Here and There.......(and freebies!)

Its 11:00 pm


     What??? A night entry? Yep....sure is! Haven't written this late at night before. At least not on this blog....back when I first started writing at the late Modblog,I did post several times at night. But that was years ago and life has changed a bit.

   Another pleasant day here in SE Michigan,grey hazy day with some late sunshine in the afternoon. I worked outside at my job today so it was pretty nice to be able to enjoy the weather. Am hoping for another  nice day tomorrow as I need to cut the lawn again.
  But first Lori and I are making another trip to Taylor to the Christmas Tree Shop. We held our first Holiday Planning Session last Friday after our weekly family meeting. We went over our holiday plans and gift lists for our families and friends. Its good to do this early so you can plan and budget for each person.


We're already ahead in the game as we both are planning to skip Halloween this year because we both are planning to work it. We'll use last year's decorations that we got for the yard and make small goodies bags for the neighbor children instead of spending the money for the 100 kids we get a year. I am actually looking forward to working a Halloween again for a change...

   Our microwave died last week. It had come with the house but it was already sort of beat up and we had long range plans to replace it. Well being out of work sort makes those plans hard to attain so we merely patched it up and when the door broke about 18 months ago,we replaced it.
  But last week the old timer gave up the ghost and we had to replace it. Lori went shopping for it and amazingly enough found it at one of the toughest places to shop at,ABC Warehouse. Now I have written about this place before,its a slightly slimy place to shop because all the salesman work on commission and they pretty much attack you as soon as you come through the door.

  I really didn't want Lori going there unless I was there,not because I don't trust her judgement (which is far better then mine) but didn't want to have to battle those salesman,who always remind of the movie "Hollywood Shuffle" where these two dudes are reviewing a parody of zombie movies called "Attack of the Killer Pimps". Personally,I think ABC Warehouse used the same clip as a training model for their staffs. Maybe I'm wrong but you be the judge.....
   Despite our dread,Lori was able to find really nice model and the next day after work,I drove down to pick it up. Now this was a heavy duty microwave and it hangs over our stove so we also had to pay to get it installed.


  ABC Warehouse has several freelance contractors who install whatever product you buy from the store and they come over to do just that. I was home when the contractors we got showed up....it was a father and son team. Both were big fellas and while they were very professional,I was half scared one of them would drop from a heart attack. We made small talk and I asked the dad if his business was picking up as I had heard him tell his son that they had to be quick,they had 10 jobs that took them all over the metro Detroit area.
  He said that business seems to picking up...they were getting ready to start a 2nd truck. I commented how that was great news....until the dad explained they used to have FIVE trucks running. That sort of surprised me a bit considering how hot the real estate market has been getting around here. Two small communities close to us,Westland and Garden City,have been hit by a booming market of low cost homes being bought and renovated.



That often means brand new kitchens and appliances,or one would think. This economy is really a puzzle,its either getting better or people are making adjustments to earning less as the power of the labor unions continue to be eroded away. People are spending more now....just not as much. The local news reported that less people in SE Michigan have credit card debit now....they are paying them off quickly and not using them nearly so much. I know that is true with us,we may use the credit card because we don't want to carry large amount of cash....but the card gets paid off with 3-4 days.
   The dad and son finished our install and then left.
So how did I celebrate? By popping my favorite popcorn....Pop Secret! This is by far the best popcorn on the market and I am always on the hunt for coupons and sales. It rarely happens so when it does,I try and stock up because nothing is better on a chilly night then a bag of popcorn and a cold drink...





  Pretty cool.....I was invited to promote my blog on a group page on FB. I joined and whenever I post a new entry,I post a notice on the page. A young couple from Australia has been been reading it because I just got a request to be "mates" (that is Aussie for friends). So yeah,I am pretty jazzed about that and I hope they continue to support the blog here!

  Tomorrow,I will get off my duff and start working on my next interview....my last "8 Questions with...." has been my biggest traffic draw as many folks have stopped by to read my interview with cutting edge designer Evon Cassier. Now why has it taken me so long to deliver my new interview? Hell if I know.....but I do have my questions ready and I'll be sending them off.

  What will be it about? Here is a hint:



And with that.....its time to post this bad boy......


I still have that free book to offer and also,I have 3 free CDs as well.......so drop a comment and the first four folks who do will win.....

Sunday Shorty

Its 12:31 pm

     Its another chilly day here in SE Michigan.....blue sky mixed in with grey clouds. I have the day off so after I post this,I'm heading out to do some serious housework....lots to be done and not much time to do it.

  Got home last night in time to follow the end of the San Jose State game...they were down 34-31 with just over 2 minutes left before marching down and scoring the winning TD with 50 seconds left. The defense was just ruthless after that and stopped San Diego State cold,sealing a 38-34 win and improving to 3-1 on the year. Now the Spartans travel to play Navy who also won yesterday,41-3 over VMI.




But despite beating the Middies last year at San Jose and this year's team in a somewhat rebuilding year,they will be along with Stanford and BYU,the biggest games the Spartans will play this year. And after seeing San Diego State rush for 300 yards against the Spartans,this will suddenly become a real test for the Spartans. They must establish their own running game to help control the clock,last night they only gained 70 on the ground and that has to improve,the offensive line has to run block much better. And Coach Mac has to use all of his backs,not just Irvin,Eskridge and Lainia.



Busted out another great read from the massive stack of books in my den. The book,The Fighting 69th is the story of the 69th Infantry Regiment (Light) of the New York National Guard. The men of the 69th were the first military unit to arrive on scene after the World Trade Center attacks. This book details the unit from that day to when they landed boots on ground in Iraq. This is a great read and also a subtle reminder on just how unprepared we really were in going to war in Iraq. This is a eye-opener of a book and one I recommend very highly to be read.



I picked up my copy at a local Dollar Tree so it is out there to be had at a good price,if anyone wants my copy,drop a comment below and I'll send it on to you...

Lori is feeling a little better today,she slept well and with a day off upcoming tomorrow,should get some well needed rest. Really hoping she feels better very soon....please keep us in your prayers.

Saw that a old friend the San Jose days is now engaged to be married....so a huge shout-out to Sunny and I hope you have found the man of your dreams!

 

The above video is again from the crazy adventures of actor Craig Bierko and his beloved rescue dog,Boo.
If this doesn't move you to tears,you just have missed the point. Try looking at the video again and seeing what Craig sees.
 

Okay,that is all for now....a short entry but I just wanted to post something today.....thanks for reading!

Like a good neighbor.....plus a medical update.

Its 10:44 am on a Thursday

      A late morning blog........on a chilly day,just what the doctor has ordered!


Just looking at the days that are now flying by....each day getting us closer to October 2nd when Lori and I will venture forth again to Ann Arbor for a check-up and a PET scan. If this results are what we expect,we'll then be given a date to having the chemo port being taken out and needless to say,that will be a huge hurdle for us both. This will be the best sign yet that the remission is be a lasting one and we can fully move on with our lives. Of course I'll let you all know what the results are and when she will have her surgery.


I wonder if we'll be able to keep it and mount it as a trophy......


Last month in our sub-division,we had our annual meeting. Last year,I attended it for the first time with my neighbors,Al and Larry. Out of 280 homes,maybe 25 people showed up...it was a decent meeting and we voted for new officers and discussed some community events along with HOA fees. We voted to raise the dues from 20 bucks a year to 40.00 in order to pay for a better snowplow service. Which would have been awesome had we HAD a winter last year. The fact is we only had one storm with more the 4 inches of snow all of the whole winter. That means we paid for the service but only used it once.
  But we didn't know that was going to happen based on the past years,right?
This year's meeting rolled up and our HOA treasurer,who fought very hard to get people to pay their dues (the dues are all voluntary) and had gotten 84% of folks to pay the 40.00 instead of the 40% who only paid the 20 year before,had proposed to not plow any streets in which less then 80% percent of the homeowners had paid dues.
   So at this year's HOA,we had about 75-80 people show up and were angry about this idea and overwhelmingly voted it down. Where as last year,the meeting was friendly and neighborly,this one was a far cry from that. People were rude,shouting over each other and hostile. What little community we may have had pretty much vanished that day.
  Al and I were talking about this the other day about what defines a community. I mean,I consider Lori and I to have 5 excellent neighbors,one good neighbor and one deadbeat one. When we go on trips,I feel pretty good knowing that our home will have several eyes on it in case something goes wrong and we do the same for them.
  And I have two examples....Lori's car hood is getting nicked up,pieces of paint are being chipped by our roads. Now before it gets too nasty,I decided to have the hood repainted and start budgeting for it. I started by calling Maaco ,they wanted between 300-1,000 for the job and that was the LOWEST estimate!



I asked Al,our neighbor if he would go with me to the local Maaco shop . He agreed but wanted to look at the car first...he had a nice laugh and told me to quit "worrying". He suggested I get a can of touch up paint and do it myself for 10 bucks. Sound advice and I did just that. That saved us a ton of money.
  The second example is our other neighbor "John". I knew John very slightly until one day I discovered we were co-workers. But just we started to get to know each other,he was suddenly and unexpectedly let go from the job. I won't get into details but lets put it this way,he and his new department head didn't get along.And the kicker,his department head may be on that same slope because John had a key skill his department has yet to replace. I know,mumble jumbo....but the fact remains that John is a great guy with a lot of skills. When he found out my lawn mower was having problems,he offered to fix it,he also told me the best place to get parts so I can get it running again.




One side note,John has a dog name Bruschi (as like the Patriots linebacker) except its a female. The dog is all bark and all love. We all enjoy watching her romp around her yard and "talking"to everyone she meets.
The day I brought my lawn mower to John's house,his dog came out all excited and started biting at the front left wheel. Now what was really funny,is that wheel is completely bald and needs to be replaced come next spring,yet somehow she knew that already. It was pretty amazing.
  But that is what being a good neighbor is about....be it Lori and I noticing Al had accidently left his back door open,to Marlene and her son putting away our garbage cans to just talking among ourselves.
  I wonder where that has gone.....

1:05 pm Saturday

    This has turned into a rolling blog entry....its inching closer and closer to fall time. The weather has been cold and damp the past 3 days. The temps are in the 70s now and sliding into the 60s. My friend Michelle in North Dakota said she had a 28 degree day....so who knows,maybe we'll have a real winter after all.
  Lori has been ill the past 3 days with what she thinks is a urinary tract infection. She has felt miserable and has run a fever. Now normally this is a issue that hopefully with the OTC meds she is taking,it would be contained. But not now....now its a major concern and with our appointment being 10 days away,we're wondering if she shouldn't be seen now. We're going to have to take a "wait and see" stance since our last three primary doctors at Oakwood all have left within a year of our becoming patients.



  Today she says she feels much better but you just never know,especially when you are dealing with cancer.
Every little illness takes on a potential danger because of the earlier illness and you can't help but get nervous.
But I'll keep you updated.

  Well I better get this up and running,I have to get ready for work today. I'm closing at the store tonight,with the weather being sort of "ugish" and Michigan playing Norte Dame tonight,we should be sort of quiet. That won't be such a bad thing...
  And lastly.....good luck to the San Jose State Spartans tonight when they play the San Diego State Aztecs. The Spartans,after losing a 20-17 to 21st ranked Stanford,have bounced back to rout UC Davis,45-13 and Colorado State,40-20. The next two weeks are critical to see if the Spartans can go bowling as they tackle SDSU and Navy before taking on Utah State. When those 3 games and the world is a much brighter place!


Anyone catch the new show on NBC called "Revolution"? I thought it was pretty cool myself but was wondering if anyone else had caught it.



Well....thats all I got for now.....I better post more regularly again.

Of Hope and Tigers.....

Its 10:39 am

      Ahhh.....Fall is making its way into SE Michigan. Went to work on Saturday morning and was pleasantly surprised at how cool the weather was. The funny thing was there was no warning,it was hot and humid the day before and then crisp and cool as Fall should be. And after a very warm spring and summer,I for one,am ready for some chilly weather.
   Been struggling a bit as of late with my sleep pattern again....I need to find a central bedtime and stay with it,been getting up far to often in the middle of the night and that is not supposed to happen with my CPAP machine. I think a walk around the block or a couple times up and down my street is what being called for. I need to tire myself out after work a lot more.
   My feet may have something to say about that but coming home and then flopping down is not wise or healthy and I need to re-establish my sleep habits.

   Last Sunday saw Lori and I make that rare venture to the movie theater. We went and watched "Hope Springs" with Meryl Streep,Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell. On paper,this looked like a winning trio and  a good movie to watch but in fact,it was the cast was let down by a storyline that seemed forced,especially at the end.

And trying to label this as a "comedy" when it fact,it was a real adult drama with some light touches thrown in   is also misleading. As drama and played straight,this might have been a very good film. But Hollywood just can't handle "real life" and has to force to a "happy ending" into these kind of films and thus ruining it. That said,Lori and I both agreed that Steve Carell stole this movie,it was perhaps my favorite of his so far. We all know he can do comedy but as in a serious role,he was even better. After watching him here,I can't wait for "Looking for a Friend..." when it hits on DVD soon..

  While I haven't been updating my reading list,I have been doing a lot of reading as of late....read Mitch Albom's "Have a Little Faith" was pretty great and stayed local by reading Elmore Leonard's "Killshot" was pretty bland and not one of his best efforts. But the book I'm reading now is called "The Tiger" by John Vaillant and its the true story about a small crack Russian anti-poaching team has to track down a killer tiger in Russia's most rugged territory. While I'm only 30 pages into it,Vaillant's description on how a tiger is built and how it attacks...it breathtaking. While the lion may be the king of the jungle,the Amur tiger is king no matter where he is. It sure causes me as a cat owner to take a longer look at my own little cat and how he is really built.  






I am reading this book at my job during my breaks,I was trying to read "A Mighty Heart"which was about murdered journalist Daniel Pearl written by his wife but I just found myself put off by the pure shrillness of her writing. I have read (and written) first person accounts of tragedy and can/do respect Mariane Pearl's loss but her book does her husband a real dis-service in my opinion and I just couldn't finish it at the moment. I put it back on my stack and will revisit it again when the time is right.

 I also read the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy,it was okay....not as good as I expected it to by but that maybe more of case of super high expectations then anything else. While the action is pretty good,the background story is really what I missed most both in the film and book....just HOW did Panem get created and what caused the total reshaping of the United States. Maybe that will be covered in the next two books but it is a major flaw in the first book.
Did anyone else who read this find themselves asking the same questions?



 
    The weight loss battle continues....at our store,they have a yearly contest called the Biggest Loser. You pony up 5 bucks,grab a partner and try and to lose as much weight as you can during a 3 month period. We do weigh-ins every week and your progress is charted. My partner is our store's trainer. We started with 12 teams but due to the fact one person is no longer with the company means we're down to 11. When I first started at my store,I weighed 282....(now we'll see who REALLY is reading this!) In the 5 months since,I have lost 22 pounds. I'm at 260 and am looking to get to get to 250 by 1 Nov. What started as a tactic to see if I had been hired in (I knew if they let me play the game,I was "safe") now has really turned into a real race as my partner and I are in 2nd place with 5 weeks to go....another reason why I have to fix my above mentioned sleep patterns,staying up late increases snacking and that will add up to weight gain..just trying to hang on....if we win,we each get 55.00 bucks and that would be really nice to have in time for Christmas.
Going to publish this now because I want my blog to stand on its own.

Randomness

Its 9:35 am

    Just finished a stretch of 8 days in a row at work. My feet are tired to say the least!

Its overcast here today and the local weather guru is calling for storms later today. We got a little rain from Hurricane Issac yesterday,it barely was enough to water the lawn. I don't know what the hoopla is all about when it comes to hurricanes.....right?





Funny.....somehow I don't quite remember seeing this cloud yesterday......

The summer is winding down here in Michigan,school is back in session,its college football season,its getting darker earlier and hardware/home improvement stores are setting up snow shovels and blowers.
Personally,I can't wait for the chill to hit so that it trigger a visit for some apple cider and freshly made donuts.
 The leaves will drop and I'll be able to enjoy the job of raking them up...which I actually DO enjoy.

I had a birthday since I last wrote....had a great day with Lori as we went down to the Howell outlet mall and shopped for some new shoes for my job. Lori had a gift card from Bath and Body Works plus a coupon of coupons to use,you can get so much more for your dollar at that store when you shop at the outlet. One of the few places you can really see the deep discounts that led to the outlet mall craze back in the day.
  The Howell mall is about 40 miles from our home and it takes about an hour to get there. It was a beautiful sunny day and while there were a lot of back to school shoppers about,it wasn't packed in.



We parked the Rodger and headed in. Finding shoes was the first order of the day and we went into Famous Footwear,this was the best store and had the best prices by far. I scouted out a good pair and asked the salesperson to hold them while we shopped the rest of the mall. I knew we wouldn't find a better price but still....
  We went into the two kitchenware stores,saw zilch and kept moving. The walking of a mall is half the fun,isn't it? The sun was out,it wasn't crowded,we weren't on a schedule...then we landed at



where the greeter at the door was doing her best Katy Perry. Had her weird fashion sense down perfectly. They had a good sale going on and we ended up stocking up on a lot of hand and body soaps....throw in our  coupons and gift card and we got 40.00 worth of items for only 6.00. Well worth it by far....
  Continued the shopping trip.....got a few shirts from Eddie Bauer for the fall/winter. It seemed sort of weird,like we caught a lot store between seasons because the inventory/selection wasn't the best. Still were able to find some nice stuff...


The never ending search for a nice barn coat continues. When I first moved to Michigan back in 1999,I really didn't have a heavy winter coat as the California winters are nothing compared to here. We went shopping for a coat and ended up at the old Livonia Mall when Mervyn's was still around. We found a beautiful heavy barn coat for 55.00 and that jacket is still with me despite Lori starting to hate it about 5 years ago. Its still in great shape and it fits me very well. But I told her,if we can find another jacket like it,I will gladly trade it in". We are still looking for that replacement. But because I have many heavy sweatshirts and that last winter really never happened,I barely wore my old trusted barn coat.




What I am hoping for is that when I do have to break the coat out.....it will be like a new jacket since I barely have worn it the past two years!
  The weather here is still hot and humid and in the 80s...we suspect we are going to get another mild winter so this whole concept of wearing/getting a new coat just may be a moot point.

The new food stamp numbers are out....46.7 million Americans are now using a food stamp card. Wow....and that 10% of Americans went hungry at some point last year. 41% of those who collect food stamps come from households who are actually working a job,the "working poor",so to speak. The rise in the number of folks using food stamps has risen with every president and will continue to mount...it costs about 76 BILLION a year right now.....




And with gas prices being jacked to over 4.00 a gallon BEFORE the winter even starts,you can that the social safety net is going to be set to tear even more so if we actually do have a normal winter. and that isn't even factoring in the expected hike in meat and dairy prices brought about by the severe drought nationwide.
  Its why I'm very grateful to be working....and why I'm haven't had much time to blog as of late. I'm currently in the middle of working 15 out of the next 16 days,just wish I was making much more money. But because we are so used to budgeting,we can get by with much less.
   One of Lori's co-workers went food shopping this past week....she spent 500 dollars on food for a family of 5 for two weeks!! And no,they are not rich,both adults are working full-time jobs and Lori hears her complain about money woes all the time. Her co-worker's mother helps out but the point that you would spend 500 bucks on the most expensive things just boggle the mind? How many of you can afford to drop that kind of cash for a 2 week supply of food?
  I made a coupon book for one of my co-workers,a young man who really is trying to do it the right way. He is a very hard worker and a nice person. I knew he was struggling but didn't offer/say anything until I saw that he had quit smoking. He didn't like the habit and he knew he couldn't afford it. Our company has a quit smoking program that he took advantage of and he has quit. When I saw that,that is when I offered to make him a coupon book. Not only did I do that,but I also started to give him the spare coupons we don't use instead of tossing them in the recycle bin.




I'm not writing this as a ego trip but as reminder at what we can do to help each other out. (and yes,we made Lori's co-worker a binder months ago when she asked us to.) Small gestures can really help us all out and in this day and age,isn't that a lot better then sniping at each other?

For Tiffany's two warriors.

Its 9:10 am

    Up early to jot a few thoughts down before heading off to the eye doctor. I was going to post my interview with Lacye Presley today. She and I had a nice talk via IM but after 40 minutes she had to go. I sent her the rest of my interview questions...she sent them back but I didn't know she was doing a full renovation on her home. The answers were by someone being pulled like taffy so I am going to wait until Lacye has the time to sit,relax and take her time to write back. I feel I owe her that courtesy and I really want to show my readers just how amazing this young lady really is.

   I ended up working last Sunday so I missed the airshow. But what Lori told me,I didn't miss anything. Her store actually has a great viewing spot for folks. About 200 people park in the huge lot and watch the planes every year. But since this year's show only featured prop planes and the only two jets flown were privately flown,the crowds didn't show up. The jets didn't practice during the week as well due to the high cost of fuel so I think that really hurt the attendance this go around. My neighbor didn't go either...

   Got this the other day from Tiffany Hendra,the wonderful lady who created Sanctuary of Style and did a episode of her show about how women with cancer can still rock it with style and helped awareness how hard it is for women to get a good wig.

Hey coolest guy on the planet (ok, besides Aaron.lol) 

I have been mentoring 2- 17 year old girls that are SOS followers and now are practically like family. They live in Ontario. One is battling the system because she was orphaned last year. The other has cancer and just got out of the hospital for 2 months. She was suppose to start chemo on tues but doesn't want to go through it all. Her 19 yr old sister died last year from the same cancer and she watched her go through chemo- the horrible sickness, hair loss, etc. She's asked me for some advice but I don't feel qualified. I can just listen and make her feel love and comfortable. Is there any great sites geared for younger people with cancer. I know you have great blog posts but may be a bit over her head. 

Any guidance or books would be great! Her parents are wonderful and I'm sure they're helping her with resources, but sometimes kids don't want to discuss certain things with their folks.

It's also great to have some knowledge to guide the BFF to understand cancer as well. She lost her mom to a drug OD and has lots of unanswered questions and anger. Seeing her BFF become ill has pushed her over the edge.

Happy Friday xo




Its my first letter asking me for help with someone who is fighting cancer. I have thought about this the past few days. I could have taken the easy way out and Googled some sites but I decided to do this instead...
This is a open letter to Tiffany's two warriors from me to them.



Hello.

  I know you two young people are facing some long odds. One of you is fighting cancer and the other is now without parents. I could sit here and say "it will be okay" and "Keep on going" and other rah rah crap and I know you would zone out. So I am not going to do that...I'm going to be honest with you two.
  You have been dealt some harsh cards. I myself grew up in foster homes because my parents married too young and my birth mother went to jail. Bounced around in a county orphanage and three homes including one where I was molested and abused until I was united with my birth mother. Lucky for me,the last home I was in,I was placed with Lou and Anna Weirton,who I consider my real parents. I was blessed to have gained a moral center with them. Because when I landed with my birth mother,it was like a slow slide into hell. During the eight years I lived with birth mother,I experienced things I never saw I would see....drug abuse,weapons,fights,my mom being beaten bloody. We moved 5 times in 8 years. The last stop was the worst.  While there,I saw the first friend I made die in his uncle's arms are being accidently shot by his 4 year nephew,another friend and I discovered a dead body of a hooker who had overdosed. I saw many of my friends in the neighbor go from playing sports to shooting heroin. I had a good friend who roomed with me tell me I had to leave the area within a year or risk never leaving at all. I was gone 8 months later.....but my friend,who didn't even live but 5 months in my neighborhood,developed a nasty crack habit back when no one knew just how deadly that shit was.
  Tough cards....but not impossible to overcome.
Lived in San Jose for 16 years on my own. Had some missteps there as well....ended up in a hospital ER at the age of 21 because I made a serious run at suicide. Didn't know clinical depression ran in my family so I had to learn to deal with that,still do to this day....one of the reasons I write,it helps me get out my feelings,a journal is a great tool to do that with.
   But some of my best moments were there as well.....I became a talent buyer in clubs. Met some awesome people like my buddies Jimmy,Rees,Monte,Eddie,Fil and Adrian. Had people really believe in me and my  talent for the first time....men who trusted me to help run their businesses....Eddie,Jacek and Kristoff. Kept plugging away.....because you have to. You can never give up...
  Fell in love for the first time in San Jose...but fate had other ideas. Lost my brother when living there as well...killed by friend who had a bought a stolen weapon. But all that did was my bond with my other brother all that more special,had great friends like Chris Esparza and Chris Elliman reach out and made sure I was thought and loved. Do you see a common theme here? For every dark day,there is ALWAYS a tomorrow. It may not seem like it and I can understand how you may think there is no tomorrow but there is.
  Met my soul mate and moved from San Jose in '99. Has life suddenly become a fairytale? Nope....we both have lost jobs when our companies closed doors,my mother-in-law developed Alzheimer's and is slowly dying a little each day. My wife narrowly escaped serious injury when she was rear-ended by a man who was talking on his cellphone.
  You look at these things and wonder "am I jinxed or does God hate me"? But take a good look around,I mean a GOOD look around. Someone is always in a worst place then you....be it the homeless man we helped find his family after 8 years,the journalist who was blown up in Iraq just doing her job,or the medic who helped save that journalist's life being drummed out of the Army just because she chose to love another woman. A young 17 year old man,poised to perhaps gain a college scholarship,breaks his neck playing football and can't fulfill his own dreams.
  Or my wife who had stage 3 ovarian cancer and faced a 35% survival rate. The one thing they have in common is they all believed in themselves and the power of a family,a spouse or complete strangers (like I am to you) to help them overcome some very long odds. To get a chance to live life,no matter what hurdles we face.
  Sort of like I how met Tiffany....through her website Sanctuary of Style. While her message is both fashion and empowering women,she and I connected as well...and when she was asking for ideas for her SoS web series,I shared with her about how hard women cancer patients have with finding cute fashions to wear while having no hair or a wig. Tiffany then created a episode that told folks about just how hard it was for women to get good wigs and little or no fashion tips. She reached out and helped impact not only my wife and I but others as well..making what could have been a sad situation into one that made spirits rise.
  I started writing this blog entry two weeks ago...work and a trip to see said mother-in-law have kept me from running it. I don't know if anything as changed in your lives since Tiffany contacted me...but you two have been in my heart everyday since. I hope you can find the strength to overcome the very dark times in your past lives to make one more real good effort to find the light that is happening now. Every day we wake up and are able to breathe,see our friends and families,to drink coffee,to pet a cat,to pay our cellphone bill....we have to consider it a great day.

Hope this helps.

Planes,chickens and fast food

Its 1:40 pm


    Another hot summer day in SE Michigan. Its been a summer to remember as far as the heat goes,that is for sure. But you can tell by two signs that fall is almost upon us....the political robocalls are increasing and its almost college football time!
   I know,I know.....I always get geeked for the upcoming San Jose State season....until we get our breakfast,lunch,dinner and late night Taco Bell run handed to us in the first game. It takes a little steam out of a fan when his/her favorite school gets drilled by 40 points.
  While I am hopeful that we won't take any beatings like that,I do think SJSU does have a legit shot at winning the last season of the Western Athletic Conference and getting to a bowl game.
  And of course the political fever is now in full effect with Obama and Mittens waging a bitter yet somewhat disconnected battle to become the figurehead of Big Business aka the One Percent. And of course all the local talking heads are only now making their only public appearances begging for votes which is the ONLY time they care what the public has to say. Full of empty promises and lies,ads filling our mail boxes with negative attack pieces....yep,fall is now upon us.

   This weekend is the annual airshow "Thunder Over Michigan". Its a two day show that takes place about 15 miles from our house. The past two years we have had a great show right in our backyard as we have seen several F-18s fly over us.



This year is a little different,the Navy is not flying a program this year,they are allowing a single static F-18 SuperHornet at the show. This year has a more throwback feel to it as it featureS over 20 P-51s,the best fighter of World War II








   I have already seen at least four Mustangs fly over our house,while completely bad ass,it just doesn't quite compare to seeing F-18s blitz across the sky! The show also will feature a couple of B-17s as well.



But the real buzz will center around a pair of jet fighters this as a F-86 Sabre and the only privately owned Sea Harrier (which is still in use by the Marine Corps) will be taking part of the show. Haven't seen either of those jets as of yet but the day is still early...



The F-86




The BAE Sea Harrier




Plus there will be a huge World War II battle reenactment featuring a Panzer battlegroup (including armor) and an American force. Plenty of tanks,tank destroyers and other vehicles will be display for the public. The proceeds help the Yankee Air Museum raise funds to help restore old warbirds. A few years ago,a huge fire destroyed several planes and shut the museum down for a long time. But it has it made a nice comeback and this airshow is very popular. While Lori is working early Sunday,I am hoping my neighbor Al will want to motor out and take in the show....

 
  I was channel surfing the other day and ran across Morgan Spurlock's acclaimed 2004 film "Super Size Me". I had never seen it so I decided to watch it for a while before heading to work. And I was just blown away...at just how horrible McDonald's crap really is. For those who may not have seen it as well the premise is pretty simple: Spurlock eats and drinks nothing but food from McDonald's for a month. He has to eat every item on the menu and if the Mickey D's employee asks him if he wants it super sized,he has to to say yes.
   Morgan started out as a happy go lucky 184 pounder when he started,by the 17th day he was at 203 and was showing serious health issues. I didn't get to finish it but have added this movie to my "bargain bin watch"so I can see how much weight he finally gained.



   Going to have wrap this up....Lori had a port flush today,she is doing very well and we are on track to have a good visit with Dr. Johnston. A clean PT scan will enable us to look forward to get that port removed and get back to doing everything we want to do.
   Just got my answers back for my next "8 Questions with....." interview and I'm pretty damn excited about it...and think you'll be as well.
  What is a Chick-a-Fil anyways? Don't think we have them here in Michigan....not that it matters anyways since we only eat fast food chicken 1-2 a year anyways. But with all the hoopla being driven towards it by the media,you know the company is secretly overjoyed by the coverage as it spark a surge in sales. Chickens may be unhappy but what can you do?
 


And as far as Dan Cathy's opinion goes.....he has every right to voice it,not everything that is said is always agreed on. But we all have to support the right to express it...if you don't agree with his stance,just take your business elsewhere. Staging "kiss-ins" is just so much classless bullshit...and changes nothing. But taking your money to say Popeye's or Kentucky Fried Chicken will catch the stockholder's attention much more then showboating for the TV cameras.


Like to wish Lisa Ann Walter a very Happy Birthday!
Like to send warm vibes to Michelle,Laurel and Candye who are battling some serious health issues and need some good news and prayers to brighten their days.

Alright,that is all I have for today.