Back in the summer of 81 one of my drinking buddies would pick me up on his Harley on the weekends and we would drive through the Vermont woods to his bar on a small lake. We had many escapades and "lost" weekends. It all ended one weekend when he put a bullet through his head.

My drinking buddy was haunted. A decorated Vietnam Vet with a Purple Heart. He never seemed to have left the war. In the end, it seems the war finally caught up with him.

As I think about Memorial Day, I can't help to think of him and many veterans of Vietnam. It seems that age and disability somehow places me in the same "zone". I've known many veterans of the war. Often times I am "adopted" into the group as being one of them. There was a particular group in Arizona who not only adopted me but swore I was well known over there.

Anyways this isn't about me. Its about homeless vets with deep psychological issues left alone while the rest of us remember those who have gone on.

Why do we always think of folks after they are gone?

Terry, this Buds for you dude............

And yes Mom I rode Harley's too. :)

What ever happened with the fish experiment? Bet you've been thinking about that one. Well by Federal Government standards, it was a success. We've been able to maintain balance within the tanks ecology so that we've not had to change water. Plus we still have 5 of the original 6 inhabitants. Good eh?

Well, while its true that we have not changed water or did the 1/3 thing, and yes it is true that 5 original fish still swim the tank we left out the fact that we've lost 20 other fish and that the 5 remaining would probably survive in sewage water as long as they were fed. 3 Goldfish, 1 Betta and a goober still reside in the tank. None of which could really be considered a sensitive fish :)

We'll be cleaning out the tank in the next week or so and start all over. Well with the old fish of course.

Several years ago my wife and I enjoyed an evening with Steven Hawking. It was a great night. We went to one of his lectures, than afterwards we met him back stage. We finished the evening with all of us having dinner together.

Doesn't that sound exciting? Problem is once again, even tho everything above is true, it is not really what happened. Yes we did go to a lecture presented by Steven Hawking. This is totally true. And yes we did see him back stage. Behind the stage was the wheelchair entrance/exit we were both in our wheelchairs so we both ended up back stage. And yes we really did have dinner together. We happened to end up in the same restaurant but separate tables. Across the room in another section.

It is interesting how easy things can be manipulated to appear more or less than what it really is.

I bet I can get a job with Uncle Sam..................

I got myself in trouble the other day. I was visiting a website for the disabled when I posted that I have a "normal disability". Folks took offense to that statement.

Let me explain a little. A lot of disabilities are caused by some event in the persons life. ie: He stepped on a land mine, car accident even sports related football injury. Than you can have disabilities that are genetic and may not appear for years after birth. In these cases the people with disabilities started off with a "normal" life and than that life became "abnormal" with the emergence of their disability.

They had something, but now they don't.

Than there are folks like me who know nothing different than what we are. From day one we've been disabled. However, for us there is no "normal" than "abnormal" change. In our world, our disabilities are actually "normal" for us.

Hence the term "normal disability".

Even in a disabled community, I don't fit in. :)

Well went and saw the Neuro Surgeon. Dude wants to cut my head off. Actually, for 4-5 vertebra in my neck the passage way the spinal cord runs through is narrow. Pinching nerves eventually causing loss of function or even the possibility of complete paralysys from the neck on down. Now thats a disability. Anyways, the Doc wants to go in remove the bones, ream them out and reassemble with pins screws, and plates. Big decision with risks on either side. I'll let you know what I decide...............