If you’ve known me for a while, I’ve had some rare medical conditions that make up the fascination of my health. I never thought I’d get it, but I got gout upon my return from Alaska.

It’s because I had unusually high levels of uric acid in my bloodstream. I could not walk at all when I first got it and I eventually went to urgent care, who referred me to podiatrist Dr. Warren E. Kaplan. It was thankfully a simple course of medicine to get me through.

I always associated gout with an episode of King of the Hill where Bobby contracts gout from eating too much deli food. And watching the episode once again, my foot pain was as bad as his when I got it.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vc3fj

But I did not get the gout from deli food. I got it from a combination of factors:

• The food I ate
• The alcohol I drank
• The stress my body went through on the trip

Let’s first talk about the food. I wanted to enjoy the seafood and I indulged in a lot more than I usually do including:

• Smoked salmon chowder at Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse
• Alaskan cod chowder & fish tacos at Bear Tooth Grill
• Fried calamari at Chilkoot Charlie’s (aka Koots) where there were several different themed rooms including one with bras & panties hanging from the ceiling
• A crab bacon pasta dish at a restaurant in the airport, which I forgot the name of

Throughout my journey, I was drinking a lot of Angry Orchard… much more than I normally have since I was on vacation. I wound up capping it off with some wine I got when I was transferring in Seattle at Vino Volo called Pflaz, which is a rose pinot noir with the flavor profile of strawberry & fresh thyme.

This is the end of my Alaskan journey where I won my bout with gout.

Business Card Count: 39,980

I had to get some legal paperwork done for a family thing, so I received a few pages with the last needing a signature and notarization. Easy, right? Wrong!

I bank at Bank of America and always get my documents notarized there. Normally, I don’t have an issue getting their special stamp that’s under lock and key.

But I had to make an appointment with Anne Longenhagen at Bank of America to get this document notarized to mail back.

But, she refused since there wasn’t a line where the stamp was supposed to go. And apparently you need that line in the state of New Jersey for legal purposes. I guess to avoid fraudulent notarization, which could equate to a big no-no on her part.

But she recommended I go to the UPS Store down the road since they’d do it with no problem. But that’s the same UPS Store where the assistant manager said of a female customer after she left that he would “Bill O’Reilly her” on the same day that news story came out, with the other coworkers laughing. Hopefully out of awkwardness.

That meant a phone call to my family member who it took a while to explain the issue on my end. Then, I had to wait another week to receive a new copy of that document.

The paperwork arrived and I was told to contact the manager of the PNC Bank (their bank) nearest me, who is named Daniela Moran. I give her a call on a Monday, not there.

I call the next day, not there. I get a call back a day or 2 later, but from Assistant Branch Manager Christopher Soler. We made an appointment for me to come in the next day and I did. After waiting and hearing the old “we have the same name” joke, I finally got the signed paperwork I needed.

I mailed it back down and this entire process took about a month to complete. Wow, I had to jump through some hoops to get it done

Business Card Count: 38,454

In my 33 years on this planet, I can’t say I’ve ever been to a children’s dance recital. Until now.

I went to see my niece perform with her dance class at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts. And it wasn’t what I was expecting since it was a much bigger spectacle than I was anticipating.

It was a HUGE venue, with orchestra and mezzanine seating. It felt like I was going to a Broadway play with the theater having vendors, flowers to be bought, food and alcohol. One vendor was Greg Yates Photography and I’m assuming they’re the ones who filmed the recital.

I snagged their business card on the way into the theater with my white cheddar popcorn baggy and Reese’s peanut butter cups to see the show and was it a spectacle! My niece was the 25th or 26th of about 40 to do their dance and it was very cute.

Other highlights include:

• 3 toddlers dancing to ABBA’s Dancing Queen, with the little boy doing a spin move and then being mesmerized by the screen behind him
• A group of dads dressed like & dancing to Run DMC, though one dad looked like he did not want to be there
• There only being one teenage boy doing like 8 or 9 dances
• The sheer difference in all of the themes and costumes worn by all the dancers

I gave my niece flowers afterwards for a job well done.

Business Card Count: 37,977

I finally found the car I decided to buy after visiting 3 dealerships, though I went to one (Premium Motors in Rahway NJ) after closing time to check out a yellow 2001 Ford Mustang but it turned out to have a hole in the front panel and the warranty they were asking for cost too much.

Then, I went to Big C Motors in Linden, New Jersey (the next town over) to check out a 2003 Infiniti I35. I refuse to write it as INFINITI just because that’s the way manufacturer compliance mandates it… sorry, an annoyance from my job is creeping in.

Back to the subject on hand. I went there intent on test driving this specific vehicle since it had just over 100,000 miles on it and gave me features I was looking for including heated seats, a leather interior, wood accents and a moonroof.

The car drove smoothly, though the guy (whose name I think is Danny) was upfront with me about it needing a new back tire and the fact that the brakes & alternator just got replaced. The whole buying process took less than an hour, which was really nice. Probably because I was paying in cash and there was no need for contracts or anything.

The process to get the warranty, on the other hand, was tedious. That’s because Big C Motors offers a warranty through them, but apparently they don’t sell it per se. I spoke to the paperwork woman Tracy and she told me to call this 3rd-party warranty provider to get it done. I call the warranty people and I told them about the situation, but I was told it had to be through the dealership.

So I went back there and had to practically fight to get my warranty. It eventually got resolved and I never have to go back to that dealership again. It was a pleasant enough experience at Big C Motors, but I don’t want to go to a used car dealership 3 times to get a warranty.

I also took a look through the glove compartment after the fact and found some pretty interesting things. First was a manual for a remote engine start system, which I assume is installed on the car and a way to get a new controller via mail. When I get the car looked at, I’ll ask if it has the system in place and the dealer just never got the remote.

Second was instructions for a universal garage door opener, which is great but I don’t have a garage to open. At least it could open my driveway!

But one thing I did find that I will have great use for is the business card from the original dealership the vehicle was bought from: Douglas Infiniti. It’s likely from 2002 when the car was first sold and it has a spot right in my collection.

Business Card Count: 37,682

I’ve purchased vehicles before from a used car dealership that one of my mother’s friend’s grandfather owned… one of those 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon type of deals. But this is the first time I decided to purchase a new-to-me car from a used car dealership where I didn’t have a hookup.

My goal is to get a car that I wouldn’t ever purchase new and I set my budget at $5,000 including the warranty. So I stumbled upon a car I thought I’d really dig at M&R Auto Sales in North Plainfield NJ: a silver 2001 Jaguar XJ-Series Vanden Plas. The interior looked really nice with many features my old Nissan had even though it was made 14 years earlier.

Meeting My Dream Car?

So I went to the dealership location on Somerset Street and was told that the Jaguar was not there. Apparently, M&R Auto Sales has multiple locations… luckily, they’re all in North Plainfield so it was a quick drive away. I wound up going to the West Front Street location where I met Larry (or possibly Gary).

He was very upfront about me about the condition of the Jaguar and dropped the price to $1,000 for me since it needed a new transmission (at the very least). I still decided to check the vehicle out for curiosity sake and that was a regretful move. It stunk to high heaven as soon as I entered, as if I was inside an ashtray.

I tried rolling down the windows once I turned the car on, but that didn’t help the smell. I couldn’t sit in there for one more second, so I went to get out… and the door wouldn’t open! Feeling trapped like a rat, I maneuvered the door handle and narrowly made my escape. But there was another car that caught my eye…

Interested in a Classic Car?

That’s right: a 29-year-old car that I couldn’t possibly find anywhere outside of a junkyard or by using a time machine was in front of me. It was a white 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera that only had a few hundred more miles than the amount of business cards I have in my collection. Knowing I’d probably never see this type of car with low mileage again (and the fact that it didn’t reek), I wanted to test drive it.

And I enjoyed the ride I took. The car drove very smoothly and it looked clean under the hood. Turns out it was the M&R Auto Sales owner’s mothers car… apparently, she must have only driven to and from the store once or twice a year. But I wanted a car with more modern amenities like a cigarette lighter to charge my phone and a cassette tape holder to plug my phone into to play music or podcasts.

But, I found the used car dealership experience at M&R Auto Sales to be very honest and upfront. I never felt pressured once at all and got all the facts. Even though I didn’t buy from them, I’d recommend anyone looking for a pre-owned vehicle to go there.

Business Card Count: 37,665

Well, I spoke about my car totaling experience in my previous blog post. Now comes the misunderstandings and frustrations that come with dealing with insurance. Woodbridge Auto Body is the Allstate-preferred shop I got my 2015 Nissan Sentra towed to and that’s where the confusion began. I was unaware that there were 2 locations: one in Rahway and the other on Rahway Ave in Woodbridge

I drove up to the Rahway Ave location ready to claim my belongings from my vehicle, so I went in and grabbed their business card first. But I was not informed of the dual locations, so I was at the wrong one. It took me 15 minutes to get this location on Rahway Avenue and another 7 to get to the one in Rahway.

The customer service at both places was just fine, though I thought it wasn’t because apparently, there was prior damage to my car’s roof that I was unaware of as told by my insurance company Allstate. I wanted proof of this damage and that was a hassle since the photo I received wasn’t dated and the guy who was handling my claim seemed so unsure of important info.

I had to get a manager on the phone to find out just what was going on and get the proof I needed, which he provided. All in all, I got the money back I needed, though there was some confusion when trying to located my car at Woodbridge Auto Body and the information I needed from Allstate.

Business Card Count: 37,649

I wrote about my experience buying 2-and-a-half years ago buying my 2015 Nissan Sentra. Now I get to talk about the accident that wound up totaling my vehicle after driving it for approximately 63,000 miles in multiple states. From trips to see family & friends and traveling to wrestling matches to meeting the love of my life and getting to enjoy our time together going out to many places, I had a lot of great experiences in this car.

Sadly, it came to an end when I was traveling to a wrestling opportunity I took the week of the accident. I went to merge into the middle lane on the 3-lane Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, but a minivan containing a non-English-speaking family was also merging from the right lane when we collided. It felt like I was in Grand Theft Auto when the airbag deployed and we got pushed into the side of the bridge. Thankfully, nobody got seriously injured… except for the vehicles.

I was told my car could be driven home by the cops on the bridge, but the tire eventually went flat and landed me on the bridge. I called AAA and I had to drive off the bridge for AAA to tow my car since technically they can’t legally go on a bridge… weird factoid. Instead of waiting an hour to get towed off the bridge to get towed again, I just drove like half a mile to the exit where I got a ride.

Yes, I was stuck in Staten Island and the AAA towing partner of choice is called Fix A Dent. Take one look at my car and you couldn’t fix that dent. Hell, the guy who picked me up even said so himself. Despite a 20-minute detour looking for a Bank of America ATM to get the money for tolls, things went smoothly in this aspect when I took it to my local Nissan dealership.

This is oddly enough the 2nd time one of my vehicles has seen its finally mile on a bridge. Years earlier, my 1999 Dodge Intrepid died right after I paid a toll on the Tappan Zee Bridge. Right there in the toll booth. My friends even took the time to screenshot the red live traffic line from Google when mapping out directions to their house, which is where I was going.

I find it ironic that my cars always go bust whenever I fill up my gas tank, get an oil change or get $1500 worth of work done to the car. But that’s not the only part of my total loss experience that has gone awry. Stay tuned to my next blog for added details about the pain & trouble I’ve gone through to get my payout from my car insurance.

Business Card Count: 37,637

For years, I’ve been allergic all year around. Whether it’s dust, pollen or other forces of nature, it makes me sneeze, my eyes water, my nose run and my throat fill with phlegm.

Then, I had an allergic reaction that put me in the hospital. I only stayed overnight, but it was one of the worst experiences of my life. My eyes were itchy at first and I felt scratchy in my throat, but things changed after I took a shower.

My throat was closing up and my face felt like it was getting pushed forward with mucus & blood coming out. I knew out of instinct to drive myself to the hospital, which was 3 minutes away vs waiting whatever time it would take for an ambulance to come.

I got to the hospital barely able to see or speak, but I got rushed right in and put on a steroid and epi (the drug they put into EpiPens I assume). It took a couple of hours, but the swelling started going down. An overnight stay later, I was told to see an allergist to find out what caused the reaction. However, I suspect it’s 1 of the 3 medications I was prescribed for my shoulder nagging me.

My Trip to the Allergist

I knew a little bit of what about going to an allergist like Ruby E. Reyes, MD based on my brother and his wife doing so. But I didn’t expect some of what occurred. First was a breathing test where I had to inhale deeply, blow as hard as I could (to blow down cartoon houses like the big bad wolf) and inhale again really fast in one motion each. I had a tough time doing this, so I had to try it 3-4 times to get it right and it’s an indicator that my breathing isn’t the best.

And going to Dr. Reyes helped me find out why. I got pricked by 60 pins on my back to determine what natural allergies I have. Then, another breathing test that went smoother since I took an inhalant medication where I had to breathe in with my mouth and out with my nose (a skill I never thought I’d need). And finally, 10 shots that broke even more of the skin in a combination form to confirm allergies I came up negative.

The result? I’m allergic to next to everything except for dogs and horses, which is great since I’m a dog person… and I guess a horse person? My biggest allergen is dust, but I’m also allergic to mold, trees, grass, cats, weeds and cockroaches. I didn’t even know a cockroach allergy was a thing. I’m sure there are more things I’m allergic to including poison ivy, but I think this is enough for now.

Oh, and as for the medication I’m allergic to? Ruby E. Reyes says there is no test for that , so they just picked the one that’s most common and assume it was that. But I’m going to try & avoid all 3, though avoiding the one is a lot easier since it’s a stronger version of an OTC medication.

Business Card Count: 37,106

I’ve been on a quest to better myself in a few ways over the past year since my divorce was finalized. And I thought I could do it myself, but I discovered that while my therapy with Tery Gerard Michaud served to really help me over the hump of my divorce, it didn’t help me quite as much with me.

After a few months of having self doubt and trying to confront what I didn’t like about myself & my relationships, I decided that I needed to give therapy another go. I was recommended to Dr. Thomas Galski, PhD. What was interesting on our first visit was that he’s a neuropsychologist.

Neuropsychology is the study of the relationship between behavior, emotion & cognition on the one hand and brain function on the other. And I know from my own developmental disabilities as a kid and how they might be affecting me as an adult that this is part of the reason I am who I am. I was told that I should see a different specialist to determine how to get to know myself in that facet and I plan to.

I also focused my time with Dr. Galski on why I second guess myself and doubt my thoughts, feeling like my opinions didn’t matter (so why bother saying them?) and not saying my true feelings. I contributed it to not feeling listened to in the relationships of my life in general, not just my marriage. It was the biggest prevalent theme throughout our sessions since it was affecting my relationships now, particularly with my family and significant other.

Another big one was speaking about my professional and wrestling careers since they both have very different impacts on my life. The recurring theme with those was the same as the one above: not doing anything for the fear of rejection. I’ve been rejected in a lot of different ways since I was young and I grew tired of being denied, whether it was by someone of the opposite sex, for jobs, with people I wanted to be friends with or something else.

Either way, I knew that I needed to fix myself since what I was doing clearly wasn’t working for me. I took on a new anxiety and slight sadness & negativity, which I feel has to do with my past situations. This is something I’ve been working through (and still am), but I know that I’m a work in progress.

My 4 months with Dr. Thomas Galski was very helpful in getting me to a turning point in my own life, where I doubt myself much less and state my feelings more. I know what I say is important because I think it and I feel it. I’m hopeful that things will be successful in my life (and they have been in my personal life) and I won’t need a third round of therapy, but I’m sure it’ll be inevitable.

As I said, I’m a work on progress trying to continue to better myself, so I can enhance my relationships and take better ownership of what I do. And to know that I have a network of people to support me from my significant other & 2 kids to my family, friends and acquaintances.

Business Card Count: 37,075