Sheesh,

I’m so creative that I simply post the damn day of the week. *NOT*

Jules is having a baby girl. Jesus, I remember her from way back when. Amazing progress!!!

Life is a big journey. I recall posting about all sorts of things that seemed relevant at the time. I have watched many of you grow (and some disintigrate).  

I don’t have anyting in the tank today.

Changing gears.

I played drums with a local band the other day to fill in for their absent drummer at practice. Kinda nice. They asked me to sign up after the session was over. Oh sure, I can play the drums and like to do it every so often.

Will I join? Nahhh. I have my own band although we aren’t doing anything. My drummer? Oh man, he is one sick player…Makes me go straight to the guitar.

I often wonder if I should hit the circuit once more before I retire for good?

Who knows? I’m just grateful for the gift (or curse) of music…

Part of me wants to tell Shark stories. I better not.

Will they be true? Most of them….

Peace,

Bobby

Me? What do I like?

Old 80’s PRS guitars, Mesa Boogie Amp circuits from the early to mid 90’s, Taylor guitars from 89-96. My closest friends are monster musicians.  

Levi’s jeans. Polo shirts. Handmade ties from that persnickity Hong Kong tailor on Madison Avenue.

Love seeing chickies walk on the beach in bikini’s. Long hair is an added bonus.

Dont’cha just love to grill on the beach with a cooler full of your favorite beverages? Welcome to my world.

Favorite Beverages? Beer? Newcastle for everyday and Dogfish Head 90 for a special occassion. I will have a beer or two but have throttled way back. No drinking on school nights. I like being in control. Diet lemonade or tap water most of the time.

Columbian Coffee hits the spot.

I will drink a real Coke once a quarter. What a treat!

Favorite wine? Strawberry Apple (I know low rent right?) out of Bedford, Virginia. Port wine (A good Graham’s) paired with something chocolate after dinner…

Asics Running shoes. Adidas soccer gear for workouts and running clothes.

Oakley sunglasses although I have some Ray Bans and Vuarnet’s from the 80’s.

Favorite food? Hmmm- Love seafood. Cook it correctly and it is fabulous. Especially seafood that comes from a shell. Had some fresh tautog the other night that was to die for…

Favorite music? Alt rock from the 80’s through today, especially if it is ethreal.

Automobiles? I always have a sportscar and an off road vehicle. My poison? A 350z and Toyota FJ cruiser. We only drive stickshifts…

Hugs and kisses from the ladies. Thoughtful people rock!!!

I love mischief of all sorts. Living with me is an adventure I can assure you. Ask my family…

Favorite Sport? Soccer no doubt.

Most importantly I love my family and friends. I would be nothing without them.

Life is beautiful. Is it perfect? Not at all yet I love the imperfections as well….

“Consume the groove” - T-shirt print slogan

Peace,

Bobby

Hmmm let me see, where have I been? I think it safe to say that I have been in a state of purgatory for a little while.

In my little world of work it gets a little bit crazy when you change jobs from one company to the next. You literally resign on the spot, take all of your belongings and walk out the door to begin working for your new company as soon as they legally release you from your old place of employment. In other words, you start work on Friday night and don’t look up until you are finished several weeks later.

You don’t have much time to say goodbye or even think about the relationships you leave behind. That is one part of the job I despise. Unfotunately, they are beginning to lay people off from that office now that I have left. I feel terrible.

Life was so stressful I seriously contemplated suicide. The ONLY think that kept me from dying is the love I have for my daughter and wife. Never underestimate the power of love. In my case it saved my life for I was haunted by a lone gunman who wanted to end everything for about a week.

I am now a Senior Vice President for a new company; Partner of our own Real Estate business and a director for a Charitable Foundation.  

I am overwhelmed by the love and support I have received from my friends and family. I would be nothing without them.

For weeks, I thought the light at the end of the tunnel just might be a train. I’m beginning to think it could be sunlight.

Flash Forward….

I am alive. I am relatively well. I turned 46 years old on Saturday. I am running races and exercising like crazy.

I have been following you quietly. There are several of you I love. Some of you don’t know it so I may make it a point to tell you over the next coming days. Please accept it for it is all I have to offer.

Stay tuned.

Peace be with you,

Bobby

A new twist on an old picture. This one taken for Christmas 2009.

It was early Saturday morning (Feb 6^th) on the way back from work. Chris worked all day and all night (We have been hammered with snow and ice) restoring high voltage power lines and was on his way back home when he hit a patch of ice on the interstate. His truck spun wildly out of control, fell into a ravine and abruptly stopped after hitting a tree.

I suppose he was speeding. He liked to do that you know….

He died on the scene.

Chris leaves behind his wife and children.

I have known Chris all of his life. I don’t know what else to say.

That hurt.  

I think I’m done with this post.

Peace,

Bobby

Bullet points.

This could be short or could be long. I don’t know.

1)      Racism. I‘ve seen some discussion on the subject in KCL. All it takes is one human being who is different than another and BOOM you have potential for conflict. Education is the only way to solve racism.

2)      Straight A’s continue for Jovana, our exchange student. The kid should be an engineer. Unfortunately, they have no use for Engineers in her country. Engineers, Physicians and Lawyers are not well paid in Montenegro.

3)      Kelly has been pounded with snow these last couple of weeks. Friday and Saturday they are getting 15-26 inches of snow after having snow all week up in DC. Folks, we are from the beach where the snow never goes…It has officially freaked her out.

4)      Me? Oh I have completely lost my mind. I had two rentals come vacant at the end of January. One is rented already (Wonderful turn around and picked up 45 more bucks a month in rents.) The other? I should have it ready to show in the next two weeks. Those folks were not the cleanest humans on the planet. I will pick up an extra 45.00 bucks in rent there as well. Lots of work. Many long nights!!!

5)      Nurse Ratchet? Um, her mentor and old physician co-worker passed away suddenly about 2 weeks ago. He died of a massive heart attack. They worked together the day before he passed. She has cried everyday since. Not pretty. Actually, I have never seen her depressed. She is CRUSHED.

6)      My brother is working with one of the producers of Lady GaGa on some music tracks. They both went to Berklee together. Frankly, this is his big break. The downside? My brother is a monster in the studio. In fact, he has his own studio in his house. Killer. We are having a divorce party for him on the 8^th!!! It is official.

7)      My little sister? I love her. She is just back from a business trip to Atlantic City. She was excited. Me? You can keep Atlantic City. She has already fallen off the wagon on her running and diet.

      Hopefully, I can fix my golf cart tonight or tomorrow. I snapped a strut off jumping some dunes awhile back. Were we out of control? Yes. Was it fun? That cart should be outlawed.

9)      Superbowl? I see the Saints winning it unless Peyton Manning gets red hot.

10)  I miss you all very much. I still read you but have not logged on to comment or write. I think that status will be consistent for awhile.

Peace be with you,

Bobby

My biggest job?  Years ago, I once thought that my job was to work as hard as I can and make lots of money.  I enjoyed my youth and have few regrets about what I have done with it.

I didn’t realize at the tender age of 23 that being a husband was such an important job. I guess I forgot to read the memo.  Balancing your friends, family, wife and career certainly was and continues to be a labor of love.

I was 26, almost 27 when I learned what love was really all about. Having a child come into the world is an overwhelming emotion. I was the first of the family to hold my daughter and to this very day I am the favorite.

Speak of favorite; that is another title I hold near and dear to my heart. I have and will continue to be many an athlete’s favorite coach.  I am my niece’s favorite uncle.  All the Serbs that stay with us will tell you straight away that I am the favorite.  I am my sister’s favorite family member. I am my father’s favorite son. I am my wife and daughter’s favorite human being.  I am my brother’s favorite sibling as well.

One could go an entire lifetime and never be a favorite.

I suppose I have countless friends who think of me in this way.  I don’t have to ask. I already know.

I am loved. No chance I’ll ever be a failure.

There are many of you who may perceive this post as being boastful.

I can assure you that bragging is not the purpose of this message.

To have love in your life you must take considerable risks.  Look for the goodness in people and expect the very best. You will never be perfect. Don’t worry about perfect. Just be sincere.

Will you get hurt along the way? Oh yes. Love can be painful. Just have a loved one die on you and this pain will become real in a hurry.

I can’t dwell on the inevitable. I can only enjoy today. I have no idea what tomorrow brings.

For now, I am happy to count my blessings.

Peace be with you,

Bobby

Back when I first started posting many of the themes I pondered were about humor and life.

Lately, I have used this journal to air out all the negative energy in my life. There has been plenty of that since September of 2008 to go around. All of my angst of course stems from the (Almost) collapse of the banking/insurance/brokerage system. *Whew*

My primary mission is write about all the positive things in my life.

Family - My parents are coming for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I don’t know how many of these moments I have left so I intend to cherish them. No, my parents are not perfect and they have upset me at times but I accept who they are and love them unconditionally.

Friends - Oh they are all a handful. I have so many friends that I cannot keep up. What a blessing. Some are crazy, some are serious and some are downright hysterical. Just remember, to make a friend you must be a friend….

Faith - Ahhh, I believe in something bigger than myself. It is part of a happy life. I know I am not alone when I gaze into the stars, climb the mountains or swim in the ocean. Big stuff. Putting a label on my thoughts makes no sense. I hate labels….

Health - Oh my god. Without your health you are in deep trouble. I have blown my ears out and my eyesight is getting worse but I am careful about what I put in my body.

Thank you for your kindness and friendship. I look forward to all of your adventures. In turn, I will share some of mine.

More to come.

Stay tuned.

Peace be with you,

Bobby

Holy Cow.

What a night! There are many parts of my city that are still flooded.

I think peak winds hit us around 75 miles an hour and we had tidal surges that covered all the streets leading away from our Peninsula.  Our tidal surges in other words made the water levels rise seven feet above mean high tide. The water came up to the dunes!!!

I live 16 feet above sea level. I’m okay.  There are several places in this area where your house is barely above sea level. I think I lost a privacy fence at one of my rentals. I have to check it later this evening. My problems are nothing.

My house had a leak coming across the garage floor slab that goes to our mechanical room, mudroom and garage. We worked on that issue from 3pm till 1am. 

I’m happy to report we kept the water from flooding this area but it was a LOT of work.  No house is waterproof and heavy winds blowing rain against your house will force water to seek its lowest level.

I am lucky.

There are multitudes of people who lost their homes. I’m sure the damage is incredible. I saw several boats above the piers by my home for instance. Not pretty.

Emergency services made several rescues and we are still assessing the damage. As in they had to go fetch people out of their homes by boat!!!

Gonna be a long weekend. I have lots to do and plenty of neighbors to help.

Peace,

Bobby

Crazy stuff that goes through my mind…

I have to bite my tongue when someone doubts my playing ability on the guitar before I start. The doubts fade right around 10 seconds into my playing.

The macho code. Truth be told I am always quite spooked by sharks in the water when we surf. Big turtles and dolphins have startled the hell out of me too.

I still don’t understand hair transplant surgery on a dude. Vanity in men just makes me wonder.

I still feel like my Z is brand new after almost 7 years. I can’t describe my connection to that car. I have a similar connection to my Toyota FJ Cruiser.

My brother isn’t going to work out in our band. He has the talent but doesn’t have the drive.

I don’t miss drinking.

My friends and family are all worried about me. Some quietly, some openly. Perhaps I have retreated into my own little world.

I have dreams about buying a sailboat and traveling to the Carribean. I am actively looking for a big sailboat that will handle it.

I need to get pro access. I better find a box to send this hot sauce to Matt with my money while I’m at it…

I have to go to Williamsburg tonight. My “coach” has an office there. I’m so damn paranoid that my peers would know so I travel pretty far to keep it under wraps. It has never been a secret in this space.

I have depression issues when my beloved summer turns to fall.

Here is a paradox. I am very social and friendly. Underneath all of it I am a loner and would be comfortable alone for weeks at a time. That will never happen.

I haven’t slept well in months.

I am human. I’m not perfect. I have doubts and worries.

I think I’ll take a walk and clear my head.

Peace,
Bobby

Doing the solo acoustic mini set between sets…..

Frisco Beach on Cape Hatteras July 2009.

Perspective is a real eye opener. Sometimes, I take for granted the things we do and see.

We have a foreign exchange student from Montenegro. She is the youngest of three girls that have stayed with our family in some form or fashion. Saska is 31, Sanjice is 29 and Jovanna is 17.

They come from a very nice family. They personally know the Prime Minister and all that stuff…Anyhow…getting back to Jovanna.

Hmmm…She is very reserved and only opens up around our family. There is absolutely nothing athletic about her at all. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. There is no teaching her how to surf. Too dangerous. Can she sing? Um, nope. I am polite because I hear her singing when she is happy (Which is often). Ladies and gentlemen; she can’t sing. God bless her pointed little head, even teaching her how to ride a mountain bike hasn’t been easy.

She does speak several languages and can even translate that old Russian in Syrillic if you need it. She is a very applied student and makes straight A’s in all of her classes so far including her AP courses. I have told her that she needs to join some clubs to increase her base of friends at school. Meeting people and making the transition to friendship is difficult for her.

Our trips to The Outer banks and to DC have blown her away. Montenegro is small and they don’t usually take road trips like we do. College life here is very different than their college life.

At the end of the day she tells me all of the neat and unique experiences she has enjoyed with us and that she looks forward to all of the adventures yet to come.

Life is all about the experiences….

Kelly joins us this weekend. I am looking forward to it.

I hope that you and those you love have a wonderful Labor day weekend.

See you on the beach.

Peace,
Bobby