Click on that Button!

Hey guys,I know Mom, long time, no blog.

First things first, take a look to the right of the page. You'll notice a new addition. An animated button which has the logo of NY Line on it. Please click on it and, if the mood and your current financial situation allows it, donate to the Starlight Children's Foundation. It will accomplish two goals:1. It will help in making the lives of some very sick children better tha it was a day ago.2. It will make you feel good about yourself. It really will.

Back at Bona's I was always involved with the Merry Christmas Melody Marathon (MCMM) and it's mission to purchase toys for the underprivileged kids of Olean & Allegany, NY. It's the kind of feeling that you can't get from anything else. You see first-hand, the fruits of your sacrifice, and it's the kind of smile on a kid that only selflessness can produce.

Help me continue doing that and get a little feel-good vibe for yourself at the same time. Click on the button and follow the instructions. If you have friends, e-mail the address to this blog and let 'em know what to look for.If you wanna know what NY Line is all about, click on any of the links in the column to the right. Also, check out the issues of the NY Clone, which I have done some freelance writing for. It's really quite a remarkable publication and I am proud to be a part of it.

How, you ask, am I able to write such fascinating pieces of work on the go? Well take a look at the newest addition to the GDP's arsenal:


Prof Mobile HQ

That's right, thanks to some financing, my car being paid off, and my wife being very understandable about all of it. I was able to secure a new 15" PowerBook on March 31st and like the 1961 Ferrari GT Californian....it is so choice. If you have the means I highly recommend picking one up.

Now I could go into all of the bells & whistles but that would just take up more webspace than this server has to give. Suffice to say, my creativity jones finally has the perfect compliment. I am mobile and connected 24/7. Which is good because I am going to be very mobile over the course of the next few weeks.

So there you go Mom, a nice, neat blog update. I hope to have more soon, including updates from the Zeigfeld Theater during the festivities.

Remember, click on that button!

The Montreal Canadiens of High School Hockey....

It's true....a spring, 1992 edition of the Bergen Record likened my alma-mater, St. Joseph Regional High School to the great Hab dynasty of the 1950's, 60's & 70's. I mean just look at that banner behind us.....lotsa numbers there!

Last month was the annual SJR Alumni Hockey Game. Where out of shape professionals, to most of whom SJR was another lifetime ago, return to re-live the days-gone-by, even if it is only for a few hours. Honestly, that's all I could take. Man...it was embarrassing to realize I am this out of shape! Treadmill, here I come. That being said, for not playing an organized game in two-plus years, I did not do half bad. I didn't have the pace to keep up with the game but I had the pace to wait around until the game came back to where I was on the ice. Either way, I was in the right place at the right time. Two goals, two assists...your typical McKenna line for a game, yes?

Other than the obeseness realization, it was an absolute blast to see some guys that I haven't been around in close to a decade. I remember in the locker room, back in the day, when we were told that we would always be connected by what we accomplished. As a teenager you brush it off immediately but it's true, the feelings come rushing back to you as soon as you see a familiar face.


SJR Hockey Alumni-Photo Credit, Mr. Barry Donnelly

I shared two State, three league and two league playoff (Gordon Cup) championships with some of the guys in that picture . There are others in that picture who came before and actually built the program up from the ground, guys that traveled an hour each way, just so they could play hockey for their high school. There are still others in that pic who came after me, who kept the tradition alive by representing the school with grace, class and determination. Those kids who came after had the toughest part of them all, inheriting a program with a rich history and tradition but suffering a number of setbacks off the ice which crippled the recruiting power of the school for a long while. Those kids are as important in the history of the program as any. If I could give 'em all rings, I would. For them, the payoff is coming....sooner than most people think because after a strong season this year, in an infinitely tougher NJSIAA hockey season than when I played, SJR made the states and made people sit up and take note once again. They have a young team, with almost everyone returning, next year it's moving day for the Knights.

Well, Springsteen's "Glory Days" is just about over on my iPod, as is this little trip. If I bored you, tough. I earned that right, yes?