How much do you love your siblings?

We recently had a family member go through a rough time with cancer, prognosis was not good. We began to talk about what would you do if it were your sister, brother, or other family member suffering from illness. I came up with many viable and tangible solutions, for example:

If my Brother was gravely ill- Given he knows how to knock down brews, trying to drink him into a beer induced coma would most definatley kill me. I would secretly feed him that Strict-9 laced turkey he got from that Bodega in Ben Salem, Pa. He wouldn't stand a chance. And just to show how much I care for him I would use that action photo of him jumping into the pool in back yard on White St. at his wake. If by some miracle he lived through the turkey I would have MacGuyver and Kevin Allen take him off his death bed and head to 5 Points for some Nibbles&Gibbles hot chips.

If my Mother was ill- I would employ my favorite aunt Grace to come and be her live-in nurse. I would build them bunk beds with auntie Grace on top bunk. I would have Grace read to her and have daily slde-shows of her and Uncle Richards vacations. Aunt Grace would also take my Mother shopping for cotton slacks that were only inspected by Inspector 12. After about a week of this my Mother would be begging me to unplug her machines and let her slip away.

If my Sister was ill- I would slip into her hospital room and smother her with a pillow. Just to show I'm not heartless I would use a clean pillow and I would construct a memorial calendar of her using the 365 days and some change year.

August CliffsNotes

Just spent a week in the "August Place To Be"? Standing at Albany Airport ready to catch a flight back to where ever it is you came from, so hungry but you can't eat because you just blew 2 weeks pay? Nervous about going to visit family the day after a night out, wondering maybe that you made a total ass out of yourself the night before....but you can't be sure? It's all a blur during August in Saratoga. Every where there are barbecues, parties, and the ever present bar. It's an escape from reality for a brief moment. You are not that swing shift supervisor, the office tech, teacher, doctor, or whoever. You have no responsibilities or appointments to meet. You're biggest worry is what time is last call. The day is spent at the track piecing yourself back together from last night's activities, not for your physical well being but only to feel good enough to go back out. You dare not go out in fear that you might miss one more classic moment. I wouldn't have it any other way................

Ain't got no money ain't got no job how do you do it doo doo Dom

4th. Of July

As america celebrates it's independance I remeber the 4th. July celebrations that took place over the years on White St. Bill Green used to put on a firework display that would make Coney Island jealous. Bill Green first began as a oil field firefighter in Texas. He became world famous as an innovator in the highly specialized and extremely hazardous profession of extinguishing and capping blazing, erupting oil wells, both land-based and offshore. Green was born in Houston, Texas, and attended Reagan High School. He began fighting oil well fires after returning from serving in a bomb disposal unit during Vietnam. Green started his career working for the MM Kinley Company, the "original" blowout/oil firefighting pioneer. Bill gained global fame in 1982, when he tackled a fire at a gas field in the Sahara nicknamed the Devil's Cigarette Lighter, a 450-foot (137m) pillar of flame. In 1988, he helped put out the Piper Alpha oil rig fire. At age 45, Green took part in extinguishing the oil well fires in Kuwait set by retreating Iraqi troops after the Gulf War in 1991. In 1978, Green's top lieutenants Asger "Boots" Hansen and Ed "Coots" Matthews left to found competitor Boots & Coots International Well Control, Inc. Green was the basis for the Kurt Russell character Bull McCaffrey in the film Backdraft. He even appeared as an extra in the film. Green sadi after fighting the oil well fires in Kuwait, "I've done made a deal with the devil. He said he's going to give me an air-conditioned place when I go down there, if I go there, so I won't put all the fires out." Here's to you Bill Green.

When I die bury me under Louie's cherry tree.

All-Pro Sean

Was the son of Market and brother to Dodie and Doc. He was a little league legend and even has a row of bleachers named after him at the Mechanicville little league park. His post baseball career led All-Pro to many career avenues. He was a paper boy, lemonade salesman, and even had a short stint as Sanitation Manager at the flat track. Working at the track led him to take a job as a hot-walker, then groom, and eventually landed him at Someday Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania. All-Pro worked as a farm hand for Pat Chapman. All-Pro's path to the job at the farm was a checkered one, there were allegations leveled against him at Aqueduct Race Course. The allegations consisted of All-Pro physically assaulting jockeys who lost races he bet on. In 1998 famed jockey Kent Desormeaux was injured after losing the Belmont on Real Quiet to Victory Gallop by a nose. He had a fractured skull and lost hearing in one ear. This, of course, was a cover up. The jockey was beaten in the paddock by All-Pro, who had bet his brother's t-shirt money on the race. Forced to leave the track All-Pro took the job at Someday Farm under the alias S. Marty Jones. This was a tribute to uncle who was known as "Slick Marty". Pat Chapman upon reading his work badge began to call All-Pro "Smarty Jones". In Febuary of 2001 a horse was born on the farm, during birth the horse's skull and left eye were completely fractured. Chapman was leaning toward having the young horse put down but All-Pro convinced her to let him nurse the horse to health. Chapman went against her gut feeling and agreed with All-Pro. All-Pro nursed the hosre back completely, Chapman would go on to name the horse "Smarty Jones", in honor of All-Pro. Smarty Jones would go on to win The Preakness and The Kentucky Derby. After regaining his track status All-Pro went on to open up Funky Dodie Dina Stables, this is in honor of his sister who suffers from tourets syndrome. Today All-Pro splits time between Philadelphia Park and The Philadelphia Amplitheatre, All-Pro is a professional break dancer in the off-broadway play Beat Street. A great man and an even greater White Streeter.

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