February 8, 2011. The Times they are a Changin'

The last few days, I've noticed minor changes in the control of my body.

My involutary step backwards, has become fore frequent. I call this my moonwalk. I've experienced more difficulty getting up from chairs. Putting on my socks has become increasingly more difficult. The upside is. that I can still so the mile in under 4 minutes (with a car, of course).

I probably just need an adjustment on my medications. It has been about a year and one half since they've been adjusted. I have an appoinment with my Neurologist in early March, so we'll discuss it then.

I wonder when standing waiting for a train, staggering backwards, how many people think that I'm drunk. I pretty much given up drinking. On occasion I may have one glass of wine, and then only if my wife is with me, and she is driving.

I never was much of a drinker. I don't like beer. I think that I've only been seriously drunk once. September 18, 1981, Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park. I bought three bottles of wine for $5.00. My friends were late. I proceeded to drink one and a half bottles. Somewhere between Joe DiMaggio, going away and signs of the Prophets being written on the Subway walls, I didn't feel to Groovy. If I didn't have to meet Julio, down by the schoolyard, I might have gone Homeward Bound.

This comes at the same time that I've decided to give up one of my medications. Mirapex, has been known to exacerbate obsessive qualities. I don't gamble, I don't smoke, I barely drink. I eat sweets. Too many of them lately. As bad as Parkinson's is, heart disease or diabetes are probably worse.

January 22, 2011. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

" Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."

I've always questioned how a man who knew that he was dying, could express such a thought. Yet Lou Gehrig saw the big picture. I believe that Gehrig probably appreciated what he had before he was diagnosed with ALS. It took Parkinson's for me to appreciate how good my life has been. I don't mean that in a comparative way. It's still good.

This is a tough world. I was born to a middle class family in Queens, NY. not the poverty of Cuba. The nearest thing to hunger that I've felt was an empty box of Mallomars, not the hunger of an African child. A disaster, to me,r is when the Yankees miss the playoffs, not an earthquake in Haiti.

Prior to PD, I was unappreciative of what life had given me. Up through today, I've been egocentric. Maybe PD was natures way of saying, "Hey Schmuck, you're not alone." As you know, I signed up too walk for PD research. I'm walking in Central Park on April 16. I had initially set a goal of raising $1,000.00. We passed that the first day, so I raised it to $2,500.00. We passed that on the fifth day. We're now closing in on $3,000.00. I'm overwhelmed by my friends and family. It's odd that it took something like Parkinson's to make me fully appreciate how lucky I am.

It's a small step, No pun intended, but it's a beginning. It's my beginning.

"So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."

January 17, 2011, Castles in the Air

Yesterday, as I sat on the bus crossing over the 59th Street Bridge, I could see the United Nations Building, The Empire State Building, The Woolworth Building and my favorite The Chrysler Building. I came to the realization of something that I have known for many years. New York City is the only place in the world for me to live. On the bridge, my mind can hear the sounds of Simon and Garfunkel, my "home-boys" from Forest Hills. I realized that three of the aforementioned buildings, were at one time, the tallest building in the world.

New York City also affords me the opportunity to keep my business running. I have become dependent upon the subways, the rails and the buses. No other city in this country has a mass transit system like New York.

On April 16, I will be participating in a walk for a cure for Parkinson's disease. The walk takes place in Central Park. This could be my favorite spot in the world. A lush green oasis in the middle of a beautiful concrete jungle. The Park is gorgeous in April. The response to join grouchomarc's team (appropriate name, don't you think?) has been overwhelming. As I'm writing this a friend of mine gave me an idea, fake nose, mustache and glasses for all. If you want to join me, load your ipod with Simon and Garfunkel and come on down.

I have wonderful friends, I have a wonderful family, I live in the best place in the world. I wouldn't wish this disease on anyone, but it does make me appreciate how lucky I truly have been.