Race car champion

Waiting for this day with nervous anticipation

Preparing mentally and emotionally

Talking with the team

Surveying the race car

Sitting in the driver seat

Waiting for the flag

On your mark

Get set

Go

The race is underway

The competition is intense

My mind wanders

I’m pushing myself

Circling the track at high speeds

Accelerating on the straightaways

Sensing the vibration of the engine

Taking it easy on the turns

Positioning for the lead

Avoiding the pack and the wall around the bend

Feeling the raw emotion at the wheel

Cruising at over 160 miles per hour

One wrong move and it’s all over

Just keeping pace

Searching for the opportunity to take the lead

Tired of being boxed in

Aggressive tactics are required for the most successful on the track

Always in touch with my team

The pit crew is ready and waiting

I’m on the radio with my coach

We talk strategy and what to look out for

My car is a finely tuned machine

The engine purrs like a kitten

Sometimes it roars like a lion

I am always amazed at how fast the car can go

Sometimes I push it beyond its limits

That’s the risk I must take

Sometimes I get clipped

Other times I spin out

I don’t ever want to hit the wall on the turn

I’ve seen guys crash into the wall

It’s frightening to witness

We’ve lost many good racers

It’s very sad

I’ve been to my share of final goodbyes

It’s not what I like about this sport

It’s known that racing around the track at high speeds is a deadly proposition

You’re in the race of your life

You must endure 500 go rounds at breakneck speed

You never want to blow a tire or rupture the gas tank

That’s how we lose many drivers in fiery explosions after they collide with another racer or the wall

It’s very difficult to continue on knowing someone is badly injured or worse, dead after such a collision

It’s traumatic and painful to watch it happen and trying everything possible to avoid being swept up in the high speed collision

After the midpoint the race wares on you

It takes courage and determination to finish the race

You really must be in tune with your car and make proper choices and know when to stop for pit crew assistance

You need to be strategic though make all necessary stops if your car warrants it

You can’t expect to win if your car is not at optimal performance

That’s why you have a pit crew

They are efficient, reliable and able to get your car back on the track in less than 10 seconds

The races are grueling and takes a lot out of you

That’s why victory is so sweet

Only the best know that winning feeling

Qualifying is the most difficult thing to do

You need to be at your best and have your crew solidly behind you

After a while you have to be reminded what your position is and how many more laps you have remaining

You have to be alert at all times on the track

The races are very competitive and each course tests your skills and ability to race under extraordinary conditions

The most challenging part of racing is surviving for another race

That’s the goal

The practices are critical and you must simulate all kinds of scenarios in racing

You must know how to race in the rain, on scorching hot days, in windy conditions and in crowded packs

It’s incredible to beat the field of racers

All racers on the track deserve to be there and on any given day can win

You must be a little bit better to win the race and title

It’s the best feeling

To drink the champagne of race car champions, milk

It goes down so good

It’s truly amazing

To be awarded the arrangement of flowers

To win the prize money

To be celebrated by your crew and owners of your race car

To celebrate with your family and friends

To have your name etched on the plaque as the

Race car champion

A concert for the ages

I love music.

I love concerts.

And this was a concert for the ages.

It was planned months ago,

A Labor Day weekend road trip with my son.

Green Day was calling,

And we were ready to answer.

From Levittown to Baldwinsville, New York,

The open road stretched before us,

Leading to my friend, then southbound to Harrisburg.

A pit stop at the Toyota service center,

Just a few hours to make sure our ride was good to go.

Friday night saw us in Pittsburgh,

Checking into the Holiday Inn Express,

Anticipation building, as Sunday drew near.

Sunday morning came,

And the excitement in the air was palpable.

We wandered the streets of Pittsburgh,

Found a diner, one with history and heart,

The kind of place where stories are shared.

I saw a Roberto Clemente cap,

And memories of a boyhood idol came rushing back.

A hero lost too soon, but his spirit lives on,

In a simple, black-and-gold cap.

As we waited to eat,

A conversation sparked with a woman,

Ten years my senior, visiting from California.

Her husband, a Pittsburgh native, smiled at my hat,

A thumbs-up from one baseball fan to another.

She knew Green Day, knew Billie Joe Armstrong,

From before the fame, when they played local venues.

We shared stories, shared excitement,

Until her table was ready, and she wished us well.

Breakfast finished, we paid and left,

Back to the hotel to rest,

To prepare for the night ahead.

An Uber ride was our choice,

And a smart one at that,

As we arrived at PNC Park,

Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates,

And tonight, the home of rock.

The lineup was a dream:

The Linda Lindas—an all-girl powerhouse from California,

Rancid—veterans of the scene,

Smashing Pumpkins—icons of the '90s,

And finally, Green Day—the main event.

We found our seats, or so we thought,

A mix-up, a small detour,

But soon we were settled, ready,

For the music to take us away.

The first two acts hit the stage,

And the crowd roared in approval.

Then Smashing Pumpkins took over,

And memories flooded back with every chord.

But the night belonged to Green Day.

They took the stage like legends,

Opening with Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody,"

A tribute, a masterpiece.

They were celebrating milestones—

30 years of *Dookie,*

20 years of *American Idiot.*

It was the "Saviors Stadium Tour,"

And they were saving us all with every note.

The energy was electric,

Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool—

They were unstoppable,

A force of nature on that stage.

Supporting musicians filled the sound,

Keyboards, guitars,

But it was Billie Joe who captivated,

A 52-year-old rock star who found the fountain of youth.

The crowd was with them,

Every song, every moment,

A sellout show,

A performance that would be talked about for years.

And when it was over,

We left the park with smiles,

Took an Uber back,

And reflected on a night that was more than just music.

It was

A concert for the ages.

I didn’t just listen to them—

I grew up with them.

The Jackson 5

wasn’t just music in the background—

it was a thread running through my life,

from childhood into everything I would become.

And Michael Jackson—

he wasn’t just a voice.

He was a presence.

A constant.

A mirror of time moving forward

while I was trying to understand my own.

I watched them rise,

watched the family evolve,

watched the world change around them—

and without realizing it,

I was changing too.

Their music didn’t just play—

it stayed.

It stayed in the rooms I lived in,

in the moments I didn’t have words for,

in the parts of me that were still forming.

And then… time kept going.

Joseph Jackson passed.

Later, Tito Jackson too.

And each time, it wasn’t just news—

it felt like something personal

quietly slipping away.

But nothing prepared me for Michael.

Fifty.

He was only fifty.

And when he died,

it didn’t feel distant—

it felt immediate.

Like something inside my timeline

just… stopped.

Because how do you process the loss

of someone who was always there?

Not in your life directly—

but in your life experience.

He was part of my beginning,

my middle—

and I thought he’d always be there

somewhere ahead.

And suddenly… he wasn’t.

And what I realized—

through the tears,

through the memories,

through watching it all again—

is that I wasn’t just grieving him.

I was grieving

a version of life

that felt different.

A version of me

that existed when his voice

was still moving forward in time.

But maybe…

nothing is really lost.

Maybe it’s all still here—

just carried differently now.

In memory.

In feeling.

In the way a song can still open everything

all at once.

I didn’t just watch their story.

I lived alongside it.

And somehow…

it’s still living in me.

Thank you Michael

Thank you Jackson 5

Thank you Joseph

Thank you Katherine

Thank you Jackson Family

Thank you Motown

Thank you Bubbles and all the animals

Thank you Bill Bray

Thank you to the fans of Michael and The Jackson 5

Emily Iannielli