Hope you had a nice holiday.  Mine was bearable.  Spent the majority of the weekend in Canandaigua, visiting a sick friend in the hospital and hangin’ with friends, my sis-in-law Colleen and my brother Mike (a.k.a. Joe Rockhead).  After helping at Patty’s Place downtown for our annual tradition, we met up at Wallys to begin the festivities, then off to my bro’s house where Colleen did a wonderful job of cooking us a great meal.  Thanks sis!

Friday was a tour of East Rochester with the legendary Piglets.  We have another tradtion of Champagne Shopping Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  That’s the day the boys buy all their holiday supplies, then we meet at PG’s in ER to drink ‘em all down!  A fine holiday tradition indeed.  Then my brother from a different mother Terry Sheridan and I toasted holiday cheer with the delicious Nicole bartending at Bistro 135 in ER.  Finally, we ended up at the home of Sheila and Dan Mason for another holiday tradition of drinks with the Red Wings organization.  A fine time was had by all, and thanks to Sheila and the Wings GM Mase for the fine hospitality.

Saturday it was back to the hospital in CA with my former bosses and good friends Robert J. Morgan and Kevin J. LeGrett.  They helped to ease my discomfort of being at the hospital.  Does anyone ever enjoy a trip to a hospital?  It always brings back painful memories of too many visits with my parents in the hospital years ago.  But we survived, had a nice lunch at Eric’s Office, then I continued with my nephew Danny Groot (the Maryland  lacrosse stud) off to a 30th birthday bash for Charles Parkhurst at Wallys in CA Saturday night.  What a great bash (thanks Colleen)!  The place was hopping, everybody in the festive holiday spirit.  It certainly helped to ease the pain of the hospital stop.  

Sunday I sat on my couch in disbelief watching the Bills play a miserable game against the 49ers.  Lose to San Francisco?  C’mon guys!  What started so well, a season filled with hope has disintegrated into another hopeless December now for the Bills.  But that’s ok. We must remember it’s just a game, not life and death like my friend is dealing with now.  No matter how bad our life might be at any moment, somebody else has it worse.  God bless Al and his wife Linda and kids.  I pray for them, as I pray for our courageous soldiers.  God bless our troops.