Blog

Kiosks are everywhere for many different reasons supposedly to make things move much quicker all the while efficient and saving costs for many businesses. We use them anywhere from banking, to groceries, to theme parks, you name it. I’ve always been a fan, but every time I wonder is it going to work or will something go wrong? I now can say I unequivocally am a fan. The convenience of a kiosk has a thumbs up from me. I am not talking about just any kiosk. I am talking about the best kiosk ever, the WV Department of Motor Vehicles kiosk. In 2017, West Virginia opened a handful of kiosks across the State, one of which was placed here in Wheeling. With the kiosk, you are supposed to be able to renew vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses providing no changes were necessary to the already existing documents. Recently, I celebrated a birthday and with that, came the time to renew my driver’s license. I dreaded the thought of spending half a day at the DMV. Just wasn’t on my wish list of things to do. Then, my friend reminded me of the kiosk. I mulled over the idea and thought there is no way will this work. Just too good to be true. Seriously, a half day’s adventure to the DMV now reduced to a three-minute painless transaction? Surely something would go wrong. Desperate though, I went to give it a shot. I approached this kiosk almost grimacing. I was confident that I should run other errands on this visit to the local kiosk because aftercall, I did not want this to be pointless given all had had on my plate. And, there I was. The face off. Me versus the kiosk. I entered my information and a few screens later with the swipe of a credit card, the renewal transaction was complete with receipt in hand. Where were the kids? My goodness still in line awaiting their favorite item off the menu? I glanced at my watch and the entire process of renewal took less than three minutes. Yep, too good to be true. Had the kiosk won this face off? Here I was left standing with the receipt in hand and a promise that the hard copy of my license would be delivered to my home within two weeks started worrying me. Just watch I thought, I will end up with an expired license because surely somehow this effortless, rapid process would fail me. I was not yet quite ready to concede to the seamless process still. As the two-week mark approached with my birthday just four days away, the anxiety grew as I convinced myself that come Monday, I would certainly have to make that dreaded trip to the DMV. Two-weeks to the day there it was. Arrived just as promised. No errors. I delightfully found myself actually smiling thinking about how skeptical I had been. I have conceded, the kiosk is the champion. I am a believer. Less than three minutes is all it took. Thank you West Virginia for choosing Wheeling to place one of these kiosks, it truly makes for a delightful, painless, experience.

I must begin by admitting that I was born and raised in Massachusetts, and I grew up cheering for the New England Patriots. I am not old enough to have cheered for the Boston Patriots, but I would have had I been old enough. I grew up a die-hard fan of all sports teams in Massachusetts. I truly enjoyed watching the Super Bowl this month, especially because the New England Patriots won their 6th Super Bowl. Now with those admissions out of the way, I want to tell a story about my trip to the 2002 Super Bowl and how I saw something that showed me even then that Tom Brady was special. I won’t go as far as to say I knew he would be would someday be known as the “GOAT” (Greatest of all Time), but it was clear he was going to be special. I was fortunate enough to have attended the February of 2002 Super Bowl in which the Patriots, led by Tom Brady, defeated the St Louis Rams 20-17, with a last second field goal. The Rams were heavily favored to win the game and were known as “The Greatest Show on Turf.” The trip to New Orleans was magical for many reasons outside of seeing first hand that Tom Brady was something to admire as a football player. This was my first Super Bowl. I went without tickets and just to enjoy the festivities of a Super Bowl.  I expected it would be my only Super Bowl, so I wanted to go to the game at all costs. I was told that I should expect to pay a thousand dollars or so over the face value. As luck would have it, the Rams were heavily favored by more than two touchdowns. This factor drove the price of the tickets down and I was able to snag one at face value. However, the magic started long before I got my ticket. That season, Tom started as the back up to an All Pro quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe was injured after a number of games, but when he came back, Brady kept the starting position. Ultimately, Brady led the Patriots to the Super Bowl. The most astonishing aspect of the Super Bowl is what happened at the closing drive but was not seen by anybody other than the crowd that was at the game. As the Patriots started that winning drive, there was a TV timeout. As the Patriots offense was huddled on the field waiting for the time out to end, you could see a number of the players nervously rocking back and forth or pacing. The players were full of nervous energy because they were being watched by over 100 million people, who were watching what was likely the most crucial part of their football careers. They were living and creating history - and they knew it. And depending on the result, it could be the absolute worst or the absolute best time of, not only their football lives, but possibly of their entire lives. On the sidelines, the coaches were frantically reviewing their play books and the other players were pacing backing and forth, were on their knees praying and/or shouting words of encouragement to their team players on the field. Among all the chaos and fervor of the closing minutes of a tied score Super Bowl, there was one person who appeared to remain calm under all the pressure, Tom Brady. He walked from the sideline and into the huddle with a cool and composed appearance. When he got into the huddle, you could see him motioning with his hands to all the players to calm down. They proceeded to drive the down field for the winning field goal. Now, many players have exhibited heroic actions to win a Super Bowl with the same coolness. For example, there is the story of Joe Montana pointing out John Candy in the stands to the rest of the offense, which as the story goes, relaxed all the players before driving for a winning score. However, never has a quarterback with little experience or fanfare calm a whole team down and lead them to the winning score in a Super Bowl. Brady was famously a 6th round draft choice, who had never started a game until that season, and had thrown for a total of 6 yards the season before, his first in the NFL. That one scenario speaks volumes about Brady’s unmatched swagger, confidence and leadership. I could cite countless football statistics that show Brady is the best of all time. However, the only stat I need is 6 Super Bowl wins out of nine appearances. This stat has so many ramifications. First this was over an 18 year career to date, with the first Super Bowl being his first full season in 2001 and the last being the last NFL season of 2018. This is more Super Bowl appearances than every other TEAM over the NFL history and is more appearances than 11 teams COMBINED over their NFL history. He has won 6 Super Bowls to date. This is more than any other TEAM in NFL History, except the Pittsburgh Steelers who also won 6 Super Bowls. However, this was done with completely different teams years apart and a number of quarterbacks. Now I have argued over my lifetime that other Boston sports heroes were one of the greatest of all time or others that were, arguably, the greatest of all time. The key word is “argued.” Never before Tom Brady did I unequivocally believe the respective Boston sports hero was the best or one of the best of all time, whether it was Bobby Orr, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Ted Williams etc. With Tom Brady, it is a fact. He is a GOAT, Greatest Of All Time. End of story. Image courtesy of USA Today.

The American Inns of Court publishes a magazine called The Bencher, and the recent March/April 2019 edition had an article titled “Professionalism Benefits Attorneys, Their Clients, and the Legal Community.” The article touched on several important aspects of professionalism in the legal community and the vast benefits that attorneys and their clients reap when they choose to conduct themselves with the highest standards of conduct. The article addressed the difference between ethics and professionalism, which is a distinction that often gets overlooked, but an important one nonetheless. All attorneys are bound to a code of ethics through their state’s Rules of Professional Conduct, which require attorneys to do a number of things in their practice, including protecting confidentiality of communications with clients, exhibiting honesty and candor to the court, and ensuring that they are not engaged in any conflicting relationships through their representation. While there are many other requirements imposed upon lawyers by the codes of legal ethics, and while many of those rules would naturally give rise to a lawyer behaving well, it is also possible for lawyers to be both ethical and unprofessional. Professionalism centers around how a lawyer acts while performing all of his duties, and even more importantly, how the lawyer treats others he encounters while engaging in the practice of law. Unfortunately, some expectations and misunderstandings of what legal professionalism means have led to a belief that a lawyer who is acting unprofessionally is actually doing a better job of fighting hard for his client. For example, lawyers who present their arguments in an aggressive or intimidating style are often touted as bulldogs who are advocating as hard as they can for their client’s case, while lawyers who deliver their arguments in a more even-tempered manner may be seen as not fighting hard enough to win. Lawyers who are agreeable to extensions of deadlines or rescheduling case events due to another lawyer’s schedule may be viewed as pushovers or giving up control on the issue. Clients may mistake a friendly attorney who shakes everyone’s hand and asks how opposing counsel’s children are doing during a break in a deposition for being “on their side” rather than the client’s. Much of this is a misconception, and there are a lot of ways that a lawyer’s calm or pleasant behavior can benefit the client much more than raised voices or pounding fists. The Bencher article referred back to “the Golden Rule” of treating others as we would like to be treated as the foundation of professionalism, and suggested that the three main characteristics of a lawyer who behaves professionally are civility, integrity, and dignity. Each of these traits is rooted most solidly in respect – for others, for the law and justice, and for oneself. When you can view situations that arise during litigation through this lens, it is easier to see how behaving professionally produces benefits all around. A lawyer who has agreed to a request by opposing counsel to extend a deadline or reschedule a deposition is more likely to receive the same courtesy when it is his client who needs more time to answer discovery or had an unexpected scheduling conflict. A lawyer who is polite and reasonable when presenting his arguments to the court, and explains the reasons why the court should accept his position over the other side’s, is more likely to be taken seriously each time he appears before that court. An attorney who is civil and pleasant to everyone he encounters, including opposing counsel and opposing parties, is more likely to be able to work out litigation disputes without resorting to court intervention, saving clients time and money in their case. Finally, the article discussed a benefit of professionalism that is probably most overlooked by lawyers themselves – the increased positivity of the practice of law when you and your colleagues behave professionally. Situations are much less stressful when no one is screaming, making threats, or refusing to cooperate on minor issues. Lawyers are able to advocate much better for clients when they can approach situations with a clear head and reduced anxiety. Networking and interactions within the legal community are also more enjoyable when lawyers treat one another with respect both in and out of the courtroom, and this can produce benefits to a lawyer’s practice such as co-counsel or referral relationships, receiving advice from colleagues with varied experience, and learning of new opportunities for involvement in legal community organizations. So the next time you see lawyers shaking hands after just having sat on opposite sides of the table during a mediation, or presenting an argument to the court without raising voices, keep in mind that those lawyers are still advocating hard for their clients, they are just also advocating for professionalism in the practice of law.

Having the name James Casey Heneghan I have been identified as an Irishman many a day. It is a heritage that I take pride in. My grandparents were born in Ireland and came to the “new country” when they were all in the teens or early twenties. Each couple came all the way here to meet the other, having not set eyes on each other while growing up in the Emerald Isle. All four were laborers: a plumber, a gardener, a maid and a house cleaner. For them, it was important that their children were educated. They all thought an education was the road to opportunities that they never were able to experience. They didn’t want their children to face the signs of “Irish Need Not Apply” that they often saw right next to the “Help Wanted” signs in the front of various business. My grandparents were hard working and each, for the most part, held the same job for their entire work life. That in itself is a feat when weighed against the financially tough times they lived in, including the Depression and World War II. From their 12 children came a large number of highly educated and financially successful individuals, who did indeed get to experience many of life’s wonderful moments that are provided through an education. I remember in my early years growing up that every Sunday was St Patty’s Day. All the Heneghan families would go visit our paternal grandparents and have a late Sunday afternoon dinner consisting of typical Irish food. There was Irish bread, stew, corn beef and cabbage, roast beef, potatoes and more. Every Sunday dinner meal was served on my grandparents’ finest Waterford China. The chinaware was a center piece for our Sunday visits. My grandparents had scraped together their savings to buy pieces of fine Waterford china individually or, at times, a set here and there as my dad, aunts and uncles grew. Finally, years after collecting pieces, they received the remaining sets as a gift from their adult children. I am sure a glass of Irish whiskey or two was consumed by some on these Sunday visits, but never by my grandfather. He was a tall, lanky, quiet man, whose hands were as big as mitts. He had a full head of white, not grey, hair. By that time, my grandmother was bed ridden, crippled with terrible arthritis. She was in a great deal of pain every day, but every Sunday she would meet all her grandchildren with a smile on her face and ask, in her soft spoken Irish accent, what we were doing in school or in our seasonal activities. Shortly after I got out of law school, I traveled to Ireland for the first of my two trips I have made to Ireland. The country has many beautiful and elegant sights, such as the Cliffs of Moher or the Ring of Kerry. Everywhere you look is history. There are a number of things I loved about the old country. Many things that were memorable, some in good way and some not. I remember how truly alluring the whole country was. It is hard to imagine how something that is mainly green can be so beautiful. No matter how hard I try to explain it, I will never do it justice. I still can see the small cottages, with their thatched roof tops made of sod and sticks, sprayed along the hillsides. The ground is made up of, in some wonderful way, various shades of green, and the cottages overlook the ocean. The homes are divided by quaint stone walls that only add to the breath taking view and elegance of the image. The other thing I remember is how unappealing the food was on the trips. I can say that because I am 100% Irish, but the food was generally average at best. However, the people of Ireland are at the other end of the spectrum. The people are kind, fun loving, hardworking, religious and only too happy to help a lost tourist. The people of Ireland are splendid to say the least. They, the beauty and the history of Ireland makes it a majestic country to experience. So as I sit here on the weekend of St Patrick’s Day, I don’t think of the hordes of people who roam the streets clamoring for green beer and corn beef. Rather, St Patty’s Day makes me think of my heritage and my grandparents who traveled from Ireland. It makes me recall the message of an education and hard work that they gave to their children, and how it has been passed to their grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is the splendor of Sundays spent at my grandparents’ home and enjoying the delicious meals of Ireland (which were somehow were fantastic despite how bad the food was in Ireland), and the history, beauty and the people of Ireland that I clamor for on St Patty’s Day. Happy St Patty’s Day to you and yours. And from and old Irish toast, “May the roof over your head always be strong. And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.”

Ever sit and think about how much technology is directly at our fingertips? How simple technological advancements have completely changed our lives? The thought entered my mind when discovered my hometown has a Civic Sign Up website. During my little league softball days, for years my parents would drag me to sign ups. Although I loved playing, the whole thing was such a bore to me. Once my parents tackled the obstacle of getting me to sign up, they then enter Phase 2 which is me losing my practice/game schedule. With this new website you can sign up your child, view their schedule, and any events/fundraisers that may come up. This new development is absolutely incredible and wish it was something available when I was child. I then began to think about all the tech upgrades I’ve had in just my lifetime. I have watched media evolve. I, like most girls in the 90’s was obsessed with the Spice Girls. I had their movie and concerts all on VHS tape. The thought of using a VCR now is so draining. But to purchase those VHS Tapes I would have to beg/torment someone to drive me to the local Blockbuster. With the advancement from VCR, to DVD Player, and now streaming services, I have the slightest idea where to even visit such a retro video store. All media I consume whether it’s music, movies, or even the news, is all digital. Technology has even seeped into my church. I read the bible from my iPad. The order of service is displayed from a projector along with opening songs. My church even has an app, so if you’re like me and never seem to stop at the ATM for cash Sunday Morning, you can simply log onto the app and give your offering and Tithes. These are just some of the few advancements in my short lifetime. I could go on about GPS and flip phones just to name a few. I’m excited what’s next to come in future generations.

Christmas 2018 will be a holiday my family will never forget, not because of the great day, not the big gift or even the Christmas night around the tree with our extended family telling tales and laughing. It will be remembered for the tragic loss of Patricia Bates. Pat is my wife’s mom, my children’s grandma (Granny, if you will) and my second mom. After a terrible drive to Pittsburgh, following Pat’s arrival via Life Flight to UPMC, we found out she was not going to make it back to us. Pat was taken off a ventilator that was keeping her alive and passed, with her family at her side all listening to the Rosary being said by her sister. After all the tears and the long ride back to Bellaire, we received a call at 1:30 a.m. from a wonderful woman, whose name I wish I could remember. This strange call was at first not welcomed, but soon realized she was warm and compassionate. She expressed her regret that Pat had passed at such a beautiful time of year. She asked about Pat, what she was like, what her passions were and most importantly to Pat and us, her faith in God. Pat had not indicated to us or anyone her thoughts on being an organ donor. We found out that someone was in need of skin. Pat was a good donor for this person in need in the same hospital that Pat had passed in hours before. My wife began to weep and instantly knew how giving Pat was and her belief in God’s mercy, would make it impossible to say no. Did I wish we had had this discussion with Pat? YES. Do I know Pat would give her right hand to someone in need? YES. I’m also sure Pat, who was so quiet in public and afraid of embarrassing herself in public, probably wanted to check the box as an organ donor, but was too embarrassed to ask the DMV employee, where the box was, or can you repeat that? Please have this discussion with your loved one, no matter how difficult of time you have with this topic. As for the lady who called us that night, thank you. The thought that Pat’s final good deed was helping someone else through a terrible tragedy was something she would have done in a heartbeat. If someone passing can help your family, I think we would all be agreed organ donation is an import talk to have. February 14was National Donor Day, when we thank organ donors, donor families, and living donors for making the choice to save others, and we remember and honor those heroic gifts. For more information about organ donation contact C.O.R.E.: https://www.core.org/understanding-donation/

Recently, my email and social media have been bombarded with advertisements for subscription services. It’s amazing to me how these days, you really don’t have to leave your home for the most part. Cleaning products, health care products, books, clothing, food…whatever your heart desires are all at the mercy of the buttons on your keyboard. The days of going to the grocery store and digging through packages of steaks to find the “perfect marbleization” or sniffing a cantaloupe to find a nice juicy ripe one are on the way out. That mango-mint scented laundry detergent “sounds” wonderful in the merchant’s item description, but I’ll have to just take their word for it. Now, all of this convenience becomes inconvenient when you receive a shipment of bruised fruit or that mango scented laundry detergent isn’t as appealing as it sounded. The sweater in that subscription box that doesn’t fit right on you is going to take you some time to contact customer service, box it back up, slap on a shipping label and return the item for a refund or another item. Either way, you are going to wait. Now, I am guilty of falling for this technique and quite honestly I am glad I did. I have entered into a subscription service that delivers cleaning products to my home. It is exciting when I receive that monthly box full of chemical free goodies to clean my home. I have been pretty lucky so far and have been pleased with everything I received. As far as clothes and grocery shopping, well as long as I am able, I think I’ll just keep venturing out in the real world as opposed to the world wide web.

The insurance industry and their corporate partners have spent a tremendous amount of money over the past two decades putting out propaganda to convince people that standing up for your own rights by seeking justice in a court of law makes you a bad person. If you file a lawsuit, you are bad. Many of my new clients who have been severely injured as a result of the misconduct of others, tell me when we meet for the first time, “Scott, I just want you to know, I am not the suing type.” I ask these clients why they feel guilty when all they are doing is standing up to a bully. Usually the bully is an insurance company that refuses to treat them fairly and settle their claims so they don’t have to go see a lawyer. When I ask clients why they feel that standing up to a bully and standing up for their own rights makes them a bad person, they cannot answer the question. That is the whole reason behind the billions of dollars spent by the insurance industry to brainwash the public. People feel like they are being a bad person if they file a lawsuit when really all they are doing is standing up for their own rights and not letting the big bully insurance company trample their rights. If you know someone who has had to file a lawsuit, you can be assured that the lawsuit was filed because the insurance company refused to do the right thing and settle the matter pre-suit. Don’t be fooled by propaganda. Hiring an attorney and filing suit against individuals and companies that have caused you harm, does not make you a bad person. It makes you a person that stands up to bullies and makes you a person not willing to see your rights trampled upon.

On Sunday, February 24, 2019, most of us in the Eastern United States experienced severe winds. This was predicted, and I was hoping that our power would hold out, but I wasn’t so lucky. It came as no surprise when it went out Sunday morning and we became one of the 4800 plus customers without power in Marshall County. The irony is that I had just spent $300 at the grocery store, and returned home from the store to no power. Hmm, what do I do with all of this food/meat I just bought? Fortunately, we have a small generator and we did what a lot of people do in this situation and began running extension cords from the generator throughout the house to the freezer and other necessities—like TV and our cell phone booster. TV and cell phone boosters are necessities? In this day and age and in my opinion—yes they are. We emptied out the refrigerator and put most of its contents in a cooler and sat it on the porch. That has been our “refrigerator” for the last four days. Everything that could go in our big freezer downstairs went into it. We have alternated between running the freezer and running the furnace, and we are surviving. Luckily, we have a gas hot water heater so we are able to shower—we just can’t dry our hair. I have been getting ready for work at work in the mornings. I wish I could say that we sat around in the evenings and played cards or board games and bonded as a family during this power outage but, as I said, we made sure we have TV and cell phone coverage so that part of our evening routine has remained unchanged. Last night I washed dishes and prepared supper by Coleman lantern, but without a doubt I like having modern conveniences and never thought I would say that I was actually looking forward to being able to do my laundry. I have a newfound respect for the pioneers of yesteryear and the Amish of today, but I’ve decided I really don’t want to have to live this way. Even though I am still without power, I want to thank all of the lineman who have been working around the clock to get the power restored—you guys rock! We are now at Day 4 of “living-off-the-grid” and I am crossing my fingers that today will be the day that life gets back to normal. If not, we will persevere because what else can you do?

Whether we like it or not – it is a well-known fact that the legal profession generally does not have a great reputation among the public. A quick google search will turn up hundreds of “lawyer jokes” that can be used at any time. When we think about why lawyers get such a bad rep there are a multitude of reasons. For example, lawyers defend the guilty, they often take on careers as politicians, and further, they are required to “cross-examine” witnesses which is often portrayed on tv as a public humiliation of some sort. However, one other reason that is not so often thought of, is the fact that many people generally do not get to know their lawyers and think of them only in their lawyer persona. In all fairness, trying to get to know your attorney may seem like an intimidating thought. Lawyers are generally busy individuals who usually attempt to get down to the facts when discussing your representation. However, behind the business attire and the serious manner in which lawyers discuss your matter, we are regular people just like you with interests and activities outside of the law. Here at Bordas & Bordas, all of our attorneys have different backgrounds and are involved in various groups outside of the office. What I’ve come to find is that allowing my clients to know a little bit about my personal background and interests helps them relate and further, encourages them to be more open and honest with me which in turn aids with my legal advocacy of them. One way our firm here at Bordas & Bordas has allowed the public to get to know our team members, both attorneys and staff alike, is through our Bordas Beats videos that are posted to Facebook every Monday. These videos are quick interviews of Bordas & Bordas employees that give you a quick peek into the interests of our team. For example, do we prefer the summer or winter, pizza or pasta, country or rock? A view of these videos will let you get to better know us and our lives outside of the firm and hopefully, will help relieve any concerns about your inability to relate or talk to an attorney.

Having officiated high school and college basketball for 25 years, I can sympathize with the official who missed the critical pass interference call in the recent NFC Championship game. For those who have avoided TV, radio, print media, the internet, and pretty much any other form of human contact over the past few weeks, allow me to explain. The game was tied at 20 with 1:45 remaining, and the Saints had the ball at the Rams’ 13 yard line, 3rd and 10. Drew Brees dropped back to pass, and lofted the ball toward receiver Tommy Lee Lewis, who had beaten the defense. As the ball approached, the Rams’ defensive back, who later admitted he knew a TD was about to happen, blew Lewis up. This wasn’t a case of arguable contact. It wasn’t a case where the two players were jostling with each other for position. The defender ran straight into Lewis, wiping him out. The ball fell incomplete, and everyone in the stadium was waiting for the flag. It never came. Regulation time expired with the score tied, and the Rams ended up winning in overtime. Saints fans, knowing they likely would have run down the clock and won the game with a chip-shot field goal had the penalty been called, were outraged. I was watching that game, and I was just as shocked as everyone else that the penalty was not called. I convinced myself that the Saints defense would be able to hold the Rams from scoring in the last minute of regulation. They didn’t. I was confident that Brees would lead his troops to a game-winning TD in overtime; instead, he threw an interception. A 57-yard field goal decided it: Rams go to the Super Bowl; Saints go fishing. When the game was over, I felt badly for the Saints players and their fans. I felt worse for the official responsible for the missed call. I would probably feel differently if I was a Saints fan, but I’m not. I’m an official (now retired), and like every other man or woman who has put on the stripes, I know what it feels like to kick an important call. It literally makes you sick to your stomach. I remember a sectional tournament game I was working years ago at Lincoln High School. The game was a mismatch; Lincoln was up by 25. The opponents had one very good player, we’ll call him #33, who had 4 personal fouls. I remember thinking how important it was to make sure his 5th foul was an obvious call. We didn’t want to foul him out on a borderline call. A few moments later, I was the lead official when #33 came barreling down the lane toward the hoop. A defender was there, in perfect position, not moving a muscle. This was going to be an easy charge, I thought. My God, he’s going to pancake that poor defender. #33 went airborne, and I knew what was coming. Just as the contact was happening, I blew my whistle and came out with the charging call. Flashy. Big time. Just watch me sell this one. Teddy Valentine got nothin’ on me. But there was one very big problem: at the very last moment, right before the contact I was anticipating, #33 turned his body in mid-air, and barely glanced off the defender’s shoulder. An obvious no-call, but I had already blown my whistle. I had already called the charge. I had already ended the season for #33. I am not exaggerating when I say that I felt like I could vomit, right there on the floor. The thought occurred to me that #33 might be a senior, whose basketball career had ended with a horrible call going against him. (After the game, when I approached him and his coach to apologize, I found out he was a junior. Whew!!) My gaffe happened with maybe 1,000 people watching. The NFL official in the Rams/Saints game kicked one in front of millions. Officials do what they do because they love the game. They work, they study, and they train, all with the intent to do the best job they can possibly do. No matter how much work we do; no matter how much we prepare, there are going to be calls that are missed. Views are blocked, concentration is interrupted, judgment is incorrect. It happens, and it will always happen. When it does, try to keep in mind that no one feels worse than the official who missed it. Image courtesy of USA Today FTW.

Everyone should be having the conversation about heart health with family and friends but also that conversation needs to include talking about making lifestyle changes that benefits the heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. Making changes is very important but if done with someone you love and care about such as a family member or a close friend, this can only inspire you and help that loved one want to make heart healthy changes too. Preventing heart disease is possible and the following are steps that can be taken to improve your heart health which includes, of course, to stop smoking. Secondhand smoke is dangerous and needs to be avoided. Control cholesterol and blood pressure by visiting your doctor for the best advice. Limiting alcohol consumption by not more than 1 drink a day for women and not more than 2 drinks a day for men. Eating healthy by getting plenty of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products and limits on trans fats, sugars and salt. If you are that couch potato, get off the couch and get active. Aerobic exercise over two hours a week is best. Exercise and eating healthy will help you lose that 10 pounds of excessive weight which can lower risks of heart disease. If it is your significant other, a sibling or good friend that needs encouragement, try doing all of this together and both of you will benefit. Make plans for healthy meals and go shopping together. Get active by taking a walk every day and gradually building up the pace. Makes plans to meet at the park. In in our area we have beautiful parks and it doesn’t cost a penny to walk the trails. Walking your dog counts too. Take turns. One walks the dog at a more sedate pace while the other is walking at a more ‘get your heart pumping’ pace and then switch. Visit your doctor to start the discussion based on your own personal needs. Find that special person or persons and make a plan. Our weather will start improving so get outside. Get started on that walking regimen and be careful what you are eating. This is a start. Your heart will love it.