Life Came At Me Fast

Hello all!

I guess no news is good news, but I should report in every now and again, anyway. There isn't much to tell. S will start 1st grade this fall '08. We are all restless to move, but we've decided to wait a little longer. I seek an online adjunct faculty positions at online schools, but that hasn't panned out yet.

The heat has returned to Phoenix: it's been 107ish for days, but it's a dry heat.

I tried to start a small business selling tire pressure to motorists. I've got some darling pictures of myself with one of those 'town-crier' style signs. Those resourceful folks reading this would appreciate my ingenuity as I used scrap wood and too-small belts to create a very rugged sign I can wear. The front: "TIRE PSI $2". The back: "SAVE GAS NOW!" I started small, bringing in $3 my first day. I'd love to go back and get another $3 but the cops ran me off, stating I'd get a ticket for soliciting air pressure off the road.

That's The Man for you: always keeping us oppressed. But seriously, folks. I've got plans. Don't worry. I'll remember the little people. When I get fabulously wealthy I'll give you all the air you want. Then I'll start a business selling dirt. Then sea water. How about feng shui? I like the low-overhead with these products.

Greeting all ye!

Oh, do I apologize for my lack of attention to this blog. No posts since last summer, indeed.

Updates, updates… Well, the holidays are past us. I pray your houses were blessed with good health. Me? So far so good*. J, S and the rest? They’re all just fine.

J and I are excited because we’re planning our next move. I suspect we’ll move sometime toward late summer. This is an important move for many reasons. J & myself will finally make good on our goal to move to Arizona to a place of our own. Incredibly, my family has been in AZ since 2005, yet we haven’t attained this vital step. My disease certainly threw a wrench in the works, but that ship has sailed. Today I’m healthy and educated, so I’d like to be the first to tell myself “Take action!”

Now our prime concern is selecting a school for S, as he will enter first grade. Schools around here sometimes require you live within certain boundaries and sometimes they don’t. Essentially this little quirk makes it hard to locate housing until the school is selected. J and I have both researched, and I think the sort-list has come together. When we know which school, we’ll find a house and stick a date on the calendar!

J is happy because she’s researching her new car. (I’m quietly abstaining from the selection process. Those of you in-the-know understand). I told her “just bring me a coupon book”.

S loves his Wii game. How things have changed since Pong. He got a haircut yesterday and it makes him look so young! Personally I favor his hair a little long, because he is hanging on to his natural blonde. I used to think it would turn brown as he aged, but so far he could be the next Robert Redford.

The attached photo is the gang at work (though not too hard at work).

I’m going to close now. Again I apologize for such a long delay. Take care.

Love S, J&R

*A funny little story about ‘so far so good’: I must say ‘so far so good’ quite a bit because my little boy pointed out that I do. We were laying on the floor playing with Legos. I was working on a really cool attack ship. Halfway through construction S asked if I was finished. I said no, however ‘so far so good’ and continued to focus on building. Giggles bubbled up. Daddy, you always say ‘so far so good.’ I looked up and S had the sweetest grin. ‘That’s funny when you say that’.

I love you, S… So far so good!

8/6/2007

Hello all!

Yes, it has been some time since I have updated our blog. I'm sorry. After we got back from Cowlumbus my main focus was on finishing up my Masters degree. Oh, yes. I forgot - I FINISHED MY MASTERS DEGREE! I now have an MBA from the University of Phoenix. The picture here is myself at work the day before my ceremony (I wanted to show off and toot my own horn). I am holding a picture taken of me in the hospital after my surgery. Wouldn't you know? My surgery was on 7-7-06 and my graduation ceremony was exactly one year later to-the-day on 7-7-07. J, S and my in-laws all came to watch the ceremony which took place in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The stadium is where the Arizona Cardinals play and will be the location of the next Superbowl! My expectations were blown away, as our ceremony was coordinated to a tee. They even had a "commonly mispronounced name" session so names like mine don't get butchered (we spelled our names phonetically). There was a bagpipe marching band to usher in and close out the ceremony, which was really cool.

More than anything I attended the ceremony so S could take it all in. I wanted him to see his dad participate in something special. At the tender age of five, the pomp and circumstance, regalia and presents surely made a lasting impression on him. I explained to him 'graduation' is not just an ending: it is a new beginning.

J started selling Lia Sophia jewelry on the side. She has has early success and I have given her kudos on more than one occasion, but she downplays everything. I guess she doesn't want to jinx anything.

S is sweet as ever, with his blond, bushy head. He sure is getting tall. He'll be in kindergarten this fall!

J and I know our new beginning means a move to a home of our own. The challenges, however, are many. I'm rather frustrated because there is no clear direction to work toward. Do we stay in AZ? Move to the east coast? [please, God. NOT Ohio]. I relish the thought of moving onward and upward with my new credential. Should this mean staying with my current company or taking another path makes no difference to me, so long as I advance. I'd even be willing to relocate overseas (for a while) to experience a lifestyle many Americans do not. J and I are worlds apart on this. Her nomadic childhood helped her parents advance in business, but has formed a negative opinion, to her, about moving. She wants to settle somewhere, I want to follow the money, no matter where that may be. We'll figure it out.

Hello everyone!

J, S and myself are excited because we're going on vacation soon. We are flying to our former home of Columbus, Ohio. We'll see my side of the family and all of the friends we met during our life in Columbus (we moved to AZ in 2005). We'll be all over Ohio and PA to visit everyone we want to see.

Dare I say? I feel a new normal upon me. If it's healing or simple ignorant bliss I don't care. It feels good to not be depressed or have headaches. I will even address the issue of my stuffy nose*. Toward the end of this month I will go under the knife again to get that fixed once and for all. More surgery, doctors, medicine.

J and S are well. The bills are paid. Sometimes life is good. (This photo is S at a social function with a couple hotties).

* as a result of my surgery, there is much scar tissue. Some of the scar tissue is internal, to include the air passages up my nose. This effectively plugs my nose like I have a severe cold all the time, or at least since July 2006. The right side comes and goes depending on its mood, but the left side is hopeless. Dr H will get in there and otherwise carve out some tissue so I might breathe freely. I have high expectations for the surgery, and I hope I'm not disapointed. If it works I'll turn my dad onto the procedure. He's been plagued with poor airways since I can remember.

1/29/2007

Hello everyone! It has been a very long month since I updated this blog. Sorry. I meant to get on here days ago, because I've had a pretty good month.

I started the month pretty low. I was getting headaches again and that had me worried. In fact, J and I took a trip to the ER because of my headache. The CT they took did not show anything to get excited about, so I left feeling a little relieved and more confused. Why was I getting headaches?

Several days later I had an MRI. Dr. N said everything looked okay. More relief, more confusion.

Days after this I had an appointment with my therapist. I'm not exactly sure what kind of doctor she is, but I always refer to her as my shrink. I was introduced to her when I was still in the hospital last July. Our session was going fine, and then I just lost it. It hit me from out of the blue. She (again) explained depression is a side effect of surgery. This coupled with the other stresses in my life really REALLY depressed me. She recommended I start taking Zoloft again, and I increase the dose. I did. I love Zoloft! It doesn't make me loopy, but it does make me 99% un-depressed.

Later this day I went to work. I was pretty down in the dumps when my boss gave me a little pep talk. He assured me that he and the company understood my situation and were still behind me (even though I have not been doing very well).

I have a PET scan scheduled. This is a cancer specific scan which uses radioactive sugar to "see" cancer. I've had one before my surgery, but this will be the first one after the fact. Let's hope it's clean!