Rebound from feeling down and questions about Tree Town

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I think I did for the most part... Worked at the hospital all day on Saturday and was supposed to go to a graduation party... instead, I walked down to the local watering hole and chowed down on a burger and had one beer. I didn't feel like going and hanging out with the high school kids. I was thinking about my dad. I wasn't completely depressed or anything like that, but it's coming up on one year since he passed away and I have been thinking about him alot lately. I was asked by one of my sisters to bring over the DVD that me and my friend made of my dad that was shown at the mortuary. I knew I didn't want to watch it again and go down memory lane. But I watched it anyway... I watched it and cried like a baby... I really miss him. But I felt sooooooooooo much better afterwards. I went and dropped it off at my sister's. She popped it in and promptly wept. But again, she felt better. I needed to let that pain out of my system and continue with life... I left there and had a smile on my face. I just did... went to the women's football team end of the season party. Turns out it's the end of the Toledo Spitfire party... The franchise is being moved to Ann Arbor, MI and be known as the Tree Town Spitfire. Some of the players will stay with the team, others will not. Some of the coaches will be leaving. A couple of others will stay. It's going to be different. I think the team is under the impression that I'll be coming back. To be honest, I'm not so sure. I'm getting tire of everything (losing, dissention in the ranks, etc...) and I may need a break and do something else next spring... we shall see... if I had to decide right now, I wouldn't be back. I'd leave... but I love the ownership, they are really wonderful people... I guess I don't love them enough to stay... but I love them alot... Man, I wish hockey season would get here... ha!

Sick to death of...

My, my, my...
It's been a strange week. I've had a couple of setbacks, but I've been able to still feel very positive and (dare I say it) hopeful! At the end of last week, a very close friend of my sister's, lost her 17 year-old son in a car wreck just a few miles from my house. Also, the brother of the team president of our hockey team passed away the same day from liver failure and lung cancer. On Sunday (father's day) a long-time friend of mine, Julie, lost her battle with cancer over at hospice. I had known Julie for about 20 years... She was a doll. She would call me on the phone at work at the hospital anytime she saw me broadcasting on TV (she would be a patient at the time), and tell me that she was watching me on TV and how cool that was. I would just shrug it off and say thanks because I always downplay my supposed 'celebrity'... But now it's sad because I didn't give more consideration to the fact that she was a big fan of mine. I didn't consider it before because I never wanted to have an 'ego'... so I always downplayed any compliments. But I have learned from Julie's passing that she had an appreciation for life and the people in it... She was a pediatric nurse and a might fine one. She will be missed by her hubby and family obviously. But she will also be missed by her hospital family as well... Enjoy paradise Julie, say hello to my parents for me...
Despite the events of the last week, I have realized in my heart that I am yearning for more... more out of my life. I've been frustrated at times but I've learned that I have to like myself and to do more for those around me if I am to expect greater things in my life... I am learning to appreciate life a whole lot more than I did before... I used to consider myself a fatalist because to be honest, I wasn't truly happy with my life. I was miserable because I was missing something. We are all empty in some aspect of ourselves. Some have financial success, but are missing something emotionally or spiritually. Some have their poop in a group in terms of being responsible but aren't either financially or physically able to do anything. We all have our shortcomings. But I've learned that instead of seeing each other's imperfections, that it is more fulfilling to focus on what is good about each other... and to appreciate that!

Four Days Off and Missing Dad...

Happy Father's Day! (where applicable)
Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Me, I'm just trying to recoup from the weekend that was... I've travelled throughout the midwest. I've gotten to know the different ports of call that are a thrill to say the least. I'm tired but it's a good kind of tired. I could expound about the different things that happened to me this weekend but it pales in comparison. I have been involved in things ranging from rockers and festivals to blue grass (hi JXN) and the fact that the women's football team won their season finale and there was celebration amongst the masses... okay about 30 0f us... but I digress...
The most important thing that really hit home for me was that this weekend was father's day and it was the first without my ol' man... Even that was not soooo bad... but in one of the movies that were being shown on the bus to Erie, PA on Saturday was 'Glory Road' and part of the soundtrack included the motown classic 'Shotgun' from Jr. Walker and the Allstars. That was my father's absolute, all-time favorite song... bar none! Didn't matter what mood my dad was in, when he heard that song, I could see my ol'man start shucking and jiving like a kid... it would bring an instant smile to my face and to those around him. I remember at my kid sister's wedding when the DJ struckup 'Shotgun'... our whole entire family surrounded my father and we danced like crazy fools and it is one memory I'll always remember! Sunday was my first without my pop... It was bittersweet in that I smiled at the memories that I have of that song but it still didn't matter... my dad's gone and anytime that I see the Cubs play baseball, or hear that song, I think of him and miss him tremendously. I wish he was healthy and around. But I know that he is in a much better place and I'm not here to wish him back on any terms... He's in paradise... why would I wish him to be pulled away from that?

Bugging Me...

Trying to dig out of the storm that is freaking MAYFLIES!!! I woke up to a complete coating of my car of those sorry things. I was cleaning my house windows of those stink-bugs and was in my slippers... only to slip as I was on what I thought was my grass... nope, you guessed it... my grass was completely coated in mayflies... UHHHGH!!! I threw away my slippers immediately. The street cleaner had to come down my street 4 times to clean some of the those crud bugs off of the road... the funny part is that they'll have to come back every morning to get it cleaned for another month.
Anyway, I went on Wednesday night to see a private screening of the new Jack Black flick 'Nacho Libre'... it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It opens on Friday. I laughed out loud several times... It's actually pretty safe to take the family... something unusual for JB films... the wrestling scenes are cheesy but Jack is Jack and I laughed...
Well, I don't know what else to say except that I hope that you all are well. I am feeling better because I've slept more and have the mayflies to keep me occupied... oh joy! Going out of town so I'll try and touch base sometime this weekend... Peace (an NO mayflies)...

May-flies... In June?

Whew! what a weekend! I survived my insane schedule and am enjoying a nice Sunday night/Monday morning watching the moonlight outside my window. Of course living on the lake, I have the unique pleasure of watching the mayflies land on my house... and stay there! Ugh! I hate these things. For those of you that might not know, on Lake Erie, for between 4-6 weeks every June, the mayflies hatch and bombard the local communities that are right on the lake. Mayflies are harmless flies (or bugs with huge wings) that do nothing but hatch, fly around and land (and stay) near anything warm and bright, and reproduce... all within 24 hours... and then they die. Wow, some could make the argument about the quality of life a mayfly has vs. humans... but I digress.
Church was really good today. They had a guest speaker who spoke about the DaVinci code and as he so eloquently put it: "why the davinci code is always in the fiction section!" I can't wait for the church to put this video teaching up on their website... verrrry imformative. And very interesting. The guy's name is Tom Short. He doesn't just try to feed people church position and the usual "believe us or you'll go to hell" sentiment. Instead, as Dan Brown tried to make points with the 'lost gospels' etc... Tom Short shows documentation that debunks every thing that Dan Brown 'infers' about Jesus. Very thought prevoking stuff... for christians and non christians alike.
Spent the rest of the day at graduation parties... ate too much food and came home to mow the lawn and clean the sides of the house of mayflies... UGH!

Let Me Sleep On It

Well,
It's been a few days since last I've written. Just been extremely busy. More than I care to be. Several of you have emailed and asked about the ol' energy level and how I do it... To be honest, most of it is because I have no real responsibility to anyone. No wife/kids etc... My jobs are about communication and the people that I work with in my main job think it's cool that I am on radio and TV so they help me anytime that I need a change in my schedule. But I answer to no one but God and when I look in the mirror. Sounds like a life to be envied, but to be honest, it's not... like the old saying goes: 'the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but they have to water and cut that grass too.' I think the thing that bothers me, is that I'm always tired. I have 'just enough' energy to keep going everyday. But I'm always exhausted. One thing about this hectic pace: I'm getting more sound sleep. I used to just sleep about 4-5 hours a night (on a good night). Now, I still have short nights but I'll get about 5-6 hours solid shut-eye between 4-5 days out of the week... on a day off if I don't have anything going on in the afternoon, I'll sneak a nap in... Sundays in the summer, I turn into Rip Van Mik as I wake up and go to Church, but in the afternoon I'm usually counting sheep when ever possible... I'll contribute something maybe remotely interesting this weekend. But this is my feeble attempt to let those who emailed, that yes, I am still alive and ticking... nighty night... Zzzzzz

Drinks, Rinks, Links, and Rock (me thinks)

You know something? I've got to say I am comfortably numb... no, not from any drinking unless you consider Diet Coke with Lime to be a highly toxic elixir. I am way beyond exhausted. I've gotten a lot of things done, not the least of which was to find a trainer or trainers for the Cherokee tryout camp this weekend. If you read my previous post, I was in a mild panic because the person who was going to be the athletic trainer for the weekend, backed out and left me kind of hanging. I was not thrilled at the proposition of trying to find coverage for the camp with only 3 days to do it, but I knew I had to have faith. More importantly, I had to demonstrate it. I got some friends from work who stepped up to the plate for me. (side note: thanks Rebecca for being willing to do band aid duty... By the way, do they make the band aids out of potatoes out there in Idaho? LOL) I was so grateful to have them offer to help. My great friend DJ who's an ER physician came out on thursday night and when we walked into the rink, I was stunned to find that our old trainer came back for the camp. He didn't tell anyone until he got there. So I had to tell the people that I struggled to get to cover, that I didn't need them afterall... arrrrrrrrrgh! Anyway, DJ and I hung out together and talked like a couple of school girls as we hadn't seen each other face to face in over a year. But we hung out at the rink and then went to get a bite to eat and talk some more. DJ is now interested in being the team doctor if his schedule will allow. I was happy as DJ is truly my manic counter balance. We both know that we have each other to lean on if the other is going down the tubes because of work, life, or the women in our lives, etc... you get the picture.
Anyway, Friday was an incredibly long day. Woke up just before 6am, went to Krogers for doughnuts, over to my buddy Todd's radio show on Yes FM and did an interview on the air with him, went to pay my car insurance, all before I went into work at the hospital. After the hospital, I went to the rink for more tryouts, left early as my nephew Tony graduated from high school and I had to drive across town for that. After the commencement finished and everyone went outside, we got hit with a wicked rain and lightning storm almost on cue. I got soaked but was still in good spirits. Was supposed to go downtown to a going away part for a couple of girls I know, Erin and Rachel, who are taking new jobs within the hospital... Saturday was almost a carbon copy of Friday, except I started with my own golf show on our sports radio station. Everything else was more of the same. Except that I had two hours to myself this afternoon before the Spitfire women's football game I had to broadcast. So I zipped home and fell asleep for a little over an hour and I felt so refreshed. After the game, which Toledo lost 20-6 , I almost went to a bar I know to see a band play. I was too tired and went home. The reason I had wanted to go was because Jada Pinkett Smith is the singer in the band that was playing. I'm not kidding. JPS is the lead singer in a heavy metal band... I'M NOT KIDDING! Yes, the same Jada Pinkett-Smith who is married to the fresh prince himself, Will Smith! A heavy metal band??? In an interview with the local paper here in town, she said that in addition to all types of music in the house growing up, a couple of big favorites were Iron Maiden and Judas Priest... huh???? I guess it's not an everyday happening that young, incredibly beautiful african-american girls dream of fronting a heavy metal band... I still am trying to figure this out... I wonder how she would've done on 'American Idol' ? On second thought...