Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I am going to use my micro-cassette recorder and it will go ahead and take the place of my words into the microphone going into the computer. It will play from the tape into the computer so I’m going to give it a try and see how things go.
I think I slept very good last night. I got to bed at about 2 a.m. and I woke up this morning at about 10 minutes to 8:00 and I had not moved positions during the night, so I think that's the clear indication of solid sleep and rest as well. There was something cool in the morning when I was getting my snack ready to go for Tuesday morning's PT appointment; Annie had come in and sat down right at the edge of the kitchen and was watching me, so I stopped what I was doing and I leaned down next to her at which point she turned her head away, like she normally does; looking a way but trying to see you with her eyes without turning her head. As she did this, I just said “Kiss?” At which point, she looked back over to me and gave me three or four licks on my forehead and one on my nose. It was directly on cue/command and was very, very cool. It’s been something that I have been working on with her, on a here and there basis; nothing with any real concerted effort, so to speak. It kind of made my morning. She is so loving to her family.
The vacuum that we have been using for the past several years, finally gave up and died so I did some research on the Internet looking for a vacuum that would be the best fit for us. We decided on buying a Bissell vacuum, which has specific design to pick up pet hair and dust/dander. Complete with attachments, it is designed to clean up on carpet as well as hardwood floors and stairs. I was able to use it Monday morning and did a fairly good job of getting all the carpets in the house, but while I vacuumed, I took my time and went slowly; I didn't rush them. I think there's some place to be happy for that it. It always amazes me when you use a bagless/vertical canister vacuum, to watch how much it does and how much dust/dirt it actually pulls up from in the carpet, not just on the carpet. You don't see it when it's in the limits of a vacuum bag, but when you have a vacuum that's got a clear container on the front, it is just incredible how much the old vacuumed would leave behind. That all being said, I feel much better now being able to (possibly) regularly clean up around the house; it will be a very good thing.
As for how Tuesday finished out, I had a good trip to the physical therapist that morning and everything went very well there. Mark shared with me that he felt that my muscles are in the best shape that they have been in several months, so that's very, very good news, and he's also thinking that, if I can maintain this level of muscular strength, I can begin to get back on the weight machines in the next couple weeks perhaps. I CANNOT wait to start getting rid of this weight.
After coming back home, I began working around the house getting small things done and going after small accomplishments. I was able to get the last of the shredding done in the garage that needed to be finished and we were able to specifically locate the files that CC wanted to keep and move them into a location in the garage where they can sit for the time being until we find a permanent place for them. Unfortunately, I chose to lift the boxes and move them into place by myself and as I carried the boxes, I was very aware that I had made an error in judgment; my back hurt very badly as I began to put the boxes down, and in no time at all I was having difficulty breathing and standing (the muscles in my chest and around the ribs began constricting and tensing without release) so I walked myself into the house and into the living room so that I could sit down in the lazy boy chair. CC came in and saw what was going on and then got the necessary medications and by the time she brought them back to me, I was in full attack mode again and that took place a little before five o'clock p.m. After the attack was done, around nine o'clock, she woke me up to get me up into bed. I was able to get myself standing and then Missy helped me walk up the stairs and helped me get into bed. I don't believe that the issues I had with my back Tuesday afternoon/evening, as well as the attack, had anything to do with my physical therapy appointment that morning; I think that it only had to do with the stupid choice of lifting boxes that were heavier than I should have lifted. Theoretically, lesson learned.
Tuesday night was the third night in a row that I have slept solid and in one place, not moving at all, all night. When I woke up Tuesday morning just before 7:00 a.m., I realized that my body had not moved in the past seven hours of sleep…actually, being that I slept until 7:00, then I actually slept eight hours, not seven, like I had thought. That's good to know, and it's good for me to have the solid sleep. It is not good to not move because I’m typically in pain when I wake up from not having moved during the night. Those mornings tend to be slow going…
Temperatures today were supposed to get up into the stupid numbers as are temperatures tomorrow; in particular, Thursday is supposed to get up into the high stupid numbers. I think that we were looking at a high today about 105 degrees (which we got) and I believe that we are looking at a high tomorrow, of 110 – 112 degrees. This Friday is supposed to be less than today was and tomorrow, so we are considering trying to go to the state fair on Friday afternoon and evening; picking up the kids after school and just heading straight to the fair. Having the motorized chair now is going to allow me incredible freedom to be at the park. Hopefully, if I need recharging while we are there, I just have to find an outlet in the shade where I can sit in the chair for an hour or so and the rest and let the chair rest as well and get recharged, somewhat.
Jared, if you're reading this, please know that I had intended to send you off an e-mail a few days ago, but obviously, other things got in the way and I got sidetracked, thus nothing was sent. However, I did write an e-mail to you and I think that it's saved down on the other computer downstairs, so when I get downstairs tomorrow I will look it up and send it off to you. I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you and really appreciated your email from he other day. I especially enjoyed looking at your wedding pictures, although after looking at them, it increased my sorrow for having had to miss that wonderful, wonderful occasion. So, look for an e-mail before too very long.
Neil, I just read your e-mail this morning and I so appreciate your taking the time to write out what's been going on for you there. Wonderful congrats on the new guitar! No one will appreciate like you will; that’s because you’re you…profound, huh? I can't believe that when it is so stinking hot here, that it is wintertime for you over there. It would be awesome if it will work out to see Bobby in November, so let's make sure that we are in contact at that time comes around so that we could make connections. We love and miss you guys terribly.
I did want to report as well that, in my chair, I often go with CC and the kids when they take Annie for a walk around the block. It's worth noting that the block is actually a about five or six blocks in actual length; we walk around our circle loop, which is a large loop it takes is about 10 minutes to get all the way around. Anyway, when I am with them, I will often walk Annie while I’m in the chair. It’s very cool. We bought a shoulder harness for her and I am able to hold onto the shoulder harness with my left hand and drive with my right hand, all the while, she runs right beside the chair on my left hand side and stays right with me. When I stop, she stops and often sits. I strive try to keep the pace at a fast walk for her so that she's getting some exercise as well when we go around. We are at the place now where the kids can walk her and she obeys them nearly as well as she obeys CC.
While I was shredding documents the other day, I came across a folder that had all of my old trucks information in it and some of those documents were pertaining, specifically, to my Ford Bronco II truck that I had bought from Theodore Robbins Ford in Costa Mesa or Huntington Beach…I can't remember which city it was/is in. Anyway, that fiasco of buying the truck is worthy of note, though I don't think history will repeat itself in our case and hopefully what happened to us would not happen with anybody else now that we have so many laws and things in place for car dealerships to abide by.
I believe that it was back in 1988, when I decided it was time for me to buy a truck to replace my then dead truck. CC went with me (though we weren't married yet), and we went down to see the dealership, look at their used cars and see if we could find a vehicle that would work for me. We ended up driving a red Bronco II and I really enjoyed it; we really liked how it ran and the actual space in the vehicle in particular; it allowed me to be able to transport my guitars and amplifiers in one trip, which up to that point in time was not feasible. So, we test drove the vehicle, liked it, and then went inside to sign the paperwork, and after getting all the paperwork signed and taken care of, he handed me a set of keys and told me that they had just washed the vehicle while we were inside doing the paperwork and that we could pick it up outside the front doors. So we went outside, and sure enough, the truck looked cleaner than it did when we had just driven it and I noted though, when I got into the truck, that I thought the interior looked a little bit different from how it looked while we test drove it, but I was figuring that I had just not been paying close attention to the interior as much as to the driving. Then leaving the parking lot and driving down the street, away from the dealership, I was noticing that the truck was sluggish and “coughing”, if you will; not being able to really maintain the speed like it did during the test drive; I was very confused. So, the following morning we went back and I was very surprised to see a red Bronco parked in the same location that it had been the night before. And yet, here I was driving a red Bronco... and it was then that I realized that I had test driven one vehicle and that they had switched vehicles and VIN numbers when it came time to do the paperwork, so that I actually drove away with a vehicle that I had not test driven at all. When I went back inside and told him that the truck was having issues, I also confronted them on what was up with there being the other bronco to out there and the guy behind the desk, the salesman that I bought the truck from, actually looked me straight in the face and said, “Everybody, at one point in time or another, buys a lemon, and you just did to, and there's nothing you can do about it; that's how it goes.” To say I was shocked, is a complete understatement. I felt stupid, infuriated, and betrayed, plus, in order for me to be able to actually have a vehicle to drive, I needed to have this one fixed. They agreed to fix it under the warranty that I had purchased, which meant, I needed to take the truck to the service area and pay the deductible to have the truck worked on. So, that's what I did. All in all, I had to have the heads replaced, gaskets replaced, drive shaft replaced, all of which were cracked and or damaged at the time of purchase. To drive it home a week later, I was out of pocket $250 in cash, thanks to the deductible that I had to pay to have the truck repaired. Needless to say, that occasion, that moment in time, has completely jaded me from ever wanting to buy a vehicle from a dealership. I know that there are good dealerships out there (I don't know where they are, but I know that there are good ones out there…somewhere) and I know that I should be able to trust them. My problem is that on my very first purchase, my very first time of buying a vehicle on my own without my parents with me, I felt that I failed miserably and that I was gullible enough to get tricked into buying a lemon; I was too embarrassed to tell anyone about it at the time, so I just sucked it up and dealt with it on my own..., well, CC and I on our own, I guess. I might have told my parents, but I can’t remember now if I did or not at the time. It was kind of crazy to find that paperwork and then have those feelings come surging back up and realize that it's been great to not remember all that. But now that I do remember it, it's better to go ahead and write it down and get it out of my head, so I don't have to keep it as a memory that I can refer to it. If I ever want to read about it, I can now, by going back into the blog and reading. This way I don't have to remember it anymore. Done.
Eli wrote a song that, the moment I heard it live (it was the first time I’d ever heard Eli) I was convicted and struck at his level of honesty and perspective. Before I go on more on Eli, here are the lyrics to that song I just listened to on my Axim with headphones:
“Unqualified”
-lyrics and music: eLi
Every night I stand before you
And please know that I'm so glad you came
Who am I that you should treat me like a hero?
I am no Superman but just another face
If I had it to do over
I can't say I wouldn't do the same
Cuz thru it all I've learned about my God's forgiveness
Well I rejoice cuz I can turn to Him and say
I have stolen, cheated, I have lied
I am prideful and unqualified
I am broken when I realize
It's God's grace, God's grace
That covers me
Every night I stand before you
And please know that I'm so glad you came
Who am I that you should treat me like a hero?
I am no Superman but just another face
I have stolen, cheated, I have lied
I am prideful and unqualified
I am broken when I realize
It's God's grace, God's grace
That covers me (x3)
I was planning on following this current train of thought, by sharing what I just loaded into my Axim (musically/MP3-wise) and was listening to, however, I missed that creative window and now I think I will just leave the lyrical focus on a song written by eLi, someone I could/can call my friend. Do you know of any other Christian artists who have written lyrics similar or the same as these? I haven’t. I don’t think most want to dwell on their own realities of mortality and Adamic nature, I think they want to direct our thoughts toward someone instead of opening such an intimate part of who they have been, which to me would make them someone I want to listen to because I know they can identify with me and my failings. Nearly all Christian artists choose to shine the light away from themselves so that we don’t see their past, while secular artists wear their past as a lyrical badge of tarnished honor or, possibly better said, dis-honor. People listen to the secular artists because they can identify with them…go figure. Perhaps, as Christians, we are missing the boat by only allowing people to focus on our/their future and discounting their pasts. They might listen more if they knew how much alike we often are. I don’t know…maybe I’m just tired. What am I saying?...I AM tired.
Hmmm, it’s now 11:56 pm and I had started this much earlier but was not able to get back to it until a little bit ago. I have proofed it as much as I can so know that there might be some word or punctuation mistakes due to the software not deciphering my words correctly and/or due to me being very tired and my eyes having a difficult time remaining open. Oh well.
Oh yes, tomorrow I plan to have lunch here at my house with
Done.
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