Now, correct me if I am wrong, this little meme is poking fun at those people who purposely shave off their eyebrows and draw them back in.  They look ridiculous.  There are posts full of silly pictures drawing dots on themselves or strange eyebrow expressions.  You know you have seen them.

So I get a comment on my post from someone I am not even friends with. Someone who felt the need to throw her 2 cents in.  Here is a screenshot of the comment (I’m not going to even get into the awful grammar):

Seriously? This woman doesn’t even know me and she automatically thinks I’m making fun of cancer patients?! What kind of a person assumes that?! 
I’m not a malicious person.  But, I do love a good laugh. Our culture has become far too sensitive and it seems they are drawing the line between comedy and offensive way too conservatively.  We should lighten up and not think the worst of everyone – it makes the world a happier place. Or, at the very least, don’t comment on someone’s timeline you don’t even know!

I’m going to continue to post things I find funny on my Facebook timeline and perhaps one day, I won’t get a snarky comment like this one. 

April 6th was a beautiful day – we decided to go to the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium in Riverhead, Long Island. As we were three families, we had to take two cars.  I drove and my friend Barbara drove.  Ryan was upstate so it was only Ginger and me. All of the other kids were of the female persuasion except Barbara’s son, Mike. They booted him from the girly mini-van and he came with us. The Aquarium isn’t too far but it is a bit of a trip – a little over an hour to get out there. It was a bright sunny day but a bit crisp – noticeable considering we had 75 degree weather only a few weeks ago. The kids had a blast at the Aquarium and we left there around 2:30pm to head home because we were afraid traffic would start to build.

We were driving on the LIE and the traffic wasn’t bad. I was traveling in the fast lane when all of a sudden I heard a crash and, out of the corner of my right eye, I could see this grey sedan start to spin. I immediately accelerated and swerved to the left to avoid him and I really thought I had until I felt him hit us. The only thought that went through my head was “Oh, shit!”. I gripped the steering wheel as my truck started to spin, lift and tip over.  We rolled three times, in the air, before landing in the shoulder of the slow lane.  Thank God we landed upright and that no one else hit us. I called out to the boys “Are you ok?” and thankfully they both answered “yes”. I unlocked my seat belt and got out.  Mike was sitting behind me and I tried to open his door but could not.  Ginger was already out of the truck and he had come around the front.  I yelled to him to go get Mike out because I couldn’t open his door.  Without a thought, Matt ran back around, dove into the truck and dragged Mike out.  I am so proud of my boy.

I was nervously eyeing the fluids pooling around the front of the truck and all I wanted to do is get the boys away from the car, in case it caught fire. I know I went back into the truck and pulled my keys out of the ignition too and frantically started to look for my bag and my iPhone.  All of our stuff flew right out what was the sunroof and was strewn all over the highway. I also keep hearing a loud voice, “HELP IS ON THE WAY”.  Apparently, the X5, upon airbag deployment, calls emergency personnel and gives them our location by GPS.  Gotta love technology!!!!!!

All of a sudden, several guys came over and gently guided me to sit down on the guardrail.  They brought Matt over to sit with me.  I don’t know who these guys were but I want to thank them for their kindness from the bottom of my heart.  Now that we were safe, I was hysterical.  I guess at that moment it all caught up to me what had happened and what we had, against all odds, survived intact. My other friend, Alyssa, rushed over to us.  Barbara had gotten her son and was so relieved that he was ok after thinking the worst.  You see, they were two cars behind us and watched the whole, horrible, accident.  It is a vision that I thankfully do not share and I don’t envy them that one bit.  Ginger and Alyssa retrieved my iPhone from the middle lane and miraculously it was still working.  Alyssa brought us water and  took my phone and started photographing my truck and the scene. Ginger called Danny to tell him what happened and reassure him that we were ok.  Danny was frantic and screaming (of course). But he left work in Staten Island to get to us.  He would meet us at the hospital – it was a good thing he wouldn’t be able to be at the scene.  Well, good thing for the asshole who hit us as he would have gotten the beating of his life such a talking to!  I also called my parents who live out there in the sticks Ridge.  I told them we were being taken to Stonybrook Hospital to be checked out and they left to meet us there.  Danny had a grueling two and a half hour ride to get to Stonybrook. My sister in law promptly jumped in her car and drove out to be with us as well.  I was so glad to have my family there for what was probably the most frightening experience of my life.

So, we are, for the most part, ok.  I have left back pain, neck pain and bruising.  Ginger has some neck pain and bruises all over his back.  Mike has back pain and nightmares which I hope will subside soon.  It could have been far worse and I hate to think about what it could have been.  The police that responded had told Barbara that he has witnessed many accidents like this one but he never saw anyone walk away from it before.  It was truly a miracle. We had much to be thankful for this Easter.

So three things I want to share with you from this experience:

1. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS NO MATTER WHERE YOU SIT IN A CAR. And, I mean ALWAYS.  If the boys had not had their seat belts on, they would have flown right out the sunroof. See the giant hole in the top of my car where the sunroof used to be?

2. Do not keep anything heavy in your glove compartment including those books that came with the car.  Now, Ginger was sitting in the back with Mike but if Mike wasn’t there, he would have been sitting in front with me as he is tall enough to do so.  My glove compartment opened all on its own from the impact and I hate to think what that set of books would have done to his face.  Keep them home.  Get a little plastic thing to hold your insurance cards etc.  Whatever is in that glove compartment can be a projectile missile.

3. If you can afford it, upgrade your vehicle.  The safety systems in these newer models are absolutely incredible. Just check out the airbags and the rollover airbag system.  We were so cushioned!

I also want to say thank you to our friends and family for being there for us and all the well wishes.  You have no idea how much it means to us!

We were in a mandatory evacuation zone here in Baldwin Harbor.  At the time, I thought it ridiculous that Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano ordered us to leave.  In retrospect, it was an excellent decision – especially for those just north of us and in Bay Colony.  The flooding was horrific.  However, I knew that 1) our home’s elevation was between 13-16 feet, thanks to Trails.Com 2) High tide was at approximately 8:30am with 3.9 feet above sea level (thanks to Tides 4 Fishing).  Add the storm surge of 3-6 feet predicted for the South Shore and we knew we would be fine because our elevation was higher.  We got our kids out to Westchester to stay with our inlaws and we were determined to save our basement, by running our pump in the sump pit.  Our neighbors just north of us were not as lucky as their elevation was a mere 7 feet.  One of my neighbors across the street did not have this vital information, evacuated and now has 6 inches of water in her basement.

Saturday evening into Sunday morning, I live-blogged at the Long Beach Patch.Com site.  We shared information as to what we were seeing as Hurricane Irene started to affect New York and Long Island and government officials soon discovered us. Amazingly, they asked us to tweet essential information to get the word out and we did.  @SuffolkCountyPD did an excellent job of getting us up to date info to share.  It was comforting that dark and scary night to talk to others and share stories as Hurricane Irene bore down on us.  Could also have been a lifesaver – it is where I heard that a tornado warning went into effect in Baldwin, Oceanside, Freeport and the barrier islands at 4 am to 4:16am.  That was the longest 16 minutes of my life as we waited anxiously for this unexpected threat to pass.

People turned to social media in droves to find out what was happening in their local neighborhoods and how they fared from the wrath of Hurricane Irene. Pictures and video were posted of the damage incurred on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.  We checked on each other to make sure our friends and loved ones made it through.  One friend was trapped up at Windham, NY and through Facebook, friends sent updates as to the status of the NY Thruway so they could finally make it home yesterday, after a grueling 8 hour drive. LIPA tweeted its news briefing yesterday to let residents know just what was going on with power restoration and we shared that with everyone who didn’t have power yet. Government officials and agents regularly communicated with us through Twitter and their Facebook pages – providing not only up-to-date information but a place for people to vent and voice their concerns.

For our area, I think Twitter and Patch.Com were the best communicants of pertinent information. Twitter, with its 140 character limit, allowed Tweeters to post concise information with links that was easy to organize into searches and lists using hashtags. Patch.Com continually posted on their site, as well as Twitter and Facebook, updates as to what was happening in local Long Island neighborhoods. However, Facebook and YouTube provided the human interest side of the hurricane. People shared their pain and loss with each other through posts, pictures and videos. Those who posted that they thought the storm was over-hyped were quickly countered with pictures, videos and stories of homes swept away, horrific floods and death.

We were the media this past weekend and I think that those who thought that social media was just for fun are now realizing the magnitude of its influence on how we communicate and share information.

The Long Island Ducks, 2004 Atlantic League champions, play at Bethpage Ballpark, located in Central Islip, N.Y. The 22 million dollar facility seats 6,002 fans, and is home to Long Island’s first professional baseball team. The Ducks principal owner is long-time Brightwaters resident Frank Boulton. Frank has owned and operated many successful minor league franchises, including the Prince William Cannons, the Albany-Colony Yankees (Class-A and AA affiliates of the New York Yankees), the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Class-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals) and the Atlantic City Surf. Frank is the founder and chairman of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Today, the Long Island Ducks won their bid to have a second minor league baseball team on Long Island. Here is the press release:

(Mineola, N.Y., July 11, 2011) – Nassau County officials today announced that the rights to operate a minor league baseball team as part of the new Coliseum development has been awarded to the Atlantic League and Frank Boulton, founder and CEO of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Boulton’s group was one of two groups to answer the County’s request for proposals, along with the New York Mets.

As a member of the Atlantic League, the Nassau County expansion team will compete against the Long Island Ducks, who have more than 18 years remaining on their lease to play in Suffolk County at Bethpage Ballpark, instantly forming an “Expressway Rivalry.”

“We are pleased to have been awarded this opportunity,” said Boulton. “We look forward to helping County Executive Ed Mangano bring affordable, family entertainment to the taxpayers of Nassau County in the same fashion the taxpayers of Suffolk have enjoyed for 12 years with the Ducks.” 

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs has brought a high level of professional baseball and affordable family entertainment to selected communities since 1998. Since beginning play 13 years ago, the contracts of more than 600 Atlantic League players have been purchased by Major League organizations. For further information, please contact the Atlantic League at (856) 541-9400.

I think that going to a Long Island Duck game could be a lot of fun – hope to see you there!

Yesterday’s storm was the worst storm I have ever experienced in my life. With gusts up to 70mph, trees fell, power lines came down, and roofs blew off. There were fires and people still without power and being told not to expect power to be restored until Tuesday or Wednesday. A tree fell in our backyard and, by a miracle, came through the gap in the railing on our deck causing  minimal damage. Our neighbor behind us was not quite so lucky – a massive cherry tree crushed his deck, as well as everything on it, and barely missed his house. Our next door neighbor – who just closed on the house about a week ago – had two tremendous pines fall forward toward the street. If you are a homeowner, you know that tree removal is expensive. What a way to embark upon homeownership!

When we woke up this morning and looked out the window at our backyard, we surveyed the damage and this giant tree laying across our yard. Dan determined we were in need of a chainsaw (which of course we didn’t have – surprisingly). So, he left messages with a few friends and I decided to post a request on Twitter & Facebook. I got suggestions, friends who RT’ed (Re-Tweeted for those of you non-Tweeters) my request to pass it along to their followers and a Long Island attorney who actually had one left behind by an ex. I sat back a moment and contemplated the power of social media – I was able to get more of a response than my husband who left messages for his friends. Social networking isn’t just about marketing & business, its about engaging, connecting, and sharing with each other. It take the concept of the neighborhood to the next level – creating virtual “neighbors” who come to each others’ aid in times of crisis, celebrate together in times of joy and allow us to create that sense of “belonging” that appears to be sorely lacking.

Growing up in Queens, we had stoops in front of our homes where we connected with our neighbors. We would sit out on the stoop and people would stop by to chat, friends would gather and you knew your neighbors. I remember the Blackout of ’77 (I know..I am dating myself) when everyone gathered outside and it was more like a big block party, not a crisis. Here on Long Island, there are no virtually no stoops or porches and people spend their leisure time in their backyards – cut off from the interaction that would normally take place by encountering passersbys. I think it facilitates a lonely and solitary existence – I have neighbors that we have not exchanged more than 5 words with since we bought the house in 1997.

With the advent of the internet and social media, we are again interacting with our neighbors except that term now encompasses geographic neighbors as well as those we create because of similar interests, professions, schools etc. We can touch lives and make friends with people we might never have encountered but for Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks. I have friends now all over the country as well as people closer by that I would never have met but for social networking. My life is much richer because of this experience.

Social networking isn’t just online – it spills over to in-person networking as well. Groups and meetups have sprouted everywhere and they are scheduling in-person events where virtual friends & colleagues can meet face to face.  I was invited to one such event, Tomatoes & Thyme on March 18th,  by one of my tweeps – it is being held by The Three Tomatoes – an online network that caters to “women who aren’t kids” and even if I have to move a mountain to do it (or just fight sheer laziness), I am going to go.

So tonight, although the air is heavy with the scent of pine, I am grateful that not only was our house not crushed by a tree and we have power, but for my virtual neighbors who lent a helping hand when I needed it and I can’t wait for the 18th!