Gal Pal Time...

I was able to steal away a couple of days and got to spend it with the gal pal... She absolutely leaves me stunned with who she is. She has absolutely no idea how awesome she is... it doesn't occur to her that she impacts people and has changed lives more than she knows... She is by far, the greatest gift that the Good Lord has ever blessed me with... I still stymie her on occasion because she feels as equally blessed by having me in her life. I always tell her though that I had to come a lot further to give my heart to her. She's a born and raised good and decent Christian woman. Involved in church and is spiritually strong in her faith. Me, I was an absolute clown for the longest time and believed in God, but didn't want much to do with Him. So I didn't care about much of anything spiritual. It wasn't till I lost some close relatives and friends that I began to search for answers. I didn't like what I was finding. But I had to realize that I needed something more grounded in faith. I decided to reach out and believe in something I didn't physically see. It can get scary sometimes, but it also can be so peaceful and amazing... And my gal pal is someone I lean on considerably. She helps keep me grounded and firm in what I truly believe. At one time, I didn't want to be with any woman ever again. Now, I sit here wondering what my life would be like without her... I don't think about that much but instead think about the future... something I never thought about before...

Brilliance On Ice... and Snow !

Hey all... I always said that I would write for better or worse about the little nuggets that happen in my life... well, I guess that I should plow forward with the silly event that happened to me when I got home in the middle of the night from Iowa. It was something that could only happen to me. So, when last we left our hapless hero, I had just survived a spinout and had to have my car yanked out of a ditch of mud and frustration was ruling supreme. I went to Davenport knowing full well that there was going to be a nasty storm that was going to hit throughout the midwest and our team bus was going to ride right in the middle of it. No big deal, I've been through storms before... not a problem. Being midwesterners, we're used to this stuff. So I planned to scrape off the ice and snow and let the car warm up with the defroster going full tilt. So we get home, I go to my car, and see that it's coated with over an inch (or a few centimeters) of ice and ridiculous amounts of snow. So I go and clear the key hole for my trunk and manage to get it open and put my luggage in... I went and tried to unlock and open my door. No dice. I chiseled and scraped till I lost feeling in my hands, face and feet... Still, no go... I tried for over a half an hour to get into my own car with no success... After applying the stuff that unfreezes locks and still not being able to get in my car, I had all these thoughts going through my head as I was trying to turn the key in the lock to the right... more time passed as I was beyond frustrated. I was thinking about how I had to work in just a few short hours and how was I going to get there. The weather is very cold so when was the stinking lock ever going to thaw... just all kinds of questions as I could feel my heartburn start to kick in... until one of the other players asks “are you sure you're turning the key in the right direction?” I'm looking at this kid like he's on drugs... “yeah I'm turning it in the...” and then I turn it in the opposite direction and BAM... the *&*^%%$$ DOOR OPENS... over an hour of freezing my ya-ya's off in below zero temps with 25 mph winds... and I was turning the key the WRONG WAY!!! I am such a dork! The players that were still there scraping the ice off of their own cars (about 8 of them) were laughing hysterically and making all kinds of jokes at my expense... to be honest, I didn't mind that. I started to laugh myself after a little while... I learned not to take myself so serious... I love these guys... they are a riot! When I got home, I just plopped on the couch and fell immediately asleep for what amounted to a nap before work... But I know that through my, uh, sharp brainiac skills, I gave them a memory they won't soon forget... I suppose it could've been worse...

Sliding In A Winter Wonderland...

Greetings from Davenport, Iowa...
NO I'm not out here checking out the canidates running for president. Thank God, I couldn't handle it... I'm here because we have hockey games going on. I had a fun experience last weekend. I was on my way home from a Cherokee hockey game and we were in the middle of a beauty of an ice storm. I was doing fine all the way home until I got off the exit to head to the house. I wasn't speeding but I still felt the car hit a patch of ice and start to slide sideways and I ended up flying into a ditch. I was really furious but kept my cool (at least on the outside)... I called a tow truck and it cost me a small fortune to get my car pulled out of there. I was so frustrated... I was only 20 seconds from home... 20 freakin' seconds. But at least there was no damage to the car. I was stuck in the ice and the mud... grrrrrrrrr.... and now this weekend we're going to head home from Iowa and drive right into the middle of a raging snow storm... yippeee... I'm not mad... BUT... I'd sure like a quiet relaxing week... HA!

Grateful (I'm Not) Dead...

Ahhh, the joy of breathing...
I feel a whole lot better after a week of being in bed and sick as a dog... Lou is doing better as she was hospitalized with a kidney infection, dehydration, and a urinary tract infection. Her blood pressure was also through the roof. Anyway, I finally got everything I needed to finish rebuilding Terri's computer (namely so I can get mine back...heh-heh). It turned into a battle of wills as instead of just dropping a new hard drive and processor and some memory in it.... I ended up also getting a new motherboard, video card, power supply and sink fan and tower for it... grrrrrrr... I don't mind, but since I'm not rolling in cash, it did make it a challenge. But I got it all done and this weekend we'll get the rest of the job done of putting it all together. I think this is going to be her birthday/ Christmas gift. Believe me, it was a pain. But I'm glad that we're over the hump... Now that I'm up and around (finally), I went last night and did a little Christmas shopping. Spent a lot of money... more than I thought I would, but didn't really have a ton to show for it. But you know what? After seeing what that moron did in Omaha, gunning down those 8 people and then taking the gutless coward's way out and turning the gun on himself, I decided to take a 'so what' attitude in regards to how much money I spent. Life is so freakin' fragile. Just when I complain and moan about all the things I have to deal with in life, I can honestly say that I bet there isn't a family member of those 8 people that wouldn't give anything to have their loved ones back to celebrate Christmas with... to say 'I love you' one more time... One more hug, one more kiss... one more smile... I guess like always, it comes down to a matter of perspective. Instead of fretting over the little things this Christmas, I'm choosing to show some grattitude for being alive. No matter how much I struggle, I am grateful to wake up every morning... and to spend time with those I care about... including my friends right here... Talk to y'all soon...
Mik

Feeling Crappy, But Still Happy... Or Is That Too Sappy?

Hey y'all,
I'm a little under the weather as I crank out this entry... okay, who's kidding who here? I feel like absolute CRAPOLA!!! But I digress... I've been fighting the flu, cold, fever, congestion... all of those little pearls of goodness that you go through when you get sick. Me, I'm not nauseous, but the rest of it I have in abundance. And here's the worst part of it... I called into work for today because I couldn't muster up the energy to go. But at about ten in the morning I get a phone call from Lou's visiting nurse telling me that she needs to go to the emergency room. She was very dehydrated, her blood sugar was high and her blood pressure was through the roof and she was tiger-chunking (aka vomiting) to beat the band. Terri was in bed because of the wonderful ravages of chemotherapy. And the only hospital that the ambulance would take Lou to, is not covered under Lou's insurance. So, either I get up and go take her in, or she's stuck in a rut of misery... Believe me, I thought about it... but I sucked it up and threw some clothes on and headed out in the delightfully balmy 30F (-2C) temps to go rescue Lou and take her to the ER at the hospital she needed to go to across town. My head felt like a stinkin' bowling ball and my head was/is spinning around... of course with Lou being a big girl with only one leg, no one can move her around when she's like this. So I ended up having to move her into her wheelchair from my car, and from the wheelchair to the hospital bed when she got into the ER... I honestly don't mind, and would probably not even mention it if I were feeling better. But I just got home and I'm going to curl back up on the sofa and sleep and rest and peek occasionally on my laptop to see how you all are doing... I'll be fine. I'm in a decent mood even though my body feels like ten pounds of poop in a five pound bag... I just have to take my meds and let this puppy just run its course... Hang in there people...and stay warm... Unless you live in florida in which case I hope you freeze... hahaha... just kidding :)