State of the Union

My fellow readers, the state of my "union" is...um...ok.

It's been one of those days where you just feel "down". I'm not exactly sure as to the reason, but it just hit me.

Maybe it's because I just returned from the dealership, because my truck is jacked up again. This is the 4th time that I've had it there in the last month and a half. This is also the 3rd car rental that I've in that same time frame. This ain't getting cheap.

I've been reading a book on spiritual warfare called "Invisible War" by Chip Ingram, and it's knocking my socks off. Maybe some of it is rubbing off on me. Check it out...if you want.

I guess that I could be bummed because my housing prospects have all fallen through. Now I'm back to square one on my house hunting adventure. What's a brotha to do?

Two Sundays ago, I went to a new church, as in, one that I'd never been to. As I was getting out of my truck, I saw an attractive woman pull into the parking space next to me. I found it odd that such an attractive woman would be by herself, and I started walking to the building. She eventually caught up to me and I didn't notice her until we both had to stop suddenly to avoid getting slammed into by a car. We both looked at each other and kind of laughed, and I made my move.

To make a long story short, I ended up asking her out to lunch for a soon-to-be- determined date. I ended up calling her and I found out that she was...20 years old. And she still lives with her parents. So, I won't be seeing her afterall.

But at least it was worth a shot. And I proved to myself that I can talk to a perfect stranger, with little to no notice, and actually line up a possible date. Even though we never actually went on a date, it made for a pretty good confidence building exercise.

I was reading in a "dating" book, that a person should set a goal of meeting 5 eligible people per week, and actually getting their contact information so you can actually set up that date. It really doesn't matter if you actually go out with that person, it's the practice that matters. You are practicing talking to the opposite sex, even if you aren't really attracted to them, and even if you don't go out with them. It's an interesting concept, and I can see the benefits of doing an exercise.


I just had a client that my receptionist said has a crush on me. But here's the cool part, she just got divorced. And she has 2 kids. And she's 5 years older than me. Wow, the high points just keep rolling on, don't they? I really feel bad for her, because you can tell that she is hurting inside. I could see it in her eyes, and I hate it for her that she is going through all of that. And for her ex. And for her kids. Divorce is not a fun time.

Wow, what a post today. I sure am glad that I could entertain all 1.24 of you readers out there.

Keep on keepin' on.

Great News!

Yesterday morning started like most any other. Even though it was my day off, I woke up at 6:30. I am officially an old man now, because I wake up at the butt-crack of dawn, regardless if I'm working or not.

Big Judy called me at 6:45 as he was driving to work, which is not unusual. About once a week or so, we will talk during our commute. It kinda makes the time go by faster.

We hung up at about 7:02. At 7:04, my brother called me. I started talking to him like nothing was going on, when he cut me off and said, "We're at the hospital, and they are going to do a c-section in about an hour."

That got my attention.

I got to the hospital and met my 30 minute old nephew. He weighed 6 lbs 6 oz, and was 18". He's light as a feather, but very healthy. My sister-in-law is doing well too. She will be coming home in the next 1-2 days. I was so excited to see my little nephew. It's really quite amazing.

And another first happened yesterday. I was the Baby Sitter for my 2 year old neice. All by myself. For 2.5 hours. Scary, I know. Little Maddy did great, and so did I, if I say so myself.

What a day. Thank God that the baby and Mom are doing well.

Now on to another topic...

Until yesterday, I was about 75% sure that I was going to put a bid on a house. Dad, the realtor, and I went to my top 2 houses. I ruled out one of the houses pretty quickly, based on location. But the house that I was pretty sure on had a big drawback that wasn't readily apparent on my first trip there

It's in a pretty rough neighborhood. Now, I don't mind living in a mixed race neighborhood, and for the price range that I'm looking for, it's an almost certainty, but this neighborhood was a bit...dark. I'm not exactly sure that there were any white folk there. None. So I would kinda stick out like a sore thumb. A very sore thumb.

Now I think that I'm back to the drawing board. Dang it.

So yesterday was a bit of a letdown...

Keep on keepin' on.

My Sweet Daisy

I have bad news about my Golden Retriever, Daisy. But first some back story, to get those of you that don't know about her condition, up to speed.

Daisy was born with a congenital heart defect called sub-aortic stenosis. Basically, her aorta, which brings blood to the entire body, is narrowed. This narrowing, over time, causes the heart to have to work much harder than it normally would. This leads to heart failure, and possibly sudden death.

Dogs with mild stenosis can lead normal lives. Dogs with moderate to severe stenosis have much shorter lives. Survival times are from <3 years to 4-7 years.

Daisy had an echocardiogram (i.e. an ultrasound done on the heart. It's called an "echo" for short.) done today, to measure her status. And the news isn't good. It's in the very severe range.

It was tough to remain composed during the echo. I'm very sad.

But, this was part of the deal, and I knew that when I got her. She's one of the sweetest dogs that I've ever seen, and that's not just me being biased.

So, I'll continue to be happy for every day that I have her. She has been a huge blessing in my life and I'm extremely thankful for her.

Here's to you Daisy.

Keep on keepin' on.

Hello Again, Hello

Hello? Tap...tap...tap....Is this thing on?

The other day I was working at a clinic and this single, 36-39 year old woman can in with her two cats. She was friendly, and I somehow mentioned that I was looking for a house in that part of town. She got really excited and told me that there was a house for sale, "right across the street from her," and that "it would be sooo nice to have you live across the street from me."

This woman was cute, but not pretty, and if I was 10 years older, then I might have been attracted to her. All during this time the receptionist, and my technician, both of whom are women, are laughing outside the exam room. I had the door open, so they could hear everything that was being said. They just love it when some Desparate Housewife hits on me. Although, I realize that this woman wasn't exactly a housewife, but you get the point.

Wow, it's been sinse December 6th that I've posted on this here blog. I don't even think that I have 1 reader anymore, so I'll continue posting for my sake, which is kinda really why I started this blog anyway. Kind of as a journal. Here's a quick recap of my life over the last 2 months...

1) Annie (aka Bean) and I broke up about 2 months ago. It was a very difficult decision and I prayed about it about as much as anything in my life. If you happen to read this Annie, I hope that you are doing well. I'm doing pretty well, but as the old song goes, "Breaking Up is Hard to Do." Well said

2) Christmas came and went, and I got a PS3, which I absolutely LOVE!!! I haven't spent endless hours playing it, but I have spent a decent chunk of my time sharpening my eye-hand coordination. I'm getting pretty good at Motor Storm though. I'm still pretty piss-poor at Call of Duty 4, but in my defense, I really just started playing it. It was good to hang out with my family and Merry times were had by all.

3) I'm actively looking for a house. My first house. And I'm pretty nervous about it. Maybe it the whole commitmant thing. Maybe...

4) I'm actively looking for a new car/SUV, although, I think that I'm gonna keep my truck and get a car. I've never owned a car in my life. I've had, in chronological order, a 1989 Ford Ranger, a 1995 Ford F-150, and my current truck is a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. I really love trucks. But I really don't love paying $55-$70 to fill up the tank. No me gusta mucho. So I'm pretty much going with a mid-size sedan. Yeah, I know, how much lamer can you get than a Honda Accord, Toyota Camery, Chevy Malibu, etc. But I test drove a VW Passat, and I LOVED IT! However, I'm not so sure that I'll love the maintenance costs associated with driving a German automobile. But for a sticker price of $25,800, it's pretty tough to beat, considering what you get for that price. But on the grand scheme of things, buying a new car is the lowest on my list. First it's paying Uncle Sam, if I owe anything. Then it's having money for a down payment + fixer-upper $ for a house. And finally, it's $ for a car. It all depends on how much money I have after Uncle Sam sticks it to me. No bueno.

5) I just found out that Daisy, my Golden, has a VI/VI heart murmur. In lay terms, that is the worst possible heart murmur, in terms of severity. She was born with a narrowed aortic artery. I hope and pray that she holds on for a long time...

6) I jumped back onto match.com last week and I have a date tonight. I'm pretty excited about it, but my expectations are pretty low. They are that way because this ain't exactly my first rodeo, and these match.com blind dates can be pretty interesting, both for the good and the bad. But, she is an Aggie, 5'10", and is older than I am. Oooooh, and older woman. Oh hush. She's less than 1 year older than I am.

I hope that anybody that reads this is doing well, and if you've made it this far through this post, I have pity on you.

Keep on keepin' on.

p.s. The spell check isn't working for some reason, so I appologize for any incorrect spelling/typos. Thank you for your understanding.