Music and PD- A Guest Posting

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your blogging.

I have often said this entire thing, our mission called OPTIMISM CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE! is not about a boat and is certainly not about me.  It's about demonstrating to anyone fighting any chronic illness that you likely have options.  To better prove that out we are opening this site to anyone who wants to  add to that thought.  Send us your blog, what is your passion, how do YOU cope, or even better what helps you not only survive but thrive?  And take a minute to read our first two Guest Bloggers, Sandi and Domenic
Mail to:   Optimismtour@gmail.com

Golf is one of my passions

I’ve never been a great golfer. In fact I’ve hit a building or two in my day with a golf ball. While hitting a straight long ball is something that I aspire to do each golf season, it is something that comes and goes in my golf game. I don’t love golf because I’m a great golfer. I love golf because on a beautiful day with the sun shining and the green grass sparkling there isn’t anything much better. Add to that great friends playing with you, and the occasional cigar, and there just isn’t anything much better than playing this crazy game. While it is often difficult to tell who is playing poorly or well as a true golfer will complain and swear regardless of how well he or she is playing, (coulda, wudda, shulda) when I am, playing golf, my Parkinson’s symptoms seem to take a back seat to my golf game, allowing me to accidentally skip my Parkinson medicine and still feel good. If there is a lesson in this blog it is to follow your passion and you might just surprise yourself and feel better while you’re doing it.

God bless,

Dom DeCristofano

I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

I did not come up with the title, it is from a poem, but it fits.  In other words, I won't let the tail (Parkinson's) wag this dog!

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The Countdown Begins!  In just 4 weeks we depart on our next voyage and this cruise will be a biggie, it starts the end of June and ends 1 year later.   I suspect it will be in the 9000-10,000 nautical mi. range or about 11,000 statute miles compared to our cruise of about 4000nm.  I can't wait!  I rated the the last cruise an "11 out of 10" in terms of enjoyment, and that is in SPITE of PD!!! 

This event has but one objective, spreading awareness of Parkinson's Disease.  This note has but one objective, to THANK YOU thank for your support fr research and patient services; your spiritual support, and most importantly your unfailing encouragement of me and this mission.    Without your support I would have already lost this battle.  While this is the toughest challenge I have ever faced I promise you that I will never, never, never quit!   I WILL BEAT PARKINSON'S!

 Bob Preston

Before we get underway, first we must

Remember why we celebrate Memorial Day

This is a YouTube link to those Angels .  

A Vet friend sent it to me and it got me to thinking.....

Consider this coming Monday, I believe many people see it now as just a day off in the Spring, but it's called Memorial Day for a reason.  Please take a minute and kindly remember "freedom is not free" and say THANKS  to Vet.   Especially remember those Veterans that have made the ultimate sacrifice. It is for these HERO's that we call it MEMORIAL DAY. 

 

Arlington.  

Smartphone vs. Parkinson's

5 years into my fight against Parkinson’s, I finally acquired a Smartphone

I can now take beautiful/fun pictures to share with others

Including selfy’s
An alarm sounds to remind me to take my meds (which is a great thing)
I can record videos of my kids
Facebook is always within reach to post my daily adventures, to either amuse or annoy
I'll never miss another message from a friend, wanting to meet for lunch

Or an urgent e-mail from RHP again ;-)
Navigating city streets, to be on time for meetings

Has my new phone cured me? No, but I smile more and I’m having a blast…….

Sandi MacLeod

Ethan using my phone for a "Selfy"

BATTER UP!

           May, 2013

It's spring and baseball season, so it's BATTER UP!!!

While on vacation for the last 2 weeks. and shortly after sending a good friend the 'bazillionth' email of week outlining yet another strategy for our mission OPTIMISM CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE!,  she emailed back asking "do you ever relax?" Affirmative, Sandra, this IS me relaxed!  

When you are staring down the barrel of a gun can you relax, or do you look for every opportunity to survive?  That is how I see Parkinson's Disease or PD,  except I don't want to simply survive, but fire back!  In baseball terms, when it comes to fighting Parkinson's, I 'swing for the fence' playing my heart out for the win.

It 's also why we ALL work so hard on this campaign.  Success in any endeavor does not just happen, It is a combination of hard effort, recognizing opportunity and seizing upon it.  While luck always plays a part, experience has taught me the harder we work the luckier we can get.  Of course please recognize when it comes to beating Parkinson's Disease I see it as Ultimate Fighting, NO rules!!! I will exploit every opportunity, connive, pitch fastballs at Parkinson's head in order to cheat this SOB Parkinson out of a win.  It's simple, whatever it takes to get the "W", or win, for me and for the 1,600,000 Americans also fighting this devil.  Yet, I am just one of many thousands working very hard at creating our own little bit of luck which will lead to that one magic opportunity to FIND A CURE.  

Closing with the baseball metaphors, I absolutely guarantee you I will never, never give up on my zeal for living life to the fullest.  Only God knows how this game will end, but by God, if I go down, it will be by swinging, not looking! 

          Carpe Diem! (seize the day!)

          Bob Preston

Ps:  You want to help find a cure?   Betcha' didn't know one of  the biggest hurdles researchers have is getting parients to take part in the testing.  Ask your neurologist how you can take part in drug studies and clinical research.   And who benefits most?  US!  

Batter up!!' 

 

 

GOOD STUFF

!!

The people that built my boat interviewed me for their  newsletter.  Boating is number 2 in my book!!!  That is right after my family, my wife and kids will always be first .  I love being offshore, inshore, nearshore etc.. I enjoy being Captain of my vessel and absolutely responsible for it's operation and the crew's safety.

"FAMILY TIES II was built using  in the finest standards by the master craftsmen  and craftswomen of Back Cove Yachts and North East Composites.  To each of you, "well done".  We drove the boat more miles in the last 3 years than most boaters will do in lifetime, 13,000 statute miles, it ran perfectly, not one hiccup.  It doesn't get better than that.   Here's the article.

http://www.backcoveyachts.com/ready-to-cruise-this-summer-5-tips-from-a-veteran/

 As always,

           BE WELL!

IF I COULD ONLY GET MY HANDS ON THAT PARKINSON GUY I WOULD THROTTLE HIM WITH MY KEYBOARD.....

Parkinsons's Disease or PD, the disease that keeps on taking. But you wont hear me whine.  Sometimes PD is very frustrating and sometimes it just plain s^%K$.  this is one of those days.  For me typing is extremely difficult.   Here a bit of irony, this is the now 3rd  attempt at this one short piece just today.  I had typed a blog about the difficulty in typing, and when it was just finished my finger twitched and off it goes "deleted" in error. Arghhh. Then I deleted it again in error.  NOT kidding!  As you read these words it took one hour to get this far.  
So you wanna know what PD is like.
Parkinson's has about 20 symptoms like slow movement, cramping in the extremities,  expressionless face, soft voice, poor balance, insomnia, cognitive and memory issues, trembling hands,  A.D.D. or inability to concentrate, difficulty swallowing, loud and non-stop ringing in the ears, etc..  Once full of energy I now get more tired than I ever thought possible - and I am only  age 54.  Every patient gets some of the symptoms, nobody gets them all , but typing should be added to the list. For me it is a major problem, even with AutoCorrect running.   you see, what appears to be poor spelling/grammar, punctuation etc... is mostly attributable to fingers that dont and wont do what you want, like put in 2 apostrophes in  back there in don't and won't.  I am having so much fun. 
If you see a typo it's not me, it's the damned PD
So, that is my PD issue of the day, what's yours? I would love to get your feedback, it would save me from typing!!!😠

Raising Parkinson's disease awareness -

"God continues to smile upon me" - Bob Preston

Article:  http://www.passagemaker-digital.com/passagemaker/20120102/?pg=15#pg15

 

Ready to start cruising more?

  Here are five tips from a veteran:  

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Sarah Stern

Back Cove 37

Bob Preston, a two time Back Cove owner has been boating for 40 years and has cruised over 11,000 nautical miles in the last three years. Bob retired in 2011 after enjoying a 33 year career in the insurance industry building a large insurance organization. He retired at the young age of 53 because of the effects of Parkinson’s disease. But don’t worry! He hasn’t let that slow him down!

Bob Preston, Cruising Extrordinaire

We asked Bob, who also got his master’s license eight years ago, what he thinks one should know before becoming a true “cruiser”. He believe’s it’s important to “stretch yourself! Push yourself beyond what you think is possible. The first time I went to Maine (from his homeport of RI), I had a lot of trepidation. But honestly, that trip was the best experience of my life. Seriously.“
Bob says, “I think the experiences I’ve had — 40 years of boating, a master’s license and cruising over 11,000 nautical miles these last few years — it still makes me a beginner”. What does he mean exactly? Read on!

1. TRAIN — Training, training, training. I believe there is always something more I can learn. In 2004, I got a master’s license. This is after 30 years of sailing and skippering my own boat! In my opinion, you can’t be well enough trained. My wife and I practice man overboard drills at least a dozen times a year.

2. NAVIGATION — Know how to navigate on paper; do not rely on instruments. I have a very high quality navigation station on my Back Cove 37, “Family Ties” but the system crashed twice during my travels. One time we were in Penobscot Bay and it was “pea soup” fog (very, very foggy!) when the navigation station crashed. I stayed calm and my wife and I looked over our charts and plotted a course. If I didn’t know how to navigate on paper, we would have had a very ugly situation.

3. PLAN — Always have an alternative plan — a “plan b”. It is important to have an alternative for anything that can happen on a boat. Its important to think on your feet and remain calm.

4. KNOW YOUR BOAT — Know your boat as best as you can. It’s important to know as much about your boat as possible. When I bought my Back Cove 37, I really tried to understand the engine room as best as possible. I realized that I didn’t know anything about diesel engines. What did I do? I took a 2 day, 16 hour course on marine diesel engines at the Trawlerfest during the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show. After that course, I had a better understanding of my boat and more importantly a better understanding of my engine.

The Preston’s Back Cove 37, Family Ties

5. KNOWLEDGE REIGNS – Most people cruise with someone; whether it’s their significant other, spouse, long-time friend etc. Whoever this person might be — teach them how to operate your boat in an emergency. I’ve been boating 40+ years but my wife was never enamored with boating…. until recently. She played a big role in the purchase of our last Back Cove and finds it very comfortable. She especially enjoys the travel and sights involved with cruising. But going back to teaching your partner…I worked extensively with my wife on how to drive the boat in various locations, conditions and speeds. I think most would agree that she is exceptionally good. And she enjoys it!

Thanks for listening. For more information about my next cruising adventure or the fundraising I am doing for Parkinson’s disease, please visit my Blog and Facebook page.

• FACEBOOK: “BOB PRESTON CURE PD”
• WWW.OPTIMISMTOUR.BLOGSPOT.COM
• DONATE:  WWW.RIAPDA.ORG

Bob having a laugh on his cruise!

Story:  http://www.backcoveyachts.com/ready-to-cruise-this-summer-5-tips-from-a-veteran/

Sailing for a Cure

A local sailor sets off for a good cause

Rebecca Remillard

Click to enlarge

Bob Preston on his boat, Family Ties II

 

Bob Preston has dubbed his boat odyssey optimism Can Take you Anywhere – but what he really means is that optimism can take you to the Bahamas. The Narragansett resident and East Greenwich business owner was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s Disease five years ago at 47, and promptly partnered with the American Parkinson’s Disease Association. On October 1, Preston and his wife Becky set sail from Narragansett on his boat Family Ties II with a goal of raising $200,000 to help find a cure for Parkinson’s. Over the next six months,he two will sail down the East Coast, stopping at ports along the way, with a final destination of Freeport in the Bahamas. Those interested in following Preston and his boat odyssey are encouraged to visit his Facebook page, where friends can track him in real time through his GPS. Preston regularly updates his status for followers and posts photos.

To monetarily support Preston’s efforts for a cure, visit his page on the APDA website.