JoeVic and Company

Offensive

2010-05-22T21:21:00.002-04:00

If someone told you the sky was red and green stripes with sprinkles on it, you'd be correct to label them stupid, insane or perhaps both and no one would disagree.

Yet, when someone makes an equally as ignorant statement regarding politics and you point out their stupidity or insanity it is a whole other issue.

When it's politics you're labeled 'offensive' or 'racist' or some other incendiary word. And this is something very troublesome to me.

You see, in this great country everyone has a right to their own opinion in politics, even if it's wrong, stupid, ignorant and without any basis in reality. I respect that 'right'. But I don't have to respect their ignorant positions or opinions though. And that is where the trouble lies.

When I point out to my left leaning friends the inaccuracies of their logic or prove them wrong, most of them whine and scream like little 3 yr olds. They call me offensive, racists, hateful etc.

Then they tell me they have the RIGHT to their opinion.

Well, if you're opinion is that 2 + 2 = 7, well I'm sorry,,, ,you're stupid. That's not an opinion,,, that's called being wrong.

And most of them just can't accept that they're wrong.

Very sad!!

Stuck in Facebook

2010-04-04T23:25:00.002-04:00

So no posts here for 4 months. And not many before that. It's because we've been using Facebook.

It's faster. More immediate feedback. Now, now, now. No waiting.

And we can see our friends now, now now,, etc etc.

And that's all good,,,, from one perspective.

But from another,,,, it doesn't give you the ability to express your thoughts and feelings quite like a blog does. A blog is just more personal in my opinion.

So,,, what to think of/express now?

Lots of things actually:
1. Kids - my girls are growing up so fast. Hailey's 10 already. Geez.

2. Vic - will we ever find a cure? This just seems to go on and on and on.

3. Politics - don't really want to get started there. So much is wrong with this country now. The direction we're headed. The activists playing leaders.

Just a few. Just a few.

Well,,,, blogged for now. May do more sooner.

Oh,,, it is Easter today. Girls had egg hunt. Good dinner,,,, courtesy of Vic,,,, who despite a massive headache still got a ham baked and potato salad made.

G'nite all!!

Newest Family Member

2009-11-18T10:36:00.003-05:00

Actual Conversation:

Vic: "Dog?"
Joe: "No."
Vic: "Dog?"
Joe: "No."
Vic: "Yes."
Joe: "Ok."

So we now have a 10 week old Cockapoo. Half Cocker Spaniel, half Poodle. The girls decided to name him Chance. I think it's because there's a good chance he'll take 5 yrs off my life. :)

Gracie absolutely adores him and plays with him all the time. Hailey's getting better but very averse to puppy nips. You know how they like to nibble on everything. Alyssa won't get in the same room with him. Terrified. We have a lot of work to do with her, but she'll do fine.

So,,,, here's Chance.

Maturity

2009-10-21T07:47:00.003-04:00

My Father was in the Navy. My Uncles were in the Army, Navy and Marines. My Grandfather was in the Army. My Great Great Great etc etc. And I spent 10 yrs in the Navy.

By the time I was 22 yrs old I'd seen every John Wayne war movie ever made and just about every war movie period. I'd heard all the stories. And although I was still an immature 22 yr old guy, I had a deep respect for our nation, our military and those who serve.

Interacted with someone recently who doesn't have a clue about the value, honor and willingness to sacrifice our soldiers and sailors have. This 22 yr old, if she is really that old, has her head stuck in celebrities, singers, concerts and TV.

I hope someday she grows up.

Another Day

2009-10-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

We told Gracie last night, due to the messes she was leaving around the house, she could only play with 2 toys at a time. She got very angry with me for enforcing this rule.

Gracie: "Dad, you're no longer part of the family!!"

Dad: "Ok Grace, no snack, food, TV, Computer, toys, water, clothes or anything. Go sit down and wait on your Mother."

Gracie: "What? Why?"

Dad: "Cause I pay for everything here. If I'm not part of the family, I'm not paying for any of your stuff."

Gracie: "GRRRRRR,,,,,,O K!!! You can be a little bit part of the family!!"

Gotta love her

Stargate Universe

2009-10-03T00:14:00.002-04:00

I looked forward to this Friday and the new Stargate series premier for several months.
What a HUGE disappointment.

Gone is the comraderie, team work, loyalty, common purpose, humor and positive storyline present in over 10 years of the series franchise.

It is replaced with a putrid show about people arguing, bickering, stabbing each other in the back and basically being a typical reality tv show.

The new Battlestar Galactica series was done much the same way. Instead of telling a story, advancing a plotline or being entertaining,,,, they developed characters. They'd spend a whole series episode, a full hour telling a story which should have taken only a few minutes to tell and be part of larger more entertaining story.

They're banking on people choosing arguing, bitchy people over a real story and real entertainment.

So very sad to see this good tv series ruined this way.

Will I still watch? Probably. I'll record on DVR and fastforward thru the endless hours of BS to see where the story goes.

Very sad....

Where to Begin

2009-05-06T18:16:00.002-04:00

Lots of things to post about, but so little time.

- Is it me, or is the media totally obsessed with the big O? Can't find a TV news show or magazine with a very positive story about his greatness. I'm still waiting for the first accomplishment.

- Not all celebrities are twits, as I previously thought. Only most of them. Became 'acquaintances' with one recently and they surprised me.

- Gracie's started blocking doorways in the house demanding the password in order go go through. I wonder when this will start turning into demands for cash?

- There's nothing in the world quite as wonderful, warm, fuzzy and down right loving as a kidney stone. Unless it's two. :)

Loser

2009-04-24T12:37:00.002-04:00

In joking with Gracie this afternoon, I teased her and said: "Loser."

She looked at me and said: "YOU,,,,,are calling ME a loser?!?"

She's pretty smart.

Earth Day

2009-04-22T09:30:00.003-04:00

Today I'm helping celebrate Earth Day. Let's cut to the chase here, bottom line - the purpose of this day is to save the planet from ourselves. Fat chance. 99.9999999% of the people on this planet are so uneducated and ignorant they will continue to do what they've always done regardless of our little Earth Day. And if they aren't ignorant, they just don't care.

But to be positive, to move forward, to help make this planet a better place for my offspring I'm going to suggest the following 10 things you can do to help save this planet. So here ya go.

1. Eat beef today. Reducing the number of cows farting will reduce carbon emissions.
2. Buy some leather goods. See benefit from #1.
3. Don't flush your toilets all day. Water conservation.
4. Don't put anything in your trash cans today, wait til tomorrow.
5. Hold your breath several times throughout the day for as long as you can. Save our precious oxygen.
6. Don't buy any gas for your car today. Fumes you know. Wait til tomorrow.
7. Shower with your spouse today. Lots of positives for this idea me thinks.
8. Wait til tomorrow to brush your teeth. Saves water you know.
9. Take some Beano. Again, reduce carbon emissions.
10. Don't workout today. The heat you generate will only contribute to global warming.

There ya go. 10 things you can do on Earth Day to make you feel better, save the planet and tick off your local PETA representative. :)

On a lighter note, from the homefront:
Allysaism:
Alyssa ran thru the house yelling "I GOTTA GO POTTIE!!!"

She got to the bathroom and yelled "Someone didn't flush the toilet."

Being a smart a$$ I said: "How can you tell?"

Alyssa replied: "Cause there's poop crumbs in there!!"

Gotta love her.

New Application

2009-04-22T08:57:00.002-04:00

Added a new section to my blog. Where's Joe???

Now Vic need never wonder where I am.

Or Rachael Hunter, Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek or any of my girlfriends. ;)

Yep, I'm gonna get hit for that.

Stormy Weather

2009-04-20T01:03:00.002-04:00

Tornado sirens wailed again in Atlanta. Kids were roused out of bed and rushed to the basement as a 'possible' tornado swept by us. It was about 1-2 miles away.

Reports of damage started coming in a few minutes ago. A small newborn was injured when a tree fell on a family's house not far from here. Like us, they had little warning. The sirens by our house didn't go off until the thing was almost on top of us.

Fortunately for us I was watching the radar on my iPhone and had gone outside just before it hit. I could hear the sirens from Cobb county to our south. Vic and I went ahead and got the girls jackets and shoes by the basement door just to be ready. Good move on our part.

So now I'm standing guard by the TV and Vic's sleeping with the little ones. Hopefully, this will only last a little while longer.

Another Day

2009-04-19T16:00:00.002-04:00

I hate being sick. Especially if it involves pain or discomfort. For the last week, that's been the case. It sucks. Really sucks. It's impacted my workouts somewhat. I can still walk and ride. But no running and no intensity. Standing for a while or sitting in a chair for a while hurts a bit. Driving is miserable.

If you're wondering what's wrong I'll just say this. I have an internal infection, which has caused swelling and pain in a very private area. And for you bozo's out there NO it's not an STD. Geez. :)

So, I'll just continue to work on my basement office. Getting it outfitted so I can work more efficiently, often and effectively on Pingfit.

Later --

Good Carbs / Bad Carbs

2009-04-17T15:07:00.002-04:00

The other day a friend of mine said she was trying teach her husband the difference between good carbs and bad carbs. Apparently he wasn't getting it, so I tried to help.

Good Carbs:
Pizza
Lasagna
Egg Rolls
Spaghetti
Dinner Rolls
Three Cheese Texas Toast
French Fries
Home Fries
Bake Potato's (with butter, sour cream, bacon bits and chives)
French Toast (with lots of syrup)
Cookies
Cakes
Honey Buns
Doughnuts

Bad Carbs:
Vegetables
Fruits
Wheat Bread
Beans

Yea I know. I'm tireless in my efforts to help friends.

On the home front. Gracie got put in timeout today for screaming in school. Big surprise there.

She also had the following conversation with Vic yesterday:

Grace: (From the other end of the house) "MOOOOOMMMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!"

Vic: "What Grace?"

Grace: "COOOMMMMEEEEE HEEERRRREEEE!!!!"

This repeats several times til Vic gets up to stop the noise pollution.

Vic: "Grace, what do you want."

Grace: (laying in the floor looking up at Vic) "I need a kid to play with."

Vic: "Well what do you want me to do about it?"

Grace: "Duh,,,,call some kid and tell them to come play with me."

Alyssa on the other had exhibited all the good traits we've been trying to instill in our girls since day one. At school yesterday they handed out prizes to the kids who sold the most 'cookie dough'. Alyssa and Hailey had pooled their resources, shared sales and entered all under Alyssa's name, so she got 4 different prizes.

Well, every kid in class got a prize except one. He got nothing. Alyssa went to him and gave him her biggest prize cause she didn't want him to be sad and feel left out. No that's my girl!!!

Later.

Vacation

2009-04-16T17:13:00.003-04:00

We'd love to go on vacation this year. Panama City Beach again, Myrtle Beach, Pigeon Forge,,,any of them. But because of money and work,,,doesn't look like we'll be able to go anywhere.

My family is held hostage by certain aspects of my place of employment. Oh well, it's a job in these uncertain times, so I'll be happy with that.

Alyssa does want to go camping, so I told her we'd get a tent and brave the backyard one night. Gracie said she want to as well. I just don't see it happening.

More Gracisms

2009-04-15T17:30:00.003-04:00

Everyone has seen a baseball players 'scratch'. You know,,,, the digging, rutting moves in broad daylight, shifting around and scratching in the most inappropriate places to be doing so outside.

Well,,,,, Gracie was doing a very good impression of this yesterday, which prompted the following conversation:

Vic: "Grace, what are you doing?"

Grace: "I got an itch and I got to itched it."

Vic: "Well you doing dig at yourself like that in front of everyone, it's not nice."

Grace: "Why not? My music teacher itches her itch like that in class. So if I get an itch, I'm gonna itched it."

Gracie also had a run in with our neighbors dogs the last few days. 1 snapped at her cause she was pounding it in the head and calling that 'petting'. The other was because she saw something unusual on our other neighbors Greyhound. Something that looked like an 'extra leg'.

Took us a few minutes to distract her away from that. Geez!!

Socialism

2009-04-06T17:35:00.002-04:00

Another great story I just have to post. True? Who knows, but it certainly matches what I think would happen:

An economics professor at Texas Tech said he had failed very few student but had, once, failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "Ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades will be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade meaning, obviously, no one will receive an A."

They all agreed to this and after the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a C.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

When the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great dismay the professor failed them all. Then he sent all of them this note:

"A socialistic government will also ultimately fail - because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed."

Yep, sounds about like what I'd expect.

20 Years

2009-04-06T17:08:00.001-04:00

Some jokes are just too good not to post.

A woman awoke during the night to find that her husband was not in bed. She put on her robe and went downstairs.

He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of him. He appeared to be deep in thought, just staring at the wall. She saw him wipe a tear from his eye and take a sip of his coffee.

"What's the matter dear? Why are you down here at this time of night?" she asked.

"Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating and you were only 16?" he asked.

"Yes I do." she replied.

"Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?"

"Yes I remember."

"Do you remember your father when he shoved that shotgun in my face and said.'Either you marry my daughter or spend twenty years in jail'?"

"Yes I do", she replied.

He wiped another tear from his cheek and said, " You know I would have gotten out today."

Idiot Neighbor

2009-03-18T19:51:00.002-04:00

For the last two days, my idiot, stupid, brain dead, dufus, ignorant, bonehead of a neighbor has been burning his leaves. That's right. Burning dead leaves from his property.

We're in the middle of a town. Hundreds of houses all around. Not out on the farm somewhere 100 miles from anyone. But dumba$$ collects all his leaves all fall and winter, piles them up, and burns them. Oh yea,,,,and it's rained for 5 days,,,so burning isn't really a good description. They're smoldering.

Smoke is so thick you can't walk around the house without choking.

I'm calling the city offices tomorrow and see if there is some way to get this jerk in trouble for this garbage.

Did I mention that I have more brain cells in my pinky toe nail than bonehead across they way has?

WHAT A MORON!!!!!

Friday - Best Day of the Week

2009-03-06T21:31:00.003-05:00

My blogging habits have been pretty poor this year.

Between Facebook, work, Vic, kids, working out and PingFit. Not a lot of time to write.

I always wanted to be a writer though. I had good ideas for books, or stories. Wrote a few beginnings and I like them. But never went beyond that. Of course, I'd have to spend any advances I got for a book on people to edit my bad grammar and writing skills. :)

Anyway, I may try to dig up some of my old musings and put them out here.

In the interim, tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day. I'm sure we'll be outside with the girls some. On the bikes, soaking up the sun and warmer weather.

Til then.

Basketball

2009-02-21T14:50:00.002-05:00

Well, it the great tradition of Kentucky, I'm taking the girls to go shoot some hoops.

Should prove interesting.

Joe

Alyssa Rides Her Bike

2009-02-15T19:39:00.002-05:00

Well, today was a first for Alyssa. We took the training wheels off and let her hit the road. Several times actually. :)

That's right. Alyssa rode her bike today for the first time. Did a great job too.

Still has a bit of difficulty starting off by herself, but she was doing laps around our cul de sac this afternoon.

Next victim? Hailey!!!

It's My Party

2009-02-05T11:56:00.001-05:00

The Elswick family trio strikes again:

Note from School

2009-02-03T13:56:00.001-05:00

Got a note from Alyssa's teacher at school today.

"I thought you would get a giggle that today at lunch, Alyssa picked Chicken Pot Pie. She then told the lunch ladies that she was allergic to peas and they would have to pick all the peas out of hers. "

Gotta love her. Sounds like something Gracie would do.

The Big P

2009-02-01T09:36:00.002-05:00

Saturday - Wen to Regers last to work on PingFit. It was cold in his office. Started coughing that night, ears hurt a little.

Sunday - Hacking a lot, not much sleep

Monday - Felt like crap. Coughing like a 3 pack a day smoker. Left work early. Still worked out though.

Tuesday - No sleep last night. I'm sure a lung is going to come up soon. Still worked out.

Wednesday - Keeping a plastic bag and spoon handy, just in case that lung does come up. No sleep but still worked out.

Thursday - No sleep, lungs burning, went to office anyway. Left to go to doc. Doc took xrays and says I have pneumonia in one lung. Great!!! Started me on antibiotics that are so big they have to be served in courses like a meal.

Today - Sunday - Still recovering. Tired, head hurts some, but not hacking as much. Gotta love it.

Shame

2009-01-29T20:00:00.002-05:00

I thought it funny in the news today. Obama states it's 'shameful' all the bonus' earned on Wall Street last year. Earned by individuals like you and me, with families, working long, hard hours and weekends. Doing what they were being hired to do and compensated accordingly.

But apparently it's not shameful for the actors in Hollywood to get paid tens of millions of dollars for thier movies. Not shameful for producers and directors and studio execs to get hundreds of millions each year for producing 'movies'.

Perhaps it's because of which group is donating to his campaign, which is not, and demonizing the free marketplace.

I don't know, you tell me.

Saturday

2009-01-24T13:56:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday was our 22nd wedding anniversary.

Vic got roses, we took the whole family out to dinner and had a real good time.

Thanks to everyone for their condolences, I'm sorry, I mean congratulations for reaching another milestone in our marriage. :)

And what would a long over due post be without a Gracie story.

Gracie runs to Vic with a very scared, concerned look on her face.

She yells "Mommy, Mommy, somethings wrong with my butt, please look at it!!!!" Then she turns around and bends over.

Vic asks "What is it, did you fall, does it burn?"

To which 5 yr old Gracie responds: "Noooo,,,,it's got a crack in it!!" And takes off running and laughing.

And how's your weekend going?

The Day After

2009-01-21T07:52:00.002-05:00

Ok, so we have a new president. I hope he is up to the task and will pray that he is 1/2 the man so many millions think he is.

As for the concept that this has changed America, a new day has dawned, we put demons behind us because we elected a black man to the presidency? I think it is an inspiration to young people of any race or color to know once and for all they can do anything. But other than that I say nothings really changed.

I will say this country has truly changed, has truly become color blind, is truly beyond the race baiting and issues when a black man is elected president and no one ever mentions the fact that he (or she) is black. I personally don't care if the person is green, I just want the right person for the job.

So here's to the new president. May he honor the constitution, defend our land and do what's right for this country and her people.

PingFit BETA

2009-01-16T14:46:00.003-05:00

Joe Reger and I have a new site up we're testing right now.

I know many of you have made New Years Resolutions to lose weight and get fit, well PingFit can help. It provides you with simple exercises you can do all day long. At work or at home.

You choose the exercise list you want and you get 'pinged' every 20 minutes (or 30, you can choose) to do the exercise.

It's in the infancy stage and we're looking for people to try it out and give us feedback. Please give it a shot and be sure to use the Feedback button to let us know what you think.

We'll be adding exercises and lists as quickly as possible to make it more worthwhile for everyone.

One other benefit. For now IT'S FREE!!!! That's right, for the duration of the BETA access to PingFit will be free. And if you help us out by using the site and providing a lot of feedback, when the site does become a pay to use site, you could get a free membership.

So come on. Give us a hand. Help the world get PingFitted.

- Joe

Hey Joe, where ya been?

2009-01-13T17:11:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a busy new year. Work, Vic and the kids have occupied an enormous amount of time. Lets see, what have we been doing:

- Christmas - big occupier of time.

- New Years - All of us hopped in the car and headed to Happy China for New Years Eve dinner. It's a little family tradition.

- Played a lot of Wii with the girls. Got my butt handed to me many times. The worse was when I got Lightsaber Duels and Alyssa slaughtered me the first time around.

- Took down all the Christmas decorations

- Cleaned the basement

- Cleaned house a lot

- Worked a lot

That's about it. Just so busy, no posts. And all in all we took only 5 photos Christmas day. Just,,,,,you guessed it,,,,,too busy.

More will be coming I promise.

Later

Update

2008-12-20T14:17:00.001-05:00

Hailey started running a fever last night, so we knew Strep had found another victim.

But the tests were negative.

Hailey just has some 'other' bug.

And I'm still germ free. :)

Frontline Update

2008-12-19T08:36:00.002-05:00

It's been two days since Strep was diagnosed at our house. Thus far Hailey and I are free from the scourge. (knocking on wood now).

Strep

2008-12-17T19:30:00.003-05:00

Joe here, writing from the front lines of the Strep outbreak at our household. So far the vile disease has infested Vic and 2 of our brood. Only Hailey and me stand alone against the biological onslaught.

It is a near impossible task I know, but with the help of Clorox Wipes, Lysol and a case of surgical masks I intend to get through this unscathed.

I know many of you will want to help, but its too late now. Save yourselves. Hailey and I are on our own.

If I haven't written back in a few days, you'll know what happened.

TTFN

Thanksgiving Trip

2008-12-12T11:37:00.010-05:00

Ok, so I’m woefully late in making a post. My apologies. It’s been a hectic few weeks.

Vic’s sick again, computers fried, routers fried, work, kids, locusts, floods, famine, Christmas decorations, etc, etc. But alas, here is the latest post which takes us up through December 5th.

The Loooooong Trip Home

When Vic and I first moved to Atlanta, the trip to our Kentucky hometown, ~355 miles, would take about 7 hours. I’ve done it in 5 hrs 15 min, but I was alone and didn’t stop for gas, food or pee break.

The 7 hour trip time was pretty average up until Hailey was born. The average time then jumped to 10 hours or more. And after Alyssa and Gracie joined us 12 hours was not uncommon. So based on previous performance, I wasn’t to excited about the long trip home the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

We left at 8:40am on Wed morning. Three hours later than I wanted to. (Hey, you wake 4 women up and get them in a car for an all day trip.) Anyway, we left and began burning rubber. Vic tried to sleep and the girls watched TV in the back. Joe drove.

We drove through Chattanooga, TN. No stops yet. Little traffic. Making good time.

Stopped for a potty break, handed out snacks, sandwiches and drinks. No restaurants this time. My goal was to make time.

We drove through Knoxville, TN. Stopped for another potty break and the girls began a session of Simon Says with me. Entertaining all the Holiday travelers with their antics. I was Simon of course.

On through Kingsport, TN and then Gate City, VA, where the speed limit is like 5 MPH and there are 10 cops per mile. That town plays havoc with a schedule.

Bang, outta Gate City and on to Kentucky.

We pulled into Vic’s home place at 3:30pm. What? Did I say 3:30pm? That means the trip, with Vic and 3 screaming youngins took us just under 7 hours. WOW!!

So, of course upon arrival the youngins started trashing the place. Situation Normal.

The next few days were very good. We had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house on Thursday and Vic’s parents on Friday. Friday morning I took Hailey and our little cousin to the Breaks Interstate Park to look at the views. They had a great time, saw some deer, played on a stage and generally enjoyed themselves.

The trip back was a little different. We left Saturday morning at approximately 11:30am. and hit traffic in Kingsport, TN. Waaaay earlier than expected. Then it started to rain. That nasty, misty rain that makes driving hell. Then we got to Knoxville, TN and just parked. No one was moving. We averaged around 5 mph around the city with pounding the steering wheel the whole way. We stopped and ate at a Cracker Barrel giving the girls a chance to stretch their legs and me to lower stress level.

The rest of the ride home sucked. Rain, dark, fog, mist, traffic, more rain. Finally got home around 8:30pm. 9 hours. Not too bad considering. We’ll see how the next trip goes.

Now, pics from the trip.

Gracie throwing rocks in the creek by Gran Gran and PaPaws.

Fed the goats by Gran Gran and PaPaws. Hailey would have nothing to do with them. Alyssa wanted to, but just couldn't. Gracie fed them, petted them and played with them all over the yard.

Hailey and Grace running down the road at Gran Grans.

Alyssa and Hailey on the swing at Gran Grans.

Upon arriving in the Breaks stumbled across 5 deer by the road. I stopped and took a few pictures. One was about 5 feet from my car door. Didn't seem to mind us at all.

We took our cousin McKenzie with us to the Breaks. Her's Hailey with her on one of the cliff trails.

McKenzie and Hailey at the State Line Overlook. From this spot, it's about 2,000 feet down to the river.

Hailey at the State Line Overlook. If you look back over her left shoulder you can see a railroad tunnel.

This is the Towers at the Breaks. It's about 1,700 feet down to the river from here.

We were lucky enough to see some Kayakers down on the river. It was 32 degrees where we were so I know they were cold.

McKenzie got stuck on a rock.

Hailey at the Towers sign.

There is an outdoor theater/stage in the Breaks.

Hailey and McKenzie had a sword (stick) fight. Acting out some make believe play.

MeMaw and PaPaw Joe, Thanksgiving Day.

Hailey, Alyssa, Gracie and McKenzie trashing Me Maw's house.

Thanksgiving spread at Me Maws.

McKenzie in front of Tocko's house.

Pilgrim Gracie.

The girls in Virgina on the way up to Kentucky.

Alyssa, Hailey and Gracie on the front porch swings at Tocko's.

Holiday Update

2008-12-07T22:44:00.001-05:00

Computer situation is almost resolved.

So, tomorrow I'll have an update on Thanksgiving trip to hometown and a Christmas update as well.

See ya!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T13:02:00.002-05:00

Due to major computer issues I've been unable to make any posts this week. My apologies to those of you waiting up nights for my next post. (uh,,,,that's a joke. :) )

Tomorrow we head across the fields and meadows to Grandma's houses for Thanksgiving. So it will probably be next week before I post again. So,,,,

Thoughts and prayers are with each and everyone one of you this Thanksgiving.

May your hearts be filled with happiness and joy from loving family and friends.

Joe

Good News / Bad News

2008-11-18T18:27:00.006-05:00

The past week has been event filled, both good and bad, happy and sad. The question comes then, which to write about first. Good news or Bad news.

Personally I always want to hear the Good News first. Start positive and go from there so to speak. So, on with the news:

Good News:

1. Alyssa turned 6 years old on November 11th. Hard to believe our ‘middle bit’ is already 6, but six she is. She got some cool gifts, a cool cake and had a great day.

Blowing out the candles.

Opening gifts, in this case a pretty red dress from MeMaw.

She is wearing this dress out. Vic got her the shoes.

2. The second good news this week is also about Alyssa. She lost her first tooth. It’s been loose for a couple of days and she insisted I pull it out. When I said no she proceeded to wiggle it constantly til it was too loose to stay in and I had to remove it. The funny thing though was when I pulled the string the tooth flew out of her mouth and flew across the room, bounced off the ceiling and landed on top of the bread box. The tooth fairy visited later that night and a happy Alyssa trotted off to school the next day very, very proud of herself.

3. Alyssa taught herself to stand on her head and to whistle in the last week.

4. Report cards are in for Hailey. The lowest score she got was in math, a 94. Further proof she takes after her old man. Me so proud!!

Bad News:
1. Growing up, my best friend lived just down the street from me. I spent a lot of time at that house playing, eating watching TV. Typical things young boys do. Used to call his Mother ‘Mom #2”.

Although my friend and I grew apart after I joined the service, I never made a trip back to Kentucky that I didn’t go down the street and see Mom #2. Of course, between work and the kids our trips back home over the past 10 years have become fewer and farther between. In fact it’s been several years since we’ve been home.

Well, as it turns out that would be the last time I would see Mom #2. She passed away last week. I couldn’t get home to the funeral, but my thoughts and prayers are with her and the family. I’ll always remember her talks, gossip, fried apple pies and the popcorn she made while we watched movies.

2. I also recently suffered the loss of a good friend. We met almost 20 years ago while serving in the Navy. We roomed together, went ashore together and pretty much watched each others backs for almost 3 years. Our wives became good friends and we ended up living about 60 feet apart in base housing. I thought we’d always be friends.

This past week my friendship with him ended. He and his wife divorced and because we choose to remain friends with both of them he wants nothing to do with us. He put it in a very nice, polite email, but it still says “Astala Vista Baby!”

All I can say is ‘whatever’, I didn’t have anything to do with the divorce. They were both our friends. But, since I was his friend, I will respect his wishes. I wish him and his new family the very best and hope he has a long happy life.

And how was your week?

Gracie's Lost Angel

2008-11-13T08:47:00.004-05:00

When we put Gracie in day care 2-3 days a week last year she knew none of the kids there. She was thrown into the mix with a dozen other 3 yr olds. It was your typical day care I suppose. Kids from all walks of life, colors, backgrounds, incomes etc. A real melting pot. After several months one of the kids stood out from the others. Angel.

Angel was a special child. She couldn't speak. She could only make grunting sounds. She was perfectly normal in every other way except her ability to vocalize sounds.

It didn't matter though cause Gracie and Angel hit it off from the start. Playing, fighting, arguing, stealing toys from each other, getting mad at each other then hugging and being best friends again. Two peas in a pod.

Angels Mother and Father both worked, one day shift and one night shift. As a result they had to drop her off VERY early at day care. On many mornings we'd drop Gracie off and Angel would be asleep in the corner. I always felt so sorry for her on those mornings. But if she wasn't asleep as soon as she'd see Gracie she'd make a loud sound and run across the room to hug Gracie. They'd hug and Gracie would start bossing her around and off they'd go. Angel was Gracie's very first friend. She talked about her all the time.

The school had been working with Angel and sending her to a special needs school in our county to help with her problem. They worked with her for months and finally had success. The very first words we ever heard the child say was Grace. The teachers at the school told us that was all Angel could say. It was so very special. We were so very proud of Angel, and proud of Gracie for being her friend.

Sadly, at the end of the last school year Angel's parents put her in a special program full time. So when Gracie started Pre-K this year Angel wasn't there. It was obviously the best thing for Angel, but Gracie was very, very sad. She would talk about Angel all the time. When driving her to school she'd say things like: "I wonder if Angel will be there to play with me today?" or "I wonder if Angel is talking yet?" or "I miss Angel." Even after months, she continued to talk about her Angel.

Well Tuesday of this week was Alyssa's 6th Birthday. ( I know I haven't posted about it yet. Let me get the pictures downloaded and I will. ) Anyway, on Wednesday they had a special little party for Alyssa at her school. Vic took in cupcakes and treats and also took in Gracie so she could enjoy too. I was at the office and couldn't attend, but I did get this email from Vic after she got home from the party:

----- Original Message -----
From: Vickie
To: Joe at Work
Sent: Wed Nov 12 13:11:25 2008
Subject: Gracie meets an old friend

Let me tell you what happened at Alyssa B-day party at school today. Gracie and I arrive and we set up the party. The kids all get back from specials and Gracie for once in her life was being very good. She was cracking all the kids up at Alyssa's table with knock knock jokes.

The party is winding down (only lasted 15 - 20 minutes) and Grace has to go potty. So I take her and we start out the door looking for the restroom. All of a sudden Gracie yells, "Angel!!", and sure enough, guess who was walking down the hall....Miss Angel herself from day care.

Gracie runs up to her and they hug, then Gracie looks at her and says, "Angel can you talk now?" and Angel says, "Yes!" Gracie starts jumping up and down screaming, "Angel, you can talk, you can talk!" There was a teacher escorting Angel and she told Gracie, "Yes, Angel can talk now. So I explained to the teacher how they knew each other from day care and how the only word Angel could say while she was there was Gracie's name and how they loved each other.

Angel then took Gracie by the hand and started pulling her down the hall. She told Gracie, "You Come." So we walked as far as the restroom with her and said our goodbyes. Angel was beaming and Gracie was beside herself. It was so touching and sweet to see these 2 little girls embrace each other and then Grace be so happy that Angel was overcoming her inability to speak. I saw something in Gracie that I've never seen before and that was pride in someone else's accomplishments, and this was something she felt with every fiber in her soul.

Vickie

Sitting there at the office I teared up. My little Gracie. The one I say is going to be a hit man for the mob, the one who beats up her older sisters, the one who's afraid of nothing and no one showed us all a whole different side to her.

I can tell you as I right this, I am prouder of Gracie at this moment than ever before. And I'm so happy for little Angel. She's a sweetheart and my little girls best friend.

Joe's Auto Industry Bailout Plan

2008-11-11T13:45:00.003-05:00

I didn't like the $700 Billion bailout for the financial institutions and banks. It helps them, but not the average Joe in America. Those institutions are being rewarded for stupid if not criminal behavior, they are kept afloat, but Joe Blow down the street is still out of his house.

Now we have the auto industry stepping up to the bowl wanting thier share of my paycheck. Well too bad I say. Those companies made bad decisions and continued to make big trucks and gas guzzlers even when all indications were that gas prices were going make them impractical eventually. Why just save the auto industry only while me, Joe Blow, am still sitting in a 4 gallon per mile SUV? Who's helping me?

So, I have my own bailout plan for the auto industry AND Joe Blow.

Take the $25 Billion dollars they're talking about and set up a car upgrade fund. Consumers like Joe Blow can take thier vehicle to any Ford, GM or Chrysler dealer and purchase ANY new vehicle and a percentage of the purchase price comes out of the fund. The percentage of the purchase price from the fund would be equal to the percent improvement in average MPG from a trade in vehicle to the new vehicle. Also, the purchase price of any of the new vehicle would be only $500 above dealer cost. The MSRP crap is out the window.

For example, I take my Ford Expedition to a Chrysler dealer and trade in on a more fuel efficient mini-van. By the numbers:
- Expedition - 18 mpg highway / 12 mpg city
- Mini-van - 24 mpg highway / 17 mpg city

So by upgrading to the mini-van I will improve my fuel economy by ~30%. (rounding up here).

Based on that info:
- Mini-van Dealer cost: $25,000 + $500 mark up.
- 30% Discount from fund. $7,650
- Price of mini-van for Joe, $17,850

Any amount owed on older vehicle would be handled as it is today by trade-in value and either the customer paying it off or left-over amount rolling into the amount of new loan.

I may be naive and this idea too simplistic, but it seems this type of arrangement would help both the auto-industry and the average consumer. Just giving the money to the auto-industry only helps them and the unions.

Anyway, thoughts are welcome. Criticism will be promptly ignored. :)

Happy Veterans Day

2008-11-11T11:29:00.003-05:00

Please find a moment to remember a veteran today and thank God for thier strength, courage and sacrifice.

Simon Says

2008-11-10T13:27:00.005-05:00

This weekend was not horrible or catastrophic, but definitely one for which I’d like do-over. Let me summarize:
- Friday morning – Smoke alarms went off for no reason. Kids terrorized. Had to clean them, seemed to solve the problem.

- Friday – Vic sick. Fever, running nose, coughing, miserable.

- Saturday – TV Repairs unsuccessful. Stuck with 16 yr old, 800 lb 32” job. It’s so heavy it has it’s own gravitational impact on our moon.

- Saturday night – Gracie get sick, up ALL night with Vic, maybe 2 hours sleep.

- Saturday night – Alyssa has nightmares and sleeps with me. Oh, and Alyssa doesn’t sleep well with anyone. She runs, thrashes, slashes, kicks, jumps and pokes everything around her. So I got little sleep.

- Sunday morning – Gracie hacking up lungs, take her to Urgent Care.

- Sunday night – smoke alarms go off again, found the root cause, steam from the bathroom. Too late, however, to prevent additional terrorizing of the kids.

- Sunday night – Gracie up all night AGAIN, with Vic.

- Sunday night – Alyssa has smoke alarm nightmares again and joins me in bed.

- Sunday night – Hailey decides she’s been left out of the all night activities and joins Vic and Gracie downstairs. Gracie won’t let Hailey get near her, so she screams and yells ensuring NO ONE got any sleep.

So Monday morning, our clan looks like a bunch of zombies. I’d like to formally request a do-over please.

In other news:

While I had Gracie at the Urgent Care center she became VERY bored. (big surprise there). So we played a little game of Simon Says, but this time, Gracie wants to be Simon. And it went like this:
Simon says put your hands on your head.
Simon says put tickle your nose.
Simon says bark like a cat.
Simon says jump up and down
Simon says poop like a dog.

Yep, we never really know what’s gonna come out of her mouth.

All for now, have a great day!!

Happy Birthday Marine Corps

2008-11-10T08:22:00.002-05:00

Many of my good friends are US Marines. Therefore, I must pay some homage to the many men and women of the Corps. Semper Fi!!!!

US Marine Corps Legacy

Sea Stories

2008-11-08T10:17:00.002-05:00

Most people who have served in the military have some sort of extraordinary story or experience. In the Navy we called the Sea Stories. When hearing a sea story though you must be aware of the fact that unless you are hearing the story from two people who actually saw it, you're more than likely going to get a little or a LOT of exaggeration.

There is an un-named RAF pilot in this story who will definitely have one to tell at the local pubs for a while. Blinded pilot. In case the link ever goes bad I'll summarize.
- 60 year old man is flying a Cessna in England
- Suffers a stroke and loses vision
- RAF pilot called into help
- RAF pilot flies (assume wingtip to wingtip) next to man all the way to landing, talking him down.
- Man lands safely and is taken to hospital where he is recovering.

Great story!!

On with Life

2008-11-05T21:01:00.002-05:00

In other events around the world, Gracie got in trouble at school today. Teacher says she can't keep her out of the little boys bathroom. I asked her tonight why she kept going in there and she said: "Cause the girls bathroom is boring!"

Gotta love her.

Difficult to Express

2008-11-05T01:08:00.003-05:00

I wasn’t happy with either of the choices for President this year, but in my opinion there was really only one choice. Unfortunately, many Americans were easily swayed. They bought the pied pipers song and dance and made a different choice.

My feelings about tonight and the election are difficult to express, but I have to put them down for a variety of reasons. I want to look back on them 4 years from now and see if I was right, wrong or somewhere in between.

My thoughts:

1. As unhappy as I am about the results, I’m still ecstatic we live in a country where we still have the freedom to choose our own leaders. Right or wrong, we make our bed and we have to sleep in it.

2. The events of tonight need to be celebrated as a triumph for an American, who happens to be black.

But I’m afraid any meaningful celebration will be short lived as vengeance and retribution will soon become the order of the day with his party firmly in power. I wonder how long it will be after Jan 20, 2009 that the investigations and witch hunts will begin.

3. Obama’s election should put to bed the BS we hear daily about America being a racist, white only nation. Jessie Jackson, the Black Panthers and other profiteers of ‘racial issues’ should now shut up and go the way of the KKK, far, far away.

But I know they will not. Those profiteers of race will now seek new ways to victimize their own people and neighborhoods for money and power.

4. Most of my friends supported Obama. They are good, intelligent people who I would trust with the lives of my family, yet I find it hard to understand their motivations.

Many have expressed that it is a time for change, time to try something new, the Republicans have screwed things up so lets try something else. But what else? I can change the oil in my car, but if I put water in there it’s not going to work too well.

The only change I heard from Obama was to go down the path towards socialism. Socialism is most famous right now as the political system of China, Cuba and North Korea. All oppressive, backward, corrupt societies controlled absolutely by their political leaders. Not a place anyone I know would want to live. So why did my friends vote this way?

5. Democratic party leaders have expressed desires to nationalize banks, financial institutions, the oil industry and perhaps others. Please show me one place where this has benefited the people. Hugo Chavez has done this over the last few years in Venezuela, Brazil too. Not a big success down there.

The reason they want to do this, if you don’t know, is power. Nationalizing these industry makes the party in power even more powerful, more influential and less likely to ever be voted out of power. Good for them, not for us.

6. Democrats are talking openly of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine to stifle free speech. What was once a right will soon become a privilege. At some point in the future will I be told to take down this blog because someone in Washington finds it offensive? If the Fairness Doctrine is expanded to include the new media its quite possible.

7. Obama spoke of a new ‘civilian security force’ separate from the military and presumably law enforcement as well. What will be their purpose? Who will they answer too?

8. I look at the tax burden I’m liable to incur next year and wonder how my family will fare. Working as hard as I do, 60, 80, 100 hours per week, why am I being targeted to pay more taxes. I pay plenty thank you very much. It surely isn’t providing incentive for me to work harder, it does the opposite.

9. The problems with the current economy started back in the 1990’s with a different congress and president. To think that putting that crew back in charge is going to change things is fanciful, wishful thinking.

Anyway, that’s what I’m feeling tonight. From a symbolic perspective, I’m truly glad to see a black man elected. But I vote for the man (or woman) based on what they stand for and their beliefs. Obama and I don’t believe in the same things and he was not the right choice for this country. Maybe in a few years I can look back on this and feel vindicated or perhaps I’ll feel remorse.

I know after the election of Bill Clinton I felt the same way. One year later I was looking first hand at the damage he was doing to our military and knew I’d been right.

So all we can do now is pray for the country and hope that God’s will and guidance will protect us and lead us forward in this new age. Sleep well tonight everyone. In a few months the man protecting us will be very different.

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T21:54:00.005-04:00

The girls have been hyper for 2-3 days unable to wait for Halloween. Especially Gracie. All three had parties at their schools, after which Gracie declared "It was the greatest party ever!!!". And being the wild one of the bunch, she should know.

The afternoon went by like days for them. The clock plodding slower and slower to the hour when they would don their costumes and venture out into the night. And when it came they hit the street with a fury. I don't have many pics cause they were moving too fast and I was trading sea stories with my neighbor, retired Navy.

The three girls before heading out.

This is the first time Hailey hasn't been some wholesome princess or cheerleader.

My two little princesses.

Nice shot of Alyssa.

The girls meet up with our neighbor Katie and begin to pillage the neighborhood.

Third house attacked. Missed pics of the first two, they were moving too fast.

A house further up the street. They always go all out for Halloween.

Ain't Luann a sweetheart!?!

Counting the loot.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-31T10:46:00.004-04:00

The girls and I went to the pumpkin patch the other day and I forgot to post any pics. So here they are.

Gracie getting her face painted.

The girls posing by a wagon on the farm.

During the hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

Out of the wagon, you can see Gracie burning rubber towards the pumpkins.

Slowed Gracie down long enough to get some little pumpkins.

Hailey picking cotton.

The girls sitting in the pumpkin patch.

Please note, I had nothing to do with Alyssa's prop.

Halloween at Ballet

2008-10-30T21:23:00.002-04:00

Tonight was ballet night for Hailey.
They wore thier costumes and had a blast.

The Election

2008-10-30T16:16:00.004-04:00

I find it difficult these days to watch the news on TV or browse the news on the net because of the election. The overwhelming bias of the media has absolutely sickened me. Yellow journalism is most assuredly alive and well in the United States.

The great number of hollywood idiots spouting their mouths off in favor of their candidate. Most of them do not have any serious education, understanding of basic economics or world history. They're just following the hollywood crowd. Clinging to a few issues and mantras which are important to them.

I'm appalled at the violence perpetrated on people who disagree with the left. Damage to cars, stealing of signs, physical violence etc. It's all over the news, one just has to look it up. It's deemed as 'OK' to bash someone cause they 'disagree' with them. When did this happen?

Someone hung (as if by a noose) an effigy of Obama on the University of Kentucky campus the other day. Secret Service, FBI, State Police etc were on the scene immediately. The effigy was torn down and a full scale investigation is underway to find out who perpetrated this horrendous act of racism.

Update 10/31: 2 individuals were arrested for hanging the Obama effigy.

In contrast, someone hung an effigy (as if by a noose) of Sarah Palin in hollywood the other day. The mayor, police, FBI etc got involved, but no one took it down. Its hung there for over a week and the owners of the house say it will stay there til Saturday.

Update 10/31: The Sarah effigy is down, but no arrests.

And what about bloggers? Some of the garbage I read on the internet is scary. I can't believe people can be so ignorant, racist, sexist and vile. And these are people from the party who is supposed to be open, tolerant and accepting. I suppose those things apply, but only if you swallow the kool aid and agree with everything they say.

This election has really disheartened me. It makes me wary for the future my girls will grow up in. I am teaching my girls they can do anything they want. The media and hollywood in this election is saying otherwise. They're teaching our children that you can be a woman and do anything you want as long as you are pro-abortion, not religious, hate guns etc. If you're not a left-wing babe, you don't count.

The absence of an unbiased, objective media coupled with a power hungry political party who has repeatedly shown they will do anything to silence the voice of opposition is a dangerous path for this country and we should all be concerned.

Ok. That will be my only foray into politics until after the election.

Later.

One Hundred Milliamps

2008-10-26T17:30:00.002-04:00

Each Christmas people across the world decorate their homes with lights of all shapes, sizes and colors. This tradition has spilt over to the decorating people do for Halloween as well, and this is also the case at our home.

Last year we got some Halloween lights to hang outside. Some look like big eyeballs, some look like little crystal skeletons and some are just basic, run-of-the-mill Christmas lights, but with orange light bulbs. Last year we used all but the plain orange lights.

This year it was my bright idea to decorate more than usual for Halloween. Don’t know where this bug in my butt came from, but to scratch it the girls and I went to the basement and pulled out everything we have.

As with any decorative lighting activity, the first thing you do is plug them in and make sure they work. There’s nothing that makes me feel more stupid than working hard to hang lights, only to find out they don’t work.

So Vic and I started plugging them in and checking for problems. Everything was fine until I got to the ‘never before used’ orange lights. On the very first bunch I pulled out only half of the lights worked. Dang!! So I started looking, one by one, at each bulb to see if one was missing or broken. I just hate it when this happens ‘cause I know I’ll end up pulling out bulbs one by one and replacing with the spare till they start working. Then, as I was pulling the strand of lights threw my hands I looked down and saw this.

I was standing there holding bare copper wires connected to a 120v outlet. I immediately barked at the girls to step away from me and for Vic to unplug the strand NOW!!!

Vic unplugged the lights and I composed myself. I didn’t want to get too excited around the girls, but WOW. That was close. It only takes 100 Milliamps to stop your heart. Way more than that was in my hands right then. I was very lucky.

We bought those lights over a year ago, so taking them back isn’t an option. I don’t even remember where we got them or who made them. I don’t even have the original box.

So let this be a lesson for everyone out there. It may sound corny, old fashioned or dorky, but before plugging in your Christmas or Halloween lights, visually inspect the strands. Look for frays, cuts or anything out of the ordinary. It could have gone very different for me today. Don’t count on luck the next time you’re decorating for the holidays.

Well that’s all for now. Glad to be here. G’nite.

Things We Can't Choose

2008-10-24T13:17:00.005-04:00

Feeling a little punch drunk right now, having worked 20 of last 36 hours. So I decided to have some fun.

There are few things in life you can really choose. Your wife, your dog, your car, your house or your hair color just to name a few. And with the exception of your wife you can pretty much get rid of any of those without much pain, suffering, litigation, mental anguish or emotional scarring.

Family, however, is a different story. The gene pool you were spawned from is yours for life. All those aunts and cousins, brothers and sisters, rednecks and inmates are yours whether you like it or not.

And just like you can't control who your family is, you can't control what pictures I, excuse me, I mean your family shares with the world.

My beautiful neice Lindsay. Although it looks like a mugshot, I believe this was a photo she sent to this guy she's hot for.

There are just some places you can't take your Mother. Small boats 200 yds off the coast is one of them. Don't worry, I got out of the line of fire right after this shot was taken.

My cousin Laura. Beautiful, funny, sincere and oh yes, very blonde. She actually believed a Georgia State Patrol officer called her on her cell phone while tracking her via satellite to tell her she was speeding.

Although my life was threatened if I ever published this picture of my cousin Tabeth, she lives far enough away that I feel pretty safe.

Every family has their hunters. You know, those 'real' men who put on their cammies and head into the woods to shoot tasty animals. Well, these men have to start somewhere, which is where my next picture comes into play. My nephew Daniel, the great hunter.

Although my Father was in the Navy, he donned this helmet for a baby Hailey. I think he's trying to look like an astronaut.

All for now!!

Protecting the President, Vice President and Candidates

2008-10-22T10:41:00.004-04:00

There are real people in this world who would like to do harm to any number of politicians or celebrities. Especially the President of the United States or candidates running for President. As such, these individuals deserve absolute protection. I don't care if it's Bush, McCain, Obama, whoever. The President and thier families must be protected from harm. Real or imagined.

Which is why I love this video so. Some nut jobs think they can stop Sarah Palin's motorcade in Colorado. They're obviously too stupid to realize stopping a motorcade isn't just an act of protest. It places the target here in real jeopardy. Which is why any such action is dealt with swiftly and severly.

When I'm 80!

2008-10-21T18:10:00.007-04:00

Monday, Oct 6th: My Aunt fell and cracked her skull. She's recovering, but has to have surgery next Monday to remove bone fragments from around the inside of her eye socket.

Tuesday, Oct 7th: My father fell and cracked his skull. Took 7 staples to stitch him up and he is doing fine.

Monday, Oct 20th: Last night my Uncle fell and cracked his skull. Blood everywhere and a few bruises, but he's doing ok.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE!?!?!

As a result of the events listed above to my Father, his Brother and Sister, I have decided that upon reaching the age of 80 I will start wearing a helmet around the house at all times.

I would start wearing one now, but the only one I have is this one which belongs to Hailey. It's just a tad too small I think.

Depression and There's a First Time for Everything

2008-10-19T17:17:00.003-04:00

In the Fall of 1996 when Vic and I knew we would be moving to Atlanta, we took a whirlwind house hunting trip of 4 days. In 4 days we toured almost 20 houses around Atlanta and ended up buying one in Suwanee. Looking back on that purchase it was probably a mistake. Shortly after moving in we found tons of things we didn't like, especially Vic. She wanted something bigger with a better back yard.
So, within 18 months of moving in, we were occasionally 'browsing' new subdivisions around Atlanta.

My job changed in 2000 right after Hailey was born. It was an 18 mile commute each way, but it was all back roads. By leaving at 6:00am, it took 45 minutes, and each evening my commute was at least 1 1/2 hours. Something had to change. So, we started house hunting, not just browsing. And low and behold we found our present abode. Big enough for Vic with a matching mortgage big enough to work me to death. My deal with Vic was you get a big house, I get a BIG TV.

We moved into our house in Dec '01. The BIG TV (Sony 51" Widescreen HDTV) moved in before the Super Bowl in Jan '02. Life was good.

But alas, nothing lasts forever. This morning she died. Bit the big one. Sucked her last tiny electron from the local power grid. And now I am depressed. Not only did I have to work all night and this morning, but my TV died.

Being Joe, I can't take this lying down. When a man's favorite electronic device breaks down, what must he do? He has to go buy a bigger, better electronic device. I believe it's in the Man Rulebook somewhere. And this is exactly what Joe did.

First, I surfed the net, then I hit the road. Immediate replacement is necessary to prevent any harm to the Man Psyche (or however it's spelled). Being familiar with the latest technologies, products and my own desires of course, I quickly picked out the replacement product and required stand. And that's where I stopped.

We've been doing everything possible to cut back on expenses this last year due to Vic's medical bills and the ginormous pay cut I took last year. So how on earth can I justify forking over more than 2 grand on a TV. So I took the mature, responsible course of action. I walked out of the store and came home. Yep, there's a first time for everything.

Now in the family room we're using the 800lb 32" TV which was in our bedroom. I know it's 800lbs because Vic and I had to move it down the stairs by ourselves. I think the house shifted on it's foundation as we moved it. Until times get better or we win the lottery, it will be our main TV for a while. No Super Bowl parties around here anytime soon.

And how was your day.

dNeero Survey

2008-10-17T17:15:00.001-04:00

Welcome friends, family, acquaintences, aliens and Californians. Another dNeero survey for your pleasure. Please participate if you have the time. All proceeds I get from this are automatically given to charity, so it's a good cause.

Today's Outrage

2008-10-16T09:26:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine works in a large office and gets to see first hand the hypocrisy sometimes associated with large companies. Take for example the story he related to me today:

Over the past 2 years the constant theme of his company has been saving money. In town halls he is encouraged to come up with ideas to 'save money'. The thermostat in the building was increased to 80 degrees this summer to save money. No more free coffee is provided and the water cooler was taken away. All the lights go off at 6:00pm. Emails from leadership continually talk about cost cutting measures and reduced budgets. He gets notifications that bonus' will probably be lower this year due to the economy. Over the past 2 years he's watched wave after wave of layoffs.

BUT, today there was a gift on his desk. Yes, a gift from the powers that be. What pray tell could it be? A new communications tool to improve efficiency? A new mouse to replace the 1999 model he's currently using? A flash drive so he can share files with coworkers without clogging up email? Oh my goodness, what could it have been?!?

It was a glass trophy celebrating a new company initiative.

What?!? A glass trophy? Celebrating an 'initiative'?

Friend: "I thought we were going broke. I thought we didn't have any money. Turn up the temp, turn off the lights, layoff the workers, take away the coffee, yada yada yada. AND SOME MENTAL GIANT IN LEADERSHIP AUTHORIZED WASTING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON THIS GARBAGE!!!! THAT MONEY COULD BE IN MY BONUS CHECK!!!!!"

I try to comfort my friend. I tell him we must assume someone making a LOT more money than him and probably with a much higher IQ and better education thought this was a good idea.

So I try to come up with a good reason for this to have been done, to help my friend feel better.

Perhaps it was done to improve morale? Based on my friends reaction, I don't think it's doing that. Scratch that idea.

I know, it was done to build team spirit and camaraderie. On second thought, I don't think it's helping with that either. All his comrades are in bad moods now and this thing is the perfect size for throwing. Not a good combination.

Oh I know, money was wasted on this glass paper weight and future landfill material to build company loyalty. Nah, it's not doing that either.

I can't provide my friend any comfort and no plausible reason his company would do something so blatantly stupid.

So now my friend is just depressed!!!

And how is your day going?

Joe's Haircut

2008-10-14T17:58:00.003-04:00

It's been 8 weeks since my last hair cut. After spending over 9 years in the Navy, I got pretty used to a nice, well groomed and short hairstyle. So after 8 weeks, I felt kinda like a member of the Doobie Brothers or Willie Nelson. So, time for a trim.

There's nothing like the feeling of a fresh hair cut. You can feel the wind on your neck and ears again. Washing your hair is faster and easier. Combing this wirey substance on my head is simplified. Yes, I love a hair cut.

And I'm not particular either. After enduring an endless supply of good and bad barbers in the Navy, I found I wasn't real picky about the cut. Just short please. Think Ron Howard from Happy Days and cut away. I can't remember any barbers or stylists I ever disliked.

So, after work today I head to the local hair salon for my trim. I was immediately greeted by a comedic, stereotypical, southern hair stylist. I don't mean to be mean or offensive to any highly educated, Rhodes Scholar winning stylists (if there are any). But I felt as if I'd left the quaint metropolitan area north of Atlanta for a trailer park in southern Mississippi.

The gem of a gal who greeted me was half blond, half roots and had a thick redneck accent. Not the nice, polite southern accent associated with tea parties, church socials and SEC Sorority girls. I'm talking the blunt, trashy redneck speech associated with uneducated white trash. (If anyone who reads this has family you consider to be white trash, I apologize now. I'm sure this woman was far worse than any of your kin folk. You're obviously to hard on your kin.)

Where was I, oh yes, the stylist. You may be thinking: "Joe, why are you being so hard on this poor southern woman." Well let me share with you some of the pearls of wisdom she shared with me:

- "What size clipper do you want me to use. If'n you don't tell me I'll shave ya head."

- I told her I just wanted a cut, I'm not the stylist, I don't know clipper sizes. To which she responds: "Ok, it's your head. Yell if it looks too short."

- "I don' t tell my husband I love him cause then he won't appreciate me no mo."

- "I don't let my children near the computer. It's the devil." (I'll never be able to watch Waterboy again and not think of this woman.)

- "I'll be married a lot longer than you. Me and my husbands got true love." (Note: She's been married 15 yrs. Vic and I have been married 21 yrs. Seems she has a math problem too.)

- "I can't believe the hard time they's giving Sarah Palin's daughter for being pregnant at 17. I had my first kid at 16 and look how I turned out."

- "Computers are evil and the main problem with this world." (Note: This was after I told her I worked in software development, and of course, after I explained to her what that was.)

- "There's nothing wrong with gettin pregnant at 16 and being a single mom. Builds character."

And believe it or not, when she was done I looked like Eddie Munster. I couldn't believe it. I hated what she did to my head. I hated it so bad I didn't ask her to fix it, I just wanted to leave.

I actually came home, grabbed Hailey's craft scissors and cut my own hair in the bathroom. Vic thought I was crazy.

I must say, I look much better now.

Never again will that woman cut my hair.

Update on Pop and the Girls

2008-10-08T17:37:00.003-04:00

They let Dad out of the hospital this morning. No problems with the ticker and heads all patched up.

I did forget to mention one other thing which happened last night. When we called to speak with him, he was telling us about the car hitting the ambulance. Then just off the cuff he said: "I guess she forgot to hit the 'A' button."

Took me a minute, then I got it. He was talking about what Gracie said a week or so ago.

That's my Dad, took a hit to the head and still sharp as a tack.

In other news, Hailey had her second trip to the Orthodontist. Today they installed her 'expanders'. She's in a bit of discomfort and minor pain right now, but I've no doubt she'll be tough and get through this.

At Pre-K today Gracie took a little side trip. She decided to visit the little Boys room and see what was going on in there. She emerged an enlightened young woman, proudly proclaiming little boys pee'd through thier belly button.

And how was your day?

My Fathers Day

2008-10-08T00:44:00.002-04:00

Tuesday:
~7:00am – Sister calls: Dad (84 yrs old) has fallen and gashed opened head. Blood everywhere. EMTs are working on him, but he started having chest pains. So they’re loading into ambulance for 25 mile ride to hospital.

~8:30am – Sister calls: Some bimbo rammed into the ambulance. Condition of occupants unknown. Additional emergency vehicles have been summoned.

~10:00am – Friend calls: Dad at hospital. Wreck caused no injuries in ambulance, but Dad and Mom had to be loaded into another ambulance due to damage.

~1:50pm – Sister calls: Dad received 7 staples and is resting comfortably. No issues with heart.

And how was your day?

Thanks

2008-10-06T18:27:00.003-04:00

Thanks for the Birthday wishes. Hard to believe this picture was taken almost 30 years ago.

Happy Birthday Joseph

2008-10-06T11:32:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to the greatest father and husband in the world!!
How's it feel to be 35 for the 10th time!!! oops did I say that....
Love you with all my heart!
Vic

Gracie Loses a Tooth

2008-09-30T21:38:00.003-04:00

Gracie lost a tooth this evening.
She's so proud.
I tried to pull out last night, but it just wasn't ready. She pushed it out tonight with her tongue and spit it in Vic's hand. Gotta love her!!!

Test Results

2008-09-30T20:05:00.002-04:00

We got Vic's test results back today. The mass was benign.
Thanks to everyone for thier thoughts and prayers!!!

Unlikely Hero

2008-09-28T19:56:00.001-04:00

I’m writing this story tonight about a man I knew when we were both young. We weren’t friends. I honestly don’t recall every speaking to him. We went to school together, graduated in 1981 and never saw each other again.

He wasn’t a jock with a body of muscle and cheerleaders in tow. He wasn’t a nerd, with an IQ of 150. From what I remember he was just your average, ordinary, young man. For the past 27 years the only time I every thought about him was when I’d go through the yearbook and see his picture.

This all changed recently when he made the news in my hometown for an act of bravery, which I just learned about yesterday. Although I have very few details I feel compelled to write something about him. For personal reasons, I won’t reveal his full name, but he was known to everyone as Acey.

I don’t have all the details, but I do know this. A tree started to fall on a 3-year-old little boy. Acey ran towards the boy and pushed him out of the way and in doing so was caught in the path of the tree.

Following multiple surgeries, Acey sits now in a hospital facing months of therapy to deal with two broken shoulders, a broken neck and a broken leg. The little boy, by the way, is fine.

This type of gallantry is something you only hear about when reading of Marines, Navy Seals and Medal of Honor winners. Men, who without hesitation, were willing to sacrifice themselves for another.

So here’s to Acey. A man who faced a horrible situation, took action without thought for his personal safety and saved the life of a small child.

Tonight, raise your glass for another American Hero.

Weekend Wrapup

2008-09-28T18:35:00.004-04:00

Just a few notes to wrap up the week.

Vic is doing good. Still very sore, very bruised, but that is to be expected. Now it’s just waiting for the test results.

Gracie is still our general source of entertainment as evidenced here:

We asked there girls what they wanted for dinner tonight and Alyssa said “Moose of the Cow”. We asked her what that was and she said Burger King. Not sure where she got that from. Oh yea, she’s started meditating. Not sure where she got that from either.

We have another school project for Hailey. Another ‘diorama’, which is a 3 dimensional representation of something in a shoe box. Someone getting millions of government dollars in grants had to have come up with that one. I’m trying to talk Hailey into doing Paul Revere’s ride.

Alyssa has a project this week. She has to bring in a snack for the whole class that begins with the letter ‘P’. It’s like Sesame Street on steroids I guess. So Vic and the girls made popcorn and put into individual bags for each of the kids in Alyssa’s class, along with some pretzels as well.

Been on Facebook for a few months now. Not many friends, but it’s starting to grow. Ran across some really old friends in the last few days which is kind of cool. Vic has her own page now as well.

All for now, here’s hoping the gas holds out so I can get to work this week.

Another Doc Visit

2008-09-25T13:06:00.005-04:00

I haven’t mentioned before, but last Friday Vic had a mammogram/ultrasound and they found something. Nothing huge, nothing the radiologist said to be worried about, but they said the doc would want to do a biopsy anyway. So this morning we went to the doctor's office and met with the doctor. We reviewed the film and he was very confident it was benign, but since it was obviously a solid mass he had to do a biopsy and they were going to do it now.

The nurse came for Vic and started taking her back to the room for the procedure. I followed of course, since I’d already gotten Vic’s approval to take pics of the procedure, just like she did of me while having my nose sliced and diced. The nurse said no!!. Can you believe it? She said there wasn’t enough room in there for me to be running around taking pics. Bummer! As they walked away and I could over hear Vic telling her about me and Reger putting pics of just about anything on our websites. Although to be honest, Reger’s put a lot more disgusting things on his site than I have.

Anyway, while they were in there the doc removed the entire mass from her breast. Got all of it. We're expecting the test results back in a couple of weeks. So now Vic is resting at home, very, very sore and uncomfortable. They have her chest wrapped up tight as a drum. I'm going to have a hard time keeping the girls off of her this evening.

So the news is good for now. Sis, folks don't know about this and you're not to tell them yet.

And since I couldn’t get a pic of the procedure, Vic let me get a pic of the incision when we got home. Note: This is a pic of the upper left side in case you're thinking I'm posting pics of my wifes boobs on line. That's my other site. :)

Anythings Possible

2008-09-24T10:57:00.002-04:00

Once again Gracie has center stage in family news.

Background: Gracie and Alyssa love to play our Nintendo Gamecube. One of their favorite games is Mario Kart where they race these wild cars around different courses.

Today: After dropping Hailey and Alyssa off at their school, I was taking Gracie to hers. There was a lot of traffic and Gracie got impatient.

Gracie: "Go on Dad! What are you waiting on?"
Joe: "There's traffic honey, cars are in front of me and I can't go anywhere."
Gracie: "Well hit the 'A' button and jump over these guys!!!"

Got Gas?

2008-09-22T17:44:00.003-04:00

For those of you not in the metro Atlanta area, especially the northern suburbs, allow me to fill you in on the local news. WE GOTS NO GAS!!!!

All the stations around here are dry as a bone. I got out Sunday morning and found a station and filled mine up, so I'm good for a few days. Other people are not so lucky.

So, time to eat some beans and franks.

In other news, Gracie has been at it yet again. Our little mouth of the south.

1. She was in the local pop stop getting pepsi and peanuts with Vic. As they were checking out, 2 young men got in line behind them. Gracie turned around and the following conversation ensued:

Gracie: "Are you strangers?"
Man: "Huh?"
Gracie: "Are you strangers?"
Man: "Well yes, I guess we're strangers."
Gracie: "You're not supposed to be talking to me then."
Man: "Yes, you are right, YOU are not supposed to be talking to me."

As they walked out the door Gracie looked at Vic and said: "Those strangers were nice."

2. On the way to pick up Alyssa and Hailey at the bus stop, Vic and Gracie saw the mail man driving down the street. Vic decided to wait until he got there so Grace could get the mail from him. The following conversation ensued:

Gracie: "Hi. My names Gracie, but you can call me Gracelyn."
Mailman: "So you're name's Gracie?"
Gracie: "No, I'm Gracelyn 'The Hope' Elswick."

After the mailman drove away she looked up at Vic and said: "Mommy, he was a nice stranger too."

And if I haven't mentioned before, for the last 6 months or so, Gracie refers to herself as Gracelyn 'The Hope' Elswick. Like she's some sort of prize fighter or something. She came up with it on her own. Not sure what inspired her.

3. Sitting on the couch in the family room, Grace crawls up into Vic's lap, where she posed the following question/answer session:

Gracie: "Mommy, why are there bad words."
Vic: "There just are honey. Some words are just not nice or polite."
Gracie: "Like poop, pee and what the hec?"
Vic: "Yep, those are bad words. Don't say them."

Internet Savy

2008-09-20T10:17:00.003-04:00

Most of you may be familiar with those pop-up ads on the Internet where it tells you "You've just won this or that" or "click here for a free laptop". Well my girls frequently visit Disney, NickJr, Barbie and a few other sites to play games. Gracie clicked on an ad within one of those site the other day and a pop-up appeared. A voice said: "You are eligible for a new Apple iPhone. Click here for details". Gracie sat there a second. Then said to the computer. "Aaaaaa,,,,,,No." And closed the little window.

Trip to the Orthodontist

2008-09-18T15:57:00.001-04:00

Well it’s confirmed. Our little Hailey has to have braces. Not only that, she has to have expanders, then braces, then who knows how many years worth of dental work done. Doctor said yesterday she was missing several permanent teeth, some are sideways etc. So our babe has a lot ahead of her. They put in spacers yesterday.

Price tag you may ask? Well,,,,,unless you’re going to contribute to the “Feed Joe So He can Stay Fat” campaign don’t ask. I’ve made down payments on cars less than yesterdays’ bill, and that was just the first 18 months worth of work. Doc said we’re looking at several years here. Too bad they’re cracking down on panhandlers downtown. I work down there so it could be a second source of income for me.

Next up will be Alyssa. For those of you who didn’t know, she was born with a tooth. It was very loose and had to be pulled when she was just a few days old, but sure enough she had one. Well now she’s missing one and we’re just hoping the same problem doesn’t develop with her. Then I will be panhandling down town for sure.

All for now.

Birthday Song

2008-09-17T10:09:00.005-04:00

The girls usually call immediate family members and sing to them on their birthday. The song is one we write and practice before making the call. (Have to do it by phone since all our family lives far away.)

Yesterday was my sister MeMe’s FIFTIETH Birthday. That’s 50. Half a century. So we wrote a special song for her and sang it to her last night.

MeMe ain’t it Nifty,
You turned Fifty,
MeMe ain’t it Nifty,
You turned Fifty,

We just called to say,
Happy Birthdaaaaaaaaay!!!!

MeMe ain’t it Nifty,
You turned Fifty.

Latest Update - Catching up for a Week

2008-09-15T14:07:00.002-04:00

Ok. I promised more, so today’s a huge update.

1. I’m just about done with this dang cold/sinus infection. It’s been over 3 weeks now and 20 horse pill anti-biotics, so it’s about time. There’s not much more irritating, more disappointing than to be experiencing a beautiful summer day with clogged sinuses, headache, coughing, sneezing, snotting etc.

2. Gracie, our Social Butterfly:
I mentioned previously that Gracie had a urinary infection. Here’s the rest of the story. Last Monday evening she complained that it burned really badly when she pee’d. Several times this occurred and she wasn’t very happy about it. She still wears nighttime panties (pull-ups) and in the middle of the night when she pee’d she cried out for me. I of course went in and comforted her, but it was obvious she needed to see a doctor. On Tuesday morning I called the pediatrician and got an appointment. We got dressed and headed out.

Now, if anything can be said about Gracie it’s that she’s not shy. Not in the least. She’s a talker, which makes any trip to the doc fun. We were called back to the room and Gracie took her place on the examination table. The doctor came in and she started.

“Doctor, are you gonna put that stick in my mouth this time?”
“Doctor, are you gonna look in my ear?”
“Doctor, do I have to pee in a cup?”
“Doctor, what’s that thing around your neck?”
“Doctor, am I gonna get a shot?”
“Doctor, it hurts when I pee are you gonna fix that?”
And on, and on, and on. It was difficult to speak with the doc cause she never stopped talking.

We had told Gracie she may have to pee in a cup and she was very worried about this. Not sure why, but it scared her. The doc told her she needed to do this and walked us down the hallway to the restroom. Gracie challenged the doctor the entire trip about the need to pee in a cup.

“Pee’s dirty. It goes in the toilet not in a cup.”
"You're supposed to drink out of a cup, not pee in it."
“You’re not supposed to touch pee.”
“I’m not burning now, I must be all better, I don’t need to pee in a cup.”
“What are you going to do with the pee?”

We entered the restroom and Gracie assumed her rightful spot on the throne. I got the cup, swabbed as instructed, told her to start and she did. The doc wanted her to pee a little bit before I started collecting, so I let Gracie start then asked her to stop. She couldn’t, so I had to insert the cup into the stream as quickly as possible. Although there was no alternative, this was not a good move.

Pee got all over my hand, my wrist, the cup and the toilet. Gracie saw this and started laughing out loud causing her to pee harder and for the pee to start going everywhere, which caused her to laugh even harder, making it even worse. Fortunately, I did get some in the cup. I don’t think Gracie will be shy about peeing in a cup ever again.

I washed up, cleaned up Gracie, cleaned the cup, cleaned the toilet seat and we went back to the exam room. Of course Gracie had to tell everyone along the way that she pee’d on me in the restroom. Oh the joys of parenthood!!!

The doc said they saw blood in her urine and she had a high white count so she prescribed antibiotics and sent us on our way. Another successful visit and another $300 or more.

Now last Tuesday was also Vickie’s Birthday so I took the family out for dinner at Longhorns. As soon as the waitress arrived at the table, Gracie started. Loud and clear so no one could mistake she had something to say:

“Hi, my name’s Gracie!”
“Today’s my Mommy’s birthday. You have to bring out a cake and sing to her.”
“It burns when I pee cause I’m sick. I got an imfection”
“Daddy took me to the doctor this morning and I had to pee in a cup. I pee’d all over Daddy too, he wasn’t very happy about it.”

The waitress was laughing, Hailey about pee’d herself, I was laughing, Vic was laughing, I think everyone within hearing distance was laughing.

Gotta love her!!!

3. School: When I was in 8 years old, school started at the end of August or early September. Then we had off until Christmas Break, usually 2 weeks. After this we were in school until mid-May when we took off for summer.

Here, they start school first week of August and guess what? THEY ARE ALREADY OFF FOR A WEEK!! Goodness gracious. So all the brood are at the house now. Screaming, yelling, making messes, fighting, playing,,,,the usual.

All for now. Later.

More to Come

2008-09-09T21:24:00.002-04:00

Ok. Gracie developed a urinary infection.
Had to take her to the doctor.
She had to pee in a cup.

That was just the beginning.

Will write more on this tomorrow.

In the meantime, today is my lovely wife's Birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIC!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Curahee

2008-09-02T21:22:00.005-04:00

Ok. I may as well post it.
My goal to run Curahee this year is over. Too many negative things over the past 4 months getting in the way. Too much weight to lose in such a short amount of time, surgery, work, family commitments. I've known this for over a month now, just not been able to actually make the post. Now I am.

So where to from here? On the year, I'm still down almost 20 lbs since Jan 1st. Still have my gym and entertainment set up. Still have the desire to lose all my excess weight. I just have to turn that desire into discipline and action.

Curahee will have to happen next year. Gives me over a year to lose the weight I want to lose and to train better and longer. So I hope anyone intent in joining me this year, will be willing to do so next year.

I'm going to start back again. Perhaps smarter this time. Definitely slower this time. Will try to set more realistic expectations. This is something I have to do for myself and my family.

All for now. G'nite.

What's That?!?

2008-08-31T13:15:00.005-04:00

Vic yells at me to come see something. I walk towards the front door expecting to see a spider, ant or some other helpless insect my girls want slain. Instead, I was greeted with another sight. And of course I had to go grab my camera and take a few photos.

See anything interesting here?

Oh, looks like Gracie found it.

"OH NO DADDY!!! ALYSSA FELL ASLEEP BY THE FRONT DOOR!!!"

I swear Alyssa can sleep anywhere. She plays until the tanks empty and she just falls over.

Next pic is my beautiful Vic. She's got a cold now, but no bad head pain for a week. Knock on wood. Not sure where she got the cold from. :)

Hailey's school project was this week. She had to pick a country and create a presentation, plus bring in one food dish from the country. Hailey chose New Zealand cause her best friend, sadly, moved there last year. The dish Hailey and Vic chose to make was called Pavlova. It is absolutely out of this world good.

All for now. Later.

Pain

2008-08-29T08:41:00.002-04:00

This sinus infection just won't go away. Headache is still there, pounding, consuming, taking away all my thoughts and focus. I've had it now for 5 days.

Vic's had hers for 3 1/2 years. I don't know how she stands it.

Call the CDC

2008-08-27T15:42:00.002-04:00

On Sunday night I developed a sore throat and started getting sinus congestion. By Monday morning the only thing I was good for was target practice. Major headache, sinus pressure, throat was like razor blades,,,pure misery.

Went to the doc got some nice horsepills he referred to as antibiotics.

Tuesday was worse, but finally got a little sleep last night

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

Alyssa's Big Day

2008-08-22T13:13:00.005-04:00

Ok, I'm three weeks late with this. Been a little busy.

Alyssa started Kindergarten Monday, Aug 4th. Yep, she's a schooler now. She was so excited to go to the same school as Hailey. I think she was even more excited about getting to ride the bus home from school.

Here's pics of her and Hailey that first morning.

And here's one of Alyssa getting off the bus later that week.

Of course she did have a little bit of trouble on the bus for a few days. Some boys were pestering her from behind. Blowing in her hair, pulling her hair etc. Gracie had a bit of a problem with this and publicly announced she was going to get on that bus and kick those boy's butts!!! And I think she would.

In other news, Gracie took a bit of a spill today at school. Ran down a hill (against the teachers wishes) and scraped up her leg. Miss Lisa said she only shed 1 tear. Didn't cry more than a second. What can I say? She's tough!!!

The Georgia Crisis

2008-08-22T08:41:00.003-04:00

My Father-in-Law, K.D. , passed this one on to me:

"In the news today, the presumptive democrat candidate for president will be visiting Georgia today in an effort to resolve the current crisis. His campaign headquarters confirmed yesterday his convoy will be leaving Birmingham, Alabama at 10:00am this morning for the dangerous 150 mile journey to the capital of Georgia. Geraldo will be with him."

Gotta love K.D.

Nausea

2008-08-21T15:16:00.004-04:00

I did have a very politically motivated vent, if you will, about my feelings for the assumed democratic presidential candiate. I decided to delete it since I don't want this to be a political blog.

Olympics

2008-08-19T08:22:00.002-04:00

I've watched as much Olympics as possible these last two weeks considering my unbelievable work schedule. I even managed to fit a line about Michael Phelps into Hailey's 3rd Grade project.

She had to pick a country and writing about it. Including fascinating facts. I gave her this one to include:
- New Zealand has one 33 Gold medals in it's Olympic history.
- Michael Phelps has won 14 Gold medals in the last 4 years.

I think that gets my point across.

Now, to gymnastics. I've watched the womens gymnastics and rooted as much as anyone for our team. Like most people in the world, I believe there are 3 or 4 girls on the Chinese team which are no more than 13 years old. No one in the IOC seems willing to make them play by the rules. But I think our own gymnast Nastia Liukin said it all without saying a word. After being technically robbed of the Gold medal, on the podium she looked down at little 12 or 13 year old He and gave her the look a teenage babysitter gives a spoiled brat. I think that's priceless.

ok. Done ranting today.

Save the World, Eat a Rat

2008-08-13T13:21:00.005-04:00

Ok. I've been down on myself lately. Sick, hurt, tired, fat, unmotivated, yada yada yada.

So I've decided today's post will be positive. That's right. I will turn myself around, stop feeling sorry for myself and use the oxygen I'm breathing from this great planet of ours to promote the common good.

Today I'm tackling many, many issues, by promoting the eating of Rat. That's right, those warm, fuzzy gray creatures we all know and detest.

First, let's look at some positive attributes of the rat:
1. Rats serve a vital purpose. They eat crap we don't want.
2. Rats aren't that much different from lovable hamsters. Fur, heads, tails.
3. Rats provide a warm home for fleas and other parasites all year long.
4. Without the Rat, the Chinese calendar would have to change.
5. They give ample warning to crews of ships that their ship is going down.

Second, why is eating rats a good idea?
1. They're the perfect size for Buffalo Wings. And yes,,,,that is rat. Of course we'd have to change the name to Rat Wings or something.
2. Rats take less space than chickens to raise.
3. Rats reproduce faster than rabbits and chickens combined.
4. Rats are full of protein.
5. Rats can eat anything, no need to buy special grain or food. So cheaper to raise.
6. Rats produce less methane than cows, so the global warming nuts should love the idea.
7. Rats are disgusting creatures, so PETA shouldn't mind the wholesale slaughter and consumption of rats. Ok, maybe not.
8. Consuming rats will decrease the numbers living in the wild and consuming human food stocks.
9. The wholesale slaughter and consumption of trillions of Rat Burgers and Rat Wings would decimate the worlds flea and parasite population. That has to be good.
10. To consume rats on a global scale would require rat trappers, breeders and distributors. A whole new industry and jobs would be born.
11. Rats are already in most restaurants.

So there you have it. Consuming rats would help global warming, reduce the cost of food world wide, create jobs, help our economy and well,,,,,, they just might taste good. I mean the French are stupid enough to eat snails.

Just think if everyone in the world ate a rat every week. 6 Billion rats per week would fall on the alter of human advancement. 24 Billion per month. 288 Billion per year.

The slums of New York and Third World Countries around the world would become different places to live. I mean think of the positive impact this would have on the world.

Yes. This is my contribution to the world for today. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Later.

More Love

2008-08-08T18:33:00.004-04:00

My check up with the surgeon was today. I had been told my nose would be buffed, using sterile sandpaper. Yep, exactly like it sounds. They'd numb up my nose, then commence sanding my nose like a dry wall repair in a college frat house.

I was all prepared for this. All prepared for the shot to numb my nose, the weird feeling of someone sanding flesh from my nose, the need for more bandages, neosporin, more blood, more healing.

And of course,,,,,,,,none of this happened. My nose is doing so good, it doesn't need the buffing. BUT,,,,,,it has other problems. A little too much swelling,,,,,,,stitches haven't dissolved yet,,,,,,some subcutaneous bruising. So,,,,,another course of action is required.

A big, long, fat, sharp needle (remember, it's between my eyes, so it looks humongous), was inserted into one spot to drain blood. Then,,,,to bring down swelling, 7, countem, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 cortisone shots are 'gently' inserted into my nose. That's right, the doc was showing me some cortisone love.

Unlike the shots in my elbow which really didn't hurt, this was QUITE PAINFUL. I'm pretty sure at some point he struck bone. I'm really sure he did.

But,,,,, I'm ok now. Just needed a little nap. Some TLC from my gentle loving kids and I'll be fine.

Like that'll happen. :)

Twenty Eight

2008-08-04T18:50:00.003-04:00

I'm tired.

Between 10am Saturday morning and 10pm Sunday night, I was on production support calls for 28 hours. An entire weekend ruined.

Do I get paid overtime? Nope
Do I get comp time? Nope
Do I get a cupee doll? Nope

And these weren't 28 hours on a call listening to other people talk, wishing I were as smart as them. This was Joe having to drive, facilitate, troubleshoot, actually use my noggin. My brain is fried.

And I've spent another 10 hours on calls today for work, and guess where I am right now? That's right. On another production support call.

I need a vacation!!!

Long Time No Post

2008-07-28T18:45:00.002-04:00

Random, disjointed, unlinked thoughts.

Ok. Been rather busy of late.
Work, family, work, kids, work, Vic, work,,,,you can see where this is going.
My shoulder is slowly, slowly, ever so slowly healing. Not sure what in the hec I did to it. I think Vic hit me in the middle of the night.

Did I mention work was occupying an exorbitant amount of my life lately. Someday, soon I hope, I'll stop working for the man and BE the man. That's right,,,,,BE THE MAN!!! We'll see. My two partners are genius's so I'm hoping all works out. Not posting any details yet. Perhaps in a few months I'll make an announcement and ask for product tryout volunteers.

It's the last week of summer for the girls. They start school again Aug 4th. I remember when we got out of school around May 18 and didn't start back til Sept. Those were the days. I remember parents back then looked forward to school starting, I can't say I feel that way. Bus service for the kids to differing schools and each of them getting out at different times makes for a very busy day.

Looking forward to my cousin Laura coming in a few weeks. I'm working now on a way to punk her while she's here. :)

All for now.
G'nite.

Reality

2008-07-21T21:42:00.002-04:00

Ok. Time to face facts. With all the things going on in my life with family, injuries, motivation and another procedure on my nose in 2 weeks I'm going to bag the Curahee plans for this year. I just don't see it happening. I'll re-consider after Aug 8th when I get my nose worked on some more. Perhaps I can do the 3 mile option. Just don't know.

New Injuries

2008-07-19T19:21:00.003-04:00

Yanked, banked, wrenched, pulled,,,,,whatever you want to call it,,,,my right shoulder and right knee today. Further evidence that I'm too old, too fat and out of shape beyond belief. And how you may ask did I bring this calamity of injuries upon myself? Well, I'd like to say I was doing something dashing, dangerous, sexy, saucy, naughty or heroic,,,,,,but no,,,,,,,I was just trying to get Alyssa buckled in her car seat.

Yep,,,,,car seats were made to be installed and utilized by circus acts who can lick the back of their thighs. People who can twist and conform themselves like putty into a car and do the inhuman. Well,,,,I ain't that. So, while buckling Alyssa in this morning headed to the local bastion of Chinese economics in America, otherwise known as Wal Mart,,,,,I wrenched both my knee and shoulder. But hey,,,,,we did get Hanna Montana 3D glasses for the concert next Saturday night, so I guess it was someone heroic and dashing.

I'm going to go sulk now and kiss a few Motrin.

It's Been a While

2008-07-15T22:32:00.003-04:00

Ok, it's been a while since I posted,,,,5 days to be exact. Well,,,I done been busy. Working out, cooking, cleaning, playing Xbox360, working, sleeping, eating (way to much of that) and basically being the best dad and husband I can be for what they pay me.

I got some news from my cousins up north in Chicago. My cousin AJ is starting college soon and will be playing hockey there. Good God almighty. Little AJ playing hockey with a bunch of toothless, mindless, behemoths ready to pound his head in. He'll be in my prayers. (Kathy, that's for you. Gotta love me.)

Good work out tonight. Doing 1.5 to 2 miles each night. Making sure I'm running at least 5-10 minutes of that. Will increase that time in the coming weeks. Now I know some of you uber-athletes (and you know who you are) do 2 miles in 10 minutes,,,,,,,we're talking Joe pace here. :)

Girls are great, Vic's had 2 good days,,,,,(so I'm preparing for the worst tomorrow) and I'm feeling really good. No pain, injuries, soreness, blackouts, twitches, jerks or other bad signs indicating the exercising is bad for me. So all is good.

More tomorrow. I'll get some pics of me and the girls working out. Well,,,,,really me and Hailey working out and Gracie pestering/hurting/pounding/chasing/yelling at Alyssa.

Until then,,,,, G'nite all.

Back on the Stick

2008-07-09T20:46:00.002-04:00

Ok. Surgery's over. Pains gone. Itching is tolerable. I have no excuses now for not hauling my hugeness back to my gym and working out again. So I did.

It's not been too bad really. I only missed 2 weeks solid cause of the surgery. Hit and mis other wise for a month. But I'm not hurting, still able to do 1.5 to 2 miles with little difficulty. So, all I have to do now is get back in my groove, get back to my diet and I'm good to go.

As Reger said a month or so ago, he lost his mojo. Although I'm only .00000001% the athlete he is, I can relate.

I'm trying to decide whether to start posting daily workout accomplishments on here or not. Perhaps. Also trying to decide whether to post what I eat during the day. But God says not to lie, and there could be a lot of temptation if I do. :)

G'nite All.

Saturday Evening Post

2008-07-05T23:44:00.002-04:00

Well it's Saturday and what a great day it was.

First, the love Doc Simon showed me worked. No pain in the elbows. I'm back in business.

Second, had some activities at my house this afternoon for a project Reger and I are working. It was fantastic. Got to meet the lovely Dani and the studly Keith (no website) who I've seen on Reger's site for years. Both quite wonderful people and hopefully it will only have been the first of many such meetings.

Third, I may have gotten my motivation back today. That burr in the backside which moves me forward. I think it was a combination of things really. The success of our our afternoon activities was one. It really got me pumped this evening. Best mood I've been in for 2 months. Then I watched the end of Click (with Adam Sandler), which really shows you where priorities should lie. I have a habit of devoting too much time to work sometimes and not family and health. And then Reger posted this picture of me on his site which really shows off my wide body and triple chins. Gotta love him. I know he did it for the sole purpose of motivating me back into my workout routine. :)

Well,,,,,I think it's worked. I'm feeling pretty motivated right now.

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth.

G'nite.

Happy Wednesday

2008-07-02T18:54:00.004-04:00

In case you didn't know, I aggravated my elbow again and injured by other elbow over the past 2 months. So I visited my doc yesterday and asked for some love. That's actually what I said:

Doc: You want some love?
Joe: Yep. I want some love.
Doc: You know, most people don't call this love.
Joe: I know, but I need some love.
Doc: Ok then,,,,I'm gonna show you some love baby.

Gotta love this guy, he's great. Good doc, personable, funny. He's the one who took care of Vic's ACL. And it really doesn't hurt that bad.

In other news, my intention is to get back on the stick this weekend. I've only been working out a few days a week, and I've not been watching my diet. Not a total loss for the year, but quite a set-back to my goals. It's ok. A lot going on in my life, I haven't given up on my dreams and goals. Big weekend coming up, so I'm hoping that will get my engine running again.

Oh, and a nice big shout out to Steph, who tried to play Charles Bronson from those seventies movies where he was a vigilante. Ok, ok,,,,,,she only stopped a drunk teen who'd crashed her car from running off. But I can see Steph in a leather jacket with a sawed off shotgun.

Sheriff Buford

2008-06-29T09:58:00.003-04:00

Tocko (my aunt) called me from Kentucky yesterday asking where my sister was and telling me about all the family coming in from Ohio and Florida for a July 4th shindig at the old home place. Short call really, but near the end Tocko told me my cousin Jan had just called her from the road. She was driving up from Florida and was in Georgia right now. My mind instantly started churning, a plan was forming. “She’s in Georgia right now?” Oh boy. “Bye Tocko!”

Anyone who knows my cousin Jan also knows she views the speed limit as merely a recommendation. They really don’t expect people to drive as slow as 70 mph on the interstates. Time for me to have some fun.

ACT I
I grab my cell phone, yell at everyone in the house to be quiet and call Jan’s cell. I obviously use a very southern accent and disguise my voice as much as possible.

Jan: “Hello.”
Joe: “Good afternoon maam, this here’s Sheriff Buford Beauregard of the State Patrol.”
Jan: “Ok.”
Joe: “We’ve been monitoring you driving up I75 and would really like for you to slow down.”
Jan: “What!?!
Joe: "Yes maam, we been keeping an eye on you."
Jan: "Joe? Is that you?” (She didn’t really call me Joe, my family call me by my middle name.)
Joe: Uncontrollable laughter.
Jan: “I don’t believe you,,,,,,I had already started slowing down and was getting ready to pull off the road.”

Jan wouldn’t have known it was me except one little error. I thought she was on I75, she was actually traveling on I95, and they'd just crossed the South Carolina state line.

I still got her though. BUT WAIT!!! IT GETS BETTER.

Jan told me Laura was in the car behind her, gave me her cell phone and told me I needed to pull the joke on her. I needed no further encouragement. (Laura is Jan’s daughter and my favorite cousin to play jokes on.)

ACT II
Laura: “Hello.”
Joe: “Good afternoon maam, this here’s Sheriff Buford Beauregard of the South Carolina State Patrol.”
Laura: “Ok.”
Joe: “We’ve been monitoring you driving on I95 and would really like for you to slow down some maam.”
Laura: “Ok. Yes sir.”
Joe: “That's good maam, this here’s just a courtesy call, now you drive safe.”
Laura: “Ok.”

I could hear it in her voice. Total, absolute fear. This was great!!!!

So I wait a minute and call Laura back.

Laura: “JOOOEEEE I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!!”
Joe: Uncontrollable, bent over laughing.
Laura: “I slowed down so much I can’t even see Mom any more. I was ready to pull over.
Joe: Still uncontrollable, bent over laughing.
Laura: “I called Mom and she told me it was you. You’re dead!!!!”
Joe: Still laughing. “Laura honey,,,,,your Mom was the one that gave me your cell phone number.”

As George Peppard said on The A Team. “I love it when a plan comes together.”

So,,,,,,how was your weekend?

FrankenJoe No Mo

2008-06-28T09:18:00.003-04:00

It’s been a few days, but I’ve been busy. Work, my family in town, screaming children and Vic’s been sick a lot this week.

My own recovery is coming along nicely. The itching isn’t constant now, just every hour or so. I had a follow-up with the surgeon and he was very pleased. In 6 weeks I will have another procedure performed to make my nose pretty. It’s going to get BUFFED. That’s right, they’ll numb me up again, take sterile sandpaper (I’m not kidding) and buff my nose. I wonder if they did this to Joan Rivers. Here are some pics of the progress. No longer Frankenstein here.

And no post could be complete without my resident camera queen Gracie.

Great Thought

2008-06-24T12:42:00.003-04:00

I saw this joke today and thought it was pretty funny.
I realize it ignores the reality of the global market,,,,,but I still like it.

OPEC sells oil for $136.00 a barrel.
OPEC nations buy U.S. grain at $7.00 a bushel.
Solution: Sell U.S. grain to OPEC nations for $136.00 a bushel !!!

Can't buy it? Tough! Eat your oil! Ought to go well with a nice, thick, grilled filet of camel butt !!!

If only it were that easy.

Another American Hero Lost

2008-06-20T19:08:00.010-04:00

America lost another hero today. A man who served his country with honor and distinction. A man who went to hell and back to defend our freedom and the freedom and liberty of others. A true member of the Greatest Generation, yet few if any knew.

This story is like many others I've heard over the past few years. A World War II veteran dies and while the family is going through their personal belongings, talking to friends or something a whole different side of the individual is revealed. A history no one knew of not even their closest family or friends. One of the more famous illustrations of this is John Bradley, a Navy Corpsman who helped raise the flag on Iwo Jima. A moment captured on film in Joe Rosenthal's famous picture.

John Bradley's son was so taken by the stories he uncovered about his father that following his death he wrote the book Flags of Our Fathers, which was later turned into a movie by Clint Eastwood. Men like John Bradley weren't seeking glory or medals or accolades. They did their job for their own reasons. And when the war was over, they came home and went about their lives.

Such is the story of a man I know from my home town. His name was Reed Potter Sr and he was 83 yrs old. I didn't know him well, probably only met him in person a few times, but I never heard a bad thing about the man. Vic's family knew him quite well, attending church with Reed and his family and playing softball with his daughters for years.

Yesterday Reed died in a car accident near his home in Kentucky. I don't know the cause yet, but I did learn a little about his past, as did a lot of people from my home town.

Reed Potter was a member of the 82nd Airborne in World War II.
- He was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
- He was part of Operation Market Garden (immortalized by the movie A Bridge Too Far)
- He was part of the historic defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge
- He was wounded twice, receiving two purple hearts.
- He was awarded five (5) Bronze Stars for his actions in combat.

When I heard this I was floored. How many soldiers earn 5 Bronze Stars? How many earn 5 Bronze Stars and live to tell the tale? My grandfather earned 1 in World War I, but 5? Wow!! Apparently his family knew nothing of his exploits until he was interviewed recently by a PBS affiliate in Kentucky. If not for that interview, none of us may have known the history and legacy of this man.

I don't have any of the details regarding Reed's awards or his actions during the war, but I will try to find out. I'm betting there's a story there we could all learn from and could serve as a lesson for younger generations.

Our thoughts are prayers are with his family tonight.

Fare Winds and Following Seas Reed Potter.

Itching, Scratching and other Manly Things

2008-06-18T13:39:00.003-04:00

I'm convinced I'm going to need therapy soon. The itching never stops. It wakes me up all night long. I'm up about every 20 minutes. And I can only sleep on my back or left side 'cause of my ear. That doesn't help. So,,,,I spend a lot of time thinking about itching and scratching. I can't actually scratch,,,,,that would rip my new nose apart. But I can sure think about it.

I started thinking at one point,,,,,around 3am this morning,,,,,,what if some of our favorite musical artists were experiencing what I am going thru when they wrote their songs. We could have:

You’ve Got another Itch Comin – Judeus Priest
Only Women Itch – Alice Cooper
How Deep is your Itch – The Bee Gees
Ooops I Scratched it Again – Britney Spears
My Itch will go On – Celene Dion
What a Girl Scratches – Christina Aguilera
Who’ll Stop the Itch – Creedence Clearwater Revival
All She Wants to do is Scratch – Don Henley
New Itch in Town – The Eagles
Benny and the Itch – Elton John
Here Comes the Itch Again – Eurythmics
You Make Me Feel Like Scratching – Leo Sayer
We Got the Itch – Go Go’s
Sweet Itch of Mine – Guns ‘n’ Roses
Scratch Your Booty – KC and the Sunshine Band
Scratch Like an Eygptian – The Bangles
Don’t Scratch so Close to Me – The Police
You’ve got the Itch – Prince and Sheena Easton
You Can’t Always Reach What you Scratch – Rolling Stones
She’s a Bad Itchy Mamma – Stevie Wonder
Itch me Baby, One more time – Britney Spears

And Vic and mine's personal favorite:

I’d Do Anything for Love, But I Wouldn’t Scratch That – Meatloaf

Oh,,,,,that just kills me.

Diary of a Mad Man

2008-06-16T21:50:00.004-04:00

It's day 5 since the surgery and I'm starting to lose it. The itching is starting to dominate every aspect of my day. My nose and ear feel like a million tiny ants, the size of microbes have descended upon them and are tickling in unison. Yes,,,,I'm sure it orchestrated,,,,there is an intellect behind this torture, this evil, this truly unbearable existence is being directed by aliens, demons from hell,,,,,I,,,,,,,,can't,,,,,,,,,stand,,,,,,it,,,,,,,,,,,,ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Where's my AK47,,,,,,,,where's my whip,,,,,,,,,where's my teddy bear,,,,,,,,,Mommy?!?

All joking aside, today has been totally miserable. Allergies kicked in, sneezing, nose running, itching, constant, unending, unbearable, itching, itching, itching. It's made work extremely difficult and miserable. Did I say I was miserable yet?

But it's a good sign. A sign of healing. But I tell you,,,,,from looking at the pics below, I don't see any real healing on the outside. I took these tonight as I was cleaning the site and changing the dressing.

I'll post pics next week and we'll see if there is any improvement.

I did work out tonight for the first time since surgery. I didn't push it, just 31 minutes on the treadmill at a nice 3 mph pace. All was good until I started sweating. It was hot down in the basement,,,,,and the sweat started getting under the bandages,,,,,and,,,,,,the itching started,,,,,just a little a first,,,,,but it got worse and worse,,,,,,and,,,,,,,and I started visioning hatchets,,,,,and axes,,,,and machetes,,,,and,,,,and guns,,,,,oh yea,,,oh yea,,,,,,,

Whew,,,,that was close. Did I tell you my nose was itching a little?

Anyway, I've gained a few pounds since this whole cancer thing started. About 12 to be exact. Call it stress eating, not working out enough, lack of motivation. Pick your poison. But I'm back now and working to Curahee. My new, adjusted goal is 230 lbs for Curahee in Oct. And to finish the mountain in 2 hrs. I'm just trying to be realistic here.

I do appreciate all the emails I've received from everyone. It really does help, (not with the itching),,,,but with the stress of dealing with this type of issue. Thanks specifically to Paul and Steph,,,,who I've never met,,,,but who never fail to send me words of encouragement.

Ok,,,,enough mushy, gushy stuff. It was my Father-in-Laws Birthday Sunday and here are some pics of him, my girls and my niece Lindsay.

Let the Itching Begin

2008-06-15T20:56:00.002-04:00

I now feel like I have poison ivy on my face and ear. It just won't stop. It's relentless. I realize, logically, with my brain that its just the skin and flesh healing. BUT OHHHHHMMMYYYYGOOODNESSSSMAAAAKKKKEEEITTTTTTSTOOOPPPPPPPPPP!!!!! ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK,,,,, I feel a little better now. Up close I still look like Frankenstein

Vic's down again, so I cleaned my dressings myself this evening. So I'm covered in Hydrogen Peroxide, Polysporin, went through about 50 Qtips and 3 gauze pads. But by dingy,,,,,,the wound is now dressed.

Anyway,,,,looks like my new nose may be crooked. Could be the swelling and healing,,,,but I really think it's going to be crooked. I don't remember asking for Owen Wilson's nose. I wouldn't mind his money,,,,,,but not his nose.

Anyway,,,,start working out again tomorrow. I'm sure I've gained 15lbs over the last week. So I've got my work cut out for me.

G'nite All.

Nose Damage Assessment (NDA)

2008-06-12T20:44:00.004-04:00

After the bombers attack a target recon satellites or jets take photos of the aftermath to see if objectives were destroyed. This is affectionatly referred to as BDA, Bomb Damage Assessment. Well, in the case of my nose the objective to remove the cancer was acheived, so the only thing to assess is the nose damge.

Behold - the NDA of Joe's nose.

I guess this one is an Ear Damage Assessment. It's where they got the cartilage to rebuild my nose.

The Procedure

2008-06-12T09:10:00.003-04:00

It’s the morning after and my face feels like Evander Holyfields punching bag. But I finally got to sleep last night around midnight and got some rest. I promised the story and pics, so here they are. I’m still on pain pills, so if I ramble a bit I apologize in advance.

We showed up way early to the medical center. All because I wanted to make sure we beat traffic. It was a good thing cause I had to spend 20 minutes in the little boys room replaying a certain scene from Dumb and Dumber. Pretty sure it was the nervousness of having my face cut on, not knowing who I’d be when it was all over.

We were called back to the procedure room where the lovely nurse gave me two valium to chew up. Not a bad taste if you like eating bark or weed roots or something. She said by chewing them up it would get in my system faster. And they did. J

The doc came in, some chit chat, jokes, he met Vic, then it was time to start. The first part was the numbing of my nose. When I had the biopsy they also numbed my nose and it was quite painful. Afterwards I teared, sneezed and snotted for 5 minutes, it wasn’t pretty. But my nurse yesterday was awesome. One little stick and that was it.

They let the numbing take effect for about 10 minutes then it was time to start carving the turkey. Slice, slice, slice, a little blood, more slicing. No big deal really except it was taking place right in front of my eyes. The doc told me to keep my eyes closed, but I had to watch. Big roundish chunk they removed, right off the end of my nose. Then they cauterized the site to prevent bleeding while lab checked the first cut of meat. There’s nothing quite like hearing the sound of your flesh being burned, unless of course it’s the acidic smell of your flesh being burned. I tried to get Vic to take pics of this part, but she wasn’t getting any closer than she had to for that procedure.

Then it was out to the waiting area while the lab determined if they’d gotten all the cancer. The valium had kicked in real good by this point, so the iPod was cranked. I tried to read some of Tom Clancy’s – Hunt for Red October, but between the nerves, excitement, valium and smell of burnt flesh,,,,it wasn’t a real possibility.

They called me back in and the doc explained he’d gotten ALL the cancer on the first hack. This was great news!!! Although he took a lot of the end of my nose already, he would have had to take much more if there were still cancer there. Again, this was great news to me. I was able to relax a little now. So now it was time to rebuild my nose.

To rebuild my nose they had to take cartilage from my ear so out come the needles again to numb the ear. Once numbed, more slicing, cartilage removal, pulling and stretching of skin, more cutting, more skin removal and moving, slicing, stretching etc. This was by far the longest part of the procedure. And according to Vic through it all my mouth NEVER STOPPED. She said the valium had me just a humming, telling every Navy story I could think of.

Near the end I found out my doc was also a triathlete. His name is Mark Baucom if anyone knows him. We talked about my efforts this year to lose weight and Curahee. I told him I was still primarily walking, but had started running a little each night. Walk 5-8 minutes, then run 2-4. He said his sister was like me, started out walking, then would run the distance between 2 telephone poles, then walk a while and repeat. She kept at it and was now running races. He then tells me I can start walking again in 2 days, and will be able to start running and lifting weights in 1 week. MUCH better news than I was prepared for. So I’m pretty happy right now.

With everything done it was time to go home. I was worried the girls would be scared of my bandages and stuff when we got home, but they weren’t. Alyssa says I look like an elf. I didn’t realize til I got home how little bandages I actually had. And since they’re skin colored, they don’t stand out.

I worked a good portion of the afternoon. My teams had some integration testing and patch loadings taking place and I just couldn’t keep myself away from it. But eventually I did, cranked the iPod and layed down.

Well, that’s about it. It wasn’t best case scenario with regard to size of the removal, but it surely wasn’t worst case either. Doc says that when it heals I should look better than when I walked into his door. I gotta say,,,,the man is confident, and I like him. If there are two people in the world I don’t mind being a bit cocky and arrogant, it’s fighter pilots and plastic surgeons.

Vic took pics during the procedure. And here they are.

Here I am this morning. The color of these bandages really make me look almost normal. But I don't see where Alyssa gets the Elf comment.

One more thing, Haily lost another tooth. It was so loose I was able to pull it out with my fingers.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, prayers and emails of support and encouragement.

It's Over

2008-06-11T19:24:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know the surgery is over.
Took about 4 hours, they got all the cancer, and I have a new nose.

In a lot of pain right now, so I'll go into the details tomorrow. Vic took pictures during the procedure, I'll post them to.

G'nite all.