08.16.24 Just throwing this out there....

     It's obvious to me something in my brain as of late has me evaluating my life and where I now stand in it. I think it may have all started when the Empty-Nest thing kicked in within the last two years. When the youngest kids graduated high school Theresa and I were left kinda looking at each other saying, "Now What?". And this upcoming week both girls will head back off to college.

     I'm an "18 and Out" guy. You graduate high school, and you either go off to college, for me preferably a Community College where you learn a trade and get a license, or start working in a career. Yes, you should have an idea what you want to do by the time you're 18. Even if that changes you should have a direction you want to go. As far as a child coming back to the nest? Well of course, if they've had some catastrophic event or need a place to lay their head as they work their life plan. There's no doubt that gettin' going these days is harder, well at least more expensive, then it was when we got going. Well, maybe. I remember living in squalor with a bunch of guys in my first apartment in Newark at the age of 19. What we settled for back then is definitely not what todays youth think they should have to endure this days.

     So couple empty-nesting with a re-evaluation of finances and health and I am left really asking myself, "What am I doing?", and collectively with Theresa, "What are we doing?". I can't help but always coming back to living in New Jersey, and the real estate taxes we pay, and for what? We just hit $18,000 per year, and while it's embarrassing, why would it be, to admit it, everyone else I know is over the $12,000 mark. If you owe your homestead outright then maybe it's palatable, but if you're still all mortgaged up then the monthly nut just keeps just going up. And then there's the cost of everything and I don't need to run it down here. I don't know what inflation really means and depending on who you talk to it's either good or bad right now, but everyday folks don't see it in their bank accounts.

     And while costs go up everywhere and it's harder to live day to day a quick glance of the parking lots at the airports, restaurants, and tourist hot spots tells a different story. People still have to live and enjoy life or otherwise what's the sense of living. $200 quick dinners out and $10,000 vacations are just what it is these days. In a $10,000 vacation I mean a trip on a plane with a family of four, or like two days in Disney World. 

     I recently talked about getting hooked into social media and "Reels" and spending my valuable time looking at what other people are doing. It's not good. I think it can have a negative effect on one's mental health. Yes, it's nice to see how your friends and buds are doing in that one second snapshot of their lives, but does it lead to feelings of envy and jealousy? I think it can. "Look at how he's doing", "He's buying another boat or truck", "They're away again", "That's their house", "Their kids are doing so well". As they always say you never really know what's going behind closed doors and the day to day happenings in anyones life, no matter how much they put it out there. 

     That led me to drop the endless clicks on looking into other peoples doings and to pick up the remote the other night and look for a movie to watch. A few years back I watched "Afterlife" created by actor and comedian Ricky Gervais. I really like this guy and didn't even know him like others do because I've never watched an episode of "The Office" before. I guess that was his first plunge into super stardom. But I like Gervais, I've seen him hosting those stupid award shows, doing stand-up, and in this series doing some serious acting. If you haven't seen it then I recommend you watch it. 

     There are actors and movies that just move you. For me the last guy to do that was Robin Williams in movies like "Good Will Hunting" and "Dead Poets Society". It's amazing, to me, when these comedians take a stab at serious acting and knock it out of the park. In "Afterlife" Gervais not only acted but wrote and directed it as well. 

     The story is about a middle aged man, about my age, who has lost his wife of 25 years to cancer. He's not only miserable, but suicidal, as he can't think of going on without his wife. Now thankfully I'm not going through any of that but who knows what our health has in store for me and my family. They say, "Health is Wealth", but most of us take that for granted thinking we can outrun those things that get other people in the end. 

    What Gervais and "Afterlife" do for me is make me take a good look at myself. Am I doing the right things in my life? Am I doing more good than bad? Am I just content and have settled into what I have become, which may not be the best me? And it leaves me to think how would my life be right now, in this life, if something like losing my wife would happen. I'd probably fall apart like a deck of cards as Tony, Gervais, does in "Afterlife". 

     We only get one go-around in life. There are no redo's. And we don't know when it's all going to come to a crashing halt. Life can change in an instant. I realize, now, if something were to happen to me, what a shit-show of shit I would be leaving my wife and family. Not only is there stuff, which could eventually just hit the dumpster, and an unfinished and unmanageable house that's way to much for one person to handle, but an existence filled with paper trails and contacts and policies and benefits and pensions that no one that's not in the know could ever navigate. Too many unfinished things things and too many loose ends. 

Hopefully if you watch it you will enjoy it as well, or at least look at life a little differently. 

08.14.24 I'm gonna fish somewhere soon...

      

     There are people who just like to fish. It doesn't matter what it is if it swims they like to fish for it. For me, I'm really a one fish kind of guy, maybe two, as I still enjoy trout fishing from time to time. I think it's because I can't juggle multiple things in my mind so I just stick with what I know. With striped bass between the spring and fall runs true fishermen go and enjoy fishing for other things. 

     It's August and there's fish like smallmouth and snakeheads in the freshwater. If you can do it August brings the warmest waters to New Jersey which brings fish like tuna, mahi, albies, and fluke within a boat ride from the marina. For some reason I have no interest and am content with waiting for the striped bass. 

     Summer and the equator like temps and the southerly winds can wreak havoc on my fishing. The river's too warm and the ocean too cold. It's just not worth the trip, but then August can kind of kick 

things off. I stopped by the river to check conditions after last weeks Tropical Storm Debby. She dropped a ton of water and her affects are still seen in the river. It bumped up and the temperature dropped although it still remains off color. But the temps are down which is most important. 

     I've watched the Delaware River this summer go down to a trickle of 4,800 cfs and a high temp of 86 degrees. After Debby the river bumped to almost 60,000 cfs and dropped the temps to 72. The herring and shad fry should start to move in good numbers out to the ocean and with tolerable waters and bait the resident bass, striped and smallmouth, should enjoy some late summer and fall eating. 

     What I'm really looking forward to are a couple of good mornings during the mullet run. It used to be a thing, not so much anymore. You need three things for a good run, mullet making their move, bass looking to eat them, and weather that doesn't interfere with the migration. It's then I get to throw my

my favorite Snake Flies behind the crest of the waves to following or waiting bass in the trough. The mullet run is a timing thing, you gotta be there or you'll miss it. Sometimes before the mullet move outside the rivers can be good as the resident or early moving bass invade the backwaters feasting on a mix of mullet, silversides, bay anchovies, and peanut bunker. 

     It seems there's usually a lull in the action between the fall mullet and the peanut and adult bunker action. October can be slow and we wait to see if "it" will ever happens, but it always does. The cool air and water temps move bait, bass, and fishermen alike. Chasing birds, on 

foot or by boat, becomes a thing as predator fish push fish up to the surface or along the beach. Chasing the blitz, while fun at times, mostly if you are alone, but rarely if you're in New Jersey, can be a maddening and love-hate thing. You see the best in fish, and the worst in fishermen. Being lined up like you're fishing the Salmon River seeing fish after fish after fish caught can kind of take the beauty of it all away. Half of the fun, for me, is just being there. For most people finding the time in the busy work and family schedule gets in the way of the chase. 

     Last evening I made my way down to the Shore and spent the sunset hours along the banks of the Shrewsbury River. Erin and I hit the Happy Hour at The Proving Grounds where it just felt like fall was starting to arrive. I enjoyed her company, watching the water make it's way out of the Two Rivers, and the birds flying around looking for a meal. 

     Soon I'll be trying to juggle fall fishing with the return of the school year. And of course with that the raking of leaves, picking up sticks, and getting the first oil deliveries to try and head the house. These will be my last fall runs so I have to make the effort to get down there and enjoy them while I can. 

     

08.12.24 I gotta get a life....

      If I haven't yet realized how programmed I have become to my phone and computer then my head has been in the sand. At 56 I'm older then most of the people out there on social media as the Millennials and Gen Z kids are the ones feeding and making money off of platforms like X (formally Twitter) , Tok Tok, Facebook, and You Tube. It's big money and for those that have the wherewithal they are cashing in. Who's paying them? Advertisers are. Who's feeding the clicks on the content? Big goofs like me. 

     I'm only on Facebook, ever was. Didn't do Myspace back in the day and don't have a IG, Tik Tok, or an X account. So my daily routine starts with rolling over, checking my phone, and then usually clicking on Facebook. Why? I have no idea. Am I checking to be brought up to date on my family and friends lives or am I checking to see what people who have no bearing in my life are doing. Now I will say I have enjoyed being privy to things that old school friends and family have done or are doing. It's the way I learn if someone passed away, needs a hand, or needs some advice. Example, we're planning a

 trip to Ireland next year and I joined the Ireland Travel Advice and Information group. It has been, not only fun, but very helpful in our planning. So much so that I've changed our itinerary, on paper, about a dozen times. 

     Last fall I discovered "Reels" on Facebook. They're short videos that people post. Most are hilarious. Usually people doing stupid things or some kind of meme or mockery of someone else. And like many others I just click and watch, and every time we click someone gets paid. In the below screenshot there 

is a short put out by a dancer named Amanda Derrick. She's a very talented dancer that is usually showcased performing with someone else. I can't tell you, without consciously doing so, how many of those videos I have watched. Why? I have no idea. This past spring Netflix put out a documentary titled, 

"Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult", which of course I watched. Why? Because I am some kind of loser. Somehow she and her dancing buds are under some cult-like guy out in Cali. 

     And then there is "Jenny Jumps". A young lady from the U.K. who jumps rope. Do I look like someone who jumps rope? Do I really care about someone jumping rope? I must because I must have watched a hundred of her routines. And every time I click she, or someone who posts her highjacked post, gets paid. She started jumping during the Covid lockdown and is now a millionaire. 

     The latest Internet sensation is none other than Daily Welch, I even know her name. Better known as the "Hawk Tua" girl, I've seen her video an unknown amount of times. It's not like I searched for it, it

just shows up just about everywhere I turn on the Internet. While she is capturing her 15 minutes of fame, and getting paid, we, the audience, follow her every move, like it or not. Who knows who will be the next instant star of the electronic world and they'll have to do to get theirs. 

     For me I think it goes like this. You log in and you see what pops up in front of you. Sometimes it something new or something new from someone you have seen before. Recently I've been inundated with shorts from Corey Feldman, the once child actor, who is performing on The Loserville Tour with 

Limp Biskit. He's been mocked all around the internet as a fraud guitar player. It's like watching a train wreck in front of your eyes. You don't want to click on it but you just have to. And once you click, the algorithm kicks in and you get it over, and over, and over again. Now I'm getting a new short of Limp Biscuit frontman Fred Durst coming out onstage to prove that Feldman is actually playing. I'm 56, a husband, a father, trying to figure out my life, trying to figure out things before the start of school and my future, and I'm watching this on a Sunday morning? Talk about Loserville. 

     And yet again I found myself losered out yet again. It was a few days ago and I came inside to escape the heat after another session of yard work. I got into my old-man recliner, put on Beat Bobby Flay, something I've binge-watched recently, and clicked on Facebook. And there he was in "Reels". He

goes by "Moses the Jeweler". He's a late twenty year-old jeweler from New York City. He and his father have a booth in the Diamond District on 47th Street in Manhattan. I've been there, way back when. Now I have bought a few engagement rings in my day and my first shot back in 1990 brought me to this famous street. I was scared. I was about to drop a couple of G's (thousands) on a ring. After a few hours I couldn't pull the trigger because it was too overwhelming and I didn't feel like I could trust anyone I met. So I relied on a, "I know a guy", and wound up buying that ring, and the others that followed, from 

The Jewelry Exchange in Edison, and specifically from a family who runs a booth called "Romancing the Stones". I'm not a jewelry guy, but if I had to buy something today I would go back to them.

The last time I was there was back in 2015 purchasing my last engagement ring. Even though I trust these guys I still always have in the back of my mind that I'm getting swindled when it comes to buying jewelry and cars. But back to Moses. 

     So Omri Moses is a kid from Queens who grew up in the jewelry business. He states he has worked hard, like 24/7, to learn and hone his trade. If you watch him, no pun intended, you can see he's a player in a business of players. And to play, you need players, or customers, and there is a steady stream of 

them. But what got me interested, and I don't know why, is his dealing with Rolex watches. You know you don't know something until you do. I always knew Rolex's were expensive, but there is a whole more to it, and if you watch one of these videos you'll see what I mean. 

     Moses has not only cashed in on a successful business but a huge internet following that generates tons of money on it's own. I have to say I am kind of addicted to "the game" as he calls it. Buying low and selling high. Flipping quick to make a profit. And not only does he flip, but he flips for goods as well. If he and a customer can't negotiate a price, like say on a $40,000 watch, he'll say, "Alright flip, $35,000 or $45,000". That's a player. 

     At times I don't know if I want to punch him or go up to 47th Street to meet him. Money isn't real to him, or so it seems. Wearing $1 million dollars worth of jewelry, or $350,000 outfits, mostly LV- that's Louie Vitton, or dropping $400 on a pair of Nike's, he just throws money around like it's nothing. And then there's the dinners and the trips and the whole thing. Maybe I'm just jealous. 

     And just when you think he's just a douche he does things like go outside into traffic and hands someone a Rolex, or $1,000, for no reason. I've seen him do Rolex drops where he picks someone 

     

from the big social media platforms and gives them a Rolex. One day he dropped five, totaling $100,000. That's BMG, or Big Money Grip. 

     I think what get me, besides what appears to be a happy go lucky successful young businessman, is how easily big cash gets moved around so quickly and easily. It's almost not fair when you think you go to work on a Monday and have to wait two weeks to get paid. I can't imagine living in a cash world. If he doesn't have five large on him at any moment it's there, plus a lot more, in the safe behind him. Cash is king. I've seen him buy a watch and go and flip it and just make thousands on the flip. Something is wrong with the rest of us. Like with social media we are programmed how to work and live. 

     Over the years I've been there when someone sells some gold. They put it on a scale and weigh it and then test it make sure it's legit. If it's not something ornate then it gets bought for the value in weight. 

And for ever I've heard that people should invest in metals like, gold, silver and platinum. You can buy shares, or coins, or gold bars. No matter which way you go it's the most safe investment. Below is a 

chart showing how the price of gold has fared over the last 10 years. From the 1050 low in 2016 to the 2468 high as of late, it seems like a solid investment. When I go through towns or to a flea market and see signs like "We Buy Gold" I always wondered how many people are really selling and buying to keep a business running? And then I look at Moses and that whole Diamond District goings on. When I do it makes me realize how much I don't know about things going on everyday outside of my life. 

     But I do realize I won't dance like Amanda Derrick, jump rope like Jenny, definitely not Hawk Tua like Hailey, or wheel and deal and wear $2,000 jeans like Moses. When I think about taking the family out for dinner for $400, buying a new truck for $60,000, or thinking of dropping $500,000 for a house in Hilton Head, it becomes overwhelming. Maybe I should go look on Facebook Marketplace and find 

a Rolex, with the papers and the box of course, and head up to 47th Street and see if Moses and I can do some business. I'll put on my best Costco clothes, Crocs on my feet, and an The Average Angler hat and fit right in. 

08.09.24 Oh the sand just keeps a moving...everywhere

 

Click to enlarge

     The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers put out this press release dated August 2, 2024. It outlines the erosion control projects that have been put into law for Sandy Hook down to the Barnegat Inlet. Basically, it's an open book and open checkbook for beach replenishment, or nourishment, to begin when the application is made and both federal and non-federal funding is available. Federal funding has to be approved through Congress, ie. Frank Pallone, and non-federal through the NJDEP. Additionally, pursuant to N.J.S.A 12-6A and 13:19- 16 et al, the Commissioner of the Dept. of Environmental Protection is empowered to authorize emergency repairs to damage caused by erosion and storms. Currently that person is Shawn LaTourette, appointed by Governor Murphy is 2021. 

     The last beach replenishment we have seen in Monmouth County were the beaches in Elberon (seen above in December of last year, 2023), Monmouth Beach, and Sea Girt. We all know how detrimental beach nourishment is for the environment. Yes, erosion and flood control is a good thing, but I think it would be better if we changed rather than asking Mother Nature to. Let's say you build a house on a river bank. It rains, it floods, and your house gets damaged. Wouldn't a smart person say, "Hey maybe we shouldn't have built this house here?", and, "Maybe we need to look for a better place to build?". Not along the shores in the United States, both on the east and west coasts. People want what they want where they want when they want.

Manasquan after Sandy

     We have all seen pictures either during or after storms of houses, on or in the water, on stilts, or barely holding on to the side of a cliff, that have been damaged or destroyed. In the interviews people say, "We will rebuild!". Okay, but at whose price? Continued damage from storms drives up insurance costs and any structure that has to be repaired or rebuilt is paid for by local, state, or federal monies, paid for by taxpayers. And the kick is the people who get the benefit of all that don't want or fight access for beachgoers and fishermen who pay the bill!

     Below is the picture of a beautiful house located in Nantucket. It was purchased in 1998 by the couple who recently put it up on the market. The town had it valued at almost $2 million dollars but

it sold for a meager $200,000. There's speculation that by March 2025 the house will have collapsed down off of it's perch. The image below shows the same house when it was purchased in 1998, outlined in blue. 

The homes in front of the current home have all been lost to sea, well Mother Nature. You can "replenish" all you want but she always wins. A current birds-eye view of the home shows just

how much beach and cliff has been lost over the last near 40 years. You can read more on the story of the house in an article in the Nantucket Current, HERE. This kind of thing has happened forever anywhere there is water, especially big water that is affected by storms and tides. Each year, like robots, we are programmed to be dialed into storm season anticipating if, when, and where the storm will hit and how much destruction will happen. It's like sitting at an intersection with some snacks waiting for an accident to occur.....kinda twisted. But back to beach "nourishment". 

     While we finished making the local business and homeowners happy along the north Jersey Shore this past spring the ships, pipes, and machinery were off the Cape May County 

in North Wildwood trying to beat Mother Nature, of course just in time for the summer season. They, well us, spent 10 million dollars for 350,000 cubic yards of sand to "save" their beach. North Wildwood is part of the southern-most

barrier island in New Jersey. What's north of North Wildwood? First you have the Hereford Inlet, then the bottom of Stone Harbor. But the inlet is a nasty one, some say one of the most

difficult to navigate in New Jersey. It's not like Cape May, Barnegat, Manasquan and Shark River which have jetties, in whole or in part on both sides, but the wicked natural sand bars and shoaling that happens just outside of it. You see Hereford gets hit both ways, littoral or longshore currents from the south bring a littoral drift, (The current is the water movement the drift is when sand and sediment move.), and then the movement of sand south from Avalon and Stone Harbor when the winds and tides get pushed from the East and Northeast, like during fall storms. 

     And what's funny is I saw all of this first hand as about two weeks ago we woke up at 4 am and traveled to North Wildwood to watch the sun rise. It was a dead low moon tide and I watched the 

waves break way out on a bar that had been formed by all of the sand coming off the beach over the years. Looking into the inlet you could barley read the water where it was shallow or deep. The water came from this direction and that direction over this sand and that sand. I cringed watching a few center consoles making their way out to sea just waiting for them to bottom out. 

Photo Andrew Meli Facebook

     Back up north we have seen some changes in and around the Manasquan Inlet. This is nothing new and happens from time to time in inlets up and down New Jersey. Sand, silt and sediment from either "out back" or "out front" find their way between the jetties reducing the depth of navigable channels and forming "beaches" on the affected side. It's a dangerous condition especially for boats, bigger than your

24-foot center console, to navigate through especially on low or moon tides. With the Nor'easter storm season coming only more sand would shoal up on the north sides of the groins and jetties along the 

Manasquan Inlet - August 6, 2024

Jersey Shore. This past Tuesday the ACOE starting dredging the "beach" on the Point Pleasant side of the inlet as seen above in this press release photo. The last time that inlet was dredged was in 2022. 

Hilton Head Island

     Beach nourishment isn't just a Jersey thing. It happens to places north of us as well as down south. My hopeful new home of Hilton Head isn't spared from man's desire to beat Mother Nature either. South Carolina and Hilton Head have been at it since 1990 and just about every 10 years a project is awarded with the last being completed in 2016, so they're due for some more sand. What's funny are 

spins that people create to "sell" the idea of how good beach "nourishment" is. I found this one from the Chamber of Commerce before the 2016 project went underway. While big beaches are good for the tourist 

industry and locals alike is it a good thing for the environment? You know my take on beach replenishment, which is mostly through the eyes of an angler. In New Jersey we've destroyed "Jetty Country" and also destroyed the places where all types of marine life call home. Migratory fish can't or don't stay anymore, just look at the summer seasons we don't have. Striped bass used to stay and it was always fun to go down and pop up a bass or two around first light. These days the ones that are around are only looking for mole crabs, and a sand bug soak is hard to do with a fly rod. And the structure is different as the mussel beds are gone and sloping beaches with long sand bars parallel every beach. These changes lead to the blitz fishing we see each fall, just big fish chasing little fish, from north to south. It's fun for a bit to fish, more fun for me to stand and watch or photograph. 

     But down in SC they say that beach replenishment is good for the environment. It's actually, "Environmentally sensitive...." and benefits both residents and visitors to the island. While it doesn't help marine life it does, "Allow beach-goers to spread out, play paddle ball, ride bikes, and bask in the sun". Kinda like we do here in New Jersey. I'd just hate to be a crab, a clam, or a fish. 

  

08.08.24 Alright, you got me, I'm advertising for Islam...

     In a recent post that had nothing to do with fly fishing I included some art speaking to the point that life is short. Let's be honest, the summer months are fishing-slim here on The Average Angler, but as of 

today, we're still holding on to number 23 in the world, according to Feedspot. That's pretty good since I don't have Instagram, no TAA Facebook page, and a Domain Authority of 15, whatever that means. It must mean something because #1 rated Midcurrent has a DA of 47 and #3 Orvis a 65. But back to the post. The art was something I found online and I posted it straight out of the can. In it was the mention 

of the Islamic religion with a website listed as part of the image. No big deal, I'll keep the image as is so it doesn't look like I'm stealing someone else's intellectual property, which we all do from time to time, when writing posts on social media and blog platforms. 

   So I was a little concerned when an email came in from Xenopus Laevis stating- "Your fishing blog advertises for Islam- is that intentional? Screenshot attached." I get emails related to the blog all the time, both good and bad. Now first, that art could have come from someone of Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Buddha or Atheist faith. I'm not sure if atheism is a faith as I write this. The concern when using or linking something in social media is you're not always 100% sure if it's on the up and up. We've all clicked on something we thought was benign only to be horrified to see some inappropriate content on your computer or phone screen. 

     I did a quick check of the website to make sure I wasn't "advertising" for something I didn't want to. A screenshot for that website is above and the link is HERE. I scrolled around and clicked on some of the links and was relieved that it appeared just a legit web page for those interested in learning and or joining Islam. There's nothing wrong with that, I've seen the same for all types of religions out there. That's the great thing about living in the United States and being a citizen, "Freedom of Religion" is one of the five things covered under the First Amendment of the Constitution. 

     With that check done I circled back to the anonymous email. The name on the email is Xenopus Laevis, which after a quick search, comes back as the name of the African Clawed Frog, which lives

   

in Africa. So this came from someone hiding behind an alter, either someone I don't know that reads this blog, or a friend or someone I know that doesn't want me to know they're just checking up on what I meant, or stand behind what might be an-anti Islam position. 

     So to that I'll say this. There are good and bad in all groups out there. Religious, political, sports, you name it, there's extremists in all of them. We've been seeing that more in politics these days to where someone can't even bring up the topic or proudly say which candidate they support without being ridiculed or attacked. That's extreme. And while you can't compare a terrorist group that wants to kill people with a sports fan, well, you kinda can. Have you ever been to a sports event with your family and the extreme fans are drinking, cursing, and yelling inappropriate things to players and fans from the other side about them, their Moms, their wives, and their families? That's inappropriate, it's offensive, and intrusive, and yes can be harmful, maybe not physically, to those in earshot. Imagine spending $400 to take a family of four to, let's just say a Phillies game, and having to listen to that, and risk getting assaulted when you ask them to get back in line. In todays world there is no middle, kinda like the recent weather patterns, it's all or none, up or down, Right or Left, white or not, and black or not, and all of that gets in the way of tolerance and civility. 

     I really do like all people, and people who don't look or roll like me. Diversity is something that drew me to where I currently work. There's diversity in the faculty and the students alike. For twenty five years now I have either lived or worked in Newark so I am used to different-than-me, and I love it. Islam is a religion practiced by many there and people who practice Islam are Muslims. Have you ever really spent some time with people who practice this religion? This ain't just your 45 minutes on a Sunday thing like we see with some who practice Catholicism. It's a 24-hour a day way of life that takes some real dedication and adherence to some really strict rules. I'm not claiming to know all about it but I have enjoyed learning about different religions and cultures during my times in and around Newark. 

     I've also spent some time around Muslims and Islam when I owned Agency New Jersey, the photo agency. I had several assignments both in New Jersey and New York that had me spend time in the local masjid, or mosque. The above image I took at a mosque on Branford Place in downtown Newark. I was always welcomed with open arms and invited to come back. Now, let's be real, you can spend a day in a church, a temple, or a mosque and never really know who you are in arms length of. There's good and bad in each, sinners, criminals and creepers across all religious and cultural lines, so you have to be yourself, take people for what they present to you, and always have your radar on and working.

     One thing I've learned over my near thirty years in the fire and emergency medical service, and in nursing is you treat everyone alike, with respect, and how you want to be treated. Yes, it can be difficult at times, like really difficult, as it is hard to put aside ones owns biases and stereotypes especially when you're dealing with those who have harmed or killed someone else, or are verbally or physically abusive to others, or yourself. But by spending time with and learning different religions and cultures one can be open to the differences in us all. Embracing differences closes the gap and helps us realize we are all human and just trying to get by and live our best lives. 

     Interestingly today I'm headed over to Mt. Sinai Hospital for my continued participation in the 9/11 Rescue Workers Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program. That day, one we all know of, occurred

due to the hatred and murderous acts by Islamic extremists that were part of al-Qaeda. That's what extremists, found in all groups and walks of life do, they hate and hurt. To in any way place blame, or cahootness, of good people with a bunch of assholes is wrong, un-American, and in no way the part of any good and decent religion. 

     So I'll continue to enjoy the differences in us all, continue to hopefully do more good then bad, and do my best to watch what I write here while not worrying about offending people with a different agenda or point of view. 

Getting back to fly fishing and writing about striped bass can't come soon enough.