Monthly Archives: February 2011

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Grrrrrr……..

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Ben has been a bit bored, so he came into my office tonight for a “scary dinosaur” pose for my blog. It took four different takes though. He is not fond of having HIS picture taken and he moves too much. But apparently the dinosaur he was portraying was a bit more cooperative.
Three year olds get bored rather quickly, and this is the case with Ben tonight. He has already worn out the dog, the cat, and his mom and has no decided to work on me. My request to take his picture made him disappear for a bit, but apparently his energy had worn out its welcome with everyone else. SO…..it was back to me.
I however know that I am almost always the last choice. I am probably the most willing to play, but apparently far from the cutest or most fun. (That is what my wife tells me too). But I do not worry about such things, because at my age I just am happy for them to wheel me over by the window and give me my pills in my applesauce. No no no….it is just part of being a dad. And in that role I am pretty secure.
You see, as a dad, you always have something they all want, and when they need it you are back on top. Whether it is money (for toys or bail), unconditional acceptance, or the need for skating lessons or the desire to play ball……we are what they need. In truth, no one will play dinosaurs all the time or watch endless hours of the same Transformers cartoon again and again and again (and again and again too). But a dad will. We are genetically disposed to being disposed and reused when needed, and we are always willing too.
So I suppose I could be the one saying “grrrrrrr,” but I really do not need to. Being a dad is the best job I have ever had or will have.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Still living the delusion……..

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Although I did not have a “dog in the mall,” (I think that is it or it’s a “horse in the race”) I did watch the end of the Superbowl tonight. And I want to congratulate my good buddy Joe Mlaker of Wisconsin (home of lots of cheese and cows AND the Green Bay Packers) for their victory tonight (not the cows, the Packers). And although I all know we wish it were the Bears, occasionally you have to let a team like Green Bay win to help combat the locals’ seasonal depression. Winter not only lasts 11 months up there (12 in a Leap Year), but if the truth be told, unless you live in Switzerland, wearing cheese on ones’ head is a listed disorder right out of the DSM-IV manual. (In Switzerland it is considered patriotic and is in their Constitution.)

But for now I must confess, this has just not been my year. As a life-long Chicago Bears fan we haven’t won it all since I was in college and the only Payton around at that time was Walter, who not only spelled it correctly, but used it as a last name. And of course my Cubs haven’t won it all since Nero played his violin, but that is not just a sore subject but one I will gladly glance over.
So in just a couple of days I will buy my friend Joe a congratulatory drink when I see him in North Carolina. And I am happy for him, I really am.
But what do you expect from a team that dumps their quarterback and gets one 50 years younger?
As much as it pains me to say it, congratulations to the Green Bay Packers and all the fans. Enjoy it while you can. The Bears are coming back………hopefully before I get too old to remember too.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+

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I’ve fallen, but I got right up…..

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Yes….this is a REAL PICTURE from TODAY on my drive from Edgewood to Kokomo. And it is not really a bad snow for where I am from. So I would say that today was a good day to be a polar bear, although I am pretty sure a polar bear would have had more sense and stayed home. But the good news (to those of you who do not benefit from my demise) is that I survived the day, and that doesn’t just mean the first part, or the driving part of the day…it means the entire day.

Because after a 2pm meeting at St. Patrick’s in Westfield I returned home for some serious snow blowing. There was a ton of ice this week, and all of it was still there, but the 6 inches of snow needed to come off it.
Now as a hockey player (yes, it is a life-time appointment…just ask my ice hockey brethren on here) ice is something you never fall on unless hit, but I fell on it twice today. And although no one saw me, and even though I was not in skates, I was embarrassed because I skate better than I walk and it is just a pride thing. I do not think I need an x-ray on my shoulder, but it is sore. and in retrospect had I worn my skates (which I did consider) this would not have happened, for I have not fallen “unforced” on ice since 1980 where at the Fairgrounds in Indianapolis I hit a rut on the ice while trying to impress some girl. (incidentally, it did not work). Yes, falling does happen that rarely for those of us who skate.
But the blessing is that my driveway is done, my shoulder is not broken, and all that is injured is my pride.
Winter is Winter, and it is always treacherous. I am just glad to be as tough as a polar bear and be able to take a few hits for the team!
Goodnight and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Of doctors, shots, and fashion…….

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After watching Ben struggle for the last few days, and watching his temperature go down after Motrin, and then up again right before it was due, today I said “enough is enough,” and I called to make him a doctor’s appointment.

Of course the difficult part of such things is that our doctor cut his practice drastically and we were not a part of that. He was one of the finest doctors I know, but fortunately one of his partners is someone I know, and whose daughter played lacrosse some years ago. And, to make even a bigger connection, HE was the doc that was on duty the day I had my stroke. He is a real quality guy.
But when I called this morning I was told he needed to approve the move, which was not what I was told in December when I thought we had it all worked out. I told the gal on the phone that I really wasn’t intending to see a doc today anyhow on such short notice, but a PA (Physician’s Assistant) and they told me we could see Kelly in an hour.
What a blessing too! Kelly has seen me a couple of times over the past year when they were swamped and I told her today that although I was having a bit of a deal getting in here, that as for me I didn’t really care who would be my doctor because as far as I was concerned it was going to be her. She is pretty sharp and thorough, and believe me as a stroke survivor sadly I know what a good doc is. And although she is a PA, Ben called her Doctor Kelly (as I do too), and she saw him and figured it out……DOUBLE ear infections. The first ear she said was bad…the second I believe she used the word “wicked,” and had me look as well. Holy Smokes! He didn’t even complain (but he should have.)
The blessing is that we were in and out of there quickly, and I had confidence in him seeing someone who I believe in and trust. He got a sticker, a RX for antibiotics, and a new Transformer. And tonight at dinner he actually ate and is talking about his ears “tickling.” He is on his way.
I am so thankful I called in and was able to get him seen, and I am so glad she was the one who saw him. Who are regular doctor will be I suppose is irrelevant. Ben keeps talking about Doctor Kelly who wears blue and gave him a shot. Of course I don’t remember her being in all blue or any shot.
But I’ve just destroyed my brain with a stroke…..who am I to question a three year old with a fever?
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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A picture of my driveway…….

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Although it doesn’t seem possible, Scott and I made good progress in taking tons of ice off the cars today. I did Amanda and my car, and then Scott and I worked together on his.
Of course we were both motivated. I was trying to get my wife to work before she assigned me a job to do. Scott was attempting to get to Noblesville to see his girlfriend before his lacrosse game. I am disappointed that I will not be there to watch it tonight too, but Ben has been running a fever for the last couple of days and has required a bit of supervision. So I am continuing that into tonight. Amanda’s new position at work is swamping her even here at home right now, so if I left to watch Scott she would get nothing done. And if Ben were “fever-free” he and I would be yelling at Scotty from the stands.
But for now I am just trying to figure out when and how I can get 3 inches of ice off the longest driveway in the world (and we have two of them). At this point we will not be using the front drive for quite some time, because it is on an incline. I will be in North Carolina next week, but even when I am gone it doesn’t look like the ice will be melting. So as of now I just am not sure what to do. I did buy a tool to chop ice today and of the 500 plus feet I have to do, I was able to do about 2 feet of it in about a half an hour. Ouch!
You see, the great part of being from the north is that there really is no ice, but only snow because it is always too cold. This is a problem I am just not familiar with. But in time it will be August, and maybe by then we can use the front drive. Up till then it is just 2 feet at a time.
I am however scheduled to be finished in 249 more days!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Relaxing as a discipline….okay, I am hiding…..

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Of course I thought of posting the same post as I did last year on Groundhog Day (they are delicious!) as an ongoing deep joke, but I already have a few years of different posts on them…oh well.

One of the best parts of a big home is that there are plenty of places to hide, but one of the downsides of being snowed in together is that even a big house gets smaller, especially when one of you is 3. So we have survived yet another day, but our driveway, let alone our streets are still a mess. School has already been cancelled for tomorrow…..meaning Scotty and all the others will walk across to receive a blank diploma this year, but will receive them after making up the last day of school post-graduation. I didn’t even know they were already behind.

But the good news, if not great news, is that despite all the storms and such we have power still AND, we have not killed each other. I will say that although I do love my office, I really need to move out into the house after this. I have been in here a little too long….but on the upside I have accomplished a lot.
Ben, Amanda and Scott are watching a movie and I am, as they say, “just vegging out.” I finally opened a bottle of the Malbec wine we were given as a gift for Christmas, and it has been a wonderful way to end this day. Sure, I can think of plenty more wonderful ways to end one’s day, but at my age if you do not finish the day with some sort of back pain or hospital visit, a glass of wine can be a big boost!
But for now I am relaxing amidst the clutter. Our new furnace is in, and we are now waiting for the chimney liner to be installed. With all the ice needing to melt I am guessing that will take place sometime in August. But until then, all the stuff in my closet remains out in my office. After the liner is installed I will repaint the closet and load all the stuff back up in it. I just can’t now because the plaster needs to dry out more and can’t until the liner is in. The cool part is that I have learned a lot about something I had not before. PLUS, I will watch closely and learn how to line a chimney! Woo hoo! (No, that is not the wine…..learning that really does excite me.)
So I will just hurry up and wait I guess…..and relax. It is an awesome night!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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In a fowl mood……….

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Yep, I am not chicken to say it, but I have been in a foul mood all day. No it’s not the snow, or the ice, or the freezing temperatures, or the fact that we are all trapped here together, or the realization that this will last for days, or my stupid phone not working, or my stupid computer, or that my computer/phone cords have walked off, or that I have literally ripped apart the house to find them, or that in attempting to have Ben help me repair a piece of furniture my wife bought that broke, I slipped and damaged it again, or that he told on me…….in fact, I am at a loss as to why. It seems this day has been all bunnies and flowers.

But the sad part of such a day is that one has to live with oneself, which I suppose is something I should add to that list. About a third of the way into the day I began to be a bad guy to hang with…..even for myself. But I do not suppose it will matter too much though, because I have already had enough, and probably everyone around here has had enough of me. So I shall cut my losses (there have been many today) and call it a day.
The nice part about heading to bed is the dreams. Since my stroke I have vivid ones too. SO I am praying for a relaxing time in some exotic place or an F-16 with lots of ammo to blow something up. Either will suit me…….after all, I am in a foul mood and have had a bad day!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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The Snowed Inn…….

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There are so many different titles I could use for this blog tonight, because we all raced home in order to be snowed and iced in together. I am thankful for the fact that we all get along, although I am sure from time to time all of them will consider the warm Bahamas vacation they can have together if someone will just find me frozen in the yard.

But at 6-ish it began to ice up and now it is snowing. No, it will not be as severe as Chicago, but if you had to be trapped with me for the next 24 hours you just might prefer Chicago. The nice part is that our house is big and we can hide from each other. I know this because I often practice this discipline on “chore day,” but who am I to give away secrets?
My hope however is that this storm passes and that tomorrow finds us outside with the snow blower laughing it up. I do worry about the ice……not for us because we are already home, but for those who have to be out and traveling…..it it treacherous. Police and firefighters are particularly in my prayers. These are busy AND dangerous times for them.
But for now I will head to bed and just pray that the ice doesn’t knock out our power. I DO LOVE ICE, but as a hockey player I love it only for skating. This stuff I could do without.
And a big birthday wish yesterday to an old teammate, Bruce Bennett (he’s on Facebook, look him up). Keep playing that guitar brother, and keep your stick on the ice!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+