I fell off the roof today, Slipped on wet tiles, I landed on a roof of a Wendy houses. Went straight through, then landed on a lawnmower. The lawnmower died

I am shifting a bit this morning to a subject no one wants to talk about. Our weight. I;'ve shared this before but it is worth sharing again. Two years ago, I was 325 pounds, prediabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, uncomfortable, unable to walk any distance without getting winded and tired. I felt old, ugly, fat. I dressed to be unseen. I wore black almost every day, baggy shirts to cover my rotund belly and generally hated looking in the mirror. I tried everything, I've gained and lost literally hundreds of pounds over my life and had been chunky, then fat, then obese as the years went by. My father, as much as I love him is of the old school mindset that overweight people are just lacking in self control, and if you just put your mind to it you can be a normal weight. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a chemistry issue in your brain that can now be treated. My doctor put me on Mounjaro which is a once weekly shot, GLP1 medication. Without going in to a long medical explanation of how this works I will say what it does for me and others who have used it. It speeds up your metabolism; makes you feel full and you stop thinking about food all the time. That is called food noise. Those of us who have tried and failed to lose weight have a chemistry in our brain that makes us want to eat all the time and eat even after we are full. It tastes good, and we keep eating, we are full but keep eating. Dieting is like holding your head under water, eventually you can't handle it anymore and have to come up for air and of course, fail. I don't think about food, I get full quickly and don't wish I could eat more. I enjoy food and eat whatever I want, but I don't want to eat much and that is the beauty of it. Men especially feel like they don't need this, we are tough, we hear this is a short cut and we are to do it naturally. But, if any of you suffer from being overweight, especially very overweight don't beat yourself up. Try this, it is like a miracle. I went from 325 to 200 pounds in a matter of less than a year. I lost 22 pounds the first month and 10 pounds a month after that. Maintaining my weight has been easy and can now look like I've always wanted to look. Best of all, my ALC is normal, my cholesterol is normal, no meds for high blood pressure, I can tie my shoes without feeling like my eyes are going to pop out of my head.

Bike night is a time when different motorcycle clubs come together. We share a short message, then enjoy a braai. Building relationships, brotherhood, and unity. Last night, however, the message was a heavy one. A gentleman who was well-known, well-liked, always the center of attention. Has passed on after a personal struggle, taking his life. People that knew him never saw this coming. All who knew him is in shock. He never showed any sign of what he was going through. After the meeting, a few men came forward quietly, asking for help. Gentlemen, if you are struggling, please don’t stay silent. Don’t isolate yourself. Speak to someone. Seek professional help if you need it. If you call yourself a gentleman brother, then be a brother and reach out, check in, stand alongside one another. And seek a qualified, registered counselor. Every man faces a storm at some point in his life. There is no shame in that. You are valued and precious.

Brothers, I just wanted to share something that’s been on my heart. Over the past month, life has changed in a way I wasn’t fully prepared for. After 45 years together, we lost my stepmother. Since then, my father—my Pop—has been leaning on me more than ever. He’s blind, battling stage 4 emphysema, and his body isn’t what it used to be. But his mind is still sharp, and his spirit… it’s still his. And what he wants more than anything is to hold on to his independence. So I do what I can to make that possible. I make multiple trips to his house every single day—checking on him, handling his bills, bringing groceries, helping with whatever he needs. I even help him bathe each day, just so he can stay in his own home, on his own terms. It’s not always easy, but it’s necessary. And more than that—it’s right. What’s been hard, if I’m being honest, is seeing how quiet things have gotten from the rest of the family. I used to talk to my siblings daily. Now, with everything going on, the calls have stopped. It’s like when the weight got heavy, everyone just… disappeared. That part’s been frustrating. Maybe even a little painful. Right now, Pop is in the hospital with pneumonia, but he’s improving. I thank God for that. Sitting there with him, watching him fight, I’m reminded of just how precious time really is. It’s tough seeing him like this, but I cherish every single moment I get. At the end of the day, we all know this truth: we sacrifice for the people we love. And even when it’s hard—even when it stretches us thin—it’s still an honor to be the one who shows up. I didn’t share this publicly. Just wanted to speak to my Brothers for a moment, because I know I can do that here—in confidence. I appreciate y’all letting me vent. —Elliott

Last March a vindictive former buddy reported to the cops a false statement that made me vulnerable to two red flag laws. On a Sunday evening I was alone at home listening to music. I noticed a lot of flashing blue lights on the street but was unconcerned. What I didn't know was the police had evacuated everyone from my block. Other than me. Several minutes later, with blue lights now having flashed for almost an hour, I decided to open my front door to see what was going on. Wearing only a bathrobe, my house is set back from the street so being deessed as such was not an issue. Once I opened the door, white light illumed me. Then I heard the megaphone, "Mr. Voss surrender to SWAT now." I wasn't particularly concerned because I'd been home almost all week and hadn't done anything wrong. To be continued as Adventure pt. 2.