What? More Cornball Humor? Here's Another One

Thanks to my friend Judy for the email that had this joke. Another oldie but it's still pretty funny today...

An old man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his tomato garden, but it was very hard work as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. Love, Pop

A few days later, he received a letter from his son:

Dear Pop,
Not worry for nothing, but don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES.Love, Vinnie

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son:

Dear Pop, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances. Love, Vinnie

Toilet (?) Humor... ;)

Oldie but a Goodie.... have a good day y'all... ;)

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine but after they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the next day the girls would put them back.
Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).
To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

The Song Remains The Same (my apologies to Led Zep)

Hi kids....
More insanity rules the roost here in Mik-world... Things are crazy with the girls again as Lou is back in the hospital. For a while, the doctors thought she might be on the road to losing the other foot, but she's doing better and responding to treatment. It's a catch 22 situation for her... She needs to work on her activity level to continue to remain mobile so they want her to do lots more physical therapy. But the docs don't want her standing up for the next couple of weeks in order to allow the wound on her foot to heal. She's healing up and will have to go for a couple of weeks of in-patient PT rehab. I'm not glad she's there but it will give Terri a break. Terri had chemo a couple of days ago and part of the process is that she's supposed to rest and allow things to work inside of her... Of course, the operative words there are "supposed to"... But she's doing what she can to battle this disease so I keep hoping the chemo will help and as for what may happen, I'll leave it up to God.

Twinbill Doubleheader (and we're not talking baseball)

I had a fun time talking to one of my childhood friends, Bill, who lives out in Southern California. Bill and I have known each other since 2nd grade and the funny part is that we weren't good friends in grade school. We didn't particularly like each other very much. As we got older and played baseball, we were polite to each other since we had some of the same friends we were tight with. In high school, we didn't see each other much till about junior year. Then we came across each other again because of mutual friends. And this time, we discovered we had a similar interest... music. We really hit it off because of musical tastes and especially after graduation. We and a couple of other friends spent all kinds of time together, going to concerts, partying, y'know... all the crazy stuff you do in your youth. Well, after a while, Bill got the itch to move out to California. That was about 20 years ago. Bill went to work and made some friends and ended up recently getting married (for the 1st time) out there to a girl a bit younger than him. Of course, the warm, caring, sensitive, supportive friends he has back in Ohio had to express ourselves the only way we know how. I think the nicest thing we said to him was "gee Bill, just think, in August, you can take her shopping for all of the 'back to school' sales...woo-hoo".... Well, she's not THAT much younger than him, but you get the idea of our relationships. Yesterday, Bill's mom calls me. She is just going bananas because finally.... finally. Bill and his wife are expecting. Then I call out to California to give Bill some crap for the fun of it, and then of course he has this stunned shock in his voice.... they're expecting twins. Oops. He was freaking out especially since twins don't run in either family. I was the second buddy to call him out there to congratulate him. Robert was the first and told him that the since his wife was expecting that when she goes to buy diapers, she won't feel so awkward about buying diapers for THREE... I laughed my butt off... Poor Bill. A first time dad at the age of 45... with twins? Bill doesn't stand a chance... they'll bring him to his knees in no time flat.... I can't wait!

A Little Humble Pie...

Hi folks,
Just getting ready to head into another weekend. Last weekend, I got to spend it with the gal pal... that was so much fun. We went to a fish fry and I got a small lesson in gratitude. I usually try to be a humble sort because trying to be something that you're not is usually a boot to the butt waiting to happen. My gal pal is in a wheelchair, I don't mind that at all. She is just perfect to me as she is. She inspires me everyday and I'm crazy about her... I went into the fish fry and even though I don't like fish, I sat and ate way too much other food. My tummy was overloaded on everything else there was to eat. I sat with my gal pal and some of her friends. It was neat cause they don't see me very often so they pepper with me questions from time to time. I met a young guy in a wheelchair who suffers from cerebral palsy. He was adopted by a lady who has a couple of other kids who are healthy. She chose to adopt this little guy knowing that he'd be a handful. I was amazed at the patience she showed in taking care of and loving him. I swallowed the lump in my throat cause as patient as I'd like to think that I am... this woman just put me to shame. Her boy is 15 now and is getting too big for her to take physical care of. But she's determined to make a go of it as best she can. I was thinking how unfair it was that he suffers from that disease. I mean, I do wish he was healthy. Absolutely I want him to be happy and to know what it is to live life to the fullest. To know what it'd be like to play sports. To have a girlfriend. To drive a car.... all these things that we all take for granted. Then I looked at my gal pal and she put it in complete perspective for me. She has the attitude that she was chosen by God to be afflicted with her ailment so that He could use her to touch other lives for Him. Looking at the relationship between this mother and her disabled son, I got a big heaping helping of gratitude that I got to meet him. His joy was pure innocence. His life and his infirmities are being used to touch other people's lives. It really made me realize how truly blessed I am. I looked back over at the gal pal... I fell even deeper in love with her watching her eat a piece of cheesecake. I am so grateful for her... just as she is. I wouldn't be the man that she thinks that I am without her...

Cables, Wires, and Chops... Oh My!!

grrrrrr.... I have such a love - hate with electronics... I took today off to go over to see the girls and since they got a new flatscreen HDTV.. They had everything but the cable hooked up... I figured it would be about five minutes of work and the afternoon to hangout and see how they were doing. Six and a half hours later and a few choice words for the cablesystem later, I still hadn't figured the dang thing out. After several calls to the cable company, it turned out that I wasn't the problem (for a change), but rather, the cable box was not functioning properly and they are going to come out with a new one and install it for Terri at no charge. I should be happy about that, but I'm still frustrated from having spent all day banging my head (figuratively and literally) against the wall. I didn't need the headache, but you know how it goes some days.
I was reading something in my local paper (in the obits of all places) that brought me back to a small, brief, innocent part of my youth. I was reading that a guy I simply knew as "Chops" had passed away. I hadn't seen him in years (decades), but for some reason, he left a permanent mark in my head from that time. Chops was a grill cook at a local little hole in the wall restaurant when I was a little boy and my dad used to take me in there because you could pig out and it was soooooo cheap. The place had booths whose seats were usually torn. Not exactly a Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel (If your table had matching glasses, you were lucky.) But the funny part was that for some reason, the little dive of a eat 'em up joint had some of the best food I ever ate. On the very rare occasion that my dad would let me pick the restaurant we could eat at, I always picked there... My dad liked it cause it was cheap. I loved it cause the food was good. City officials would eat there all the time. And then there was Chops. Chops would be involved with three or four different tables full of people in some spicy conversation (the restaurant was very tiny) and have everyone in stitches. He could weave in and out of different conversations without missing a beat. I wanted to be like that when I was a kid. I always thought he was cool. He was a very large man. Later in life he lost over 140 lbs. and stayed behind the grill at the Green Lantern restaurant till 1994 when he retired because of his health. I hadn't seen him since I was a kid, but when I read that he passed (he was only 55), I felt like a small part of my youth went too. I dunno, I had all of these memories come flooding back from when I was a kid. Going to the Green Lantern. Listening to Chops crack jokes on food, girls, politics, life... you name it. I don't even think the Green Lantern is open anymore, but it will always hold a special place in my heart... A double Gooper burger and free entertainment courtesy of Chops. And for an eight year old kid from a tough neighborhood, that was as good as it got.

A Dog-gone Busy Day...

Hi y'all,
I am beat right now... but it was worth it. Spent the early part of the day over at the girls' to see how they were and they corraled me into taking apart the entertainment center as they're getting a new one. So I took it apart (well, actually took all the components of the audio and video stuff out of there and then took the behemoth out of the house and put it out for someone to take if they could use it. I took the TV that was in there and since the girls are getting a new one, I took the one that was there (a heavy 36 inch beast) up a very narrow and steep flight of stairs for my nephew to use. Ugh, that was no fun. After doing my imitation of "Two men and a Truck", I hooked up the tv and vcr/dvd set up so my goofy nephew could watch a bigger screen than the 12-inch screen he was using before. I had to move some of the equipment out from the front room into Terri's room so that she could have a setup in her room too. By the time I got all of this done, I had to get going to work. But of course, one small fire to put out... my kid sister was feeling sick and was mildly scared about it so I stopped over there on my way to work and assessed the situation and she wasn't in any danger... just a little anxiety on her part. But the good news was that I got to spend time with my dog Penney. Oh it was an understatement to say Pen was so tickled to see me and of course, I abslolutely flat out LOVE that dog. I never used to like mini-daschunds... Not until her... I used to say she was the only woman that I ever both loved and trusted. Of course now with the gal pal in my life I can't say that any more... I don't want to get my butt kicked... ;) It was so funny, when my little nephew came up to hug me, Pen got up on me and wedged herself between me and Dyl... Territorial little cuss isn't she... Can't wait till the first time she sees me and the gal pal snuggling... that'll be a hoot.

Tuning In...

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend... Right now, everything (thankfully) is status quo. My gal pal's grandfather is home from the hospital and feeling a whole lot better. They thought is might be that dreaded 'c' word, but thankfully, it was a severe infection and he was horribly dehydrated. So they fattened him up a bit with meds and fluids, and he's home again. Thanks for the prayers and good wishes. They worked.
Terri is hanging on. I went to see her and Lou and they were both in pretty good moods. It was a typical household as Terri was working on a project for my nephew Dylan, Lou was playing backgammon, and Dyl was over visiting... well, at least in theory. As a 12 year-old, he doesn't go over to his aunt's to visit. He goes because she has cool toys ('Rockband' for X-box) and he gets spoiled and gets to eat whatever he wants. Oh, when life was so simple... I miss those days. When I was a kid we didn't have X-box, Wii, or even Nintendo for that matter... If I remember, we had four channels on tv (well, actually 8 because with the help of rabbit ears, we could pick up a couple in Detroit and one or two from Canada)... and we had outside. Me, I spent lots of time with the tv (because of the neighborhood I lived in... it was pretty rough) and I also spent a great deal of time with the radio. I fell in love with rock-n-roll, but also with listening to radio stations on the AM dial from far away places. As a kid from northern Ohio, I used to get all jazzed when I could pull in WOWO-AM from Fort Wayne. Or WCCO from Minneapolis. WABC from NYC... or WBZ from Boston. Every once in a while I'd get CFRB from Toronto. That was a whole other world for a kid from Ohio who never went anywhere. I even remember picking up KMOX from St Louis and WBAP and KRLD from Dallas... all the way up in Toledo, on a beat up old AM radio... now that radio stations can be picked up on the internet from anywhere in the world, it's not such a big deal. But to a little boy with no life... that beat up old AM radio was an escape to other places and in my mind, other worlds! I wouldn't trade those memories for ANYTHING...

Time Well Spent...

As per usual in life, highs and lows permeate the world of yours truly. I've simply learned to adjust and in the words of Steve Winwood “you gotta roll with it baby”. Stopped by Terri's to check on her. She's still feeling like ten pounds of crap in a five pound bag. But is trying to bounce back from the chemo treatment. Lou is definitely feeling better and was on the computer playing a card game when I showed up. Now you'd figure that in her condition, Terri would just want to rest and not really talk about much. Of course, you have to remember that this is my family we're talking about... no one has ever used the word “normal” and our name in the same sentence. True to form, Terri decides she wants to engage me in talking politics. Oh perfect... of all the things she could want to talk about... just perfect! She and I are opposites when it comes to most things political. But our debates, while very spirited, are usually respectful and cordial. And of course, how can I argue with a woman who is lying in bed from enduring a chemotherapy treatment? I'd look like a complete, heartless slug! Most of my family would tell you I'm a heartless slug anyways... but they'd say it out of sport and not out of spite...
I got the rare treat of spending time with the gal pal for a few days. She was in rare form if I do say so myself. I was so amazed... more on her in a moment. Her grandfather is not doing really well and they had to take him to the hospital today. But she was steadfast in having a good time with me and boy did we. We spent so much time together and I've got to tell ya... I've found THE GIRL... or should I say that the good Lord blessed me with her. Because she is amazing. She leaves me speechless because of who she is. The fact that she's crazy about me is an honor I don't take lightly. But her warmth, tenderness, and her gentle humor leaves me flabbergasted. I think you can tell by the pictures that we're pretty smitten with each other. DUHHHHHHH... :)

Time...

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. Me, I had to work, but I stopped over at Terri's and got something to eat before I went to my job. To say that Terri pulled out all of the stops is a gross understatement. She was not feeling the greatest, but she takes to cooking like I take to eating... very naturally thank you... She bought enough groceries to fill a small building or nuclear fallout shelter (take your pick) and it was all for Easter dinner. Not for the month, not for a week... but for one meal. Wholly cow! (for a minute, I thought she actually bought a whole one.) Let's put it this way, we couldn't eat at her dinner table because of all of the food choices that she put out... My whole family was there and they were having a ball... For a few hours, the whole thought of cancer took a backseat to just being a bunch of wacked-out, out of sorts, mentally disturbed, crazy people... y'know... FAMILY!!
Terri goes for chemo tomorrow and it's going to be a new type of chemo. So I'm hoping it works. Me, I'm taking a few days off and am going to go spend time with my gal pal... it's been a long time since we've gotten to spend any quality time together. So I will be M-I-A for the next several days. But for a good reason :) Yak atcha soon...

Re-orienting Myself to the Eastern Time Zone

Hi,
It's nice to be home again. I just spent the last week in Iowa which felt more like a year. There was not much to do outside of the hockey rink but eat and watch TV... no wonder they love their sports teams there. Geez, if all I had to do was watch paint dry, I'd go out and support about any sports team they had too... I'm not knocking the people of the Hawkeye State, it's just that there is not much of a nightlife in the city of Dubuque. I drove out to Iowa and parked my car at the hotel. The rink was literally across the street from the hotel, and I walked everywhere I went. I didn't start my car up for 4 days. There was absolutely NOTHING to do as a tourist. But of course, the players were pretty cool cause they wanted to go watch some of the other teams play so we did everything together as a team. We went to eat together, watch some of the other games together. And of course, prep for our games... we made it all the way to the semi-finals before bowing out. I was really disappointed but the guys were pretty good about it. I got to spend some time with the guys afterwards to see where they what they were going to do with their futures. A number of them are coming back, but a number of them are also moving on and going out into the real world. They're nervous, and scared and wanted this to last as long as possible. These kids will be fine. I'm sure they'll do wonderfully.
Nothing new to report on Terri and Lou. After last week, that's probably a good thing. Terri wanted to make sure I would be in town for Easter so that I would go over to her house for dinner. She sent me a text about it, and all it said was "come hungry"... typical Terri.
Anyway, a number of you dropped me a note and/or an e-mail offering your ear for support and concern. I've been gone for the last week and haven't had time to answer in a proper manner to offer my thanks for your prayers and best wishes. You guys are the best. It's going to be an interesting journey but my prayer is that Terri and Lou will feel the love of those who are praying for them and can face the future with faith and hope and yes, love...

Here I Go Again (apologies to David Coverdale)

I'm sitting here in Iowa as the playoffs start in a matter of hours... not caring one bit about hockey right now... Terri called me and I knew it was coming, but I still felt the sucker-punch to the gut. Her cancer had spread to her vertebrae. I just sat here in silence, wishing I could find the words to comfort, to love, to show compassion... but nothing came to mind. She told me they're going to try a different chemo and even though it only has a 30 percent chance of working, as Terri so eloquently put it: “30 is better than zero...” She told me she's not giving up (in between the sobs) and kept saying “Mickey, I want to live”. I sat on my hotel bed, just numb. I asked what I could do to help and she tearfully offered up “please pray for me, that I have the strength to go through this...” I tried to stay strong and reminded her that this is where we have to have faith. I completed the call with her telling her about my drive out here from Ohio to Iowa. That made her laugh lots and lots and I hung up with her feeling a little bit better. Me, I wanted to just go down to the bar and drown my sorrows big time. But I came to the computer and was chatting with the gal pal. I was feeling really down, and she knew it. She didn't have any answers, but she was there for me. She was there. That's why I didn't go down to the bar. Not too long ago, I wouldn't have even bothered turning the computer on... I would've just sat at the bar ordering a beer, drinking shots while I waited for my beer to arrive. Today, I knew it wasn't worth it and that it would've been the wrong choice. So I sat here, chatting with the gal pal and when we said goodnight, I flipped on the TV and heard a song that made me think of my sister who started raising me when she was sixteen. I lost it, and wanted to punch the wall out of feeling so helpless. I just sat there looking up and for the first time, instead of saying “God ya gotta heal her”, through tears of pain, I let go and surrendered, saying “Lord, your will be done.” and after a while, I felt the bitterness go away. I felt a little more peaceful and was able to sit here and pound out this entry. I'll be broadcasting hockey games online, for the next couple of days on www.toledosportsradio.com and I will not mention anything at all about my personal stuff... But know that I'll be thinking about God, Terri, the gal pal, and everything but hockey...

How Lame Can I Get? Here's How...

Sorry I haven't been around much. but I've been a busy little goof to say the least. We've had three snowstorms in less than 10 days... I love winter but I've had enough. It's okay when the kids are out sledding, but I don't like the prospects of sledding in my car. Terri had her PET Scan yesterday but won't know the results till later this week. I called her last night and she sounded completely wiped out and a little down. In a typical Terri move, instead of going on and on about herself, she wanted me to use a coupon she had for 50 cents per gallon off of a fuel fill-up because it expired soon. I did and boy am I glad I did. With all the running around that I did this week, it came in real handy.
Now, I finally got around to checking my emails... thanks to those of you that dropped me a line asking about the girls... very much appreciated... I also got one from an old friend of mine, that I absolutely regret opening. The reason? Because I have not stopped going to the website that he sent me the link to ever since I opened it.... Grrrrrrrr.... I was sent the link to a page that is cyber bubble wrap... I'm not kidding. Bubble wrap. I have always loved popping bubble wrap in person. Now I can and have been doing it online for the last couple of days... I even added it to my favorites list... How sad is that? I need help.... lol... if you go over to it, just use your mouse and point and click... that's all there is to it. I'm completely addicted to it... grrrrrrr.... the manic model version is exactly the same only instead of clicking on the mouse, you just run your cursor over it and it pops for you. When you're done and reload a fresh sheet there's a female voice that says in a hypnotic-like way, the phrase.... MUST HAVE MORE!!!

Pet Scan Vinaigrette

Lots going on around le chateaux du Mik.these days. I can only tread water and try to stay above sea level... Heard from Terri. Her numbers are out of wack again. Usually when that happens, that means the cancer has returned and has spread somewhere. She goes for a pet scan and chemo again on monday... Keep her in your prayers, okay? It's really beginning to wear on her. She is hurting right now and try as I might to keep my spirits up... it's disheartening to know that she is trying so hard and is getting her butt kicked. I'm going to see her and Lou tomorrow and have dinner. I hate this feeling of helplessness. And she's the one going through it...not me!
In more upbeat stuff, I went to a sports memorabilia auction/ dinner that benefitted the Make-a-Wish foundation... one of my favorite charities. They had all kinds of great items for both silent and live auction. Not only sports stuff, but non-sports stuff as well. Where else can you find an old vintage document that is certified authentic with the signature of Abraham Lincoln on it? I was bidding on the Notre Dame stuff that they had. The dinner menu was really good: Sauteed Chicken Napolitano layered with asiago cheese, roasted wild mushrooms, spinach, garlic and sundried tomatoes with tomato & prosciutto sauce... served with crisp risotto cake, asparagus spears and graufrette carrots. Dessert was a 7 layer raspberry cake with raspberry sauce. It all was pretty fancy except that it was all in portions that wouldn't fill up a 10 year old... the graufrette carrots? there were two on the plate... TWO. Not that I'm some kind of carrot fan (that would be freaky), but you get my meaning. The food was good, but it wasn't like a home cooked meal where you could fill your tummy up and feel satisfied. I left the event and had to get something on the way home to eat... maybe not as healthy... but a dang site more filling!

Things As I See Them...

Well, I guess it has been a while since I've posted an entry so I suppose it only right that I do say hello and say thanks for stopping by. The latest on the girls is that the last I checked up on them, they seemed to be hanging in there okay. Lou has been getting rid of some fluid and she is getting a wee-bit more mobile and that is a huge need for her to be able to get around and rely less on Terri. Terri is hanging in there with the chemotherapy. It's been kicking her butt, however, she still is hanging in there and battling bravely. I can't complain one iota when I think about them. There is no way I can gripe about life when I take a moment to see what I'm really blessed with. The Good Lord has blessed me with some good and decent family members (for the most part...lol) who care about me. I have a girlfriend who leaves me dumbfounded when I think about her. For those who asked, don't worry... I didn't do any of the things that are listed on my previous post. I'm still in her good graces and am grateful to be so. I can't ever begin to thank God for blessing me with her. He put her in my life to save me... I truly believe this. I know that those of you that read this journal/blog have said some very nice things about me and I thank you for it. I'm honored that you stop by and say hello to me. But I am the one who has to live with the person that is me... the REAL ME in my REAL life. And I am convinced that God put my gal pal into my life to save me... save me from myself. Because while I try to be a better person and try to be good to others... it didn't used to be that way. I was not always a very decent person. I believe the professional, technical term to describe me was “SCUMBAG”. I can't put it any other way. But that was then, this is now. I am now someone who believes in something much better and greater than myself... I survived to talk about it. And I do it without shame.

Valentine's Day

What NOT To Give Her For Valentines Day

1. A box of chocolates, clumsily rearranged in an attempt to hide the fact you ate all the caramel ones.
2. Any food item with the words "high fiber" on the label.
3. Any video starring Sylvester Stallone or Jim Carrey.
4. Flowers from a hospital's gift shop--or worse, a mortuary's.
5. Any household appliance, power tool or other item from the harder side of Sears.
6. A gift certificate.
7. Cash.
8. Anything you could have bought at the gas station mini-mart on the way over... even if you didn't.
9. An apologetic look and the words "That was today?"

Monday Musings

Hi everybody...
Had a lonnnnnnng weekend. Not much in the way of sleep. I feel like my knuckles are dragging on the ground, but other than that, I'm haning in there. The weekend was a pretty good one for all intents and purposes. After work on Saturday, I was at Wal-mart (my favorite store outside of Steve & Barry's) and my sister calls me to tell me her toilet is acting up again. I felt a sudden desire to go hide. But I picked up a repair kit on the spot and told them I'd stop over on Sunday to take a look at it. I went to church and got a late breakfast (don't ask me why, but for some reason, chinese food seemed like a good idea for breakfast)... I found a chinese buffet place that opened early so I went and loaded up... Hey, it was all you can eat for five dollars and 43 cents.. My stomach was filled for most of the day. Went over to Terri's and she tells me that my nephew was able to fix the toilet. I was like the happiest man on planet earth. I saw her and Lou who has lost lots of fluid weight. I guess that can happen when you STOP taking Flowmax... She looks more like her old self but still has some work to do. Terri had chemo this morning (again) and will be wiped out for the next couple of days so me and my other sister will take turns going over and help with doing little things like emptying Lou's portable potty etc... and checking on Terri to make sure she's still palpable... About the only downside to the weekend was that I didn't get to spend a ton of time with the gal pal... but she knew I had a busy weekend and she still loves me so I am a happy guy... So after the Cherokee hockey game (we won: woo-hoo) I made it home eventually to catch some of the Superbowl...usually it's something that bores me... but not this game. WOW... I was happy for Eli Manning. He can finally step out of the shadow of his more famous big brother Peyton. But we all know the main reason for watching the game... the commercials!! I liked a few of them... there were some really bizarre ones too. But for me the hands down winner was the Budweiser ad with the dalmation training the clydesdale horse with the theme of 'Rocky' playing... that was pretty funny. If you saw the game, let me know which commercial did it for you... there were plenty to choose from...

Multi-Tasking... Mik Style...

Work today stunk... it was lousy. Such is life for a Monday. We all have blah days and today was my turn. Just a busy day, that's all. The fun began when I was done with work for the day. My goal was to go home and kick back and then spend some time chatting up my gal pal... I left work at six and wanted to get home and after getting some dinner, chat with my best girl sometime around eight. But of course, between point A and point B, there was just a few things to be done... namely:
Getting a text message from Terri telling me that Lou is having a very tough time moving around. Lou can't really do much because she put on so much fluid weight, that it's hard for her to do much of anything. That is NOT Lou... anyway, I went to a few places and picked up some things to help Lou including a patient transfer board. Plus a couple things to help Terri. Terri has it the hardest because if Lou falters, it's Terri that's the only one there to try and help... that's what is so difficult. But Lou goes to see the doctor on Friday and I hope she'll give them a piece of her mind about not being more aggressive on removing the fluid. She may end up on dialysis because of how non-aggressive they've been with her... grrrrr.... anyway, Lou looked a little better when I saw her. She was happy when I showed up. Terri then asked if I could take a quick peek at her toilet because it was running. She had this look of defeat. I didn't want to, but I went to look at the toilet and saw it was something very very simple. So I fixed it, and got the biggest hug of gratitude from Terri... that was nice. She figured she'd strike while the iron was hot and was telling me that her cell phone charger was not working... So, we got that taken care of and I just wanted to go home and eat like a moose... So I went to go get something to eat (Chinese take-out), and knew it would take about ten minutes or so for the food to be ready... I looked a couple of doors down from the Chinese restaurant and there was a hair care place that was running a special... haircuts for five bucks. I placed my order for the food (boneless almond chicken...mmmm) and said I'd be right back and walked over to the hair care place. There was no waiting at all, so I signed in, sat down, and got my hair cut nice and short. I paid my five bucks (tipping the lady of course), walked back over to pick up my dinner, and drove home. I chowed down on dinner when I got there and by the time I finished drinking my diet peach iced tea, it was eight o'clock. Talked to the gal pal for a couple of hours... my day went from crappy to happy...

For College Football Fans... A Simple Observation...

The Previous Sign To Signify Choking:

The NEW Sign To Signify Choking:

Rockin' At The Creek...

Hi folks,
Was perusing through you tube and found some highlights from my church and thought I'd throw them on here. The first one is from Easter and highlights some of the baptisms we had at the church and is set to the song "I Am Free" from Newsboys. The other is from our Christmas service this year. It's the Audio Adrenaline version of "Little Drummer Boy" which rocks hard as it is... but the band at church put their own spin on it to make it rock even harder... Safe to say, my church is not my parents church by any means at all. But it's not trying to be. It is geared toward unchurched and spiritually restless people. That's how my heart was reached. I didn't want to have a relationship with God or be a Christ-follower. Well, I guess God had other ideas... for which I'm eternally grateful... y'all have a great day, okay?