THE FATHER BLOG

Today is Mardi Gras: Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday,” is the final day of Carnival celebrations occurring the day before Ash Wednesday. It signifies a last period of indulgence in rich, fatty foods and partying before the Christian fasting season of Lent begins. Known for parades, costumes, and beads, it marks a final celebration before 40 days of penance. 

When I think Mardi Gras, I think of New Orleans and all the amazing food and the wonderful people that I have met on my many visits there. I haven’t been back down in 2 years now so I think I may be due for another trip. But today is FAT TUESDAY so indulge this evening in some traditional NOLA dishes, have a beer or two, and enjoy!

Here are some pictures from my last trip when visiting with a couple of my hockey buddies.

Beautiful Jackson Square…love sipping a Cafe Du Monde on the benches there after gorging on beignets!

The alligator sausage at the Market Cafe on Decatur is ridiculously amazing

Char grilled oysters with a couple Hurricanes for sipping on

Blackened alligator at Mulate’s (one of my absolute favorites in NOLA) and an Abita Amber

Happy Mardi Gras 2026!

How often is this question asked? Probably quite a bit and is there really a true answer? Interestingly enough, you can truly ask ChatGPT anything. What do you think of their answer?

Here’s the most honest answer I can give:

The secret of life isn’t one thing. It’s alignment.

Alignment between:

• What you’re good at
• What you enjoy
• What you value
• How you spend your time

When those four line up, life feels meaningful.

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If I boil it down even further:

1️⃣ Growth

We’re wired to grow — physically, mentally, emotionally.
When we’re improving at something that matters to us, we feel alive.

2️⃣ Connection

Relationships matter more than achievements.
Family, teammates, friends — that’s where long-term happiness lives.

3️⃣ Contribution

Helping others. Competing with integrity. Being useful.
Humans feel best when they’re needed.

4️⃣ Presence

The ability to actually enjoy where you are — not constantly chasing the next level.

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If I had to reduce it to one sentence:

The secret of life is becoming who you’re capable of becoming — while loving the people around you well.

Well said, ChatGPT. Have a great weekend!

I turned on the Olympic games yesterday and obviously I have in interest in watching hockey. I also, being of Italian decent, hope that the Italian athletes do well in the Games. So when I tuned into the hockey game to see that Italy was in a close battle with Sweden, despite the huge discrepancy in shots on net, I was intrigued. Sweden has an entire roster of NHL players. Italy does not. Watching the game it was easy to see that Sweden was the way more skilled and faster team. So how was it so close?

First of all, the Italian team is gritty and skated hard on every shift. Good for them! But their goalie was standing on his head and kept them in the game until his injury in the 3rd period. His name: Damian Clara. I have a feeling he’ll be seen soon enough in the NHL based on his skill level, size, and athleticism.

So I hope he recovers in time for tomorrow’s game against Slovakia. Either way, I’ll be tuning in to watch them play as well as trying to see as many games as I can today with USA and Canada also having games.