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mothers day

So I sit here and ponder; if I was to explain what a “mother” is/was/will be to an alien, what would I say?  I have a gift from God of the ability to write or speak in a way that truly affects people.  I do not have the ability to describe what a mother truly does or is or what they eventually become.  Let me give this a try.

LIFE.  Your mother gave you LIFE.  She made sacrifices beyond belief during her pregnancy.  The sickness.  The pain.  The sleepless nights.  All of this with complete selfishness and her focus on the unknown.  She gave you life and then it comes with the sacrifice of herself.  She never puts herself in a position of importance again.  She will guide you, advise you, teach you, love you, hold you, and basically alter her life in a way that puts her in the trunk of the car.  I, being single and without kids, am in awe of this ultimate act of love and kindness.

SHE ALWAYS WORRIES.  I used to get shitty with my mom for her constant worry for worry really is the focus on negative energy but I now understand that worry is also a sign of love.  Embrace the worry for someday it will not be there until we meet again.

KNOWLEDGE.  I’m 51.  I think I know it all.  I talk to my mother and I always come away with something I didn’t know or realize.  I am not as smart as I think I am and you MUST listen to your mother at all times.  She truly knows the best.  It took me a looooooong time to realize this.

Grab and hold your mother tight today.  If your mother has passed…..relish in the fact that you WILL meet again.  Today is not “just another Sunday.”  Today is Mother’s Day.  It should be a 365 days a year.  Let me close by wishing all the Mom’s out there a wonderful and happy day.  You deserve this, earned this and are appreciated more than you will ever know.  I also must add the fact that I was blessed with the “Greatest Mom In the World.”  I know that those of you reading this will dispute that but that’s part of the wonder of this day.  Mom….thank you for giving me life and your ability to look through my faults and encourage me in my times of trouble.  Happy Mother’s Day to all.

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thanksSo my mom is gonna return to work tomorrow and stop babysitting me. For those that don’t know I died and came back.  Saw two more doctors today that were fascinated about heaven and what I saw.  I told them I was embarrassed that I needed to see to believe and I have much work to do to fix what I did in the past.

We all make mistakes….problem for me is that I did not learn from my mistakes….I kept on going not acknowledging the blessings I had received.  I saw a good friend of mine tonite.  First time since I hit rock bottom and died.  He looked stunned….he said “You look great!”  I laughed and said “ I don’t look great….the fact that when you last saw me I looked lost.”

The greatest strength you can gain is admitting your greatest weakness.  My mind is on fire.  I am finally back on the road I always wanted to be.  What I want to tell you is that you can do the same.  Being weak only leads to being strong.  We need to constantly evaluate ourselves.  Never underestimate or fear the laughter of others when you admit to faith and prayer.  I don’t wanna come across as a bible thumper but I do feel I need to share what happens when you die.  I can tell you that I need to improve and I hope you join in my journey.  Thank you for reading.  Tomorrow on the podcast we have plenty of people to make fun of .

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me and momToday is a special day. My Mom is 76 today and is quite an amazing person. She still works full time, enjoys doing outside yard work, and goes to church every Sunday. When I was in ICU she was there every day including the six days I was unconscious. When I regained consciousness she was there as I had to learn how to speak and eat again. I remember her having faith that I could chew a cracker. I thought she was trying to choke me. She was right. How weird that must have been for her to go through something she had gone through so many years ago.
I learned something I never knew about my mother. While in ICU I asked her “When did you tell your first lie?” She replied “I never have. I’ve always been kind of an oddball.” Oddball? This is the furthest thing from being an oddball and something that is parallel to the life of a Saint. Mom has been staying at my house since my release from ICU on October 6th. It’s not easy as I have always thrived on living and being alone. We have had long conversations about my OCD, social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder. Although it is hard for her to relate I give her credit for acknowledging my need to always have a TV on 24/7 and how I cannot exist in silence.
I, on the other hand, have figured out her mastering of being passive-aggressive. She will ask me a question and I will say “no.” Five minutes later she asks basically the same question but in a different way. There comes a time when ya just have to say “F##k it” and do what she wants. It makes her happy and stops me from having a severe panic attack and possibly being led away by men in white suits and butterfly nets.
I take this day and salute all of you mothers. I don’t know how ya do it. The unique intuition you have when something is wrong and how you worry non stop. Any female can give birth to a child but it takes an amazing and gifted person to be a mother. I , obviously, am biased and believe that I have the best one in the world. Happy Birthday to my rock in this world and again a special salute to all the mother’s in the world.

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seond chanceI should be dead.   Let’s start there.  On September 21, 2015 I started to go downhill, healthwise, at a rapid pace.  I was coughing up blood and struggling to catch my breath.   It was late that Monday afternoon when I knew I had to call 911.  I didn’t have the strength to get off the couch and told the 911 operator that the paramedics would have to come through the window.  She stayed on the phone with me until they arrived.  The paramedics worked quickly to remove me from the house and our destination was Wellington Regional.  They were moving at the fastest pace possible so I knew this was serious.  This thought was supported even further when the one in the back of the emergency unit asked me “Why did you wait so long?”

I was unconscious by the time I reached the hospital so I had to fill in the blanks by questioning my doctors and medical staff.  I had pneumonia.  This caused a heart block.  My heart rate fell to 22.  My other organs were slowly shutting down.  My mother was contacted late that Monday evening and the doctors were honest with her;  They didn’t know if I would make it through the night.  I would remain unconscious, hooked to wires and machines, for the next six days.

I may be ridiculed, by some, for what I share with you next.  Let me preface what I am about to tell you by giving you a bit of background of my religious beliefs and upbringing.  I was raised Catholic.  I stopped going to church a long time ago.  I believed in a Supreme Being and an after-life.  I was never one to read the Bible or one to devote much of my time to prayer.  Now let me share with you what I learned.

There is a heaven.  I know because I was outside the doors.  I begged God for another chance;  for the ability to make a difference and use the talents He has given me.  I begged Him for forgiveness and promised that I would use a second chance to make a difference in my life and attempt to do the same in the lives of others.

When I finally regained consciousness I was told that I did actually “die and come back.”   My mother mentioned that when I was fighting to regain consciousness I kept saying “I’m sorry.  I am so sorry. Please give me another chance.”  Physically I was very sick but spiritually this was an awakening and something that has changed my life.

I learned the heart block caused damage to my heart and I would need a pacemaker.  On Monday September 29, 2015 I was transferred from Wellington Regional to JFK Medical Center, a hospital known for their cardiac care.   One week after my transfer and NUMEROUS tests, pills and pokes my permanent pacemaker was installed on Monday October 5, 2015.  Yesterday, October 6, 2015 I was finally discharged and returned home.

I am on the road to recovery.  I pop more pills on a daily basis than Keith Richards does.  I can’t drive for another two weeks and I follow up with two doctors next week.  I need to take and log my blood pressure and pulse on a daily basis.  Having been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder this is the least of my problems in fact I just did it five minutes ago and of course I logged all the numbers into my computer.   Yesterday was the first day since September 21st that I was on my feet and moving around for an extended period of time.   It’s both amazing and embarrassing at the things I took for granted. So many people showed concern for me and for that I am drastically humbled and forever grateful.  I have been given a second chance and I plan on delivering on my promise to make a difference.  We all face struggles on a daily basis.  Some days are better than others but I don’t think God gives us anything we can’t handle or is without reason and purpose.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.  I truly believe that what happened to me has a purpose.  You reading this blog entry is part of my spiritual mission.  Thank you for your time, concern, understanding and support.  Enjoy the rest of your day.

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me and dadSixteen years ago today my phone rang in Cleveland and I looked at the caller ID.  It was the neighbor of my father.  I knew what this was about before I even answered…..my father had died at the age of 57.  There is no way to prepare anyone for the feelings you will have when losing a parent.  It’s almost like you become a member of “The Club” where you and the others don’t even have to speak your feelings to know what the other has gone through.

After getting the news I remember looking out the window and thinking: “Why are there cars on the road, why are the banks open, why are people grocery shopping and why are people at work?”  It was a big glass of reality for me.  The time we have here on this planet is undetermined and people suffer the loss of loved ones every day but as far as the planet it’s “business as usual.”

I was thirteen and in the basement with Dad when he gave me the greatest advice ever.  He said “Just remember, no matter what, your parents will be the best friends you ever have.”  Of course being thirteen I knew it all and it didn’t really sink in.  Over the years I have truly found not only those words to ring true but also words that have become more relevant and accurate as the days go by.

I really miss the opportunity to grab the phone in my times of trouble or confusion.  I knew that a helpless situation would be put into proper perspective with a five minute conversation with my father.  Now I’m left to figuring it out by myself and I’m not very good at it.

Dad taught me what it was like to be a man.  A man isn’t someone that lifts a lot of weight, can chop down a tree with four swings of an ax, or someone who has to tell anyone “ I’m a man!”  A true man is one that thinks of others instead of himself, gives of his time without expecting anything in return and isn’t afraid to cry from time to time.  I’m still working on so many things he taught me and I hope to have those lessons learned by the time we meet again.   I love you Dad…and look forward to when we meet again…..I got a lot to tell ya!

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hulk hogan

This is our first audio blog.  Basically Danny focuses on a current news story and instead of offering his opinion in the written word he opens his big pie hole and breaks the situation down how it really is and not how the mainstream media wants you to believe.  Just click media player below.

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JEFF DUNHAMI hate puppets.  I just find the entire process a bit freaky.  There’s a man with his hand up a sock trying to convince those around him that his talking sock is real.  For my mind this doesn’t work.

Jeff Dunham is a successful comedian…..why?  I have no idea but he made $25 million one year and has his own private jet and he makes his living talking to a sock.  I should also mention he is a great ventriloquist which is also very creepy.  Unless you are Stephen Hawking I expect you to move your lips when you speak and people who have conversations with themselves usually are in a rubber room weaving baskets out of cooked spaghetti.

So Jeff Dunham was in West Palm one weekend playing the local comedy club and part of the deal upper management made with the club is that each comedian in town that week would appear on my show every Friday.  Don’t get me wrong.  Some were GREAT but others didn’t want to be there and they basically brought the show to a screaming halt.  Jeff shows up and goes in our “green room.”  During a commercial break I walk in and introduce myself.  I said “Gotta be honest.  Puppets freak me out and this is radio so there is no reason to bring in a puppet.  Do all the voices ya want.  We’ll have fun.”  I then walked back in the studio as the commercial break was about over and I like to bring my guests in live.  Have them walk in…get settled….introduce the rest of the show, let them adjust their mic, etc all LIVE on the air because I think it involves the listeners and is much more REAL.

You can guess what happened right?  Dunham brings in “Walter” which is the old man puppet pictured above.  Dunham starts in on me right away with Walter, “What’s a matter Danny?  Afraid of an old man?”  Now I’m an honest guy and I replied “Look Jeff.  You have your hand in a sock.  I am not talking to a sock.”  Well Dunham only saw this as a challenge and tried to get me to talk to Walter.  “You’re grumpier than me.  You look like you haven’t had a bowel movement.  How long have you hated old people?”

Well I refused to be sucked into this game and I found the tension in the room to be riveting….who is gonna turn this off?  I came back at Jeff, “Look….we talked about this before.  I will talk to you all day but that is not an old man.  That is a very expensive sock.  You have your right hand in a tube sock and I can’t engage in a conversation with something that belongs in a shoe.”

Dunham’s next move shocked me.  He barked out “Fine.”  He stood up, grabbed Walter, threw him….yes THREW him in a guitar case and stormed out of the studio.  The sight of an adult throwing a puppet in a guitar case in a fit of anger made me laugh uncontrollably.  To this day whenever I put on a pair of socks I think of Jeff Dunham.  I also think of the $25 million he made in one year.  Scoreboard Dunham and his sock.

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Crazy Car GuyWe all have been through the car buying experience and the competition to get your business is very high.  This is the reason thousands of dollars are spent in your city by local dealerships to convince you to walk inside their showroom.  I have been involved in the media business for many years and I will never understand the car dealer that insists on doing his own commercial because, quite frankly, you look like a goofball.

You know what I am referring to.  On St. Patrick’s Day he dresses like a Leprechaun.  On Christmas he’s in a Santa suit and his brother is dressed as an elf.  On Valentine’s Day he may even dress as Cupid and shoot an “arrow of savings LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!!!”  That’s another thing they do….they freaking yell at you.  You are not cutting a commercial for Wrestlemania you own a freaking car lot.  Are you gonna scream at me when I walk in the door?  If that’s the case I may as well buy a car from my mother as I walk out of my door with a wet head.

“At (insert car dealership name here)     WE HAVE GONE CRAZY!!”  Really?  Then I would suggest a trip to the psychiatrist to get some proper meds because I don’t want you sitting next to me during a test drive frothing at the mouth with a switchblade in your pants pocket.

And while I’m on a roll let me address the giant inflatable King Kong that some dealerships insist on placing on top of their roof.  First of all King Kong is not real.  Secondly a balloon serves the purpose of putting a smile on the face of a young child so if this is your strategy to attract your target customer I’m quite confident they are not carrying a Mensa card.  That’s my service to the public for today….perhaps tomorrow I’ll address the Chuck Norris Total Gym.

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deflated footballsLet me begin by saying I don’t like the New England Patriots.  Nothing against the people of the city or the city in general I’m just tired of them winning.  Their quarterback may be the best of all time and he’s married to a super model.  I’m a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan so perhaps I’m just naturally bitter but the country is consumed with the footballs they used in this past weekend’s AFC Championship Game.

ESPN is reporting that eleven of the twelve balls that the Patriots supplied for the game were under inflated.  This is a big deal because only the Patriots use the balls that they supplied for the game, it was raining, and under inflated balls are easier  to catch.  If you weren’t aware of the final score it was Patriots 45 Colts 7.   If the final score was 45-41 I might see the cause for concern but let’s not lose focus of “the rules.”  IF New England is guilty of under inflating their balls then they deserve to be reprimanded regardless of the fact the Colts were blown out like a mobile home during a tornado.

What really concerns me about this story is the media.  This deserves to be a big story for ESPN and other sports programs but this was the second story this morning on network news after the President’s State of the Union Address.  The fourth story was another showing of the video of that policeman lip-synching to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.”  I’m surprised there wasn’t a live shot of Bruce Jenner shaving his legs.

The bottom line with network news is winning the ratings war.  If these stories mirror what is on the meter of interest of the average American then we really have become a tabloid society and that’s scary to me.  In the meantime I will continue to educate myself by surfing the internet and exposing myself to a variety of sources and opinions while I chuckle like a fifth grader listening to network anchors saying “deflated balls.”