The biggest of which is that Liz busted her butt to become the youngest professor in her department at Johnson and Wales University. She finished her Masters from the University of Illinois (yes we are no longer a full time Big East family..the Big “10″ has crept in) and was offered the job very soon after. Her next step is a promotion to Associate Professor and a Doctorate degree.

Our family welcomes a new member in 2011, who is currently snoring way too loud in the next room. He is now every bit of 9 months old and probably pushing 80 pounds. He (Charlie, Chuck, the Chucknuts, Dufus–all depends on his degree of bonehead) still likes to cuddle on my lap (lucky me) and is aggressively affectionate. He is a good boy though and finally started to lift his leg when he pees!! Very big moment. He has found his big boy bark and is getting protective of his family. He still loves to wrestle and play bumper dog (an activity when he runs into the wall of our downstairs and “bounces” off of it and sprints to throw himself into the love seat across the room). He has very big shoes to fill and is doing just fine.

For Livvy, 2011 marked the start of her adventure in Kindergarten in Our Lady of Mercy. She has reconnected with some old friends and made some new ones. She is learning to read…and doing very well…and doing some basic math. She has a genuine love for school and learning and was even excited when Liz discovered her vacation was cut a day short and had to return to school a day early. This was the year of Olivia’s first flight when she and Liz traveled with the basketball team to South Padre Island, TX for a basketball tourney over Thanksgiving. Her favorite parts were the take off and landing. In fact, on the way down to Texas she managed to travel on a bus, plane and train all in one day. Very exciting.

For me, 2011 marked another year in Friartown. A new coaching staff has come in and flipped the program around in a very good way. I saw my first player ever drafted to the NBA and it was my first full calendar year helping da people at the fire house. I have also started on a long journey for a goal I set for myself years ago….started work on a PhD. It is going to be a long, hard process but anything worth doing is hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

2012 is already off to an interesting start. Liz is on the verge of buying a new car and we host #1 Syracuse tomorrow night….gotta love Big East basketball.

Until next time….tight lines everybody…

Over 300,000 households and businesses lost power. Now if you are from a larger state than RI, that is not a real big number…but think about this…there are ONLY 400,000 households and businesses in RI..meaning 3/4 of the state was without power. We were one of the 25% that had electricity. I got a notification from Providence College that we lost a transformer and that they had no idea when it would be repaired..until then..campus was closed (it has since been brought back online). We drove around and saw trees all over the place…not branches…trees. We saw power lines draped over the roadways….poles snapped in half…water damage…houses damaged and people walking around their property and towns in a daze. Olivia requested that we drive by her school in East Greenwich. She was concerned about the brand new playground the school just put in place. We get to the town to see windows all boarded up and/or taped up…traffic lights that were not on and people driving very slow to look at everything. The entire town was dark..BUT..the playground survived!

You never really know just how much we rely on electricity until it is gone. Here is an example from my family. In true Rhode Island fashion..while driving around to look at the damage..the girls wanted to stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee (Liz) and munchkins (for my munchkin). Now for those of you who have never been to Rhodie..there is a Dunkin’ Donuts every few miles. In fact, on one street in Providence there are two Dunkin’ Donut right across the street from each other….yeah I do not get it either. Anyway, we went to 8 Dunkin’ Donuts over a 36 hour period stretching across several towns trying to accomplish this mission…and as of right now…Monday evening at 9pm…we have yet to find a Dunkin’ that has both coffee and munchkins due to the powerloss or inability to receive and store supplies. The quest continues tomorrow.

In Vermont, they had a 100 year flood..similar to what we had 15 months ago. They lost several covered bridges…if you have ever been in Vermont, you know they are iconic and very historic. Back in RI, the towns on the south shore were hammered by the waves.

For the RI VP’s, we had 3 things work for us during the storm. My townhouse is right up against a major hill..taller than my building….on 2 sides..the South and the West..right where the winds from Irene were coming from. My house was shielded from the damaging winds. Our powerlines are underground so even IF a tree were to be blown over..it would not have hit any powerlines. Finally, my development is new..meaning the trees are not very old or big..all they did was bend a little. Like I said, we were very lucky in this storm.

Two of our teams were out in the storm. Our Women’s Soccer team was in North Carolina and Volleyball was in Philly. Both teams were suppose to fly back on Sunday, but were postponed until Monday. Volleyball had to fly into Hartford, CT as opposed to TF Green in RI.

Now that my first hurricane experience is over, there are a few new words/phrases added to my vocabulary…words such as hurricane barrier, flood gates, cat (as in Category..the strength of the hurricane) and TS (short for tropical storm). Never thought they would become part of my every day language. Walking around this morning fishing (1 largemouth bass…13 inches caught on a jitterbug), Austin and I were treated to the lovely sounds of back up alarms on big trucks and the gentle hum of chain saws working in the distance. It will be a while before all the repairs are finished and Vermont to recover…but in true New England fashion..I am sure we will bounce back just fine. After all, this it he home of the Patriots..we have a tough guy reputation to uphold.

Until next time…..tight lines everybody!

There are power lines and trees down all over the place. I am listening to my fire scanner and pretty much every call is to deal with one of those situations. The power in my house is flickering as I write this and aside from Charlie wanting to go out side to chase leaves and drink puddles in stead of going to the bathroom….things are going pretty smoothly. I have my Black and Decker Storm Center all set up (a gift a few years ago) so if we do lose power we can still track the storm via radio and have a back up battery to use for lights or to charge a cell phone.

The media is showing video of the beaches and hurricane barriers in the state and even interviewed some numb nuts that said he jumped into the water this morning just to see what it was like. Don’t worry…he only went up to his waist (idiot). Luckily the moron didn’t get himself into trouble and some volunteer crew didn’t have to put their safety at risk so he could have a “once in a life time” experience.

Keeping our heads down…

They are saying around here that this hurricane is going to be the worse one to hit RI in 60+ years. We keep hearing warning about making a ‘kit’ in case we have to leave our house and to be prepared for massive wind damage, flooding and power outages. Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel is even camping out in RI..that is never good. That guy always goes where the worst of the storm hits. All of these things the experts are telling us to be ready for, are all abstract ideas to me. I have seen wind damage, flooding and power outages..but I am assuming what we are about to experience this weekend is going to much more severe.

There is a feel of panic, excitement, nervousness and curiosity around RI right now. Last night after watching an update from the Weather Channel and Jim Cantore, we (and by we, I mean Liz) had a little sense of urgency when it came to being prepared for Irene. So in true RI fashion, we changed out of out PJ’s and headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on the customary bread and water. Apparently, everyone else also felt that urgent feeling (maybe we were all watching the Weather Channel) and also headed to Wal-Mart. The store was packed like it was the Christmas season and shelves of essentials were bare. We divided up to conquer the chaos, but the mission was unsuccessful. The bread shelf..empty.Propane to cook with when the power goes out..empty. I walked by the flashlights…picked over. Batteries..scarce. There was another provision we needed…water. We headed over the water isle..2-12 packs left..jammed all the way back where no one could reach them. At first I wanted to toss Livvy up there so she could grab them…that was quickly discouraged. So I climbed with a long handle dust pan that one of the cleaning crew left around determined to accomplish my mission. Despite the odd looks from my fellow Wal-Marters…I got the water…held it up like a trophy. Getting gas for the cars is also a challenge. We drove by a local gas station lastnight and there was a massive line waiting.

There is a lot of concern about the flooding. About a year and a half ago, we got massive amounts of rain over a few days that created some significant flooding..so much that it made the national news and closed down Interstate 95 for a few days. We RI’ers remember that very clearly and hearing about the amount of rain headed out way, people are starting to get concerned. Not to mention, the storm surge…where the wind pushes the ocean water onto the shore. I looked on the Weather Channel and we are in the ‘severe’ storm surge area…possible 40 foot waves.

Boat removal is also a big concern. A few of the marina services companies..that remove boats from the water..were interviewed and said they have been working around the clock to get as many boats as possible out of the water..but they wont get everyone.

As for the RI VP’s…we live about 10 mins from the shore on the bay and about 40 mins from the south shore of RI so I am not too concerned about storm surge. Flooding is a concern of mine..we have two drains outside my front door that service part of our complex..however during that flooding a year and a half ago..they got plugged up with debris and we almost had water in our living room (carpets were damp)..so I am concerned about that. We have plenty of food and things to occupy ourselves when the power goes out..Liz (aka The General Manager) took care of that. Livvy is a little nervous. She keeps seeing pictures on the news and hearing people talk about it. She has a lot of questions and we are answering them truthfully. The General Manager is all signed up to help people displaced by the storm by handing out and preparing food. I am all signed up with the Medical Reserve Corp to help out if needed and, as luck would have it, Sunday is one of the days I am on call with the firehouse. Could be a busy weekend for everyone.

Don’t fret though…despite Irene, Austin and I have 3 fishing trips planned starting tonight. Not letting a little wind and rain stop us!!! We are battening down the hatches, but still keeping our lines tight!

Now we are just waiting to see when and where landfall is for us….

Every year, my oldest-younger brother Andrew and his wife Becky, go to great lengths to get campsites together and get as many of the family as possible on those sites (Thanks for all the effort guys). This year was no exception and planning began in the fall of 2010 for this coming summer. Due to EMT classes and other issues, this is the first trip my family had made in 4 years, so it goes without saying that I was very excited to head back up there to make more memories. This year, Andrew got us 3 sites all next to each other on Wellesley Island. Those sites were for 16 people and 7 dogs..included 3 campers, 3 tents, a hammock, 3 fire pits (although only 1 was used) and enough room for the dogs to play/wrestle. My brother, Robert, also had sites at a different park…that crew included 11 people and 1 other dog. We did manage to get the family all together for one big meal one night at our sites. It was an Italian feast that Liz made her homemade meatballs and red sauce for and it was after a major rain storm and a tour of Boldt Castle that was not as good as it could have been. The only family member missing was my sister and her family. She has some work obligations that she could not have avoided. 

This trip marked a very significant first for someone in my family. It involves an activity that has been passed down through the years and is cherished by everyone…..this year my daughter caught her very first fish. The beast was tamed by the crafty handling of Olivia’s Disney Princess rod. Upon that sword, I attached a basic spinner and she was given the option as to where she wanted to work it. She chose the marina in Thousand Island Park (a town actually…where the residents drive around in golf carts) while her dad, 2-uncles and cousin chose to fish the channel. She was instructed to cast her line out there and reel it in as fast as she could so that it would not get stuck on the rocks…not thinking she would get anything. She was fishing by herself..although I was not more than 20 yards away..and on her 3rd cast, she let out a blood curdling scream “Daddy” that no parent ever wants to hear. Liz went sprinting to her, I dropped my rod and followed very quickly afterward and Thousand Island Park Security responded…all thinking the worst. When I got on scene, Liz was holding a hysterical Olivia and pointing……to a 6 inch Rock Bass on the dock flopping around on the deck attached to a line from the Disney Princess rod. Olivia caught her first fish and it scared the $%!+ out of her…right then and there, Olivia said she did not want to fish anymore..not exactly the memory I was hoping for, but I was still a very proud papa. She caught the only fish of the day and in the betting structure set forth by the people in charge….she collected 6 bucks for that fish to which she flaunted to everyone the rest of the week. She also told me that even though she did not want to fish anymore, that I could keep her rod around just in case she changed her mind. 

Campfires…a tradition with just about everyone that camps and our family is no exception. S’mores….should be a separate food group…were on the menu every night along with some Sangria, wine, beer, shooting star gazing, satellite hunting and campfire songs (at the request of Olivia). We belted out a great rendition of “Old McDonald” where everyone got to choose an animal to live on the farm. Not so sure that dolphins actually live on farms despite Becky insisting on it and even though that, along with a porcupine addition by Andrew, killed out song..it was still fun. As a group, we also managed a Castle tour on Heart Island, dinner on the docks in Alex Bay, shopping, a trip to Clayton, go-kart racing, hanging out in Thousand Island Park, a birthday celebration (Liz turned 28 on the Tuesday of that trip), lots of ice cream and of course fishing…not that I am bragging, but I did managed the biggest fish on our last night claiming 8 bucks for me..cha-ching. Austin also rediscovered his love of fishing on this trip. The last time he went he was 10 years old….barely old enough to handle a real fishing rod. This year he was fishing every minute he could and even attempted to gain ‘legend’ status by catching a fish with his hands…..no luck there. 

So as we drove away from the St Lawrence River (headed to Syracuse to show Olivia and Austin God’s Country) with a new batch of memories stored, I though about how lucky I was to live so close to such a treasure growing up and how lucky I am to be able to show my family now the zebra mussel inspired clear water, the pristine shores, gorgeous houses and amazing wildlife (which Liz and Olivia both saw up close with the snake that shared the tree on our campsite). It really is the best kept secret in Upstate New York which is fine with me…there is “Just Room Enough” for everyone that goes there now. 

From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or, “that’s a lot of money for just a dog.” They don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog.”

Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.” Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,” but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it’s “just a dog,” then you will probably understand phases like “just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.”

So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog.” just smile, because they “just don’t understand.”

So I got this in an email from our Volleyball coach the other day and thought it was worth sharing. She claims this came from a Bill Gates address to a school somewhere..I think these are some lessons that are lost on people today but are taught..in someway..on the athletic field, court or ice. Have a look…

Rule  1 : Life is  not fair – get used to it!

Rule  2 : The world  doesn’t care about your  self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule  3 : You will  NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.

You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you  earn both.

Rule  4 : If you  think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a  boss

Rule  5 : Flipping  burgers is not beneath your  dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping:

They called it opportunity.

Rule  6 : If you  mess up, it’s not your  parents’ fault, so don’t  whine about your mistakes, learn from  them.

Rule  7 : Before you  were born, your parents weren’t as  boring as they  are now. They got that way  from paying your  bills, cleaning  your clothes and listening to  you talk about  how cool you thought you were, so before  you save the rain  forest from the  parasites of your parent’s  generation, try  delousing the closet in your own  room.

Rule  8 : Your  school may have done away with winners and  losers, but  life HAS  NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY  TIMES as  you want to get the right answer.

This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule  9 : Life is  not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few  employers are  interested in helping you FIND  YOURSELF.

*Do that on your own time.

Rule  10 : Television  is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee  shop and go to jobs.

Rule  11 : Be nice  to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one..

I am a dog lover. Growing up, I had always wanted a dog and eventually, we got one. Moochie was his name and he was a mix of a Doberman and some sort of Shepherd. I remember him vaguely and do know that one day he ran away..never to return. It was at the point that we were no longer allowed to have a dog…a decision handed down by my parents, probably due to the emotional distress with it all. I did some begging and some pleading, but they stood firm and I was not allowed to have a dog until I moved out of the house. Fast forward to 2004 when Toki came in my life and had a profound effect and then fast forward again to 2007 when we lost her (see blog: http://bryncvp.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/febuary-15-2004). We did have Brady..a nut job of a Jack Russell…but unfortunately, he did not like Olivia so much and now lives with my dad on a farm. It is a much better place for him where he has befriended a bull and can run all over the place. Apparently, he was much more of a country dog. Now fast-forward yet again to 2011….

The conversations about getting another family member started before this year and honestly, I was the road block this time. The loss of Toki was still too fresh and is, to a degree, still tough to talk about. I could not see myself getting attached to another dog just to lose him/her again. I did miss the sounds of 4 legs running across the floor, the long hikes, playing ball and of course, the wrestling that always takes place. Olivia started to ask for a dog about 6 months ago but she wanted a puffy ’kick-me’ type dog…sorry Olivia..not happening. So we started tossing ideas around about what breeds we should look into. We wanted a breed that was a good family dog, good with kids, rugged enough to be outside and big enough to rough house. The obvious choice was a Yellow Labrador Retriever. The research began and before I knew it, Liz already found a breeder and exchanged emails with her. She was all the way out in Oklahoma and right way I did not see how we were going to get a dog from Oklahoma to Rhode Island. I went to her website..saw some pictures of previous litters..heard about the emails and it was clear that this woman was our breeder and was going to get us our ‘son’. Liz and I decided before this process began, that Olivia was going to be our only child..with my travel schedule and goals we have as a family, we thought it was best, but our house still felt empty. So the breeder was found, the money was saved, he was born and last week…we picked out Charlie. This is what the breeder has to say about our little man:

“Charlie is a “braveheart”, he loves to explore and is curious about everything, checking it out, gathering all kinds of information (for future use I am sure!).  He is the conqueror, the one who protects and takes charge.  He has a superstar personality, just as sweet and loving as he can be.  He is not afraid to show his gentler side kissing and snuggling as much as you like and turns to mom for a little help when he has overestimated his braveness.  He is a beautifully square, chunky guy who is way above the average at this stage, gorgeous coloring, fantastic contrast between the coat color and the nose, eyes, etc.  You made a very good choice.”

We have begun the process of puppy proofing our house and we have already spend a good amount of money on puppy supplies that we are going to need. Luckily, we still have Toki’s old crate and travel crate so that was taken care of…Toki was such a huge part of the family that is only felt right that he have her crate too. He has big shoes to fill..but luckily he is way above average in size…why not? Have you met my daugther? Apparently we are a family of giants!

Anyway, we can’t wait to meet him. Some of us are more patient than other..admittedly…I am probably the most impatient of us all. He will arrive the last week of April 2011 and I can already tell, life will not be the same.

Maybe I will have to get him a Friar jersey to wear on game days……..

UPDATE: The little fur ball arrives April 29, 2011 at 5:46pm at TF Green via a Delta flight..we are even more impatient now!

The last time they went in another direction, it took several weeks and several job offers before they could find someone that wanted the job. This time, the administration enlisted the help of the former Big East Commissioner to aid in the search. There were a few lists of possible candidates created but one name was the same at the top of the list..he was our first choice.

So today, March 23, 2011 a new era began in Providence College basketball. This coach is very different than the one we had previously…and like it or not..comparisons will be made for a while. Everything I have heard says that he is the right guy for the job. He was born and raised in RI, grew up in crappy conditions, played basketball in college, PC is his dream job..but most of all…thrives on building relationships with his players. He told the guys that they will get to know his family and he will get to know theirs. In the first team meeting held today, he said he was going to put his locker out in the main locker room with the players…that he was going to lift with them…walk the city with them and walk to class with them. This is the type of relationship these kids have been begging for and the biggest complaint they had about the previous staff. He said that he would love them like his own kids but if they messed up…then he was going to be ‘in their shit’. At the end of the press conference, one of our sophomores looked at me and said “shit is ‘bout to get real”…later on when I commented back to him about it he also said “it’s just what we need”. So far…and it is only the first day…he seems more like the type of coach I am use to working with and the right guy to get to these kids.

When the first team meeting in the new era ended, the players were all excited and fired up…hell, I was fired up! They had a spark in their eye I have not seen yet in 2 years. Hopefully it is the spark we need to get this program going.

As for the old staff, there are certainly people that will be missed and there will be people that I would have loved to help pack up, hold the door and drop their stuff off to their car for them. I wish them all well..and as the former Operations guy said to me..”our paths will cross again’.

At any rate…change is unavoidable….but this Friar team will keep marching on….

0-0, 0-0 (hey why not start keeping tabs now)

Go Friars!!!!

My second season with the basketball program has come and gone. Most will say that the season did not end up the way we had hoped. We started out 11-2 and ended up a 15-17…but we do have a young team. We lose 3 seniors…well 2 definitely, 1 might be coming back for a grad school year…but have a bunch of underclassmen that got a lot of playing time and experience that will benefit us in the long run. When these guys get older, we might have a veteran-heavy team and a season similar to what St John’s is having now.

On a personal note, this season went pretty well. This group of kids were pretty fun to be around and I am glad I got to know the newbies and the returners a little better.

In review, I got to see some pretty significant bright spots. We had the best start to a PC basketball season in 20 years. I got to travel on my first international trip to Cancun, Mexico. I went to schools/arenas I have not been to before…West Virginia, Louisville (been to the school with FH, but not the Yum! Center), Seton Hall, Rutgers (been to the school but first time in the RAC) and UConn (been to the school a lot, but first time in Gampel). Got to go back to “God’s Country’ for a game at the Dome with friends and family looking on, went to NYC for the best conference tourney in the country at the World’s Most Famous Arena, got to see one of my kids grow into an NBA prospect and as a result, see several PC and Big East records fall…it was a full year. I also got to work with Bill, Pat, Mike, Steve and John….the best support staff in the conference.

Outside of MSG

So what is next for the program…who knows. There are many rumors going around about transfers and firings, but that is probably normal after a ‘non-sucessful’ season. No question there is work that needs to be done….next season will be here before we know it…these fans demand a winner and these kids need success.

Time for a short breather….then back to work.

15-17, 4-15

Go Friars!!!!