March Madness is in Full Swing

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Mar 18, 2017, @ 7:30 AM.

#SecuredThePorch: Accomplished (by brother Rick)
BK Guests: None

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We Love March Madness!

(Submitted by Team Widdoss)

If there is a better event in sports than the men’s college national basketball championship I don’t know what it is. I know we now have a national tournament for football but for me it doesn’t compare to the excitement or drama of March Madness. This is the only place you can see David meet Goliath and have a real chance to win. If you doubt that, watch what I think is the very best 30 for 30 ever made called “Survive and Advance”  the story of the 1983 North Carolina State National Champions led by Jim Valvano.

The story is about more than basketball, it is about what you can do when you put your mind to it and never give up.  About never giving  up. To quote Thurl Bailey “this story is about HOPE”. If you have not seen it, give it a watch.  Be prepared to feel a myriad of emotions from happiness and sheer joy to utter sadness but in the end be prepared to be lifted. Every time I watch it, I feel like I still have a chance to do something great. At one point in the show Valvano quotes Reverend Bob Richards (Olympic Pole Vault Champion) “Every single day in every walk of life ordinary people do extraordinary things “. Nothing is truer.   NC State and Valvano himself demonstrate that beyond dispute. Enjoy the games and dare to dream if you feel like it.

We at the Breakfast Club like to fancy ourselves of having a high level of understanding and expertise in the world of sports. You name it, we have it covered. The NFL, College Football, College Basketball, Baseball, Wrestling, Lacrosse, Olympic Sports...we're covered. So why are we failing miserably in March Madness? Here is our BK family & friends March Madness pool and I don't see anyone near the top. Our closest entry is coming in with a 5 ranking. Nothing personal but how are bkwife1, Colin's Grandma and 'kittens and puppies' faring better than the BK club? Jim, Tom, and myself - we are basketball guys. We are getting beaten by 'kittens and puppies'. Has it sunk in yet? I can't get my arms around that. This is why I have no business gambling. 

Mike - I can't thank you enough for the Bob Dylan book titled Bob Dylan - All The Songs. The book goes into great detail on the story behind all 492 songs Dylan has released from the early 1960's to 2015. The reader learns what led to the composition of the songs as well as what musicians were used on each of the recordings. As you know, I am a big fan of The Bob and have spent countless hours getting lost in his story telling. His voice can be challenging at times but his ability to paint images with words has no equal. A while back I stumbled on a homily by Fr. Matthew Kelty, a Trappist monk and confessor to Fr. Thomas Merton, who wrote the most extraordinary analysis of any Dylan song I have ever read. At the time, Fr. Kelty had no idea who Bob Dylan was and had never heard the song Desolation Row but was struck by Dylan's shrewd observations into the human heart. "What happens when we fail? We try and blame someone else. It couldn't possibly be us who live on Desolation Row....For Desolation Row runs right down the middle of Heaven. If it does not, then there is no Heaven."

It's worth a read: Desolation Row: A Homily by Fr. Matthew Kelty 

We have had a few BK members attend the Broadway musical Beautiful recently. So, how about a review? This is our chance to let people know that the BK club is a lot more than just cursing, politics, sports, and craft beer. 

Inspired by Inside, A PopUp Theatrics Production

A poetic journey through my immersive experience with  PopUp Theatrics. What is fact, what is fiction, and what lies between? Inside - a performance inspired by "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madelleine L'Engle. It was an experience like none other.

Because the experience had a certain rhythmic quality, I was drawn to poetry to try and capture it's essence.

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A dark and dreary New York night,
   walking towards the archway door.
She climbs the stairs with a welcome smile
   and the promise of something more.

Into the night the story unfolds
   walking slowly as a pair.
A frozen fountain, a fallen steeple
   Madelleine L'Engle and an heir.

Behind the church, we find ourselves
   with a wounded tortured soul.
In a room with a nurse
   and a mind as dark as coal.

Father, put the bottle down
   fairies moving everywhere.
On the table, around the room
   and out the window we did stare.

Down the steps, into the dark
   she held my hand inside my head.
A pheasant's feather a battered book
   "A Wrinkle in Time" from the dead.

The saxophone played soft and slow
   for the son of Minsk we pray.
You brought a smile, you touched my heart
   cancer, cancer leave you may.

The BKWRP Ends / Obesity Persists

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Mar 11, 2017, @ 7:30 AM.

#SecuredThePorch: Accomplished
BK Guests: Chris Connelly

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The 2017 BKWRP (Breakfast Club Weight Reduction Program) came to an end this Saturday. It was ten long weeks of saying yes to celery and no to meatball parm, yes to salads and no to pizza, yes to steak and no to mashed potatoes. I went without a Bagel for ten long weeks and tomorrow that will all change. Following 7:30 Mass, I will head over to Kettleman's for a Bagel with Lox Spread and a medium coffee with milk thinking "where have you been my long lost friend?" 

Although we all lost weight ranging from 6lbs to 20 lbs, according to the American Medical Association, we are all still either at the low end of the obesity range or the high end of the overweight range. So we still do have some work to do. There is already talk of another weight loss program starting up in a few weeks to try and keep us on the straight and narrow and moving the right direction.

The two methods used in the BKWRP to lose weight seemed to be portion control and Atkins(low carb) and for some reason, the Atkins approach is not regarded as highly as other weight loss programs. I heard countless times, "the weight will come right back as soon as you go off the Atkins diet." I am pretty certain this applies to all diets. Go off the diet and the weight returns. Go to any Weight Watchers meeting and half the people there have been going to Weight Watchers on and off for a dozen or more years. Why? Because the weight returns when you go off the diet. It's not just Atkins. Aye Currumba!

Privacy rules prevent me from publishing who the winner is other than BC-3. However, I am at liberty to say, I am grinning ear to ear right now while I am sipping on one of my choice craft beer selections that I only break out on special occasions. Dr. Atkins, you're a genius. I look forward to the next BKWRP in a few weeks.

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March Madness has arrived. No games have been played yet but I've already heard too much from Jay Bilas. It's not just Bilas though. All the silly talk about what teams got in, what teams didn't, did the selection committee do a good job, is a particular team seeded correctly, etc. It all nauseates me. This isn't rocket science. Win your conference or rely on the whims of an imperfect selection committee. That's the way it goes. The tournament is idiot proof. No matter what, it is a great time of the year. It's actually the only time of the year for college basketball but that's another discussion.

The BK Club will have it's annual March Madness pool. An email will go out shortly with all the necessary credentials.

We had a guest visitor this week with the presence of Chris Connelly. Chris - the BK Club applauds you for your service. Chris is an active member of the Navy Reserves and does a lot of work with large defense contractors. Because much of the work he does is classified, he couldn't tell me exactly what he does. However, I did hear some exciting stories that took place across several continents. Chris appears to be a cross between James Bond and Indiana Jones. Good luck Chris! Be safe and drop a line to the BK club once in a while.

I know of two Broadway plays (Beautiful & On Your Feet) that various BK members and their wives have attended recently. Please - Give us a review. Let us all know how the experience was. No copying and pasting either. We want to know what the play meant to you. What was the play about? Would you recommend it? Would you see it again? Did you learn anything? Where did you go out to eat after? The BK club is waiting with bated breath. 

Come From Away

"Long may your big jib draw"

(A New Foundland colloquial expression meaning "may you have good fortune.")

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Mar 4, 2017, @ 7:30 AM.

#SecuredThePorch: Accomplished
BK Guests: None

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On Saturday, Feb 25, 2017, my son Mark, daughter Carly, and I attended a play called "Come From Away" on Broadway.  It is about the town of Gander, New Foundland, Canada and how the local residents opened their doors and hearts to the passengers of 38 planes that were forced to land in Gander during the September 11 terrorist attacks. The term "Come From Away" is what locals use to describe out of town visitors. Gander, with a population of 10,000, became inundated with 6600 passengers in a matter of hours.

Without hesitation, the town sounds the alarm via local radio and word of mouth that these displaced travelers need to be fed, clothed, comforted and entertained for as long as the airspace is shut down. Emergency housing units are immediately set up and the travelers are provided with food and a place to sleep. Phone banks are provided by the local phone company free of charge and the local super market opens its doors and invites the travelers to "take what you need". With great effort and a deep sense of compassion, the people of Gander accept the challenge and set out to accommodate all the passenger's needs, such as baby food, diapers, medicine, dietary needs, dental and personal hygiene needs, etc.

During the play, we hear from the Gander Mayor, a local Policeman, a school teacher, an ASPCA worker, an American Airline pilot, and several others. All are faced with a variety of challenges (e.g., logistical, physical, emotional, fatigue to name a few), but through sheer will, effort, and a selfless need to provide for others, all are able to succeed. Friendships are formed between locals and travelers as well as travelers and other travelers. Irish Whiskey seems to sell well in Gander and is present in more than one scene.

Many "Come From Aways", as visitors are called, are welcomed to Gander at the local pub with a Newfoundland ritual called screech-in or kissing the cod; a traveler is asked to kiss a cod fish and down a shot of Screech Rum followed by the colloquial expression "long may your big jib draw", which translates to "may you have good fortune." Two travelers, who met for the first time on their flight to Gander, went on to get married. One traveler goes on a moose hunt with a local while many others are invited into homes for a meal and a nice shower and end up staying for days. A Gander school teacher befriends a woman from New York who is trying to reach her son who is a New York City firefighter. They both go to a local church to pray together. After leaving Gander, the woman returns to New York City to find out her son has died in the towers. Needless to say, this was an extremely emotional scene leaving the entire theater either sobbing or desperately trying to hold back tears.

In spite of the painful reminder of the horror that took place on September 11, 2001, the play left me with a very warm and positive feeling about humanity. The evil and darkness of the terrorist attacks were not able to dampen the love, spirit, and generosity of the people of Gander, New Foundland. I expect Come From Away to have a long run on Broadway which will give me ample time to see the play again.

Go see Come From Away and long may your big jib draw!!!

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The Rutgers men's basketball team took a big step forward with a win over the University of Illinois to finish the season with a 3-15 conference record and 14-17 record overall. This year marks the most conference and total wins for the Scarlet nights since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Improvement is coming incrementally but we are definitely trending in the right direction. Patience is warranted! Rutgers will play either Indiana or Ohio State in the Big Ten conference tournament on Wednesday, Mar 8.
Go RU!!!

We had a skeleton crew today with only 4 or 5 people showing up...a very low turnout for the BK club. But I must say, the conversation was very civil. Does that say more about those that were absent or those that were present? I really don't know.

The final weigh-in for the BKWRP is Saturday, Mar 11 at Bobby's. In the event a contestant fails to weigh in on Sat, Mar 11, the most recent weight recorded for that contestant will be used as the final weight.  An exception is being made for Rick B. His final weigh in will be Fri, Mar 10 because he will not be present on Saturday. This allowance is being made primarily because Rick provides the sanctioned scale.

A suggestion was made to extend the final weigh in one week. At first, I didn't have any objections; I try to go through life being flexible, but after I had time to absorb everything, I realized this didn't make any sense. I have been killing myself for 9 weeks, no bagels with lox spread, very little carbs and going to bed hungry most nights. Isn't 10 weeks enough time? Unless, the strategy is to push the final weigh in one week to Sat, Mar 18 in the hope that some people get boxed on St Patty's Day and forget to weigh in the next day. Nice try! I am DONE on Sat, Mar 11.

All BK members/family members - Feel free to provide reviews of any movies or plays that you attend.  

If You Want It, Go For It!

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Feb 25, 2017, @ 7:30 AM.

#SecuredThePorch: Accomplished

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BK Movie Review submitted by Team Widdoss

My wife and I have been trying to see as many of the Oscar-nominated movies as we can before the Oscars air on TV. Recently we saw three movies about three very different real life stories (Patriot’s Day, The Founder and Hidden Numbers).  To me, each movie has the same underlying theme. The theme being that despite numerous setbacks and poor odds if you set a goal and have the determination to keep going forward you will succeed.  

Patriot’s Day tells the story of the capture of the Boston Marathon bombers. The determination of the multiple law enforcement teams and civilians was apparent as thousands of pieces of evidence were analyzed including store security cameras, civilian cell phones and television network’s footage of the marathon. The smallest clues were pieced together and eventually led to the capture of the bombers in five days.   This feat was in a city of 48 square miles with a population of close to 675,000 people where the bombers had no previous arrest records.  

The Founder tells the story of Ray Kroc a moderately successful traveling salesman who always wanted more success. When selling milkshake machines he stumbled across the McDonald Brothers. The brothers’ ingenuity and packaging of food created a very successful hamburger walk-up restaurant.  Ray Kroc had the vision and determination to use the McDonald Brother’s concept  as the nucleus to create an empire. Today, McDonald's is one of the world's largest restaurant chains, serving approximately 68 million customers daily in 119 countries across approximately 36,615 outlets.

Hidden Figures tells the story of three black women (Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson) working at NASA as female black mathematicians in the early 1960’s.  Katherine’s job title was a “computer” and she was the only black women on her team. Katherine eventually proved to be instrumental in many of the NASA missions at the time. Most notably  she served a key role in the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Dorothy was a supervisor without the title of supervisor title since supervisors could not be black.  Dorothy had the vision and determination to teach herself and then the other black mathematicians she supervised how to program “the IBM”. Mary Jackson persevered and overcame segregation in the classroom to earn her engineering degree and become NASA's first black female engineer.  All three women overcame many obstacles through perseverance and determination that eventually led them to their successes.

Each of these 3 stories ended in a success because they had a goal and the determination to achieve that goal. 

I tell this tale as a reminder to us all that in this great country we live in if you want it bad enough the only thing stopping you from achieving your goal is not being determined enough to do whatever it takes to get you there.  You can catch a bomber, build an empire, or fly into space to name a few things if you just keep at it.

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On Saturday, Feb 25, 2017,  all participants in the BKWRP(Breakfast Club Weight Reduction Program) weighed in. This marks the end of the 8th week with only 2 weeks remaining.  From week 4 to week 8, we have 2 entrants who gained weight, 2 who lost weight, 1 stayed the same and 1 declined to weigh in. The excitement of winning has been greatly diminished when $100 of entrance fees were wagered on the Super Bowl and lost leaving only $20 for the winner. However, there still appears to be a very tight race between BC-3 & BC-6. BC-6's failure to weigh in could be all part of a sophisticated plan to gain a mental edge leading up to the final weigh-in on Saturday, Mar 11. But, I'm not sure if BC-3 is going to let up.

Key:
BKWRP - Breakfast Club Weight Reduction Program
BC-x - Beauty Contestant

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It was great seeing Rob Sarosy & Billy Rooney this Saturday. It's always good to hear some fresh ideas. God knows the BK Club can get pretty stale at times.

I did hear some rumblings about me being very generous with my selection of Vince Vaughn to play me in the BK Comes to Broadway play. All I have to say is I think I was VERY generous with everyone. 

Mike Ballanco has been removed from the BK Lottery Board. It had something to do with the abysmal return during his tenure but great thanks have been extended for his service.

There have been several updates made to the BK Club Bylaws as reported by Coach Al, the BK Recording Secretary.  The updates appear to be very benign and fail to address the retirement issue, i.e. when a member retires, receives a retirement party, goes back to work and retires for the 2nd time, is a 2nd retirement party warranted? Hey - sounds like a good excuse for all of us to get together and have a few laughs. 

I have been asked to back up a claim I made stating, "since Obama was elected President in 2008, the Democrats have lost significant ground on the local, state and federal levels." (Because I exaggerate a claim every now and then I get put in the "must fact check" box. Geesh!!!) Here is a sampling. 

House of Representatives
Pre-2007 D-236, R-199
2008 election D-257, R-178
2016 election D-194, R-241

Senate
Pre-2008 D-49, R-49, I-2
2008 election D-57, R-41, I-2
2016 election D-46, R-52

Govenors
Pre-2008 D-28, R-22
2008 election D-29, R-21
2016 election D-16, R-33

Any bets on this trend reversing with the 2018 & 2020 elections?

The BK Club Comes to Broadway

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Feb 11, 2017, @7:30 AM.

#SecureThePorch: Accomplished
Technically, Coach Rick & Coach Tom arrived before me but only about by 1 minute. They have me wondering if they don't approve of the job I am doing as the Head Security of the BK Advance Team. 

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Feb 18, 2017, @7:30 AM.

#SecureThePorch: Accomplished

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I was so happy, and surprised, this week when my lovely daughter Carly asked if she could drop in on the Breakfast Club. Of course, all children of the BK members are welcome and do show up from time to time but this would be her first time. 

Carly is currently enrolled in The New School in Manhattan and is working for Dodger Theatricals, a producing partnership that has an extensive list of Broadway shows including Jersey Boys, Matilda, and A Bronx Tale. She already has produced a few shows off off Broadway and is rapidly climbing the latter. Carly had a particular interest in discussing the role sports has played in all the BK members as a coach as well as a participant. In addition, a number of questions were directed towards the 'C' level BK members regarding leadership styles, motivation, effectiveness, team dynamics, and inspiration.

Why would I not be surprised if 5 years from now there was a play about the BK club and it's members? With that in mind, I along with Cindy, my assistant casting director, took the liberty of sketching out some possible cast members for "The BK Club Comes to Broadway". Let me know what you think and please share any thoughts you may have. I do need suggestions for who will play BK wives.

BK Member	Actor	BK Member	Actor
Ed B	Vince Vaughn	Jim W	John Goodman
Tom R	VP Mike Pence	Steve B	George Hamilton
Rick B	Ed Harris	Mike H	Pierce Bronson
Mike B	Phil Dunphy	Al D	Robert Deniro
Perry B	Justin Bateman	Bobby	Seth Rogen
Auxiliary Members
Jerry C	Keiffer Sutherland	Mark C no photo available	Charlie Sheen
Rich S	Rainn Wilson

A couple of notes:
Yes - I know Mike Pence is not a thespian but he is doing a heck of a job performing for President Trump.

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Happy Birthday Mike B!

We had a bit of a kerfuffle(impressed?) between Mike B. and me over water discharge from a home owner's sump pump. My claim is a homeowner is in violation when a pipe is punched into the street to handle discharged water from a sump pump. Mike's claim is that it is perfectly legal... "What else are you suppose to do with the water?" That sounds very reasonable and logical but to suggest townships are always reasonable and logical is a bit of a stretch. I know it's commonplace but that doesn't mean it's legal. For starters, a homeowner typically breaks through the curb to allow discharged water to flow to the sewer. Wouldn't breaking the curb compromise the integrity of the street and or the sidewalk? It is a bit daunting taking on the 'master plumber' in the group but I stand by my claim until proven otherwise. A Heady Topper shall go to the winner. Please weigh in.

Congratulations to Tom Rooney for winning the BK fantasy Football league. Last year's champion, Mike Hagerty, graciously handed over the trophy. Enjoy your victory, it's not often that the Hagerty boys lose a sports bet.

Someone had an interesting take on the Super Bowl. "If  I was the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, the head coach would have been fired before he left the stadium on Super Bowl Sunday." Hey - we roll hard at the BK Club. As a side note, the Falcons just hired disgraced ex-Rutgers Head football coach Kyle Flood. Clearly, that would never happen if the BK club owned the Atlanta Falcons.

Al - let's set a date for A Bronx Tale. This play has your name written all over it.

One issue that is bubbling with the BK club is whether or not a BK member is entitled to a retirement dinner if said person has already received a retirement dinner but is retiring for the second time. It's not fair to mention anybody's name because that would be personalizing the issue. But, as they say in Brooklyn, "it's not personal, it's just business." Of course, we could always look this up in the bylaws but no one knows exactly where the bylaws are. We know they are somewhere in South Florida but that's about as specific an answer as we ever get.

Congratulations to the Team Connelly for coming up winners in the Super Bowl pool(s). Team Connelly consisted of Jerry C, Tom R, Steve B, Mark C, and Perry B.

Congratulations to Rick Black on his Super Bowl victory.

I'm not going to even ask you how much money was spent to come up with a winning box. I wouldn't want to take away from the victory parade. Am I bitter? Damn right I am!!!

Rutgers University - The Real Super Bowl Champs

Arrived at Bobby's: Sat, Feb 4, 2017 @7:35 AM.

#SecureThePorch: Accomplished

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So, the New England Patriots won another Super Bowl. Yawn! Tom Brady gets his fifth ring and was named MVP. Yawn! Lady Gaga gave a great halftime performance and the Atlanta Falcons give up the biggest lead in Super Bowl history. Another yawn! The real story is Rutgers University had more players playing in Super Bowl XLIX than any other college. Yes, that includes Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, LSU, USC, et al. Hopefully, this can give a nice bump in the recruiting efforts. The Rutgers players are:

Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons, WR
Devin McCourty, New England Patriots, DB
Logan Ryan, New England Patriots, DB
Duron Harmon, New England Patriots, DB
Jonathan Freeny, New England Patriots, LB(injured)

Rutgers actually had more than twice as many players in the Super Bowl as any Big Ten school. That makes Rutgers the real Super Bowl Champs...bam...mic drop!!!

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The Library - Submitted by Coach Tom

The Library is one of the cornerstones of a town. It’s right up there with City Hall, the Court House, Police, and Fire Stations. Where else can you rent a book for free, use a computer, read the local newspapers and current magazines? Teachers use it to prepare lesson plans, students to do research, adults to job hunt, seniors to relax and get caught up with the news and parents to read to their children.

Recently I had a problem with the rent a book for free part. When a new book comes out I go online and place it on Hold. When it becomes available, the Library sends me an email informing me that it is ready to be picked up. Then you have three days to pick it up. Recently I received one of those emails. Actually, I received three of them. So off to the library I went to pick up the three books. I have two weeks to read three books.

I finished and returned one of the books in six days. By then I knew I couldn’t finish the other two in the remaining eight days. So I had to decide between Jeffrey Archer and Lee Child. After a lot of reflection and prayer, I decided that Jack Reacher’s Night School would have to wait for another time.

So on a Saturday I left BK early and drove over to the library to return Night School. As I walked towards the library I decided to drop Night School into the outdoor book drop instead of going inside and returning it.

I check my online account every day. After a few days, I was surprised that it showed Night School still checked out. When the 14 days were up, I had finished Jeffrey Archer and returned it on the due date. The next day I checked online and Jeffrey was shown as returned but Night School was showing as out and now a $.20 fine was due.

After three days I started to panic. The fine was up to $.60. I decided a visit was necessary. Upon entering, I picked out the most friendly looking clerk and explained my situation. This nice lady explained how sometimes books get stuck in the outdoor chute. She had a young person go out and check the chute. When he came back empty handed she immediately went on the offensive. She said a lot of people forget books in their car. Books slide off the seats. She kept mentioning the book cost $28. I explained again that I made a trip just to return the one book. That I didn’t get out of the car and walk to the book drop without the book. She was no longer the friendly person. Now she was the Accuser. She told me I should go back to my car and look under the seat or on the side. I left frustrated. I went back to the car and checked under the seat and on the side Nothing. I started questioning myself. Am I getting old? Did I really return the book?

To make matter worse when I went home my family wanted to know if a poster of me was on the wall at the library. Would my daughter still be allowed to take books out?

Two days later while at home I received a voice mail. It was the Accuser. They found the book.

For the next few days, I checked my account online. The book was no longer outstanding but the fine was still there. So I decided another trip was warranted. This time when I entered the library the Accuser greeted me with a big “Hi Tom.” (Tom!!!) She explained how one of the young people put the book in the donation pile instead of the return pile. She happened to be working when someone wanted to buy the book. She claimed she yelled, “that’s Tom’s book.” Now she’s a hero! I told her the fine is still showing up on my account. She walked me over to the counter and told the clerk to offset my fine. The clerk asked why. She told her just do it. I think the clerk muttered something like “another President Obama pardon”.

Now that I was back in good graces I went to find a book. Guess which book I found and am reading right now, Jack Reacher Night School.

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Although this is the second consecutive blog that involves a Breakfast Club member being accused of committing a crime, there have been no convictions. Which means, for the moment, the BK Club is still in good standing in the community.  Let's see what next week brings.

The sheets were being passed around the BK table and I had to get in on the game. There were $10 boxes, $20 boxes, $50, $100 and $500 boxes and I was in on every sheet. For the bigger boxes, I had a partial stake but I was in on every possible bet. It was all playing out in my head too. After winning, we would all be smoking big fat cigars and drinking martinis celebrating out good fortune. While slapping each other on the back, we would be discussing out next big sports betting opportunity and of course, that would be college basketball. Well, it didn't work out as planned. Not a single box turned up a winner. It kills me to think how I allowed myself to get pulled into the gambling world. I am praying Cindy, my wife does not read this blog.