Organized Chaos

Thunder up!

2010-04-11T19:34:00.000-05:00

Amber and I got to go to a Thunder game a couple of weeks ago. It was her first time to go to a game. Durantula had 45 points against the Spurs, but we missed a 3 late and lost a tough one. I loved the game, but when I would cheer and look over at Amber for her reaction, some of the time she would say "I missed it." She was more interested on people watching than basketball watching. We both had a good time, and with the playoffs around the corner, it is real fun following KD and the Thunder.

I am going to try and get back to blogging more, good or bad as that may be.

-- Post From My iPad

Random Mowing thoughts

2009-09-18T18:36:00.000-05:00

I was able to mow today, finally. As usual, I had some random thoughts while mowing. First of all, while I was mowing in the backyard I had the thought that the Everglades had been moved to OKC and placed in my backyard. What a swamp! I can not remember mowing this late in September with the grass so green and thick. The other thing that had me thinking was something that some may find crass or gross. I have rarely passed up an opportunity to be crass and gross so read on at your own discretion. As I was mowing I looked down and saw dog poop on TOP of the mower. This was not because it had been thrown there by the wheels, it was because of how high the grass was. That is no small feat. If you have not seen Little Al,the "little" is a misnomer. He is 120 lbs and can do serious damage in the natural fertilizer department. Some of the landmines he has dropped have brought the phrase "hemorrhoidal discomfort" to mind. Suffice it to say, the grass had to be tall and strong to hold up under the strain. Anyway, the yard is chopped down for now and I have had some more goofy random things to talk about.

random thoughts

2009-08-14T13:16:00.001-05:00

https://vr.shapeservices.com/listen.php?hash=f57303bfec8575338bf4820b180b2df32fa2397219b622fb7

___
Sent via VR+

Al and Me

2009-07-10T20:33:00.004-05:00

Tonight Amber and I watched "Marley and Me." I am always leery of movies about dogs because they usually make me feel very sad. I am sure most people, especially those who feel it is odd to call the family dog "brother" or some other family-based reference, would not be touched by this type of movie. I, on the other hand, am one that sees my dog as my first child and my daughter's big brother. If you think that is weird, so be it. Anyway, "Marley and Me" had us both balling our eyes out. I cried more thinking about when Al dies than from the movie itself. Again, I realize most rational people think I am an idiot for acting out like this about a dog. To answer that I ask you these questions: What friend/spouse/child have you ever seen that was always, ALWAYS, happy to see you when you walked in the door? What friend/spouse/child has never, and will never hold a grudge when they have been wronged? I think of all the times that I have come home and Al is there happy to see me and I flat ignore him, and at some point I will come home and he will not be there. That kills me inside.
Have you ever heard that petting a dog lowers your blood pressure?Let me illustrate like this: Abbie has been struggling with sleeping in her bed in her own room, to help soothe her I asked if she would want to have "brother" in the room with her. She said yes and after moving his bed in her room and coaxing him in there, she calmed down and went to sleep. Not because "the dog" was there with her, her brother was with her. I would not have felt like this when I was younger. But, Al is going to be 10 next year. He has been a part of our lives for almost as long as we have been married. I could go on, but I am sure that most of

you think this is a ridiculous post, and if you do, it is your loss. To the rest of you, "Marley and Me" is a real tear-jerker, but really made me think about my baby boy.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T13:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's day (yesterday) to all the Moms out there. We had family over on Saturday and Sunday and had a great weekend with everyone. Jami, Scott, Mom and the kids came up on Saturday. It was the first time they had been to our home in OKC (mom's 2nd). The kids had a great time playing in the playroom and out in the backyard. We had a good time, too. Jami seemed pretty relaxed even with her boards coming this week. I am sure she will rock the house as she always does. Abbie was almost attached at the hip to Rosie. They really seem to be two peas in a pod. Abbie is a follower and Rosie loves to have a follower. As they left, I mentioned that the kids would probably be asleep before they left the city. Mom told me last night that I was right on the money, they had a quiet drive home. Amber's sister and her family and Mom and Dad came over yesterday after worship. We ate and played some games and Abbie was definitely attached to Jake's hip. She just would not give him any space. I think he liked the attention at first, but it seemed a bit much after awhile. As far as Mother's Day sentiments, I was touched at worship by something my brother-in-law said. He lost his mother when he was a teen. During the service he was talking about what blessings Mothers are and I mentioned to Amber that it must be hard for him to do that. At the end of the service he said to be sure and show your mother you love her because you may not always have the chance. Coming from him, that really choked me up. I love my mom very much and now that I have a child, I love my mom more and more, because I know how much she cares for me. OK, I am done with the sentimental stuff. I hope everyone had a great Mother's day.

The Burdens of being Perceptive

2009-04-29T12:12:00.001-05:00

Here is a little glimpse into the aggravations caused by noticing when things are not right. I have talked before about how I have a fear of writing something on my blog that is grammatically incorrect or even spelled wrong. I have found another issue. I really enjoy watching the TV show House. I like the lead character and the medicine stuff is cool, too. I was just watching the most recent episode and I caught something that bugged me. In the episode House is struggling with insomnia. He (House) asks his friend Dr. Wilson for sleeping pills and Wilson writes him a prescription. Here is the rub, when House picks up the prescription they show a glimpse of the bottle. I, being the pharmacist that I am, stop the show and pause it on the label so I can see what it says. Here is what was on it: Zolpidem 200mg #30 take one capsule three times a day until gone. Now, any pharmacist will get a kick out of the numerous mistakes with this rx. Zolpidem is generic Ambien and IS used for insomnia, but it is only available in 5mg and 10mg Tablets and would only be taken once a day at bedtime only as needed. I doubt that 200mg of Zolpidem three times a day was even tried in clinical trials. Also, when House shook the bottle it was full of tablets and not capsules. I was shocked and disappointed that such an error would be allowed on a show that seems to place a high value on being medically relevant and factual. Granted, pharmacists obsessive like myself are probably the only ones who stopped the show to read the label. It is maddening sometimes to have the urge to correct things and make sure what I say and do are correct. In my job, I am thankful for it, but I feel a little overly obsessive sometimes.

Venting...

2009-03-01T22:42:00.006-06:00

I generally try to stay away from griping about work. The past few weeks have me wanting to break that rule. It is not just the fact that we are so busy, some of the things that I see go on make me shake my head in disgust. Unfortunately, my head has been shaking for 2 weeks straight. For about 2 weeks now, we have been averaging more than 450 prescriptions a day during the week. That may not sound like much, so let me break it down a little better. If we fill 480 prescriptions on one day, and we are open 12 hours (9-9) then we average 40 prescriptions an hour. That is less than 2 minutes to fill each prescription. If there is an insurance problem, or a question for the doctor, do you think either of those will take less than 2 minutes to fix? Do you see how the process could get backed up? I could go on and on about how many we fill and the time needed and the drive thru, but I just want to talk about a phone call I had today. On Saturday, a young lady brought us a prescription and her insurance card and said she would be calling to find out the price. The prescription was for Nuvaring (it is a vaginal ring used for birth control-birth control pills without the pills). She called back today to get the price. I had to do some work to get her insurance to work which involved my calling the insurance to get the correct info to bill the prescription. When I had fixed the problem, I called her back to tell her what her copay would be. After her insurance paid their part, her copay was $45 for the Nuvaring. She was surprised by this and told her mother (who was in the background) how much the copay was. Her mother took the phone from her and said "Are you kidding me? They said the price without insurance was $60! Are you telling me that the insurance is not going to pay any more than that to give my sexually active daughter birth control so she does not get pregnant? (to her daughter) Well you are just going to have to hold it, because I do not have that kind of money," click. Since I did not get much of a chance to reply, I have been thinking of some of the things I could have said to her to try and help her with her terrible predicament:

This is the good answer, the one I really would have said, had she given me the chance. "If your daughter is able to take birth control in tablet form, there are two that I could recommend to you that would be $9 per month whether you have insurance or not."
Now for the answers that the lady made me WISH I could say. "Since your daughter obviously is not responsible enough to remember to take a pill everyday, should she really be having sex?"
Two words: Chastity belt
Well you might want to find out what the copay is for Valtrex (herpes med) because it sounds like you will be needing it soon and it is really expensive.
Since Wal-Mart sells Plan-B for about $35, you could use it afterwards and save $10! (Yeah, that one is kind of harsh)
I understand your frustration with the insurance, it is ridiculous for them to make you pay more for a prescription just because there are cheaper alternatives that work just as well, but with less convenience.
Did you know that some insurances do not cover birth control at all? Man those moms and dads are REALLY up a creek! How could an insurance not keep ITS responsibility to make sure your sexually active daughter does not get pregnant?

Like I said, I do not like griping because I tend to get on rants. It just does not sit well with me sometimes that I am the fall guy for insurances, doctors, stupid kids, you name it and for some reason someone is chewing me out and hanging up on me. Sorry to be venting like this but I could not let that one go.

Remembering Dad's Toyota

2009-02-10T18:32:00.006-06:00

The past few weeks have caused me to think about the pickup my Dad had while I was in middle and high school. It was a Toyota with a little diesel engine and a camper on it. Dad always took care of it (often changed the oil himself) and I think it had somewhere in the neighborhood of 170,000 miles on it when he got rid of it. The reason I have thought of it recently is because of the slick roads and the fact that I had to get new tires on Amber's car. We took that truck up to Kansas City more than once for vacations. Jami and I would ride in the back and other than the noise, it was not that bad. There are many stories that I vividly remember with that pickup. This one I will call "The Snake."

When I was in high school and my first two years of college, I did lawncare and a few odd jobs to make money. One time a lady from church asked if I could come out to her place to mow down weeds, weed-eat around the house and do some general cleanup. I thought it sounded cool to me and I must have made arrangements with Dad because I took his truck. The first thing that should have tipped me off was the location of the house. She lived out by herself, miles away from just about anything. When I got there, she said she had some trash in barrels that she wanted me to load in the truck and take to a different spot on her property to dump. When I say trash, I mean the partially charred remains of trash that has been burned and left out in the elements, and when I say barrels I mean large metal barrels that have rusted through in spots enough to create holes. Well, I went ahead and started loading the trash in the truck until I started to hear a noise. The noise sounded like a rattle and I caught a glimpse of a snake in one of the barrels. I was not sure what kind of snake I was dealing with, but the rattle kind of concerned me. When I told the woman about it, she decided to burn the trash some more to either kill the snake or drive it out of the barrels. So she lit the stuff on top on fire and after a short time it burned out. After the smoldering was done, I had to go through the remaining half-burned, half-wet mess that was left. I sifted through the trash and then loaded up the truck with it. When I say loaded the truck, I mean loaded. There was not too much room left in the camper once I had all the trash in the back. Now that we were loaded up, she and I got in the truck to take the stuff to the dumpsite. The problem was that it was on another part of her property, so there were no roads, really not even a path. The toyota was a great little truck, but it was not a 4 wheel drive. Also, at the time I was using it, dad was just about ready to get rid of it. It had 160,000+ miles on it and the rear wheels (the drive wheels) had 110,000+ miles on them. The back tires were slick to say the least and we are getting ready to go "off-roading". We got stuck less than 100 yards from the house before we even made it out of the "yard". Then things really got weird. Since we were not near anything or anyone, we had to wait on a "neighbor" to come pull the truck out. While we waited we had bologna and mayo sandwiches, oh man it was a feast. About an hour later the neighbors pulled the truck out and we were on our way again. Surprisingly, we did not get stuck again. Once we made it to the dumpsite (which was just a ravine in the middle of a pasture) I started to pull all the trash out of the back of the truck. I had almost everything out when I caught a glimpse of the snake in the back of the truck. Somehow, I had loaded the snake in with the other trash and it was still alive and now in the truck. He decided to coil up in the one of the front corners of the truck bed and I was frustrated enough to start throwing large rocks into the bed at him. That did nothing but make a bunch of noise. I pulled just about everything out of the truck and we headed back to the house. The lady said she had something at the house that she could take care of the snake with. When we got back to the house, she came out with insect killer in a spray bottle. She opened the windows on the side of the camper and started spraying the snake with insect killer. The snake almost seemed to smile at that and just sat there blowing bubbles in the spray. I finally was done with the whole thing and told her that I would go home, take care of the snake, and come back tomorrow to mow. On the way home I left the back of the truck open in the hopes that the snake would just find his way out the back. For awhile, it looked like he was going to. He went all the way to the back and even was hanging half off of the tailgate. But, he decided to turn around and make his way back up the front of the truck bed. When I got home and found a shovel, I was finally able to take care of the snake. He was about 4 feet long and probably just a garter snake, really scary stuff. The best part of the story is that I had a friend go back with me the next day to mow and weedeat and since we split the pay, I made $20 from the two days worth of work.

What would Grandpa think?

2009-01-23T22:22:00.003-06:00

Growing up, I was blessed to have my grandparents with me even past my high school graduation. My Mother's father was in the military and was stationed in the Pacific in WWII. I regret not questioning him more than I did about that time, and also that I did not ask my grandparents more questions in general. The stories that I did hear from them have always made me wonder what it was like to be in that time. I often feel like I am in between generations. The time that I grew up in would place me in Generation X, but I feel tied to my parents' and to some extent my grandparents' generations more than mine or the following generations. Granted, if my Father listened to a good portion of my music I think he would shake his head. I guess the values that my family instilled in me make me feel more tied to older generations than the more recent ones. I am not sure where all this is coming from or going, so bear with me. Sometimes I wonder what my Grandpa would think if he were here today. How different are things now than when he was young? Technological advances and cultural advancement (or in some things, decline) are just two areas that are vastly different from years gone by. Notice I say 'different' and not 'better' or 'worse'. It just makes me sad that I did not talk more with Grandpa and Grandma about their lives; what it was like for them growing up, and what they thought about the changes that happen all the time.

Missed Me?

2009-01-13T22:13:00.003-06:00

Hello, good evening and "Thanks for making us part of your day." I enjoy listening to Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio and he opens his show with that quote.
It has been awhile, hasn't it? What have I missed since my last post? Christmas was not great this year. Amber was very sick on Christmas day so we did not even celebrate until a few days later and it was a real bummer. So, there is not a bunch to chat about from Christmas. Abbie loved getting gifts and "processing" her gifts much like her father has done before. The bowl season was pretty much a disappointment. The Big 12 did not do well, OSU lost, Missouri looked bad, Tech lost, and worst of all....Texas won. The Championship game was hard, it was a good game and we played better than in the past, but just could not get the job done. It is always tough when the college football season is over. NFL playoffs do give some solace, but they are not like college games. OU basketball is looking good. Blake Griffin continues to impress. I watched the K-State game and he makes plays that make everyone just ooohh and aaahhh. I had to work last night while they whooped Texas on Big Monday, so I missed it. I hope they continue to improve.
Work has been a bear. I have hired another part-time tech and hope to hire another soon, but we are just getting killed. It is tough to get all the prescriptions taken care of to begin with, not to mention all the other things that go along with it. If the flu hits at all, we are in big trouble. We could be in trouble anyway, it is just big time busy. We had a day last week that was slower, and we still filled 400. I am afraid it is starting to wear on me. Sometimes when I come home it is like my head is just swimming for awhile. Don't get me wrong, I am glad we are busy, I always prefer busy to slow.
Sorry I did not post any pictures with this, I will try and get some new pictures of Stinky and post them next time. I am so glad to be off tomorrow. Have a good week.

Sam and Chris, separated at birth?

2008-12-24T13:14:00.008-06:00

OK, here is the photographic proof of what we have been saying for 2 years. Sam Bradford and my nephew Chris are brothers. If you thought Sarah Palin and Tina Fey were dead ringers, tell me what you think of these two. The best part is that Chris is a big OSU fan and hates it when we talk about how much he looks like the Heisman trophy winner. BOOMER SOONER!

Waiting for Big Al

2008-12-14T23:36:00.003-06:00

Little Al is our dog. I have talked about him before,but I have to give the whole story to describe these pictures. We got Little Al sometime in early 2000 from Amber's brother Alan. He (Alan) originally wanted Al for himself, but there was a city ordinance in the town he was moving to that prohibited pit bulls. So, we got to have Little Al since Big Al could not keep him. Al has been our dog, actually more like our firstborn, ever since. He is great with Abbie and all of the family. He loves going to Ralph and Janice's and will torment us if he thinks we are going without him. But of all the people he loves, Big Al still seems to be his favorite. Alan stayed with us for a couple of days last week and I took these pictures of Little Al after he found out that Alan was coming. Al was beside himself until Alan got here. Al did not stay with Alan for very long, but he sure has never forgotten him. It is something that just makes me smile.

At least she had not fallen asleep...

2008-12-08T08:48:00.004-06:00

Embarrassing pictures that parents take of their kids are fun aren't they? If you are the parent, of course. I could not resist catching Abbie "in the act." There is an old photo of me in a similar position, but I had fallen asleep. Over the years that photo has provided much joy for many family members not named Joby. So that is why Abbie gets the same treatment. I know, my photo was not broadcast over the internet, but that is the price you pay for technology, right? By the way, her favorite part of this process is when she comes running out of the bathroom with her underwear around her ankles yelling "all done, all done!"

Post bedlam thoughts

2008-11-30T19:27:00.003-06:00

Man what a game that was last night. I have some thoughts afterwards and after the BCS fallout from today. First, the flip that Bradford did may have won him the Heisman. That play is a definite signature play and one that just made a statement about what he means to the team. Second, I hope the torn ligaments in Bradford's left hand do not affect him that much. Remember when Jason White won the Heisman and led us in destroying people all year only to be hampered by an injury in the last two games? I have an uneasy feeling about that. Third, who is ever going to want to play middle linebacker on defense for us again? It is almost an automatic knee injury this year. Fourth, I can not believe how many people (especially at ESPN) got on the Texas bandwagon against us. I can just see those same people really wanting to see us fall on our face vs. Missouri and our bowl game. I think it could help the team if they take on an "us against the world" mentality. Finally, man do the Cowboy fans hate us or what? I have seen some really bitter stuff coming out since the game and the BCS came out. I am not a fan of the Cowboys by any strech, but I do not think it comes close to hatred. Now Chase Daniel on the other hand...

A house is not a home...

2008-11-27T23:16:00.007-06:00

I have uploaded some pictures to flickr of our house. I would have put some on this post, but there are too many to choose from. Recently, we have done some work (or had some work done, I should say) to our house. Taking down wallpaper, painting, carpet, new furniture and decorations. I am not a big fan of this type of thing because of the expense. But, I sure do appreciate the results. It feels more like "our home" now that we have put more of our stamp on and in it. Amber picked out the carpet, furniture and paint styles and did a great job. Alana and Janice picked out some furniture and the decorations. They also put things in order for our thanksgiving gathering and had the house looking spectacular. Our painters were top notch and we are much more at home now, and most importantly have an OU decorated bathroom! Even though it is expensive to do this kind of thing, it is worth it. I am very thankful for our home and family.

The pictures are here: http://flickr.com/photos/abbiesdaddy/sets/72157610298303532/

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T10:03:00.004-06:00

We went to Mom and Dad's this past weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. We had a good time and enjoyed some great food. The kids were fun to watch and really enjoyed it when Amber read to them. We really did not get to stay very long since I had to get back for a meeting. It was good to see everyone, though.

A night of Thunder

2008-11-18T10:17:00.003-06:00

I went to my first Thunder basketball game last night. My brother-in-law has season tickets and was nice enough to ask my father-in-law and I if we would like to go to the game against the Rockets. I enjoy watching sports, but I am not a fan of being in crowds of LOTS of people. I have been to a few sporting events in my life. Our family used to go to Kansas City and watch Royals games when I was younger. I got to see George Brett and Bo Jackson hit home runs and Bo broke a bat over his knee. I have only been to a couple of Sooner football games. One at Norman and the Big 12 Championship in 2004 at Kansas City. That being said, I think one of the best parts of going to the event is the crowd. Yes, it is fun to watch the stars shine on their stage, but when the crowd gets into a good game, that is what I enjoy most. There were some good crowds at Kansas City, but in an open park like that, it was not overpowering. The big 12 championship was almost all Sooner fans and when AD ran for a touchdown to our endzone, it got pretty nuts. I was hoping the crowd would be "electric" for the game last night and for the most part I was dissappointed. Do not get me wrong, I really enjoyed the game, but the crowd seemed flat for the most part. The team played a good 1st quarter and a decent 2nd quarter to trail at half 56-50. I thought the 1st half was a good showing and more than I expected against a team as good as the Rockets. The 3rd quarter was brutal. The Thunder could not hit anything and by the time they started to score, they were down by about 15. Through all this time it seemed to me the crowd was not as loud or excited as I had expected. The 4th quarter was better and the Thunder looked like they could make a run. I started to feel the crowd coming alive and there were critical points that could have turned the game. First, early in the quarter, the Thunder trimmed the lead to 8 and had a chance to get it to 6. After a steal, we had the ball and the crowd was into it. The Rockets fouled us and called timeout before the free throws. Our best player was still on the bench for his start of the 4th quarter rest. The coach did not put him back in, we missed both free throws, Houston made a couple of buckets and in no time we were down by 12 instead of 6. Then, later in the quarter the team started playing good defense and the crowd started to pick up. THE play that could have "Blown the roof off the dump" was a breakaway after a Houston turnover. We were pushing the ball up and I could see Kevin Durant (our best player) coming on the backside for an alleyoop that would have been HUGE. But the pass was behind him and we turned the ball over and the crowd just fizzled. I had a good time and I think the team can be good, they are just young.

I have returned...

2008-11-05T22:07:00.005-06:00

Hi there. I am sorry for the long hiatus, but it has been tough to find the time and I have not taken any new pictures recently. I have any number of things to rant about. Aggravations at work, the aggravating new dress code at work, the aggravating (if not scary) election results, and numerous other aggravations. But, I choose to talk about the picture above. This past weekend we went to Ada for a brief visit to celebrate Dad's birthday (belatedly). Even though the stay was brief, it was a very enjoyable trip. Mom had the idea to have a picnic style lunch at the park and it was a great idea. The weather was pefect. There was lots of sunshine and almost no wind. We all ate some KFC (Abbie too, thank goodness), then played on the swing, jungle gym, and fed the ducks. Abbie really took to leading mom and dad around and sort of "showing off" for them. It was neat to watch. I have not really seen Abbie be like that with mom and dad until now. It made me smile inside and out. When the ducks saw us coming, they made a beeline (or is that a duckline?) to us for what little bread we had. They were honking up a storm and Abbie is not real fond of loud noises. She went to dad for security and thats when I took this picture. Again, it just makes me smile. We missed Jami and her crew, hopefully the whole gang can get together for Mom's birthday, I am interested to see what kind of trouble Abbie and Rosie get into. It is late so I will stop, but I will try to be on a little more often. Have a good weekend.

PS. This is for Jami, How did the kids like the candy? You're welcome by the way.

snap crackle pop

2008-10-09T20:42:00.005-05:00

I have come to a conclusion. It is a good thing that I did not try to get into a profession that requires any kind of stealth or sneaking around quietly. I told Amber this today and she agreed and knew what I was talking about before I finished. I can not walk without my ankle crackling like rice crispies. It is not something I can control either. Amber said if I am in another room, she knows when I am coming into the room she is in because she can hear my ankle crackle. So there it is, I can never sneak up on anyone again. I am the surprise party crasher, "Hey what is that popping sound? Is Joby around here somewhere?" It is not painful (my ankle, anyway), other than the pain of the repetitive noise. I realize this is really random, but it is just one of those things that has been rattling around my head lately. BOOMER SOONER, GO OU-BEAT TEXAS!!!!!!!

Diversification

2008-10-06T15:17:00.004-05:00

As you have probably noticed, I have made changes to the blog. I removed most of the pictures (except the ones that are with the posts), and the music player is gone. I have created two new blogs. One is for pictures: http://abbiesdaddyspictures.blogspot.com/ and one is for music: http://abbiesdaddysmusic.blogspot.com/. The links to the blogs are also on the right with my other links. You can click on the picture link to see the slide show from my flickr page or click on the music blog to listen to my playlist. I just felt the blog was getting crowded. Let me know what you think. I am going to try and add new things on the new blogs, but I will probably continue to do the most posting here.

PS. there is a new (short) post on my music blog.

Red River Rivalry

2008-10-06T13:18:00.004-05:00

I had planned on finding a picture of some longhorns and posting it upside down for this post, but I thought this picture of Abbie was too cute. She loves wearing dresses and saying cheese for pictures. OU-Texas is this weekend and I am really excited this year. It seems that I have had to work the past couple of years on OU-Texas, but this year I am off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Also, the game could be the biggest of the year. #1 vs. #5, ESPN College Gameday will be there, and I get to stay home and watch the WHOLE thing! I am pumped! I am also ready to watch the OSU-Missouri game. I am interested to see how both teams handle the pressure of a big game against a great offense. I think the OU-OSU game at Stillwater could be bigger for us than the Texas game (provided we beat Texas). But, there are a bunch of games to play before worrying about that. I also noticed that the Newkirk Tigers are 4-1 and 2-0 in District play. Maybe the Young's leaving town has brought some success to the lowly Tigers? Just kidding, guys. Anyway, I am off today and tomorrow, so I hope to get some pictures and maybe some more posts in. If not, BOOMER SOONER!!!!

Watch out for those angry Pharmacists

2008-09-30T10:34:00.003-05:00

I have been looking at blogs quite a bit lately. I have been searching for blogs regarding pharmacy and to my surprise there are quite a few. But, the sad thing is that the common thread among almost all of them is the bitterness and anger that is displayed. These people are stressed, feel very unappreciated, and taken advantage of. I have found at least 20 pharmacy blogs and they are littered with stories of hateful customers, doctors, and inept store management. I have been surprised to see all this venom spit out due to my profession. But here is the thing, I identify with ALL of them. All of the stories make me think of days that I have had to deal with at work. I feel like I am a positive person for the most part. Granted, I can get pretty worked up over stuff at work just like the next guy. I am not immune to the frustration felt when people are hateful. I guess seeing my wife when I come home, and maybe little miss smiles-alot on the left, seem to help me leave work at work (for the most part). So watch out for those angry pharmacists.

Pick, pick, pick

2008-09-22T21:11:00.004-05:00

I am a little bit at a loss for words. I realize that I have not written much lately, but not much has been coming to mind. I have been thinking about "being a pest." I have been known to pick at people a little bit. I know my sister, wife, and now my daughter would attest to this. I caught myself the other day while Abbie was sleeping. She was sleeping peacefully on the couch and I had this need to run my finger on the bottom of her foot. I wanted to see if she just wiggled her foot, pulled her leg back, scratched her foot, or slapped my hand. Why? I do not know. Amber has asked me before why I persist in picking at people when it is obvious that they are not amused. I guess I just want to see a reaction. I want to see what kind of response I can elicit. I know that sounds childish, but that is about the best explanation I can come up with. It sounds better to me than "I am a jerk who likes to pester people." I even have picked at Little Al while he was sleeping. I am thankful that he is as patient as he is. The old saying about letting sleeping dogs lie just has not set in, I guess. When I was in elementary school we had a dog named Marcus. He was a voracious eater, as most dogs are. He would growl if anyone got within 3 feet of him while he was eating. Well, that was just too cool to me. I can remember him biting me twice when I pestered him while he ate. On my first day of school in the First grade, I thought it would be funny to poke the kid in front of me when he raised his hand. Needless to say, he and I started the first grade school year with our names on the board. I think he got in trouble more because his mother was the teacher, but that is neither here nor there. Does this sound stupid to anyone other than me? I am sure Jami could go on for some time about the numerous ways I have pestered her over the years. I am sorry, I just can not explain it. Anyway, say a prayer for Amber and Abbie, that they do not go crazy living with me.

Interesting

2008-09-10T16:48:00.003-05:00

Yes, that is a fly that I took a picture of. Yes that is my hairy knee he is perched on. I thought it might illustrate the point in my blog today. Some people (ok, MOST people) would be repulsed by an image like this. But, some would look and be interested, even fascinated. As a parent, I have come to find out that there are events that happen that I would not have taken note of before becoming a parent, but now they are of great importance and significance. A young child deciding on her own to go to the bathroom and poop by herself is not really a thing to be cheered and ballyhooed, is it? It sure is if you are her parents and she has been fighting with you about potty training! Abbie did just that today. She went to the bathroom on her own, and went #2 by herself. I will never cease to be amazed. I know we may still have to work with her and have some setbacks, but it sure was something to see, no matter who you are.

Howdy do from stinkeroo

2008-09-09T21:33:00.001-05:00

IMG_1937, originally uploaded by jly_thechampion.

I have been uploading photos to my flickr page by the ton. This is one from late 2006 on a football Saturday. I have been looking around on the flickr site and it is pretty interesting. The site has groups that contain certain types of photos that people have uploaded. There are groups that visually try to debunk the myth that pitbulls are just naturally evil. I had to put a couple of Little Al on there to help the cause. There is a group that has pictures of tornados, which is very cool. Since I have been adding pictures from early to late, I have seen a number of pictures that surprise me. I just can not believe the changes Abbie has made in 3 short years. She started back to Mother's Day Out today. What a difference a year makes. Last year she cried like crazy in the first few weeks, but now she is excited to "go to school." I could talk a ton about all the football I have watched in the past 4 days (it has been great!), but I do not want to bore anyone. Suffice it to say, OU has looked real good so far, but with some areas still needing work. I am finishing up my vacation and will be going back to work on Saturday. I think I have to work when OU plays Texas, too. That seems to happen every year! Have a good week.

Vacation

2008-08-28T22:37:00.009-05:00

Well, my first piece of vacation is about over. I am bummed about having to go back to work. My schedule looks to be shaping up well, though. I have to work Saturday and Sunday, but will be off Monday for Labor day. Tuesday will be tough. I am working at the Supercenter on I-35 in Norman, which is usually busy anyway but the day after a holiday could be a monster. Then, I work Wednesday and Thursday at my store. Friday will start another 8 days off, that is so cool! People have asked where we were going on vacation, and aside from seeing my family in Ada, we did not go anywhere. That is OK with me. I enjoy traveling as much as the next guy, but sometimes there is something to be said for spending some downtime at home. If you have not noticed, I added a new link to my flickr page (the links are on the right just below the picture labelled "Little Miss Stinker"). It is a site that I am in the process of uploading my digital photos to. Take a look and see what you think. Right now I am still loading photos from early '06, so it is a little trip down memory lane. If my blog can handle it, I am planning on adding a widget that will display ALL the pictures from my flickr page, so be on the lookout.
Another thing that has me smiling is the start of college football season. OU plays this weekend and I am ready for the season to get rolling, BOOMER SOONER! The new season of House will be starting September 16, I think. I am excited to see some new episodes. Here is a link to a little video montage of House that is pretty cool: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/house-md/videos/2163020 . If you know my Dad, see if you don't think Hugh Laurie looks like him. Sometimes he really looks like Dad to me. If you are having trouble with motivation to get something done or believing in yourself, see if this video doesn't get you moving: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/michael-jordan/videos/3109 . It is just after 11PM and Al just came in. He can push the backdoor open by himself to get back in the house and he scares me to death every time he does it. I wish I could get him to close it, too. I hope everyone has a good weekend. Check out my new stuff and tell me what you think.

Tonicity

2008-08-26T18:50:00.003-05:00

Man it is amazing to look back and see where "a train of thought" can take you. As I was mowing today, I had sweat get into my eyes. It stung, but why did it sting? My thoughts on this and other ocular related problems from today are tonights topics.

Where to begin? Earlier today, before I mowed, I was messing around on the computer when I heard Abbie. Generally when she cries for something I can tell her fake cry from her angry or "I am serious" cry. This was something different all together (and everyone says "This was something different.") This was a high pitched cry of "Uh-oh, what is happening?" I run in and find her in our bathroom. She has a tube of cream in her hands, cream on her hands and face and cream smeared on the floor. I must interject that Abbie likes to get tubes of cream and rub it on her face, pretend and for real. This time was for real, but the unfortunate thing was that this was not body or face cream, it was a sore muscle rub equivalent to Ben Gay. So Abbie was getting a new sensation from her cream. The problem was that she had it all over her hands. Every time I hurriedly tried to get it out of her eyes she would stick her fingers right back to her eyes. After trying to flush her face with water in the bathroom, I ran her into the kitchen and used the spray nozzle on the sink to hose her eyes as much as she would let me. It was a sight to say the least. Once we both we hosed off, I noticed she had also dropped a huge load in her shorts. So she was drenched in cold water, her eyes burning, skin tingling like never before, smelling like a spearmint life saver, and loaded up with a poopy pull-up. After we got her cleaned up, she was shivering uncontrollably. Amber bundled her up and rocked her for a while and Abbie fell asleep. I was freaked out. I was afraid she still had something in her eyes and she would wake up blind. So while she was sleeping, I went out to mow. As I was mowing, thoughts of Abbie's eyes were running through my head. Then some sweat got in my eyes and I started to think about what it is in sweat that stings your eyes. Is it a tonicity issue, or is it the components of the sweat or is it both?
Tonicity is basically a term for how much stuff is floating around in your eye. If you put a liquid in your eye that has more stuff floating around in it than what your eye has, the water in your eye will push out of the eye into the liquid. Generally, this is not something you want to do because your eye will let you know about it if you know what I mean. There is an eye drop on the market that actually does this. I think the percent of solution that is in the eye is about 0.9%, and the eye drop (Muro-128) is 5%. So if you have swelling in the cornea, put Muro in there and it pulls fluid out. But, I have been told that it will sting a tad, too.
Kind of strange stuff to be thinking about while mowing, huh? Anyway, I got the yard mowed and when Abbie woke up, she was her usual happy self. Her eyes looked just fine. I was very relieved. I am afraid our bathroom is going to smell like a spearmint life saver for a long time, though.

ABC's

2008-08-24T14:58:00.007-05:00

You may have to turn this up, Abbie was not very close to the microphone. She is actually signing the letters while saying them. Do not forget to pause the music player while listening to Abbie!

Tons of fun

2008-08-24T13:13:00.010-05:00

We just got back from visiting my family in Ada. We had a fun time and Abbie really enjoyed playing with her cousins. As you can see in the pictures, it was constant motion and commotion. The battle for our attention was sometimes fun to watch, but almost became sensory overload. I think Abbie and Rosie (in the middle of the bottom picture) could be a terrible twosome and good friends, if they get to spend some more time together. I have a new appreciation for my sister as she loves and guides these three wonderful souls. They are wonderful children and I look forward to seeing them grow. I need to figure out some times to get together more, it is good to be with family. I am too prone to getting into the go to work, come home, go to work rut. I hope to get into better "ruts," but it is hard for me to do.

Sadly, the Olympics are over. I sure did enjoy watching, I just wish they could have gone on another week. Then I would not have to wait a whole week for OU football season to kickoff. Again, I would like to go to a couple of games, but I am not sure if it will work out. Just having college football start up is exciting enough, though.

I have been messing with my playlist and I kind of wonder what everyone thinks when they listen to some of my choices. I almost wish there was a way for me to explain why I like some of the songs. I bet some of you would like an explanation, too. I noticed I have a number of songs that have some heavy guitar riffs, but I also enjoy harmonies and melodies. I may try to explain some of them if you wish, just let me know.

The Olympics

2008-08-12T18:21:00.004-05:00

I think it is safe to say that I have "olympics-fever." If you have read my blog much, you know that I really enjoy watching people performing at their best. The Olympics are just that, the best in the world showing their talents. Throw in the national pride that is involved and I am hooked. I have been watching as much of the coverage as I can. I have even watched badminton, trap shooting, and synchronized diving. Can you believe that? I just love watching the competition. The event that really got me up off of my seat was the Men's 4x100 freestyle swimming relay. I have been on a Michael Phelps watch since the games started. If you do not know about Phelps, he is a swimmer who got 6 gold and 2 bronze medals 4 years ago (at age 19). This year he is attemping to break Mark Spitz's 7 gold medal record in one olympics. I could talk about that for quite awhile. Phelps was the first leg of the relay. Before the race, the anchor for the French team (the heavy favorites) was talking trash and saying all they came to do was "smash the Americans." I do not like trash talk like that to begin with, but when it is the French and they are dogging Phelps and Co.? Oh man, it is going to get serious. If you have not watched the relay, you should. Before I go on, click this link and watch the race.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=0811_hd_swb_hl_l0194&channelcode=sportsw

Now, was that not inspiring? I was watching that live at 10:45PM and since Abbie was asleep on the couch, I had to jump and quietly go nuts. That kind of performance by someone who has been ripped on by the media and considered washed up (Jason Lezak) just gives me goosebumps. Usually when Phelps wins a race he is pretty calm. I have never seen him so pumped up! I just wanted to go run 20 miles at 11PM! I could go on about a number of other events and people that are fun to watch, but I think that relay has been the best event so far. Phelps swims for 2 more medals tonight (Tuesday). I will give you one more amazing fact before finishing up. While training, Michael Phelps consumes 8000 to 10000 calories a day. Can you believe that? It takes most people 3 1/2 to 4 days to consume that much, and he is a bean-pole! I hope you all have a good week and I will try to write some more if I can get some time away from the Olympics.

I'm right, you're WRONG

2008-08-08T22:06:00.003-05:00

I no longer watch Saturday Night Live with any regularity, but there was a skit they used to do that reminds me of myself. It was when Dana Carvey was on the cast and he would imitate John McLaughlin's talk show. Carvey would have about 4 guests and ask them random political questions, but he would usually cut them off by yelling "WRONG!" It did not matter what they said, they were WRONG! I know I am not always right, not by a long shot, but if I am questioned when I KNOW I am right, I feel like Dana Carvey's character. I do not know why, but I just get an insatiable urge to prove that I am right. I know there are two sides to every story, and that the other person has their reasons for whatever they are doing/saying, but if I am right, then I am right. Even as I write this, I feel bad for acting this way. I do not know if it is competitiveness or just pride, but I really want to prove I am right. It is not like I am brow beating people with my opinions all the time, it just seems to catch me here and there. Something someone says that makes me feel like they think I am wrong (and stupid for being wrong) and it just goes all over me. I have to watch it at work, because customers can do this type of thing pretty often. I think with them I have learned to take the high road for the most part and let them have their way. It sure is hard to swallow the old pride down, hard enough that I still do not do it very well. I think I sound pretty egomaniacal right now. I hope I do not come across the way this is sounding. I just had some stuff at work get me thinking about how I handle these situations. For example, customers often ask questions about over the counter medications. I often enjoy helping people find remedies over the counter. But, sometimes people ask questions strictly to hear someone say "yes you should take what you have already picked out, you are right." But if they do not have the right medication for their symptoms, I am not going tell them that. It really bugs me when I tell someone they should use a different product and they use the one they had already decided they wanted. WHY WASTE MY TIME? I simply wasted my time trying to explain the rationale of why they should use something that might work better than what they have in their hands. WOW, where did that come from? Sorry for getting on a rant like that. I AM glad to have the weekend off, though (obviously). Have a good one.

MUSIC

2008-08-05T13:23:00.003-05:00

Unless you have your volume turned off, have no speakers, or are real hard of hearing, you hopefully have noticed the newest addition to my blog. I have added a playlist of some of my favorite music. The songs that play are hand selected by yours truly. I am trying to add more of my favorites all the time, so the list will change. You may recognize some, you may despise some, but I thought it would be a cool way to add a little more of me to my blog. If you really do not like the sounds, turn the volume down or click pause on the player. I would recommend scrolling through the list and see what you think. Click on a song to hear it. Let me know what you think of the tunes, and enjoy!

Whew

2008-08-03T22:51:00.005-05:00

I am thankful to have made it to the end of the week (my week anyway). Seven days straight is not what it used to be. Dad is working seven on and seven off and driving 3-4 hours to begin and end as well, so here's to you, Dad, I feel for ya. Although, seven days off would almost make up for the seven on. I am afraid for what this winter is going to be like. Our intern is going back to school in a couple of weeks and I think we are going to be hurting when he goes. It is nice to have an intern working because he can really take up the slack, plus our intern is a hard worker. Let me just interject that it is very frightening to be typing a blog with earphones on and have your elbow licked out of nowhere (Thanks Al). But as I said, I think if we have anything of a cold season like last year, things could get hectic to say the least.

I upgraded to a new cell phone this week. Who would have imagined 30 or even 15 years ago that we could have cell phones with live TV on them. It is pretty cool. I fancy myself fairly up to date with electronics, but this has some cool stuff. The storage disk that goes in it is no bigger than my fingernail and holds 4GB. That is just mind-blowing to me. The thing is, this phone is really not even the "top of the line" model anyway. Since I have been playing with my new phone, I have been messing with ringtones. Usually, if I hear someone's goofy song ringtone, I wonder what they are thinking. But, I kind of like trying to attach ringtones to contacts that kind of remind me about that person. For example, if my sister calls, the theme from Rocky plays. Jami is a runner and a very determined one at that. If Amber calls, the theme from Law and Order plays, because that is her favorite show in the whole world. If Derrick calls, Boomer Sooner, because...need I explain? I found a ringtone from a cartoon that is a very young child trying to get his mother's attention by saying "Ma, Mom, Momma," over and over and over. I thought that was good for mom's number. For my In-Laws it is the theme from Cape Fear, JUST KIDDING! I would not do that, I love Ralph and Janice alot. Anyway, it may sound stupid, but I kind of have fun with it. By the way, I have the theme from House as a ringtone, too. If I called myself, that would be MY ringtone.

2008-08-01T22:24:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone, sorry I have not been able to blog in awhile. It has been a long week. I have not had a day off since last Sunday and will not be off until Monday. Work has not been bad, it just really chews up any spare time I might be able to find.

Swimmin

2008-07-21T22:05:00.003-05:00

We went swimming today. This picture is from a few days ago, Abbie and her cousins were trying out her "slip and slide." When I got home today, it just seemed like a day to be in a pool. Abbie's cousins Jake and Zach were over and I asked if they wanted to go. They have a pool in their subdivision. Once I said swimming, Abbie was all for it. She said "swim, swimmin," to me about 20 times in a minute or two, so we went swimming. Abbie loves it. She has a floaty vest that she wears, but she is pretty brave when it comes to getting a mouthful of water. She knows to kick her legs and really has a ball with it. If Daddy hadn't gotten sunscreen in her eyes, it would have been the perfect time. I hope she continues to enjoy swimming and that we can keep giving her those opportunities.
Tonight, I worked out. It was the first vigorous workout I have done in almost a year. Anyone who has seen me recently will attest to this. I got my Garmin out and hooked in to the new computer, so now I just need to push myself some to get back to running. I think 3-4 weeks of regular workouts on the eliptical and I may be able to venture onto the track. I will keep you posted, keep your fingers crossed.
Have you ever had one of those miniature tape recorders for notes and stuff? I have one and I did not even have to pay for it. It is the Abbie Kay Young virtual repeater 3000. She has a nack for spitting out whatever goes in her little ears. At times it is funny, sometimes embarassing, and sometimes downright scary. I enjoy getting her to say "hi, thank you," and "you're welcome," even though she can still get the timing mixed up. I may try and get her to read her favorite book for you all soon, so keep watching. Have a good week.

"He was his own greatest fan"

2008-07-15T17:30:00.003-05:00

I often wonder why it is that I generally laugh the hardest when I tell a joke or funny anecdote. Is it that I am the only one that gets it, or is it that it is just not THAT funny? I get a kick out of plays on words and sayings that you have to think about for a second to catch the humor. For instance, have you seen the stickers at the gas pumps lately that say "our gas has at least 10% ethanol"? I saw a sign outside of a liquor store today that said "our ethanol has absolutely no gas in it." I guffawed for a block or two over that one. But, most people probably barely giggle at that. I am one of the oddballs who likes a good pun, even though that is probably an oxymoron. I just think a good pun is its own reword. See, even now, I am having trouble not giggling at that one. A pharmacist I used to work with would tell people who were about to take a colonoscopy prep, "I hope everything comes out ok." Generally, when I come up with one of my own puns about something at work, I think it is hilarious and everyone else moans in agony. The oddities of words and how they can be twisted has always been cool to me. I love words like "palindrome," "onomatopoeia," and "over-pronation." Maybe my enjoyment of words and the twisting of meanings is also the reason for my aggravation at butchering those same words with bad grammar. I would like a little input on this blog, let me know what you think of puns or if I have ever annoyed you with one before. In the meantime, here is one I found just now, so enjoy!

A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Amal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his mom. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds, "But they are twins-if you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal."

Thank you, thank you very much.

Signing Time

2008-07-09T11:58:00.004-05:00

Greetings and salivations to all. I hope the week is going well. I was wondering if I have talked about Signing Time yet? If I have, I am sorry, but it is such a big thing around here that I would be remiss if I did not talk about it. Signing time is a children's show on PBS that teaches ASL (American Sign Language). The host of the show is a woman whose two girls use sign language due to their disabilities. They make learning signs enjoyable by using children and songs to show and remind what the signs are. Abbie loves it. She is starting to get her ABC's down and she continues to surprise me with signs she has learned. The other day we were getting ready to go somewhere and I asked her if she was ready. She said and signed "ready". I had no idea that was a word she had learned. Another time, Abbie was wanting me to watch her and she signed and said "pay attention" (That was both cute and scary at the same time). It is pretty neat to see her get into singing and signing a song. If you get a chance to see Signing Time, just watch for a little while. It is a pretty neat show.

Let your yes be yes...

2008-06-28T00:45:00.002-05:00

Amber and I had a sad revelation today. We are becoming an endangered species, the married couple that stays married. I do not know what the failure rate is for marriages today, but I think it is 60% or higher. That is such a sad statistic. Amber and I have been married for 9 years now and it seems to us like no time at all. The scary thing is that most people would look at us and think we have been together "forever." It just seems to me that when people vow to someone "for better or worse," and "til death do us part," that better than 40% of them would actually MEAN IT. I usually try to stay away from preaching or politics on my blog, but it was a sobering thought that our 9 year marriage would be considered a "long" one. I could really go on and on about taking responsibility and how everything is someone else's fault these days. Let me just finish my preaching by thanking my parents and my in-laws for setting a standard and providing two great examples to their children of taking a vow and meaning it.

Lots to say

2008-06-22T22:54:00.005-05:00

So much time and so little to say. Strike that, reverse it. I feel like I have a bunch of stuff to talk about, but I am afraid it will only come out as random anecdotes and ramblings. I am in a musical "mood," if you could call it that. I took my MP3 player to work this weekend and it was eye-opening to hear some tunes again. I listened to some classic rock, contemporary Christian, and of course, The Beatles. Then, Amadeus was on this evening. Although it is not really a documentary, it is a great movie and Mozart had unbelieveable talent. So, after listening to The Beatles, and watching Amadeus, I have been thinking about people who can not only play wonderful music, but about the people who wrote it. Mozart was composing at 4, can you believe that? Lennon and McCartney went from Love Me Do to the epic Abbey Road and even to the sometimes bizarre white album. There was a big evolution in their songs from the early to late 60's, but they still produced some of the best music ever (in my opinion). I just want to interject a word of thanks to my Dad for introducing me to most of the music I have been talking about. Without Dad's album collection or listening to classic rock stations to and from our trips to work, I would have no idea who Edgar Winter is or what the rockin' pneumonia and boogie woogie flu is. Dad's enjoyment became my enjoyment. Then, about when I hit my junior year of high school, I started to have my own music to enjoy. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and some other bands from the Seattle area just really seemed to have the music I liked. When the lead singer of Nirvana died, the drummer, Dave Grohl, went on to make an album of songs he had written. He played drums, guitar, bass, and sang on almost the whole album. Just another example of a really gifted musician and song writer, just in a different package than John Lennon or Paul McCartney. Actually, Dave Grohl recently got up on stage at a Paul McCartney concert and played drums for Band on the Run (one of McCartney's hits with his band Wings), and Grohl's group, the Foo Fighters, did a remake of the song. I feel like I am rambling a little, but as I say, listening to some music has gotten me thinking.

Post-birthday thoughts

2008-06-14T10:23:00.004-05:00

Well, Abbie's 3rd birthday has officially ended. Celebrations may now cease. All kidding aside, things went pretty well with the birthday this year. Amber toned down the extravaganza and I think it helped her (Amber) to be able to relax a little and enjoy the party more. Abbie had a good time at Chuckie Cheese with Barney, but really enjoyed the cupcakes and presents at home. The family enjoyed putting together Abbie's blocks (yes, we really did). At my parents house it was fun to see Abbie playing with Rachel, Rosie and Lawrence. I did not take my camera, so I am sorry for no pictures of that. I was glad to have some time off to celebrate, it was a fun time.

It was different to see Mom and Dad's new house. The house at Newkirk was such an icon that I have a tough time thinking of Mom and Dad "at home" anywhere else. Their new home is real nice. It is always fun to get into a home that no one else has been in yet. They both seemed happy with the home and I think being nearer to Jami and the kids is good for Mom and Dad and Jami. They are closer to us, too. It really is not that far for us, but that two lane highway through rural Oklahoma is a little bothersome at times (for some reason, Dueling banjos started playing in my head).

While we were at Mom and Dad's, Jami played the piano. I fancy myself to at least be musically informed, but the piano is just beyond me. I took lessons as a youngster, but of course did not apply myself and they did not take. Now, I would love to be able to sit at a piano, put a sheet of music up and just play. That is a wonderful talent. I suppose I could pick up a tuba and play, but as you know, tubas are not quite as melodious as pianos. It is a little tougher to find one lying around, too. I say all that to say that I am proud and even jealous of my talented sister. I wish I had her talent with the piano.

OK, I am going to see what stinky-britches is up to. Have a good weekend. Oh, by the way, Tiger Woods is one shot off the lead in the US Open after two rounds. It may not sound like much, but it is his first tournament back since having knee surgery, so he is allowed to struggle, isn't he?

Abbie Kay is 3 today!

2008-06-09T18:56:00.007-05:00

Three years ago today, Abbie was born. It is hard to believe. I remember some things very vividly, but I am already having trouble remembering how small she was, and what it was like to have a newborn to take home. Three years have passed so quickly, and I am afraid that they are going to pass even quicker now. As the great orator and leader Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SQUIRT, DADDY LOVES YOU!

Horses, horses, horses

2008-06-08T19:54:00.005-05:00

I have talked before about Tiger Woods and how dominant he has been in golf. I also talked about this year's New England Patriots and their try for a perfect season. But, the triple crown chase this year in horse racing has had me remembering a horse that dominated before I was even born. This picture is of Secretariat winning the 1973 Belmont stakes in what is possibly the most dominant display by a horse ever. He won by 31 lengths, and ran a time for the mile and 1/2 that has never been matched. I just watched his Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont wins on YouTube (just search Secretariat super horse on YouTube). The video is not the best, but the soundtrack is from the movie "Superman," and it is really something to see the performances this horse put on. I am not a horse racing person. But, I do think horses are very beautiful, graceful, and powerful animals. I do not know if another horse will come along like Secretariat, but I would love to watch if it does.

Pictures

2008-06-01T20:18:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures from Memorial Day weekend at Oilton. There were a ton to choose from. It was good to get Abbie together with her cousins, I am hoping to do more of that in the future.

Congrats Hannah!

2008-05-26T11:45:00.003-05:00

Our niece Hannah graduated High school last week. She was in the top 10% of a class of over 600. That was pretty impressive to someone from a class of 52 (number of students, not the year, thank you). I had a different take on this graduation than I have before. After the ceremony, we went to Hannah's parent's house for food and presents. Howard and Alana had put together a slide show of Hannah growing up. It made me realize how fast things happen and that Abbie will be there in no time. I cannot imagine how hard it will be for Howard and Alana to let their little girl go. It breaks my heart to think of how to deal with that. I also came away from graduation with more respect for Howard and Alana. In the times that we live, they have done a great job in raising a wonderful, smart, and respectful young woman. I think being around more families like theirs was one of our main reasons for moving here. I think we have not expressed that enough. The whole evening was impressive to me, and I was glad to be a part of it.

Little Miss Sunshine

2008-05-17T08:21:00.003-05:00

Abbie's last day at Mother's day out was Thursday. They had a little program to celebrate. Each class came out and sang a song or two for the audience. Abbie's class sang one of her favorite songs. She must have been overwhelmed with the crowd, because she did more staring than singing. The night before she had been singing her song a little differently than usual. She kept inserting the word "loud" at a certain point in the song. We figured they had been practicing and the teachers were telling them to sing louder as they sang the song. It was a real fun thing to watch, and it makes me feel like Abbie is growing up. She is talking more and more each day. One of her favorite shows is called "Signing Time." It is on PBS and is a cool show that teaches sign language. It has helped Abbie with new words and she has learned the signs, too. I think it is going to be another beautiful day today. I hope to get out and walk or go to the park so Abbie can play outside. She loves to be outside whenever she can. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T22:23:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I have to say this one was good and bad for us. It was good for Amber and I to spend some time together when I got home from work this weekend. It was bad because Abbie had an ear infection and we had to cancel our trip to see my Mom and their new house. Amber's mother was also very ill and bedridden today. It can really create problems when I have to work on the weekend. Abbie's little ear issues cause problems, too. I was very dissappointed that we did not get to see Mom and Dad. It has been tough to get time to see them since we moved down here. I am hoping that their moving will help with some of that. But I do hope everyone has had a wonderful Mother's day.

Getting back in the swing

2008-04-21T22:13:00.005-05:00

It sure is good to start a new week. Last week was not a good one around here. My last post about vomit was meant to put some humor to something that is not humorous. Unfortunately, the vomit was just the beginning. Abbie was sick all week with fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. She just could not shake it. A couple of times during the week she seemed to have turned the corner, only to throw up again later. Amber came down with the vomiting in a big way on Wednesday night. She could not keep anything down through Thursday. It got bad enough that we went to the emergency room on Thursday afternoon. Amber was given 2 bags of IV fluids and some anti-nausea medication. Abbie took some medication but would not drink anything, so she had to have an IV, too. She did much better than you would think a 2 1/2 year old would do getting an IV in the arm. Abbie sat in between my legs and rested her head on my stomach while she got the IV. It was amazing to see the change in her after the fluid got into her system. She started talking and even singing some, too. It was good to hear. Amber said it was surprising how good the fluids made her feel. After the ER visit, Abbie really made a quick recovery. Momma still had a day or so of recovery, but seemed to be closer to 100% today. Abbie has really taken to playing with her swingset, as you can see in the pictures. We took over 30 pictures this evening while she was playing. She seems to be a daredevil. She climbs the rope ladder by herself and slides down the slide (especially if she has an audience). Ralph and Janice brought some sand for the sandbox and Abbie loves that, too. She kept trying to feed the sand to Al. After such a tough week, it was great to have our family healthy, happy, and home to play outside and enjoy the beautiful weather today.

Why are hospital emesis basins so small?

2008-04-14T21:47:00.003-05:00

emesis
noun
the reflex act of ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth [syn: vomit, upchuck, barf, ralph, spew, hurl, heave, puke, blow chunks, call Ralph on the big white phone, air out your gastric contents, barf up a lung, be a food fountain, burp for the hearing impaired, decorate the porcelain, make an alimentary u-turn]

Abbie has been sick the past couple of days. If you could not guess, she was throwing up. For some strange reason, I have been thinking about emesis lately. I can not remember seeing Abbie vomit like she did on Saturday. It was like her mouth was the end of the faucet and the valve was all the way open. I started thinking, that takes some violence to get the fluids flying up like that. When the body does not want something in the stomach, it has a stout mechanism to get rid of it. Seinfeld had an episode where Jerry talked about his vomit streak. He had not puked in 13 years. The streak came to an end near the end of the episode. I am sure Mom has been shaking her head and muttering, "Where did I go wrong?" while she reads this. Sorry Mom, but seeing Abbie spew gave me a new perspective on reverse peristalsis. I felt it was a relevant and worthwhile topic to chew on (pardon the pun). If anyone is interested, I found a website with a huge number of vomit synonyms (you know, for parties and such): http://www.geocities.com/mbordt/chunder2.htm .

Mornin'

2008-04-09T21:48:00.003-05:00

I have been a little under the weather the past couple of days. Some kind of cold or something that has really taken it out of me. I felt much better today. Especially when I was awakened by this little face saying, "Mornin', mornin'." I took this picture last Sunday. Abbie had a matching dress with her little doll and she just looked beautiful. Amber and I have commented on how much more fun it is with Abbie the more she speaks. I used to feel like we carried on conversations without her speaking, but now I can not get a word in edgewise. Anyway, I am feeling better and I hope to be 100% by the weekend. I think I will need it since Mom has lots of work planned for me. I am so excited!

"That don't make no sense"

2008-04-05T00:11:00.005-05:00

Sometimes when I start a new post, I look at the blank square and I draw a blank. But, there are times when I have a blog that just seems to grow and fester inside my head. I often have all the words and phrases that I want to say in my mind, but when I type the blog it often does not turn out how I had thought it would. I wish I could connect my thoughts to the computer the way I do with the digital camera. Just download the thoughts and trim them up on the computer. Anyway, this is a blog that I have been thinking about for awhile, I hope it comes out the way I have pictured.
My mother is an English teacher. I say IS even though she is retired, because you do not stop teaching English even though you are not in the classroom. Growing up with a mother who taught English was good and bad. It was good when I had papers to write because she could help me correct them and could give me a feel for what was a good paper and a bad paper. It was bad when she corrected my speech (many, many, many, many times) because I was speaking incorrectly. As I have grown, I have learned (surprisingly enough), and I try to speak and write correctly. Every time I write a post, I worry over the grammar because I do not want to make a mistake. I am by no means an English teacher, but Mom taught me well. So now I have the curse of noticing grammar mistakes around me. It is like fingernails on the chalkboard to hear how some people butcher the English language (again, I am not an English teacher, nor do I claim to be one). I am not talking about dangling participles or ending sentences with prepositions. I am talking about blatant, brutal, and egregious mistakes that non-English teachers' sons would catch. I have a co-worker (yes here is the reason for this whole diatribe) who speaks very little in terms of correct grammar, but speaks great volumes in terms of sheer words. One of her favorite exclamations is "that don't make no sense." IT IS NOT SAID FOR EFFECT, SHE MEANS IT! Now, I know this all sounds petty and it probably is, but imagine hearing phrases like that all day, every day at work. Can you see where I am coming from? I realize that "they don't know no better," but when that kind of language is used in dealing with the public, I think it makes the rest of us look bad, too. I am serious, sometimes I just think to myself, "You did not just say that, did you?" Maybe I notice her speech because she is abrasive and rubs me the wrong way, but I think I would notice even if a good friend talked like that.

I do not want to think higher of myself than others, but that is pretty much what I have done, isn't it? I just wanted to get something out that bugs me. I am definitely NOT saying I am perfect in my grammar, but it does bother me when things don't make no sense.

"I've got the genetics for it"

2008-04-02T23:03:00.002-05:00

There are a number of ways to say it. "The apple does not fall far from the tree," or "she is her mother's daughter." The way we always said it in my family was, "He has the genetics for it." Things that our parents have given to us, and often their parents gave to them. I am grateful for many of the traits that I have from my parents, but migraine headaches are not one of them. I have always been thankful that I did not have headaches like Dad has had. This morning, I had a migraine. It is strange to think of a headache making you sick to your stomach, but it sure can. I generally would not be so sure of calling it a migraine, but when migraine medication gets rid of it, it is probably a migraine. Amber had a sample of Relpax left over from her battle with migraines a couple of years ago. I had to try it because I would not have been much good at work in that condition. After a couple of hours, I felt OK. As migraines go, it probably was not the worst in the world, but it was one of the worst headaches I have had. Amber thinks I should see a doctor because my headaches have been increasing in number and (unfortunately) severity. After the one this morning, I am inclined to agree with her. I talked with Dad tonight about his headaches and the similarities with mine. He said he had had a migraine this morning, too. It just makes me think that I had better get some more medication before the next one. Because I have a bad feeling that there WILL be a next one. Thanks, Dad, I really appreciate it!

Swing, plee

2008-03-26T21:26:00.003-05:00

The picture on the left is from June 4, 2006, the picture on the right is from today. I finally put Abbie's swingset back together. She was quite pleased. I wondered if she would still like to swing as much as she did before. She does, only now she can say, "Swing, plee." The "z" sound at the end of please has not been figured out yet. She was not at all happy to get out after her swing. Abbie does seem to be learning please, thank you, and your welcome. Although they are sounding more like "plee, cank you, welcome" she does get the timing right of when to say each.

Happy Birthday Ralph

2008-03-21T10:34:00.007-05:00

My father-in-law turned 70 on St. Patrick's Day. Abbie learned this rendition of Happy Birthday for him. He has the birthday present that keeps on giving: kidney stones. He is going in on Monday to try and break them up. Ralph and Janice are great in-laws. They have always been supportive and never tried to make our decisions for us. But, since June 9, 2005, they seem to be interested in one member of our family much more than the others! We are planning on having a party this weekend for Ralph, it should be a HOOT! Have a good weekend.

"That really grinds my gears"

2008-03-19T00:04:00.002-05:00

You want to know what really grinds my gears?

Cell Phone etiquette

-how many times do you see someone driving who is NOT on a cell phone?

-I hate those little earpiece phones that people wear around so they do not even have to hold their cell phone while they talk. I think people wear them because they think they look cool, THEY DON'T.

-I hate it when people come to drop off or pick up a prescription and continue their call while I am trying to talk to them. They even seem bothered that I would interrupt their call. That is just about as rude as you can be without actually saying, "You are worthless to me."

2. Beating up on Wal-Mart

-I know that Wal-Mart underpays its people, runs mom and pop stores out of business, and just generally ruins the areas that they are built in, but what is the big deal? Just because it is the biggest corporation in the world, does that mean it is evil? I about went through the phone this past week at another PHARMACIST because he said I was giving away my prescription counselling for free. He said that since we were selling prescriptions for $4 that we had to either not be counselling or doing it for free. I went back and forth with him some and he finally said, "Did you go to OU or Southwestern?" When I told him Southwestern, he said "That figures." Man I was hot. Just because I choose not to have my own pharmacy and work at a chain, I am selling out and devaluing my education? Give me a break.

I could go on, but I think that is enough ranting for one evening. Remind me to tell you about Abbie playing Rockband and Guitar Hero. It is pretty funny. She is becoming a glory hound.

Father's Day

2008-03-10T10:38:00.003-05:00

"I tried hard to have a father, but instead I had a Dad." -"Serve the Servants," Nirvana

I have come to a conclusion. This is a serious issue and one that I have thought about long and hard. I know many of you may not believe this one but I am sure I am right. Ready? OK, here it is: I LOVE AND ADMIRE MY FATHER VERY MUCH. Shocking, isn't it? I came to this realization as I thought about how I have seen my father in people around me. My Chemistry professor and advisor in college, Dr. Baxter, reminded me of my father very much. A couple of pharmacists that I have worked with reminded me of dad. And, most recently, Hugh Laurie in House, reminds me of dad. Let me explain the last one, I do not mean he reminds me of dad in how he acts to people. He just looks like dad. His eyes and expressions make it seem like my father is playing that part. When House bought a motorcycle, and then had a migraine (even though it was self-induced) it was just like, hey this sure reminds me of dad. House is also very intelligent, and he does the right thing (even if his methods to get there are somewhat shady). I say all this to illustrate that when I see my father in others I feel like it is a tribute to him. I and my father are not the best communicators on the planet (just ask our wives), but the example that he gave me in his actions was far more than he could ever say. I just hope I can have a similar impact on Abbie.

This is one of the songs that Abbie learned at Mother's day out. It is heard in the halls of our home almost as much as the B,B,C's and "How I wonder what you are."

ABC's

2008-03-01T11:28:00.008-06:00

If I have not stated that Abbie loves the alphabet song, let me say that ABBIE LOVES THE ALPHABET SONG. Although it is not completely intact, the tune is unmistakable. As you can hopefully hear in the video, B is her favorite letter. So if you can imagine her singing "B,B,C,B,E,F,G..." about 20 times in an hour, then you can basically hear what it is like around here. It really is cute.

You may also notice the counter that I have added over on the upper right of the site. Be sure to tell all your friends to read my blog, because now I can see who all comes to my site!

Crowded HOUSE

2008-02-28T17:56:00.005-06:00

House, seasons 2 and 3 arrived today. I am pumped for this weekend. I can not wait to watch! Well, I guess I am happy to spend time with my wife and daughter, too. Amber watched an episode with me (the one with the pharmacist who made a mistake) and she was not as enthralled as I am. It was not that she did NOT like the show, but she does not like it as much as I do. I figured since Hugh Laurie is the star that she would be all over it. He is a cohort of Emma Thompson's (one of Amber's favorites) and has been in some of Amber's favorite films. I really am not as possessed by this show as I sound. I just have not found a TV show that I like this much in a long time. I also have to fill the void until college football and the NFL come back around. I used to watch ER religiously, but I just did not stay with it. I remember at some point when The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, Hill Street Blues, Knight Rider, The A-Team, and a whole host of other TV shows were what I could not wait to watch. Does anyone remember Max Headroom? How about The Flash? Those were two that I really liked, but were unfortunately short-lived (I must have been in the minority). I really have not gotten into the "reality" TV shows. Other than House, I have not watched a network TV series on a regular basis in a long time, and I have only watched House on DVD. I feel like I am rambling. Television shows get me blabbing, I guess. I am presently listening to Aretha Franklin's Eleanor Rigby. I love the Beatles' version, but if you have not heard Aretha sing her version, it is worth it. Abbie is sleeping and I can hear her breathing on the monitor. I am thankful she has not gotten the flu, and I pray that she continues to be healthy. The Flu is unbelievably rampant here. The pharmacist I worked with today said this was the worst flu season she had seen in her 20+ years in pharmacy. A doctor's office called yesterday and prescribed Tamiflu(R) for their nurse and PA to be taken daily for a month. They said the drug rep for Tamiflu(R) told them that the maker of Tamiflu(R) (Roche) is recommending that they take Tamiflu(R) daily to try to keep from getting the flu. I also had a lady tell me her son got sick with influenza A, got better, then got sick with influenza B. I have been wondering if these periods of rampant sickness could get worse. It just seems that these epidemics are growing in intensity and the way medications are prescribed, we could be bringing some of it on ourselves. We have been dispensing antibiotics at an alarming rate for some time. I am not saying that they are all unwarranted, I am only saying that the more we use these drugs, the more the bugs figure out how to beat them. Just look at how much MRSA (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MRSA ) has spread in the past few years. I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but I think these infectious problems are going to worsen, sooner rather than later. Wow, how did I get on that rant? Anyway, I will keep you updated on the fun that House and his friends get themselves into. Have a good weekend.

Cynics Anonymous

2008-02-24T20:14:00.008-06:00

Hi, my name is Joby, and I am a cynic. It is nice to see everyone here (I know you do not believe me and I do not believe myself, but that is why I am here, right?). I recently purchased the first season of the series House, MD, and I think it could be one of my favorite (favourite for all of the British and Australian readers) shows of all time. I really enjoy the medical problem solving that each show goes through, but House is by far the best part of the show. He is so cynical and biting towards his patients and colleagues, I LOVE IT! He says some of the very things that I have wished to say to some patients and he gets away with it. I have watched the first four shows and I can not wait to watch the rest and continue with each season until I catch up. I used to be into ER, due to the technical medical stuff, but House is better by far. The episode I just watched had a misfill by a condescending pharmacist and I did not even take that much offense to it. I really like the show, but it also seems to implicate me as a cynic. If anyone out there who knows me wants to argue or agree, I am all ears.

ADDENDUM:
Upon viewing 4 more episodes and reflecting on an E-mail from my mother, I have revised my self-critique. Based on the fact that some of the episodes have me FEELING for the afflicted and their family problems, and the fact that I am hurt that my MOTHER agrees with me about my cynicism, I do NOT think I am a cynic. At least not in the truest sense of the word. I doubt a true cynic would care if his mother thought he was a cynic. Anyway, I still enjoy the show and will continue the self inspection regarding my own cynicism. Jami, I think you would love the show. It is currently in its 4th(?) season on FOX.

ABC's

2008-02-22T21:06:00.004-06:00

I took this picture of Abbie today. She likes wearing my caps for short periods and this was about the best shot I could get of her. She really likes the "alphabet song" and even though it sometimes does not contain the right letters, the tune is unmistakable. She has been slower in beginning her speech, but it seems like she is turning the corner. Now, when she comes to me and grabs my hand for something I make her say "please" first. She is getting the hang of it, and the alphabet song is coming together, too. After a time of wondering about what was keeping her from speaking, it is wonderful to hear her saying words and jabbering all the time. I am so grateful to God for blessing us so richly with our little girl. Her reaction when I come home from work can turn a bad day around. I never could have imagined what a great blessing a child could be. I was so caught up in the fear of the responsibility involved that I did not realize all the good things a child brings to your life. I am not saying that I don't get frustrated, I am just expressing some joy that my daughter gives me.

Does anyone out there get headaches? Of course, we all do, I just want to know what that is all about? Why is it that sometimes it feels like a vice is tightening on my temples enough to make me ill? Man, I can not stand those things. I had a headache today and it was very aggravating and debilitating. I did not want to do anything. Then, gradually, it went away. What is the deal? I wish I understood that whole process better. I hope no one is rubbing their temples after reading this. Anyway, have a good weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T22:28:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentine's day to everyone. This week has been a tough one, so we are not really doing a lot of celebrating around here. Amber took Abbie to the doctor today. Abbie has been fighting some upper respiratory stuff and a nagging cough this week. The doctor said she has ear infections in both ears. It has been a while since she has had to deal with that. She has been hanging in pretty well, but it is easy to see she does not feel well. I hate it when she is sick when I have a stretch of days without any off. I feel better if I can see her even if she is sick. If I am at work, I just wonder about what is going on at home. I open tomorrow, so I am cutting this short. I need to get to bed. Everyone enjoy your weekend.

Radiation Sickness

2008-02-12T23:39:00.002-06:00

Today was day 2 of 8 in a row that I have to work. I realize that is not as many as I have had to work before, but I am just not as used to it as I was in Ponca City. When I was there, I would work 7 straight every other week. I had a couple of stretches where I worked 13 days straight. I am no longer a manager, but it just seems more stressful here. I enjoy being busy, but often times we seem to walk a tightrope trying to get things done and take care of the customers. Flu season is in full swing and if we have anyone call in sick (as we have this week) it becomes much harder to take care of all the things that need to be done (not to mention doing them correctly and quickly). The worst feeling I have is when I come home and I am not able to remember if I did or did not take care of something at work. In pharmacy, that is a very bad feeling to have. Usually, I am able to leave all of that at work, but sometimes it is hard to let it go. I work at a new store tomorrow. That is always a struggle to get used to. It is frustrating to try and get used to a new store while being just as busy as ever. Just another of the fun things to deal with at work.

If you are wondering what the title of this blog is about, let me explain. I have gotten hooked on Wikipedia.org. It is a reference website that is basically like an encyclopedia online. I have been reading about nuclear power and the accidents that happened at Chernobyl and Three mile island. That has radiation on my mind. I also was talking about the problems we have at work when anyone calls in sick, hence, Radiation Sickness. Yeah, it is goofy, but my mind is pretty scrambled after the past couple of days, so bear with me.

2 sides to every story

2008-02-09T00:06:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of Abbie and our newest family member, Frisco. He is a black Lab and is a year or two younger than Al. He has stayed with us for brief stints before, but is now here permanently. He is definitely a switch from Little Al. Frisco is more high strung than Al (which could be said of most slugs on the planet). He (Frisco) seems to be fitting in well, but it is hard to bond with him as we have with Al. Doesn't Abbie look like a little girl and not a baby girl?

The title on this blog is a bit cliched, but is nonetheless true. I am seeing this more and more at work and at home. How is it that two sides to a story can differ so vastly? People at work will describe how a customer has treated them poorly, and the customer's story paints the associate to be the bad guy. Now I know that people tend to embellish stories somewhat, but other peoples' versions of events rarely seem to match up with the way I remember them. Case in point, the Roger Clemens ordeal. If you have not heard about this story, let me try to describe it in as few words as possible. Roger Clemens is a Major league baseball pitcher who pitched for a long time and seemed to get better with age. He had a paid trainer that worked with him in Toronto and when he was with the Yankees. Now that baseball is trying to get steroids out of the game and point out who used steroids in the past, Clemens has been tagged by his trainer as a steroid user. The two men have been deposed before a Congressional committee and will speak in public hearings next week on this issue. Clemens vehemently denies using steroids and his trainer says Roger is lying. His trainer even went so far as to produce syringes and gauze that were supposedly used to inject Roger with steroids. I say all this to show how different two sides of this story can be. I doubt that either one is the whole truth and probably neither is all false. It is just hard for me to hear how someone else viewed events that I viewed in a very different way. I am not able to put this in words very well, but I see things the way I see them, and I have a hard time believeing someone else could have seen them differently. I am sure that this makes no sense, but I have been thinking about it some, so I tried to spit it out. Understand? Then, you must have seen it differently.

Super Bowl thoughts

2008-02-04T23:46:00.000-06:00

I watched the Super Bowl last night (as did 97 million+ others according to Nielsens). I thought it was good game, with a GREAT finish. The game seemed to plod along for awhile. But, you get that when you have defenses that are playing well. The fourth quarter made the game. There was one play (if you watched, you already know which one) that determined the game as far as I am concerned. When I watched this play, I knew, without a shadow of doubt, who would win. When a much maligned and generally quiet quarterback makes 3 defenders (who have a hand on him) miss and then steps back and throws downfield to a well covered receiver who makes a catch using his helmet to hold the ball on the way down, you know that they have IT in their favor. Whatever IT is, they had it. I knew it then, the rest was just details. I am not kidding. My first thought when Eli made that play was: The Giants are NOT going to lose this game, PERIOD. I wanted the Patriots to win. Not that I am a Patriot fan, but I enjoy perfection in sports, or at least near perfection. I loved watching Michael Jordan. I watch golf only if Tiger is playing. I wanted the Patriots to win because it would have been the perfect season. But, I am happy they did not win. I saw Peyton Manning's reactions watching his brother, and I saw how Eli handled himself as a winner (he has handled being a loser and the goat of the New York media before) and I felt good for him. He deserves it. What an unbelieveable story. New York loses their probable Hall of Fame running back to retirement, starts the season 0-2 (almost 0-3 except for a goal-line stand), loses their "star" tight end with a broken leg, then win 10 straight ROAD games to become Super Bowl champs. I really enjoy the NFL. I am not an NFL fan of any one team really, I enjoy the players, games, stats, and stories. I think it would be even better if Brett Farve made it back next year to win another Super Bowl. One last thing, as I was watching the game, Abbie was playing and watching some, too. At one point she was sitting with me and we watched a kickoff return in which someone got plastered. I exclaimed, "ooooo" and on cue Abbie exclaimed, "ooooooo". I laughed and she laughed and we both decided that "Boom," he got pounded.

Changes

2008-01-31T10:14:00.000-06:00

Since I have had some time off this week, I have been playing around on the computer. You will notice changes to the blog's appearance, and the addition of a poll on the right side. Please vote on the poll, I am interested to see what kind of response I get. I also added a link to my ESPN page, which has my other blog on it. I may try to get some more video on the blog, but bear with me. Keep checking in, I will continue to post stuff, too.

Time Off

2008-01-29T18:06:00.000-06:00

Boy, I sure do love having time off. I do enjoy my job, but I am beginning to covet my days off more and more. I realize this is not something new. But, you have to realize the household that I come from. My dad worked more days, and longer hours than I do now and he seemed to do it easily, thank you. I can not begin to think what frame of mind I would be in at 7PM if I had to get up at 6AM just to be ready to be at work at 7AM. I am sure I would get used to it, but I would not be the jovial and charming likeness that everyone knows and loves (Yeah, right). I am not saying that my dad talks like all the stories that you hear, "I had to walk 10 miles to work uphill bothways in the snow barefoot!" No, he has never said once that he had (has) it tougher than I do. But I remember how much he worked when I was growing up and I am thankful that my job does not require quite as much of my time as his did.

Another thing I remember about growing up was going to shop for home theater equipment with my Dad. It is mind blowing to think back to the "hot, new items" that we looked at back then. When I say back then I of course mean no earlier than about 1989-1992. Less than 20 years ago, and the hot thing we looked at was a Sony VCR that was able to define stereo surround audio tracks. It makes me laugh when that is compared with what we have today. Blu-ray, HD-DVD, and HDTV produce jaw dropping video and audio. I have been having some fun watching some Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies since I have been off. My wife watched an old movie on the VCR the other night and it was just awful. The sound had that "hiss" and the picture had lines and "hiccups" that made it a chore to watch. Isn't something that I make those comments about something that was state of the art when I was younger? I wonder what my daughter will think when she looks back at the stuff we use now.

Moving

2008-01-29T10:08:00.000-06:00

Let me tell you, I do not want to move ever again. We moved last September, and some things still are out of sorts. The move itself is bad enough, but adjusting to a new home and job are not things that I want to do again. I think Abbie and Al handled it the best, they both showed no ill effects and seem happy as clams. I like it here, but it has been tough to get settled.

Some things are much better here than in Ponca City. For one, I receive 3 sports talk radio stations here versus 1 (sometimes) in Ponca. That has been great. I really enjoy listening to others opine about the sports of the day. That may lead to more sports posts in the future (especially during college football season). It is also much easier to have shopping centers or nice restaurants 20-30 minutes away versus 2 hours. I am not saying things are perfect, but there are some things here that make it more enjoyable.

We still miss family and friends though. That has been tougher than expected. If anyone has any recommendations for helping to settle in, I am all ears.

Here's Johnny!

2008-01-28T14:56:00.000-06:00

I doubt that anyone still looks at this blog since I have not touched anything in a LONG time. I am going to work harder to get back into the ole blog. Since the last blog, we have moved to a new city, I am working at a new store, our daughter is 2 1/2, and we have a second dog to go with little Al. I am sure there are many other things to put in, but you get the point. Suffice it to say, I have neglected my site for far too long and I will try to remedy that.

I have returned...

2007-03-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am back. For those of you (probably all of you) that were happier with the writing style of my wife, let me just say that I am sorry to disappoint. But this IS my blog. My wife mentioned that she did not want to have a blog of her own. She felt like she was correcting everything to try and make it "perfect." She has read my blog before, so I have no idea what she was worried about. Anyway, I was glad she wrote about the trip to Kansas City. I am still kicking myself that I did not go, yes I really am.

Now on to my thought for tonight. I have been thinking about this for a few days now. I have had many memorable days in my life thus far: the day I married my wife, the birth of my daughter, the day I was baptized, graduation from college, to name a few. But recently I experienced an event that few have the pleasure of experiencing, and even fewer who take note of the memorableness of the occasion. Last week, Abbie was sick with a stomach virus and twice I happened to be holding her when she vomitted. I am not talking about little baby spit up that you wipe away with a burp rag. This was empty-the-stomach full bore chunky clam chowder vomit. You know, there is nothing like the smell of stomach acid. I did not get hit by the full blast, but a glancing blow was enough. The thing that makes it a memorable moment is not that my daughter threw up on me (that makes it a humorous story). The thing that makes it memorable is how bad I felt for my daughter as she was as sick as I have seen her in her young life. I was unable to do anything for her except hold her over the sink as she finished up and then try to console her as best I could. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are very hard on the little ones, and unfortunately often just have to run their course. She is back to normal now, I am happy to say. But, I will not forget that vomit, believe me.

Abbie Meets The Wiggles

2007-03-06T10:27:00.000-06:00

Hello! I’m Amber, Joby’s wife. He’s asked me to make a “guest appearance” on his blog to tell you about our recent trip to Kansas City to see The Wiggles Live. My mom and dad (Ralph & Janice Wilcoxson), Abbie and I all had an awesome time. Poor Joby—he couldn’t get off work to go.
We left for Kansas City Monday morning. After checking into the hotel, finding the concert site, etc., we decided to have a nice dinner out. Now, my dad is known for taking “scenic tours” (my mom’s phrase), so we got lost looking for George Brett’s restaurant. After about an hour, Mom and I were ready to call it quits and just go to Sonic when we finally found it.
We walk in the door, and LO & BEHOLD, I spot Murray Cook,The Red Wiggle sitting right there. I almost had a heart attack. We get to our table and I am so nervous and excited I’m almost shaking. Once I’m sure its him, I know there is NO WAY I’m gonna miss a chance like this. I check with the waitresses who are shocked, but agree that it must be him. So with Abbie in tow and my Dad trailing closely behind with the camera, I get up the nerve to introduce Abbie to MURRAY! I told him that we were in town for the concert and about how much Abbie LOVES THE WIGGLES. He was sooo nice. He asked where we were from, etc. Dad took a picture of the three of us (Murray, Abbie and me). After he took it he said, “Darn! I thought I was coming over here to take a picture of George Brett!” HA! Well, Murray and his whole table just died laughing!
(At the concert, cash was required to purchase souvenirs and I did not have enough. I tried to find an ATM machine and after a long search in another building, I still did not find it. I was wearing my stylish (uncomfortable) shoes and it was 15 minutes to showtime. I was disappointed about not finding an ATM, but was very excited about the show.)
After our exciting night, we were all more than ready for a great show. We would not be disappointed. (I was not-so-secretly hoping that Murray would call Abbie on stage since he "knew" her.-HA!) When we got to our seats we saw that in every one there was a little box of crayons and a paper Wiggles frame. How cool!

The Wiggles usually come on stage in their BIG RED CAR to the song of the same name, so when the song started-DO,DO, DO DO DO DO.......TOOT, TOOT, CHUGGA, CHUGGA BIG RED CAR the crowd went wild. I, for one, was completely star-struck. I mean, we watch these guys on TV everyday-most of the time several times a day. It was just so cool!
Our seats were right by the stage(on risers) on the right side, which just so happened to be where Murray spent a lot of time playing his guitar. Believe it or not, he did recognize us and pointed to us TWICE during the show. Our only problem was that we couldn't get Abbie to look at the stage instead of the big screen that was right beside it. But she finally got it.
I made a sign to take that read "Abbie Kay Loves The Wiggles!" Dad held it up, and, during the show Anthony read it to the crowd. (He usually reads the signs people bring.)
Mom finally talked me in to taking Abbie down front, on the condition that she go with us. So we sat in front of the stage and Abbie just loved it. We called out the Wiggles' & the Wiggly dancers' names and they would wave or smile at us. It was so much fun! I think Abbie was in awe. She would just clap and stare.
They sang all, or most, of our favorite songs. During songs like, "Hot Potato" & "Rock-A-Bye Your Bear" Abbie actually did the motions. When Anthony went into the crowd on our side, my mom snuck back there and got his picture AND shook his hand and met him.
Finally at the end of the show, the Wiggles ask everyone, including adults to stand and dance to a medley of their songs. We all got up and danced, BUT Dad really got into it. Sam, the new yellow Wiggle, even noticed him and was like "Yeah, cool.", and motioned to him. He seemed impressed that an "old man" was getting into it so much.-Sorry for the old man part Dad. By the time it was all over we were all exhausted
Well that's about it. I hope I haven't bored you with too many details. I'll say one thing. If you ever get a chance to go to a Wiggles concert-GO. I highly recommend it.

Getting rusty

2007-02-22T10:24:00.000-06:00

I took a couple of pictures of Abbie this morning and one thing is pretty obvious, I have gotten rusty. As you can see, the pictures above and on the right are fuzzy. The one above was so bad that I had to make a "poster" out of it just so I could use it. I am going to have to work on the old photography skills again.

Abbie has started grinding her teeth. That is a habit that I never picked up. It just felt bad to me. My wife grinds her teeth once in a while (usually when I am antagonizing her), but mostly in her sleep. I do not like hearing Abbie grind her teeth, it is not a pleasant sound. It makes me afraid that she will break a tooth. Sometimes I feel like I shelter her too much and that I am too afraid for her to get hurt. It is just so different being the parent, I just want everything to be perfect for my perfect little girl. I guess I should wake up to the reality that the world is not perfect. That is why I want Abbie to know God, because without Him, this world would be very sad and absolutely without hope. Can I get an Amen from the congregation?

Is anyone still listening?

2007-02-18T01:16:00.000-06:00

Well hello there to everyone still watching for my return. I would say that a few things have been going on, but since more than 2 months have past, I think it would be implied anyway. There is way too much to get caught up on in one blog, so I will try to make this brief. For starters, my good friend and co-worker left for Walgreen's just before the end of the year. I did not realize what a big deal it would be to me until his replacement started working. I guess when you jive with co-workers you just take it for granted and do not realize what a blessing it is. I have seen just how good I had it in these past two months. On top of the flu season hitting, we get our new pharmacist and he has struggled to say the least. There have been times that I have felt like I was carrying the Pharmacy and was not going to make it. I went in one day at noon and did not get caught up until 7:30PM that evening. That is not an exaggeration, just ask my wife. It has been hard to leave work at work when I come home. Sometimes I have been so on edge that I just want to explode on everyone. Unfortunately, everyone ususally ends up being my wife. She has been having health problems that just will not quit, so it has been a tough couple of months for her, too. Then, in the middle of everything, happy as a clam, is Abbie Kay. She is the best little girl in the world. She now sits at her little table to feed herself (and dump her water on the table). Her little smile makes it hard to stay uptight about work. Amber and I thank God for Abbie every day. If you notice the time that I am writting this, yes, I am up real late. I had a brutal headache this morning and had to sleep a good portion of the day to get rid of it. Now I am paying for the extra sleep. Anyway, I will try to get back into the habit of blogging. I hope someone still watches for me.

BOOMER SOONER

2006-12-03T23:57:00.000-06:00

BOOMER SOONER! Congratulations to the Oklahoma Sooners for winning their 4th Big 12 Title! Bring on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl!

Let it Snow

2006-12-02T13:25:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I just have not had the time to get in here and write anything. As you can see, we received about 10-12 inches of snow on Wednesday and Thursday. When it was snowing so much on Thursday, Little Al would not go outside unless I went with him. He sure is a tough ole dog, yeah right. Once we got outside, he wanted to play with his football, so I took a couple of pictures to show just how much snow there was.

It really has been awhile since I posted anything. Thanksgiving was a good day, although different from usual Thanksgivings. We went to my sister's home in Ada, which is about 3 hours from here. Abbie did very well on the trip. We stopped off in Moore at Amber's sister's before going on to Ada. Everyone loves to play with Abbie and she is most at home with ALL of the attention on her. My sister had chicken and noodles, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie made for us. I was very impressed, it is different to see my sister in the role of host on Thanksgiving. I know that Grandma was proud of her, too. We gave Jami a picture of Abbie that she had asked for and I think she really liked it. I messed with stereo stuff with Scott, and mom messed with Abbie. Dad had to work, and we missed him, but otherwise it was a good day. It was good to see Jami's home. They have put a great deal of time, energy and money into it and it really looks great. Unfortunately, I did not take the camera, so there are no pictures even though there were some definite photo opportunities. Abbie warmed up to Scott and even reached to grab his hand as they walked outside. Scott warmed to her, too, he will be a great daddy (as if I am an authority). Thankfully, Abbie was asleep by the time we found our way out of Ada and she slept most of the way home. Al had been by himself all day and was very happy for us to be home. I had to work the next day, but I did get to see Texas lose to A&M. That was very satisfying. I had to work on Saturday, too. I decided to tape the Bedlam game and not listen to the radio so I could watch when I got off. I did not hear anything about the game until 20 minutes before leaving work. A guy came in and said "How 'bout them Sooners?" I told him I did not listen and was going home to watch. His reply was, "Oh, then I won't tell you the score, but you will be happy with the outcome!" I was not happy with him. Anyway, we did win and are playing Nebraska tonight for the Big 12 championship. I had an offer to get tickets about 3 weeks ago. At first, I wished I had gotten the tickets, but now that I see the weather I am thankful we will be watching in the warmth at home. I will try to post more soon, but I am going to watch some football now. BOOMER SOONER!

A New Look

2006-11-16T23:23:00.000-06:00

As you can see, I have been messing around with the blog tonight. Unfortunately, there is no template that has crimson and cream or OU, so I had to do what I could. Hopefully, it is not too annoying. You might also look at my profile. I added an audio clip and I would be interested if anyone knows what it came from. I think it is pretty funny. This little friend of Abbie's is named Luke. His family worships at the congregation we do. The other day Amber babysat for them while his mom was painting at the church building. He is a cute little guy. He was quiet, docile, and almost scared at our house. He sat almost motionless with me for at least 15 minutes before Abbie came over to sit. I just had to have Amber take some pictures of the three of us. It was good to have him over. Thankfully, Abbie played nice most of the time.

Let me know what you think of the new look of the site and if you know what the audio clip in my profile is.

Foreshadowing

2006-11-10T22:33:00.000-06:00

Tonight I first want to explain the photos just a little bit. The top photo was taken Wednesday, November 8 at the cemetary in Oilton, OK. Amber and I had not been to the cemetary since Grandma's funeral and we decided it was a good time to go. I spoke about my Mom's mother in a previous blog. We felt it would be good to start giving Abbie some images of her family. Abbie did real well on the trip and aside from some sticky burrs in her shoes, she was a good girl. My mom and dad went with us and with the perfect weather, it was a good day.

The bottom photo was taken sometime after Halloween. Abbie has not quite mastered keeping the spit generated by a sucker in her mouth, as you can see. Thanks to Grammy (my mom) this sucker also had a black jack-o-lantern face that rubbed off pretty easily. Obviously, Abbie had a good time with it.

The title of this blog is "foreshadowing." I have been seeing a behavior in Abbie that is concerning me. I am afraid it is foreshadowing of future behavior. Abbie sometimes likes to survey the house looking for any toys, dog food, books, or other assorted items to pick up, handle and deposit somewhere else in the house. The thing that has been bothering me is that she has been regularly making a bee line to our bedroom to find my wallet. She proudly walks back in with my wallet and proceeds to open it and try to remove any credit card she can find. Tonight, I said, "Abbie, give me my wallet back, please." She got a little grin and shook her head "no." Her mother really got a kick out of that. I am getting a sinking feeling that this little episode may be played out all too often in the coming years.

On a more serious note, Abbie does have an ear infection in her right ear. She saw the doctor today and is taking some medicine for it. Hopefully she will not have any further complications, but you might remember her in your prayers.

What does it profit?

2006-11-07T23:57:00.000-06:00

Tonight I am struggling with what to say. I am not able to settle on any one thing to blog about.
I am off for the next 5 days, thank goodness. When I have this much time off, I sometimes feel like I am "cheating" and will get in trouble for it later. It is hard to not get so wrapped up in things at work. I feel like I do a good job of leaving work at work. There are the occasional rants to my wife about this and that, but other than that, I feel like I "turn it off" when I come home. One thing happened at work recently that I want to share. I do not know if it is a story that will be particularly meaningful or interesting, but I have not gotten any satisfaction about it at work, so why not blog about it?
Once a year Wal-Mart stores have an inventory day. On this day, an independent firm comes in and physically counts the merchandise in the store. This is done to reconcile the books and see how much the store has lost due to theft, breakage, and things like that. The term Wal-Mart uses for this loss is "shrink." In the pharmacy, they do not physically count every pill, rather, they count full bottles and partial bottles are considered half of a full bottle. Everything is counted and assigned a dollar value. This dollar value is then worked into the sales figures to determine the amount of shrink the store has had in the past year. Inventory day is probably my least favorite day of the year. It is never good to shrink, and if you shrink too much you are a "high shrink" pharmacy and there is an audit that is done to find out where that money went. I have not had to go through one of those, thank goodness. This year my problem is just the opposite. On the day of inventory, when the counters were done, they gave me a total page that listed the total amount of the pharmacy to be about $320,000. But, when the final numbers were given for the total store inventory, the amount for pharmacy was about $380,000. That $60,000 difference made our pharmacy look like it had an overage instead of shrink. There is no way that could happen. I have yet to figure out where the $60,000 came from. I told my boss about it multiple times, I told our store's loss prevention supervisor and his boss about it, and I was told to fax the numbers to Bentonville. That was the last I heard about it. We got our profit and loss statement for last month this past weekend and guess what was there? An overage from the inventory of about $87,000 was tacked on to our gross profit. Needless to say it makes the store look unbelieveable, but it is WRONG! I thought surely the extraordinary numbers that we posted would raise eyebrows and I would get a phone call from someone higher up. So far, I have heard absolutely nothing. I am afraid my boss does not care about it because it will add so much "profit" to the bottom line. But next year, we will have to pay the piper, big time. I just can not get over the lack of concern of everyone involved but me. OK, that is my story. I am sorry to have bored you with it, but I just had to get that out. By the way, did you notice how cute little pooter is?

Happy Birthday Grandma

2006-10-31T23:58:00.000-06:00

Today is October 31, which makes almost everyone think Halloween. It is unbelieveable that it has come around again. It was just yesterday (or so it seems) that Abbie was a skunk (which was my idea) and she was not happy about it. This year, as you can see, she was Snow White. She took to the costume much better and I have to say it was a much better choice than a skunk. We did not go out to trick or treat, it was too cold for Abbie. But, she got dressed up and went to the door for the trick or treaters that came by. Abbie was very excited every time the doorbell rang. We would rush into the hallway and I would give her a piece of candy and she would take it right over to the kids and put it in their bag. It was fun to watch. But Halloween is not really what I have on my mind.
Today is my Grandma's birthday. It is the second one since she has been gone. As I looked at the pictures of my daughter in her costume, I thought of what my Grandma would say. "(deep inhaled breath with hand over heart) Job, she is just beautiful!" I am sad that Abbie will not get to meet her here, but she will know a great deal about her. We will talk about her, but Abbie will also see her every time she looks at my mom. I am so thankful that I had the relationship with my grandparents that I did. I do not think I really appreciated it until I saw my parents with my daughter. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I love my Grandma, and I miss her, too.

A Mastiff?

2006-10-11T00:22:00.000-05:00

A guy came in the store today and said to me, "Did I see you crusing around the parking lot with a Mastiff?" I was a little surprised but managed to say, "No, he is a pit bull." The guy said, "Oh, well he seemed real nice." To which I replied, "Yeah, but you did not get very close to him."

Amber hates it when I say things like that. I do not mean to make Al sound mean. I just meant that if the guy would have been closer, Al would have barked and not seemed docile. Al is about the most patient dog I have ever seen. He takes all sorts of bites and bumps from Sammy (Ralph and Janice's new puppy). He also loves his sister. He will often give her kisses, even if she did not bend down to ask for them. Abbie has taken to giving him food, too. She will hold out something in her hand and of course Al is happy to receive it.

I just thought it was humorous to have a customer ask out of the blue if I was crusing with a Mastiff.

Just like her Daddy

2006-10-11T00:10:00.000-05:00

There is a photo of me when I was a baby and I had very spiked hair. Abbie had a little bit of that herself the other day after she woke up. I tried to get her hair to really stand up, but she and her mom did not like it very much. Anyway, I think this will be as embarassing to her as my photo is to me.

A tough week

2006-10-08T00:16:00.000-05:00

Man, am I glad this week is over. I already posted about how it started out. That was just the beginning to a bang up week. I am afraid I am going to sound too much like a crybaby if I go into too much detail. I guess if work is rough it is not that bad because I can go home and relax, but when it is rough at home, too, it makes for a brutal week. It was tough at home this week because of sickness. I gave Abbie the stomach bug and then she gave it to her mom. I really struggle with going to work when the girls are sick, because once I am there I can not leave. I have to battle through things at work while wondering how things are at home and wishing I could control the situation better. At work, one of our technicians was on vacation this week, which put us in a hole. Things are that much busier and require that much more of my attention when we are short handed. I have noticed that sometimes at work if we are busy, I feel like I am holding my breath. I do not mean that I am actually holding it, but it just feels like I am doing all these things at once and breathing gets left behind. Sounds stupid, doesn't it? It is the only way I know how to explain it. It does not freak me out or anything, I just have to tell myself to take some deep breaths and relax from time to time. In addition to the busy pace this week, my boss called Friday and said he wanted to come up for a visit. I told him it was not a good day since we had only one tech. That did not dissuade him. Talk about the icing on the cake. It just seemed like everything was going to hit this week. I have been thinking about writing this post since Thursday. I just kept thinking about making it to the weekend and getting the girls feeling better, and then it would be a breeze to my 4 day weekend next week. I do not write out to-do lists, but I do think out my days and weeks in my head as far as what I want to get done and what I look forward to. This whole week I have been looking forward to the weekend and being done with this past week. Can you believe I was looking forward to a weekend in which I had to work? Now that is a switch. I was looking forward to having a day at work when I felt more in control of things. Today was that day. It was busy, but it was nothing like this past week. Then I got to come home tonight and see the girls. Both are still on the tail end of the sickness, but on the whole are doing much better. I am thankful to God for my family, our health, and my job. But that does not mean it is not a grind sometimes. Anyway, enjoy the rest of the weekend and Columbus day. Talk to you later.

Wow, what a malaise

2006-10-02T23:42:00.000-05:00

Anyone out there ever heard of a malaise? It is a term for a general sickly feeling all over. You know how all your joints and muscles seem to ache when you get the flu? That is a malaise. Last night I had about the worst malaise I have had in a long time. I would say the worst in my life, but that would be a little too much hyperbole. Anyway, I felt terrible. I picked up some kind of stomach flu yesterday and it got real bad real fast. I ached all over, my stomach was killing me, and lets just say "watery diarrhea" and leave it at that. The worst part of it all was the thought of giving it to Abbie and having to see her feel like that. So far so good, she is still happy go lucky with her usual consistency regular poops. I really do not get sick that often, but man this one just came out of nowhere. I hate having to call in sick and get someone else to work for me, but I would not have been able to handle it today. I am feeling better now, hopefully I will not have a relapse. I just hope Abbie does not get the bug, too. I can not imagine having to see her feel that bad, and if she gets diarrhea as bad as I had it, it could be very harmful to her little body. Please pray that she does not have to go through that and I will try to post an update later in the week. Until then, watch out for the dreaded Malaise.

Fantasy football

2006-09-29T23:54:00.000-05:00

I was off yesterday and managed to get some pictures of Squirt. She is quite the little show-off. The last couple of days I have either been off or had to work late. When that happens, I can sleep in later if I want to. The past couple of days when I have slept in, Abbie has too. We did not get up until after 10AM on Thursday. Amber is not too pleased because Abbie seems to wake up earlier on the days when I have to get up early.
I have been thinking about posting about "Fantasy Football." Whoever came up with the concept of fantasy football was a genius. With just this simple concept, many, many people like myself are now very in tune with NFL games each week. If not for fantasy football, I might watch some NFL during the playoffs, but nothing like I do now. To explain to the non fantasy owners out there, fantasy football is a game that takes football players from different teams and distributes them amongst fantasy team "owners." Then, when the games are played, the stats that each player has create fantasy points for the fantasy owners. The trick is that fantasy owners have to choose who they "start" and "sit" each week. I have been in a fantasy football league for 3 years now and I think it is fun and it gets me into the NFL like never before. There are fantasy football leagues played for money, but I would not be able to handle that. I spend too much time on my fantasy team right now and it is just for fun. I like the "competition" of it, and I like trying to find that "sleeper." That is the guy who has a great year that no one would have predicted. Anyway, it definitely makes the NFL season more enjoyable.

Rough week for pooter

2006-09-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

Abbie has had a rough week. Despite the jolly look with the ears, you may notice the bruise above her left eye. One night this week she was walking in front of me down the hall towards the kitchen and as she started to speed up she tripped and went head first to the floor. There was that terrible thud that a head makes when it strikes a hard surface and needless to say, she was not a happy camper after that. Then, not thirty minutes later, she was standing in front of the oven and as I reached down to pick her up, she lost her balance and fell backwards into the front of the oven. Another loud bang as the back of her head hit the oven door. Now, she has gotten the cold that I am just getting over. Not exactly pooter's best streak of days. Not to mention how broken up she was about the OU game on Saturday. I didn't think she would ever get over that one. She may write a sternly worded letter to the PAC-10 and their officials. Well, there is not too much else to talk about right now. Hopefully, Abbie will be over this cold quickly. I hate it when she does not feel well.

"I am just not good at confrontations"

2006-09-14T00:29:00.000-05:00

I have quoted the movie Back to the Future before. I sympathize with Marty's father in the movie. He gives a reason for why he does not stand up for himself, "I am sorry son, but I am just not good at confrontations." Some people enjoy confrontations and seek them out with most anyone. Others shy away and give up their position to avoid them. In the past few weeks I have had a couple of confrontations that I would rather have not had. One had to do with work. I had let something go on far too long because I knew what the result would be when I confronted the problem. For someone in my position, avoiding conflicts is not a desired trait. I think I am probably liked because I am not a ranting and raving boss, but that can have consequences. For one, when I do confront problems and show some energy about it, it is all the more harsh because it does not happen that often. The other side is that employees can get into bad habits because they are not "smacked around" enough. I try to find a happy medium between the two. If something needs to be corrected, I correct it and do so forcefully if needed. Otherwise, I try to remain easy going and let the employees do their jobs. I do not claim to have the market cornered on being a boss, but I do feel I do better now than when I started out. Are you into confrontations or do you like peace and quiet?

Nicknames

2006-09-04T12:58:00.000-05:00

What is it about nicknames? Why do we come up with goofy little monikers for each other? When I was growing up, I was Snicklefritz to mom, Hammerhead to Grandpa, Jacob (Ja-kobe) to Jr. Dowler, Moby to any number of guys at school, and one of my favorites was Joebobaloopbobaloopbamboomtuttifruittionrudy. Keith Parr came up with that when I was in middle school and he would call me that every time he saw me. There are many others where the name has stuck so well as to become the preferred name. Eldrick Woods is "Tiger," Norman Esiason is "Boomer," and Anthony Webb is "Spud," to name a few. I have noticed in the past couple of days that Abbie already has a number of nicknames. I call her a number of names without even thinking of it. "Pooter-dooter," "Squirty-squirt," "Stinky-girl," "Little Miss Squat in the Bush," to name a few of the most common names. I do not know why this is important enough to write about, but it is something I have been thinking about. What if the name "Pooter" sticks and everyone calls Abbie that? I do not think she will appreciate it as she grows up. I am afraid it is too late, though. I call her "poot" without even thinking. I have a friend from college that has been called Buster ever since he was a young boy. He still went through a period when he wanted to be called Don instead of Buster. I think Buster would probably be preferable to Pooter (or Don for that matter). I am reminded of an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" where Andy is trying to help a couple patch things up because they argue all the time. In the course of trying to get them to be nice, Andy has them say "Mornin' Honey," to each other when they first wake up. When they first start, the phrase is said, but still with the same spite and venom. My reason for bringing this up is Barney Fife's reply to their first attempt; he says, "I would rather be called skunkface than have someone say good morning to me like that!" I think that phrase is hilarious. Am I alone in noticing all these nicknames? Does anyone else have some good nicknames that they know of? Think about the nicknames that you say to people without even noticing them. Have a good Labor Day, see you soon.

CO-WORKERS 101

2006-08-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

I did a little editing on this picture and liked the look, so for what it is worth, there's Abbie.

I have a number of things running though my head tonight. I am not the best at getting out the thoughts that come to my mind. I think I get that from my dad. He always has thoughtful insights to things, but he has to form them the way he wants to say them first. Well, I will try to do my best, so here goes.
I want to talk about work. Not necessarily my work specifically, but work in general. When you finish college and are hired to do a job, the job is easy. It is what you have been prepared for, it is the people that you have not been prepared for. I never took a class in college called "Co-workers 101". I wish there was such a thing, but in that arena it is all on-the-job training. I think the people you work with can be as much as 90-95% of the determining factor in whether or not you enjoy your job. You could be the best pharmacist in the world, but if you battle with personalities at work you will often go home frustrated. I say this not to say that I have problems at work, but to point out where I am blessed. I enjoy being around the people I work with. The other pharmacist that I work with would be a friend of mine even if we did not work together. That makes a big difference in a workday, believe me. If I was not able to laugh as much as I do at work, I think I would be a very angry and bitter person. In the healthcare field you often run into people that do not feel well and they let you know about it. That can bring a person down. I appreciate my co-workers and my job very much. God has blessed me and my family and he continues to do so every day.

Don't get me wrong, I still look forward to my days off just like every one else. You did not think I was that crazy, did you?

The BEST in THE WORLD

2006-08-20T22:51:00.000-05:00

I digress from writing about my daughter for a moment to reflect on greatness. Today I watched Tiger Woods win his 12th Major Championship (2nd all time to Nicklaus) in convincing fashion. Just to give an idea of the performance, Tiger was playing on the longest course in the history of the majors, yet he tied the lowest score in the history of the PGA championship (-18), and he had the fewest bogeys ever in a major championship (3). I could go on with the stats, but suffice it to say he is the best player in the world. The fact that that statement would not be argued by sane people is staggering. This is a situation where you can say "he is the best golfer on the planet," and you are not wrong. That to me is unbelieveable. I know Tiger is wealthy beyond compare, but I like him because he is the best at what he does, period. He works harder than anyone, and it shows. That inspires me. It inspires me as a parent to culture my daughter's strengths to help her be the best at what she does. Earl Woods had a golf club in Tiger's hands at 3. How did he know to do that? My child has not come with a stamp that says "Greatest ever at basketball." I would like to know how you can see what gifts your child has and then how to help them develop those gifts without burning them out or becoming obsessed with their accomplishments. I am not saying my daughter is a Tiger Woods, but how would I know the difference? I think she is a very remarkable little girl and I feel the weight of guiding and directing her paths. Even as I sit here and write these things, one thing occurs to me. There is one thing that I want for Abbie above all else. I want her to go to heaven more than anything in this world. If that means she has Tiger Woods' talent at something and does not use that talent, but goes to heaven, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. I hope to be a parent that encourages my baby in her talents, but I will be a parent that encourages my baby in her faith. Anyway, those are my thoughts after watching Tiger Woods today. I still have no new pictures yet, I tried today and did not get any good ones. Thanks for sharing with me and I will be back soon.

Seems so long ago...

2006-08-16T14:50:00.000-05:00

Amber and I watched a slide show of Abbie and the video of one of her first baths yesterday. It has me remembering the past 14 months and how our little girl has grown from this little baby to the toddler she is now. We could not believe how little she was and how quiet, too! She did not really even peep when she was getting her bath. I remember when we held her all the time because she could not turn over. Now, she wants to be on the ground running. It was good and bad to watch the video. Good because it just makes me smile to remember all the feelings and fears we both had and how God watched over us and continues to, despite our struggles and imperfections. Bad because those times are gone and that little bitty baby is growing every day and before I know it, she will be a little girl and eventually a bigger girl (OH NO!). Well, enough of the remember whens, let's talk about what Abbie is doing now.
Abbie is currently fixated on "The Wiggles". The Wiggles are a group of 4 Australian men that sing songs and dance on the Disney channel. It is amazing to see Abbie watch them because she is completely mesmerized. She does not dance, and she hardly moves except the occasional head nod. The good thing is that they do have some good (or at least catchy) tunes. The problem is that I have been singing "the Emu Song" all day. I have not caught myself doing the motions yet, but that is around the corner I am sure. If you want to get a glimpse of the Wiggles to see what she likes, watch one of the Disney channels at 9AM on weekdays and you will see what I mean.
Amber is doing much better. The headaches have pretty well subsided and my long stretch of days is over, so we have some time to "decompress", to steal a phrase from Seinfeld. I will try and get some new photos while I am off. Thanks for being patient with my hit and miss blogging. I do enjoy writing about things, but it takes time that I do not often have. Hopefully I will be back on soon. Until then, "Keep on Wigglin'!"

Surgery for Big brother

2006-08-02T23:45:00.000-05:00

As you can see, Little Al had surgery last Friday. He had a small growth under the skin of his left shoulder and the vet was not sure what it was. He (the vet) wanted to remove it now in case it was something that would need further treatment. Fortunately, it was just a lipoma, a fatty tumor that requires removal only. Little Al had one removed before, when he was much younger. Again he came through like a champ, and was playing some fetch with me two days afterwards. Now, taking out the stitches is all that is left, along with paying the bill.
Amber continues to have headaches. She has pretty much had a headache of varying degree for about a week. I think I have her talked into going to the doctor to see what the problem is. Please pray for her, this has been a drain and she is struggling with it. My having to work a bunch of days in a row is not helping either. Abbie is the one thing that can keep Amber smiling. Abbie can be a toot if she wants to, but generally she is busy doing her business and chattering away all the while. She is the best little girl in the world. Have I said that before? Well, please pray for Amber and I will try to update with any changes.

Dancing little Abbie

2006-07-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

As you can see by the 2 bottom pictures, Abbie has taken to dancing. She used to shake her hips and shoulders if she heard some music, but she has now started a full dance step. She loves to run around and step to music. It is hilarious to see her dancing. Last night I was really getting a kick out of her antics. I decided to get some pictures tonight and I got a couple of good ones even though it is hard to see how she moves in a still picture. Trust me, it is funny to watch. After I got home from work tonight, Abbie and I had some time together while Amber was teaching at VBS. The top picture is from our swinging session outside tonight. Al was with us, too, he was patrolling for us while we were outside.
I have to cut this short, so I will try to write some more soon.

Long time no see...

2006-07-18T23:36:00.000-05:00

Goodness, it has been quite some time since I have written anything hasn't it? First let me say that Amber is doing some better. Her CT showed no stone and she had a treatment today to try and help her pain. Please keep her in your prayers, it has been a long couple of weeks.
As you can see from the pictures, Abbie is just blooming with her little personality. Her talking consists of about 4 "words," but she says much more than that with her facial and vocal expressions. The top two pictures are from the 4th of July parade on our block. She rode in her little car and was escorted by her cousins, Zach and Jake, her Nanna Janice, and her Daddy. It was fun for all, but Abbie frowned most of the time because it was pretty hot in her little cheerleading outfit. The other 2 pictures were taken today. As you can see, Abbie is using a straw (not quite perfected) and she loves to read her books. When she finds the book she wants, she will carry it over to the appointed reader and plop it in their lap. If the book-reading does not begin forthwith, whining and carrying on may follow. It is fun to see her reactions while reading to her. I hope she continues to like reading with her mom and dad. I feel much more like a dad when she is in my lap and we are reading together. Not that I do not feel like a dad with her normally, but I feel more connected at those times. It is hard for me to explain, I figure most parents would understand and hopefully agree.
I could write more, but it is late and I have other things to tend to. I hope to not take such a long break between blogs next time. See you later.

Walkin' and talkin' (somewhat)

2006-07-02T00:10:00.000-05:00

I finally took some new pictures of Abbie. Her Aunt Jami and Uncle Scott came up this weekend and I took some pictures at mom and dad's with them. I think it has been a long break in between photo sessions. The last time I took any pictures, she was not walking yet. Well she sure is now. It is the coolest thing to see her walk in her not-so-smoothe baby walk. She was a good girl at mom and dad's, even though she missed her afternoon nap. I am still amazed at the percentage of the time that she is happy, or at least content. I am by no means complaining, I know God has blessed us with an even-tempered little girl and I thank him for it every day.
We are planning to have Abbie in the little 4th of July parade on our block. Sadly, this will be the first year we have had anything to do with it. Abbie has a patriotic outfit to wear, and we will take any opportunity to show her off. I hope it will be fun. If I do not post anything before then, Happy Independence Day!

Usual stuff...

2006-06-23T09:32:00.000-05:00

Well another week is almost done. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the grind of work on the job, work on stuff around the house, and various tasks so that time seems to compress and speed up. Before I knew what happened, it is already mid-June of 2006. I have a feeling that this "time change" gets worse as you age. Sorry for the philosophy break, but I just started thinking about how fast things have come and gone.
There are some juicy things that happened at work this week, but I have to keep quiet about them for awhile. Remind me in a couple of weeks and I will tell you all about it. There is one thing that will make it interesting at work that I can talk about. One of our technicians left for another job. It is a good move for her, but it means having to find and train a new technician. My track record in that area is not stellar. In fact, the last couple of hires I have picked have bombed. I have decided on one of the girls already working in the store, so as to cut down on some of the Wal-Mart training that we have to endure. I just hope that she will be able to pick things up quickly and that everyone "jives" OK. Tensions at work are not a good thing to have to deal with. I often feel responsible for any little spats that come up because I am the manager. But as George McFly says, "I am sorry son, but I am just not good at confrontations." The other thing about hiring the new tech that will be fun is that she is not able to come over to pharmacy until July 7th. That means the week of July 4th will not be pretty. I am thinking about working by myself on the weekend of that week just so we can have 2 techs on each of the weekdays. It is going to be brutal.
Enough about work, I have not said anything about Abbie yet, have I? She is walking now. She has not quite perfected it, and she crawls when speed is required, but she is walking nonetheless. She is growing so fast (all except her hair). She is making more demonstrative actions of affection and there is nothing better than a smile or kiss from that little girl.
Once again, I will try not to let so much time elapse between blogs but I can not promise anything. Have a good weekend everyone.

Abbie's 1st Birthday Party

2006-06-15T15:25:00.000-05:00

Abbie's 1st birthday party was Saturday the 10th and it went well. It was a stress on mommy, but she put on a great party and I think everyone there had fun. Even the little stinker birthday girl had a good time. The whole birthday party thing kept us busy this weekend. So much so that it was late Sunday afternoon before my wife and I said "Happy Anniversary" to each other. Even worse, we did not mention congrats to our parents either. I feel terrible about that and I hope they both know we love them and had we not been so distracted we would have celebrated with them as well. Anyway, happy belated anniversary to mom and dad and to Ralph and Janice. Back to the party, Abbie did well and received some very nice presents. She was a little fussy until she got some cake frosting in her. She has become little miss personality lately. Her dances, laughs, and general yelling noises are becoming more to "show off" and to elicit smiles from her audience. Once again, I have to continually thank God for how much he has blessed us with this little girl.
I hope to revamp Abbie's website and update it now that she is a year old. Give me some time though, I seem to have other things pop-up on me from time to time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBIE!

2006-06-09T09:37:00.000-05:00

Well, it is here! My little girl is ONE YEAR OLD today! That is hard to fathom. So many things have happened that make me say "I can't believe...." Things like: I can't believe I have been married almost 7 years, I can't believe I turned 30 this year, I can't believe I have a child, I can't believe I am out of college and have gainful employment. I still feel like a child myself. Here I have this little girl that is growing each and every day, and increasingly looking to me for most everything. If I step back and look at it like this, I just shake my head. Otherwise, things seem to just keep rolling along and we keep hitting these milestones. My parents will have been married 40 years this year. My in-laws will have their 45th anniversary. I know the saying that "life goes on," but I can not believe how FAST it goes on. One year ago today, my wife had 16 hours of labor and our beautiful 9 pound 7 ounce little girl was born. I can still remember that and so many other moments from this past year. In one year's time I have gone from thinking only of myself or my wife to thinking of what does this little baby need or want? Not that I don't think of my wife or myself, but it is hard not to be fixated on Abbie, as this blog obviously reveals.
Enough remember whens, I just wanted to say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBIE!" 6-9-06

KIPPER

2006-05-30T09:40:00.000-05:00

Kipper is a Maltese owned by my father and mother-in-law. He is probably Little Al's best friend. I am writing about Kipper because he died yesterday. He had been sick for maybe a week. Janice took him to the vet on Sunday and the vet said he had "the worst sore throat I have seen in years". So, Kip got a couple of shots and a couple of meds to take. He looked like he was going to be OK. We had a dinner planned for Monday in Oklahoma City to celebrate Ralph and Janice's 45th Anniversary, so Janice left Kipper with Al at our house on Monday morning. This has been the usual procedure when we all go to the city at the same time. Al and Kipper have kept each other pretty good company. Ralph and I came home last night because he had to water the yard and I had to work. When I got home it was strangely quiet. Usually when I open the door there are 2 tails wagging and 2 happy dogs ready to go outside. This time I had to hollar out twice before I heard Al's collar gingle. They were in the bedroom as Janice had left them. I opened the door and Al came out just like usual but poor little Kipper was gone. I am actually thankful that Amber decided to stay in the city until today. I do not think she would have been able to handle finding Kipper like that.

Dogs are wonderful and loyal companions. We speak of ours as another child. It is very painful to lose a dog and I am very sorry for Ralph and Janice. Our family (especially Little Al) will miss Kipper. He was a good little dog.

Epilogue: I have some new news on Kipper. We found out today that he died from cancer. He had severe liver involvement as well as other areas. It looks as if he would not have made it even if we had found out what it was. That is frightening to me because he was much younger than Little Al.

2006-05-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have posted this picture before. I do not have access to all the pictures at this moment and I thought it might be nice to show what I have as wallpaper on my laptop. I hope to get some new pictures sometime this weekend. I feel like I need to get some shots every few weeks at least. Abbie is growing too fast. Today, she said "Hi" 3 times while I was at work. That is both exciting and frustrating. I know I have to fulfill my obligations at work to provide for us, but I am afraid of not being there for moments in my daughter's life. I can not get those moments back once I have missed them. Tonight she was bouncing around and holding her arms out as if to say, "Look at me, I am ALIVE!" I am unable to stay in a bad mood around her.
In college, I was in awe of God because of the complexity of his creation. Classes like Chemistry showed me his intricate design of elements and compounds. Now, when I look at my own daughter and her daily growth and changes I am reminded of this design again. I pray that I can express this to my daughter and that she will see the design as I do.
I do have a little griping to do. I got off of work today at 3PM. At 5PM, the phone rang and it was work. Derrick said, "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" I thought of any number of catastrophic things that could be wrong. I said, "Bad news." It turns out that after I left there was a fax that came through telling of a conference call at 8:30AM on Friday for all Pharmacy Managers. The fax went on to say that all Managers were required to be on the call and if they were gone, to call them at home to let them know. This last little bit was for me specifically, because of the last conference call. That call was announced in the same manner and I was not there to receive the message Thursday afternoon about Friday morning's conference call. Since I was not at work either time I did not attend the call. I think I need better notification than that. Evidently, calling me at home is the answer instead of earlier notification. I am really not going to be happy if the call is not about something of vital importance. I am taking time at home (when I am not "on the clock") to deal with a work related conference call and that bothers me. I think that if the call is not due to groundbreaking changes, then the pharmacist on duty can handle taking notes and fill me in when I come to work. Is that being unreasonable? Is that being petty? Is that being selfish? Is that the actions of a manager that is trying to grow his business? Well, it may be and may not be, but I have become selfish with my time at home. If I am at work, I handle my work and do my best. If I am at home, I want to take care of things at home and leave work at work.

OK, I am done with that. If you have comments, suggestions, or think I should quit griping, I am all ears. Thanks for visiting and I will be back soon.

Little Miss Show Off

2006-05-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Well, another week has flown by. I was so ready to get on and talk about Mother's day and here it is one week later. This picture is from Mother's day evening at our house. Mom and Dad came over and Abbie put on quite a show. As you can see, she has a little cart that she can walk behind or ride on top of. Her grandpa pushed her around on it for awhile and she had on the goofy little smile that she always has when she rides the cart. Then we decided to see if she would walk behind the cart standing up. She really put on a show then. Abbie laughed and sqealed and walked with her little cart back and forth across the den. I realize you had to be there, but believe me, it was hilarious. I think Mom liked Abbie's show better than her Mother's day present. I took pictures (obviously) and Amber videoed some of it, too. I wish I could put video clips on here, but I do not think that is possible, yet.

After Mother's day I had to work all week as per usual. There was one thing that happened that I thought was pretty funny. I have to tell a story first to set it up, so bear with me. For the longest time I have had a clip on my cell phone from Napoleon Dynamite (if you are reading this, Mom, it is a movie the young kids really like). Just recently I changed the message alarm on my phone from Napoleon Dynamite to a clip from Pulp Fiction. The clip is this: {gunshot} then Samuel L. Jackson says "Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?" Well, I thought that was pretty cool for a message alarm. So this past week my boss and his boss (the regional manager) were in our district visiting the stores. That is not a big deal about my boss, but for the regional it is a big deal because we see him maybe once every 1-2 years. They came to chat on Thursday morning and we had a good visit. While I was talking to the regional manager, my wife calls my cell phone. The ring tone for a call from home is "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue. Needless to say, I muted the ring quickly. My wife then left a voice mail message for me, and what did my phone do? Yup, it went off with the clip from Pulp Fiction. I was mortified, but without skipping a beat, the regional manager gets a smirk and says, "Is that Pulp Fiction?" I was in shock. I said "Uh, yeah." Then he simply chuckled and went on talking. Once again probably a "you had to be there" story, but that is a better work story than talking about people getting mad about their insurance.

I have missed blogging about a number of things this week like Abbie running another low grade fever, and I got the yard mowed! I have long stretch at work again, but I am going to try and keep up with it better.

Almost Cooled off

2006-05-12T06:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it is Friday, I only have to work until 3PM today and then I am off for the weekend. It has not been that bad, except for little miss Fireball in the picture there. Amber and Abbie went to OKC on Monday and sometime in the afternoon Abbie started running a fever. She has had fevers before, but this time she was running 102-103+. She has not been that HOT before. Tylenol and Motrin kept it down to 101-102 but she just would not cool down. We were able to get her in to the doctor first thing Tuesday morning. At the doctor's office her temp was 102.7. The doctor checked her ears, they were fine. He listened to her lungs, they were fine. He looked in her throat, and it looked fine. So, he swabbed her throat to check for strep, (which is what I was afraid it was) and that came back negative. Since that was negative he wanted to check her blood levels. So, Abbie got her finger stuck. She handled the stick OK, it was the squeeze, squeeze, squeeze on the finger that she did not appreciate. After another wait, the check on her blood revealed her white blood cell count was very high. The doctor said that it could be a virus, but he needed to rule out some things. Next, she had a chest X-ray. Sitting out in the hall and having to hear her during that was not at all pleasant. After waiting a while longer, the x-rays revealed that her lungs were fine. Then the doctor wanted to rule out kidney infection, so that meant a catheter for Abbie. She actually handled it OK, considering all she had been through. The urine looked good, no infection, so the doctor figured it was a virus. The instructions were to keep loose clothing on her, cold liquids, and tylenol and motrin. After more than 2 hours and having to put Abbie through all that, it was disappointing and relieving to hear. When I left for work later on Tuesday Abbie felt so HOT, it was very scary and worried me. Later on that evening, Amber called me at work and said "Your daughter is playing." It was good to hear. The doctor had said if she was lethargic, that it would worry him so I was a little paranoid about that. Now that it is Friday, Abbie has COOLED OFF and seems to be getting back to her playful ornery self. I used to not be concerned when she felt a little warm, but now I feel a little different about it. I felt terrible at the doctor's office. Abbie got to the point of hugging my neck and crying severely if anyone tried to pull her away. She had a very rough day on Tuesday. Hopefully, I can get some pictures this weekend if Abbie wants to cooperate. If I do not get back on before then, Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!

2006-05-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

It is always fun to find that I have pictures in the camera that I forgot about. This is one from last week when Abbie's friend Fischer came to visit. Unfortunately his family is moving, so there will not be many more photo ops like this one left. We will miss Fischer very much, I guess we will miss his mom and dad some, too.

I had my last day off for a while yesterday. The pharmacist I work with is on vacation next week, so I have 9 days straight. I may not be able to write much until I get some more time off, but I will do my best. I need to eat and get ready for work, so I have to cut this short.

I enjoy comments, so if anyone out there other than Tracy is reading my blog, let me know what you think. I shall return soon.