I mention a lot how time is flying by, and it’s just mind-boggling for me. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way because I’m hearing it from everyone I encounter along the way.
This past week, I interviewed Mary Rossi about her being awarded the Greater Pittston Women’s Network Woman of the Year. While I was at the Chamber of Commerce, I even commented on how fast the year went by when it seemed like yesterday I was interviewing Rose Ferentino Grimes. Both Michelle Mikitish and Brandi Bartush of the chamber agreed.
Mary Rossi is a great choice for this year’s Woman of the Year. She was the co-creator of Miles For Michael in the name of the last Michael Joyce. Mary said in the last 20 years of Miles for Michael, they have given out $1.5 million in gift cards to those in medical need. Many of those cards were given out to help with travel, for example, going back and forth to Fox Chase in Philadelphia, and traveling on the PA Turnpike is very costly, and those gift cards have come in handy. Mary and Kristy Rosiak came up with a great idea, and giving out $1.5 million is an incredible accomplishment.
The other day, a friend of mine on Facebook remarked on the fourth anniversary of her mother’s passing. His mom used to walk by my street on her way to work at Gerrity’s in West Pittston. I must be stuck in a time warp, because I swear I saw her mom walking by my street a year ago. How I lost those three other years is beyond me.
On Friday, I got an announcement that my anniversary of being online Facebook friends with my high school classmate, Cathy Fusco, is 17 years. Seventeen years? I can’t believe I’ve been on Facebook for that long.
Other notable events coming up include all the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Again, it feels like yesterday OJ McDuffie was in town to speak at the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons St. Patrick’s Dinner.
OJ is a great guy and loves to hang out at Pittston with his longtime good friend, Doc. Frank Colella. This year, the Friendly Sons are honoring Joe Long as the Man of the Year, Atty. Michael Lombardo III as the Gilmartin Achievement Award recipient, PA State Rep. Jim Haddock as the William “Billy” Burke President’s Award recipient, and Michael VanLuvender as the Hometown Hero Award recipient. Congrats to all.
Former Notre Dame football All-American and NFL football player Ned Bolcar has been selected as the principal speaker at The Banks Waterfront on Tuesday, March 17.
The City of Pittston St. Patrick’s Parade is also right around the corner on Saturday, March 7. Sarah Donahue Cianfichi, who has been organizing and planning the parade for many years, is hanging up her clipboard and passing on the baton to others.
Sarah always loved the Irish holiday from the Pub Crawl to the Little Miss and Little Mister Leprechaun contest to the parade itself. Job well done, Sarah. Your organizational skills will be missed.
So I’ve been enjoying watching the warmer temps melt some of the snow, and seeing grass on lawns is encouraging. With another week or so of February (and I can’t wait until it’s over), I’ll be looking forward to the always-fickle March.
I can think of only a handful of years when March was warm and spring-like. Each February, I’m always staying positive that this will be the year for a great March. We are supposed to get some kind of snow today, and the experts are not sure if it will be snow showers or something plowable. I just love it when the meteorologist talks about the different models they follow to make predictions. I say just pick the most accurate over the last 50 years and stick with that one. Most follow the Global Forecast System (GFS) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for global models, and the North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM).
Then, of course, there are the local amateur weather forecasters who post constantly on Facebook. Most are, pardon the pun, all wet with their predictions. Of course, the weather will play a big role in spring sports, which are gearing up as we speak. Once we get basketball District II playoffs out of the way, it’s full steam ahead for baseball, softball, tennis, lacrosse, and track and field.
On the topic of sports, the Winter Olympics are winding down tonight when we get to watch the closing ceremonies at 2:30 p.m.
Since I’m not a winter person, I don’t watch the Winter Olympics as much as the Summer Olympics, but it is still fun to watch some events. It was good to see former Winter Olympian Gold Medal winner in moguls, Hannah Kearney, in the broadcast booth. Hannah, a former World Cup mogul champion, grew up in New England, but her grandparents were the late Pat and Rose (Dixon), Pittston natives.
I had the pleasure of conducting a phone interview with Hannah before she left for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, where she won a gold medal.
Quote of the week
“To uncover your true potential, you must first find your own limits, and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.” —Picabo Street, former U.S. Olympic champion
Thought of the week
“The important thing in the Olympic games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.” —Pierre de Coubertin
Bumper sticker
“When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing it.” —Lindsey Vonn
