Announcing Laugh For Sight NYC 10/28/13 with Legends of Comedy Jerry Seinfeld and Robert Klein, Host Craig Carton, and much more!

It is my great pleasure to announce that we will have two legends of comedy at this year’s Laugh For Sight NYC on Monday, October 28, 2013 at Gotham Comedy Club. We are thrilled to announce that both Jerry Seinfeld and Robert Klein are confirmed for this year’s benefit! This year’s All Star Benefit will be hosted by WFAN’s Craig Carton from Boomer & Carton in the Mornings, and they will be joined by veteran comedian Hiram Kasten, and of course my guide dog Nash and me. And guess what? The lineup isn’t finalized yet! We will be announcing more of this once in a lifetime lineup as the date gets closer. If you are in or near New York City, you are not going to want to miss this night of laughs for a cause.

Please join us to help raise money and awareness about retinal degenerative eye diseases. This year’s Silent Auction and Comedy Benefit will kick off at 7pm with the Comedy Show starting at 830pm. Tickets for the All Star Benefit will go on sale on Monday, September 9th, and can be purchased through Gotham Comedy Club at http://www.gothamcomedyclub.com, or by calling 212-367-9000. Corporate table inquiries can be sent to info@laughforsight.com, and donations for the silent auction are still being accepted. For the latest updates make sure to follow this blog, visit our website at http://www.laughforsight.com, and follow us on Twitter @LaughForSight.

Day Trip to the Hamptons

The greatest thing about having a guide dog is the feeling of independence. Living in the boondocks of Queens, I never would have made it these past two years without my trusty little companion Nash. I couldn’t even get out of my apartment complex using a cane, so Nash allows me the freedom to at least get places. Still when traveling to new places, even with Nash there is an unsettling feeling. It’s just the way things are.

This past Saturday, we had to head out to the Hamptons to cover a story for Cesar’s Way. The story will be running in a few weeks, but I felt a need to write about the experience of traveling out to the Hamptons with the Nasher.

Getting out to the Hamptons is not easy. I have never been out there, as I always had the feeling that I wouldn’t like it, as my impression was the people out there were all rich and snobby. We started out trek being picked up by Access A Ride. When Access A Ride works, it is fantastic, but when it doesn’t, and this happens often, it is an absolute nightmare. I was surprised to hear the Access A Ride vehicle outside on time, as lately they have been running very late. We took the Access A Ride to Jamaica Station to catch Long Island Rail Road.

I had only been to Jamaica Station once before and it was when I first moved out to Queens, so I really didn’t remember it that well. My friend Amy who was heading out to the Hamptons with us was coming out from the city, and we were going to meet up at LIRR where she would have to transfer to the train you take out to the Hamptons. My plan was to just buy the ticket on the train. One of the benefits of being disabled is that most trains will let you purchase your ticket on the train for the same price you would pay at the station, but since we got to the LIRR station early, I figured why not try and find the ticket office, and get some assistance getting to the track we needed to get to. My one memory of Jamaica Station was that the platforms by the tracks were very narrow. While Nash does a fantastic job on platforms, I still don’t like being on them. We got lucky and someone helped us get to the ticket booth, and even luckier as someone came out right away to help us get to the track. It ends up the woman who helped us, husband worked with the canine squad for the MTA. Yes, us dogs stick together. She even said that some times she thinks her husband loves the dog more than her. Hey, loving Nash the way I do, I understand how he feels.

The woman was very nice and waited with Nash and me until my friend Amy arrived. The one thing I hate is I never know if I am supposed to tip someone who helps me get to a train or at the airport. Part of me feels like I should as they are providing me with service, and the other part says why should I have to tip when they are providing such a basic service like walking a blind guy through security or onto a platform. It’s always awkward.

We expected the train to the Hamptons to be packed, but we got lucky as we were heading out around noon, and all the beach bums must have taken an earlier train. On most trains and buses, Nash and I alone would not fit very comfortably into a two seat row, as Nash likes to spread out, and seriously, you know there is zero leg room in the aisles. We made our way to a row with the four seats across from each other, and Nash plenty of room to spread out on the train. Of course, Nash made his way to sitting on my feet for a lot of the train ride. I guess that way he knows where I am at all times. Nash is such a lucky fella as he slept for most of the train ride. I would kill to be able to fall asleep as easily as he does.

It was about a two hour train ride out to South Hampton. We exited the train, and figured it was such a nice day that we would just walk into town. My thought of the Hamtpons has always been that it was a big beach community, so you could imagine my surprise when we got to South Hampton, and the train stop and walk into town was like any other little Northeastern town. Nash must have loved all the new smells as at first he was all over the place, as he gets really excited any time we get anywhere new. It was about a 25 minute walk into town.

Once we got into the main town area of South Hampton, I said to Amy, this town feels a lot like Cooperstown, NY to me. She had been there, and said you know what it really does. Not bad perception for a blind guy. We made our way to a little restaurant having hours to kill, and settled in. Nash found a nice comfortable spot, and the waitress brought him a water bowl. Which made me think, do dogs ever get bored of drinking water? Someone should invent another drink for dogs, as a change up might be nice for them. Being in the Hamptons, I needed to have either lobster or shrump, so I was very happy to see they offered a lobster roll. It was fantastic.

After lunch, we walked around the town a little more, but we wanted to get to the beach, so we began making our way out to Water Mill, another part of the Hamptons, and where the benefit was we were going to. We had to take a cab out there, and it was great that the cab ended up being a van, as Nash made his way to the back row of the van, and he jumped up on the seat for a little shut eye. We got out to Water Mill, and started to walk around trying to find the beach. It was quickly approaching 6pm, Nash’s dinner time, and the time we wanted to get to the benefit. Of course, I brought Nash’s food with me, and his collapsable bowl. We were next to a field, and Nash was getting a little nudge as he always does. So I fed him. We continued to walk around Water Mill looking for the beach, but couldn’t find it. Yes, I went all the way out to the Hamptons, and never made it to the beach. I am convinced there is no beach in the Hamptons.

The benefit was at a palatial house in the Hamptons. I was told it sat on about 4000 square feet. Wow, that seems like a lot of space. The event was set up in their backyard, and I was told their guest house was probably bigger than my apartment. How does one get to be a guest and live in one of those houses. Maybe Kato Kaelin wasn’t so dumb, as I would love to live in someone’s guest house.

The benefit was lovely, more about this when my article runs. The running theme of the night was, “You don’t look blind.” It’s a good thing that statement no longer angers me, as I was able to laugh it off about seven times. I must have been asked at least five times if I was training Nash. Of course, Nash was the most popular guy at the benefit. He is always the most popular guy anywhere we go. What do you expect, he’s good looking, and has personality to.

When the benefit ended, we had the fun task of heading back to Queens. We ended up getting the same cab driver we had on our way to Water Mill. We had to take the Hampton Jitney bus back as the only train back had already left. Again we got lucky as the jitney wasn’t full, and if it was that would have been a bad thing, as there was no way Nash would have fit in our row, he would have had to sit in the aisle. Fortunately, the row across from us was open, and the bus driver pulled the arm rests up, and Nash popped right up on the seat. He must have been so cute, as his paws and part of his head were laying off the chair a little bit into the aisle. I could tell people were taking pictures of him. Not sure who takes a picture of a dog they do not know, but it does happen to Nash all the time. People are always asking me if they can take a photo of him. Maybe they recognize him from TV, who knows, but he is a very popular guy. Nash even snored on the bus ride home.

We got off the bus and then had to call a cab. A woman who got off at the same stop as us helped us with that, but honestly, I could have done it myself with the Iphone, but it is always nice to have assistance, and the cab driver confirmed what I had thought, she was very very attractive. Damn it, Nash and I will never see her again, and no, that isn’t a blind joke.

We got home close to one in the morning, Nash didn’t even go to his water bowl as he always does when we get home, he jumped into my bed right away. Hey, bud didn’t you get enough sleep during the trip? I was also exhausted and didn’t even need an ambien to sleep that night. I guess that is the trick to falling asleep at night, go the Hamptons every day, and I will be able to sleep at night.

I never would have even attempted to do all of this if it wasn’t for my trusty little fella Nash. And now that I think back to Saturday, and the whole trek, I don’t think Nash walked me into one obstacle. The article about the benefit will runs on http://www.cesarsway.com in a week or two, but I wanted to write about the journey. guide dog, The Hamptons, blind travel

Nash and me at 35,000 Feet on the Way to L.A.

Nash and I are on our way out to L.A. and I mean right now. I am writing this blog from the airplane thanks to modern technology.We are flying Virgin Atlantic for the first time.

I decided to give Virgin America a try as I had heard great things. Well the employees are all fantastic, but the two reasons I really wanted to try them was wifi on board and electric outlets at every seat. So of course the wifi doesn’t work for the first part of the flight, then when it comes back on of course the idiots who are smart enough to create an wifi network for planes don’t seem to know how to properly design a website that is accessible. Fortunately the person sitting behind me was nice enough to help me. .Don’t even get me started on the asshole sitting next to me. How do I know he is an asshole? Well when he first sat down he practically stepped on Nash. I asked him a couple of times if Nash was invading his space and he didn’t respond, and yes, he dies speak English as of course he was on the phone before the flight took off.

Nash has been kind of all overr the place this flight but is sleeping now on my feet. The flight to L.A. is kind of a long one for both of us.

Here’s the kicker though I have been using my phone to do alot of things on this flight including writing this blog. So I went to charge my phone and of course the outlet at my seat doesn’t work. Are you kidding m>? The two primary reasons for me flying Virgin and neither of them are working.Thank God the crew is very friedndly, and yeah the blind guy has his own battery charger. You didn’t thibk I was going to rely on an airline?ttet

Laugh For Sight L.A. Tuesday May 7th at The Hollywood Improv with Celebrity Host Bianca Kajlich, Paul Rodriguez, Greg Proops, Harland Williams, and much more!!

We are thrilled to announce the All Star lineup for this year’s Laugh For Sight L.A. Benefit on Tuesday, May 7th at The Hollywood Improv with Celebrity Host Bianca Kajlich, Bryan Callen, Rebecca Corry, Greg Fitzsimmons, Greg Proops, Paul Rodriguez, Harland Williams, and Daryl Wright. The benefit will kick off at 730pm, and tickets for this All Star Extravaganza are $35. So if you are in the Los Angeles area why not come out for a great cause raising money for retinal degenerative eye disease research and come get your laugh on.

For tickets to this year’s All Star Laugh For Sight L.A. please visit http://hollywood.improv.com/show.cfm?cart&id=242112 or call the Improv directly at 323-651-2583

Please join the multi-talented Bianca Kajlich from Rules of Engagement, Bryan Callen from The Hangover movies, Rebecca Corry from Last Comic Standing, Greg Fitzsimmons Host of FitzDog Radio, Greg Proops from Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Paul Rodriguez from Ali, Harland Williams from There’s Something about Mary, and Daryl Wright from Jon Lovitz Presents on Tuesday, May 7th at The Hollywood Improv.

Please make sure to follow all of the very talented performers who will be donating their time on Twitter. Bianca Kajlich @MissKajlich, Bryan Callen @BryanCallen, Rebecca Corry @TheRebeccaCorry, Greg Fitzsimmons @GregFitzShow, Greg Proops @GregProops, Harland Williams @HarlandWilliams, Daryl Wright @Daryl_Wright. Laugh For Sight, Benefit, Los Angeles, Comedy, Bianca Kajlich, Bryan Callen, Rebecca Corry, Greg Fitzsimmons, Greg Proops, Paul Rodriguez, Harland Williams, Daryl Wright, fundraiser L.A.

Nash’s Spa Day

I know, I know, my daily blog has turned into more of a monthly blog. Hey, a blind guy has got to get paid to. I now write regularly for The Dog Whisperer, so please do visit http://www.cesarsway.com and just do a search for my name Brian Fischler, and you can pull up all of my articles there where I write all kinds of articles including a column about going through Guide Dog School for the first time, and Celebs and Their Biggest Fan, a column about what else celebs and their dogs. Interviews that have been published have been with Jenna Elfman, Denise Richards, Joe Pantoliano, Gabrielle Anwar, Kearran Giovanni, Henry Winkler, and Callie Thorne with many more soon.

Be careful what you tell your dog. On Monday, I kept telling Nash that we had an exciting day planned for Tuesday. I went to bed Monday night early for me at about 130, and at 450AM, I was awaken by Nash shaking himself awake. This never happens, so considering that we had an eventful day planned for Tuesday, I wasn’t thrilled, but what are you going to do. When you tell a smart dog like Nash that he has an exciting day ahead, he is going to get up at the crack of dawn all ready to go. Needless to say, we drank a lot of coffee, or should I say, I drank a lot of coffee, Nash doesn’t need the pick me up. We headed to Grand Central station at 10am to take the Hudson line to Yorktown Heights where Guiding Eyes For the Blind is located. I have gotten pretty good at navigating Grand Central Station since I have given into the realization that I have to ask for help to find my way around. It was very uneventful getting to our train except for Nash trying to eat something off the floor of Grand Central. Yuck buddy.

Along with taking Nash to Guiding Eyes for a spa day, I had a real fun day planned, as I had to go to the DMV to get my ID renewed. I can understand why a driver’s license expires, not sure why an ID card expires. Did I stop being me all of the sudden? My Aunt Lona was meeting us at the train and she was kind enough to meet us on the platform, as the platform at Croton Harmon is so narrow that a sighted person has to be careful not to fall off it.

My Aunt, Nash, and I headed out to lunch before going to Guiding Eyes. My Aunt told me when we were sitting there she went to say hi to Nash, and that Nash looked at her, then looked at me as if to ask is it ok? Pretty amazing considering my Aunt is someone that Nash knows pretty well. We had a very nice lunch, and then headed off to Guiding Eyes.

We hadn’t been to Guiding Eyes in quite awhile, and I have to admit, I kept thinking is Nash going to think hey wait a minute why am I back here, and where did Brian go? Yes, I over analyze things. It isn’t very often that Nash and I are apart, so being apart and Nash being at Guiding Eyes, I had to wonder if he thought he was being returned? Nash was there to get a bath and his nails clipped, a doggy spa day.

My Aunt and I didn’t have the same fun planned, as while Nash went into for his treatment, we headed off to the DMV.

Amazingly, we got in and out of the DMV in about 30 minutes, and yeah, being blind and standing there with a cane, I had to say, “I’m here to get my drivers license.” I’m sure they never heard that one before! That was the extent of excitement at the DMV.

We needed to go shopping, but we went back to Guiding Eyes before going shopping, as I was feeling a little guilty about leaving Nash there. I had let Susan the woman who trained Nash know that we would be there, so if she had time, I know Nash would love to see her, and vice versa. When we got back to GEB, Susan was already there with Nash, so I know the guy had to be happy to see a friendly face, but I think he was much happier to see me when I walked through the door. I got a little talking to as Nash does need to lose weight, and yes, we are working on it. It has been a really tough year living in the boonies, and not having anywhere to go. Susan got to play with Nash for a little bit, and we plan to go back in February, as I want to show GEB that Nash has taken the weight off, and he will be do for another spa day, as it had been much to long.

We headed off to the mall, as I needed a new winter coat. It occured to me that my main winter coat was now 13 years old, that’s in human years, and it might be time to retire it. My parents wanted to get me a new coat and snow boots for Chanukah, and when you’re blind it’s really best to shop with someone who can see. Not that I wouldn’t look fantastic in a pink polka dotted winter get up!

I was expecting the mall to be a zoo a week before Christmas, but amazingly, it wasn’t that crowded at all. We were at the mall that Nash and I trained in when we were at Guiding Eyes. It was so empty, I’m not sure how all those stores stay in business, so navigating the mall with my Aunt and Nash was very easy. After going through a few stores we finally found a great jacket and then winter boots. Living out in the boonies, if it snows or storms real bad, I will need the boots. Funny thing is I have never owned a pair of winter boots, as I never needed them. Wow, those things aren’t fun putting on and taking off. Maybe when I have to wear them, I can get Nash to help tug them off.

My Aunt was so nice to make some food for me to take home with me, so after stopping by her house, it was back to Queens. It was so nice of her to drive us home, as taking the train and then having to rely on Access A Ride to get all the way home can be a nightmare, and an all day event.

Overall, it was a very nice day, and there really isn’t anything better than having a nice clean smooth doggy sleeping in your bed.

Laugh For Sight NYC is this Monday December 10th at Gotham Comedy Club!!

It is almost here as only the weekend, well, and I guess the weather could stand in Laugh For Sight NYC Take Two, No Sandy’s Allowed way. The rescheduled benefit is this upcoming Monday, December 10th at the World Famous Gotham Comedy Club. The evening will be hosted by Celebrity Host Bonnie Bernstein of ESPN, and she will be joined by the biggest names in comedy, including Legendary Comedian Robert Klein who you might have seen on the November 12th The Late Show with David Letterman promoting this years benefit. Eddie Brill, the audience warm up comedian at The Late Show with David Letterman, Bonnie McFarlane from Last Comic Standing, the new film Women Aren’t Funny, Paul Mecurio an Emmy and Peabody Award winning writer from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and political satirist who can be seen on CNN and CNBC, Jim Norton from Opie and Anthony, Colin Quinn Saturday Night Live Alum and his Broadway and HBO hit, Rich Vos from Last Comic Standing and his podcast My Wife Hates Me, and of course my guide dog Nash and me from Top Gear USA and the soon to be released Gotham Comedy Radio podcast..

The Silent Auction will begin at 7pm and the Comedy Show at 830PM. Want To Be Comedian Mark Farrell will be hosting the silent auction, so make sure to get there early to see why we keep Mark in the basement at Gotham. Donors to the silent auction include Comedy Central, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Jimmy Fallon Show, The NY Yankees, Eli Manning, Susan Michel Limited, Exhale Spa, Felix Rey, C-Tech, Jackie Mason, and more. Tickets are $35 for general admin and $75 for VIP Reserved Seating.

For tickets please visit http://www.gothamcomedyclub.com, call 212-367-9000, or visit the events page at http://gothamcomedyclub.com/show.cfm?id=191886&cart

Please make sure to follow all of the comedians who are donating their time on Twitter. @LaughForSight @BonnieBernstein @blindgator @BonnieMcFarlane @PaulMecurio @JimNorton @IAmColinQuinn @RichVos.

And you never know who else might stop by!

Nash’s Dream Day

I think Saturday night had to be Nash’s dream day. We headed into the city for dinner with my parents and Aunt and Uncle. My parents are up for Thanksgiving, but will be staying out in New Jersey. Hey, no one wants to live in Queens or come out here. We had dinner in my old neighborhood on 49th street at City Lobster. We met early as my parents and Aunt and Uncle were going to Broadway shows. Yes, eating dinner at 530 for me felt like an early bird special. Do they even still have those, or have them in NYC? 530 however, is 30 minutes before the Nash eats dinner every night, so we took his dinner with us, and he got to eat at the restaurant. I was very impressed with City Lobster and how friendly they were to Nash and me. Yes, this kind of thing shouldn’t surprise me, but hey every time we go to a new place, I still have to wonder if Nash and I are going to get hassled, as it does happen more than it should. Nash was very excited to see everyone, and at the dinner table, kept popping his head up to see what was going on. He must have wanted to be included in the conversation, or at least let everyone know, hey, I’m down here.

After dinner we all walked over to 8th Ave and said our goodbyes. Even though we were a few blocks from my old apartment, I definitely think Nash knew it. We headed up towards my old building, and of course as soon as we crossed 52nd street, Nash made a bee line to the door of my old building. I told him sorry buddy, we don’t live here anymore. Not to worry though Nash, just because we don’t live here anymore doesn’t mean we still can’t go to your old bathroom spot! So we headed around the corner, and of course Nash didn’t head to the corner, he made the right turn onto 53rd street and headed directly to his old spot. Even though he went to the bathroom at dinner, he saved enough to do number one and two at his old spot. He was a very happy guy.

After saying hello to his old spot, we headed up to the old neighborhood hangout, Matt’s Grill. As soon as we walked through the door, we were greeted by our favorite bartender John. It’s so nice not to be forgotten. We sat down at the bar, and of course John came around to say hello to Nash. Wow, Nash you are getting to see everyone today. A little later, my buddy Damon showed up, and Nash was excited again to see an old friend. Nash was very happy to be back at Matt’s Grill, and there was still one surprise left for him. A little later, the woman who nicknamed Nash Fluffy Face stopped by to say hello. Nash had not seen her in awhile, but again, dogs must never forget, as the tail started wagging right away. With all these friendly faces, Nash must have thought it was his birthday. Since it wasn’t, it had to be Nash’s dream day!

Laugh For Sight NYC Take Two, No Sandy’s Allowed! set for December 10th, Gotham Comedy Club.

We are very excited to announce that Laugh For Sight NYC Take TwoNo Sandy’s Allowed! has been rescheduled for Monday, December 10, 2012 at Gotham Comedy Club. It’s like deja vu to us all over again, as we have very fortunately landed the same lineup. LAugh For Sight NYC will feature Celebrity Host, Bonnie Bernstein, Legendary Comedian Robert Klein, Eddie Brill, Bonnie McFarlane, Paul Mecurio, Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, Rich Vos, and of course Nash and me. The Silent Auction will begin at 7pm and the Comedy Show at 830PM.

We were even more fortunate as Robert Klein went on The Late Show with David Letterman on November 12th to promote this year’s very special Laugh For Sight NYC. To watch the episode click here http://www.cbs.com/shows/late_show/video/2303919777/the-late-show-11-12-2012

Tickets for LAugh For Sight NYC can be purchased by visting http://www.gothamcomedyclub.com, calling 212-367-9000, or by clicking this link http://gothamcomedyclub.com/show.cfm?id=191886&cart

Donors to this year’s silent auction include Comedy Central, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Jimmy Fallon Show, the NY Yankees, Eli Manning, Jackie Mason, Felix Rey, Exhale Spa, C-Tech, Rock of Ages, Susan Michel Limited, and much more. Tickets are $35 for General Admission and $75 for VIP Reserved Seating.

Please make sure to follow all of the talented performers donating their time and of course Laugh For Sight on Twitter @LaughForSight, @BonnieBernstein, @BonnieMcFarlane, @PaulMecurio, @JimNorton, @IAmColinQuinn, @RichVos, @blindgator, @NashtheGuideDog.

Someone Tell Nash There Was A Time Change

Now we all love Nash, as he is a very lovable guy. His cuteness won’t even register on the cuteness meter as it is to high. However, I do have a pet peeve with the guy. One of Nash’s little OCD habits is to start nudging me at around 4pm for his six pm dinner time. He does this every day like clockwork. Every day at 4pm Nash will start headbutting me with a lets go, feed me. I have to tell him it is not even close to his dinner time. If I had a four pm appointment I wouldn’t even have to set an alarm because Nash would be that alarm.

And it doesn’t stop with just the one headbutt. He will nudge me for about two hours and is like lets go what are we waiting for, feed me. It has gotten to the point where it is comical and I laugh because he knows he doesn’t get to eat dinner to six p,, and on the rare day where I might lay down to rest for a few minutes, Nash will hop into my bed and ram me with his head, as if he is telling me, don’t even think about falling asleep this close to my dinner time. He will then flop down in the bed and slap me with his paw. Don’t get me wrong I am not in an abusive relationship or anything, as Nash’s pawing at me is more playful than anything. Sometimes, after pawing at me, Nash will get up jump out of the bed, and head towards the kitchen, only to have me laugh, so he runs back and jumps into the bed giving me another headbutt. It is all very cute, but seriously Nash, every day?

So what happened today? Instead of beginning his nudginess at 4pm, you probably guessed it, as I was sitting at my desk working away, I got a headbutt at three pm! Hey Nash didn’t anyone tell you there was a time change?

The Calming of the Storm

I moved back to New York City from Florida in 2000 when my vision started to take a turn for the worse. After all, with NYC’s public transportation system, I like to say New York City is a blind man’s paradise. You can go where ever you want when ever you want, and don’t have to rely on other people to get there. I have lived in Los Angeles and dealt with earthquakes, Florida you get to deal with the hurricanes, and well, NYC you have to deal with the terrorists, but now NYC you get to deal with the hurricanes to. Not Fair. I thought I left Florida to get away from the hurricanes.

The storm blew in on Monday. We have all seen the damage it has done to NYC, Jersey, and the Northeast. Being a blind guy and living through a hurricane can be very scary. The wind is so strong and the noise it makes is quite chilling. You can’t tell how bad it is outside, and you have no clue if something can blow through your apartment.

Three years ago when I was at guide dog school, and I could still see fairly decently, I found it very funny when another totally blind student talked about her fear of tree branches. As sighted people, when you hear someone has a fear of tree branches, I’m sorry, but its funny. How in the world can someone be afraid of tree branches. Well, now I get it. I do not have a fear of tree branches, but lets just say I am not a fan of them. Hey, you try walking around with your eyes closed, and trust me after you take one tree branch to the head, you will get it. During Hurricane Sandy, my biggest fear was going outside having to walk Nash, and not knowing if something would be blowing down the street towards us. There are a lot of trees in our area, and last year when Hurricane Irene hit, a tree fell two apartments over and crushed a car. So yeah, walking Nash in Hurricane winds would not rank in my top ten favorite things to do. We did survive that bitch Hurricane Sandy without any incidents.

We all know that guide dogs are unbelievably trained to lead blind people around, but it is not Nash’s training that impressed me during the storm, it was his temperament. To Nash, Monday and Hurricane Sandy was just another day. We woke up, he ate breakfast, went for his walk. The winds got stronger during the afternoon, Nash began to get pushy at 4pm as he does every day. Yes, Nash’s dinner time is 6pm, and every day he starts to want to get fed at 4pm. On Monday, the news was reporting that the storm was going to be at its worst between 5 and 10pm, so Nash did get to eat early at 445pm. The storm picked up at 5pm, and Nash didn’t have a care in the world, and it was a typical evening for him. He spent part of the evening in my bedroom in my bed of course. He periodically came out in to the main room, spent time under my desk sitting on my feet. He wanted his belly rubbed and to play, and he wasn’t affected in the slightest by the howling winds outside. Nash was as calm as could be, almost a calming influence. That’s Nash.