Back in the saddle

Sorry for lack of posts of late.  I've fallen off the wagon and have been wandering in the woods.  Things have been hectic/busy around here and honestly, I haven't been keeping up with any of my blog duties and I really feel bad.  I kinda stepped away from the terminal for a bit, except for when work demands it, and have been distracted with other tasks.  I could plead a dozen reasons, but nobody likes to hear whiny excuses, especially me, so sorry for slacking off for so long.   

I intended to start up posting with a few updates, but my muse got drunk and ran off on  sort of abandoned me and I haven't been able to string together anything meaningful or even interesting.    

A lot has happened over the past two months (Damn, has it been THAT long?).  We were still dealing with Anne's passing.  Closing out a person's life is something we are not well trained for.  Lots of minor details, actions, tasks to be addressed.  We have not yet taken Anne & David up to Arkansas to the family site, but we are hoping to do something in the summer.  SIL's ongoing condition still makes any long term plans difficult/problematic.  Despite all of those hurdles, we are moving on with life.  Keeping busy.

I won't try to play catch up on everything that has transpired over the last 8 weeks, but it has been a wee bit busy.  Physical exams, doctors visits, one of those fun "oscopy" tests, a company merger, one broken window, the end of an era, a few birthdays, one dog party, and the annual Art Car parade.  If I tried to cover all of that, this blog would turn into some sort of novella.  I will try to play catch up over the next few weeks.
       
I guess we can start with trailers - I had to replace the window in my trailer again.  Yea, for those that think this sounds familiar, I've done this before.  Two years ago, some punks broke into several trailers in the storage yard looking for stuff to steal/pawn.  Didn't get anything from my rig aside of a broken set of binoculars and an old dvd player.  Was more of a pain in the butt cleaning up and getting a replacement window.  Back in March, I got a call one morning from the guy that owns the property and he told me that his yard guy was mowing the lot and kicked up a rock through my window.  He was very sorry and said he would pay for the replacement, so I wasn't really po'd.  I actually found it funny - same window as last time so I pretty much had the same clean up task.  Just took a few days to get a new window shipped down.        

Here we go again

All fixed       

End of an Era - with Anne's passing, we've been taking stock of the situation.  My parents are 92+ and still fairly active, but things are changing for them.  After their wreck in November, they have been taking things a bit more slowly.  Not really showing and real hurry or interest in getting a new vehicle, I think the writing was on the wall.  My dad was up for a few more trips but I think my mom nixed that idea.  So it wasn't all that much of a shock to me when we were having our weekly dinner with them when my dad mentioned that he was going to sell his trailer.  My mother chided him for not offering up to me but, honestly, I didn't want it.  One year newer than mine, it is 4 feet longer and weighs considerably more.  34 feet and a third axle really increases the weight of the rig and the old land barge just wouldn't be up to the task.  For that size of trailer, you need something a bit more substantial.  I am not quite ready for another new car payment and, besides, my old 30 footer meets our current camping needs.  Unless you were full timing - we really didn't need the extra 4 feet of trailer.  So, he is prepping his trailer to turn it over to a broker for a sale.  He really doesn't really want to sell it in the club - something about not passing on any problems.  It is a beautifully maintained and well travelled rig (for an 18 year old trailer) and, with the care he has given it, I wouldn't hesitate to take it cross country.  Airstreams typically don't last very long whenever they hit the lot.  They hold their value and typically bring top dollar, even if they are 18 years old.  But that brings me to the era thing.  I am kinda bummed/depressed.  I know this would happen eventually and, with the wreck, it was inevitable, but, to me, it makes the end of a very long era.  My parents got their first Airstream from my uncle  the Air Force Colonel. back in 1979 while I was still in college.  35 years, 4 trailers  and upteen thousand miles later, they are finally hanging it up.  It hit me the other day that most of the grandkids have never known them without their trailer.  They have been blessed to have been able to travel so much and for so long, but this will be a major paradigm shift for them (as well as us).    

Prepped for sale.
The WBCCI logo and numbers have been removed. 

Odds & ends

It's been an interesting/intense few weeks of late.  Last week's road trip to College Station was a welcome break.  An excellent chance to step away from the daily problems, headaches, worries and break bread with a few old friends.  Some of the stories seem to have grown in stature with time.  In retrospect, they sound like a bunch of "old army" stories that take on legendary status (at least in our circle) but in the sober light of day, we tend to shake our heads and wonder how we survived.  I'll work to dredge up a few of the more classic ones in a few future postings.  Yes I will try to dig up the border crossing saga but I always felt the night we almost blew up our door in the dorm was way more epic.  And here's a slight hint:  Mark was a key player in both sagas.      

I would lament about work, but I find that I have been doing that way too much of late and I don't like to whine about my problems especially when they are miniscule in comparison to others.  Everytime I think that things are overwhelming or unjust, I step back and look at other people and the problems they face and, somehow, my issues don't seem quite as big or insurmountable.  A long, long time ago, I took a summer course on motivation and how to focus on and achieve goals.  It was taught by a woman who had actually worked for my dad at one point but she wasn't happy with her job and he encouraged her to pursue her dreams of teaching and speaking.  Interesting class, it taught me several things that I still espouse.  One of her exercises was for a person to get up in the morning and face themselves in a mirror and repeat the saying:  "Every day, in Every way, I am getting better and better".  Repeat 10 times.  Yea, I know.  Sounds corny, but it did work for me (somewhat).  The one thing she said that did stick with me was that you have a choice in the morning when we wake up:  You can be happy or you can be mad.  Depending upon which one you choose, that is normally how the day will go.  Oddly enough, I found this to be true.  If you wake up pissed off at the world, that is pretty much how your day will go.  I prefer the former.  No matter what kind of crap I get dished out, I try to take it with a smile (or at least smirk).  Besides, no matter how big the problem, there is always someone lower down on the ladder than is dealing with bigger challenges.   

Status on SIL is about the same.  It has been a year since SIL had her surgery and she is not any closer to getting her life back.  It seems like she will make progress one week and then has small set backs that put her right back at the start (two steps forward, one step back).  Every other week she does chemo and it seems to wear her down.  We continue to do what we can to help but it has been a very long road with lots of twists and turns.  My wife is still taking care of her full time and it is wearing her out as well.  Being a nephrologist (Kidney Doctor), SIL fully understands her situation and the challenges she faces.  Needless to say, she is very down/depressed and uncertain of her outcome.  

Claire is getting old and slowing down.  I took her to the vet and they didn't find any issues or problems aside of her just getting old.  She still acts like a puppy at times, just a goofy old puppy.  And, yes, she still rolls in the grass every time we go to the park. 

On the bright side, we are getting new bathroom.  Not exactly a planned event.  I noticed a slight leak in the bathroom walls where the sheetrock was starting to get moist.  We've had a shower pan leak many years ago and I know what a massive project that can be to replace it so I was avoiding it for while dealing with the other issues.  When I spotted a wet carpet outside of the bathroom, I decided to close down the shower for a while to see if that would dry it out.  2 weeks later, the carpet was still soaked so I felt we might have a pipe leak in the walls.  Called in a plumber who assessed that the pipe was not leaking ($75 for that diagnosis) but he really did not determine the root cause.  I finally called in my insurance company to seek their help/advice and they jumped on it right away.  The sent out a master plumber who figured out that it was NOT the shower pan but a leak from the toilet that has seeped under the tile floor and wicked up into the bathroom walls.  The sent out a water remediation company who set up three massive blowers and a dehumidifier to run nonstop for a week drying out the room.  The net result was a very loud, noisy bathroom for a week that got very warm (~90°).  Finally the room dried out enough to lose the fans but the damage was done.  Estimator came out last week to survey the repairs and it looks like they will have to tear out the shower and replace a good portion of the sheetrock.  Since the shower tile is a classic 70's gold spec that is not made any more, looks like we are getting a new shower.  We are looking at tile and wallpaper now.  We will probably will get a new pocket door, shower door and new rug and as well.  Of course, as with any project, there is some amount of scope creep (momma wants a new vanity with new fixtures).  I would like to have the toilet replaced (Toto) while they are in there.  Additionally, I am trying to convince momma to replace the bathroom window at the same time (ours is the old original single pane, frosted window).  Still waiting for the contractor to get assigned to come review the job.  It is going to be a holy mess and I figure it will take a few weeks to demo out the bathroom, but we are hoping to have it done by late December.  Merry Christmas.     

Paddling as fast as I can...

It's been that kind of week.

Uber busy.  Worked through last weekend trying to finish up some changes to procedures and get some reports out by Monday.  The changes have been long in coming and, honestly, I have kinda procrastinated on getting them done earlier.  Been trying to get them done while doing the normal work stuff, but everyone seems to need my advice/input/comments and I just cannot seem to get any traction during normal hours.  I finally resorted to taking the entire weekend alone at the office to knock out the changes and get them posted.  I've tried the same at home but there are too many distractions (both have fur and tails) and I just couldn't seem to find the right motivation.  I finally got everything done but I am about a month behind.  Implementation will take the next two weeks and I have many other things that are taking top priority.  Got another road trip planned - an audit the week after the 4th in Wisconsin and Chicago.  We have an outside agency coming in the following week to do our annual audit and everyone is getting uber paranoid getting prepared.  I have a ton of stuff to do and little time to do it.  Next few weeks should be interesting...  

Speaking of interesting, I lost one of my buyers last week.  He retired on Friday and I am having to open up the search for a new buyer.  I've had mixed feelings about this deal.  The buyer has been with us for many years, but decided two weeks ago that he was going to retire.  Got an e-mail from him late Friday evening that he was retiring with two weeks notice.  Needless to say, it kinda took me by surprise.  I fully appreciate someone who has worked long and hard towards retirement, but I would have appreciated a bit more a warning about this change.

Update on my dad.  He finally got his surgery appointment scheduled for next month on the 21st.  It is not considered urgent or critical so the date is more of a scheduling deal to fit everyone's schedules.  My dad is not happy with the date (wants it sooner) but he is going take what he can get for now.  I am not exactly thrilled with the prospect of him going under the knife at 91 next month but I am trying to keep a positive outlook.   

And I have a mystery challenge.  While driving along one of the main roads a few weeks ago, I spotted an interesting site.  A bike along the side of the road.  A very orange bike.  From initial glance, it did not appear to be a factory paint job.  It looks like an older bike painted day-glo orange and staged at a certain spot.  I finally took time yesterday on the way up to the trailer and pulled over for a closer look.  No real clue what it means - no sign or posting on it.  I am thinking it was a memorial to a cyclist that might have been killed at that spot much like a roadside cross.  I have tried to search the net for some meaning but have come up dry so far.  

Pull my finger

Because Abby asked, I thought I might regale you with some of the mis-steps of my younger days.  I've been around a while and I've got the souvenirs to show for it.  You don't get this far down the road of life without collecting a few dents/dings/scrapes along the way.  

Most of those dings came early in life.  Back when I was young and stupid and didn't know any better.  Now I am just old and stupid.  Let's tally up the score so far:  

• One fractured wrist/arm early on (playing "cannon ball" with my older brothers)
• Concussion in grade school
• Burned my arm (pulled a cup of coffee off of a TV tray)
• Tried to cut my finger off at the garden shop (almost succeeded)  
• Fractured wrist (fell while walking Velvet)
• Broken toe (stepping over Shadow)  
• Dislocated shoulder (prep run for half marathon) 

The one that always gets revisited at family gatherings (aside of when my loving brothers broke my arm story) is when I tried my hand (finger) at gardening.

Hearken back to those days of yesteryear.  Back before the internet, YouTube, Twitter and selfies.  I was a young pup and still new to the world.  I looked up to my brothers and tried to emulate them.  One sunny spring afternoon, we all piled into the old Pontiac Catalina station wagon and drove to the garden center (nursery) to get some plants and flowers for our yard.  Being all of 4 or 5, I went along for the ride.  While in the garden center, my parents were off trying to buy some bush or flowers and left us to our own devices.  My brothers, being more worldly and smarter than I. set out to explore the store.  My eldest brother found this industrial can opener device that would open cans with some sort of church key contraption.  He took several cans an commenced to "opening' them (translation:  destroyed the cans).  After a while, he became bored with such trivial matters and left the machine for other adventures.  I saw an opportunity to take over for him on his mission of general mischief (monkey see, monkey do).  While playing with the contraption, I failed to follow proper procedures (like keep out of the hands of children) and the soulless device did its task, which, basically chopped the end of my middle finger almost clean off and left me with a unique scar to this day.  The event was traumatic. not so much for me but for my mom.  I don't really recall the pain or the injury (aside of the sudden "aw shit" realization ) at the time but I do recall the the ride to the hospital.  My dad, who never speeds or had any traffic tickets. driving like a bat out of hell getting us to the hospital.  Riding in the front seat between mom and dad with my hand wrapped in towels and bandage and I was kept thinking how my mom was pissed (she wasn't).  We made it to the hospital in time for the docs to sew my finger back on with minimal damage, just an unique scar to regal my descendants.  Either the damage was not as severe as imagined or the docs were pretty damned good, but I was able to gain full feeling.  The only lasting evidence was where they sutured it back on leaving me with a small scar that I will carry forever.  They say that SCARs tell a story of life's lessons and I would agree.  Life can be a rough game that is full of twists and turns.  To me, a few scrapes along the way are just a measure of one's perseverance (or stupidity).  Remember:  a lot of memorable  events were proceeded by the words:  "Hey Bubba, watch this!"   

     

To quote Shane Falco:  Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever.

Marathon post mortem

One week later and I am still paying for my run.  A twinge here, sore calf there, stiff joints.  I find the older I get, the longer it takes to get back to some sense of normal afterwards.  Even now my knees are making me pay for last weekend's outing.  

Whenever I do this run, a lot of things running through my head.  With 2.5 hours of running, I usually wind up with lots of interesting nuggets for blog fodder, but not enough for a full blog theme.  Sort of a mish-mash of comments/observations from the run.  

• Agony of da feet (pain mitigation) - every time I do this run, I always tend to test the boundaries of pain.  One year it was my calfs, one year it was chafing of certain body parts, one year it was butt cramps, one year it was a charlie horse.  This year it was a back spasm. Never had that one before. Was able to walk it off, but it hurt like hell for a while.  I've got to admit that, this being my 6th rodeo, I anticipated the worse.  I know what works, what doesn't.  This time I pre-loaded the system (Advil) before the run to help mitigate the eventual soreness.  I mentioned last year discovering kinesthetic tape - sort of a duct tape for athletes to prevent injuries.  This is flexible tape you can use for injuries/muscles to prevent strain.  I tried it out last year and it seemed to make a small difference.  This year I taped my knees in advance and, despite what my doctor said, it seemed to help.  My knees were the one part of that really didn't hurt afterwards.  I know it may be voodoo healing, but if it works, why question it?  On top of that, I planned ahead and booked an hour on the massage table after the run just to work out the kinks.  That really made a difference in my post run recovery.  Almost felt human afterwards.   

• Recovery - I fully expected to be all stove up after the run, given the lack of preparation for this year's run, so I took Monday off to allow time to recover.  Turns out, with massage, I was doing pretty good and could have gone in, but, given my vacation stockpile, I decided to burn it anyway.  Took advantage of the day off to finally go see the Hobbit movie while it was in the theater.    

• Trail food - I have my system.  I try to carb load before the race, but, during the race is altogether a different equation.  I always buy some energy gels/gu/shots for the run.  These are things you can eat/drink before & during the run to give you a shot of energy during the run.  I am not sure if they really helped, but I did get some benefit from them.  I kept eating the energy gu packs every 30 minutes or so.  They are like concentrated pudding packs and easy to digest while running.  They seemed to help, to a point.  The energy gels shots are like over sized concentrated gummy bears loaded with quick energy.  As Abby noted, some people may think they taste nasty and I would not disagree, but they did seem to keep me focused, so I cannot complain (too much).  

• Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink - After 6 years of doing this shtick, I've learned what works for me and what doesn't.  Like hydration - along the course, there are multiple points to allow you to rehydrate/refuel.  The first one you come across is the Gatorade stations followed by water stations about 50 yards later.  I learned a long time ago that I cannot handle my Gatorade while running.  Something about it just "sits there" when I drink it on the run.  Does not help.  When running, stick to plain old water to stay hydrated.  Of course, too much water and you will be seeking the nearest porta potty along the route.      

• Weather - I cannot help but think how lucky we were this year.  I've run in the freezing cold, in relative heat, or, like last year, in a downpour.  Really does a number to your pace times.  This year was picture perfect.  Given the recent winter weather chaos ongoing, I think we really lucked this year.  This year's weather could fool someone into thinking that they could pull this off as an annual event.   

• Road signs - I always try to keep my eyes and ears open during the run.  Most of the time, I zone out with my iPod and listen to the running playlist I have organized.  I tend to focus inward and miss some of the signs and hoopla on the sidelines.  I am always amazed/impressed with the amount of support we get along the route.  Groups, families, individuals.  People turn out in droves.  The crazier the group, the funnier the signs.  Some of the ones that I recall from this year that caught my eye:
• Worse. Parade. Ever.
• Run like there's a zombie after you
• Blisters are for wussies.  
• Who needs toenails?
• And I thought that NASCAR was boring.

• Side show - Along with the various signs and music along the route, there a number of groups that organize as support to encourage runners.  From handing out oranges and bananas and such, to giving out sticks of Vaseline, hula dancers to simply doing high fives to runners, all seemed to help make it run a bit easier.  This year I passed by one tent giving out cups of beer from the local brewer and I even passed one group giving out samples of bacon.  Almost bit on that one but I wasn't sure what beer and bacon would do to the stomach at that point.  

All in all, I have no real complaints about this year's run.  Yea, I should have been better prepared, but I was able to pull another rabbit out of the hat and make it across the finish line upright.  Thanks for everyone's support!  Who knows, I might be stupid enough to do it one more time.  After all, 7 is a lucky number, right?  

Mind your 'Ps'

First full week back and I already am looking for a break.  Things are start to come back on line, the routines are setting in, working to catch up on all the e-mails and projects that hit over the holidays.    

I would comment on our cold snap earlier this week, but it was nothing like the Polar Vortex up north.  Oh, sure, we got down to a balmy 25 degrees down here for two days, but at least we weren't at -17 like some northern climes.  While those temps are manageable to most, our area down along the coast is not geared to prolonged, cold spells.  Whenever we start to head near freezing temps, the newscasts go into overdrive (aka panic mode) warning people to protect the four "Ps"  (People, pets, pipes, plants).  

• People - there are a number of folk who will go out in t-shirts and flip flops even when temps are in the low 30s.  
• Pets - some owners down here leave their pets outside 24/7 - they have to  be reminded to bring Fido or Kitty indoors (or set up some shelter).  
• Pipes - almost every home down here has the pipes running through the attics (the ground shifts too much to run them through the foundation).  A lot of pipes are not insulated properly (if at all) and will freeze if temps fall below 30 for days.  When we bought our house down here 1990, it was right after a hard freeze and many homes had some water damage from burst pipes.  
• Plants - a lot of the landscaping and plants down here are tropical.  They tend to flourish in the high temps and high humidity of the gulf coast region.  Some, however, do not like the cold at all.  There are several species you will not find very far north of here.  Long ago, I converted all of my bushes over to the more hardy variety - things that withstand the extremes of hot & cold temps and prolonged droughts that we have every other summer.  

It was cold enough that I actually had to go winterize my trailer (drain the water out).  I haven't had to do that in years.  Still, the great freeze of early 2014 was pretty much a nonevent for us.  After a few days of chilly mornings, the temps are back into the 60s for the weekend.  

Burning another vacation day today playing catch up.  I have a several follow up tests/physicals (hearing, stress) scheduled for today that I could not complete before the holidays.  The hearing test was a breeze - just wire me up like a cheap Xmas tree and let the computer run the noise test.  Hopefully, I will survive the stress test this afternoon - it is much like an extended session on the stairmaster.  Doc can be a real sadist on this machine - reminds me of my old drill instructor trying to wear us down.  I should be in better shape, but I haven't been running regularly over the past month.  I wish I had a good excuse, but I am finding it hard to get/stay motivated.  I am slowly getting back into the routine and I know I am going to pay for it next weekend.  

I hope everyone has a good (and warmer) weekend.

8 days

No excuse

Nope.  Got none.  Sorry for the pause in the action.  I could blame it on technical difficulties but that's not true.  I've actually penned two eloquent, articulate posts (with pictures), only have them turn to crap in the morning when I re-read them.  I've hit a lull in the fire fight and I am working my way back.

Been busy (what's new?).  Work has been:  a) cleaning my clock, 2) eating my lunch, iii) kicking my butt (your choice).  I've been trying to wrap up our fiscal month, finish up some audit reports, get ready for my road trip to the other side of the world, work through some minor catastrophes  support our own internal audit, figure out how to save the company billions of dollars while buying the best stuff.  Typical week - trying to save the world.  Seems like it has been consuming my week.  When I get home I have no real desire in even going on line.  Just come home, take care of the children (play, walk, pick up dog poop), watch some lame show, go to bed, repeat.  And since it has been brutally hot (99 degrees now) down here, there hasn't been much interest in wandering outside of the A/C zone.  On top of that, with all of the chaos at work, I haven't been able to squeeze in a run for two weeks so I am feeling really cranky/lethargic.  I need some serious motivation (translation:  ass kicking) to get me out of my mental rut.

The weekends seem to fly by but my brother did try to kill me last weekend.  OK, maybe it wasn't intentional, but I got recruited in helping him pick up and assemble a new lift for his garage.  Some 3500 lb contraption that will allow him to work on his old cars.  Turned into another adventure where my back is not speaking to me and I wound up sweating like a old horse.  

He plans on christening it this weekend.  I guess it is nice to have a hobby. 

I am still keeping busy with my own plans.  Working in the yard (who cares if it is 98 degrees?).  The old lawn mower finally bit the dust last weekend.  Looking to find an alternative to keep the yard in check.  I could always follow the path an old co-worker did years ago (paved over his back yard) but that just seems like the easy way out.

Getting ready for my road trip around the globe next week.  I love to travel and see the world/new sights, but, honestly, a 23 hour flight is not really something I am looking forward to.  

In search of some bandwidth

Are we there yet?  Man, the weekend just would not could not get here fast enough.

It has been another one of those insanely crazy, chock-a-block full, nonstop mayhem weeks from when I stepped out of bed Monday morning.  I'm keeping a lot of balls in the air right now.  Lots of projects coming due, reports to write, meetings to sleep through sit in, e-mails to write, blogs to read.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  Yea, I know, it sucks to be me.  

I am working on a couple of upcoming audits in July & August  while we're getting ready for an in-house audit next week.  Even though the summer has just started, my calendar is already filling up fast.  I've got 3 or 4 road trips planned between now and August.  Fortunately, my trip to the Philippines has been pushed out until the fall, but the rest of the trips are domestic hops around the states.  I blocked out a week of my calendar in early August for the wedding, so it was interesting to note what days/weeks I will be off the grid this summer.  

It's hard to plan things when your Internet dies.  Our modem gave up the ghost Tuesday night leaving us in the stone ages.  Couldn't even get on live via my iPhone for a while.  I had to go to the Comcast store (they wouldn't come out until Saturday) to get a new router.  To complicate things, I had another doctor's appointment on Wednesday am for a Physical.  Not the same as the one we had at work, this one is more "intrusive" by my doc.  I used to do these every year for Scout camp (something about worrying about us old farts stroking out at camp).  Last time I went to this doc is when he uncovered my prostate cancer, so it has been a few years since I have been back.  Normal physical stuff, but I have to go back for a cardiac ultrasound and treadmill test next week.  Blood work came back OK and, so far, I am still checking out 5 by 5. 


Wednesday morning was the day they opened registration for the Marathon and I was unable to log on line to register before I left for the physical.  While waiting my turn in the office, I was trying to keep up with work and the net.  I stole some bandwidth in the waiting room and was able to read everyone's blogs, check the news, catch up on e-mails.  I decided not to wait until got into the office to register so I managed to log onto the Marathon website and sign up.  With the lottery system, normally I wouldn't know my status for a few weeks, but, since I decided to step it up a notch and sign up for the Run for A Reason Charity, I got a confirmed slot for January 13th.  Whoo-Hoo!  I have many people to thank for encouraging me to abuse myself.

217 days and counting... 

Home on the range

Back from west Texas.

Very long drive, tired. Weather was good, still trying bag that elusive jackalope.

The trip/weekend started out well, but I fouled up big time. I got a bit of a mess on my hands and I am seriously pissed off. No one I can blame but myself so I am in a very foul mood right now. I will get past this issue, but right now I am not in the holiday mood, but I am getting better.

It may sound morbid, but what helped raise my mood yesterday was attending a funeral for an old acquantance I worked with/knew for a long while. Harry was 58 years young (only 6 years older than me) and passed away suddenly while returning from Oklahoma visiting with his daughter and grandkids. Harry was a great man and the service was packed/oveflowing. As one of his close friends noted, with so many people attending, they should have charged admission. Most of the people attending were from my old company and, while we got talk on how everyone was doing, but it was a sad occasion to play catch up. I am in a quasi network of people who worked in one company that formed a close bond and it seems that the only updates I hear now is when people pass away.

It spite of my very sour disposition at the time, what sobered me up was that my problems, no matter how bad I make them out to be, pale in comparison to the loss of a friend/loved one. Life is way to fragile/brief to sweat the little stuff.

"Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt,sing like no one is listening,and live like it's heaven on earth."- William Purkey

Life's lessons

I've had this meme queued up for a while. I gathered most of these from an interview with a 94 year old who was being asked about his life and his advice. I find some of them are pretty darn close to home...

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.


2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.


3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone....


4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch


5. Pay off your credit cards every month.


6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.


7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.


8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.


9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.


10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.


11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.


12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.


13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.


14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...


15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.


16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind..


17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.


18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.


19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.


20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.


21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.


22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.


23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.


24. The most important sex organ is the brain.


25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.


26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, 'In five years, will this matter?'


27. Always choose life.


28. Forgive everyone everything.


29. What other people think of you is none of your business.


30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.


31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.


32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.


33. Believe in miracles.


34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.


35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.


36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.


37. Your children get only one childhood.


38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.


39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere...


40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.


41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.


42. The best is yet to come.


43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.


44. Yield.


45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Both ends

Busy busy busy. The fun never stops when you're always on a roller coaster.

Junior comes home today (hauling a ton of laundry I imagine). Expecting a small cyclone of activity.

Work is continuing to kick my butt. Projects/problems/deadlines. Just when you think you hit the bottom of the mine shaft, someone tells you to dig deeper. I'm the HMFIC of Purchasing which means I pretty much get blamed for just about everything. Not enough parts. Too many parts. Parts don't' work. Parts cost too much. We're out of toilet paper in the bathroom (major crisis). Past two days have been nothing different. Scrambling for parts for the past two weeks only to find that they don't fit. Trying to negotiate a long term contract with a rental car company only to find that someone in senior staff wants to go with another company. Typical life in procurement. And my system upgrade project is like the attack of the zombies - it just keeps on coming. I need to be testing and checking out the system but it seems like everybody has a problem and I am the only one who can fix it. And its not like I am trying to be nice and cordial. Hell, quite the opposite. I am buried under a pile of tasks and have tried to post my 'leave me alone" persona but they STILL come. Gee, I guess it's nice to be loved/needed. I keep reminding myself that I volunteered for this job.

Junior leaves for the west coast Sunday.

Should be an interesting weekend.

Time's fun when your having flies...

Max capacity

Ok, who keeps moving the finish line?

This is another one of my whiney grips about the mountain of crap we have to do at work. I know, I know, I should be grateful for the work and the opportunity and staying busy, but do you have to pile it on at one time? I feel like posting that OSHA warning sign:

Typical week on the farm. Multiple reports due, several status meetings, still trying to test out the new system (we go live in July), trying to coordinate deliveries, just got tagged with two audit responses, the finance auditor want to dig up information from two years ago, trying to go to a funeral tomorrow, got a doctor's appointment Friday, got reviews to write, and trying to plan a road trip in June. I like being busy, but sometimes I feel like the old carnival ride that's seen one too many state fairs.

At least I can honestly say its not boring (who has the time?)...

Change is good?

Long week. I mentioned before that I am in charge of a computer system upgrade at the office and we are in testing mode this week. Lots of early mornings/late nights. We are trying to validate the system to insure it works properly. That means testing every nook & cranny to see if all of the functions work. There are a ton of different tests/scenarios to test out and I have a small crew of people testing all day & night. Since I am the point man on this deal and considered to have the most knowledge, any problems that occur along the way wind up on my desk and there are a sizeable number of problems. Most of my days have been trying to diagnose the issue (is it a system or operator problem) and keep this thing on track. It's definitely been a test of my good nature/humor to keep a smile on this week. And this is only the 2nd round of testing we have to do while we validate. We have several more to run before we go live in July. It's gonna be a long summer.


Looks like it's Easter dinner here at our house again this year. Seems like we have become an annual tradition. It's not that I don't mind dining with my family, it is just all of the logistical prep work that goes into the event. Me? I am a simple guy and prefer simpler venues like the 3 B's (bugers & dogs & beer), but I will go with whatever my commander directs me.

And along the line of Be Careful of What You Wish For - there is a big change in the wind for us. Not to spill the beans but we are about to embark upon an interesting challenge this week.

Stay tuned. Details to follow...

Life is hard. Get a helmet.

Dragging my feet

Sorry for the dry spell.

Been too busy (translation: lazy) to draft anything meaningful. Between therapy, work, travels, and various tasks, I've kinda been slacking off (yes, Terri, I'll admit to being a slacker). I know, excuses, excuses. Everybody's got one.

Still doing physical therapy 2-3 times a week for the shoulder. Getting better but it still hurts. Range of movement has improved but I still have problems fully extending the arm above the head. I got a little irritated (at myself) for the lack of progress and have been pushing it a bit more. Penne (therapist) is doing a great job although I have accused her of enjoying the pain/torture a bit too much. What does not kill us, makes us stronger.

Did a short road trip to Oklahoma this week. Had to audit another supplier located in the booming metropolis of Chickasha, Oklahoma. Every heard of the place? Located about 45 minutes southwest of Oklahoma City, it is in the middle of the plains. Very small town atmosphere, not a lot of night life (that we found). I know if from my years in the antique car hobby. They hold an annual kick-ass swap meet at the fairgrounds for a lot of old car nuts. Aside of that, there ain't too much to the town. I ain't knocking the town (ok, maybe a wee bit) but any place where cow tipping is a sport has to be noted. Notes from the road: Oklahoma BBQ is not the same as Texas BBQ.

Work is still kicking my butt. The software projects is still there and not getting any prettier. I have been trying to coordinate the validation effort, but it kinda like trying to herd cats. Many of whiney people complaining about the system and its shortfalls (we haven't even implemented it yet) and they definitely feel it is my fault. Hey people:, I did not pick the system, but I will support it and make it work, so you need to cowboy up and either help me make this work or get the hell out of the way. I got one manager who keeps telling me that, back at his old company, they had a great system that did everything for you short of wiping your nose. I have to bite my tongue to keep from telling him that, if it was so great there, why don't you go back (not a really good political move).

Junior is looking for an apartment in Austin for his senior year. He has finally had enough of dorm life and wants to move off campus. He & his roommate had a line on a condo in west Austin ($$$), but the parking turned out to be sucky. A one car garage and no spots for a second vehicle. At first he sound like he was in love with it (kept calling me to get my blessing/backing). I think they were just about settled on it but when he dug into the parking (at my encouragement) he did not like the response, so the deal is off the table. They are looking again for another place this weekend. We'll probably make a road trip to Austin next weekend to help cement the deal. Momma wants to go up anyway to check on her baby.

No dog, yet. I've been looking at various sites for a new mutt, but I just cannot bring myself to get one (yet). Momma and I really miss the old fart and will probably get another rescue/pound mutt.

In spite of all of these challenges, I am happy to have made it to the weekend. The weather's ok (low 50s) but spring is just around the corner. Gotta start fertilizing the yard soon.

Have a great weekend!

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid

!#$^!^#$&$&!&$!#

Sometimes you’re the bug, sometimes you’re the windshield.

It’s been a long, hard week (and it’s only Wednesday). I’m beginning to feel like a carnival ride that’s been to one too many fairs. Aside of the normal fire drills and problems, I am working several major projects at the office that are eating my lunch. The big one is a software update we are in the middle of that will convert our current material planning system over to the latest, state of the art system that will just about tell you when you run out of toilet paper. I’m glad/excited that we will finally have the new system (the current one was installed back before they had iPods) and it will definitely make life much better, but, getting a system installed & validated is a major hemorrhoid. We have to test and retest every single screen/menu/transaction of the system before we can go live and, since I am considered one of the super users, guess whose task it is to make this happen? This is going to take several months to convert and validate and I cannot let up on any of my normal assignment/chores. Needless to say, lots of late nights and weekends are in store for me and my team. My wife has noted that I am extra grumpy (irascible curmudgeon is the word she used) of late.

Sometimes you’re the nail, sometimes you’re the hammer.

Anyway, yesterday was no different. Lots of testing/problems, not making much headway, constant fire drills (IOW, typical day). Last night we took out one of our programmers that is down here helping re-write the code for dinner for Japanese food (Samurai Hibachi). Honestly, I was not really up for it and just wanted to go home to catch up on sleep, but I played the nice host and ate my share of sushi and tempura. Left late and was headed home around 8:00 pm. The drive from my office is about 35-40 minutes, depending upon traffic and it is normally a mindless commute. I was almost home (1/2 mile away) when some $*#&%$# turned in front of my truck forcing me to slow to avoid running over him. Kinda got a little po’d and decided to go around him even though my turn was coming up. Of course, as I passed him, he sped up so I had to gun it to make it past. As I moved over to make the turn, I noticed that a car was drafting me and followed me into the neighborhood as I made the turn (uh-oh). Of course, as I turned into the hood, the lights came on (oh, #$&%@^*%). Of course, I pulled over, turned on my flashers, turned off the truck, turned on the interior lights and dug out my license and insurance (been down this road before). Of course the cop came up to my window and asked the inevitable questions: Do you know the speed limit on XXX? Do you realize how fast you were going? Is there a reason for your urgency? Now, I could have lied or made excuses, but I have a morbid honest streak and I tend not to try and piss off any law enforcement, if at all possible. [Life Lesson #14: When stopped by a police/trooper/MP, act courteous, professional and respectful. NEVER mouth off to a cop.] I told him that, honestly, that there was no justifiable reason why I accelerated (aside of passing the other car) on the hopes he would appreciate my honesty, courtesy and respectful response and he did - right up to the point he gave me the ticket. Crap. I had kinda hoped to get off with a warning but no luck (Guess I should have showed him my legs). Great. Just what I frickin’ needed. Now I am looking at a court date and a possible $200 ticket. Will try to plea my case next month and may have to take defensive driving to get the ticket reduce. All for one stupid, careless moment.

Even though I ain’t happy, I cannot really complain. I am not a saint when it comes to driving and have been known to exceed the posted limit on occasion (especially on the toll road), so this is probably karma. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not mad at the officer. He was doing his job and I would never fault him for giving me a ticket. Instead, I am more pissed at myself. Just like in December when I tripped and dislocated my shoulder, this one brief lapse of judgement will cost me time and money to resolve. Of course, there are many people out there in the ether with issues/headaches much worse than my little problems, so I am trying to be grateful, but it annoys me nonetheless. At least I have a truck to get a ticket in.

Sometimes you’re the dog, sometimes you’re the fire hydrant.

One year

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my daily problems and challenges I tend to forget significant dates/events. No, not birthdays (cardinal sin), anniversaries, or important holidays (like Mother’s day) – those are pretty much ingrained into my brain. With last week's marathon run and audit and the typical Chinese fire drills at work, I was a bit self-absorbed and almost overlooked a very important anniversary for me. It was one year ago Thursday I went under the knife for surgery for prostate cancer. Hard to believe it has only been a year since I crossed that bridge. 50 years old and facing the prospect of prostate cancer is not what I had in mind when I was growing up. Life has funny ways of keeping all of us humble.

I will not bore you with the entire saga (if you want to read about it, go look at my earlier blogs), but I was diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2007 as part of a physical exam required to go to scout camp. Prognosis was good and it was caught early enough to do fix the problem. I chose surgery (Radical Prostatectomy) over the other options as it seemed to offer the best long term solution for me. So early on Tuesday, January 22, I donned that stylish hospital gown, got doped up, and was rolled into surgery. A few hours later, hung over, wired up and a couple of ounces lighter, I am back in my room trying to learn how to pee again. Few days in the hospital, couple of weeks at home and I was able to return to work/life by the end of February. Took a while to get back into my normal rhythm, but eventually, I was able to climb back into my normal patterns. I may be a bit slower on my runs, but I at least I can still hit the trails. Heck, I finally got off my butt to run my first half marathon last week, so things are not too bad.

Now to get on the soap box: If you are over the ripe age of 50, get a physical and get checked out for prostate cancer. It is a simple and relatively painless test (PSA) and could save your life. I felt I was healthy as a horse and had no indications that there were any problems. When the warning flag came up during my physical, I was pretty much in denial (no way, doc), but the facts didn’t lie: I had prostate cancer. When I was diagnosed, I tried to learn as much intel as I could about the disease and treatments. A larger portion of men will get it during some point in their life as they get older, but most die of other causes before it becomes a major issue. This cancer is one of the leading killers of men and, if caught early enough, is treatable/beatable. I got lucky. I was given enough warning to do something about it. I elected to attack the problem aggressively and eliminate the root cause. There are other options, but the key is to be aware. Early detection and prevention is the key to a long life. So, if you are the guy or have a loved one who is male (husband, father, brother), I implore everyone to get regular checkups/exams. This little condition I had is treatable, if detected early enough. I know the exams are a bit intrusive and not something I did with a high amount of enthusiasm, but it definitely beats the alternative and will keep you ahead of the curve.

Smile like your life depends upon it...

Life's not cheap

$9,260.50

THAT's what my short 13 hour trip to the ER two weeks ago cost. I coulda done a couple of cruises for that kind of coin.

I am so grateful for insurance coverage.

What does not kill us...

Been a long week back at the office. Suffering from post Christmas withdrawals, lack of holiday treats, and a general grumpy attitude. Not only do you have to rehash everyone’s holidays stories, I am having to relive my shoulder saga multiple times as I have to explain why I am sporting a stylish sling. Somehow, falling while running is just not sexy enough for people. Others have resorted to making up a more compelling story as to how I injured myself. Supposedly, I was ogling some girl/hot babe when I got distracted & tripped (if only). Actually, I was on the last 500 meters of my run when I was passing a work crew working on replacing some traffic lights. As I passed the crew, I noted the traffic light on the ground and, for a moment, I flashed back to my college days and thought “man, that light would look cool in my garage” when, BAM! reality smacks me in the face (or shoulder).

You gotta love modern science. Years ago, when you hurt yourself, you would have been subjected to all forms of "treatment" that could now be classified as torture or inhuman. Today, we have technology to assist us with diagnosis and treatment.


I have more mobility, but it is very sore and I lack the upper strength to life my arm above shoulder level. Still aches, but I am getting better. I went back to the hospital today to get an MRI for my shoulder. Very interesting (& expensive) procedure. First you remove all metal objects, then they strap you onto a narrow table, lay on a targeting device (a brace on my shoulder) and then and slide you in a giant tube about three feet in diameter. If you have ever crawled into a pipe, that is pretty much the size of it. You then have to sit there perfectly still while they run the scan (can take from 30-45 minutes). Can make one very claustrophobic. My son had it done years ago for a seizure, so I was familiar with the process/equipment, just never been on the receiving end. The process involves a large machine that takes magnetic pictures of the targeted area (Star Trekish). The machine, however, is not very quiet. While you are stuck in the tube, all you hear is the banging & clashing of the magnetic imaging process. Picture being stuck inside a 55 gallon and someone beating on the outside with a baseball bat. If you move, they have to run the process all over. I thought I might be nervous, but actually almost fell asleep. Cool pictures. They produce a full view of the targeted area that shows bone, muscle, tendons. I would post a scan of the MRI pictures, but they do not copy well. Next week I go back to the doc to have him tell me what kind of therapy I need. BTW - for those interested, an MRI normally runs ~$4k+. Today, I am thankful for insurance.

26735

I'm bib number 26735

Just received my race registration/packet on the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. I’m kinda disappointed this year since it looks like I won’t be running. Just got back from my ortho doc. Gave a new sling and cleared me for most normal things but pretty much waved me off of doing any exercise (like running 13 miles). I can walk it, but will not try to push my luck. My arm is feeling better and I have some more mobility, but I cannot lift it above my shoulders nor straighten it out. Wicked looking x-ray they took last week (it’s been a week, now) that shows the top of the bone out of place by a good 3-4 inches. I will have to get an MRI later to check out any residual damage, but that is just to make sure everything is healing ok. Probably start therapy in 3 weeks. In the mean time, it is good to have some freedom from the sling, even if it hurts to raise my arm. Guess I’ll have to lay off the bench presses for a while.

I would offer up my slot to anyone who wants to run the 13 miles (Abby? Terri?), but you would have to run under my name & number. The timeframe for transfer closed two weeks ago. Should be a regular zoo down there. Last year, there were roughly 18-20,000 runners converging on downtown Houston. Need to get there early to avoid the street closure and have a decent chance of parking close to the convention center. Since I will be forced to walk, I may take my camera for pictures. Still would much rather be running it.

BTW – this is a charity event that collects a ton of donations for various causes. Last year I did it for the American Cancer Society (because of my prostate cancer). This year I will be running for the American Cancer Society again as well as the Houston SPCA (in homage to Shadow). I would say you could track my progress via the website and my bib number, but I am afraid that my progress will be pretty slow this year. Oh well, there’s always next year…

Hitting the wall

You know, when you are injured or on the DL list for a while, it sometimes helps to find humor (or the silver lining) in the situation. I'm still sporting a sling and have to keep my left arm immobilized for a while. Sore & tender but better than Monday night. I have an appointment with an ortho specialist on Monday to tell me how long it will be but I am getting the sinking feeling that I may be sporting this rig for 3-4 weeks before I can spread my wings again. I don't have a good feeling about running the half marathon in 2 weeks. According to the marathon site rules, I could walk it if I can maintain a 13.45 pace for the first 9 miles. We'll see.

In the meantime, I've been having to explain my injury to several people and I find myself trying to make light of my accident, just to let them know I am doing alright.


When my mother-in-law asked me today how I dislocated my shoulder, I told her that I ran into the sidewalk.


I always felt that, running a marathon (or half marathon), I might hit the wall at some point. Just never imagined it would be the sidewalk.

Point of order - if you ever have the pleasure of going to the emergency room, wear comfortable clothes/shoes and bring something to read (I was still wearing my running shorts/shirt/shoes).