Tag Archives: Life

Today’s Thoughts 4/10/2018

10 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Cycling, Leukemia, Weight Loss

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It’s been seven days since I started my new medication.  At this time there hasn’t been any noticeable side effects.  I’ve had the pharmacist from the drug company call me twice to check on me.  Like I said in my last post, this is a fairly new drug so they’re just concerned about me I guess.

On April 21st, there is a city-wide competition with some of the business in town called The Birmingham Challenge.  I have signed up with my employer to ride in a 10k bike stroll.  The bike stroll is not a competition within itself but we get points as to how many cyclists we get to ride in the event.  It’s the same way with the walking event.  We do, however, have other events that are competitions, such as the tug a war, dodgeball, corn-hole, golf, home-run hitting, and a couple more events.  Last year our company came in 2nd overall.  I’ve signed up for the cycling event.  I haven’t been on my bike for nearly a year, until this evening. I know it’s not much but I rode a whole 2.4 miles.  I could’ve ridden further but both my headlight and taillight were not charged and I didn’t want to ride without them.  I really surprised myself.  I actually dreaded getting back on my bike and tackling the hill in front of my house.  I got a little winded but I made it with no problems.

I’m back on my low carb diet.  I blew it this weekend.  Those Little Debbie cakes ought to be illegal.  I’ve finally got my wife on board with me with her cooking and she’s not giving me bread or potatoes so the failure this weekend is all on me.  I just “grazed” all weekend.  I had lost seven but on Monday, I gained five.  I hate losing the same weight that I had already lost before.  Today I did great though.  We’ll see when I check the scales in the morning.

I check in again in a couple of days.  In the meantime, enjoy your week.18157141_10154580034993946_3844449760811629204_n

From last years event.

 

Another One Got Their Wings

11 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Family, Photography

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Today I got the news that a co-worker passed away.  We were kind of expecting it but still, nonetheless.  He’s had kidney problems most of his adult life and has had two transplants.  This wasn’t what he died of though.  He had a stroke during Christmas and never really got over it.  He’s had several mini strokes since then.  He left his daughter of 21 years.

This was the third one in about a month.  My 80-year-old aunt died from complications from diabetes, my bothers mother in law died from bone cancer and now my co-worker.  I hope this will be the last one for a while.

Retirement

06 Tuesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Uncategorized, Weight Loss

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Only 163 more days. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, although dim, I can still see it. Some days, like today, it seems that it will never get here. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing once I retire but I’m sure it won’t be dealing with some of the crap that I have to deal with now on a daily basis. I know that I’ll have to find something to do otherwise I’ll get as big as the side of the barn. I have several hobbies that will keep me from sitting on the couch and there’s always yard work to do. Maybe I’ll find a job that I can drive people around a couple days a week. Who knows?

Good to See Improvement

02 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Cycling, Photography

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It’s hard to believe that just over a month ago I couldn’t walk to my bicyle much less ride it.  Today I completed a little under 14 miles and I’m really excited about it.  A couple of months ago I asked my cardiologist if I would be able to ride by bike again and he assured me that I would be back on it this Spring.  At that time I wan’t able to walk any distance at all without getting out of breath so no, I didn’t believe him.  Now look at me!!

I’m just now getting to the point where I’m enjoying my rides. When I first started I wan’t able to do anything but concentrate on my breathing.  I wasn’t able to look around and enjoy the beauty or take in the smells.  Today brought back a lot of memories when I used to ride all the time.  The smell of BBQ grilling on the grill, the smell of freashly cut grass and the smell of dead animals on the side of the road. (You got to take the good with the bad).  My breathing is still off but I know that will get better over time.

Untill next time, Happy Trails!!

 

Life’s Changes

05 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in Photography

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I believe Heraclitus that once said “The only thing that is constant is change.”  This is so true.  How we handle change is what’s important.  There are those that can’t deal with it and go into some sort of mental breakdown while others it’s like water off a duck’s back, or they hide it very well.  My wife is one that can either hide it very well or she has found a way to deal with it.  I guess I need to talk to her to find out how she does it. She does not, however, like the time change.  She fusses about it all the time.  Me, it doesn’t bother me one way or the other.  That’s what I call the little things.  Little things in my book doesn’t bother me so much.  It’s the big things that, if I sit alone in a room and have time to think about it, I worry about it.  So much so that it bothers me; I lose sleep over it, my attitude changes and my temper get’s shorter.

This year alone has been full of changes and misfortunes.  If I had to list them by importance I’d have to say having my girls moving off to college was one of the biggest changes in my life right now.  All the crap with my health is a close second.  But dealing with my girls gone is quite challenging for me to deal with. It’s what I’m used to I guess.  I’m used to seeing one of my girls sitting in the recliner when I get ready to leave for work in the mornings.  I’m used to the same daughter saying grace at meal times.  I’m used to the hug I’d receive right before I’d leave for work in the mornings and the smiles I receive when I got home.  Now, I see empty beds at bedtime, an empty chair at the dinner table and only a phone call late at night to tell me how their day went.  I guess you could say that it’s the beginning of the end of life as I know it.

Anyone with kids will tell me that I’m not alone.  This has been going on for hundred’s of years.  You’d think they would have come up with a cure for this by now.  I know it’s been going on for years but for me, it’s only been going on for five weeks, two days and thirteen hours. I really miss my girls.  I try not to dwell on the fact that they’re not here and that if  I need to talk to them all I got to do is send them a text and when they can they’ll call me back.  Another thing, they’re only an hour away from me.  It’s not like some kids and be hours by plane from their folks.  Oh gees, I’m glad that they’re close by.

I guess there’s one good thing about missing my girls is that while I’m missing them I’m not dwelling on the issues I’m having with my health. That alone will cause anyone to go into deep, dark depression.

I’ve starting trying to get out more and getting more active.  Yesterday I went on a small hike, about 200 yards or so.  I walked down to this creek that our boy scout troop helped clear a path to several years ago.  It’s being used and I even saw some fire rings being used. One thing that I saw that I didn’t like is the amount of trash left by the campers.  Why can’t people pick up their trash?  I can never understand that.  Oh well, thoughts for another story.

365 Day Photo Challenge 280/365 “Just Today!”

06 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Photography

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Just today I was able to wake up and get out of bed.

Just today I was able to brush my teeth and comb my hair.

Just today I was able to dress myself.

Just today I was able to fix my breakfast.

Just today I was able to tell my wife and kids that I loved them.

Just today because we’re not promised tomorrow.

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“Life Goes On!”

365 Day Photo Challenge 168/365 “New Beginnings”

16 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Photography

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It’s amazing how one minute life is as usual and then the next life turns upside down and you don’t know which way to turn.  Life should be as a highway with road signs that tells you that there is a turn up ahead or the speed limit changes that way there would be at least a warning that your life is about to be turned upside down.

I’m not one to give advice on such matters because each scenario would be different for each person and each person would handle the situation in different ways.  To have a new beginning would be hard to do no matter what you’re going through.

“Life Goes On!”

Feeling Discouraged

26 Saturday Oct 2013

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Today was horrible.  It started at 6:30 this morning when my phone rang.  It was my coordinator calling me to tell me that there was a problem at one of our buildings.  One of my computer room units had gone into alarm.  Every four months I have to go on call for the entire month.  Some months I don’t get called while others, well let’s just say that I don’t get much sleep.  This has been one of those months.

It wouldn’t be so bad if my co workers would do what they’re supposed to do and order replacement parts when they use a part  It seems that it always shows up when I’m on call and I have to replace a part.  I am tired of spending time searching for parts that are supposed to be there but are not because someone didn’t order a replacement part.  It’s not so bad during the week because all you have to do is go to the supply house and get what you need,  What pisses me off is when I’m called out on weekends or in the middle of the night and don’t have the part.  I’m screwed.  

I get to work at 7:30 am, find the unit that’s in alarm.  I reset the unit and check out the unit.  Everything checks out fine.  I work on HVAC equipment and it was 36 degrees outside this morning.  I won’t bore everyone even further with all the mechanical details but everything checked out ok.  Got into my truck to head home and got called again by my coordinator.  This time I have some issues in another building.  There are four buildings that we have and we have to drive to them because they’re to far to walk.  I drive to that building, check everything out, reset some equipment and all is good.  We always have issues with our equipment needing to be reset during cold snaps and this is our first one.

I log three hours this morning and I am home, with clothes changed and about to watch some TV when my phone rings again.  I have more equipment in alarm and I change clothes again back into my work clothes.  It’s 10:30 am by this time. I arrive at work at 11:15 AM, this time it’s software issues and My coordinator is there to take care of that problem.  In the mean time another alarm goes off at yet another building so off I go.  This is where I start to get upset.

I have a bad fan motor.  No problem, I’ll grab the replacement from downstairs and I’ll change it.  Wrong, because we don’t have a replacement.  I look for over thirty minutes with no luck.  I call our supply house and they have a replacement but guess what, they’re closed.  It’s after 12 noon and they close at noon on Saturdays.  They agree to open back up but they’re going to charge me another $50 for opening the store back up.  It’s ok, it’s not my money.  

Normally, I can change a fan motor in thirty minutes.  This one took me and my coordinator three hours to change.  Different motor with different mounting brackets.  Basically a pain in the butt.

We’re putting our tools up and another call comes in.  A furnace in our child care center is not working.  We found a couple of bad parts plus another fan motor bad.  You guessed it, no parts and by this time all the supply houses are closed and my coordinator doesn’t want to spend the extra $50.  I’ve got to be at work early on Monday to get to the supply house and get these parts before these kids come in and complain that it’s cold.

I finally get home at 6:30 pm.  A long day for me which, if I had all the parts, the correct parts, I would have been home long before then.