Tom_Simmons's Blog

Merry Christmas to All!

Well, it is that time of the year again, where if you get in your car, and turn on the radio, you'll hear Christmas music on almost every station.  I have to admit that I never tire of it and enjoy it very much.  I sit in my car and sing along to Frosty and Rudolph, rock out to Bruce's version of Santa Claus is Comin to Town, or John Lennon's Happy Christmas, get choked up by old favorites like I'll be Home for Christmas, The Christmas Song, and White Christmas, and actually get all mushy and teary eyed by some of the more beautiful spiritual songs such as A Child is Born, Oh Holy Night, and Silent Night.  I guess I enjoy hearing all the music because it brings back so many wonderful memories of going out with the family to northwest Jersey to cut down the Christmas Tree, and listening to all the songs on the radio.  After we cut down the tree, we would go out to breakfast, always a treat, and I would usually get french toast.  On Christmas morning, after we finally got dad out of bed = ), we'd go downstairs, and had to wait until dad plugged in the lights on the tree, and put on some Christmas music, before we were allowed to go in the family room to see what Santa brought to us.   Another fond memory is going to church on Christmas Day, and at the end of mass, they would turn down all all the lights, so only the lights on the Christmas Tree behind the altar, and the candles were lit.  Then the organ would start to play, and we'd all sing Silent Night, and it was such a beautiful moment with all the lights and the music that I'd always have some tears flowing, and still do to this day.  Sometimes I am such a wuss, I swear. = )  So, what are your favorite Christmas songs, and what memories do they bring to you?  Hopefully, they are all wonderful!

Enjoy your Holidays All!

Tom

Hi All,

I love this time of year with all the holiday displays and decorations people put out for all of us to enjoy.  When I was a kid, I'd always look forward to putting up the outside lights with my dad.  Me and my brother would first have to check the lights to make sure they worked, which was tedious, but we were helping dad, so it didn't matter.  We would drape the lights on the bushes, on the red maple tree, and up the railing.  Mom would put electric candles in all the windows, so at night, the whole house was lit up outside, and it was just enough to look nice, at least I thought so.  On Christmas Eve, we used to go out to dinner with my aunt, uncle, and cousins, and on the drive back home, my sister, brother, and I would play a game, and comment on the decorations to give them a "good" or a "cheesy" rating.  There were many cheesy ratings, = ), and we had many laughs with it.  Although I like seeing all the decorations, some of them do make me say, "What?"  My idea of "cheesy" things are most of the blow up figures and snow globes, and I was never partial to the plastic reindeer either, but to each his or her own they say.  I mostly enjoy the outside lights, but not too many like in the movie "Christmas Vacation".  You can go too far with lights also.  I live on a street now where most everyone buys the white bags with the candles, and it is quite a beautiful sight on Christmas Eve to see all of the bags on the curb lining the whole mile of the street, and lit from within by the candles.  It is very breath taking.  Anyway, I was wondering what all of you think.  What do you think is too much, or too cheesy, and what do you like for outside holiday decorations?  In other words, what's cool and what's uncool?  Also, what are your decoration memories, and what do you do now?  I look forward to reading your comments.

Tom 

Hey Everyone,

Today I had an early Christmas moment.  I was in the supermarket to pick up some eggs and milk.  As I was waiting on line, a woman behind me with a little girl excused herself and asked if I had any money.  At first, I was a little shocked, not expecting to hear that on a supermarket line, but I looked at her, and said "yes, why?"  She then explained she had no money, only her card to purchase her items, and she didn't have any cash for gas which she needed to get home.  She asked if she could purchase my items on her card, and then have me give her the cash for them.  I only had about 5 dollars worth, so I asked her how much she needed to get home, then I asked if 10 dollars would do?  She said that would be fine, so I gave her the 10 dollars, smiled, and said "Why don't I just give it to you, and you have a very Merry Christmas."  She started to object, and I told her don't worry, just take it.  She then told me she was going to cry, and I could see that she indeed did start to cry as she was thanking me, and I told her it was no big deal and not to cry.  I could see how truly grateful and touched she was by my kindness, and that, in turn, touched me very deeply, so I smiled at her, and at her little girl, and said, "Just consider me your angel for today."  We walked out of the store together, having pleasant conversation, and before we said goodbye, she held out her hand and asked me my name, and when I told her, she gave me hers, which I now forget. = ), but I will always remember her face, and how the gratefulness in her heart shone upon it.  As I got into my car and drove away, I had a nice warm feeling, and I thought that's what it's all about, people helping people, even if it is just a small thing, and hearts touching hearts.  It was truly an early Christmas moment, and it is something I wish would happen more often during the rest of the year.

I hope all of you have wonderful moments this Christmas and many more in the coming new year. = )

Tom     

Hey Everyone,

Here is a topic I thought might be fun.  I got the idea from watching today's Cool or Uncool segment on Good Day, which delt with whether or not emailing on airliners was good.  Christina Park said it was uncool because with all of today's technology, nobody talks anymore, and I have to say I agree with you Christina!  Anyway this led to her being busted about possibly being one of those "airline talkers".  I have to say and confess that I am one of these, but not to the point where I will annoy anyone.  If my initial greeting is rebuffed, I simply stop.   If you are not socially challenged, you can usually tell immediately if the person next to you wants to talk or not.  If they do want to chat, it can be very rewarding.    I've had many a good conversation on intereuropean flights which are usually on smaller planes without much to do, so why not talk with your fellow passenger?  I have also met many interesting people, and learned things I never knew about whatever country they came from.  I have experienced two hour flights that just flew by, no pun intended, and seemed like only thirty minutes had passed, all because the conversation I was having, and the person I was talking to, occupied my mind, and made the time enjoyable.  On one of the flights back to America, I met a woman who was moving to New York from England.  We started to talk, and before I knew it, the seven hours were gone, and we were landing in Newark.  We didn't talk the whole flight, as we both watched a movie or two, but while we were not doing that, we talked and were sociable.  After all, we are social beings.  So that is my confession, I am an "airline talker" and I find nothing wrong in it.  What about you?  Are any of you out there airline talkers and why?  If you are not an airline talker, why not?  I think there should be some interesting opinions out there.

Have a great day all!

Tom 

Hi Everyone,

I would like to tell you all about another friend I had who passed away in 2005, and left this world way too soon.  I am a week late in writing this, as the date on which he died was November 23rd, but better late than never, right?  His name was Bill, or Billy, as I called him half the time, and he was another one of the best people I ever knew.  He was like a brother to me, and our two families became very close due to our friendship.  He was actually my brother's friend first, and I'll explain.  After high school, I had a close circle of friends, and my brother had a close circle of friends.  Since my brother and I were close, we used to hang out together, and sometimes we'd be with my friends, and sometimes with his, and eventually the whole crew started to hang out together to form one big circle.  It was great, and lot's of fun for many years.  We did everything together, birthdays that lasted days, shore houses, and many steak dinners in Hoboken, which happened to be where Bill and I were the last night of his life, but more on that later.  My friend Billy was the kind of guy who could make you laugh on your darkest day.  When he thought something was funny, he would start laughing to himself before he could even get it out, and that in turn would make you laugh.  It is contagious as they say.  He would also do things to make you laugh like the one time we had a shore house on the main road in Point Pleasant, and the house next door was renovating and threw the toilet out at the curb as garbage.  Well, we got up the next day, only to find Bill sitting on the bowl, shorts on of course, reading a newspaper while traffic drove by, and we could tell he was laughing from the way his shoulders were shaking!  I would dare anyone not to have laughed at that.  Another time, I had an idea which involved the beach train that used to give people a ride from the middle of the boardwalk to the north end.  I thought it would be funny to get cowboy hats, bandanas, stick horses, and cap guns, and pretend to rob the beach train.  Billy loved this idea, and we never actually did it, but he and my brother did the next best thing.  They got cowboy hats, and long ranch coats, walked up to the beach train operator, and warned him in their best cowboy voices that they heard there might be a robbery that day.  What else could the guy do but laugh?  That was my friend Billy.  I was with him the last night of his life, and I am honored by that.  We went to Hoboken like we used to in the old days, had a steak dinner at Aurthur's, and then went next door for a weiss beer at the Brass Rail.  Billy was my friend and my brother.  He loved life, and he lived it to the fullest.  He loved his wife and two children, the rest of his family and his friends, and he would always enjoy being with whoever he was with.  My friend Mark said to Bill's mom at his funeral that "When Bill was with you, he was with you", and that sums him up perfectly.  I miss you my friend, and I love you very much my brother, and I know you are bringing laughter where you are.

Dear Tracy, 

You are leaving, and I am very sad, but I want to give you this going away gift, and hopefully you will see it before you leave.  It is not much, but I hope you will like it.

Your smiling eyes will make me see the stars that shine so blissfully

Your smile Tracy, so pure and bright, will remind me of warm sunlight

Your joyful voice will make me hear the birds which sing on mornings clear

Your soulful laugh, so deep and true, will lift my soul, make my sky blue

My memory of you, so good and kind, will remove clouds from out my mind

I'll miss you Tracy, so very much, because my heart you truly touched  : ) 

Good Bye Tracy, and may God always smile upon you.  : )

Your Poet Tom

Hey Everyone,

Today is my sisters birthday, so Happy Birthday Sis!  Since this is a positive day for me, I thought I'd write a positive post, and tell you about a friend of mine who is mentally special.  I touched a little on him in one of my reply comments in my blog about my friend Jerry.  Jimmy, as I said, doesn't have the mental ability to be able to live on his own, but he is smart in his own way, and with certain things.  He can remember anyones birthday if he is told only once, and it won't matter how much time goes by, the next time you see him, he will tell you the date and year of your birthday, or anyone else's.  I used to see him more often in the past than I do now, and we used to go out quite a bit into the city which was a treat for him because I used to take him to Tower Records so he could buy new CD's.  That was his other passion, music.  He loved all the old bands from England, and he could name ones that I didn't even know about, and I pride myself in knowing what band plays what song, but he always blew me away in that competition.  A lot of times, we would just hang out and talk, and the other thing that Jimmy can do is talk! : )  He loves to talk about music, of course, and he also loves to talk about pretty ladies. : )  I smile because that is what I do when I think of him, and some of the conversations we had, well, he had, I listened a lot, : )  It was difficult at times to keep track, as he tended to go from one thing to another, but I always get such a joyous feeling when I talk with him, and see his smile, which is on his face quite often.  The only time he isn't smiling is when he is really trying to think hard about something he wants to say.  

I am telling you all this because I want to make a point, which is that I feel guilty sometimes not being able to see Jimmy as much as I used to, and I feel guilty sometimes that I don't have time to do charity work, and give my time to people, and help them, because I truly feel that giving of yourself to others is what really matters in life.  The other point about all this is that when I think about it, I have given myself and my time to both Jimmy and Jerry, and I still go to Jimmy's birthday party every year in December, and sometimes that is the only time I'll see him now, but I shouldn't feel guilty about it because I've given my time in the past, and I know that I will do it again in the future because I really want to.  I think that both Jerry and Jimmy, people who need help from others, are special people that God has put on this earth to show us what love is all about, and to show us how much love we can have in our hearts.  As John Lennon once wrote: "Love is all you need", and,  "The love you take is equal to the love you make". 

The question of this post for all of you is: What have you done in the past, or are currently doing to help someone by giving yourself and your time to them. : )

Share your positive stories everyone! : )

Tom

Below is a photo of Jimmy and I at his party last December.

Hi Everyone,

Every night and every morning I say my prayers, and after I'm finished, I  ask the usual help for the people I know who need it, whether they are sick, or grieving, or just need to be watched over, and after I say that, I say a thank you to God, Jesus, and Mother Mary that goes something like this:

Dear God, Thank you for being my God, and for everything you've done for me, and everything you will do for me.  Thank you for creating me and giving me life.  Thank you for loving me, caring for me, comforting me, guiding me, helping me, teaching me, watching over me, and carrying me when I needed you most.  Thank you most of all however, for the gift of your son, my lord Jesus, the greatest gift ever given, and thank you for sacrificing his life out of love for your children, so that we may be forgiven of all sin, and have the chance to live again, and be with you.  I thank you so much for that my lord God, and I love you so much.

My Dear Lord Jesus, Thank you for being my God, and for everything you've done for me, and everything you will do for me.  Thank you for loving me, and teaching me to love you, and all things, and for being my brother and caring about me.  Thank you for comforting me, guiding me, helping me, and watching over me.  Thank you most of all however, for being the greatest gift ever given, and for being willing to give your life out of love for us, so that we may be forgiven of all sin, and have the chance to live again, and be with you.  I thank you so much for that my lord Jesus, and I love you so much.

Dear Mother Mary, Thank you for being the mother of my God, and for everything you did for him.  Thank you for bearing him, and bringing him into this world.  Thank you for loving him, caring for him, comforting him, guiding him, helping him, teaching him, holding him, watching over him, and carrying him when he needed you most.  Thank you most of all however, for being willing to let him sacrificie his life, and for being willing to suffer the worst suffering there is, a mother's loss of a child, so that we may be forgiven of all sin, and have the chance to live again, and be with you.  I thank you so much for that Mother Mary, and I love you so much.

It is the least I can do to show my love and appreciation.

Tom

Hey Everyone,

As many of you know, I was at Pier 17 on Halloween, and I had taken some photos of the sunset that evening, so I figured I would share them knowing that many of you love photos of sunsets. : )  I am surprised at some of the color that came out in them.  Enjoy!

Tom

Hi Tracy,

I am getting ready to leave for a football game, so I don't have much time to write everything I want to say now, but I just wanted to write a quick something here, and will add to this post as I have more to say.  Today is my birthday Tracy, but because I am a giving person, and enjoy it, I wanted to give to you a gift on my birthday, which is this post, sort of a tribute to how beautiful you truly are.  I think everyone should be told how wonderful you are, and so I will tell them, and write down the reasons I think you are wonderful.  First, I thank you for giving me some sunshine every time I've watched you give the forcast, and I never thought that Fox 5 appreciated you for what you brought to the station, in terms of your knowledge and personality, which is your greatest asset Tracy.  Your knowledge of the weather is complete, and the way you are able to explain weather related things in laymens terms is nothing short of superb, and I know I've told you this before, but you have actually awakened me to a newly found interest in weather.  Your personality is, in my opinion, the best I have ever seen, and when you smile in combination with that personality, you give beauty a whole new definition.  I don't understand why Fox never put you on air more, as I think it would have been such an asset for them to promote you as much as possible.  I think your face and persona would have given them great ratings.  If you read this Tracy, I know you will probably say how can I tell people who you are when I don't even know you myself, and you would have a good point, since we've never met, but I can just sense from watching you on air, and reading about things you have done, what kind of person you are, and the answer to that question Tracy, quite simply, would be the best kind.  From watching you I can sense you are a positive thinker most of the time, you love what you do, you like to play and have fun with people, and yet you are shy, and a little unsure of yourself at times, but who isn't every once in awhile?  From reading and watching news reports, I have learned you are a very charitable giving person, and that in itself makes you wonderful.  I know you have spoken at several charitable events for cancer and other things, and I know you have given your time to children in the Big Brothers and Sisters program, which is such a good thing for you to do.  I've seen that you have spoken to kids at schools to tell them about weather forcasting, and the few times I've seen you on air talking to, or working with kids, I can see how much fun you have with them, and how much joy you get from them, and anyone who gets such joy from a child as you do, has to have, in my opinion, a beautiful heart, and a beautiful soul, and obviously loves children very much.  Based solely on watching you with kids, I can say with all confidence that you do have a beautiful heart, and a beautiful soul, and you are a wonderful woman Tracy.  I wish you all the happiness this world can give you, and I hope that God blesses you every day, and I will make sure that I ask him to do so, every day. : )  As I said, I will continue to edit and add to this post as I have the time, but in the meantime, I will ask everyone out there to give some love, and tell Tracy why you like her.

Have a wonderful day Tracy : )

Tom : )

Hi Tracy,

This is an official invitation, and I can't believe I'm doing this, but a friend told me to.  She advised me that it is better sometimes to be open, and to the point, and since she is a lady like you Tracy, I figured I'd listen to her and give it a try, so, here it goes.  Tracy, I have an extra ticket to the Giants game on Sunday, and I would love it if you would go with me to the game, that's it, straight and to the point, I'm asking you if you would like to go.  You can bring a camera crew if you want to get some publicity, but I only have the one extra ticket, at least for now.  I might have another if someone else backs out.  I know this is crazy, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.  I know you would have a very good time at the tailgate, and I know you would like all the people I tailgate with, as they are all very nice, just like you. : )  I am leaving my email and cell number here, which is also crazy, but what the hey, if I get calls from other people, I don't need to talk, right? : )  This isn't a joke, I am completely serious here, so:

My cell number is 973-652-6143

My email is utsimmons@comcast.net

My birthday is Sunday, and I know I asked you to give me a shout out, but I would much rather have you at the game with me.  that would be absolutely, without a doubt, and I'm a doubter, my name being Thomas : ), but without question it would be the best gift I could ever get, and the best birthday I would ever have. : )  Let me know by Saturday, and if you are scheduled to work, tell Craig or someone to cover for you.  Well, there it is, it's all out there, on the table.  Think of it this way, it is only a half day out of your life, and you might actually have a nice time, and you might make some new friends, and that is never a bad thing.  Again, I can't believe I'm doing this, but you never know until you try, and I know that at least you'll respect that I tried Tracy.  All I can ask is that you think about it, and I'll thank you for doing so.  I know if my friend Doc read this, he would comment for you to go, and I know that some others may leave comments here as well, but don't worry, if you don't go, or don't even reply, I'll still show you love, and I'll make sure everyone else does too.  You'll still be the best in my book Tracy, but,  just consider it, ok?  I hope I haven't made a fool of myself here, but if I did, it wouldn't be the first time, and it is a risk I was definitely happy to take. : )

Hope everything is always wonderful for you Tracy!

Your greatest, most consistent, loyal admirer Tom : )

Hi All,

Today is a sad day for me because it is the date a very good friend passed away back in 2002.  His name was Jerry and he was one of the most wonderful people you could ever have known.  He had muscular dystrophy and was in a wheelchair, and yet he always had a smile on his face for everyone.  He would always tell me he thanked God he had the milder form of the disease.  We used to go out every Friday or Saturday to one of several local bars to watch his cousins band play, or to just hang and have a good time.  Sometimes we would get together to play our guitars with some other friends in his brothers garage, and we even played out a few times.  Whenever I think I have it tough in life, I think of him because he did have it tough, but never complained.  When I drove him back home after going out to the bar, he would ask me to stick around just in case he needed help getting ready for bed, but he really didn't want help, and I would sit there and watch while he struggled with a simple thing like unbuttoning a shirt, and I would think to myself how selfish I was for complaining about unimportant little things in life.  He used to have trouble taking his shoes off too, but he would do it, and I would let him do it by himself.  It really puts things in perspective.  I remember once we went down the Jersey shore, and he hadn't been on the beach in years, so me and another one of my buddies grabbed his wheelchair on each side, told him to hold on, picked him up, and carried him onto the beach.  We had to do that because the chair couldn't be pushed through the sand.  He was so happy to be there and the look of joy on his face was our reward.  The one thing that bothered him was when people would feel bad for him because he was in the wheelchair.  He hated that unless the person feeling bad was a good looking lady, then he loved it. : )  He also had a great sense of humor and was able to laugh at himself.  I remember once he sent me an email, and called me a "putts", and I emailed him back and told him he was the putz for spelling it that way. : )  We laughed about that for many years.  He was an amazing person, and a great friend, and I just thought I'd share a few memories of him with all of you.  I loved him, and I miss him, and I know that somewhere he is walking on a beautiful beach, looking down on me, and smiling.

Hi Everyone,

First, I would like to say thank you to all our Fox 5 Weather Authorities for the unbelievably beautiful fall weather so far.  Thank you Tracy, Nick, and Mike.  We all appreciate you very much, and respect what you do.  With that out of the way, I thought I'd share some sunset photos I took at the Genesis concert in the Giants Stadium parking lot.

Enjoy,

Tom

Hi All,

I took these photos of the moon on September 27th with a regular digital camera.  There were many clouds out which kept surrounding the moon.  The moon itself didn't come out too good in the photos, but the clouds did, so I thought I'd share.

Enjoy,

Tom