Wings & Booze & Gannon & Hapless

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30 years ago this September I walked into my dorm room at Gannon University. A couple of days after that I met another 18 year-old Italian-American guy with a last name so long it was shortened into a nickname. Gag turned out to be a lifelong buddy.

Fast-forward to Saturday afternoon.

Gag's kid and my kid split two orders of Buffalo wings. You see, Michael wanted real chicken wings in Buffalo. He eats them like a champ too, the hotter the better.

And the above photo was important to me on a lot of levels. There's something to be said for your kids hanging with your friend's kids.

And the trip was important for another reason as well.


I'm holding a bottle of Jamesons - 12-year-old Jamesons.

It's payment for a bet when the 27-Time World Champion Yankees whipped the hapless Phillies to capture the World Series.

We shared the booze at the pepper party.

"It's going to be gone," Gag said.

"Don't worry the Yankees will win more," I responded.

And I did a lot of thinking about the 30 years and the lives that we both built since that first awkward meeting back at Gannon University.

Who could have ever imagined the paths we'd be on?

I was eternally grateful that Michael enjoyed the wings.

I was even more grateful that my friends made the trip. Our wives got along wonderfully. Our children enjoyed one another's company, and we caught up and laughed a lot.

Life is good sometimes.

It really is.

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