Reprinted from The Housewife Mafia for your reading pleasure. Here is hoping that all of you have a very Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!
As a joke, my brother used to hang a
pair of panty hose
over his fireplace before Christmas.
He said all he wanted was for Santa
to fill them.
What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be
true because
every Christmas morning, although Jay's kids' stockings
were overflowed,
his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty.
One year I
decided to make his dream come true.
I put on sunglasses and went in search
of an inflatable love doll. They don't
sell those things at Wal-Mart. I
had to go to an adult bookstore downtown.
If you've never been in an
X-rated store, don't go. You'll only confuse
yourself. I was
there an hour saying things like, "What does this do?"
"You're kidding
me!" " Who would buy that?"
Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll
section.
I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll that could also
substitute as a
passenger in my truck so I could use the car pool lane
during rush hour.
Finding what I wanted was difficult. Love
dolls come in many different
models. The top of the line, according
to the side of the box, could do
things I'd only seen in a book on
animal husbandry. I settled for "Lovable
Louise." She was at the
bottom of the price scale.
To call Louise a "doll" took a huge leap of
imagination.
On Christmas Eve, with the help of an old bicycle pump,
Louise came to life.
My sister-in-law was in on the plan and let me
in during the wee morning
hours, long after Santa had come and gone.
I filled the dangling pantyhose
with Louise's pliant legs and
bottom. I also ate some cookies and drank what
remained of a glass of
milk on a nearby tray. I went home, and giggled for a
couple of
hours.
The next morning my brother called to say that Santa had been to
his house
and left a present that had made him VERY happy but had left
the dog
confused. She would bark, start to walk away, then come back
and bark
some more. We all agreed that Louise should remain in her
panty hose so
the rest of the family could admire her when they came
over for the
traditional Christmas dinner.
My grandmother
noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door.
"What the hell is that?"
she asked. My brother quickly explained, "It's a doll."
"Who would play
with something like that?" Granny snapped. I had several
candidates in
mind, but kept my mouth shut. "Where are her clothes?"
Granny
continued. "Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran," Jay said, trying
to steer her into the dining room. But Granny was relentless. "Why doesn't
she have any teeth?"
Again, I could have answered, but why would
I? It was Christmas and no
one wanted to ride in the back of the
ambulance saying, "Hang on Granny,
Hang on!"
My grandfather, a
delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and
said," Hey,
who's the naked gal by the fireplace?" I told him she was Jay's
friend. A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to
Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting.
It was then that
we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home.
The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had
died,
who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise
made a
noise that sounded a lot like my father in the bathroom in the
morning.
Then she lurched from the panty hose, flew around the room
twice, and fell
in a heap in front of the sofa.
The cat
screamed. I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and
Grandpa ran
across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. My brother fell back over his chair and
wet
his pants and Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the
room, and
sat in the car.
It was indeed a Christmas to treasure
and remember.
Later in my brother's garage, we conducted a thorough
examination to
decide the cause of Louise's collapse. We discovered
that Louise had
suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right
thigh. Fortunately, thanks
to a wonder drug called duct tape, we
restored her to perfect health.
Louise went on to star in several
bachelor party movies.
I think Grandpa still calls her whenever he can
get out of the house.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
The end.
As we look back on the world as it slowly crumbles apart, we must thank the Mayans for warning us, and yet we did nothing to stop it. I look out my window and see a gaping hole in the ground with flames shooting out of it. A chunk of space rock has flattened the neighbors house, and smoke is rising on the horizon.
Yes, the End Of Days are here just like it was written all of those years ago. It seems like just hours ago that Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson launched his ARK3 spacecraft, along with 3000 of the most important people as well as the Victoria's Secret Angels, into space in order to repopulate on whatever planet they find.
As for the rest of us, we have to deal with getting vaporized in a spray of blue earth. I have made peace with myself, and I accept that I won't have to worry about getting the oil changed in the van. Thank GOD.....I was so passed the 3000 miles. As I type this, TV stations are going off the air. Radio stations are playing the doomsday countdown, eventually reaching the number one song that was the harbinger of this destruction. I assume it will be Celebrate by Kool And The Gang.
So, as I type these final words before the landslide of mud and debris come to take me away. I just want to say in the immortal words of Dr. Johnny Fever.....
Booger.
What? You say end of the world never happened? Really? So what you're telling me is that I have to continue living my life, and dealing with things that really matter, and NOT freak out about what a dead society wrote about that actually had NOTHING to do with any end of world prophecy?
Well, duh. I better get that oil changed.
Yes, the End Of Days are here just like it was written all of those years ago. It seems like just hours ago that Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson launched his ARK3 spacecraft, along with 3000 of the most important people as well as the Victoria's Secret Angels, into space in order to repopulate on whatever planet they find.
As for the rest of us, we have to deal with getting vaporized in a spray of blue earth. I have made peace with myself, and I accept that I won't have to worry about getting the oil changed in the van. Thank GOD.....I was so passed the 3000 miles. As I type this, TV stations are going off the air. Radio stations are playing the doomsday countdown, eventually reaching the number one song that was the harbinger of this destruction. I assume it will be Celebrate by Kool And The Gang.
So, as I type these final words before the landslide of mud and debris come to take me away. I just want to say in the immortal words of Dr. Johnny Fever.....
Booger.
What? You say end of the world never happened? Really? So what you're telling me is that I have to continue living my life, and dealing with things that really matter, and NOT freak out about what a dead society wrote about that actually had NOTHING to do with any end of world prophecy?
Well, duh. I better get that oil changed.
Friday, December 14, 2012
I am sickened by how evil people can be.
I was going to write about something funny that we did in school when I was young. It was a pretty good story, but I can't. I'm sick to my stomach at what happened today.
A sick person took the lives of 20 children and 6 adults this morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton Connecticut. Untold horrors are coming out about what happened. Poor innocent children that had not even begun to enjoy life. How can people like this do something like this to innocent helpless children? How can ANY child feel safe?
I can't even continue to write about this. I have too many tears in my eyes right now. There is a special place in hell for bastards like this. He may be dead, but he can NEVER be dead enough.
My heart goes out to the families that lost children and loved ones today. I could never in a million years imagine what they are going through. I don't know what I would do if something happened to my kids.
Especially the way their young lives were taken.
I will say a prayer for them all tonight. Please include them in yours as well.
A sick person took the lives of 20 children and 6 adults this morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton Connecticut. Untold horrors are coming out about what happened. Poor innocent children that had not even begun to enjoy life. How can people like this do something like this to innocent helpless children? How can ANY child feel safe?
I can't even continue to write about this. I have too many tears in my eyes right now. There is a special place in hell for bastards like this. He may be dead, but he can NEVER be dead enough.
My heart goes out to the families that lost children and loved ones today. I could never in a million years imagine what they are going through. I don't know what I would do if something happened to my kids.
Especially the way their young lives were taken.
I will say a prayer for them all tonight. Please include them in yours as well.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Let it snow. Circa 1978.
Do YOU remember the Blizzard of '78? I remember it well. January 1978. We had just finished Christmas break, and were about 2 weeks back into school when the snow started to fall. We lived in Hudsonville Michigan, about a 15 minute drive to Grand Rapids. When the snow started to fall, it fell fast and heavy. The pressure was so low, it was like a hurricane was rolling through. To this day the barometer reading was 28.21. The LOWEST in Grand Rapids history. It was a DEEP storm. When all was said and done had around 26" of snow that was driven by such high winds, that we had drifts that started in our yard, and went over the roof of our house. You could literally walk up the drift, and on to the second floor roof of our home. The drifts and snow piles were still around our house until April it was so bad.
My brother and I had the task of using our little Toro snow blower to clear the driveway. There was no way. The snow was over our knees, and it was hopeless. My Dad was a Store Director at meijer in Grand Rapids, and him and about 30 other employees were stuck at the store because of the snow. In 1978, Meijer was not a 24 hour store. They closed at 10pm every night. They also had a full service cafeteria. I remember my Dad being there for making breakfast for the employees that were also trapped. I have a picture somewhere of him making eggs for the cashiers. When he was finally able to get home, we were all stuck because the roads were so bad. We were told it would be a week before our subdivision would be cleared. Luckily, there was a guy who lived down the road that had snowmobiles that were making trips into town for groceries and stuff. He also had a HUGE front loader, and within 2 days had completely cleared our roads. Everyone else was still stuck, but at least we could get out. Some houses were covered to the roofs, and all you could see was a tunnel from the front door to the road. That was it. No other evidence of a house was even there, except that hole. It was crazy.
http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/jan-26-1978-blizzard-america-12756452
This was the broadcast on the ABC Nightly News. I remember watching it with awe. It seemed like the snow would never end. The National Guard was out trying to get people that were trapped in their homes and workplaces. As well as medical assistance and delivering food. Imagine trying to get through the snow in a 1978 Grand Prix. It was nuts. When the roads were finally opened, you actually had to get out of your car to see if it was clear to go because there just wasn't anywhere to put the snow, and the intersections had 15' piles on the edge of the road.
After all was said and done, we survived. The old Toro snowblower didn't though. The snow killed it dead. It took only 30 minutes, and it was gone. Took me and my brother nearly 4 days to clear the driveway.
Do you remember where you were? Do you have any stories you want to share? Send me an e-mail and I'll post the stories here. If you have any pictures or videos, I will post them as well.
My brother and I had the task of using our little Toro snow blower to clear the driveway. There was no way. The snow was over our knees, and it was hopeless. My Dad was a Store Director at meijer in Grand Rapids, and him and about 30 other employees were stuck at the store because of the snow. In 1978, Meijer was not a 24 hour store. They closed at 10pm every night. They also had a full service cafeteria. I remember my Dad being there for making breakfast for the employees that were also trapped. I have a picture somewhere of him making eggs for the cashiers. When he was finally able to get home, we were all stuck because the roads were so bad. We were told it would be a week before our subdivision would be cleared. Luckily, there was a guy who lived down the road that had snowmobiles that were making trips into town for groceries and stuff. He also had a HUGE front loader, and within 2 days had completely cleared our roads. Everyone else was still stuck, but at least we could get out. Some houses were covered to the roofs, and all you could see was a tunnel from the front door to the road. That was it. No other evidence of a house was even there, except that hole. It was crazy.
http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/jan-26-1978-blizzard-america-12756452
This was the broadcast on the ABC Nightly News. I remember watching it with awe. It seemed like the snow would never end. The National Guard was out trying to get people that were trapped in their homes and workplaces. As well as medical assistance and delivering food. Imagine trying to get through the snow in a 1978 Grand Prix. It was nuts. When the roads were finally opened, you actually had to get out of your car to see if it was clear to go because there just wasn't anywhere to put the snow, and the intersections had 15' piles on the edge of the road.
After all was said and done, we survived. The old Toro snowblower didn't though. The snow killed it dead. It took only 30 minutes, and it was gone. Took me and my brother nearly 4 days to clear the driveway.
Do you remember where you were? Do you have any stories you want to share? Send me an e-mail and I'll post the stories here. If you have any pictures or videos, I will post them as well.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Excuse the interruption......
We here at The Daily Skid Mark have been absent from the blog lately. This is the time of year that I usually do more volunteer work. Putting together ways to help people for Christmas with food and gifts. I wasn't able to do NEARLY enough this year, and it really has me down. This year has been a tough one for our family, and I feel like I have let them down, as well as those I am always able to help. This will be the first year I have not been able to deliver Christmas hams and other food needs to those less fortunate. I have not been able to help with toys, or cash so people can buy typical household needs. There are no computers to donate to anyone who needs one, and my health has hindered my ability to fix computers at no charge.
It has been hard. I want to able to help out, and it kills me that I am not able to. And I am sorry.
Our situation has come to a head, and we are facing having to move out of our home for the second time in 8 months. Probably before the first of the year. Between health issues, and problems at our current home, along with financial issues, we are backed into a corner. I don't see anyway out of it either. Our son is currently being tested for Autism, my daughter has a skin condition that causes her to break out horribly in dry patches, and I am facing surgery on my jaw. Not to mention an ankle that doesn't seem to want to get any better.
I am so used to helping others, that I don't know how to react being on the other end of that spectrum. Because my wife has a job, the usual resources I go through to get other assistance are not available to us. I have sold everything that I could to raise money, including selling my Chevy Blazer, and will probably have to sell our OTHER Blazer and buy something cheap to get around. We are also facing a move to someplace else in Traverse City in the winter.
I am drained emotionally. I just don't have the fight left in me. Not only can I not help others that need it MUCH more than me, I can't even help myself or my family. I never wanted to use this blog to air my dirty laundry, but I have had a hard time even talking about it because I have been so down.
All I ask is that you think of our family this year. We could use all the prayers we can get. If anything, throw a buck in a kettle to help others who cannot help themselves. Drop some food off at a pantry. Give to Toys For Tots because there are too many children who will go without this year.
Just keep the spirit in your heart this year. Christmas is a time for giving, but need is a year round thing.
Sorry about this rant. It at least felt good to get it off my chest.
God bless.
It has been hard. I want to able to help out, and it kills me that I am not able to. And I am sorry.
Our situation has come to a head, and we are facing having to move out of our home for the second time in 8 months. Probably before the first of the year. Between health issues, and problems at our current home, along with financial issues, we are backed into a corner. I don't see anyway out of it either. Our son is currently being tested for Autism, my daughter has a skin condition that causes her to break out horribly in dry patches, and I am facing surgery on my jaw. Not to mention an ankle that doesn't seem to want to get any better.
I am so used to helping others, that I don't know how to react being on the other end of that spectrum. Because my wife has a job, the usual resources I go through to get other assistance are not available to us. I have sold everything that I could to raise money, including selling my Chevy Blazer, and will probably have to sell our OTHER Blazer and buy something cheap to get around. We are also facing a move to someplace else in Traverse City in the winter.
I am drained emotionally. I just don't have the fight left in me. Not only can I not help others that need it MUCH more than me, I can't even help myself or my family. I never wanted to use this blog to air my dirty laundry, but I have had a hard time even talking about it because I have been so down.
All I ask is that you think of our family this year. We could use all the prayers we can get. If anything, throw a buck in a kettle to help others who cannot help themselves. Drop some food off at a pantry. Give to Toys For Tots because there are too many children who will go without this year.
Just keep the spirit in your heart this year. Christmas is a time for giving, but need is a year round thing.
Sorry about this rant. It at least felt good to get it off my chest.
God bless.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Day by day....
So I have been really busy getting some things done that have occupied so much time in my life lately. I miss writing my blog, and should be able to do daily updates after this weekend. I will keep everyone updated with the ups and downs and fun facts that is my life. I just turned 45, and I hope to have 120 more years of fun times.
Anyways, sorry this is a boring lousy update. But I just wanted to know what was going on.
Oh, and I'm typing this naked. Get THAT image out of your head.
Anyways, sorry this is a boring lousy update. But I just wanted to know what was going on.
Oh, and I'm typing this naked. Get THAT image out of your head.
Friday, November 30, 2012
"And it includes a roof"
When I started writing this blog, I did it because I wanted to share stories of my life. I also wanted to make you laugh, and inform everyone about everything from computer problems and solutions, to wondering if this thing on my groin looks infected. (Does it?) I wanted to be able to write something everyday. I wanted you to share this blog with as many folks as you could. Bu more important, I wanted to find a way to help people with my words. To use this blog to give whatever I could to those who needed information, or just a place where they could read that they were not alone in lifes troubles.
It has been a tough year for my family. There has been so many speed bumps in our road of life, that there were many times I felt like there was no way I was going to make it, and that I had failed my family as a man, and a father. Then, I had several people step up to help us out. Over the last 8 months, we went from homeless, to having a roof over our heads, and a place to call home. If it had not been for the help that we received, I honestly do not know where we would be right now. I am so grateful for these people, and I want you to know that I love you for what you did.
I so want to name these people here in my blog for their generosity. But I don't know if they would be offended or not. One person gave us $350 and said not to worry about ever paying them back. Another gave us $850. A very good friend of mine sent me a Western Union money order that was so unexpected, that I cried after I spoke with him. You know who you are, and I will NEVER forget what you and your friend did to help us until the day. Also Americinn in Charlevoix allowed us to say there, and let us also lodge our dog with us for an EXTREMELY reduced rate. The staff was so wonderful to us, and Randi Hunter who runs the hotel treated us so nice. And our friends who let us sleep on their couches and spare rooms while our apartment was getting ready for us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was also blessed to have friends who referred computer work to me so I could make some extra money, as well as Third Day Ministries in Charlevoix who got the ball rolling from the beginning. Now we are still struggling, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Our children will enjoy a nice Christmas this year, as will I because I know that I have friends and family that love us, and worry about us. I will have a hard time paying these friends back, but I am paying it forward. Today I have contacted the Salvation Army and had them put me on a volunteer list to be a bell ringer. I figure I have time during the day, and I can always sit every 30 minutes to rest my legs. I am also looking forward to delivering Christmas hams this year to families that can't afford alot. I encourage others to do whatever you can as well. Whether it's working at a food pantry, or just dropping a quarter in a donation can, you can do alot to help others.
This day is a great day for me. Because I am alive, and I hope to live a very long life. Doing whatever I can to help you, and as many others as I can.
Tomorrow I talk about the time I was knee deep in liquid cow manure!
It has been a tough year for my family. There has been so many speed bumps in our road of life, that there were many times I felt like there was no way I was going to make it, and that I had failed my family as a man, and a father. Then, I had several people step up to help us out. Over the last 8 months, we went from homeless, to having a roof over our heads, and a place to call home. If it had not been for the help that we received, I honestly do not know where we would be right now. I am so grateful for these people, and I want you to know that I love you for what you did.
I so want to name these people here in my blog for their generosity. But I don't know if they would be offended or not. One person gave us $350 and said not to worry about ever paying them back. Another gave us $850. A very good friend of mine sent me a Western Union money order that was so unexpected, that I cried after I spoke with him. You know who you are, and I will NEVER forget what you and your friend did to help us until the day. Also Americinn in Charlevoix allowed us to say there, and let us also lodge our dog with us for an EXTREMELY reduced rate. The staff was so wonderful to us, and Randi Hunter who runs the hotel treated us so nice. And our friends who let us sleep on their couches and spare rooms while our apartment was getting ready for us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was also blessed to have friends who referred computer work to me so I could make some extra money, as well as Third Day Ministries in Charlevoix who got the ball rolling from the beginning. Now we are still struggling, but nowhere near as bad as it could have been. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Our children will enjoy a nice Christmas this year, as will I because I know that I have friends and family that love us, and worry about us. I will have a hard time paying these friends back, but I am paying it forward. Today I have contacted the Salvation Army and had them put me on a volunteer list to be a bell ringer. I figure I have time during the day, and I can always sit every 30 minutes to rest my legs. I am also looking forward to delivering Christmas hams this year to families that can't afford alot. I encourage others to do whatever you can as well. Whether it's working at a food pantry, or just dropping a quarter in a donation can, you can do alot to help others.
This day is a great day for me. Because I am alive, and I hope to live a very long life. Doing whatever I can to help you, and as many others as I can.
Tomorrow I talk about the time I was knee deep in liquid cow manure!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Have you ever hit an animal with your car? Have you ever hit a CAT with your car? Have you ever hit your friends MOM'S cat with a car?
I did, and she never knew it was me.
I feel better now that I got that off my chest.
Back in the 70's my Dad used to take us to Detroit Tiger games at Tiger Stadium. It was cool that I was able to see all of the old Tigers play there. Al Kaline, Gates Brown, Willie Horton and several others. We also got to see newcomers Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker in their first seasons. I used to love rolling into Southeast Michigan and picking up the Motown stations on the radio. This is one of the reasons I LOVE the music to this day. Then when we came around the corner and saw the stadium before us was so awesome. But NOTHING compared to the moment you walked out of the tunnel into the open air of Tiger Stadium. It was a cathedral. The Church Of Baseball. Batting practice was always a bonus. I remember watching Willie Horton crank balls over the roof 4 times in a row when the Tigers were taking their swings before the game one year. My dad even caught a foul ball off the bat of Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers one year. The seats we wanted to get were not available, so we sat down the third base line by the foul pole. He smacked a line drive, and it curved towards us in foul territory. My dad grabbed my glove, and reached down and caught it right in the webbing, actually saving a woman from getting hit in the face with the ball, as she wasn't even paying attention.
Sadly years later, our dog Rory got ahold of the ball and chewed it up. Oh well.
We would always go out to dinner after the game. Usually Big Boy, but every once and awhile we would go to a place called Nickerson Farms. It sat right off the highway, and had the BEST food. I always got the farm burger, and it came with the biggest french fries. Years later it closed. Never to be opened again.
Tiger Stadium? Gone. Nickerson Farms? Gone too. I miss being a kid. I mean, I REALLY miss being a kid.
And I miss Tiger Stadium.
I did, and she never knew it was me.
I feel better now that I got that off my chest.
Back in the 70's my Dad used to take us to Detroit Tiger games at Tiger Stadium. It was cool that I was able to see all of the old Tigers play there. Al Kaline, Gates Brown, Willie Horton and several others. We also got to see newcomers Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker in their first seasons. I used to love rolling into Southeast Michigan and picking up the Motown stations on the radio. This is one of the reasons I LOVE the music to this day. Then when we came around the corner and saw the stadium before us was so awesome. But NOTHING compared to the moment you walked out of the tunnel into the open air of Tiger Stadium. It was a cathedral. The Church Of Baseball. Batting practice was always a bonus. I remember watching Willie Horton crank balls over the roof 4 times in a row when the Tigers were taking their swings before the game one year. My dad even caught a foul ball off the bat of Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers one year. The seats we wanted to get were not available, so we sat down the third base line by the foul pole. He smacked a line drive, and it curved towards us in foul territory. My dad grabbed my glove, and reached down and caught it right in the webbing, actually saving a woman from getting hit in the face with the ball, as she wasn't even paying attention.
Sadly years later, our dog Rory got ahold of the ball and chewed it up. Oh well.
We would always go out to dinner after the game. Usually Big Boy, but every once and awhile we would go to a place called Nickerson Farms. It sat right off the highway, and had the BEST food. I always got the farm burger, and it came with the biggest french fries. Years later it closed. Never to be opened again.
Tiger Stadium? Gone. Nickerson Farms? Gone too. I miss being a kid. I mean, I REALLY miss being a kid.
And I miss Tiger Stadium.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Life's little pop quiz. I'm ready.
Hi everyone! Sorry about the little vacation I took. Just dealing with another medical issue that kind of came out of left field. At first I thought it was a simple toothache, as I grind my teeth in my sleep. But it quickly turned ugly, and my lower left jaw was swollen. However, I had no idea it was because I still had my winter beard. Wednesday of last week I was put on a HEAVY regiment of antibiotics in case it was an abscess in a tooth. By Thursday I was in so much pain, that I couldn't even focus and was nearly in tears.
I missed Thanksgiving for the first time in years. Tina and the kids went to her brothers without me, and I stayed in bed all day trying to get even an hour of sleep. I had some Vicoden that had been prescribed for the pain, but it did nothing. Thursday night I took a shower, and shaved off my beard. That was when I saw how swollen my lower jaw and neck was. Even Tina was shocked. It only got worse.
By Friday afternoon I was miserable. It felt like someone injected my jaw with fluid, and it was going to burst. The pain would shoot up my jaw and into my ear, and then back across my jaw to the other side. The headaches that followed were the worst I had ever had. It felt like my ear was going to burst one second, and my teeth were going to explode the next. I kept taking my meds in the hope that it would soon defeat whatever it was that was causing this horrific experience.
I was not sure what else I could do to ease the pain. I resorted to rinsing my mouth out with vodka in the hopes that the alcohol content would kill the nerve. It actually worked, and I was able to get at least some sleep. Sunday came, and I exhausted my supply of pain killers. All I had left was Tylenol and vodka. I did however get some good news. I was able to get in to see the doctor on Monday, rather than Tuesday. Maybe we can finally figure out what is causing this swelling. I was already told it could be a lymph node, and that was NOT what I wanted to hear. Cancer runs in my family, and I, like an idiot, still smoke. It felt like a lymph node. I could feel the gland, and it was pretty swollen. There were three other glands in and around my neck that had also started to swell up. I was REALLY getting scared.
Today I went to the doctor. This is what I know right now. There is considerable swelling that is causing pressure on my third tooth in the lower left jaw. An abscess that is running rampant near and around the gland. It is also squeezing the nerve. The tooth that is being pushed on has to be removed to get to the abscess. Then we will find out exactly what we are dealing with.
Scared? Yeah. Scared shitless. I had no idea how I was going to come up with the money that was MY cost of the surgery. I put my 1995 Blazer on Facebook to see if anyone wanted to buy it so I could raise the cash I needed. I had people want to send me cash to help out (You know who you are, and thank you!), and I had someone else who wanted to raise the money to help me out. Thank you for your concern. It made me cry at the instant help that was offered to me. But There are SO many out there that are worse off than I am. At least I had something I could spare, and sell to get the money I needed.
I sold the Blazer not even 30 minutes after I posted it. Thank you Jami. I know you'll love the SUV.
So, here I am just waiting for the next part of this little test of life. I have passed these before, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it beat me this time. Thank you everyone for your support. That is why I am proud to say that I love my friends and family. I am at peace knowing that you are all by my side.
:)
I missed Thanksgiving for the first time in years. Tina and the kids went to her brothers without me, and I stayed in bed all day trying to get even an hour of sleep. I had some Vicoden that had been prescribed for the pain, but it did nothing. Thursday night I took a shower, and shaved off my beard. That was when I saw how swollen my lower jaw and neck was. Even Tina was shocked. It only got worse.
By Friday afternoon I was miserable. It felt like someone injected my jaw with fluid, and it was going to burst. The pain would shoot up my jaw and into my ear, and then back across my jaw to the other side. The headaches that followed were the worst I had ever had. It felt like my ear was going to burst one second, and my teeth were going to explode the next. I kept taking my meds in the hope that it would soon defeat whatever it was that was causing this horrific experience.
I was not sure what else I could do to ease the pain. I resorted to rinsing my mouth out with vodka in the hopes that the alcohol content would kill the nerve. It actually worked, and I was able to get at least some sleep. Sunday came, and I exhausted my supply of pain killers. All I had left was Tylenol and vodka. I did however get some good news. I was able to get in to see the doctor on Monday, rather than Tuesday. Maybe we can finally figure out what is causing this swelling. I was already told it could be a lymph node, and that was NOT what I wanted to hear. Cancer runs in my family, and I, like an idiot, still smoke. It felt like a lymph node. I could feel the gland, and it was pretty swollen. There were three other glands in and around my neck that had also started to swell up. I was REALLY getting scared.
Today I went to the doctor. This is what I know right now. There is considerable swelling that is causing pressure on my third tooth in the lower left jaw. An abscess that is running rampant near and around the gland. It is also squeezing the nerve. The tooth that is being pushed on has to be removed to get to the abscess. Then we will find out exactly what we are dealing with.
Scared? Yeah. Scared shitless. I had no idea how I was going to come up with the money that was MY cost of the surgery. I put my 1995 Blazer on Facebook to see if anyone wanted to buy it so I could raise the cash I needed. I had people want to send me cash to help out (You know who you are, and thank you!), and I had someone else who wanted to raise the money to help me out. Thank you for your concern. It made me cry at the instant help that was offered to me. But There are SO many out there that are worse off than I am. At least I had something I could spare, and sell to get the money I needed.
I sold the Blazer not even 30 minutes after I posted it. Thank you Jami. I know you'll love the SUV.
So, here I am just waiting for the next part of this little test of life. I have passed these before, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it beat me this time. Thank you everyone for your support. That is why I am proud to say that I love my friends and family. I am at peace knowing that you are all by my side.
:)
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Well, stuff my turkey! (In a nice way)
There has been alot of slacking lately on my part. The Daily Skid Mark had been a daily blog. But I have had alot of medical issues lately, and the pain has been a distraction. Someone asked me last week if I didn't like writing my blog. Just he opposite. I LOVE updating my blog and sharing my stories with you. I just don't want to give a partial effort in writing about something. I tend to forget certain parts of what I want to tell you about, so I just hold off for a few days.
Coming in to the holiday season, I have also been concentrating on helping out those less fortunate. When times are tough, it's always worse during Thanksgiving and Christmas. For me, it is more a time of giving to others, even if it means I go with less than what I need to live on. I know that I will always be able to catch up, but those who have no means, will have it MUCH harder. Sadly, I will be giving less this year to help those who need it, but I will do my best. I encourage others to do what you can to help. I know times are SO tough for everyone. Even if it's $1 in a donation canister, someone will benefit from it. I recently tried to raise money for a friend who had no car. I was not able to raise near what I needed. Just when I thought I had failed, someone heard about what I was doing. I was able to trade a laptop that had been given to me for a decent car that was worth MUCH more than the laptop. He now is able to get to work, and drive his kids to school. That made my heart just glow. I wanted to write about the generosity, but he didn't want his name mentioned. So, I'll just say thank you.
Once again, I want to thank those who gave up their old computers so that people who needed them could have them. I am now out of computers, but I have been able to complete my list of people who were had requested one. If anyone has a computer they wish to donate, please get ahold of me. I am in need of laptops more than desktops due to the fact that laptops are basically an "all in one" system, and desktops require a mouse, keyboard and monitor.
I will return to my normal blog after Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a GREAT time Thursday. I will be with my in-laws all day. I hope they make the deviled eggs I love so much.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Coming in to the holiday season, I have also been concentrating on helping out those less fortunate. When times are tough, it's always worse during Thanksgiving and Christmas. For me, it is more a time of giving to others, even if it means I go with less than what I need to live on. I know that I will always be able to catch up, but those who have no means, will have it MUCH harder. Sadly, I will be giving less this year to help those who need it, but I will do my best. I encourage others to do what you can to help. I know times are SO tough for everyone. Even if it's $1 in a donation canister, someone will benefit from it. I recently tried to raise money for a friend who had no car. I was not able to raise near what I needed. Just when I thought I had failed, someone heard about what I was doing. I was able to trade a laptop that had been given to me for a decent car that was worth MUCH more than the laptop. He now is able to get to work, and drive his kids to school. That made my heart just glow. I wanted to write about the generosity, but he didn't want his name mentioned. So, I'll just say thank you.
Once again, I want to thank those who gave up their old computers so that people who needed them could have them. I am now out of computers, but I have been able to complete my list of people who were had requested one. If anyone has a computer they wish to donate, please get ahold of me. I am in need of laptops more than desktops due to the fact that laptops are basically an "all in one" system, and desktops require a mouse, keyboard and monitor.
I will return to my normal blog after Thanksgiving. I hope everyone has a GREAT time Thursday. I will be with my in-laws all day. I hope they make the deviled eggs I love so much.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Don't forget the kick in the ass.
When I was on the road to recovery from having GBS, I was thankful that I had friends that were there for me. They couldn't always be there physically, but they were there to call, and make sure I had someone to talk to and keep my spirits lifted. They knew how tough my ordeal had been, and the rehab that followed was very stressing. No matter how down I got, I always had someone there. That allowed me to be strong when everything seemed hopeless. I would have days when I was so depressed, but knowing that I could call someone, and they would be on the other of that phone made me survive the tough times.
Once, Sue Macks called and asked if I wanted to go for a drive and get out for some fresh air. It was great. We drove out of town and sat and talked for an hour. It is those kind of friends that I am proud to have on my side. I have not seen much of her in the last few years, but I know that she WOULD be there if I needed her.
When I was finally able to drive, I went anywhere I could. I took alot for granted, and I swore I never would again. I have alot to be thankful for today. I easily could have died, but I didn't. I easily could have had horrible residual effects from the GBS, but I didn't. I carry the reminder of being sick with the nerve damage in my feet, and the lack of feeling in my hands. But I don't let it stop me.
NEVER underestimate the power that your friends have to lift you up. True friends will never stop picking you up when you need a helping hand. Even when they are down themselves. That's how it works. You help when you can, and they return the favor when YOU need it. It could be something as little as them buying you a soda, or something as big as throwing $300 in your pocket to help you buy a car you need to get to work. There are no limits to what a good friend will do to help you out. My friends are awesome. They will always be there for me. If for anything, to kick my ass when I need it. (And trust me, I have needed it)
And I love them for that.
My friends know who they are. They never ask for credit for the things they do. But I do give them credit. The friends I have now are the friends I will have the rest of my life. They have always been there for me, as I will always be there for them.
Once, Sue Macks called and asked if I wanted to go for a drive and get out for some fresh air. It was great. We drove out of town and sat and talked for an hour. It is those kind of friends that I am proud to have on my side. I have not seen much of her in the last few years, but I know that she WOULD be there if I needed her.
When I was finally able to drive, I went anywhere I could. I took alot for granted, and I swore I never would again. I have alot to be thankful for today. I easily could have died, but I didn't. I easily could have had horrible residual effects from the GBS, but I didn't. I carry the reminder of being sick with the nerve damage in my feet, and the lack of feeling in my hands. But I don't let it stop me.
NEVER underestimate the power that your friends have to lift you up. True friends will never stop picking you up when you need a helping hand. Even when they are down themselves. That's how it works. You help when you can, and they return the favor when YOU need it. It could be something as little as them buying you a soda, or something as big as throwing $300 in your pocket to help you buy a car you need to get to work. There are no limits to what a good friend will do to help you out. My friends are awesome. They will always be there for me. If for anything, to kick my ass when I need it. (And trust me, I have needed it)
And I love them for that.
My friends know who they are. They never ask for credit for the things they do. But I do give them credit. The friends I have now are the friends I will have the rest of my life. They have always been there for me, as I will always be there for them.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Thursday Crap.
Turns out that my little confrontation with the "I'll park wherever I want" woman did the trick. She diffused my rant by actually doing the right thing, and is no longer parking in the handicapped spot. I still get dirty looks from her, but she knows she was wrong, and I was right. If everything was that easy.
Thanksgiving is coming up. If you know of someone that needs help feeding their family for the holiday, please let me know. I can put them in touch with several people that are ready to give to those who can use the hand up. It's tough having no money, but it's especially hard during the holidays. NOBODY should have to suffer for what ever reason. And if you want to help, I can also put you in contact with area food pantries.
For the next 30 days we are offering computer clean ups for only $25. If you have a virus, or your system is just running slow, get ahold of me. My cell is on my Facebook page. And as always, if you are current or former military, law enforcement or EMT your service is always free. Just my way of saying thanks to those who protect us, and in my case, helped save my life on 3 occasions.
I just spoke with my neighbor and friend that lives above us. Now, we live in a quad-plex. Two units up top, and two units below. She told me that the tenant that lived across from them just packed up her personal items and left 3 weeks ago and nobody knew it. She left behind a ton of crap and her 2 cats. One of which was dead when they finally got in there today. She had left only 4 bowls of cat food, and no water too speak of. This SICKENS me to no end. What kind of monster do you have to be to do this? Just drop them off to a shelter! I hope she smokes a burning turd in hell for what she did.
I want to close today's short blog with a simple comment. Good luck.
You know who you are.
Thanksgiving is coming up. If you know of someone that needs help feeding their family for the holiday, please let me know. I can put them in touch with several people that are ready to give to those who can use the hand up. It's tough having no money, but it's especially hard during the holidays. NOBODY should have to suffer for what ever reason. And if you want to help, I can also put you in contact with area food pantries.
For the next 30 days we are offering computer clean ups for only $25. If you have a virus, or your system is just running slow, get ahold of me. My cell is on my Facebook page. And as always, if you are current or former military, law enforcement or EMT your service is always free. Just my way of saying thanks to those who protect us, and in my case, helped save my life on 3 occasions.
I just spoke with my neighbor and friend that lives above us. Now, we live in a quad-plex. Two units up top, and two units below. She told me that the tenant that lived across from them just packed up her personal items and left 3 weeks ago and nobody knew it. She left behind a ton of crap and her 2 cats. One of which was dead when they finally got in there today. She had left only 4 bowls of cat food, and no water too speak of. This SICKENS me to no end. What kind of monster do you have to be to do this? Just drop them off to a shelter! I hope she smokes a burning turd in hell for what she did.
I want to close today's short blog with a simple comment. Good luck.
You know who you are.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Stand by. They always return to the scene of the crime.
I had this HUGE rant I was going to blog about today, but the "lady" that I talked about yesterday who loved to park in handicapped spots when she was not at all handicapped, avoided me like the plague today and never showed up.
Don't worry though. She is a constant in a never ending world of jack-asses and she will be back.
I also wanted to give a shout out to the awesome woman at the Long Lake Elementary School who took it upon themselves to make sure my son has a safe haven when he's having a bad day at school. He had another meltdown in class, and they let him hang out down there. I know that teachers and school workers have a tough job. I just want to make sure that they get the credit they deserve.
See you tomorrow with pictures of my parking lot nemesis!
In the meantime, hear is something disturbing.......
Oh, man. I have nothing against vegans, but this is disturbing. Just look at this "feast".
Oh man, it looks like......I don't know, but it disturbs me. I have to go throw up now. *vurp*
Don't worry though. She is a constant in a never ending world of jack-asses and she will be back.
I also wanted to give a shout out to the awesome woman at the Long Lake Elementary School who took it upon themselves to make sure my son has a safe haven when he's having a bad day at school. He had another meltdown in class, and they let him hang out down there. I know that teachers and school workers have a tough job. I just want to make sure that they get the credit they deserve.
See you tomorrow with pictures of my parking lot nemesis!
In the meantime, hear is something disturbing.......
Oh man, it looks like......I don't know, but it disturbs me. I have to go throw up now. *vurp*
Monday, November 12, 2012
Tomorrow, we rant....it will be good.
Tonight, I am prepping my rant about jerks who blatently park in handicapped spot, KNOWING they are not entitled to be using it. Case in point the woman that parks in one and does nothing but chat on her cell phone until her child comes out of school, even when others who DO have a plate or sticker is denied that spot.
Did I finally confront her? Yes I did.
There will be pictures tomorrow........
Until then, enjoy this.
The Alternate Universe Channel
Did I finally confront her? Yes I did.
There will be pictures tomorrow........
Until then, enjoy this.
The Alternate Universe Channel
10:00 AM
| Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek Babies Baby Kirk and Baby Spock must travel to an unknown nursery to learn the importance of sharing. |
10:30 AM
| Ladyhawke Forever In this, the third and best film of the series, Gaston loses his memory and and must quest to discover his own hidden past -- and dark destiny. **** |
12:30 PM
| Gardening with Kurt and Tupac Kurt Cobain and Tupac Shakur share gardening tips. This week: aphids. |
1:00 PM
| Family Feud Family members are given power tools and put in a steel pit to resolve differences. Louie Anderson hosts. |
1:30 PM
| Where Are They Now? Former celebrities are tracked down and interviewed. This week: Fitness instructor and former singer Madonna Ciccone |
2:00 PM
| NFL Football Fresno Assassins vs. Urbana Jackals |
5:00 PM
| Shining Time Station Thomas must enter the seedy world of organized crime to track down the man who killed his wife. Mature themes. |
6:00 PM
| World's Safest Drivers Real-life footage of capable drivers avoiding accidents through quick thinking and defensive driving techniques. |
6:30 PM
| Fashion Emergency Supermodels give first aid to accident victims while showcasing fabulous outfits. |
7:00 PM
| Politically Correct Bill Maher and celebrity guests discuss non-controversial subjects. This week's topics: "Fish sure are wet" and "I've got toes." |
7:30 PM
| Three's Company Again Premiere. The children of Jack Tripper, Chrissy Snow, and Janet Wood attempt to get along while hiding their Internet porn startup from the landlord. |
8:00 PM
| Presidential Address U.S. President Bob Ross speaks on the state of the union and paints a seascape with happy clouds. |
Friday, November 9, 2012
Someone needs a helping hand badly.
Ok friends. I am trying to raise some money to get a car for a REALLY good friend that needs one for work, and that will be safe to drive his kids in as well. They literally have NO money to get a car, and now he has a chance to impe his situation. I have found a great deal for him and I have put some money down to help out, but I don't have enough to pay for the whole price. I need to raise $1000 in the next week. If you are interested, and want to help send me a response and I will tell you how you can help. I know times are really tough. I did what I could do to help, now I'm asking you to do the same if you can. I do NOT want to give his name on here as he has no idea I'm doing this. But if you need further details, I will share them with you. Thanks everyone!
You can also e-mail me at misterchipspc@yahoo.com for more details on what you can do to help out a really good person that always puts other ahead of himself. I can also be sent a message via my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MARK.IN.THE.DARK
Thank you!
You can also e-mail me at misterchipspc@yahoo.com for more details on what you can do to help out a really good person that always puts other ahead of himself. I can also be sent a message via my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MARK.IN.THE.DARK
Thank you!
Charlie's Dump and Drag Racing!
When I lived in Jenison Michigan as a kid, it was a great time. 1974-1977. We used to walk to school, and there were never many worries about getting in to any danger. Hell, we used to walk across 4 lanes of traffic on Baldwin Avenue just to get a can of Scot Lad soda in the heavy steel cans from the D&W grocery store. I went to Sandy Hill Elementary, and drove my teachers nuts. My first grade teacher retired after she had me in class.
Where we lived was a cool little subdivision that had a HUGE grove of pine trees, and open field behind it. We used to play guns and hide and go seek in those woods. When we wanted to sled in the winter, we walked to a place called Charlie's Dump. It was basically a HUGE gravel pit type place that had a pond and old cars and stuff lying around. It was cool because you could collect tadpoles in the summer from the pond, and raise them yourself. The slopes were AWESOME for sledding down, oh oh MAN was it dangerous. There was always people with dirt bikes climbing the hill during the warm spring and summer. I'm pretty sure that the entire place has been filled in, and is now a soccer field. Such is the way of progress. The huge field and pine trees are also gone. It's nothing but houses and businesses now.
WGRD played nothing but rock, and we used to go to Hager Park to play on the swings. The park had this really cool lookout that you could climb up and look down to see a map of the USA done with white rocks that was not visible from the ground. We played little league baseball at Georgetown Park. The field has been around for over 60 years. I loved to get Lick-N-Dip candy after games, and our coach always had a case of Sun-Glo soda for the players. We won the championship 3 years in a year.
Our neighbor, and family friend across the street from us was Frank Seibert. He worked for Kendall Motor Oil , and was always getting us cool stickers and stuff. His daughter Martha used to babysit us with her friend Jody Dekkinga. I loved them. They were always the coolest girls I knew. Frank was a helluva nice guy. He passed a few years back, and I was saddened to hear this. He was such a nice guy that always made us laugh. I remember we spent the 4th of July 1976 with his family grilling at the park, and then watching the fireworks in Grand Rapids. He used to also get pit passes to Martin Speedway, and we always went to The Popular Hot Rod Championships there. We watched and got to meet several drag racers. Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme, "TV" Tommy Ivo, Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney and more. I still have pictures that I need to find, but what a time to be young. I mean, we got to walk the pits and have Frank introduce us to these legends!
Jody's brother had a kick-ass Camaro that was featured in Hot Rod Magazine. We always got to watch them work on cars. All hours of the night we would hear engines rev as they would build these monsters.
I loved living in Jenison, and I look back fondly at my time there. My Aunt Linda lived just down the road from where we were, and we could walk there and hang out. I remember watching the World Series once on her TV when the Oakland A's were playing. Reggie Jackson was batting and I think he hit a home run.
Now the entire area we used to play around is fully developed. Frank has since passed along with his wife Bonnie who was a saint. I never hear much from Martha or Jody. It has been several years in fact, but I still think about them. There are several other memories I have about living in Jenison that I will talk about later. Man do I have some stories.......
Where we lived was a cool little subdivision that had a HUGE grove of pine trees, and open field behind it. We used to play guns and hide and go seek in those woods. When we wanted to sled in the winter, we walked to a place called Charlie's Dump. It was basically a HUGE gravel pit type place that had a pond and old cars and stuff lying around. It was cool because you could collect tadpoles in the summer from the pond, and raise them yourself. The slopes were AWESOME for sledding down, oh oh MAN was it dangerous. There was always people with dirt bikes climbing the hill during the warm spring and summer. I'm pretty sure that the entire place has been filled in, and is now a soccer field. Such is the way of progress. The huge field and pine trees are also gone. It's nothing but houses and businesses now.
WGRD played nothing but rock, and we used to go to Hager Park to play on the swings. The park had this really cool lookout that you could climb up and look down to see a map of the USA done with white rocks that was not visible from the ground. We played little league baseball at Georgetown Park. The field has been around for over 60 years. I loved to get Lick-N-Dip candy after games, and our coach always had a case of Sun-Glo soda for the players. We won the championship 3 years in a year.
Our neighbor, and family friend across the street from us was Frank Seibert. He worked for Kendall Motor Oil , and was always getting us cool stickers and stuff. His daughter Martha used to babysit us with her friend Jody Dekkinga. I loved them. They were always the coolest girls I knew. Frank was a helluva nice guy. He passed a few years back, and I was saddened to hear this. He was such a nice guy that always made us laugh. I remember we spent the 4th of July 1976 with his family grilling at the park, and then watching the fireworks in Grand Rapids. He used to also get pit passes to Martin Speedway, and we always went to The Popular Hot Rod Championships there. We watched and got to meet several drag racers. Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme, "TV" Tommy Ivo, Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney and more. I still have pictures that I need to find, but what a time to be young. I mean, we got to walk the pits and have Frank introduce us to these legends!
Jody's brother had a kick-ass Camaro that was featured in Hot Rod Magazine. We always got to watch them work on cars. All hours of the night we would hear engines rev as they would build these monsters.
I loved living in Jenison, and I look back fondly at my time there. My Aunt Linda lived just down the road from where we were, and we could walk there and hang out. I remember watching the World Series once on her TV when the Oakland A's were playing. Reggie Jackson was batting and I think he hit a home run.
Now the entire area we used to play around is fully developed. Frank has since passed along with his wife Bonnie who was a saint. I never hear much from Martha or Jody. It has been several years in fact, but I still think about them. There are several other memories I have about living in Jenison that I will talk about later. Man do I have some stories.......
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Now availabe for 89 easy payments of $49.99!
I love to make people laugh. It's what I do. No matter how I'm feeling, I make it priority one to make you smile. It's almost therapeutic to me. You see, I deal with alot of pain every day. From my toes to my sinuses, I'm a walking wreck. It isn't that I'm here to complain. Far from it. I just want to let you know that laughter can make anyone feel better. If it wasn't for the smile on the faces of my wife and children, I would probably be a corpse.
I really beat the crap out of my body over the years. From racing dirt bike to falling into a 45 foot ravine and everything in between, I should be dead. It doesn't help that I smoke and have terrible Mountain Dew addiction. Currently I suffer from a mangled ankle, and seasonal nerve pain in my feet from GBS. It makes mornings and evenings a real blast. As a matter of fact, I just sneezed all over the screen of my laptop. Eww....
But, I still get up in the morning and do it all again. I do it for the fact that, yes I am in pain, but I am also alive. And until the day comes when I DON'T wake up, I will make the best of what life has to offer. That is why I like to make you laugh. I don't have to, I want to. Life can be pretty damn sucky, but it's only as sucky as you let it be. I don't speak for everyone, that's for sure. But I survive with a smile. My friends and family make sure I smile, so I love to return the favor.
Now, how about a song from my Greatest Hits compilation available through Flaming Cabbage Productions? Elvis and Kenny Rodgers be damned, I am SO much smoother.........
I love that the PLAY arrow is on my nose.....looks like some kind of mutant pimple. Keep smiling people!
I really beat the crap out of my body over the years. From racing dirt bike to falling into a 45 foot ravine and everything in between, I should be dead. It doesn't help that I smoke and have terrible Mountain Dew addiction. Currently I suffer from a mangled ankle, and seasonal nerve pain in my feet from GBS. It makes mornings and evenings a real blast. As a matter of fact, I just sneezed all over the screen of my laptop. Eww....
But, I still get up in the morning and do it all again. I do it for the fact that, yes I am in pain, but I am also alive. And until the day comes when I DON'T wake up, I will make the best of what life has to offer. That is why I like to make you laugh. I don't have to, I want to. Life can be pretty damn sucky, but it's only as sucky as you let it be. I don't speak for everyone, that's for sure. But I survive with a smile. My friends and family make sure I smile, so I love to return the favor.
Now, how about a song from my Greatest Hits compilation available through Flaming Cabbage Productions? Elvis and Kenny Rodgers be damned, I am SO much smoother.........
I love that the PLAY arrow is on my nose.....looks like some kind of mutant pimple. Keep smiling people!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Blair is on Survivor?????
Yeah, I just found that out, and I still hate that show.
I'm taking the day off. I need to take care of some work I have been neglecting, so there will be no personal blog today. Instead, I have a bit from the legendary vault.
Enjoy, and I will see you tomorrow!
Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth From An Asteroid
I'm taking the day off. I need to take care of some work I have been neglecting, so there will be no personal blog today. Instead, I have a bit from the legendary vault.
Enjoy, and I will see you tomorrow!
Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth From An Asteroid
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
I voted The Snausage Party!
36 years ago, our elementary school held an election to vote who we would vote for in the presidential race. We had to choose between Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford. The voting was an all day thing, and Ford won by a landslide. We all know how it ended up in real life. Carter rolled to the win. Today my son Nolan got to vote in school as well.
He voted for Ice Cream. And Ice Cream won.
Ahh, to be young again.
I hope everyone had a chance to get out and vgote today. The Daily Skid Mark endorses only one canidate. Trevor. He's my dog, and he was running for The Snausage Party. He built his platform on higher taxes for cats, and a pot roast in every dog bowl. Can't go wrong with that!
Happy Election Day everyone!
He voted for Ice Cream. And Ice Cream won.
Ahh, to be young again.
I hope everyone had a chance to get out and vgote today. The Daily Skid Mark endorses only one canidate. Trevor. He's my dog, and he was running for The Snausage Party. He built his platform on higher taxes for cats, and a pot roast in every dog bowl. Can't go wrong with that!
Happy Election Day everyone!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Who can answer this question?
In the 70's I grew up in the Grand Rapids area. There was a haunted house that was just off the highway. It also offered horse rides, hay rides and nature trails to walk down. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of this place. We went there on a class field trip when I was in 2nd grade. The last time I remember geeing it was in 1977. Even after all of my trips back downstate over the years, I don't see ANY evidence of this place even existing.
The first person to identify what this place was called, and what ever happened to it whens a mention on my blog, as well as my eternal gratitude for saving a childhood memory for me.
I will tell my story of the time I went there and had the CRAP scared out of me tomorrow.
Get cracking and see who can answer the question that has plagued me for years.
The first person to identify what this place was called, and what ever happened to it whens a mention on my blog, as well as my eternal gratitude for saving a childhood memory for me.
I will tell my story of the time I went there and had the CRAP scared out of me tomorrow.
Get cracking and see who can answer the question that has plagued me for years.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
A scurvy pirate be lurkin' in todays blog.
I don't have anythin' to scribe 'bout this day. I have be busy cookin' 'n gettin' th' ship cleaned up this day. I'll return Monday wit' a story 'o stupidity from me past. Just fer grins though, I figure I would message 'tis in scurvy pirate shout. spy wit' ye eye ye on Monday!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Fear Part 2
What are you afraid of?
The only thing I was ever really afraid of when I was a kid was thunderstorms. Nothing else fazed me one bit. Bugs? Nope. Snakes? Never. My Uncle Charlie? Well, maybe a little. He was a weirdo.
Nope, I was always pretty good at conquering my fears. That was until I had GBS. I know I covered alot of what happened to me when I was very sick in 1999, but I never really spoke of the long lasting effects of what had happened to cause the fears that I suffer through everyday of my life now.
I have worked overnight shifts since I was in high school. It started at Meijer, and continued on when I started working in radio, all the way through 1997. I was used to always being awake at night, and I enjoyed the peace that came with it. I loved being alone, and I really didn't have to answer to anyone except my listeners, and an occasional call from my boss as to why I just played Marilyn Manson's The Beautiful People. I would drive to work at night with no traffic, and go home in the morning as the sun came up. It was great.
Then 1999, and the GBS wiped all of that out. I would lie awake at night in the hospital wondering if I was going to live or die. Even after I left ICU and went to Munson for re-hab, the fear was with me. Even though I was in a HUGE hospital, I felt so very alone. Once I went home, it was even worse. I had to stay at my parents house since I was in a wheelchair, and their home was accessible for me. They would go to bed around 10pm, and my ex-wife would never stay with me. So I would just sit up in bed, listening to the radio, hoping that I was not going to die because something would happen to me, and nobody would hear my cries for help. My doctor put me on anti anxiety medication to help. Effexor was the pill she chose for me. Now, I won't list what happens when you take this medication, but in short, it has a nickname.
"Side Effexor"
It did very little to help with my anxiety, but it sure messed up my body! I really loved it when my body would start to shiver for no apparent reason, and then I would barf after 10 minutes. If you missed a dose, God help you. I actually collapsed at work with my heart rate at about 180 that lasted 3-4 minutes, then would go right back to normal like hitting a switch. I would still lay in bed at night freaking out, but at least all of the diarrhea that I had from it distracted me.
Finally, I was able to change my medication to Celexa which helped SO much more. It was able to relieve me of my daily anxiety, and help with the night terrors that I was suffering from. But to this day, I am still scared.
I can be in bed at night next to my wife who is asleep, and still get scared. Sometimes terrified that I am not going to wake up in the morning. It gets so bad that I force myself to stay awake all night, just to make sure I will stay alive. Sometimes, I cry because the stress is so bad. And when I do wake up in the morning, I am sometimes afraid to move because if I do, I will have a heart attack or something. I know, this is ridiculous, but to me it is VERY real. And I have to deal with it every day of my life. There is NO amount of medication that will fully help me get over the fear that I have incurred because of my GBS, but I do my best to plow through every day the best I can.
Imagine sitting on the edge of your bed at night. Now imagine being frozen with fear. You can't move. You cant talk. You cant hardly breathe. You try to open your mouth, and nothing comes out. You try to reach out, but you cannot move. All you can do is panic and cry until it passes and you can relax.
That happens to me 3 times a week on average.
It gets worse whenever I get a bad cold, or some injury. It enhances the fear that I go through. My only saving grace is my loving family, and friends that always watch out for me. Without my friends and family, I would have been dead years ago. Either from stress, or my own hands.
Everybody has fear they have to deal with. And everyone has their own way of going about getting over it. But fear never goes away. No matter what you try. You just have to deal with it, and do your best to survive another day. It's not easy, but you do it anyways.
If I can do it, you can do it. Never give up.
Man, I wonder if my weird Uncle Charlie is still alive? I just got freaked out all over again.
The only thing I was ever really afraid of when I was a kid was thunderstorms. Nothing else fazed me one bit. Bugs? Nope. Snakes? Never. My Uncle Charlie? Well, maybe a little. He was a weirdo.
Nope, I was always pretty good at conquering my fears. That was until I had GBS. I know I covered alot of what happened to me when I was very sick in 1999, but I never really spoke of the long lasting effects of what had happened to cause the fears that I suffer through everyday of my life now.
I have worked overnight shifts since I was in high school. It started at Meijer, and continued on when I started working in radio, all the way through 1997. I was used to always being awake at night, and I enjoyed the peace that came with it. I loved being alone, and I really didn't have to answer to anyone except my listeners, and an occasional call from my boss as to why I just played Marilyn Manson's The Beautiful People. I would drive to work at night with no traffic, and go home in the morning as the sun came up. It was great.
Then 1999, and the GBS wiped all of that out. I would lie awake at night in the hospital wondering if I was going to live or die. Even after I left ICU and went to Munson for re-hab, the fear was with me. Even though I was in a HUGE hospital, I felt so very alone. Once I went home, it was even worse. I had to stay at my parents house since I was in a wheelchair, and their home was accessible for me. They would go to bed around 10pm, and my ex-wife would never stay with me. So I would just sit up in bed, listening to the radio, hoping that I was not going to die because something would happen to me, and nobody would hear my cries for help. My doctor put me on anti anxiety medication to help. Effexor was the pill she chose for me. Now, I won't list what happens when you take this medication, but in short, it has a nickname.
"Side Effexor"
It did very little to help with my anxiety, but it sure messed up my body! I really loved it when my body would start to shiver for no apparent reason, and then I would barf after 10 minutes. If you missed a dose, God help you. I actually collapsed at work with my heart rate at about 180 that lasted 3-4 minutes, then would go right back to normal like hitting a switch. I would still lay in bed at night freaking out, but at least all of the diarrhea that I had from it distracted me.
Finally, I was able to change my medication to Celexa which helped SO much more. It was able to relieve me of my daily anxiety, and help with the night terrors that I was suffering from. But to this day, I am still scared.
I can be in bed at night next to my wife who is asleep, and still get scared. Sometimes terrified that I am not going to wake up in the morning. It gets so bad that I force myself to stay awake all night, just to make sure I will stay alive. Sometimes, I cry because the stress is so bad. And when I do wake up in the morning, I am sometimes afraid to move because if I do, I will have a heart attack or something. I know, this is ridiculous, but to me it is VERY real. And I have to deal with it every day of my life. There is NO amount of medication that will fully help me get over the fear that I have incurred because of my GBS, but I do my best to plow through every day the best I can.
Imagine sitting on the edge of your bed at night. Now imagine being frozen with fear. You can't move. You cant talk. You cant hardly breathe. You try to open your mouth, and nothing comes out. You try to reach out, but you cannot move. All you can do is panic and cry until it passes and you can relax.
That happens to me 3 times a week on average.
It gets worse whenever I get a bad cold, or some injury. It enhances the fear that I go through. My only saving grace is my loving family, and friends that always watch out for me. Without my friends and family, I would have been dead years ago. Either from stress, or my own hands.
Everybody has fear they have to deal with. And everyone has their own way of going about getting over it. But fear never goes away. No matter what you try. You just have to deal with it, and do your best to survive another day. It's not easy, but you do it anyways.
If I can do it, you can do it. Never give up.
Man, I wonder if my weird Uncle Charlie is still alive? I just got freaked out all over again.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Things that scare The Lollipop Guild.
My blog returns tomorrow with an all new story from my very strange past. Until then, please enjoy this quick snippet!
Things that scare the HELL out of The Lollipop Guild:
The Cotton Candy Mafia
The National Association for the Advancement of Circus Peanuts
The Fudge Packers Union
The Church of Satan and Also Candy Apples
The Praline Liberation Organization
The Bureau of Licorice, Gumdrops and Firearms
The Committee to Beat Hell Out of the Oompa-Loompas
Things that scare the HELL out of The Lollipop Guild:
The Cotton Candy Mafia
The National Association for the Advancement of Circus Peanuts
The Fudge Packers Union
The Church of Satan and Also Candy Apples
The Praline Liberation Organization
The Bureau of Licorice, Gumdrops and Firearms
The Committee to Beat Hell Out of the Oompa-Loompas
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Blogger Returns!
So I took some time off. I know, I already goof off too much, but I have an excuse.
Ok, not really, but I am feeling better. My severely sprained ankle is finally coming around, my asthma is responding well to my meds, and my fatigue and dehydration problem is under control. I just have to KEEP taking care of myself instead of slacking when I'm doing good.
So, here comes Sandy. Please keep everyone in the danger zone in your prayers. I have friends and family that are currently under the gun. It has been a LONG time since I have seen a storm system like this, and probably wont again for a long time. People were thinking out loud today at the gas station about fuel prices that will be affected. Well, I can tell you this. I live in a town where gas prices went from $3.98 to $3.13 and back up to $3.47 all in a two week period. I think we'll be ok here in Traverse City because it's NEVER anywhere near a normal set price. Then again, at any given time, we are ALWAYS .50 cheaper per gallon than Charlevoix. Why is that? I blame communism.Then again, when 9/11 happened I watched ALL of the gas stations in Charlevoix crank up fuel prices in 3 hours to over $1/gallon from where it had been earlier. Price gouging is the WORST kind of asshole move. Companies need to be held responsible. Sadly, it usually gets swept under the rug.
This actually happened to me today. I was getting ready to park and go in the gas station to pay for my gas. A car pulled in front of me and took the handicapped spot I was going to park in. (As you all know, I have SEVERE nerve damage in my feet from GBS not to mention I was still on crutches from my ankle injury) I parked 3 spots over and got out of my car. No sticker on his car, and no plate indicating he was disabled. Now, I see this ALL of the time, and it infuriates me. This time, I decided to confront this person.....
Me: "Excuse me, are you disabled?"
Him: "No, why?"
Me: "Well, do you know that you parked in a handicapped zone, AND cut me off when I was going to park there?"
Him: "Oh, it's ok. My dad is disabled."
Me: "Oh, sorry. Is he with you?"
Him: "Oh, no. He's in Florida right now."
At this point about 6 people looked at him. The lady behind me asked why he had the balls to park there even though, A) He wasn't disabled. B) He had no sticker. and C) Why it mattered if his dad was disabled, and he had nothing to do with him parking where he did.
He literally had NO answer. He was just lazy. There was a VERY vocal lady that was getting ready to leave that just let him have it. Even the clerk scolded him. Three people made some sort of comment to him about what he had done.
His response?
Him: 'You people can fuck off."
And with that he walked out.
So that was just about what I expected his response to be. What an intelligent answer from a lazy asshole that just had to have his canister of chew. Sadly, this happens all of the time. I just wish a police officer had stopped in at that moment for a soda or something. I wanted to drive over him and his car, but I just smiled. Karma is a bitch, and she was pretty pissed.
Just another Monday in paradise. Catch you Tuesday!
Ok, not really, but I am feeling better. My severely sprained ankle is finally coming around, my asthma is responding well to my meds, and my fatigue and dehydration problem is under control. I just have to KEEP taking care of myself instead of slacking when I'm doing good.
So, here comes Sandy. Please keep everyone in the danger zone in your prayers. I have friends and family that are currently under the gun. It has been a LONG time since I have seen a storm system like this, and probably wont again for a long time. People were thinking out loud today at the gas station about fuel prices that will be affected. Well, I can tell you this. I live in a town where gas prices went from $3.98 to $3.13 and back up to $3.47 all in a two week period. I think we'll be ok here in Traverse City because it's NEVER anywhere near a normal set price. Then again, at any given time, we are ALWAYS .50 cheaper per gallon than Charlevoix. Why is that? I blame communism.Then again, when 9/11 happened I watched ALL of the gas stations in Charlevoix crank up fuel prices in 3 hours to over $1/gallon from where it had been earlier. Price gouging is the WORST kind of asshole move. Companies need to be held responsible. Sadly, it usually gets swept under the rug.
This actually happened to me today. I was getting ready to park and go in the gas station to pay for my gas. A car pulled in front of me and took the handicapped spot I was going to park in. (As you all know, I have SEVERE nerve damage in my feet from GBS not to mention I was still on crutches from my ankle injury) I parked 3 spots over and got out of my car. No sticker on his car, and no plate indicating he was disabled. Now, I see this ALL of the time, and it infuriates me. This time, I decided to confront this person.....
Me: "Excuse me, are you disabled?"
Him: "No, why?"
Me: "Well, do you know that you parked in a handicapped zone, AND cut me off when I was going to park there?"
Him: "Oh, it's ok. My dad is disabled."
Me: "Oh, sorry. Is he with you?"
Him: "Oh, no. He's in Florida right now."
At this point about 6 people looked at him. The lady behind me asked why he had the balls to park there even though, A) He wasn't disabled. B) He had no sticker. and C) Why it mattered if his dad was disabled, and he had nothing to do with him parking where he did.
He literally had NO answer. He was just lazy. There was a VERY vocal lady that was getting ready to leave that just let him have it. Even the clerk scolded him. Three people made some sort of comment to him about what he had done.
His response?
Him: 'You people can fuck off."
And with that he walked out.
So that was just about what I expected his response to be. What an intelligent answer from a lazy asshole that just had to have his canister of chew. Sadly, this happens all of the time. I just wish a police officer had stopped in at that moment for a soda or something. I wanted to drive over him and his car, but I just smiled. Karma is a bitch, and she was pretty pissed.
Just another Monday in paradise. Catch you Tuesday!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
What I want for Christmas.....
The main factor behind the success of Pokémon is so bafflingly obvious that I'm sure thousands of toy executives are beating themselves in the head daily. If you want to make a toy that appeals to both boys and girls, there's no need to break down centuries of gender role stereotyping. Heavens no!
Just make cute little cuddly characters that beat hell out of each other! HOORAY!
It's a darned shame this approach didn't occur to our nation's crap-hawkers a decade ago, or else we could have seen all sorts of interesting and-cartoon creations. To wit:
Just make cute little cuddly characters that beat hell out of each other! HOORAY!
It's a darned shame this approach didn't occur to our nation's crap-hawkers a decade ago, or else we could have seen all sorts of interesting and-cartoon creations. To wit:
Strawberry Smackdown
The sweet smell of fresh berries mingles with the scent of sweat and blood as adorable moppets with mayhem on their mind climb into the eighteen-foot steel cage they call "The Berry Patch."
Smurfs: The Reckoning
There can be only one. The Smurfs come to the sudden instinctual realization that they are destined to behead each other until only one survives.
Hello Kitty, Goodbye Teeth
Snapping from the accumulated rage of years of two-dimensional minimalist whimsy, Hello Kitty takes it upon herself to beat all of her little friends into a pulp for no clear reason. She has no mouth, and she must pummel!
My Lethal Pony
Dozens of killer ponies with pictures of assorted weapons, symbols of death, and severed body parts garishly tattooed on their flanks live in a constant state of war and strife. Try and comb their hair and you may lose a finger.
Baby Killed-A-Guy
This precious infant with a dark past comes with a certificate telling you its name, gender, and how it pleads. You'll love your new baby for 20 years to life!
Friday, October 26, 2012
You COULD get hacked!
Use passwords that are difficult to guess, like "fr349U@br7". In fact, you might want to just copy and paste that one.
It's perfectly fine to use the name of your pet or child as a password. However, for the sake of security, make sure the names of all your pets and children contain several non-alphanumeric characters.
In case someone does manage to crack your password, consider making it something flattering, like "sexxgodd!" or "9hardINCHES".
Never write your password down. Instantly commit every single one of the dozen or so passwords you use to memory, then never forget any of them even if you don't use one for a few months.
Change your password at frequent intervals. Yeah, right.
Hey, wait! What if you just used the word "password" for your password? It's like hiding in plain sight! God, you're clever.
Genius-IQ thirteen-year-olds can guess any password. Kill them on sight.
It's perfectly fine to use the name of your pet or child as a password. However, for the sake of security, make sure the names of all your pets and children contain several non-alphanumeric characters.
In case someone does manage to crack your password, consider making it something flattering, like "sexxgodd!" or "9hardINCHES".
Never write your password down. Instantly commit every single one of the dozen or so passwords you use to memory, then never forget any of them even if you don't use one for a few months.
Change your password at frequent intervals. Yeah, right.
Hey, wait! What if you just used the word "password" for your password? It's like hiding in plain sight! God, you're clever.
Genius-IQ thirteen-year-olds can guess any password. Kill them on sight.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
If I had a third eye.....
Ok, I need to tell you guys something. My health KIND of sucks right now. I have been suffering from a terribly damaged ankle for close to a month and a half now. It just keeps getting worse. And on top of that, my asthma has been wiping me out from this back and forth weather. I find it hard to focus on writing my blog everyday with the amount of pain that I am in. It has been almost a month since I have had more than 3 hours of sleep at night. Stressing about the Autism campaign when I should have get resting? Guilty as charged.
I'm not telling you this for sympathy, it's just that I want you to know that if I don't get a chance to update this page, you will understand why. I will still post funny stories and other things for you to read, but I am going to take the next week off from writing personal material.
So keep your eyes peeled for something here daily, and I will retuyrn to postingf my own stuff a week from today.
Thank you everyone. I love you all. :)
Oh yeah, if I had a third eye? It would be kind of cool.
I'm not telling you this for sympathy, it's just that I want you to know that if I don't get a chance to update this page, you will understand why. I will still post funny stories and other things for you to read, but I am going to take the next week off from writing personal material.
So keep your eyes peeled for something here daily, and I will retuyrn to postingf my own stuff a week from today.
Thank you everyone. I love you all. :)
Oh yeah, if I had a third eye? It would be kind of cool.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Rectum? Hell, it nearly KILLED him!
Sometimes I wonder how I am still around. Seems to me that I have had a dictionary full of medical problems. Such is the way it is right now. I took a spill about 1 1/2 months ago on some steps that were in bad shape. The ankle that I had previous surgery on was once again the victim.
Now, like the idiot I am, I took a "let's see what happens" stance on the injury. Now, 45 days after, I have an ankle that looks like it has been inflated with pain and fluid.
Therefore, I am taking the day off from my blog to try and get some rest.
Oh, and a HUGE thank you to Roxanne Jenkins. She shipped my nachos via UPS! Not put together mind you, but the cheese, salsa and chips. That was awesome! I have the best friends in the world.
Take care!
Now, like the idiot I am, I took a "let's see what happens" stance on the injury. Now, 45 days after, I have an ankle that looks like it has been inflated with pain and fluid.
Therefore, I am taking the day off from my blog to try and get some rest.
Oh, and a HUGE thank you to Roxanne Jenkins. She shipped my nachos via UPS! Not put together mind you, but the cheese, salsa and chips. That was awesome! I have the best friends in the world.
Take care!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Gett off of my lawn, you damn teenagers!
Maggie May from Rod Stewart and American Pie from Don McLean.
These were the first songs that I remember hearing when I was a toddler in 1971. We lived in Elkhart, Indiana where my sister was born. I heard the on the radio at my neighbors house who was babysitting me. Mrs. Marks. A very nice older lady. Turns out years later I would end up working with her granddaughter at NCMC in Petoskey, happened to find out by accident who she was. The world is small after all!
Before I get off track as I usually do, today I want to talk about where my musical influences came from. I can listen to pretty much anything, as I was exposed to a WIDE range of things. The biggest contributors were my two aunts. My Aunt Sally, and my Aunt Linda. My Grandma and Grandpa Haney helped quite a bit as well, but not as much as my aunts.
Evey summer I would spend two weeks in Big Rapids with my grandparents. My Aunt Sally lived just down the road from them, so I would see her and my uncle and cousins whenever I visited. Merle Haggard, Johhny Paycheck and Conway Twitty were the staples at my grandparents house, while a blend of rock was something I listened to at my Aunt Sally's. The Doors, George Harrison and the rest of The Beatles. I could go on....
I remember one record my Grandpa had, it was a song called "Death Highway". It was about how dangerous US131 was and was recorded by a local group I think. I have tried in vain to find any record of this song over the years, with no luck. The line, "The Devil's on 131 and it's death highway" still sticks with me after all of these years. I remember hearing Ides Of March's "Vehicle" being blasted by my Aunt Sally. I still love that song.
My Aunt Linda was kind of the other spectrum. My brother and I would spend weekends at my Aunt Linda's house. She listened to Elvis, Neil Diamond and Abba. It was also the first time I remember seeing cable TV with the push button control box. I loved watching Godzilla movies every Saturday.
We lived in the Grand Rapids area from 1974 until 1978 and during that time, WGRD was always the station I heard. Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Queen ruled the airways. I remember swimming in my friends pool while Paul McCartney and Wings "Let 'Em In" was on the radio. I look back at these times as the BEST time in my life. I loved seeing my Grandparents, and I loved to spend time with my two Aunts.
Ad time rolled on, I got into the usual 80's music, eventually settling for Alternative as my favorite genre. But I still look back at where my roots came from. Whenever I hear Mungo Jerry, I think about my Aunts and I smile. I love them both very VERY much, and I hate that I don't see them as much as I should. My Grandparents passed away in the late 80's. I still have all of the 45rpm records that they had. Some real classics in there. I miss driving to the store with my Grandma, and riding the tractor with my Grandpa. I never really got over missing them. I hope somewhere in heaven, they look down at me and smile whenever I listen to Roger Miller's "King Of The Road."
Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go listen to Johnny Horton sing The Battle Of New Orleans and follow that up with Soundgarden. Yeah, it blends well. :)
These were the first songs that I remember hearing when I was a toddler in 1971. We lived in Elkhart, Indiana where my sister was born. I heard the on the radio at my neighbors house who was babysitting me. Mrs. Marks. A very nice older lady. Turns out years later I would end up working with her granddaughter at NCMC in Petoskey, happened to find out by accident who she was. The world is small after all!
Before I get off track as I usually do, today I want to talk about where my musical influences came from. I can listen to pretty much anything, as I was exposed to a WIDE range of things. The biggest contributors were my two aunts. My Aunt Sally, and my Aunt Linda. My Grandma and Grandpa Haney helped quite a bit as well, but not as much as my aunts.
Evey summer I would spend two weeks in Big Rapids with my grandparents. My Aunt Sally lived just down the road from them, so I would see her and my uncle and cousins whenever I visited. Merle Haggard, Johhny Paycheck and Conway Twitty were the staples at my grandparents house, while a blend of rock was something I listened to at my Aunt Sally's. The Doors, George Harrison and the rest of The Beatles. I could go on....
I remember one record my Grandpa had, it was a song called "Death Highway". It was about how dangerous US131 was and was recorded by a local group I think. I have tried in vain to find any record of this song over the years, with no luck. The line, "The Devil's on 131 and it's death highway" still sticks with me after all of these years. I remember hearing Ides Of March's "Vehicle" being blasted by my Aunt Sally. I still love that song.
My Aunt Linda was kind of the other spectrum. My brother and I would spend weekends at my Aunt Linda's house. She listened to Elvis, Neil Diamond and Abba. It was also the first time I remember seeing cable TV with the push button control box. I loved watching Godzilla movies every Saturday.
We lived in the Grand Rapids area from 1974 until 1978 and during that time, WGRD was always the station I heard. Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Queen ruled the airways. I remember swimming in my friends pool while Paul McCartney and Wings "Let 'Em In" was on the radio. I look back at these times as the BEST time in my life. I loved seeing my Grandparents, and I loved to spend time with my two Aunts.
Ad time rolled on, I got into the usual 80's music, eventually settling for Alternative as my favorite genre. But I still look back at where my roots came from. Whenever I hear Mungo Jerry, I think about my Aunts and I smile. I love them both very VERY much, and I hate that I don't see them as much as I should. My Grandparents passed away in the late 80's. I still have all of the 45rpm records that they had. Some real classics in there. I miss driving to the store with my Grandma, and riding the tractor with my Grandpa. I never really got over missing them. I hope somewhere in heaven, they look down at me and smile whenever I listen to Roger Miller's "King Of The Road."
Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go listen to Johnny Horton sing The Battle Of New Orleans and follow that up with Soundgarden. Yeah, it blends well. :)
Monday, October 22, 2012
Failure? Not quite.....well, kind of.
Well, 21 days has come and gone. I was able to only raise $240 on my Autism Awareness campaign. It wasn't enough to buy even one iPad, but I would like to think that we all did some good. There were so many people that helped share the campaign, and without them, this would have been a complete failure. Times are tough, and I understand that. Maybe my goal was too high. I'm not sure. But what I do know is that I have a great group of friends in my life that were willing to go the extra mile to help.
Thank you.
It has also come to my attention that I lost nearly 30 friends on my Facebook page due to my campaign. I guess they didn't want to be "spammed" with my posts about the Autism fundraiser. For those that were offended, I apologize. You probably won't SEE my apology, but it's here and very sincere. It was NEVER my intention to upset you, and I hope you understand that what I was doing was for a great cause. I am going to try the campaign again in the future, but take a different route. I will have a website dedicated to Autism awareness, that will link to a fundraiser. I will also use Twitter as well as other blogs to get the word out.
If anyone else has any ideas that could help, please do not hesitate to offer advice. I am always looking to improve, and have NO problem with a little assistance. I was so stressed that I was doing this wrong, I lost complete nights of sleep over this. I SO wanted to do SO much more. I still can't help but think I failed miserably.
Anyways, to those who donated, the funds are already going to a good cause. At least some good will come from the $240 that was contributed. It will allow 4 computers to be donated at no cost the people who need them, and the rest will go to setting up a website to help in the next Autism campaign.
PLEASE don't stop spreading the word.
Just got a call from a vaporizer company. They wanted know what my "weed needs" were. Yeah, that never gets old. At least I could understand him.
That's about it for me today. I'm going to rest my brain and see what my next move is going to be. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done to help with my campaign. Maybe next time, I'll get it right! :)
Thank you.
It has also come to my attention that I lost nearly 30 friends on my Facebook page due to my campaign. I guess they didn't want to be "spammed" with my posts about the Autism fundraiser. For those that were offended, I apologize. You probably won't SEE my apology, but it's here and very sincere. It was NEVER my intention to upset you, and I hope you understand that what I was doing was for a great cause. I am going to try the campaign again in the future, but take a different route. I will have a website dedicated to Autism awareness, that will link to a fundraiser. I will also use Twitter as well as other blogs to get the word out.
If anyone else has any ideas that could help, please do not hesitate to offer advice. I am always looking to improve, and have NO problem with a little assistance. I was so stressed that I was doing this wrong, I lost complete nights of sleep over this. I SO wanted to do SO much more. I still can't help but think I failed miserably.
Anyways, to those who donated, the funds are already going to a good cause. At least some good will come from the $240 that was contributed. It will allow 4 computers to be donated at no cost the people who need them, and the rest will go to setting up a website to help in the next Autism campaign.
PLEASE don't stop spreading the word.
Just got a call from a vaporizer company. They wanted know what my "weed needs" were. Yeah, that never gets old. At least I could understand him.
That's about it for me today. I'm going to rest my brain and see what my next move is going to be. Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done to help with my campaign. Maybe next time, I'll get it right! :)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Simply put.....
Tigers are going to the World Series. Direct quote from Jim Leyland. "Suck it, Omo!®"
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Interestin finds and weed needs!
You never know what you will find wherever you go. Most interesting are the things you see on the side of the road. Or in the case of today, what was IN the road. Today, it was a plunger.
Yup. A little mini plunger. How the toilet accessory found it's way to the middle of a 4-lane intersection, is beyond me. I was actually going to take a picture of it for my caption contest, but traffic was too heavy. I'm sure it will still be there tomorrow.
I have found everything from a carton of smokes, to a 12-pack of beer with 2 cans missing. Last summer there was a coffee maker that sat on the side of the road for 3 weeks before it was finally gone. Weird part? There wasn't a house within 2 miles of where it was.
Did you ever notice the amount of tie straps, or bungee cords you see in the road? You never think about it until someone brings it up. Now wherever you go, you will see them everywhere. Don't believe me? Just watch. They will be there.
Now on to this......
Another observation I have made is that people STILL call me for medicinal marijuana. If You don't know what I'm talking about, our phone number assigned to us from the brainless morons at Charter, used to belong to the local CA that supplied weed to card holders that had prescriptions. The place has been closed for 6 months, but is still listed online as an active operating dispensary. Not only did we pay extra to have our phone number unlisted, Charter is NOT supposed to give residential customers a former number that belonged to a business. The worst part is because it was a business number, we cannot have it on the NO CALL list. I used to get so many calls from people that wanted Romulan Kush or Pink Lady Spice. It had died down a bit, but the last 2 days I have been bombarded with a new round of weed craving robots. Turns out every time I get the number removed from a website, another one links it off 3 or 4 more times. I even threatened legal action to the webmasters that keep posting the number, but it never ceases the bothersome phone calls. Charter's solution? I pay an extra $25 to have our number changed. Even though it's THEIR fault, I have to pay for it.
Dicks.
I had one guy call yesterday call 6 times in 10 minutes, until I finally called him back to ask him what he wanted. He was a total jack-ass and I finally had to tell him to f*ck off. One guy was convinced that he was just there on his birthday in July, even though I told him it had been closed. After 5 minutes of arguing with him, I came to the conclusion that not only was he an idiot, but I had wasted precious time in my life that I would never get back. Now I do however try to guide those that are nice in the right direction. There are several other places that can help them that ARE still open. I know that for every person that abuses the system, there are 4 others that actually need the weed. It's those people I have NO problem helping. The others? Go away.
Want a good laugh? Here are some of the "strains" they have available from the now defunct Traverse City CA. Enjoy!
Yup. A little mini plunger. How the toilet accessory found it's way to the middle of a 4-lane intersection, is beyond me. I was actually going to take a picture of it for my caption contest, but traffic was too heavy. I'm sure it will still be there tomorrow.
I have found everything from a carton of smokes, to a 12-pack of beer with 2 cans missing. Last summer there was a coffee maker that sat on the side of the road for 3 weeks before it was finally gone. Weird part? There wasn't a house within 2 miles of where it was.
Did you ever notice the amount of tie straps, or bungee cords you see in the road? You never think about it until someone brings it up. Now wherever you go, you will see them everywhere. Don't believe me? Just watch. They will be there.
Now on to this......
Another observation I have made is that people STILL call me for medicinal marijuana. If You don't know what I'm talking about, our phone number assigned to us from the brainless morons at Charter, used to belong to the local CA that supplied weed to card holders that had prescriptions. The place has been closed for 6 months, but is still listed online as an active operating dispensary. Not only did we pay extra to have our phone number unlisted, Charter is NOT supposed to give residential customers a former number that belonged to a business. The worst part is because it was a business number, we cannot have it on the NO CALL list. I used to get so many calls from people that wanted Romulan Kush or Pink Lady Spice. It had died down a bit, but the last 2 days I have been bombarded with a new round of weed craving robots. Turns out every time I get the number removed from a website, another one links it off 3 or 4 more times. I even threatened legal action to the webmasters that keep posting the number, but it never ceases the bothersome phone calls. Charter's solution? I pay an extra $25 to have our number changed. Even though it's THEIR fault, I have to pay for it.
Dicks.
I had one guy call yesterday call 6 times in 10 minutes, until I finally called him back to ask him what he wanted. He was a total jack-ass and I finally had to tell him to f*ck off. One guy was convinced that he was just there on his birthday in July, even though I told him it had been closed. After 5 minutes of arguing with him, I came to the conclusion that not only was he an idiot, but I had wasted precious time in my life that I would never get back. Now I do however try to guide those that are nice in the right direction. There are several other places that can help them that ARE still open. I know that for every person that abuses the system, there are 4 others that actually need the weed. It's those people I have NO problem helping. The others? Go away.
Want a good laugh? Here are some of the "strains" they have available from the now defunct Traverse City CA. Enjoy!
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