The solution to Lexington's driving woes

I have accidentally discovered the solution to the horrid drivers in Lexington.

Sierra has her permit. She has been driving for 3 days now. Last night she took me for a drive for the very first time. Earlier in the evening, she drove the Bravada for the first time. During our drive, she was great. She was very attentive. She was very cautious.

It dawned on me. She is ADHD, obsessive compulsive, and bipolar. Her spastic, generally erratic, all over the place, behavior has found a place where it is advantageous. She took notice of everything around her. She thought out all the scenarios as she drove. Usually this is a negative, as she figures out all the reasons something will not work and gets discouraged. When she does find a way to make something she wants happen, she is devastated when it doesn't work. However, driving is different. In the few seconds that she has, she has already scanned the road, determined the risks, and plotted her course. This is much different than the regular, paying no attention, Lexington driver.

All we need to do is come up with a gas that is vented through the AC or heating system, that creates a temporary ADHD, OC, bipolar state in the driver. The only draw back is that an ADHD, OC, bipolar passenger is a pain in the ass. Oops, did I say that out loud, Sierra ?

Oh yeah, Happy New Year !!

Weekend ?

Tomorrow is a state holiday! Waaahoooo!

Monday is a state holiday as well, but Clark County Schools are in session, so I will be at work, with students, finally. We shall see what Mondays blog will bring.

Today I began working on my advisory council. Joe said I needed at least 5 members, but suggested I get 10, because when time comes for the twice a year meetings, some will not be able to attend. Thus far I have:

Robert .. Asst Business Manager of the IBEW local union #369
Mike .. Supt. for Butcher Electric, Georgetown KY
Larry and Howard .. Owners of Precision Electric, Frankfort KY
Mike .. Owner of IMS, Winchester KY

I have calls into 2 other company owners, a foreman in the field, and a former service manager for a large electrical contractor. I will pull all the strings I can.

I say it is going to be a weekend, but I fully suspect that I am going to be working much of it. While interviewing for this job, Joe wanted to make sure that I understood that there were going to be many hours for which I would not be paid. I firmly believe that there are other compensations which far outshine money. One of those is the look in a kids eyes when he/she finally grasps some concept that has eluded them, and to know your efforts were instrumental in that. You cant buy that with money.

So, a working weekend, it is, but for tonight ... KARAOKE !!!

OK .. It is day two, but don't worry

Day two

Another day at work without students. I spent the day ordering more material and studying text books to prepare lessons. There are no student books from which to teach. So, I am making lessons until we get books in. We will be ordering them tomorrow. Hopefully, we will get a downloadable EBook that we can use. We can print out what we need from that. The Computer Technologies teacher said he had the equivalent of a print shop in his class. I met him today. His name is Mike Fisher. I have seen him somewhere before. He says the same about me. He says we have talked before somewhere.

I wrote the first lesson today about safety. It is drilled into our heads at work all the time. I know the reason that safety is such an issue is insurance premiums. I like to take advantage of that to make my workplace safer. Too many have the opposite attitude. They think we are being safety-ed out of being able to do our jobs. I realize that there are inherent dangers to my profession. There are things that we will never be able to eliminate. However, eliminating as much as we can is an appealing idea to me.

I am also working on a few lessons about Ohms law and AC theory. I will sprinkle in some series circuits and parallel circuits along the way. Stick around, we might learn a thing or two here.

Oh yeah, the don't worry part .. I will make a conscious effort to stop keeping track of the days, weeks, months, etc. There will not be a Day 517 post.. Relax.

First day on the new job

Today was the first day. There were no students. It was the paperwork day. I was introduced to the building. It was empty. I met my lab and my classroom. I got keys to the kingdom.

The entire morning was paperwork. After lunch, I inventoried what was available for lab work. This involved finding and counting tools, finding and counting material, and comparing that to the list that the state says I need to teach the class. I made lists and faxed them to several suppliers for price quotes. Joe (principal) has gotten a grant but can't spend the money until he has a list of things to spend it on. I also tapped a source that gave me a glowing recommendation. He says he might be able to swing me a Greenlee 555 electric bender ® that needs minor repair. It costs $8,000 new. Joe says, "Cheap is good, free is better." I told Mike (before mentioned source) that he was to throw nothing away until he checked with me.

I have calls into other sources that may reap us some used but working power tools. The more I can save on those items, the more we have available for teaching resources.

The School had a Industrial Maintenance class before this one. The instructor was there 3 days before he quit. He got an offer from his former employer and decided to go back. This is the first all Electric class there. I will have students on Monday. The classes will most likely be 5 to 7 students. The classes will be about 1½ hours long.

The Lab is a mess. There are working and nonworking tools for a machine shop strewn about it. This week will be a cleaning week, well, a cleaning 3 days. It will take time to make both the lab and the classroom 'mine', but in time, it will come together. I think this will work.

So, to Russ, Mike, Chris, Gary, and Pastor K, who gave me glowing recommendations .. Thanks
I will try not to let y'all down.

I'll keep ya posted, but for now, it is almost karaoke time.

The LAST Monday of 2004

It is less than a week until the end of a busy year. It has been a year that has seen many changes. One of those changes has been the addition of this blog to my writing enjoyments. It seems somehow fitting to talk about the year and those far reaching effects in this forum. This blog has been witness to several of the key events happening this year, and every one of them that happened since August.

It has been a salt and pepper year. There have been good times and bad. There has been tumult and serenity. Someone (well, several someone's) sent me a little thing about life. It stated how that life should be lived in such a way as to come screeching sliding to the curb at the pearly gates and jump out of the car saying, "Man, what a ride!" Whether I agree with that statement or not, that has certainly seemed to fit for this year.

A major change happened in October 2003, when Tammy and I got married. We took our relationship as slowly as we could for as long as we could. There is a danger in burning so brightly. The fire destroys its own survival. Eventually, it will have burned all there is to burn and it will die. Our relationship seemed to come like a gangbuster. We pulled the reins back as hard as we could, but it seemed that life itself conspired against us. Mind you, I am not complaining. I don't think I would change a thing if I could. I think, from the first time we really sat down and talked, inside I knew I would fall in love with her. I tried to go slowly. We even talked about taking it slowly. From around April of 2002, my heart has been weaving itself around hers. In September of that year, I nearly knocked her out of her chair, when I told her for the first time that I loved her.

Then, I went off to work in Indiana, last of September 2002. My apt. Was being largely unused, so, when her landlords told her they were tearing down the house in which she lived, I offered her my apt. That was in January of 2003. We lived there together until we moved out on August 31st. By then, proposals were made and accepted, and she moved into my Father's apt. house. Since he does not rent to unmarried couples, and we were still a month and a half from being married, I moved in with Mom and him. On October 10th, I moved into the apt with Tammy and the kids. This was a major change. All of 2004, Tammy and I have made decisions as husband and wife. I was married the first time for 20 years and then single for 6 years.

Another of the changes that had great affect on 2004, happened in 2003. On Dec. 9th, Tammy was injured by a client under her care thru her job. She has been off work since. My work (construction) has been terrible this year as well. I worked less than 2 months of 2004. This gave us a lot of together time. Remember the fire burning brightly thing. We were, thru not faults of our own, suddenly a 24/7 couple. It has been a wonderful year. Our relationship is more solid than it has ever been. In this, 2004 has been a great year.

Tammy had corrective surgery on her wrist in April of 2004. It was a surgery that produced more problems than it cured. Since the surgery she has endured nearly constant pain on some level. In September, the DR treating her gave her a MMI (Maximum Medical Improvement) rating, and her benefits stopped. We were without income. KEMI assured us that a settlement was coming based on the 80% rating of the Physical Therapist and the 12% full body impairment rating by the hand surgeon. This is the last week of 2004 and there has been no settlement offer and still no income.

In August, two friends of the kids (one was a close friend of everyone in the family) were involved in a murder/suicide. David (17) shot and killed Tommy (18) and then turned the gun on himself. Within a week, another acquaintance of Sierra's was killed in a shooting. This was a 16 yr old girl. She was shot by another boy in a senseless act of violence for the sake of the violence.

Jody Vest, a friend and roomie from online died from a heart attack this year. Another friend and roomie, Donnie died from a heart attack as well. Last week, we got a call from Susan that her partner, Tom, suffered a heart attack while driving and was killed. Tonight is the visitation. Tom was a friend, as is Susan. My great aunt died this year at the age of 96. The year has been sprinkled with death.

There have been births as well. My grandson Ian was born in March. Brandy had Cadence this year. Alison had her baby girl this year. Tammy's niece Jamie had Ethan this year.

October, Tammy was hit by another driver and totaled my 96 Blazer. The Blazer was a way dependable ride and paid off. While I do love the newer Bravada, we now have a monthly payment. To pay bills and provide a Christmas for the kids, I borrowed money from myself. I took out a loan from my own pension. There is another payment.

Tomorrow, I begin a new job. I will be a teacher at Clark Co Vocational. I will be teaching Electricty to high school students. This is a new path for me and one which I have no trouble admitting makes me nervous. I have no qualms about doing the job. I have been teaching all my life. At 17, I started teaching in Sunday School. I taught every age group from toddlers to adults. It is a thrill to visit a church and hear the pastor or assistant pastor talk glowingly of their days in my class. It give a sense of accomplishment that is indescribable. I, also, get to go back to school. I must get my Associates Degree in two years, and my Bachelors Degree in the two years after that.

There are still 4 days left in this year. That is 4 more days to reminisce. God help us all.

Special Sunday

Today was a special Sunday.

Today is Sierra's 16th birthday.

The kids all went to Sunday morning services with us. Carol went with us as well. The service was good. My father taught the Bible lesson and did a grand job of it. The Youth of the church did a skit. It was fantastic. It involved music and sign language. There were tears a plenty.

Then the most special thing happened. Kyle was baptized. He asked me about it more than a week ago. I waited about a week and let him talk to Pastor Keaton. It was still there. It wasn't a kids whim. We spoke to Pastor K. Last week and set it up for today. When we talked about it this morning, it was still there.

He told me later that he felt great. He said he started smiling when he stepped on the stairs to go up into the baptismal tank. He hadn't stopped smiling when we talked about it hours later. We took pics to send to his dad in Florida. Everyone is excited.

We took Sierra, Jordan, and him to Cynthiana to see his grandmother and spend the afternoon and evening there. His uncle James is bringing them back home tonight. His Uncle asked him about the baptism and congratulated him. It is amazing to see the reaction of the family. The congratulations coming from the most unlikely of sources. It has been a good thing for the rest of the family as well.

Well done, Kyle. Your witness has already reached out further than you are able to comprehend. Hold on to that childlike faith.

I love ya, little dude.

CHRISTMAS !!!

Here it is, Christmas Day. The kids got us up early (well .. early for them) so that they could open their gifts. There was a note from Santa to Kyle, thanking him for the cookies. The presents awaited.

Sierra, Chelsea, Kyle, Carol, Tammy, and myself gathered around the tree. The presents were presented and opened. Everyone was delighted. They were all like kids at Christmas, imagine that.

Kyle is the funny one. He knows the significance of Christmas and exactly what it means. He knows why we celebrate. He knows it isn't about gifts, but he does so love that part. The funny part is Santa. Kyle tuned 9 in October, but he doggedly holds to his belief in Santa. I think he knows there really isn't a Santa, but chooses to believe in him anyway. The other kids do their part to help him hold to that belief. I have told him, when he asks (and he does even tho he knows what my answers will be), that I do not believe in Santa. I tell him that if he chooses to believe that is fine as well. He knows that Tammy and I buy him presents. Reconciling that is no more difficult to him than believing in flying reindeer, toys being made by elves at the North Pole, or a jolly fat man in a red suit delivering toys all over the world in one night.

Remember, the magic of Christmas is in the beliefs of a child.

I think we finally relinquish the belief in Santa because of the ridicule from other children. It would be a sad world indeed if we stopped believing an ideal or concept every time it became unpopular. Perhaps it is that we don't stop believing at that moment, but we stop telling others that we believe. Then, eventually, somewhere it slips away.

Why do we perpetuate the myth of Santa in our children? I believe it is because we want to believe again and are willing to do it, even if we can only do it through our children. We have forgotten how to believe. We see it in the light in their eyes as we read them the stories. We see the magic and long to hold it once again.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Ho Ho Ho

Special Night

Wow, great time at Mom & Dad's tonight.

Tammy and I were thrilled to share Christmas with Mom, Dad, Barb, Mike, Kathy, Bobby, Donna, Johnny, Patty, Richard, Michael, Leslie, Breanan, little Michael, Cody, Brittany, Haley, Alex, Tabitha, Austin, Carlos, Sierra, Jordan, Chelsea, Kyle, Audrey, Adam, Chris, Kody, Kyleigh, Chasity, Chris, Ian, Heather, Jenny, Jerome, Marie, John Jr, Shantell, Ricky, Shannon, Pvt Richard, Teddy, DJ, Kaspar, Katie, and Carol.

There was food, and food, and food. Did I mention there was food ? As usual, when it came time to leave, mom was trying to give away the kitchen to anyone that would take it with them.

No one left without a gift and a few hugs. Most left carrying plates.

If yer not busy next year, come on by. There will be a gift for you .. and a plate .. and one to go.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

This is the response I sent to a fellow blogger whose daily blogging is part of my daily reading. Thanks and Merry Christmas, Stacey

This is one of the most joyous seasons of the year for me.

My personal favorite holiday is Independence Day. This is the second.

The reason it is in the top are the events which surround or occur during this season. We gather today (Christmas Eve) at my parents house. We, being over 50 of the immediate family members ranging in age from 90 to 9 months. This range covers 5 generations. We gather for dinner around 4PM.

After dinner we adjourn to the living room around the tree. We spend time talking about what we are thankful for throughout the year. My mother (a full blooded German from Freising Germany) and I sing Silent Night in German. It was originally written in German. My sister in law sings Holy Night. My brother and I then distribute the gifts, one at a time, giving each recipient time and attention to open that gift. It makes children of all of us. The evening ends around 10 PM. In the roughly 6 hours that we spend together (this largest gathering of our family annually), there are no harsh words, no arguments, and no hurt feelings.

I wish you you and yours, a Christmas as children. I wish you the magic of the season. Christ said, "except you become as little children" you cannot enter His Kingdom. Be a child today of all days.

Merry Christmas
Ron

Wrap stars and Poets

Tammy is a wrap star tonight. She is doing Santa's job. The girls are manning the labels. The gifts are piling under the tree. In the middle of all that, there is a flurry of writing going on. I wrote a piece for Tom and Susan. It follows. Chelsea listened to it. She wanted to know how I put all my emotions into a poem like that. It really isn't something that I do consciously. I was teasing her by saying .. "All my feelings in 47 words or less" .. It was really 187 words, but what's a few words between friends.

Moved

I cant remember the day
you moved from a stranger
to an acquaintance
I don't know the exact hour
you first made me laugh
and I felt the tender beginnings
of a friendship start

Somewhere along this winding path
you slowly moved
into my circle of friends
And as we traveled
there grew a closeness
that moved you further
into my heart

Slowly and surely
as life unfolded
love began to grow
And you moved past friendship
into that special place
reserved for a few
that held a unique trust

Time passed
as it is want to do
and we grew together
We move together
We moved into one
two lives into one purpose
but today, you moved past us

How do I move you to a memory
How do I release you to your next journey
I want to hold you as you were yesterday
I do not want to move any more
I want to go back

Someday, you will move
You will be my tender memory
Today, you will linger
Enveloped in my heart.

Ron
December 23, 2004
For Tom Berryman

Downward Turn

The day took a downward turn this afternoon. A friend called us to tell us that her live-in boyfriend had a heart attack while driving and died. He wrecked, but she didn't elaborate as to whether the heart attack killed him or the wreck. It is a moot point, I suppose. He is still dead and it is still 2 days until Christmas.

Susan, I know you read my blog. We are thinking about you and praying for ya. Tom was a good guy and he will be missed, greatly. He talked about you all the time. When he would call Tammy, he would talk about you. He said, in his personal quote: "Believe in miracles... I have mine and I hope I make her as Happy as she makes me.. I want to grow old with her... To silver circles .. No beginning and no end."

He lives in your heart and ours.

More to follow ..

Run Dick Run

See rain falling
See temps dropping
See roads filling

The recipe for driving disasters in KY .. Just add water

See the weatherman forecast
See the stock boys stocking
See pics of 1994

See the Kroger lot full
See the bread go
See the milk go
See Dick Run

Run Dick run
Fill the crowded streets
Fill the jammed parking lots
Run Dick run

The end of the world

Sitting here for the moment looking out the window at the drizzling rain in the 45° weather.

If you listened to the weather channel last night, you would have known (or at least suspected) that we were going to get some rain today. If you listened to the local weather, you would have feared that we were going to be covered up in snow.

I am convinced that the local weathermen have a conspiratorial agreement with the local Kroger stores. Whenever Kroger has a surplus of milk or bread that they cannot seem to clear from the shelves, they alert the local weathermen. These weathermen spring into immediate action. They issue a chance for a light dusting of snow. This usually prompts the most fearful of heart to rush out and buy milk and bread.

If this doesn't clear up the problem, further measures are taken. The weathermen will issue a snow 'advisory'. They will use words like 'accumulation' and 'hazardous'. This will initiate the second wave of shoppers into action. The milk and bread will fly off of the shelves.

If this is still not enough, more stringent measures will be taken. There will be a 'winter storm warning'. The erstwhile weather servants of the worldwide grocery chain will hold back no dirty trick. They will talk about 'records falling' and remind us of other times when the roads were closed. They will put out cleverly disguised 'public service announcements' about being prepared for bad wintry weather. Krogers all over the country will ship in their unsellable perishables. Even the most skeptical of consumers will now have to rush to the grocery to stock up.

Then we can all sit in our living rooms, just around the corner from our supremely stock pantry, and watch the drizzling rain, and listen to the sound of perishable food items going bad.

Got Milk ?

disposable lives

No one walks where you walked.
No one says my name as you did.
How is it you are so easily gone?
In one moment … There until I heard … and then gone.
Why can’t the world cry with me?
Why does the sun still shine?
Why does the day come and go?
Why doesn’t everyone know?
Why doesn’t everyone show?
My heart is rent in two.

A disposable life has vanished,
and the gap was filled as quickly as it appeared,
but inside of me there is a hole.
Time has not filled it.
Well wishes have not covered it.
Although life goes on,
I am dragging this rip behind me,
trying to understand your disposable life.
I want to rage against it,
but I do not have the courage,
and you have left me all alone.

Others have lain it down and walked away,
leaving me alone to carry this,
the obsession of my folly,
defending this disposable life.

Willfully and purposefully,
You went away,
Taking a part of me,
with your disposable life.

Ron
December 20, 2004

What ???

We just watched one of the worst movie we have ever seen. It caught us by total surprise. Here is the box take:

Master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino presents (a key word, I guess) HERO - starring martial arts legend Jet Li in a visually stunning martial arts epic where a fearless warrior rises up to defy an empire and unite a nation! With supernatural skill ... And no fear ... A nameless soldier embarks on a mission of revenge against a fearsome army that massacred his his people. Now, to achieve the justice he seeks, he must take on the empire's most ruthless assassins and reach the enemy he has sworn to defeat. (here is the scary part) Acclaimed by critics and honored with numerous awards, HERO was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe !

This was one of the slowest, dumbest, most boring movies I have ever had the extreme displeasure to watch. Tarantino needs to lay off the ganja when importing movies. (standing corrected)

Just because a movie is all in subtitles does not give it class. The entire movie was in Chinese. If I wanted to read a movie, I would have rented a book.

Then there was the flying, deflecting arrows with the sashes, running and fighting on the surface of a lake, and the 'leaf' fight. Puh-leeeease. Artsy does not make it a good movie.

After the movie was over, we jazzed up the night by watching paint dry.

Good Sunday.

It started early with Tammy, Kyle, Carol, and myself going to church. It was good. My father usually teaches on Sunday mornings, but this morning Pastor Pete preached since there was no service this evening. He did a great job. He preached on a "Two stick experience". Following the service there was a Christmas Lunch with all the trimmings. You know you can't beat southern church lady cooking.
There was a game after the presentation of gifts to the staff. It was a word game. The object was to make as many 3 letter or larger words out of "Star of Bethlehem" in 5 minutes. I won the game with 83 words in the time allowed. I got a cornbread pan kinda thing. It had 5 ears of corn cut into the pan for a kinda mold. It also had a jar of some jam and a bag of cornbread mix. There was a second word game in which I was not allowed to compete. I still did the game and was the fasted finisher. Go me !
Kyle asked me a serious question a week ago and, while I could answer him, I decided to let him talk to the Pastor about it. He could explain to me the reason for his request, but I wanted him to be able to explain to someone else. Therefore I knew he was serious. He did talk to the Pastor and is scheduled to be baptized on Sunday December 26th.
We got home and Tammy went to bed. She was having a sugar rush. We suspect that the unsweetened tea was not unsweetened after all. She did have a piece of fudge and a brownie, but those alone were not enough to create the rush. The kids all went to Jordan's to chill. That left Kyle and me to chill in the living room. We ebayed for a bit.
Later in the afternoon, we took Carol back to Northpoint. Then we stopped at Captain D's drive thru for supper. That took 26 minutes from order to delivery. From there it was a short drive to Hollywood Video, where we got Hero and I, Robot.
Eventually, Tammy picked up the kids and brought them back. We watched I, Robot. It was a good flick (My professional opinion, Russ).

Pass more sweetener

Today is the day of Sierra's sweet 16 party. She won't be 16 until December 26th, but doesn't want to try to have a party the day after Christmas. Tammy was out running most of the morning. She had to pick up a few things and also pick up her mom. Carol has been looking forward to this visit. When she was here earlier in the week, she wanted to stay longer. We told her we would be back to get her today. We will also have her for Christmas Eve at my parents house.

There are teenagers and ice cream and cake here. The thrill of the ice cream and cake just doesn't offset the fact that there are more teenagers in the house. One of my friends asked if Tammy and I were going out tonight. I told him we might NEED to go out after an afternoon with this bunch.

It is funny that, while turning 16 is supposed to be a milestone, one which marks a turning toward maturity, Sierra has decided rather to return to being 2 years in maturity.

Russ, more commonly know as the F-beeping hot Russ, stopped by to wish her Happy Birthday and to flirt with Chella. Chella has a crush on Russ. If only he weren't 20 years older than her. Russ is a genuinely great guy. Since I know you will be reading this while you are at work on Monday, Russ, you need to ignore that previous line and remember that you are a real jerk. We tolerate ya because of our magnanimous charity. Love ya, big guy.

Tammy has the house smelling glorious. She is baking pumpkin pies for the Christmas Dinner at the Church tomorrow.

We will see what the rest of the day brings.

Pups

There ya go. Those are a few of the pics of the pups. They should be ready for new homes in about 5 weeks. Come get a few !!

Such a charmer 

She looks just like daddy 

Puppy puddle 2 

puppy puddle 

Karaoke ?

We finally made it out to karaoke tonight. We sang a few. We chatted a bit. I drank a water. Tammy had some of her friend, Jack with a little coke.

This afternoon, we went to my Brother in laws house and assessed the needs to satisify the buyers. It should be an easy fix. From there we went to Stamping Grounds to see about Mel's electric and to check on the pups. They are adorable. Pics to follow. The electric turned out to be a malfunctioning power surge strip.

Oh yeah, court was fine. They just continued it as it would have been before we went thru all of this. 6 months of fun and we are back where we started.

Today leaves me with some done and more to do. Mel, who has the puppies, told me in a phone conversation that she had an electrical problem last night. She stayed up all night to make sure the house didn't catch fire. I asked her why she didn't call me. She was concerned about the time. It was 2 AM. I told her to call me anytime in an emergency like that. I further told her that I would fix the problem for the cost of the materials alone. I won't take her Christmas money. She had KU check the outside and according to them, it was fine. Tomorrow, I will check it out for her. With luck it will be an easy fix.

We went to Mom and dad's and fixed the dryer. That left us with not enough time to make it to Versailles and still pick up Chella. Kyle was already home. He was swollen in the throat this morning. Tammy took him to the DR early. They took one look and said, "Antibiotics". Oh yeah, I called my DR and they have upped my synthroid dosage.

We did learn that plastic dryer exhaust hoses are no longer available because of a fire hazard. I think that is ridiculous. The dryer doesn't produce enough heat to cause the plastic to burst into flames. It might cause shrinkage and it may melt it in a malfunction, but if your dryer is producing that much heat, your plastic exhaust hose in the least of your worries.

We had thought about going to the auction tonight, but I didn't feel up to it. So, it was movies and kids until 11 and then bed. I have court in the morning.

Lost and found

I spent the day between lost and found.

We had many things to do and a short time to do them. It was kinda like the "East bound and down" song from "Smokey and the Bandit". We had a long way to go and a short time to get there. The kids had to get to school. Tammy had to take her mom back to Northpoint. Then we had to go to Frankfort for several reasons. Tammy picked Jordan up along the way of her travels and he and Sierra went with us on our travels.

We went to the Kentucky State Police Headquarters in Frankfort to get myself finger-printed. They don't do that at the headquarters, so I was sent to post 12 in town to get it done. It was actually way cool. There was no ink. They have a large machine with a small glass plate where finger prints are taken and then printed. It isn't done the way Fingerprinting used to be done.

From there we went to the 'tower' where many state offices are located for me to drop off my records from the Union in Louisville. Vicky was out to lunch. So I left the papers and the prints in her chair as pre-arranged. Then we were off to Stamping Grounds, KY to see the new pups. Somehow, on KY's poorly marked roads or poorly plotted maps, there was a cross up and we ended up everywhere but Stamping Grounds. As the matter of fact, we ended up right back in Frankfort following one single road designation. We decided to just go on home as time was not going to allow us to go to see the pups and still get Kyle from school.

Before we got out of Frankfort, Vicky called and needed more records. We stopped in Versailles to pick up my High School transcripts from Woodford County High school.

That done, we fueled and headed to Lexington. I still haven't made it to fix Mom's dryer. I guess there will still be things for me to do tomorrow then. My sister, Donna called and I will be heading back to Versailles tomorrow to inspect her electrical system. They sold their house and the buyer has some concern about overloading. I will check and fix it and issue a statement saying the electric is OK. It will be good to see Johnny, my brother-in-law. Donna says he has his leg now and we need to call ahead of time so he can have it on. He lost his right leg just below the knee due to his diabetes.

My DR called and wants me to call the office. I am sure they have a new dosage for my synthroid.

Another busy day between lost and found.

Tuesday runnings

Spent most of Monday in pain and misery. I have a tooth giving me fits. It is making my whole mouth ache. Add to that, that I cut my leg over the weekend and it is looking red, and it is not a good day. I called my DR to see about getting some antibiotics. She wanted to see me and told me to come in at 4PM that day. While there, they cleaned the cut and treated it, gave me a tetanus shot, took blood to check my thyroid, and prescribed me some broad spectrum antibiotics. She was encouraged, she said, because my cholesterol was excellent.

In the middle of all this excitement, my phone was ringing like crazy. Mercedes decided to have 7 pups. Mel and Brenda called as each one was born. It seems most look like Malcolm, the boxer daddy. The puppies will be ready for adoption by Valentines Day. Want one ?

Tuesday Morning .. Joe from Clark County called. I passed my NOCTI test. I was amazed. I had to drive to Louisville today to get transcripts for my vocational schooling. I picked them up at the union hall and have to drop them off in Frankfort tomorrow. I also need to get my fingerprinting done for the criminal check.
Kyle had a concert at school. He kicked butt. We took him out of school after the concert and he went to Louisville with us. With the exception of a window/finger incident, it was a great trip for him. We stopped at Tuesday Morning to visit Libby, a friend and the manager, and to do a little Christmas shopping. We did mostly shopping without finding much for Christmas.

We got back in time to get Chelsea. Tammy went to Northpoint, picked up her mom, and brought her home. She was missing us. We picked up a couple movies and stayed home this evening. It has been 7 days since we karaoked. Yes, I know. Take a deep breath. It will be okay.
It is time to turn in .. Y'all have a good night .. or day .. Whenever you are reading this

There was a Saturday ?

It seems I missed another day of blogging.

This is from Friday:
There is an addiction growing around here. The kids have discovered eBay. I was searching for a certain Christmas present. While searching, Kyle inquired, and I typed in 'yu gi oh'. Scores of cards came up, and he was struck. He had me bidding. He had some money he had saved and was determined to spend some of it. It killed him to be outbid. On one particular item, he waited until 10:07 pm for the bidding to close. At the last minute he was outbid. He was heartbroken.

Shortly he was cured and talking of bidding on toys on Saturday. Tammy got into it, finding a silver ring with a blue topaz for $.98 and winning that auction with said bid. She is hooked.

Now .. On to Saturday ..
I thought we were going to sleep away the day. Try as I might, I could not seem to wake up enough to make it out of bed. I did make it out of bed, eventually, by noon. The kids walked to the store to buy Christmas presents. I bid on and was surprised to win the auction of a laptop. It is to be Chelsea's Christmas present.

We went to a late lunch/early supper at Chinoe Grill with friends. That was at 3pm. Following it, we came home and there we stayed.

Confidence is at Defcon 3

I think I may have flunked my first test in many many moons. Of course, it is the first test I have taken in many many moons. I haven't done most of those kind of problems since I left school over 20 years ago. The best news is that I can take this test 3 times. Once I pass this test, I will receive 9 credit hours toward the 64 required for my Associates degree in Applied Technologies Teaching. After that I take the Praxis test. I pass it and receive another 9 credit hours. Then I take a NIT class for 3 hours credit. That is a total of 21 of the 64 required hours.

I may be able to use some of my apprenticeship hours as credit. Add to those the actual credit hours I received in my year at UK and who knows where I will be.

After getting my Associates degree, I will begin working on my Bachelors degree. Once that is completed, I am encouraged but not required to seek my Masters degree.

But, I have to pass this first one.

Sucked in

Tonight, while in a local area chatroom, one of my friends was talking about the vote about to happen on survivor. Like a fool, I turned it on to see the vote. It is the only 4 minutes of the series I have watched all season. When it was over, I went back to chatting in the chatroom, but didn't turn the TV off. The next time I looked up, CSI was coming on.

I like crime dramas, but rarely watch them. We watch about 2 or 3 hours of TV a week, excluding what the kids watch, or movies on DVD or VHS. If there was a Crime Drama Channel, I might be in trouble. (There may be one already. I don't have cable or satellite.) Most of the rest of TV doesn't interest me. Sitcoms are mostly dumb. Soap operas are .. Well .. They just don't make sense to me. Everyone has married and divorced everyone on the show. We won't even go there with the resurrections on these shows. There is more dead raising, lame walking, dumb talking on these shows than at a faith healers convention.

Regardless, I was sucked into watching CSI, which I enjoyed. Then came Missing Persons. I have seen it a time or two. Also, not a bad show. I like the stand alone ability of the shows and the continuity of a regularly appearing cast. Regular fans get things that the casual watcher might miss, but the plot and action of each episode stands alone so it is enjoyable for all.

Soon, Tammy and I will return to our regular TV watching. We like the FOX series "24" with Keifer Sutherland. Come on January 9. Two seasons ago, I was working in Indiana. Tammy would visit on Tuesdays so that we could watch it together. (I highly suspect that there were other reasons for her visits, but 24 made it Tuesday.) On the rare occasion that she could not come up on a Tuesday, we would call each other and 'watch' the show together over the phone.

Anyway, back to tonight. One thing I noticed, that perhaps one can become desensitized to over time, was the volume and annoying nature of the commercials. WOW! They were annoying. When the kids are watching something while we are in the room doing other things, the TV becomes a background noise. It blends in and becomes part of the roar that exists in the back. These commercials defied that. They refused to be relegated to the back. They had just enough volume to make them stand out and just enough of a "claws on the chalkboard" quality to grate on the nerves of a saint. Oh my gosh, it is terrible.

Thanks to that grating quality, I am once again reminded of why I do not like watching TV. The beast has been silenced. The demon has been exorcised. The noise has been pushed to the back with the help of my whip and chair. Peace has descended. Well, as much peace as one can find with teenagers in the house.

Good night all.

The fun is about over.

It seems the fun is about to be over. I am possibly about to become gainfully employed. The Clark County Vocational School wants to hire me to teach Electricity. I have made it through the application process and interview process. I will be taking a state test Friday morning. Depending on the outcome of the test, the State board will approve or disapprove my hiring. Once hired I will have to get an associates degree.

Man ! A regular job type thing. I don't know if I can do that. No working in the rain and snow. No working in the blazing sun. No working 200 feet in the air. Sitting in a classroom. I am going to be teaching guys that are going to work in the rain, snow, blazing sun, 200 feet in the air. Just kidding. I am looking forward to the new job. I only have to pass 2 tests and work on my associates degree.

Simple !

Finally .. It makes sense.

December 9th, 2003, while attending a Christmas Concert with her clients, Tammy was injured by one of them. He twisted her wrist backwards and sideways. She made a report when she got back to the house where she worked. They sent her to the DR the next day. The DR told her it was strained and she could return to work on light duty. Her employer told her that there was no light duty and she would have to be off work until released by the DR. KEMI, the companies workers compensation provider paid her from day one because her employer refused to allow her to work.

Subsequent DR visits and Physical Therapy did nothing to improve the situation with the wrist. Eventually, the DR decided that the solution was surgery. He explained that there was a 5% chance that there might be some nerve damage. He operated to fix the cause of the pain, and, you guessed it, caused nerve damage.

More DR visits and a cancellation of any physical therapy (it caused more pain) brought us close to September 2004. At this pint the DR did an MMI (Maximum Medical Improvement) evaluation. The Physical Therapist put her disability in the right wrist at 80%. The DR put her total body impairment at 12%. This strikes me as odd. Tammy has a degree in Computer Science and a degree in Business Administration. Both of those require a right hand. She was, while in Florida, a licensed Cosmetologist. This also requires a right hand.

Either way, at this point KEMI discontinued weekly benefits, saying they would be offering a settlement soon. Weeks go by. No settlement offer. It has now been 3 months. They have sent her for an IME (independent medical evaluation) in Louisville to one of their litigation DR's. He says there is nothing wrong with her wrist. They sent that report to the DR that has been seeing her here in Lexington and he decides that the DR in Louisville is correct. He says that the problem is elsewhere. He suggests that she need counseling.

Tammy is in pain on some level every day. On a scale of 1 to 10, she has been at 8 for the last couple days. Most days it is about 5. She can't hold her coffee cup without shaking. She is right handed. The decision on a lawyer (which one to hire) will come this week. Tammy explained to KEMI that she didn't ask to be hurt. She didn't go to work to be hurt. She didn't ask to be in pain. They are an insurance provider. It is their job to make it right, not to duck and run and try to get out of paying.

Will keep ya informed.

Talk about crazy ....

That is just crazy. Sierra went to her orientation with Waffle House. They have obviously confused themselves with a five star restaurant. According to them, wait staff employees cannot have a pierced labret or pierced tongue. If Sierra were to go to work for them she would have to remove them and they would heal over. Also, employees are charged a meal allowance whether they eat there or not. Hello ? What the heck is that about ? Add to this that they pay their wait staff only $2.30 per hour and you have the job opportunity of a lifetime (sarcasm, for those that missed the subtlety). She would also be assured that she would be working Christmas day, but if she stayed with them through next Christmas, she would get a $100 bonus. Sierra's take was that the bonus should be $1000 for putting up with their 'nonsense' (I cleaned that up for the more sensitive readers). That is just crazy.

Also, in the crazy department, I am blogging with a ball python wrapped around my neck. Tammy has gone to get a mouse for Ava. Yes, it is a hungry python around my neck. That is just crazy.

Tammy has returned with dinner for Ava. Ava and dinner have went to the terrarium. The game is afoot. The mice usually don't last long. Ava is lightning fast and I have only seen her miss one time. She made short work of this one. She is now working on swallowing it. I'll be back later. I think I hear Marlon Perkins at the door. (Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom reference for the chronologically challenged out there.) Before there was a Steve Irwin, Marlon and Jim were out there wrestling tigers and rhinos for ratings.

That is just crazy.

Saturday night at home

I have been fighting a headache for most of the day, so, we decided to stay in for the evening. We did the grocery shopping thing this morning. Then we went let Coco out to potty. Coco is Mom and Dad's teacup poodle. They were in Louisville all day.
We stayed to watch the UK/NC basketball game. UK played well but could not overcome the large deficit they incurred in the early going of the game. They would pull to within 6 points, but then would let NC stretch back out to a 12 point lead. While there, I took a couple extended relief Tylenol tablets for my headache. It helped, but it never really went away. It was in the background.

Sierra decided to watch a movie. She picked "Scent of a woman" with Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell. It is a great movie. If ya haven't seen it, see it. Pacino was great as Lt. Col. Slade. It is definitely on my recommend list. There are certain movies that I would recommend depending on what one is looking to see. There are different movies that are only good because of their genre. Nightmare on Elm Street isn't a classic, but if you are a horror/slasher movie buff (which I am not) it is a classic.
Some critics slammed "VanHelsing" because of the plot. OK, it was a monster movie. It wasn't "Gone with the wind" but it did not claim to be. It didn't bill itself as a great dialogue movie. It was an action/adventure/monster flick. As one, it was good. It doesn't stack up to classic movies. The best Volkswagon isn't going to stack up well against the best Ferrari. It will stack up against other Volkswagons, though.

"Scent of a woman" is just one of those good all around movies.

Buoyancy

Main Entry: buoy·an·cy
Function: noun
Date: 1713
1 a : the tendency of a body to float or to rise when submerged in a fluid b : the power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it; also : the upward force exerted
2 : the ability to recover quickly from depression or discouragement.

Kyle is 9 years old. He is a fresh 9 years old. He has only 5 weeks and 5 days experience being 9. He has many distinguishing features. He is extremely bright. He is an avid reader. He reads above his grade level. He is very ingenuous. He possesses a multifaceted imagination. He is a Super Hero. Tammy says that I should also mention that he is cute as hell (however cute hell is).
There is one quality, however, that Kyle is well know for around the house. He has unflushable poop. You can flush 2 or 3 times and the boys crap ain't going down. You can cover it with extra toilet paper, and that crap ain't going down. It is a medical marvel. The Unflushable POOP !!!

You just have to wait until the weight of the turd is greater than the buoyant force of the water. Then, and only then, can you flush the Kyle log.

And you thought your day was interesting ?

Sing a song for me

Dad asked Tammy and I to sing at the Christmas Eve gathering at his and Mom's place. You have to understand the 'gathering'. There are over 50 family members there. We are there for over 6 hours. In this 6 hour gathering, there are no harsh words, no arguments, and no anger. It is a time of peace in the holidays. There is an elaborate meal. There is catching up with what is happening in families. There is meeting the new boyfriends and girlfriends of the grandkids.
Then we all gather in the living room and prepare for the presentation of gifts. Mom tells how thankful she is and she sings "Silent Night" in German, the language in which it was written. Then my sister in law Donna sings "Holy night". In this time, my father has asked us to sing.
Tammy and I have been discussing what song we will sing. We have gone back and forth, searching and joking. Yesterday evening, I told her I would just write one for us to sing. She asked, skeptically, if I would write the music as well. I told her I would steal the tune.
Last night in the bed these words began going through my head and the tune. When I wrote the first verse and chorus, I sang it to Tammy. She said I was a smart ass. I had an original song with an original tune. Here it is.

One more breath of thanks

When all the words have been spoken

When all the songs have been sung

When all the gifts have been opened

That all the relatives brung

There will still be ... One more ... Praise for you

When all the meals have been eaten

And all the children told good night

When the family has bid us farewell

And driven away into the night

There will still be ... One more ... Praise for you

One more praise of glory

One more whisper of grace

I'll save one more Hallelujah

And one more breath of thanks

After I've said thanks for all this family

With thanks for my fine health

Thanks for love and charity

As part of my great wealth

There will still be ... One more ... Praise for you

I'm sure this must be like heaven

Surrounded by this love

Sharing one more Christmas evening

Proclaiming the gift from above

There will still be ... One more ... Praise for you

One more praise of mercy

One more shout of grace

I'll save one more Thank you Jesus

And one more breath of thanks

I will wake up in the morning

With one more .. breath of thanks

Ron S

December 2, 2004

It must be lawyer day

We have talked to half a dozen lawyers today.

Tammy called to find out some info on her workers comp claim. We have appointments with two of them. The funniest part of it all was that when Tammy finished with her questions about workers comp, she went on to talk to them about the accident, child support case, and my disability claim. They love to talk. They just love to tell you all they know about the law, whether you are paying them or not.
I remember when I had my real estate license, we were cautioned about telling too much information. Your income is in your knowledge. Don't give it away for nothing. Some of these lawyers haven't learned this lesson.

It seems that the general consensus is that KEMI is dicking us around. One of the lawyers told her what the DR in Louisville told her before she told him. This DR is a litigation DR. He only takes cases of workers comp to help them break the case. The lawyer said this DR should be put out of business.

Tammy did some checking online. We don't necessarily need a lawyer to file against KEMI, but if we file without one, we will be held to the same standard as lawyers. There is a sliding scale for the lawyers compensation.
20% of the first $25K

10% of the next $15K

5% of anything above that

I am also having David, a friend that is an attorney, look over the contract from the publishing company, this weekend when we are at his house for a CPR class.

47 years and I haven't had a lawyer in my life. This is not lawyer day. It is lawyer year.