Well we made it home! It was a wonderful time and it was so much fun to have most of the family with us! I did O.K. with eating, but had a couple of times where I ate too big a piece of something and was sick for about an hour. It is hard to eat slowly when you are so excited to be someplace. The weather was beautiful and the parks were not that crowded which made the trip really nice. The weather is so cold back here! I am not ready for Winter…. or Fall for that matter!

See More Photos Here!

Well it has been a busy and crazy week. My cellulitis returned and my doctor referred me to a surgeon for possible cyst removal! I get the craziest illnesses. We are gearing up for our Cordeiro family reunion in about a week. It will be such fun to have everyone together. I have been busy with the Fisher family genealogy and have been contacted by three, count em , three distant cousins I never new I had. It really is so much fun making connections. I am down 47 lbs since my operation in June and feeling great!

I recently was contacted by a distant cousin who has filled in some of the missing links in the Fisher genealogy. I decided to publish what I have found out so far so that he can see what I have accomplished. I have a lot more work to do on it, but I did a lot of research in the past. I lost interest when my father passed away, but that is probably all the more reason I should document what I have found out. Take a look!

I haven’t written, because I haven’t been feeling very well lately. It all started with what I though was an ingrown hair on my upper arm. Within a day, the redness it grew to much larger proportions. Over the weekend my lymph nodes in my armpit became swollen, my shoulder went into spasm, and I developed a fever. I was off to the emergency room. They diagnosed it as cellulitis and put my on two antibiotics. If I don’t respond after a few days I have to contact them. It is possible that the bacteria causing it is the deadly MRSA virus, and I will have to take a special antibiotic. It is so weird. I always seem to get the most uncommon of illnesses, just when I was doing so well after my weight loss surgery.

Well we had a great time at Walt Disney World and Gay Days this past weekend. It was a lot of fun and we made some new friends as well as connected with some old ones. The highlight of the trip was Country Bear Jamboree at the Magic Kingdom. when all the bears attend the 1 P.M. show. The attraction is jam packed with bears and cubs of all sizes! We did get a call that my mother was having trouble breathing on the day we were leaving. She was rushed to the hospital and I couldn’t wait to get home to see her. My mother suffers from congestive heart failure and she was retaining fluid which was causing her to have trouble breathing. She is home now and is doing well.

Disney Pics!

This is a video I made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mike’s parents. They truly are special people and we love them very much

Congratulations to Mike Cordeiro for winning the New England Bowling Association Singles Tournament! I am so proud of you!

I am a Great Uncle Again!

Today my life-partner of 12 years is 42! He is just as cute as the day I met him. If you see this man wish him…

Today I am 44. Did I just really write that? Last year I kept telling everyone I was 42…I really forgot how old I was. I don’t think that will happen this year. I feel my age lately. My back hurts, my right heel is sore, I have diabetes, my hairline is receding, I have sleep apnea, I have gray hair in my beard, I have high cholesterol, and I can’t seem to lose this middle age spread. If age is a progressive disease, I think I will be a mess by 50! I truly hope there are peaks and valleys to this roller coaster. 

I know that I haven’t written anything in a while. I have been spending all my time researching nursing schools. For 15 years I have been taking care of my elderly parents. It began when my Dad had a terrible car accident in 1992. He was on his way to the dentist when he crashed into a Norwood Public Works truck. He was left with ten broken ribs, a punctured liver, a punctured spleen, and a broken neck. The broken neck was not diagnosed until three months after the accident! It was not long after that my father developed Alzheimer’s Disease. He needed constant supervision and eventually needed total physical care which my mother and I provided. He died in my arms one night as I was putting him to bed. Two months before his death in 2003, my mother suffered a devastating stroke during open heart surgery. The stroke left her unable to speak and she could not move her legs or right arm. I was devastated. Now the woman who gave me everything, and was my partner in care to my father… also needed my help. I am glad to say that my mother is much better now. She can walk with a cane, can speak somewhat clearly, and has some mobility in her right arm. She needs assistance with meals, and other activities of daily living, but in general she has mad a remarkable recovery. Our house is just like anyone else’s… two gay guys and a stroke victim!

My Dad worked so hard in his life that we have had enough money for me to stay home as “caregiver to the stars”! Unfortunately, the “financial well” is not as full as it used to be. Mike and I need to plan for our eventual “golden years!” Returning to an acting career is out of the question for me. I need a 401k! Nursing seems to make the most sense to me. I can go to school part-time now, while my mother is stable. If she is still O.K. when I graduate, I can work evenings and weekends when Mike is here. If I don’t at least start something now at 43, I am really going to have a tough time later. I will tell you later what a pain it is to get into nursing school!

The presents are all wrapped. My back is so tired. When I started wrapping yesterday, each present got ribbon and a bow. Tonight, they were lucky to get a stick-on bow! Each year I swear to begin this ritual earlier. Each year I seem to start it later. I was lucky to finish my shopping early, but early wrapping was just not in the cards. I am a little sadder this Christmas as my Aunt Gloria, who passed away, will not be here for dinner. I kept wanting to add her favorite foods to my shopping cart. Christmas seems a little sadder each year as I get older. So many Christmas songs don’t help either. They remind me of past Christmases when everyone was here and alive.  I have had so many wonderful holidays in the past, I guess I shouldn’t really complain. I guess I just feel a little more mortal each Christmas. I hope that whoever is reading this right now will be on this earth next Christmas. I sure hope I am!

 When I met my partner Mike 11 years ago, I also became friends with a wonderful bear named Hal Hillman. Sadly he passed away in early 2004 due to a heart attack. He had been sick for a while and was waiting for a new kidney. Mike and I miss him terribly. Here is a short slideshow I created of this wonderful, big lug!

Another Thanksgiving is here! They seem to be coming so fast now that I am getting older. I wish I could say they make me happy, but as each one passes lately, it seems as if another of my beloved family has passed away. This will be the first Thanksgiving without my Aunt Gloria. I hate the fact that our Thanksgiving table is getting smaller and smaller. I miss the days when the house was full of aunts, friends, nephews, and grand children. I have so much to be thankful for, I just miss those happier carefree Thanksgivings of years ago…before my mother had a stroke…before my Dad got Alzheimer’s…before my sister-in-law died…before my brother got divorced…before my nephews grew up and before my brother killed himself.  Yes, we have had our share of traumas,  but no more or less than any other family. The love is strong no matter how many of us are left, but it seems the chorus is missing vital parts. The baritones are overpowering now.