! Can you believe it's only 18 days away? I can't!
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Monday, December 12, 2011
MS Society & the New York City Triathlon
It's official! I have been selected to race in the 2012 NYC Triathlon. Yay! I know some of you are thinking, who in their right mind would want to swim in the Hudson River? Well, I was thinking the same thing not too long ago when we took a visit to the Statue of Liberty. There was a lot of junk floating in the river. & not just seaweed & usual stuff. Actual large pieces of wood, logs, etc. Not to mention the pic that I took when we were fishing awhile back. But, in all honesty, this was in the NY bay, closer to Staten Island - so consider the source. If some of you are wondering, it is the bumper to a turquoise Ford Taurus.
But, in all seriousness, I am raising money for the MS Society & every penny counts. I have If you have the chance to donate, please do! Any amount is greatly appreciated. I have enclosed the link in this post. Thanks!!!!!
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Run/NYNGeneralEvents?px=9118691&pg=personal&fr_id=18329
But, in all seriousness, I am raising money for the MS Society & every penny counts. I have If you have the chance to donate, please do! Any amount is greatly appreciated. I have enclosed the link in this post. Thanks!!!!!
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Run/NYNGeneralEvents?px=9118691&pg=personal&fr_id=18329
Thursday, December 8, 2011
December 8, 2001
The following is an excerpt from a the BravestMemorial.com. It has been 10 long years & I will never forget getting the call on December 9th that they found Jerry. RIP my friend. 1810.
The remains of Lt. Dave Fontana were found last Thursday in the wreckage of the south tower of the World Trade Center, his widow, Marian Fontana, said yesterday. Lieutenant Fontana, 38, was one of 12 men from the elite Squad 1 fire and rescue company who disappeared in the cascading inferno Sept. 11. Lieutenant Fontana, whose firehouse was in Park Slope, Brooklyn, left Mrs. Fontana and a 5-year-old son, Aidan. In an emotional bit of synchronicity, the remains of Firefighter Gerard P. Dewan were also recovered from the site last week. The remains were confirmed to be his this week through DNA tests. Firefighter Dewan was a tenant and friend of Firefighter Sean Cummins, who in turn was a friend of Lieutenant Fontana's at Squad 1. A memorial was held for Lieutenant Fontana in late October. There were bagpipes and 1,000 firefighters and a coffin with no body. Marian Fontana has since become politically active, emerging as the spokeswoman for a group representing grieving family members whose relatives and spouses have not been found since Sept. 11. "I'm not sure how I feel," Mrs. Fontana said yesterday morning. "Mixed, I guess. I was happy that they found Dave, but I'm not feeling the closure I expected to get." The lieutenant's remains were found by rescue workers Thursday morning, while Mrs. Fontana and her son were visiting Hawaii. That same day, Aidan learned to surf. It was an important moment for the family, Mrs. Fontana said, since her husband was a surfer and a lifeguard on Long Island in his younger years. Mrs. Fontana is planning a small funeral service for her husband next week at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, noted for its natural beauty and Victorian monuments. Lieutenant Fontana will be laid to rest in the shade of a beech tree, she said. A firefighter from Squad 1 who was among the workers last Thursday said they knew they had found a fireman by his jacket. "We didn't know it was Dave right away," the firefighter said, asking that his name not be published because, like many firefighters, he was working on his own time and thus unauthorized to be at ground zero. "It was dark, late at night, and you are never sure of the time. But it was like we got something and then we got something else." The firefighter paused for a moment to compose himself and continued: "In a way it makes me happy. We accomplished something for his family." Lieutenant Fontana was not just a firefighter, the people who knew him say. He was a Renaissance man: a sculptor, a Fire Department historian, a prankster. He was Mr. Mom to the mothers at the grade school because of his devotion to his son. After the body was recovered, it was draped in an American flag and driven to the Bellevue Hospital Center morgue for official identification. After the remains of Firefighter Dewan, 35, were also found last week, his and Lieutenant Fontana's names appeared side by side on the list of the confirmed deceased. Firefighter Dewan was among the first firefighters to enter the twin towers. Along with 11 others from Ladder Company 3/Battalion 6 in Lower Manhattan, he never made it out. It was his first day working at the firehouse. A small family ceremony in Boston, where he was born, is planned today. Firefighter Dewan had family ties to the Boston Fire Department, but because of a lack of job opportunities there, he began in the New York Fire Department five years ago. He is the first member of his family to die in the line of duty. He was not married, but found a family in the Cummins household in Rockaway Park, Queens, where he rented a basement apartment. "At least there is closure and he can be buried," said Maureen Cummins, Firefighter Sean Cummins wife.
The remains of Lt. Dave Fontana were found last Thursday in the wreckage of the south tower of the World Trade Center, his widow, Marian Fontana, said yesterday. Lieutenant Fontana, 38, was one of 12 men from the elite Squad 1 fire and rescue company who disappeared in the cascading inferno Sept. 11. Lieutenant Fontana, whose firehouse was in Park Slope, Brooklyn, left Mrs. Fontana and a 5-year-old son, Aidan. In an emotional bit of synchronicity, the remains of Firefighter Gerard P. Dewan were also recovered from the site last week. The remains were confirmed to be his this week through DNA tests. Firefighter Dewan was a tenant and friend of Firefighter Sean Cummins, who in turn was a friend of Lieutenant Fontana's at Squad 1. A memorial was held for Lieutenant Fontana in late October. There were bagpipes and 1,000 firefighters and a coffin with no body. Marian Fontana has since become politically active, emerging as the spokeswoman for a group representing grieving family members whose relatives and spouses have not been found since Sept. 11. "I'm not sure how I feel," Mrs. Fontana said yesterday morning. "Mixed, I guess. I was happy that they found Dave, but I'm not feeling the closure I expected to get." The lieutenant's remains were found by rescue workers Thursday morning, while Mrs. Fontana and her son were visiting Hawaii. That same day, Aidan learned to surf. It was an important moment for the family, Mrs. Fontana said, since her husband was a surfer and a lifeguard on Long Island in his younger years. Mrs. Fontana is planning a small funeral service for her husband next week at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, noted for its natural beauty and Victorian monuments. Lieutenant Fontana will be laid to rest in the shade of a beech tree, she said. A firefighter from Squad 1 who was among the workers last Thursday said they knew they had found a fireman by his jacket. "We didn't know it was Dave right away," the firefighter said, asking that his name not be published because, like many firefighters, he was working on his own time and thus unauthorized to be at ground zero. "It was dark, late at night, and you are never sure of the time. But it was like we got something and then we got something else." The firefighter paused for a moment to compose himself and continued: "In a way it makes me happy. We accomplished something for his family." Lieutenant Fontana was not just a firefighter, the people who knew him say. He was a Renaissance man: a sculptor, a Fire Department historian, a prankster. He was Mr. Mom to the mothers at the grade school because of his devotion to his son. After the body was recovered, it was draped in an American flag and driven to the Bellevue Hospital Center morgue for official identification. After the remains of Firefighter Dewan, 35, were also found last week, his and Lieutenant Fontana's names appeared side by side on the list of the confirmed deceased. Firefighter Dewan was among the first firefighters to enter the twin towers. Along with 11 others from Ladder Company 3/Battalion 6 in Lower Manhattan, he never made it out. It was his first day working at the firehouse. A small family ceremony in Boston, where he was born, is planned today. Firefighter Dewan had family ties to the Boston Fire Department, but because of a lack of job opportunities there, he began in the New York Fire Department five years ago. He is the first member of his family to die in the line of duty. He was not married, but found a family in the Cummins household in Rockaway Park, Queens, where he rented a basement apartment. "At least there is closure and he can be buried," said Maureen Cummins, Firefighter Sean Cummins wife.
Friday, December 2, 2011
NYC Triathlon - MS Society
Woo hoo! I got the email today! I was accepted for the MS Society's team for the 2012 NYC Triathlon. It’s a charity spot & I am psyched! Originally, I had entered the lottery, but I wasn’t selected & I was ok with that. I really should have signed up for the MS team in the first place & avoided the lottery altogether. As some of you may know, one of my closest friends was diagnosed with MS this year. Since then, we have been running, biking & now swimming to help find a cure. & in February I will (hopefully) be climbing to the top of Rockefeller Center to help raise money in the fight against MS.
I know a few people with MS. My mom’s cousin, a coworker’s mom, a sorority sister’s mother & now my friend. Did you know that there are only 6 drugs that help treat MS symptoms? 6! Wouldn’t you think there would be 60? Well, I only found out this past May that 20 years ago, there were no drugs to help treat MS. Notice I say treat, not cure? Right now there is no cure for MS. There are so many things that researchers do not know about MS, like where it comes from or how you get it. Crazy, right?
Hopefully all this running & biking will help fund research & prevention of this disease. For now all we can hope for is that the drugs that are out on the market now help slow the progression of this awful disease.
I hope you stick with me while I start training for this great race. July 8, 2012. Only 217 days!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
December 1st
Hello my five followers & my newest follower from Bahrain! How cool is that? I really like that Blogger lists statistics & that I can find out where my audience lives! I looked up the weather in Bahrain today - 72 degrees. Aaahhh that's nice. It was 38 when I left for work this morning. I am sure it warmed up a bit, but today was the first day I pulled out a winter coat. Boo winter! Bring back summer.
I am anxiously waiting to hear if I got selected for the MS team for the NYC triathlon. I really hope that I do. I think that I should find out this week. Pick me! Pick me! I wonder how many people sign up for the charity slots? I think I did a pretty good job filling out the application & letting them know why I want to be picked for the team. I'm not just someone that didn't get picked for the lottery, I have a close friend with MS & I really want to raise money to find a cure. But if I don't get picked, I will find another race & still figure out a way to raise money for the MS society.
In other news, I haven't really been working out & it is beginning to show! I have to come up with a good plan & race schedule for 2012. Not that I am some huge athlete, but picking out races has become something I look forward to doing this time of year. & eating Christmas cookies, and eggnog & all the fun holiday treats!
I can't believe that it is already December 1st. 2011 has flown by. I'm excited to see what 2012 will bring! Hope you will continue to follow me!
I am anxiously waiting to hear if I got selected for the MS team for the NYC triathlon. I really hope that I do. I think that I should find out this week. Pick me! Pick me! I wonder how many people sign up for the charity slots? I think I did a pretty good job filling out the application & letting them know why I want to be picked for the team. I'm not just someone that didn't get picked for the lottery, I have a close friend with MS & I really want to raise money to find a cure. But if I don't get picked, I will find another race & still figure out a way to raise money for the MS society.
In other news, I haven't really been working out & it is beginning to show! I have to come up with a good plan & race schedule for 2012. Not that I am some huge athlete, but picking out races has become something I look forward to doing this time of year. & eating Christmas cookies, and eggnog & all the fun holiday treats!
I can't believe that it is already December 1st. 2011 has flown by. I'm excited to see what 2012 will bring! Hope you will continue to follow me!
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