Play ball!

I am going to the Milwaukee Brewers game tonight and baseball is linked with many memories for me. While my family is traveling we go to baseball parks that are near to our paths. I would like to share some baseball memories, so sit back, hum a quick "Take me out to the ball game..." and enjoy my ballpark recollections....

• Many times as a child I would go to Wrigley Field and cheer on my beloved Cubs. It was mostly a large family trip - my parents, my brother and I, my grandma, my aunt, cousins, and my Uncle Fred and Aunt Phooey and her cowbell! Yes, Phooey, that's another blog someday. She would clang that cowbell whenever the men in blue would do something positive... what fun! We would bring our own lunch, pb and j sandwiches smashed into a brown bag. I think I had pb and j for lunch for 15 years straight and I am not complaining. To be truthful I had one today also!
• My brother and my parents went to County Stadium many times growing up. I remember seeing Reggie Jackson smash 2 HR's in one game. I remember seeing Jose Canseco steal 2nd base and become a member of the 40/40 club in 1988. (40 homeruns/40 stolen bases). I also recall not seeing much of a game because some yahoo was a big fun of Rob Deer and brought some huge cardboard Deer cutout and would raise it up every few pitches...."DEER, DEER!" he would bellow.
• While in college in Chicago I went to a few White Sox games. In one game the southsiders started off the game with back-to-back-to-back homeruns. Greg Luzinski was next so we were hoping for 4 in a row but he flied out to deep center. Still cool because we all know, chicks dig the long ball! I also saw the final 14 innings of a Brewers/Sox game in Chicago that ended in the 27th inning!
• On vacation we have seen the Cardinals win in St Lois. We saw 45 couples get married or renew their vows in the Metrodome before a White Sox/ Twins game. We cheered for the Red Sox in Tampa Bay because the devil rays were no good. For that game we purchased 4 $2.00 bleacher seats and sat in the second row by firstbase because there were only about 2,000 people at the game. Shelly and I sat in the shade at Coors Field in Denver watching the Rockies. Unfortunately, Shelly picked up an awful striped sunburn on her legs which she still displays today. Denver is really closer to the sun! In Georgia we had great seats to a Braves game, very nice stadium! Very few Braves fans show up until the post season, they are spoiled in Atlanta.
• One of the funniest memories involves my dead grandpa and my very much alive son. My Papa lived with my parents and my brother for some 10 years or more and whenever we left the house he would hollar out "Don't forget your shoes!" I always thought, are you serious, who forgets thier shoes. Thanks to him I never did, not once! One night we arrived at Miller Park for a fantastic night at the Brewer game and one of my sons timidly says "I forgot my shoes." Here we are, ready to enter the stadium and he has no shoes, no sandals, nothing..... We went in a group, surrounding him so he could get past, got in and bought a pair of brewer flipflops.

So off we go, shoes and all, looking forward to more memories......

Eye will see you later.

I could have been an astronaut...

I own a decent telescope and once and a while I set it up in the backyard, drag my kids out there, focus, realign, bump the telescope, focus, realign and make them look at the moon.   They each look for the required 10 seconds and spurt out a hardly sincere comment....nice, cool, huh, wow and then they move on.  I could honestly stay out there for hours looking and I am not sure why.  It's just a larger view of the moon. But it is so awesome to see the craters and the textured surface. Just to think that somebody walked on it is amazing.  I know there are theories that it was all a hoax but I don't buy those thoughts.  I am sure it occurred and wish I could have been there!  I also know they hit a golf ball because I have one that says first golf ball on the moon.  Okay, that part I don't believe but it is a cool golf ball.  It had to be very peaceful on the moon, quiet and awkward yet at the same time heavenly.  To stand there and look out into space and see the Earth just as we see the moon from here.  I never wanted to be a fireman when I was a kid but an astronaut, maybe for a day or two.  I remember seeing a video on the training and for a kid who got sick on the spinning teacups I quickly accepted that I was probably not going to be a spaceman.  So for now I will continue setting up the telescope on those nice nights, drag my kids out, focus, bump, refocus and listen to them share my joy, "Yep, that's still the moon dad." "Nice"  "Can we go in now"

Eye will see you later.

Oh yeah, 2 chapters to go in The Shack.... another milestone just around the corner.

The Robin....

There are a lot of things in this world that I do not understand.  Sure, there are somethings I am good at knowing, eye stuff, cubs,  useless jeopardy trivia (far right category slot) and a few bible questions, but there is an abundance of stuff that a would place in the category where I am relatively ignorant.  The fax machine I have not figured out, my writing, a phone line, my writing on the other end.... no way.  For that matter the radio still has me baffled... music through the air and it comes out through this little radio thing.... amazing.   As I was thinking of stuff in the air my good friend robin red-breast flew into mind.  How does the robin builds it's nest.  The bird has no hands to grab the gathered twigs and wrap them together nice and tight. There is no jr. apprentice helping out, doing the dirty work.   Yet the robin makes a nice nest that stands up to wind and rain the occasional thrown rock from the neighbor kid....no harm, solid, still completely intact.  Nest building, amazing.   A second astounding feature of the robin is the worm hunting.  They fly into my nice green yard, take a few steps, stick their beak into the ground and there is a worm!  I think the beak is an undiscovered worm magnet.  Fisherman should try to tame the robin so when a fisherman needs some worms, he leashes his robin, sticks his head by the dirt and snap...worms galore.  I have heard the "explanation" that the robin hears the worm....come on.  Worms are very quiet creatures, I have never been kept awake by the crawling or howling of the worm at night.  Lastly, I need to know where robins go in the winter.  I have never seen a robin fly more than a neighbors yard length or two at one time.  I do not believe they fly south two yards at a time and I have never seen the flock of robins going south.  Yet every spring we get all excited "Oh look, a robin" winter's almost over!  So where are they all winter, under the porches is my guess.  Waiting, feasting on the porch hiding loud worms, just practicing the beak knot with the few pieces of unfrozen grass....waiting to make the grand entrance....

Eye will see you later....

It's ketchup day....

Thank you to all who are checking in and reading my blogs, I do like hearing from you!  Today is a summary to catch up on past blogs so here I go

• one of my heroes had a birthday yesterday, happy 13th buddy!
• Tigers in first, I am getting my hat ready just in case he needs my help this weekend
• I said hello to the geese this morning
• Ice tea and 5 pills for breakfast, no Quisp today.
• I am on chapter 12 of The Shack
• I have seen 10 bands since the STYX concert
• I haven't lost my teeth during the night lately.
• CUBS lost yesterday, makes me glad to see somethings never change
• No CROCS yet but these new shoes are killing me.....

Eye will see you later!

To Croc or not to Croc.....

"These boots are made for walkin", the ruby red slippers, Air Jordans, crocs, penny loafers with the penny, moon boots, .... footwear is a large part of history and I have taken my next step.  I don't buy new shoes very often, my old ones have to be falling apart before I decide it's time to move on.  I know a lot people, mostly ladies, have a fair number of shoes.  They just have that fashion mindset and need a pair to match every outfit and I think that's great but that is just not me.  Before I go to far I need to comment about crocs.... I feel it is just not a "manly" shoe.  I am not even sure it's a shoe at all.  "But it is so comfortable" my man (and I use this term loosely here) buddy croc owners say.... seriously, they are foam rubber slippers with holes in them.  Pillows are comfortable, maybe we should strap them around our feet...pillocs the next shoe.  The cute little holes on the crocs that kids put little animal pins in.... come on gentlemen, comfy or not, stay away from them.  Any way my next step is a nice pair of black dress shoes for work and they look sharp.  There truly is something about a new shoe that is awesome.  So clean, shining and yes, mildly uncomfortable until we break them in.  I just wish with my new shoes I would also get a pair of laces that stay tied.  I really do not like these stale black licorice ropes they include as shoe laces.  I need to retie these every 20 minutes because they just don't stay.  My goal in getting these new shoes is to step into a pair that it as comfortable as my golf shoes..... those babys are perfect.  The soft spikes just chew up the carpets so I can't wear those to work.  But if it comes down to a choice of crocs or the golf shoes at work then I am just going to need new carpet about every three weeks...

Eye will see you later!

It's fun to be a fan.....sometime

Why, why, why do we do this to ourselves?  Year after year, game after game and actually inning after inning I fool myself into believing Ron Santos words "This is the year!".... and here we go again!  As of this minute my beloved Cubs are 6-3 and looking mighty fine.  I try not to get excited... seriously, we hold the record for most years without a championship....101 years...101!  Isn't that something to be proud of?  Some teams would think " I think we have lost enough to always keep this record," but not my Cubbies!  The Cubs have made it their lifelong goal to preserve this record and make it absolutely unchallengeable.  Do you know how hard that is, to pass this "goal" on from generation to generation.  Sure they played great last year, DURING THE REGULAR SEASON, but when it was time to tighten the belt, grab the bats and swing in the post season... they set out to keep the streak going...and they did, outstanding.  I remember watching game 2 and seeing every infielder make at least one error each.... you truly cannot teach that.  I hear the rumors of the curse of the billy goat but come on, these guys are professionals AND they are Cubs!  True blue Cubs!  It is an honor to play at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.  It is special to sit and watch a game, have a dog with mustard only and listen to the fans!  As a kid I would go with my relatives, PB and J's in a brown bag and Aunt Phoey with her cowbell thinking "This is the year!"  Well, she's dead now... and I'm not saying that with any disrespect.  She, like all cub fans, loved her years as a cub fan.... because that's what we are Cub fans!  Honestly, we don't care if they win or not because either way they are still the Cubs.  Santo, Billy Williams, Kessinger, Dawson, Sandberg, Lee, Wood, Suttcliff, Cardinal, Monday...all of them Cubs,  all of them our Cubs and if they happen to win on any given day it's a bonus!  Who knows, this might be the year...but I am betting not...anyone can we a world series championship, but to keep this record going is truly an amazing feat!  "Go cubs go, go cubs go, hey Chicago what do you say, the cubs are going to win today!"  Or maybe tomorrow....

Eye will see you later!

Christ has Risen!

What does your Easter look like? I found it interesting that several schools have Good Friday off but can't talk about Christ in the classroom. I am excited about Easter because it is what makes Christianity different. Today the youth of our church set up a prayer walk and it was a special time. About 7 stations, all with a message and a thought to help us spend some time with God. One stop was communion and as I thought about the communion service last week I remembered someone crying, not loudly, just wiping away small tears as she spent time thinking about Christ and his message. He loves us, He died for us and He rose again, conquering death so that we might live with Him. I also thought about the huge number of people who will celebrate Easter....the egg hunts, the candy, the family gatherings....all without a thought about Christ. So will you remember what Easter is about....resurrection Sunday! It is a time to celebrate!

Dreaming the dream...again

As a kid I had several dreams that I think everyone has... the one where you start to talk and your teeth just start dropping out....another one where you can quite get your eyes open past half way so you can only see the lower part of stuff.  Very frustrating, you have to tip your head way back to see anything past peoples belly.... the one where you start to fall and you feel yourself jump in real life.... repetitive dreams, same ones, same feelings, same "oh no, not again".  I also past on to 2 of my kids night terrors where you run around shouting like a crazy kid but don't remember any of it when you wake-up..I'll save that for another time.  My repeating dream lately has been a school dream.  It's a college type setting and involves my wife and kids, who are also going to this school, different classes but same locker area.  A lot of people I don't know because the halls are crowded.  A friend of mine, Steve, whom I have known for 22 years and as of last night an African American lady whose locker is close to my wife's and mine, she told us her name last night but much like real life I have forgotten it already. She's from Pennsylvania, I remember that! Anyway she's in the class with Steve and me.  I always ask Steve if there is anything due (even in my dream I know the right person to ask) and last night there was, first time for that!  What was due was a 3 to 5 sentence paper on "What's  Important in Life"  then I woke up...  So here's my "paper" that I have pieced together from my dream...Life, the journey from childhood to adulthood, is not that much different from person to person.  You should surround yourself with the people that God has given you and take time to enjoy their company.  You should reach out to others and impact their lives for a greater good, whether you remember their names or not.  And maybe once in your lifetime you should visit Pennsylvania....before all of your teeth fall out!

Hey, it's just a dream...what's yours?

Eye will see you later!

Twelve dollars well spent...

My brother and I got along very good as we were growing up and we continue to get along great today. Well today was one of those days that I tried to contact him because I knew he would like doing what I was doing! Tonight I spent $12 and went to a Milwaukee Admirals game. That's not when I thought about him. Hockey, not high on our most fun to watch sports list. Tonight because of my $12 I got to sit with 2 of my children and watch another stand near the ice with her hurt knee as we all watched her co-dancers perform in between the 2nd and 3rd periods, fun but come on, she has a banged up knee....and still did not think of him. Wrapping up the $12 evening we saw a shootout and the home team lost, no biggie...I don't even know 1 player on either team. My thought of "I wish my brother was here" came after the ice had been cleared and for the same $12 STYX took the stage! STYX for $12! Sure they were slightly older then when we were young (about 30 years ago) but they were STYX! Grand Illusion, Lady, Fooling Yourself and of course Come Sail Away... the faces of every 40+ year old person was beaming....we had endured a boring game, a mildly exciting shootout, free t-shirts shot from a gun and now STYX. My children appeared to enjoy this group of old men singing"rock" songs, each song sounding just like the previous one, while the melodic sound of old people like me echoed through the Bradley Center. At least for this night, for the same price as 2 8oz. Dippin Dots, I got to spend some time with my kids and 13,000 other "old" people, listen STYX and wish my brother could've been here....
"Babe, I'm leaving, I must be on my way
The time is drawing near"

Eye will see you later!

The fork in the road...

I know some people who love to read and that makes me jealous. When do you get that reading bug or why do we lose the drive to read. Everyone is excited when it is "See Spot run." "See Dick run." See Jane run." "Hello Jane." It is easy, understandable and we can see the story. At sometime in our lives we come to a fork in the road, to read or not to read. Men come to two forks actually the first one is easy....we buy new stuff, there are directions to read....easy decision...not to read! We don't need directions to put stuff together or all the extra pieces left over when we are done putting stuff together. We don't need to read directions to get anywhere, not only do we not need them, we don't even want to ask or hear them. Reading stuff like directions or instructions in not necessary, a waste of time, boring, even demeaning...but reading the paper "in the office", that is a necessity. The paper is not speaking to us like we are idiots, trying to direct our every move, the paper is keeping us up with life, the important stuff... the scores, the trades, the marker, the pork bellies! The second fork is the true reading, after Dick and Jane and the Weekly Readers. This is the fork that I don't understand. I want to read and I am picking up this fork. I have bought several books in the past years and I am in the process of reading them all. I simply have too many forks. I am setting down all but one and I am reading it until I am done! "The Shack" is the winner and I am going to perservre, I will not quit, I am halfway through and you will see me say "Stick a fork in it, I am done!"

Eye will see you later!

Quisp!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day...experts say. I'm not sure who these experts are but it does make sense. A little nutrition in the morning should make a great start for the day. My breakfast habits have changed through the years. Quisp has to be one of my favorite cereals and I had a young patient today who said she had Quisp for breakfast! I was shocked, I didn't know this cereal was still in existence. I know it should be but I haven't seen it for 20 years. It is a scrumptious saucer-like disc of pure sugar goodness. It tastes exactly like Captain Crunch but it doesn't slice up the roof of your mouth. I lived off of this stuff for the first 10 years of my life and those were great years. I was full of energy and had Quisp to thank for the early morning power up. The next 5 0r 6 years it was buttered toast and true milk hot cocoa, you know, heat the milk, scrape the film of floating whatever off, add the hot cocoa, dip the buttered bread in the hot cocoa and eat it. Those were good mornings also. The college days breakfast was a large glass of RC Cola and well...another glass of RC Cola. Now for breakfast it is mostly capsule food...lotrel, allopurinol, omicor, cinnamon, selenium and the ever important baby aspirin...not quite as good as Quisp! So check out the supermarkets, it's out there and I am going to find it...the big blue box with the pinkish alien guy, my mouth is watering already! Tomorrow it's capsules with a bowl of Quisp as a chaser and I'll be ready for the day....

Eye will see you later?

Yeah for those Irish Dancers

So yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, I'm not quite sure who St. Patrick is or why he gets "a day." I'm not a big fan of St. Patrick's day, it's nothing personal against the Irish it's really more about corn beef and cabbage..yuck! Most of my family had some yesterday but I had chicken and I did a lot of breathing through my mouth so I didn't catch a whiff of that cooked cabbage smell. Most of the people I saw had on green. I think Kermit the frog was right when he had that smash hit "It's Not Easy Being Green." Green is not even in my top ten of colors. Green makes me think of the Boston Celtics. When I was young that was one ugly team! Not basketball wise just physically. Larry Bird with that nose, Kevin McHale with the disproportional chest and Dennis Johnson with that face...they were ugly. Now I think they draft by good looks actually, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, R. Rondo...some sharp looking guys today. Anyway, there is also green beer on St. Pattys Day. I don't drink beer and green? All I know about Irish pubs I have learned from scary movies so I am not anxious to go check them out. I have never kissed the Blarney stone, pretty sure I can imagine what kissing a stone that millions have slobbered on might feel like...no thanks. My favorite March 17th memory was green bread. When I was in college, my wife would make my sandwiches and one day she bought some green bread from Cake Box and made my PB and J with it! My buddies were grossed out even though it was food coloring but I found it delicious. The other thought I do like is those Irish dancers. All the clicking of the shoes, the speed, the fast movements, they are very good. One of them is my good friend Kacie, she was awesome when she was an official participant. I think what they should try is dancing on St. Patrick's Day with a Stein full of green beer, now that would be a show! Hope you enjoyed your ST. Patrick's Day!

Eye will see you later!

Occasional Oral Peculiar Swallowing

Occasional Oral Peculiar Swallowing is a disease which is characterized by people , young and old, putting things in their mouth and swallowing them....better known as O.O.P.S. At least it should be a real disease. I recently saw a t.v. ad which shows a mischievous child doing many things wrong and the last scene was he and his parents looking at an X-ray of the boy with a diamond ring in his belly...very funny. Haven't we all been there. It is almost inevitable and I thing hard candy is to blame. As children, parents give us this hard piece of something sweet and say "put it in your mouth but don't swallow it." It is a sweet morsel of goodness. Then we find other hard things...coins, buttons, etc.. and we hear "don't put that in your mouth!" Well, don't..that's just a temptation and we've had hard morsels of goodness before so we try it and sometime...OOPS. My youngest contact lens patient was 7 months old and one day mom called and said "he ate it". Not only did he eat it but she had found it while changing the diaper and wanted to know if she should clean it up. I told her it was under warranty and we could return it..defective. I don't hear of adults OOPS'sing very often (unless they are smuggling drugs) but I am sure it happens with an occasional paperclip or just an adventurous person who thinks "I wonder how this would go down." One of my kids swallowed a dime and we waited a few short days and to our amazement when we were watching for results we found two dimes. I was very tempted to start rolling up hundred dollar bills...maybe this was a talent, doubling his money. Anyway, maybe we should be a little more accepting of O.O.P.S. suffers, those inquisitive souls who just wonder what this or that tastes like, who wonder how long it would take to get through the system, because as we have learned.... it really does come out alright... in the end!

Eye will see you later!

3/10/09

"All you can eat"... there's something about those four words that gets to the heart of a man.  Maybe it is because we just can't get enough of anything, or maybe it is because we are cheap but for some reason if we eat our self sick it is more of a value.  Tonight we had "all you can" eat crab legs for $23.95... what a deal!  Don't worry I am not writing this while waiting to dash to the bathroom,  I don't even like crab legs.  That is just a lot of work for such small portions of meat. I like to watch people eat crab legs though, not in a weird way.   The tools are cool, the cracking thing and the tiny fork.  It's all about determination, perseverance and the thrill of victory.  The joy on a persons face when they pull out a piece of crab that is larger than a half inch makes the experience well worth it. Even the butter amount is overwhelming!   I am not in trouble, stomach wise, until I go to the "all you can eat" pizza.  I am not a REAL cheap person but it is simple math to me.  The pizza deal is $19.95, divided by about 15 large pieces of pizzas and 5 sodas = less than a dollar an item.  Now that is a deal for a stomach ache and indigestion.  Even though I never feel good after that, I feel great because I know that I got a great deal!  So next time you're out about and see those four words "all you can eat" take a chance, loosen the belt, pull up a chair, tuck in the napkin and prepare for the adventure.... just remember the more you eat the cheaper the meal!

Eye will see you later!

3/6/09

I like geese. I do believe that God shows us things in life, He sends them our way, things we appreciate and enjoy. I have a slight fascination with geese. I remember going to Horicon Marsh and seeing thousands of them all in one place. Amazing! I remember learning about them, observing them fly overhead in that large < pattern. I meet someone once who explained about the < and why one side of the < is always longer then the other. Almost everyday as I am walking into and out of work they are flying and making there goose noises and I like that. People say, there's your geese! I thank God for that special part of the day where he just lets me see and hear one section of His creation. The geese, graceful, orderly, swift and abundant...at least where I live. I don't see them walking around town but they are almost always flying overhead, one section of the < longer then the other, honking their good morning honks...displaying their God given ability to make me smile. I don't really care for geese much on the golf course but everywhere else I like to see them and hear them.
Oh yeah, the part about the <, the scientific reason that one section is always much longer than the other is.....
there are a lot more geese in that line.

Eye will see you later!

3/5/09

The dog..man's best friend. In my lifetime I have travelled this road 6 times. Frosty, Chelsey, Gizmo, Little Rosie (who never stopped leaking), Sooner and Rosie(who performed "the stunt"). Six best friends each with their own personalities and each with many stories. Presently, I am dog less and I am fine with that....happy actually. What will happen when the kids want another dog? My thought was lets just cross that bridge when we come to it. This week in the office many people are talking about their dogs, their "best friends." Yesterday one gentleman talked about his golden who loves to duck hunt with him. The dog is only 2 years old but has mastered this bird hunting and you could just feel the excitement they both get when they spend time together. He talked about the training and how his dog just loves to go out there and flush out the birds, retrieve them and sit proudly as he removes the bird from the dogs gentle mouth. I was starting to think maybe... My very next patient started talking about his dog who had run into some knee and hip trouble. In the past year and one half he has spent $10,000 on vet bills for his dog. Wow! My thoughts of maybe quickly faded and I felt glad to be dog less again. Not too long ago one of my kids popped the question "Can we get a dog?" The bridge had come... sure they can, just as soon as they move out and get a place of their own! I love dogs, I loved the dogs we had and I'm sure I will love the dogs they get someday but as for now...there are no dogs on my side of the bridge, my yard is clean and I am quite fine with that!

Eye will see you later.

3/3/09

When I was younger it was a special treat to go for some ice cream. We would drive about twenty minutes to a drive-in ice cream place and get our little cones with the swirl ice cream and we were happy! We didn't do it very frequently so it was just special enough to make my brother and I smile. As I got older, but not too old, it was Chuck E. Cheese...where a kid can be a kid (as long as he has plenty of dads quarters). Now I like things hot and spicy! Taco Bell hot sauce ...not hot enough. The place to go now for that special treat is Buffalo Wild Wings. As my kids call it BDubs! It has everything. It has the trivia game with the handheld units, which I love. I am very good at that game as long as my wife is funnelling me the answers. She is very trivia smart but I get to push the buttons. Honestly, I can't figure out how to log in to the unit! DR LUV was our code name the other night and we were dominating! Or you can play Texas Hold 'em on the other screen which my daughter was raking in the chips. The best part is the 17 sauces. Throw out the first 10 if you want hot and spicy, choose from the magnificent 7. I had the boneless dozen, 6 Hot BBQ and 6 Mango Habanero. The Hot BBQ's were good but the Habanero's wow! That was hot and spicy. My mouth was on fire. I refilled that soda 3 times just for some relief...those were excellent. There are still some choices even hotter and if you get a dozen with the hottest, eat them all, they put your picture on the wall! I am not sure I will ever achieve that plateau of the hottest dozen wings but when I go there I do leave with a smile, those are tears of joy created by the mango habanero and a special treat with the family.

2/28/09

Stevie Wonder.."Very superstitious, writing's on the wall," the song popped into my head yesterday triggered by a couple different memories. First was Tiger Woods..he's back! If you don't follow golf you probably don't care but I'm sure you know who he is. He played his first event since having his knee reconstructed. It was match play and he won the first day and then lost the second..he's out and it might be my fault. Not really but it is one of my superstitions. I don't get loony over them, they are more fun superstitions. I had a patient the other day who, while we were talking about her health and past years events, "knocked on wood" six times as she was speaking. It wasn't to be funny so I kept my chuckling to myself. She needed to find wood and knock on it so it would be better this year. I was talking to my mother about this and learned if my grandma forgot something in the house and had to go get it, she would go into the house, grab what she forgot, sit down, count to 13 out loud and then get up and leave. Superstitions....weird! I have not continued that one thankfully.
Anyway, Tiger Woods. 3 years ago I bought a baseball hat, the same one Tiger has on in the picture. $25.00! I don't buy many hats but I like Tiger and thought he could use another few bucks so I bought his hat. I wear this when I golf, not because my game resembles Tigers but it makes me feel like a golfer! I also wear it when Tiger needs me. On two different occasions as I was watching Tiger he was struggling and he needed help...my help. So I ran very fast (faster then Kirk) to my room and found my hat, Tigers hat, put it on, smiled, sat down and watched the magic! Both times Tiger did it...he came back and won! I am sure he has no idea how he did it...but I know about the hat, my hat! Sorry Tiger but I was at work the other day when you played and lost but next time, if you make it to the weekend I will be there for you...hat on, smiling and watching the magic!

Eye will see you later!

1/26/09

I have unofficially joined the club. It's the Thursday morning meeting at the golden arches of the sr citizens and I am a peripheral member. I am by myself still with a comfortable "cushion" of tables between me and the true club members but I am almost official. I am in the process of paying my dues. The last 2 weeks I purchased a paper, read it some, the placed it in the "free" rack. It rests in the holder almost 30 sec. before some snatches it up.... I'm sure they know who paid the 75 cents! That's dues. Today I heard about the bowling league and how Henry's team cleanup by bowling about 200 pins over their averages. A few minutes later, the gentleman with the 2 creams and 1 sugar said he went to the 7 schools and dropped off fliers so the kids would be reminded about the upcoming Easter Egg Hunt..."I did my good deed of the day!" he said. That was my favorite part today because I think we should all be like that. Not excited to go to the egg hunt but looking to get the "good deed" done. If we all did a good deed, helped someone out, held the door open for someone, bought someone the sr. coffee, or just smiled and said hello just think how much more fun the day would be! It's a shame sometime we have to do this intentionally, make it a goal...but it's a good goal. So let's do it, today, tomorrow and the next day...one intentional "good deed"....sincerely, with a smile....I'm sure it's contagious!

Eye will see you later...and when I do, I'll hold the door open just for you!

2/25/09

What's in a name? I am going to be a grandpa and that means another name will enter into the family. I am a junior and that is cool with me. Sometimes I was just jerry but other times I was little jerry even when I wasn't so little. I liked that. When we had kids there was never a thought for jerry "the third." Every single "the third" I knew growing up was just not a nice kid. I'm not saying they are cursed or anything but just the examples in my life were bad kids. Maybe it's like winning a bronze medal...good but honestly third place? It's just one step from not winning anything.
I learned there were many rules to kid naming...

• you can't use any name used by a family member in the past 3 generations
• you can't have a 1 syllable first name followed by a 1 syllable middle name, that just sounds wrong
  
• if you heard a friend thought of the name even in a dream you can't use it
• you can't be cute, I wanted Nicolas Issac for the initials NIK
• you have to think of every possible word that rhymes with it because that's what the kids are going to do...speaking from experience fairy jerry
• if you start out with 2 kids and they have the same letter for their name you are stuck and better either stop having them or really commit to that letter

I'm sure there are more, it is quite a process. You know though, when the baby finally comes out and you see him or her for the first time, the name just fits! Good luck to my son and his wife for picking out that perfect name.....I say throw the rules out, 1 syllable each..
Ca$h Fox .....
OK maybe rules are a good thing...where did your name come from?

Eye will see you later!

2/23/09

Ahhh the Oscars. The red carpet, the dresses, the media, is there anything better? My informal poll today as I have been seeing patients has revealed to me that no one watched the Oscars. Well I did with my wife. A cold night, resting on the couch in between trips to drop off and pick up kids. I figured out why many people didn't watch-- no one has seen most of these movies! Benjamin Button looks decent, about an old guy who grows younger instead of the normal ageing process. Not a bad deal to grow younger and look like Brad Pitt! But what happens when you are back to just a few months old.....not sure I would stay to the end of that movie. Then there was Milk which I will pass on...lactose intolerant. Some Victoria something.. no thanks. Reader which ...survey says....X! The big winner all night was Slumdog Millionaire! Which I saw! Go see it if you haven't.

At least then if anyone asks you about the Oscars (which no one will because no one watched it) you can say "How about that Slumdog!"

Eye will see you later.

2/21/09

What makes a hero?
When we are young our heroes are Superheroes like Superman, Spiderman and when I was young, Aquaman...he had that sonar underwater thing going. Most of them are cartoons. When we get into our teens our heroes change into real people. Some are sports stars like Michael Jordan, Walter Payton or Peyton Manning, others might be presidents or movie stars. Pretty much we've learned we can't be cartoons but maybe, just maybe, we can be the next all-star or the next Indiana Jones.... real but with super ability. Now I am past that, I am about 10 inches to short for the nba, my drives slice to much, I never quite develop a curve ball and oh so close to the next pretty face. But I still have heroes! One of them is studying to be a youth pastor, 2 of them are graduating from hs this year, one dances and the other started in a basketball game tonight. It made me smile to see him out there and he did great!

In the score book no points but there are plenty of people to get those and they did very good also. I am sure they were heroes for someone. Now I get to spend time with my heroes and you can't beat that. Who are your heroes today? It's good to have them, to look up to them and even better to spend a lifetime with them!

Eye will see you later!

2/19/09

Deja vu' is a weird thing. I understand it has something to do with the mind and memory and past experiences but it is odd. I wonder if you catch yourself in the middle of it, just after the deja, if you can alter it at all? That would be sweet, especially if it happened during a sport. You could cut a different way or pass somewhere else, shoot instead of throwing it away. What brought this to mind was the show, LOST. What brought this to mind was the show, LOST.....I just wondered if you were paying attention. ..
I have invested 2 or 3 seasons into this show and basically I have no idea what's going on. People who have died are popping up alive. Old people are showing up young....what in the world! It started with a plane crash onto this island, stuff happened, lots of stuff. Then some people got off the island. Stuff happens to them back home, stuff happens to people on the island, now they got back on a plane because it was going to go over the island and guess what.....they are back on the island, except John Locke because he had to die!? And he had to wear Jack's dead dad's shoes! I think we are back to where we started.
I have to really thank my "brother" (said with the English accent) for suggesting this show! If I had to do it all again and had the deja ..."You should watch this show" vu I wouldn't change a thing for this one! It's LOST, I'm lost and every week I can't wait to make it worse!

One more weird thing, does anyone else hear the phone ring every time they take a shower?

Eye will see you later!

2/17/09

787 Billion that is a huge number and the beginning of an economic comeback. I was going to talk about soup today...I had some good ham and wild rice soup. There are a lot of soup choices out there and I don't think it is possible to not like soup, at least one kind of soup. That Seinfeld episode with the Soup Nazi is a classic. I think I like Seinfeld better than soup but not all kinds of soup. I don't like bean soup or the season 3 final episode when they are in jail though parts of it are OK, just not the bean part. I am a tad bit confused...not about soup or Seinfeld, that George is a little confusing...about the 787 Billion dollars. Where do we get this money and why is somebody hiding that amount of cash? How do we sign papers and then we pass out $787,000,000,000 ? Most times in life when I have had to sign documents I owe money. So if this is the way out, passing out all of this money I need to know a few things...

• where does the line start? I have stood in line to see a midnight show of that 3rd Lord of the Rings movie, I can stand in line for this!
• how long is this line? If I have to take off work to stand in line will I be reimbursed?
• is there any incentive gifts? A toaster, free Packer shirt or maybe it is a Redskins shirt...
• what about the emails from my long lost friend in Nigeria who is sending me 2.5 million dollars because he needs to get it out of his country and remembered I could help him out, do I need to claim this before I get my piece of the pie?
• is there a cap on what athletes can make because I think I heard some ceo's are going to start an NBA basketball team....

So, the van is packed, we are ready to hit the road, take a few days off (reimbursed I hope) and get in line...somebody bring that monopoly game cause I'm passing go and going to collect my $200! I am bringing the thermos and guess whats inside....broccoli cheese, no spoon just straight from the thermos!

Eye will see you later!

2/16/09

Valentines Day has come and gone and Shelly and I went out to a movie, Slumdog Millionaire. I thought this was a remake of "The Shaggy DA" and boy was I mistaken. It was actually a very good movie, something I should have come up with myself! No Regis though, just poverty, death, guns, child slaves, a big pile of #2, all of the elements of a great film. The best part was Shelly picked this movie and we both enjoyed it very much... not so much the big pile but the movie at its entirety.

All this leads me to another thought...who IS the boss. A recent discussion about knowing who the boss of the house is occurred last week and I was slightly offended. I try to be a good leader and provider for my family, like the boss should be, and then someone says I don't understand it yet, I think it is them that.....

I'll have to finish this thought another day, my wife needs the computer.....
Peace.

2/13/09

Friday the 13th, what a day to start! I have always wanted to start a journal so I will give it a try. I hope to share things I learn, life lessons from famous people, friends, patients, family or anyone. Today as I look back on the week here are a few thoughts....

• family vacations are fantastic and should be done...big or small
  
• one probably shouldn't use steroids and lie about it
• Lettermen is still hilarious
• today starts pitchers and catchers report...go cubs!!!
• mens bible study is a great time