Sometimes You Gotta Turn It Up

You know, every now and again you just gotta turn the volume up. I am at "11" (Spinal Tap joke) right now and enjoying it. My wife has left the house to attend a play, so it's all good. When I haven't listened to Zeppelin in a while and then put them on, well, it is rather therapeutic, especially after a nutty week at work. Plus, you just forget how great they were.
It is funny how different songs put you in different times and places. Ramble On and I am in Lance's dad's truck listening to an 8 Track tape of Led Zeppelin II. When the Levee Breaks and it is 6th grade cranking up my dad's Panasonic, giving it all it can take. The neighbors were probably cringing! Too bad. Immigrant Song and I am in the back of Steve Fisher's Toyota with these girls we picked up from Monta Vista High School. The funny memories are when listening to Physical Graffiti- I'm back with Lance, Carl and John at Christmas time driving in Lance's '79 Capri! Kashmir and Ten Years Gone really put me in the Christmas spirit. Yeah, that may sound odd, but true nonetheless.
So, I am trying to get all ready for the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. I am sooooo happy that running doesn't affect my back. It makes my shoulder hurt, but the back doesn't feel it until I am done, then it gets kinda funky feeling. I went to the surgeon a couple days ago. He said healing is in increments of 3 months, 6 months and 12 months. It will be 3 months on the 25th! Wow. He said the pain will take time, but with all the nerves that were cut the numbness is probably permanent. Let's just hope there aren't any continence issues. My shoulder still really hurts and the weather is freaking it out, too. Anyway, Jayton and I have run the 4 mile route the last 2 weeks. I have improved my time form last years race. He says that it is all due to him. And it is. He he keeps a brisk pace and pushes me. So, the goal is to beat my brother Carl by 10 minutes. I don't know if that is possible, but I will try. Don't tell him or we won't be let in for Turkey Dinner at his house!
I did attend the Spinning Class a couple times. You would think it would hurt my back, but it was the pressure on my shoulder that really killed me. And I wanted to wear my helmet in there, just in case.
Whew, how about this economy and the Changity-change-change that is going to take place. Oh, wait, Clinton cabinet, Lyndon B. Johnson and FDR ideals and tactics, hmm, oh well. Obama is too important to fail, so he will be given a bail out.

Use Extreme Caution

No reason for the title of this entry.
I have been hesitant to write after hearing how people are stealing info from blogs to use for identity theft. I'm sure some how Scoopy will come into play somewhere down the line.
We had a fun Halloween. Madalyn and Emily went trick-or-treating and Bishop Billings and the Wakefields all went along with them. It's always nice when after a couple blocks the girls say, "I'm done." Oh yeah.
We had a fun party at the Cleggs place. Janice Kapp Perry made a special appearance! (It was Andrea Frandsen, but she was convincing). I feel bad singing the karaoke because I don't know any of the new songs, new meaning anything after 1978.
I find that I am dragging a bit; I need to do something like a painting or write a story or something. Oh well.
Hey, 2 Christmas music stations already!
How about those crazy Californians and their protesting and now extreme "tolerance" towards the Mormons! Um, didn't a whole lot of other churches and people vote for Prop 8? Huh, I guess you can be tolerant as long as you agree with me.
Chantel had a blow out in the dumb van today. The side of the tire ruptured. It's always fun to change a flat when the weather is cold.
Hey, I missed the Turkey triathalon over at the Rec Center. Geeze. I really wanted to do it this year. But alas, I still haven't been back on my bike yet. My back is really tight and sore with the cooler wet temps. Lots o' fun. Jayton and I did run the 4 mile Turkey Trot route. I was at 30:01. So, I am going to push it real hard to be under 30 minutes. I went and bought some new shoes today; my Pearl Izumis are getting old and I can feel my shins starting to hurt. So I will give them a wee break and then go hard.
I miss my Tama Swingstar 7 piece drum set. Here is a 1983 shot of me in my room playing. I don't think baldness runs in the family. Leif Garrett maybe, but not baldness.

Updates on Life

So it has been 9 weeks since I got in my accident. I am still doing the physical therapy thing. The PT is scraping the scar tissue in my knee and up my thigh. Wow, the pain is awesome. My shoulder still hurts and the back is still sore, tight, funky, etc. I had to have that mole removed because all the trauma made it turn black and the surgeon said Let's get that out of here! You know, I went in to visit him with certain expectations of just being looked at and him saying It looks great, have a Tootsie Pop, but I wasn't expecting to go lay down for 40 minutes of needles, cutting, snipping and yes, even cauterizing. (Is that bacon I smell?) It really was pretty crappy. But, the stitches are out now and I started trying to get a bit active. I ran outside in the beautiful fall weather. Man, I HURT! Oye. And I ran again with Jayton today. He's running nervous, you know, it's that 10k in 9 months. I hope the physical activity can loosen up my back. All the bouncing really makes the shoulder sore, but I gotta do something or go nuts.
The other fun thing was we are pretty well moved into the Sunset Heights building for church. It has been alright, but we kind of have the redheaded step-child feeling; those 2 wards have been there for decades and now we are showing up. The good news is our new building is being framed right now. Yeah! Wakefield is going to love when he is the bishop and will just have to walk out his back door. Boy, it will be so easy for him.
Chelsea had a band concert last night. She is also in the Jazz Band. She got to start their first song off (for the Halloween concert) by screaming real loud and shrill. She was good at it. Must get it from her uncle.
Can anyone tell me why they would actually vote for Obama? This is probably the 2 worst options we have ever had for President.
I think I will read the Masque of the Red Death, The Black Cat, and The Tell Tale Heart to the children, you know, for fun. Here's a picture of Edgar Allen Poe that I drew years ago.

Ohio

I had the opportunity to go to Ohio from Wednesday morning to Friday afternoon with my boss. There is a wonderful philanthropic couple out there by the name of Gib and Louella Reese who have built many buildings for the Ohio State University campus in Newark, OH and have bought and dedicated a number of bronze sculptures for the campus and throughout the town. We were outside of Columbus and I was impressed by the beauty of Licking County where were. I haven't really ever had the chance to be around gazillionaires, but they were both real cool, in fact everyone that we met and worked with were fun. The community has made a big commitment to giving back to the community and I thought how cool it would be if we could see more of that around our city. Oh well.
I stayed at the Cherry Valley Lodge. Man, it was beautiful and HUGE! My suite was bigger than the upstairs of our house! But, it was cold and my heater took forever to get it warm. I did get a chance to watch both World Series games. You know, once again being in a place that has cable TV proves to me why I don't have it here; I sat and flipped channels for hours. And there still was nothing on worth watching. I did enjoy watching Fox News, but that's probably it. So, don't try selling us a dish, cable, comcast, whatever, because I will never get off my butt!

It' Just Scoopy!

Back in oh, about April when I was shopping with Teresa, we were walking down the ice cream aisle when I saw the ice cream cone boxes. Sugar cones all the way! On the cover of the red box is that happy clown Scoopy! I pick it up and what's this?!?! A promotion for a Scoopy doll! You gotta be kidding me! You need to send in a check, or money order, and two UPC symbols and wait 6-8 weeks for delivery. Good thing the cones were on sale. Teresa wasn't happy, but who doesn't love an ice cream cone or Scoopy?! Upon further review the offer is valid until June of 2007. Crap.
Well, I sent in my check and the UPC symbols not even 2 weeks ago, expecting to get a note back saying the offer has expired, but what came in the mail yesterday! Aw whoopee! It's Scoopy! My wife said they probably have a ton of them left because who would order something so horrible?
So now we have Scoopy on the cabinet in the room. I tell my kids if they hear evil laughing in the night they know exactly where it's coming from. Man, what's better than an evil clown in the house?!

What the...?

So I was walking out to my car when I noticed something long on the driveway. Hey! It's a snake! It was over 3 feet long and was getting some sun and hanging out. I yelled for Teresa who walked out and freaked! She wanted me to stick in a bucket, but what do I grab it with? I stood on the grass looking like a moron with my leather gloves on, holding a box to trap it. Our cat, Sally, came over, rolled on the driveway for a moment or two, then notices...ooh, what's this? As she tries to sniff it, the snake gets into strike mode, hisses real loud and even shook it's tail like a rattlesnake. It was pretty weird. Teresa called animal control who promptly showed up and told us, "Aw, it's just a Blow snake. They eat mice and rats. You probably want to keep it in the yard, don't you?" Uh, no. I picked up a dead mouse this afternoon that the cat had killed, so we're OK in that area. The officer dude who picked it up with his little tong things (as it hissed at him) said he had just grabbed one that was about 4 times as big. Well, if we get one that big the cats, not the mice, will start disappearing. Wait a minute, maybe I should call him back...

Say Cheeeese

Yeah, we know which side of the family the girls get this from........their mother. Right?