So far, the second shot has been a disappointment as well. But it’s still early yet.
I’m still hoping that the two together – plus the oral steroids that I took some months back plus the ridonk amount of PT that I’m doing – will result in some improvement.
Anything, really.
Been hanging around with another surgeon from my gym who thinks I should just keep getting the shots.
We met up for a drink and some food the other day where I picked his brain about my situation.
Me: So far, these two shots haven’t done a thing. Him: Dude, steroids work. I had three shots and was good for years. Give it time.
I’m not sure what to do.
One of the guys I do kali with – and he started 13 years before me, which means, he’s been doing it for 33 years – happens to be an acupuncturist and offered for me to get checked out at his clinic.
What’s crazy is that it was literally the building next door to the place I had the shots.
My life is so fulla odd coincidences.
So, I went where he essentially beat the crap outta me for 90 minutes – it was painful, but I felt pretty good afterward.
Me: How much do I owe you? Him: Oh, it’s on the house. We’re old friends. Me: Dude, you spent an hour with me… Him: Actually, it was 90 minutes. Me: That’s even worse!
But he wouldn’t take anything from me. What a nice guy.
It’s too early to say if it did anything but it was, if nuthin else, an amazing massage.
It’s nice to have such disparate and talented friends.
Now if I could just have a working back…
Location: home, with a bad back a lot on my mind
Mood: so disappointed
Music: had no warning about who you are (Spotify) Subscribe! Like this post? Tell someone about it by clicking a button below.
In any case, I took my buddy out for a drink over the weekend and just heard his (and his mom’s) story, which I’ll end here because it’s not mine to tell.
Me: This is why alcohol was invented, man.
The second was the opposite.
My own mom turned a milestone birthday, one that I’m grateful she was able to reach.
My sister came up with the brilliant plan to have many of our relatives from all over – including Taiwan – to video call her at the same time and wish her well.
As an aside, I usually put up pictures that don’t include my kid sister and only include my brother and me because, by the time she was born, I was already a fatty-fat-fat.
Anywho, getting back to my mom and the video call, she’s not one for pomp and circumstance but I could tell she was touched by the gesture.
I know that, at some point, I will have to go through what my buddy is going through and I’m not – at all – prepared for it.
Don’t think we’re ever prepared to say goodbye to the people we’ve loved so long and so completely.
Ok, that’s my sister when she came home from the hospital. I can put pics of her up so long as I’m not in them.
When I think of my mom, the faces you see above is the face I always see in my head when I think of her.
She’ll always be that young and beautiful to me.
I wish everyone we love can always stay.
Doubt that I’m alone in this.
But that’s not the deal, and we have to accept it, however hard it is.
Me: Even I have to go someday. Him: But…what if you don’t, papa? Me: That’s the deal, kid. We all have to go at some point so someone else gets a chance. Him: (hopefully) But maybe it’ll be different for you. Me: (laughing) Ok, kid. Maybe. We’ll just have to wait and see. Go do your math.
Me: Heya, can you tell me one more time how many times my videos have been seen? I’m writing something about it for my blog. Producer: The exact number up to July 8th, 2025, was 236,526,963 on YouTube only. But if I had to guess YouTube is closer to 280m and with TikTok you’re closer to 350m. Me: Holy shitballs!
Years ago, I told you that the reason the 3 Musketeers candy bar was called that was because each one had three bars, with ear bar a different flavor: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla.
But, for a variety of reasons, it’s just chocolate now.
And did you know that Daisy – the makers of the Red Ryder BB gun in A Christmas Story, was originally a windmill company?
They used to give away BB guns as promotional items for their windmills, but their promotional items became more popular than their main business, so they ditched windmills completely to focus on BB guns.
I’m trying, I’m trying, just hold on…
Speaking of Daisy, there’s a major BJJ competition team called Daisy Fresh, just because the team originally trained in a beat-up laundromat called, “Daisy Fresh,” and they figured it was easier just to keep the name.
That happens a lot.
Like, two fellas named Henderson and Moore bought a hotel in Massachusetts that already had a large, expensive sign on the building.
It was cheaper to just keep the sign, so they ended up calling their entire hotel chain the name on the sign – Sheraton.
Finally, there’s this popular sandwich shop named Potbelly that was once was Chicago antique store that was struggling.
So, they hit on this idea to sell sammies that they heated up with an old potbelly stove that they had in the shop.
My point’s that the things we think we know actually probably went through a lotta things to become the version of the thing you’re familiar with.
And things that you know of in one form may actually have been something else entirely.
There’s a really funny backstory to that whole thing that I’ll tell you about some day.
But I digress.
OK, it’s not a Sheraton but I don’t usually stay at those.
The thing is that there are alla these people that now know me as Logan the Weapons Guy from Scenic Fights, and I’m proud to be known as that.
And, of course, there are all those people that know me as Logan, the intellectual property lawyer.
And I’ve got this whole other career – two, actually – that I’ve only ever mentioned to you in passing but I’m held in pretty high regard there as well.
I do alla those things but the two things I’m proudest of – and I’m proud of everything I just mentioned – are being the kid’s dad and my writing.
Because we are what we constantly do.
And those two things are the things that I constantly do the most.
There are somea you that have been reading me since the Livejournal days and I feel that, outta everyone that “knows” me, you all know me the best.
Because what you’re reading is the most closely aligned with how I really am (edited), I think.
So, thanks for helping me/us get to 1 million on Scenic Fights.
And thanks, most of all, for continuing to read me.
One of these days, I’ll have something important to say.
Oh, a special nod to my buddy Mark H. Anbinder who’s been reading me for decades – and still constantly comments (!) and I’m super thankful for that. Shockingly, he’s still on Livejournal.
And my friend Debra, whom I’ve not seen in decades, just dropped me a line outta the blue saying (a) she’s still reading me and (b) is writing herself now.
Had an all-day Scenic Fights shoot the other night for a holiday special that we’re doing.
I’m sure you can guess what holiday from the main pic.
Had to cut out of filming at a certain time both to grab my kid as well as to meet an old friend of mine that was visiting from San Francisco.
I first met him about 2004 or so when he needed a place to stay in NYC.
Doesn’t feel like over two decades ago, and yet it was.
At that time, he was dating someone, and he ended up marrying and having two kids with her – both of whom are now in college.
In any case, his oldest is now in NYC – and I think graduating this year – and he and his wife were in town and asked to meet up.
I suggested a buncha places but, because the weather was perfect, I suggested Pier I, and they agreed and met us there.
It was nice catching up with everyone.
Firecracker: We usually have pretty quiet nights. Me: That’s because of her addiction. Firecracker: What addiction?! Me: Big Two – we literally play a few hands almost every night. Friend’s Wife: OMG, we LOVE Big Two! If we had cards, we could play right now. Firecracker: I totally would! He’s right, I am addicted. Me: Plus, I tried to convince her to hustle a buncha old Chinese in Boston.
One little thing that was annoying is that we ordered a pitcher of a mixed drink that – after taxes and tip – cost about $100.
But we were only able to get three drinks outta it.
So, I spoke to the manager who was super nice.
Me: Sorry, I don’t mean to be all Karen about this but…that works out to be about $33.50 per drink. It was like, all ice! Her: Oh, I would be upset too. Can I mix you three more drinks? Me: Oh, that’s a lot. I think two would be fair. Her: (smiling) I’ll mix three, no problem.
So, that was pretty cool.
Afterward, we took mini walk around the hood.
Him: Hey, that’s my old apartment! Me: Yup. Not much has changed with it in over two decades.
We walked by a church which, I’ll have to tell you about one day because – completely by coincidence – it was a major part of the lecture I gave in France all those years ago because it was involved in a seminal US Supreme Court case.
Anywho, the guy that manages the church is a friend of mine and, without our even asking, he unlocked it and let us marvel at the main rectory.
Afterward, they left and we went back home.
Like I said, if you wait long enough, pretty much the whole world filters through NYC, it seems.
Her: They were nice. And it was so cool that your friend gave us a private tour of the church. Me: Yeah. I’ve met alotta really cool and nice people all these years. Hopefully, the kid can do the same.
Me: Can I use this picture of you? Her: What? Why? Me: Because you look so ridiculous, I wanna put it up. Her: What? You don’t think I look cute there? Me: Well, sure, that too…
If you managed to hack into my social media feed, you would find the following types of videos being shown:
Videos about food
Videos about fighting
Videos about wild boar hunting (don’t ask)
Videos about mantis shrimp
For the last one, if you don’t know, the mantis shrimp has one of the most powerful punches on the planet, despite their diminutive size.
Anywho, imagine my surprise when the Surgeon wrote me outta the blue.
Surgeon: I just saw mantis shrimp at a market in sunset park. Haven’t seen those since Vietnam. Steel: Buy a ton of them and I’ll swing by tomorrow to cook them. Surgeon: I got six pounds. Those dudes looked at me like I walked out of a UFO. (I’m regularly the only white guy in all of sunset park.) Me: (laughing)
So, this past weekend, we all went to the Surgeon’s pad and had some.
Steel made a killer herbed butter to cook them…
…and then they prepped them…
…while I held down the rum-drinking portion of things.
They say that it tastes like a mix between shrimp and lobster.
I’d agree with that BUT I feel the texture is a bit softer, which I find slightly off putting but is otherwise, delicious (I prob just need to get used to it).
Afterward, we had some dessert before heading back home.
Unfortunately, there was an uninvited guest on the platform of our train.
Her: Rat aside, tonight was fun. Me: They’re always a good time. Man, I had a lotta rum. Her: At least it wasn’t mezcal. Me: Ugh. Yeah…
Location: home, figuring out middle school stuff…
Mood: overwhelmed
Music: guessing that’s real good news (Spotify) Subscribe! Like this post? Tell someone about it by clicking a button below.
Me: When are you two free for the next meeting of the Handsome Mens Club (trademark pending)? NFL Player: Next week or following week? Thor: Absolutely.
It’s been a busy week of catching up with people now that school’s back in session.
It’s funny, before I was a parent, my year began in September just because that’s when it began as a kid.
But as a parent, it begins in September again because the kid’s year now begins in September.
And so does the year of all my friends with kids.
Case in point: Met up with Thor and the NFL Player for dinner around the way at a new joint called Sugarfish because they were both back in town from their summer travels.
The food was very good BUT the rice was warm – warmer than body temperature – and I’ve just never had warm sushi rice before.
Very odd.
Also checked out Thor’s new whip that he got just for fun.
Him: (proudly) Zero-to-sixty in less than three seconds. Me: Jesus.
Then, that weekend, the Firecracker, the kids, and I all went down to the Surgeon’s for a little get-together where we finished an entire bottle of rum…
Me: (to Flutist, the Surgeon’s wife) Your husband almost killed me last time. Surgeon: That’s why we’ve been drinking rum. Flutist: It was that bad? Firecracker: (nodding) Oh, yeah…oh, yeah…
…before we went up to their roof because the weather was just perfect.
Then, the very next morning, bright and early, I went over to Cappy’s like I said in the last entry.
There, I went to his roof and saw more spectacular skylines.
I live in the basement of a townhouse, so my views are of garbage cans and a parking lot.
Maybe someday, I’ll live in a place with gorgeous views.
Him: Can I watch something? Me: Can you read instead? Him: Do I have to?
If there’s anything that’s a source of friction between the kid and me, it’s reading.
As someone that grew up with a total of five channels – ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Channel 55 (which is an in itself entry one of these days) – and zero friends, books were my primary source of entertainment.
So, I don’t understand how my child is so adverse to reading.
It’s a kid’s book but, roughly, the story goes like this:
Mrs. Frisby was a mouse married to a mouse named Jonathan, who was killed. Alone with just her son, Mrs. Frisby discovered that her house was about to be destroyed and needed to be moved, but this was impossible because her son Timothy was sick.
So, she pled with an owl, who refused to help her. Until the owl discovered that she was Jonathan’s widow. Then he helped her. And told her to find the rats of NIHM because they too knew Jonathan would help. They would help because she was his widow, and Timothy was his son.
You see, it turns out that Jonathan was one of only two mice that were left from NIHM. Because of the experiments there, they both had exceptionally heightened intelligence. Because Jonathan used that intelligence to help the rats there escape, the rats always felt in his debt.
Now, when Jonathan met Mrs. Frisby, he hid all this from her. Because he didn’t want her to think any differently of him. He just wanted a normal and quiet life with her.
Man, do I get that.
But that’s neither here nor there.
Anywho, as the story went on, Mrs. Frisby discovered that her husband had this entire crazy life before her and that people loved and respected him.
He gave up everything to just have a quiet life with her but the kindness that he gave to others lived on, long after the relationships faded.
The funny thing is that I always thought that I’d die before Alison. But I often thought of this story while she was pregnant and thought, If anything ever happened to me, I’m going leave her and the kid a crapton of good friends that will make sure the two of them are ok.
Unfortunately, as fate would have it, she died before me.
But I’m still amazed at all the friends I’ve collected throughout these years did exactly what I expected them to do – be there for the kid.
Like, just this morning, I was in Brooklyn picking up three (more) huge bags of clothes that my old college buddy Cappy and his wife saved for the kid.
Alison’s friends have also helped us through these times, good and bad – like the ABFF and my SIL.
So, I’m grateful that we’ve both lived lives where we both collected brilliant and good people along the way, because, man, did we need them.
Me: Dude, just read a book. If it’s a good book, it’ll be just as good, if not better, than anything you see on TV. Him: (resigned) Fine, papa. I’ll read… Me: (laughing) It’s not a punishment, kid.
A lotta people don’t realize that NIMH was a real place.
Me: What do you think? Him: Logan, you’ve had some stupid ideas before, but this has got to be the worst one yet. Me: (laughing) Wait, what about… Him: (holding up hand) Nope. I’m stupider now having heard your plan than I was just before hearing it.
Been chatting with Rain on the regular again.
He’s living in the country right now and has, essentially, become a farmer.
Hell hath frozen over.
But that’s his story to tell, not mine, so I’ll stop here.
Now that the kid’s back, we’re easing back into our usual schedule.
We were supposed to meet up with my college friends for a picnic at Governors Island but ended up not going because it was gonna rain.
We were gonna just have a quiet day at home, but then the ABFF asked if we wanted to get dinner so we did that instead…
…and then ended up by her pad to play some cards.
The Firecracker introduced everyone to Big Two, which I found amusing.
On the topic of games of chance, we also tried our hand in winning Powerball.
I’m sad to say, we are not billionaires.
It’s probably for the best.
Another friend: Let’s say you did win, what would you do? Me: First thing is upgrade alla my friends to people way too good for me. Him: (laughing) All of us? Me: If I won a billion dollars, you’re all dead to me.
The next day, the kid went to a bday party and then a playground afterward.
I think it’s interesting how I both (a) have a normal now and (b) it’s a new normal, so different than when it was just Alison and me.
It’s not – at all – what I thought my life would be but, I’m grateful I have it.
Me: How was your first day of school? Him: Good! Me: Do you like your teacher? Him: Yes, she’s so nice! Me: (smiling) Great! It’s a good start to the year, then.
Location: home, cutting a box to make it a shipping cost go from $76 to $24
Mood: committed
Music: No, I don’t want it to stop (Spotify) Subscribe! Like this post? Tell someone about it by clicking a button below.
Her: When I was a kid, we played a card game called, Big Booty. But I don’t remember how it’s played. Me: I assume it involved your butt? Her: Actually, not at all.. Me: That’s both a disappointment and a misnomer.
Saw my college friends this past weekend out in the wilds of Long Island again.
Like always, it was a ton of fun, and a good way to give both boys one final good weekend before school began.
In fact, the kid stayed in the pool for the vast majority of the time we were there.
The ridic delicious food didn’t hurt.
And I even gave in and had some donuts – along with my requisite peanut butter.
Katsmw: You know, [my husband] is eating peanut butter more and saying Loganisms these days. Firecracker: Does he constantly talk about eating “protein, fat, and fiber” at every meal? Me: Oh, you’ll thank me when he’s old and looks amazing.
On that note, I was talking to Rain about the kid growing up so quickly.
Me: It’s weird being on the other side of childhood. I remember that, as a kid, school and the years would just draaagggg. College was four years, but it seemed like forever. Him: Yeah, that makes sense. When we were in college, it was 1/5 of our lives. Now it’s just four years.
