Hello from the other side

Hello, it's me

I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet

To go over everything

They say that time's supposed to heal ya
But I ain't done much healing

Sorry for the prolonged absence.  Things got busy, I got sidetracked, work escalated and I kinda wandered off the grid for a while.  All lame excuses.  I am not really sure what happened, but my muse left me and basically I put my blog life on hold for a while.  I even stopped visiting everyone's blogs.  Sorry about that, guys.    

It's been busy over the past few months.  Birthdays, anniversaries, road trips, dog park, camping, floods, Pate, reorgs at the office and the ensuing changes, trailer repair, etc.    

Mrs Agg is doing well.  She's been busy trying to wade through all of the legal morass that comes with settling an estate and closing things out.  We continue to clear out her parents/sister's home and getting rid of a lot of stuff accumulated over a lifetime is hard, sad.  Still looking for homes for a few of SIL's feline children.  It's coming up on a year since SIL passed and there is no real rush to wrap this up.  The house is only 20 minute away and, honestly, I am not pushing anything.  This is her family home and she can take as much time as necessary to find closure.  Right now, it is finding homes for the cats.  I know that, when the times comes to sell the house, it will be a hard break for her.      

Grayson is doing well.  He still misses Claire but we've tried to make up for it with extra attention/treats.  I've made it a point to hit the dog park a few times to let him socialize.  I've also been out with our foster group for a few weekend adventures.  Back in April, we did the Doggy Party on the Plaza again.  Very nice dog-centric event sponsored by the city. In keeping with current trends, this year's theme was Star Wars.  Needless to say, there were a lot of interesting costumes and more than a few wookies & yodas around.  Our group, always on the left side of fanatic, had a lot of furry participants decked out in bandoleers or yoda ears.  And our resident carpenter outdid himself again with our "float".  Needless to say, our group came away with the trophy again this year.   

 

Last weekend it was the Annual Dog show at NRG stadium.  Grayson and I had a fun time albeit a bit melancholy since Claire wasn't with us this year.  Lots of dogs and doggy stuff.          

Dog cam

Loving the attention

Grayson & Emma working the crowd

Attention ham

We roamed the hall and got to tour all of the booths and free samples, although I don't think Grayson was as interested in doggy shirts and leashes or pet psychics.  I did manage to get Grayson to still still for a pawprint that turned out to be pretty good art.  There was group doing the pawprints for donations (big basket in the picture) and we talked people doing the pawprints to do the same gig at our annual picnic in October.  I wound up winning the drawing for the basket and the $$ that was donated and I turned the money over to my group and may give the basket up as an auction item at the picnic.      

Grayson & Emma

Picasso would be jealous

There may be another fur buddy for Grayson at some point in the future but, for now, we need to deal with the excess feline population. 

And I promise I wont' take as long for my next update....



  

Clean up

Happy VD to everyone!  With all the cards and floral sales on every street corner, it's hard not to forget today.  Of course, after ~36 years of wedded bliss, momma and I tend to do this day on the d-low.  At this point in life, we are trying to downsize/eliminate stuff instead of accumulating more trinkets & baubles.  We are trying to focus on a simpler, less cluttered lifestyle.  Given what we amassed over the past few decades, that may take a while.   

Following Abby's lead, I have been cleaning out some of my files/pictures.  Been resorting and reorganizing some albums.  Moving things around,  Rebuilding some old albums.  Of course, there are more than a few dog pictures.  Here are a few from the dump:

One left over from Thanksgiving at my brother's house with my dad and Claire passed out from too much turkey & dressing.   

A few from the old days.  A lot of people from my previous company have reconnected on line and have been posting updates and pictures of the old days.  It's been 16 years since the old place got bought out and shut down and a number of people have moved out of the area.  A lot of us have items in our cabinets/closets we collected over the years at the farm and a few have been posting pictures of old items that they took or held on to when the plant shut down.  This is one of the mugs they gave out at one of our annual picnics.   

And a key ring with one of our product names.

Our Airstream group had their annual luncheon and I ran into these two old retired Airstreamers.  A cute couple even considering the one on the left celebrated her 93rd birthday last week.

And, a few left over shots from last month's half marathon.  I always look at the shirts intending to buy one, but just can't seem to find the right slogan for me.  

And, this week's prize was something I spotted while driving into work this week.  Do you see what caught my eye?  
  

Nuts to you

Slowly working my way back to some sort of normal.  Barely 1 week inside of February and I feel like it is April already.  Work is a real challenge right now.  Ever since our merger with our Italian compadres, things have take on a whole new direction.  Lots of new priorities, objectives, initiatives.  And my favorite word - "synergy".  Anyone who has gone through one of these merger/buyout deals is intimately familiar with that term.  We've already seen a few people depart the scene.  The operations VP, 3 Engineering Fellows, one of the Marketing directors, and, oh yea, the new president.  Most of these guys had over 15 years of experience with the company and they knew were all the bodies were buried.   Needless to say, it has left several people around here about as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.  Not sure of my ultimate role or longevity, but being a pragmatist (or maybe a pessimist), I fully expect things to change in a big way.  We are already working on new goals/objectives.   As I tell my people, the boat has turned into a new heading.  Either you are on board and embrace the new direction or you may wind up as a castaway.  Remember the mantra:  Resistance is Futile. 

And don't feel sorry for me.  I am not really complaining.  I've done a lot with the company and I see a lot of new opportunities ahead.  I've traveled to a lot of places and seen a lot of things, so I am grateful for the chances I've had.  I still feel a I have a strong roll in the new regime, albeit different.  I expect a road trip to France/Italy in the near future, so things are not all that bad.  Beyond this year, who knows?  In the meantime, I will take the cards dealt to me.  Besides, one of the few benefits is that all this drama at the office has kept me distracted from dwelling on Claire. 

Another distraction has been the damn cough I have had since October.  Nothing I have done, nothing I have taken has seemed to help.  Multiple trips to the doc, with no real progress.  Around Christmas, I finally switched over to a pulmonologist - a guy that deals with respiratory problems.  A chest x-ray revealed nothing, allergy test was negatives (although I told my wife that he said I might be allergic to redheads), but the CT scan (computed tomography) showed some small obstruction in one of the bronchi of my lung.  Nothing alarming, just something to get checked out.  At this point, I am so fracking tired of this cough that I am willing to try voodoo or a seance to get rid of it.  So, the doc recommended a Bronchoscopy.  That is similar to a colonoscopy, just from the other direction.  Normally an outpatient process.  Check in early, dress in that silly hospital gown, get wired up and knocked out and they run a scope down your throat (or nose) into your lungs.  I was knocked out at the time, so I don't recall anything aside of being hungry and really jonesing for some coffee.  Everything came out fine and the doc said they found a pistachio lodged in one of airways that was creating the irritation/coughing.  Pistachio?  I don't recall having any of those for a long while.  Like, maybe back at one of our football games at A&M. As my loving wife glibly pointed out, you are what you eat.  Gee, thanks.  Good news is that the nut is out and I should start to recover soon.  May take a week or two for the irritation to go away, but, hopefully, this is will clear up quickly.  

Feeling a bit better now, if not somewhat sore/tired. Not sure if that is from the procedure or from the lack of coffee.  Of course, that does not spare me from any lectures I get from my loving spouse on watching what I eat.

Yea, right.  I'll take that advice to heart....                

Gotcha Day

My Golden Beginnings Group has a number of funny traditions.  Regular meet & greets every other weekend, the annual dog show, our annual picnic, several dog centric events (Rice Festival, Barktoberfest, Party on the Plaza, etc.  One of the things that some people celebrate is Gotcha Day.  The day that a person or family adopts someone (person or pet).  Yea, I know it may sound silly, and most dogs don't get the concept of time (except when it is time for a walk or dinner). This is more of a celebration of when someone new joins the family or tribe.  Since we have no idea on when our dogs were born, we tend to remember or celebrate the day they came on board.  Grayson was around Easter in 2009 and Claire was today in 2010.  It was a mere 6 years today that Grayson picked up an accomplice.  At first, we decided to foster another dog to see how Grayson would handle the additional dog and split attention.  We felt it might wear him down and make things less "boring".  At the outset, we had not intention of taking on a second dog.  Claire, however, had other plans.  An incredibly sweet disposition, she showed up with a smile on her face and that constant tongue that seemed to never tire.  After a few days, we were hopelessly hooked and we determined to give her a furever home.      

First truck ride home.

 Partners in crime

Mischief and mayhem 

Always ready for those invaders 

Her favorite pose 

 As I said...

 A good nap buddy

 A regular chick magnet

 Able to nap anywhere

 Anytime

 Always following Grayson's lead

 Never short of attention

 A real ham

Grayson's better half

I'll admit I am having a hard time not having her under foot anymore.  She left a big hole in our lives that's going to be hard to fill.  Whenever I walk Grayson, I still carry her collar and leash with me.  I know it is silly, but it seems like the right thing to do to me. Grayson is a bit out of sorts and trying find his new normal.  On one hand, I think he is feeling guilty that Claire is no long around.  I know he misses her, if not for just keeping him in line.  This past week he seems a bit more clingy, looking for attention when before he had to share it with Claire.  We've tried to give him more attention, love, extra walks, and I think he is enjoying being the top dog again, albeit he is a bit sad/guilty about the whole situation.  It's going to take some time for this scar to heal.  

8 years later & another 13.1 miles down the road

That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.  (Nietzsche)

I capped off another half marathon on Sunday.  Numero 8.  The ocho.  Two more and I can be officially classified as a "veteran" although I don't really feel much like one.  Another shirt, another medal.    

After 8 years, this has become almost routine.  I went, I ran, I made it across the finish line upright once again.  I'd like to say I improved on last year's time but that would be a lie.  Given my poor training regime, this persistent cough that just won't seem to go away, and losing Claire last week, I was debating not even going this year.  After Julie passed in August, I had made an internal promise to dedicate this year's run in her memory.  I wasn't looking for any records this year, but after things went south last week, I questioned my resolve.  I did decide to make the run, but, honestly, my heart wasn't in it this year.  I have always found running to be somewhat therapeutic.  One of those sports where my main competition is myself.  Running a longer distance gives me a lot of time to debate issues, have internal conversations, consider options.  This year it probably wasn't the best year to be alone with my thoughts.  I spent more than a few miles thinking about poor Claire.                

On the surface, this year's run was pretty good.  The course was good (flat, fast).  Weather was pretty much perfect (cool, dry) with temps in the mid 40s at the start.  There was the usual mob of +25,000 runners which led to the normal 28 minutes delay to cross the start line AFTER the starting gun.  I like this annual run, but having that many bodies on the course really slows up the pace.  I think I would prefer some of the smaller, less popular runs.  The crowds/spectators were up to their typical form - wild, noisy, enthusiastic.  Many, many, many funny signs along the way:

• Worse Parade Ever
• Hurry up!  My arms are tired from holding this sign
• You are almost finished!  Oops.  My bad. (with picture of Steve Harvey)
• 13.1 miles all for a free banana
• I thought I was signing up for a Netflix Marathon

I wasn't really expecting to break any of my records and came in a bit slower than last year.   The only drama I had this year was that my phone died around mile 12 so my pacing program shut down before I crossed the finish line.  I'm not as sore as I have been in the past, but that's probably due to my slower pace and pre-race prep (thanks to Rock Tape and Alieve).  Right now, I am not sure if I will go for number 9, but, given my propensity to not learn my lesson and repeat things, the chances are highly likely.  The good news is that, after completing 5 of these things, I have a guaranteed slot for the 2017 race.  Hopefully, next year I will be in a better mood/condition.      

• Either you run the day or the day runs you

Claire

It breaks my heart to tell everyone that we lost Claire last night.

It was a very long night and I can explain more later but she was not feeling well yesterday.  She threw up in the morning and was a bit listless but looked ok when I left for work.  By the time I got home last night, she couldn't stand on her own and was in a fair amount of pain and discomfort so I took her into the vet to see if they could help.  Looks like she was bleeding internally and there may have been some masses on her kidney/spleen.  I transferred her over to the 24 hour emergency animal hospital for observation and a deeper check.  They did another x-ray and ultrasound and indicated that there was a mixture of issues and her prognosis was not good.  I stayed with her for a long while but she just wasn't getting any better.  The vet told us that we could do surgery but her chances of survival was 20-30%.  After an extended debate, momma and I decided to ease her pain and let her cross the bridge. Now she is running free with Shadow chasing squirrels and enjoying as much bacon & eggs as she wants.

A very gentle. sweet soul that loved everyone.  Always up for a belly rub and looking for attention, she kept Gray on his toes.  Grayson is my running buddy, a real clown who is up for mischief and mayhem.  Claire was the more mature one of all of us.  We didn't rescue her, she rescued us.  She taught me to be a better person.  When I picked her up almost 6 years ago, we weren't sure if we could handle another dog.  I think she made her mind up as soon as she got in the truck.  Thanks Claire for all the slobbery kisses and hair and unconditional love. The house is bit more empty and quieter tonight without her parking herself in the hallway/kitchen/closet.       

God, I'm going to miss that sugar face.  

Motivation

Happy Belated New Year Y'all!

I fully intended to post something introspective or meaningful around the 1st, but that just wouldn't be me.  Too many distractions I suppose.    

Spent New Year's out in the country at our annual Rally with the Airstream group out in the country drinking champagne and blowing stuff up.   Nobody lost an eye, nobody got blowed up, nothing was set on fire.  The dogs, however, were not as impressed with all of the fireworks.  Lots of food, games, drink.  A fairly sedate rally, something that us old codgers prefer.  We've held these at the same RV park for the last 20 years, so this has almost become routine.  The only I have to note is that my folks have retired from the club and they were an integral part of this event over the past 35+ years.  Ever since they officially retired last year, it is a bit more complicated to do these gigs without their participation.  

As one might surmise, I have been lacking the proper motivation to post up anything meaningful.  With our new company, I have been buried with new projects, priorities, tasks, and I am somewhat distracted.  I spent the last week with my counterpart from France going over our strategy on how we are going to cut costs and save the company mega bucks.  2016 is turning into a very interesting year.  

I have also been under the weather for a while.  Have had a nagging cough and shortness of breath since October that I cannot seem to chase away.  Been to the doctor several times for different drugs and treatment but nothing has really made the difference.  I go back again on Monday for a CT scan to see if they can figure out what is wrong with me.  Not a cold, but something that is just wearing me down/pissing me off.     

That said, I am signed up for my 8th turn in the half marathon this weekend.  No way I am ready for it this time.  With all of the distractions at work and this nagging cough, I have not been training all that much this year.  Seems like I lack the proper motivation.  Even this week is already booked full with a day in probate court and a 2 day road trip to Cincinnati. My brother asked if I would still be doing the half this weekend and I told him affirmative.  This is number 8 and I just can't quit now.  To me, this is the annual reminder of my good fortune and blessings.  

  
Besides, I am too close to 10 to give up now.  I am just not expecting to set any PRs this year....