Everyone it's good to be back blogging this week. I apologize for not posting a blog a week ago. I was in a vehicle crash where I suffered a back injury and $6200 worth of damages to my car. My back is still hurting since I have a lumbar strain and a fractured disk/vertebrae (I was not a good science student so my terminology is not at its best) as well as arthritis in my lower back. After a weeks worth of exercises, doctor's appointments and PT, I'm beginning to get used to what is now the new normal for the time being. I definitely miss running with Fleet Feet Sports Rochester. They have become like a sort of family to me. The people at Fleet Feet as well as my running crew have been very encouraging. This was definitely a pick me up for sure. My buddy Ray who is also my boss at work has been very encouraging as well while giving me timely advice regarding back injuries since he had a back issue a year ago. The injury couple with the writing sabbatical that I'm going to be on until November has turned into a "Wake up and smell the roses moment" for me. It seems that I haven't been enjoying life like I should and am now starting to do so once again.
Well I'm following baseball in full throttle mode while picking up some autos in stadium and in person and making trades/purchases of sports cards on line and in person. I'm now working on 2014 Allen & Ginter Baseball, 2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champs and 2014 Panini Golden Age sets. They have an awesome historical feel to them. I'm also in the process of trying to complete insert sets for Topps Series I & II baseball. The inserts are limited print cards that are issued in Topps packs. Also the 2014 Bowman Baseball both base and prospects as well as 2014 Topps Pro Debut are on my list of sets that I am trying to complete. I have a couple of baseball card shows in my area to check out this weekend as long as my back is able to hold up. They will be the first ones since June. I even made a killer find at a flea market Sunday. I picked up four small boxes of cards and a bag of 100 nine pocket sleeves. Needless to say that a Ken Griffey Bowman rookie from 1989 and a racing autograph were my top finds. Today I bought a few packs of 2014 Topps Football. I'm going to collect only the rookies and trade the rest of the cards. Well once again card collecting has helped me keep my head on straight during trying times. It is a therapeutic activity for me along the lines of FDR and his stamp collecting that helped him forestall a nervous breakdown.
As for my writing, I have seventy three days left on my writing sabbatical. When it ends on November 1 at 12:00 am, I will immediately begin to write Gladio for my National Novel Writer's Month project. As NaNoWriMo approaches I will discuss Gladio more. It has been nine days since Deception has been published and Trafford Publishing has approached me about doing a book to screen event in Los Angeles at the end of September. They would like me to go there and pitch both Black Friday and Deception to Hollywood producers. I tried that route with Black Friday last year and although I had a great time in New York, the attempt to turn Black Friday into a movie was a failed one. The prices for Pitch Fest as it is properly called are outrageous and I refuse to do it again at this time. Some of the story lines for Deception are actually being played out in the news these days. Between the mass immigration of Mexicans (Arabs in Deception), rioting (See Ferguson, MO) and the Caliphate (ISIS) it's hard to ignore what has been transpiring in the news as of late.
With the mass immigration of Mexicans, it's hard not to ignore the fact that there is a possibility that al-Qaeda or some other terrorist group had its members enter the United States through the Mexican border while blending in with the immigrants or even Mexican citizens converting to Islam and then crossing the border into the USA. That's one diabolical way of carrying out a terror plot.
The events in Ferguson, MO are disturbing to put it mildly. With the different accounts of what occurred, if Michael Brown was in fact rushing for the officer's gun, the officer should have fired bullets into Michael Brown's leg or arm or even both. With the two bullet wounds in his head and four in his arm, it was a Marine style shooting according to a friend of mine who served in the Marines. One shot to the head and then two to the body. The fact that the Ferguson Police Department has been very slow in releasing the details and key information regarding the investigation and what occurred that day makes me question what really happened to Michael Brown. Although there was audio/video about the shooting, if it was audio I would question it and if it was video I would accept it. It's frightening that the protests and rioting could spread nationally. I'm convinced that we need to brace ourselves for the possibility.
With ISIS, they desire to convert the USA to Islam and put a black flag on the White House while establishing a Caliphate. The methods that are being employed by ISIS have outraged a lot of people. One Syrian Christian was kidnapped and tortured to the point that he rejected Christianity and converted to Islam. After he said an Islamic prayer, he was beheaded! What a humiliation to be stripped of your faith, your salvation and then get beheaded! That was ISIS' plan with him all along. They have also kidnapped Christian women and are using them as sex slaves. If this is the future of Islamic terrorism, then we need to go all out and fight ISIS until they are no more. I think that they are the grave threat these days.
Enough on this blood boiling issue. These issues have been swept aside by the deaths of both Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall as well as he ALS ice bucket challenge. We have lost two movie icons a week ago. They were tremendous talents who have left an unforgettable impression on us. The ALS ice bucket challenge has swept the nation by storm. With my back injury, I know that I would make one awkward movement and make the injury worse. That is why I will donate from my heart and not be told how much to donate. I videotaped my neighbor doing the ice bucket challenge last week. I think that it's very admirable, the tactics could use a little fine tuning. How about donating what one can afford. I think that would put more people at ease about the whole thing. Enough said about that.
It's hard to believe that another summer is about come to an end. Time flies these days especially as everyone gets older. I have no question that we all must take advantage of what the waning days of summer has to offer. That is what we must do especially in the next week. With that it is time for me to close this blog for the week and take advantage of what summer has left to offer!
Take Care,
Tom
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