Yesterday was Take your Kids to work day and since my older Son has been to work with me many, many times it was time to take the little guy with me to work.
Overall, I'd have to say he did an excellent job. He helped me with several tasks and he worked hard to learn all of the steps involved in order to accomplish the task.
I was only scheduled a half day yesterday, so at noon, I clocked out and we walked a couple blocks to the new Pizza Hut down the street from my office. For some reason, my mind was set on stun and not kill, and so when I saw they were serving Buffalo Chicken Pizza, for whatever reason I took it to mean BBQ and not spicy.
Guess what??? IT WAS SPICY!!! I DON'T DO SPICY!!!
Since it was so crowded there I decided just to drink a gallon of Moutain Dew to counter-act the melting numbness that was overtaking my mouth with each bite. The pizza tasted good, but whew! Hot! My Son had the Pepperoni, so no prob there.
Afterwards we walked out into the mall and discovered zoo animals, the highway patrol, members of the symphony and several of our sports team's mascots... (Sluggrrrr, KC Wolf, etc...) were there for a city sponsored "TAKE YOUR KIDS TO WORK DAY FESTIVAL."
We visited there for a little bit and then headed towards home.... It was a good day.
David
Friday, April 27, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
At least you weren't in Kansas
Misleading title, but hey, what the heck... Actually I had a pretty good day on the other side of the Missouri State line on Saturday. Went to my Nephew's basketball Tournament and they won...YEA!
Then we went to The Mall of the Great Plains, which sounds just a tad pretentious, but is a really nice mall with some cool stores in it. After that we hit BASS PRO SHOP, which is a scaled down version of the one in Springfield, Missouri...but still interesting. Jared (our little daredevil) was a bit skittish around some of the stuffed animals for some reason...not sure why...
After all that walking, my knee (the one that's falling apart) felt like it was FALLING APART, and still I had to work that night at that Big Book Store with the B&N initials. I did okay even though we were short staffed. Luckily for staff (not so for business) it was kind of slow this weekend. (Nice weather, Royals in town, no big movies till Spidey hits)
Sunday I woke up with a knee that felt like it was busted...(Sorry Pastor Fred...I lied to you when I said we'd see you on Sunday!) Didn't do much of anything except buy Luke a new leash and a dog toy. (He's like a little puppy when he gets a new toy!)
Anyway, I limped around a lot and had a fitful sleep last night. Today I'm still hurting, but not as much as yesterday.
I'm in a good mood today for whatever reason...even though our new computers have been giving me fits at work all day.
Tomorrow we have baseball practice, but to be honest I'd rather be watching the Royals cream the White Sox...(Fingers crossed). I'm jonesing for some baseball since we haven't gotten out to see the Royals even once so far this season... (BASEBALL WITHDRAWL IS SETTING IN!!!)
Oh well....
-Dave
Then we went to The Mall of the Great Plains, which sounds just a tad pretentious, but is a really nice mall with some cool stores in it. After that we hit BASS PRO SHOP, which is a scaled down version of the one in Springfield, Missouri...but still interesting. Jared (our little daredevil) was a bit skittish around some of the stuffed animals for some reason...not sure why...
After all that walking, my knee (the one that's falling apart) felt like it was FALLING APART, and still I had to work that night at that Big Book Store with the B&N initials. I did okay even though we were short staffed. Luckily for staff (not so for business) it was kind of slow this weekend. (Nice weather, Royals in town, no big movies till Spidey hits)
Sunday I woke up with a knee that felt like it was busted...(Sorry Pastor Fred...I lied to you when I said we'd see you on Sunday!) Didn't do much of anything except buy Luke a new leash and a dog toy. (He's like a little puppy when he gets a new toy!)
Anyway, I limped around a lot and had a fitful sleep last night. Today I'm still hurting, but not as much as yesterday.
I'm in a good mood today for whatever reason...even though our new computers have been giving me fits at work all day.
Tomorrow we have baseball practice, but to be honest I'd rather be watching the Royals cream the White Sox...(Fingers crossed). I'm jonesing for some baseball since we haven't gotten out to see the Royals even once so far this season... (BASEBALL WITHDRAWL IS SETTING IN!!!)
Oh well....
-Dave
Thursday, April 19, 2007
And today was...
And today was just another day like all the rest. I had a Migraine...I slept all afternoon. I talked to relatives about relatives who are mad at me about my Grandma post the other day. I emailed relatives who are mad at me about my Grandma post today. And so today was really not that great.
I still have my headache and the bright light from the monitor here is making me type with one eye shut. (those of you with migraines may also be afflicted with the pain being mostly on one side of your head... mine is on the right, so I've got my right eye shut.)
I had a horrible time driving home from work this afternoon because the sun was so bright and sun + headache = bad times! I came home around 3:00 and crashed. Slept till 7:30, watched part of "Thank God you're here" and ate a bite. Then watched "Idol" and was pleased with who got voted off FINALLY! (It was the toothy, talentless kid). Watched "LOST" and was horrified by the violent near death of one of the characters... the ending was a bit daffy too! But still, good telly.
Then I went to bed and tossed and turned for hours and now it's 2:45 AM and I'm still wide awakey, head-achy and blogging... Ah, don't you just envy the life of the man with migraines, family feuds and a cancerous dog? This too can be all yours!
-Dave
I still have my headache and the bright light from the monitor here is making me type with one eye shut. (those of you with migraines may also be afflicted with the pain being mostly on one side of your head... mine is on the right, so I've got my right eye shut.)
I had a horrible time driving home from work this afternoon because the sun was so bright and sun + headache = bad times! I came home around 3:00 and crashed. Slept till 7:30, watched part of "Thank God you're here" and ate a bite. Then watched "Idol" and was pleased with who got voted off FINALLY! (It was the toothy, talentless kid). Watched "LOST" and was horrified by the violent near death of one of the characters... the ending was a bit daffy too! But still, good telly.
Then I went to bed and tossed and turned for hours and now it's 2:45 AM and I'm still wide awakey, head-achy and blogging... Ah, don't you just envy the life of the man with migraines, family feuds and a cancerous dog? This too can be all yours!
-Dave
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The Worst books I've ever read
1. Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. Whoever it was in Hollywood that read this book and thought "Hey, that would make a great movie!" is either a genius or a loon because this book is to literature what "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" is to film.
This book is not just bad...it's horrifically bad! (and in some ways does resemble "Gilligan's Island").
2. Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. The word Classic is generously used in describing this book...however, have you ever met anyone who liked this excrapaganza? Wordy in the extreme with Poetic passages that mean absolutely nothing. As in the case of "Forest Gump," watch the movie!
3. Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut. Ignore the glowing reviews on Amazon.com...by this time in his career, Vonnegut was coasting on the goodwill he gained way back when he was a good writer.
This claptrap about giant Siamese twins (one of whom becomes President) who battle Chinese people who fly around in spaceships that are the size of (and resemble) Fortune Cookies.
Ghastly!!! Oh, and made into an even worse (if that's possible!!!) movie starring Jerry Lewis and Madeline Kahn!!! Avoid at all costs! To think he wrote the classic "Slaughterhouse 5" is unthinkable after you attempt to read this junk.
4. Pinball by Jerzy Kosinski. How the Author of the classic "Being There" could ever stoop to this level is one of the great questions in literary history. All I know is that you should never buy a book based on the fact that the Author has had one or two good books, or that the book is on the best seller list. Some people (like me) were duped into actually buying this!
5. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. I used the 40 page rule on this one...if you aren't into the story by page 40, then get another book! Graphic, disgusting, vile, rude, tacky, repugnant, filthy, dirty, sickening, nasty, nauseating, and on and on and on. If you can make it through this book you're either a hero in my book or a potential serial killer! By far one of the sickest things ever written...and keep in mind after 40 pages I just skimmed the book! UGH! I wanted to take a shower after reading this stuff. Leave this one alone!
-David
This book is not just bad...it's horrifically bad! (and in some ways does resemble "Gilligan's Island").
2. Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. The word Classic is generously used in describing this book...however, have you ever met anyone who liked this excrapaganza? Wordy in the extreme with Poetic passages that mean absolutely nothing. As in the case of "Forest Gump," watch the movie!
3. Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut. Ignore the glowing reviews on Amazon.com...by this time in his career, Vonnegut was coasting on the goodwill he gained way back when he was a good writer.
This claptrap about giant Siamese twins (one of whom becomes President) who battle Chinese people who fly around in spaceships that are the size of (and resemble) Fortune Cookies.
Ghastly!!! Oh, and made into an even worse (if that's possible!!!) movie starring Jerry Lewis and Madeline Kahn!!! Avoid at all costs! To think he wrote the classic "Slaughterhouse 5" is unthinkable after you attempt to read this junk.
4. Pinball by Jerzy Kosinski. How the Author of the classic "Being There" could ever stoop to this level is one of the great questions in literary history. All I know is that you should never buy a book based on the fact that the Author has had one or two good books, or that the book is on the best seller list. Some people (like me) were duped into actually buying this!
5. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. I used the 40 page rule on this one...if you aren't into the story by page 40, then get another book! Graphic, disgusting, vile, rude, tacky, repugnant, filthy, dirty, sickening, nasty, nauseating, and on and on and on. If you can make it through this book you're either a hero in my book or a potential serial killer! By far one of the sickest things ever written...and keep in mind after 40 pages I just skimmed the book! UGH! I wanted to take a shower after reading this stuff. Leave this one alone!
-David
Monday, April 16, 2007
Gosh, what was I thinking...
After writing the blog about my Grandmother being put away, I received a couple of comments that I was only telling one side of the story and that I had my facts wrong...
After talking to a few more people closer to the situation I now have all the facts...
I stand by my comments and opinion that I stated earlier and I think that the truth will come out eventually, once the people involved own up to their actions.
-David
After talking to a few more people closer to the situation I now have all the facts...
I stand by my comments and opinion that I stated earlier and I think that the truth will come out eventually, once the people involved own up to their actions.
-David
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Newsmax poll on Fred Thompson....
1. NewsMax Poll: Americans Want Fred Thompson in ’08
An Internet poll sponsored by NewsMax.com reveals that Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of Fred Thompson running for president in 2008.
Our “Should Fred Thompson Run for President” poll of nearly 100,000 people also disclosed that the former senator from Tennessee and “Law & Order” star would trounce all leading Republican candidates in a primary.
The results are surprising considering that Thompson has not even announced that he would run for the White House next year. But he has begun assembling the core of a campaign team in preparation for a possible run.
NewsMax will provide the results of this poll to major media and share them with radio talk-show hosts across the country.
Here are the poll questions and results:
1) What is your overall opinion of Fred Thompson?
Favorable: 94 percentUnfavorable: 2 percentNo Opinion: 4 percent
2) Is Fred Thompson your candidate for president in 2008?
Yes: 77 percentNo: 23 percent
3) In the following field, who is your 2008 candidate?
John McCain: 1.66 percentCondi Rice: 2.64 percentMike Huckabee: .99 percentMiss Romney: 4.14 percentRudy Giuliani: 7.53 percentFred Thompson: 62.54 percentTom Tancredo: 2.78 percentRon Paul: 1.25 percentNewt Gingrich: 12.25 percentDuncan Hunter: 1.23 percentSam Brownback: .97 percentOther: 1.99 percent
4) In a Republican primary of the following, who would you vote for?
Rudy Giuliani: 7 percentJohn McCain: 2 percentNewt Gingrich: 13 percentFred Thompson: 78 percent
5) If the 2008 President race was between Fred Thompson & Hillary Clinton, who would you vote for?
Fred Thompson: 98.7 percentHillary Clinton: 1.3 percent
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The Saddest News
Word from my Sister Kayla is that tomorrow my Grandma is being put into a nursing home...
Against her will!
Grandma hasn't been in great shape for some time, but with the help of her kids and with the aid of a visiting nurse, she's been getting by pretty well.
Her memory comes and goes, but when she's "on" she's as sharp as a tack, which is pretty good for someone who is 94 years old.
Due to some deceitful, immoral tactics by one or two of my relatives, they'll be packing Grandma away tomorrow to a place where she won't have a phone and will have limited visitors.
She's been saying that she won't be here much longer, and by putting her in a home it will no doubt speed up the process.
Something that Grandma has told me repeatedly is that when she dies, she wants to die at home. I guess it's too much to give a 94 year old woman the one piece of dignity that she deserves.
I'm too much of a Christian to cast doubt on someone's Christian beliefs, but I think that in this case, actions speak louder than words...and for those who made this unfortunate, hateful decision...this is something you'll have to answer to for someone much higher up than me...
I hope you have a good night's sleep knowing what you've done...
David
Against her will!
Grandma hasn't been in great shape for some time, but with the help of her kids and with the aid of a visiting nurse, she's been getting by pretty well.
Her memory comes and goes, but when she's "on" she's as sharp as a tack, which is pretty good for someone who is 94 years old.
Due to some deceitful, immoral tactics by one or two of my relatives, they'll be packing Grandma away tomorrow to a place where she won't have a phone and will have limited visitors.
She's been saying that she won't be here much longer, and by putting her in a home it will no doubt speed up the process.
Something that Grandma has told me repeatedly is that when she dies, she wants to die at home. I guess it's too much to give a 94 year old woman the one piece of dignity that she deserves.
I'm too much of a Christian to cast doubt on someone's Christian beliefs, but I think that in this case, actions speak louder than words...and for those who made this unfortunate, hateful decision...this is something you'll have to answer to for someone much higher up than me...
I hope you have a good night's sleep knowing what you've done...
David
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Words of wisdom from my Nappy Headed Friend
Let the hate mail begin...
Actually, I asked my friend Gail if it was okay if I wrote that before I even wrote it, and you know what? My Snarky, Black friend DARED ME TO WRITE IT!
So, before I get started I want to say how sorry I am for writing that and how sorry I am for writing the following blog...
In fact (Here's the disclaimer) I'm even including a link to Gail's blog http://impoliteconversationwithgail.blogspot.com/
Because she writes a much better blog than I do and she can articulate this case much better than me... (Yes, she is clean and articulate as DEMOCRAT Joe Biden would say...oh, where's the outrage?) And even though she's black, she somehow manages to see through the hype and the Sharptonesque and Jacksonesque sideshow qualities that situations like these often rise to (lower to?).
In most of my friendships I don't see color or race. I don't care if my Mom's boyfriend of many years is black. I don't care if my Sister's best friends in college were black (I miss you Angie and Eddie...my chocolate chicklette, my burned marshmallow!) It doesn't matter that my best friends are Hispanic and German and Black and White, and that my Wife's best friend is from Panama... I don't care that my Son's friends are Hispanic and Chinese... The only important thing about their backgrounds is that I've learned from them because of it.
I've eaten German food and Mexican food that I might not have even tried if it weren't for my friends...I've gone to Mexican weddings and listened to German rock and rap and have discussed (with no hatred or animosity) the differences in our backgrounds! Yes, I have talked about concentration camps with Germans! Yes, I have talked about racism with black people!
OH MY GOSH!!! It's 2007!!! Should this even be a big deal???
No! I'm glad I've done these things and I'm proud that I had parents who didn't look at a person and see their color. I'm glad I have a friend like Gail who is Nappy Headed and Proud of it!
Gail only sees color when she looks in the mirror and she doesn't let the words of some idiot like Don Imus define who she is.
The words Imus said were stupid, but they're only offensive if we allow them to be. The Rutgers team said today that Imus had "stolen their joy..." I'm sorry they feel this way, but if they do feel that way it is only because they let him steal their joy. They should hold their heads high and ignore the words of this moron, who just happens to be white.
(I'm just waiting for some group of Ho's to come out and demand an apology from Imus...that's what this world is coming to...)
I apologize to any Ho reading this... As Hillary Clinton would say "We've come so FAAAAAR" and as Obama would say "We've been here befo..." And as Jesse Jackson reminds us that even he has visited "Hymie Town."
We're all just people, people... we're going to make mistakes and pull an Ann Coulter once in awhile (although maybe not in such a grandious way). There is a difference between Hate Speech and Stupid Speech, and until we learn that there are gonna be a lot of ticked off, offended people on this planet...
Get over it... be above it... Live through it...
-David
-Dave
Actually, I asked my friend Gail if it was okay if I wrote that before I even wrote it, and you know what? My Snarky, Black friend DARED ME TO WRITE IT!
So, before I get started I want to say how sorry I am for writing that and how sorry I am for writing the following blog...
In fact (Here's the disclaimer) I'm even including a link to Gail's blog http://impoliteconversationwithgail.blogspot.com/
Because she writes a much better blog than I do and she can articulate this case much better than me... (Yes, she is clean and articulate as DEMOCRAT Joe Biden would say...oh, where's the outrage?) And even though she's black, she somehow manages to see through the hype and the Sharptonesque and Jacksonesque sideshow qualities that situations like these often rise to (lower to?).
In most of my friendships I don't see color or race. I don't care if my Mom's boyfriend of many years is black. I don't care if my Sister's best friends in college were black (I miss you Angie and Eddie...my chocolate chicklette, my burned marshmallow!) It doesn't matter that my best friends are Hispanic and German and Black and White, and that my Wife's best friend is from Panama... I don't care that my Son's friends are Hispanic and Chinese... The only important thing about their backgrounds is that I've learned from them because of it.
I've eaten German food and Mexican food that I might not have even tried if it weren't for my friends...I've gone to Mexican weddings and listened to German rock and rap and have discussed (with no hatred or animosity) the differences in our backgrounds! Yes, I have talked about concentration camps with Germans! Yes, I have talked about racism with black people!
OH MY GOSH!!! It's 2007!!! Should this even be a big deal???
No! I'm glad I've done these things and I'm proud that I had parents who didn't look at a person and see their color. I'm glad I have a friend like Gail who is Nappy Headed and Proud of it!
Gail only sees color when she looks in the mirror and she doesn't let the words of some idiot like Don Imus define who she is.
The words Imus said were stupid, but they're only offensive if we allow them to be. The Rutgers team said today that Imus had "stolen their joy..." I'm sorry they feel this way, but if they do feel that way it is only because they let him steal their joy. They should hold their heads high and ignore the words of this moron, who just happens to be white.
(I'm just waiting for some group of Ho's to come out and demand an apology from Imus...that's what this world is coming to...)
I apologize to any Ho reading this... As Hillary Clinton would say "We've come so FAAAAAR" and as Obama would say "We've been here befo..." And as Jesse Jackson reminds us that even he has visited "Hymie Town."
We're all just people, people... we're going to make mistakes and pull an Ann Coulter once in awhile (although maybe not in such a grandious way). There is a difference between Hate Speech and Stupid Speech, and until we learn that there are gonna be a lot of ticked off, offended people on this planet...
Get over it... be above it... Live through it...
-David
-Dave
Monday, April 09, 2007
And I swore I'd never buy episodes of Television Shows!
For the longest time I swore I'd never buy TV on Video or DVD because it didn't make sense to pay for something that you can get pretty much for free. Of course, that was in the day before the studios got all hip on me and started adding extras by the boatloads and now you have to search all day just to find the episodes I swore I'd never buy!!!
Here is a list of some of the (NOT ALL THAT MANY, REALLY) TV shows I own on DVD:
1. Green Acres seasons 1 &2 (Hey, you gotta have some classics!)
2. The Ben Stiller Show (Very Funny, very underappreciated...Go Buy a copy!)
3. The Bob Newhart Show seasons 1 & 4 (why did I skip around on the seasons? Cause
season 4 has the classic Thanksgiving episode "Over the river and through the woods.")
4. Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp (Don't knock it till you've watched it!)
5. Friends: The Final Episode (It was only about 3.99 and is well worth it!)
6. Friends: The Best of Friends Vols 1 & 2
7. Friends: The one with all the parties (Hey, Joey gets his head stuck in a turkey...nuff said?)
8. Seinfeld season 4 (The Contest, The Virgin, The Bubble Boy, The Implants...)
9. Night Court season 1 (I had forgotten how funny this show is, plus stars before they got
famous! Right Michael J. Fox?)
10. Footballers Wives seasons 1 & 2 (Trashy yet funny...and guess what? I won them in a
contest which is good, cause if I'd had the money that they'd have cost me I would
have bought seasons 2 & 3 of Bob Newhart!)
Interesting mix of stuff there, huh? So, what's in your collection?
-Dave
Here is a list of some of the (NOT ALL THAT MANY, REALLY) TV shows I own on DVD:
1. Green Acres seasons 1 &2 (Hey, you gotta have some classics!)
2. The Ben Stiller Show (Very Funny, very underappreciated...Go Buy a copy!)
3. The Bob Newhart Show seasons 1 & 4 (why did I skip around on the seasons? Cause
season 4 has the classic Thanksgiving episode "Over the river and through the woods.")
4. Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp (Don't knock it till you've watched it!)
5. Friends: The Final Episode (It was only about 3.99 and is well worth it!)
6. Friends: The Best of Friends Vols 1 & 2
7. Friends: The one with all the parties (Hey, Joey gets his head stuck in a turkey...nuff said?)
8. Seinfeld season 4 (The Contest, The Virgin, The Bubble Boy, The Implants...)
9. Night Court season 1 (I had forgotten how funny this show is, plus stars before they got
famous! Right Michael J. Fox?)
10. Footballers Wives seasons 1 & 2 (Trashy yet funny...and guess what? I won them in a
contest which is good, cause if I'd had the money that they'd have cost me I would
have bought seasons 2 & 3 of Bob Newhart!)
Interesting mix of stuff there, huh? So, what's in your collection?
-Dave
Luke's cancer diary
Luke looking uncomfortable with his "cone" head
This scar is his worst and the tumor removed from here was malignant.
Here you can see the shaved areas on his front and back leg. He also has a spot
on his left front leg as well. 4 Tumors were removed.
Here's Luke complaining about something...
After the first couple of days he snapped back into being his old self, however We know that the cone is bothering him a lot and he runs into everything! The medicine he's on is helping him some.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
A sample of my work today
Working in a Library (and a book store) you never know what titles you might run across on any given day.
The following is a sample of some of the titles that have landed on my desk today:
1. She was nice to mice (a children's book written in 1975 by actress Ally Sheedy)
2. Afrotina and the 3 bears (a variation on the Goldilocks story which follows the plot very
closly until Afro Ike shows up and beats the HuffNPuff out of AfroTina!)
3. Eyeshield #21 (someone liked this Manga so much that there are 21 volumes???!!!)
4. 365 Manners children should know (Mommy, please check that book out for us!)
5. Work Abroad (I didn't think Women liked to be called "Broads" anymore!)
6. My Correct Views on Everything (Great! Now what am I going to call my memoirs?)
7. Hitler (I'm guessing this is not a "fun" read)
8. Between my thighs (a story of a lonely girl and her Harley Davidson... yeah, right!)
9. Dirty Dingus Magee (tell me again what a "dingus" is?)
10. A Game of thrones (otherwise known as "Taco Bell Roulette.")
(PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE ACTUAL TITLES OF BOOKS AND VIDEOS THAT CAME THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT TODAY...GO AHEAD, CHECK AMAZON AND BARNES AND NOBLE...I DON'T CARE!!!)
The following is a sample of some of the titles that have landed on my desk today:
1. She was nice to mice (a children's book written in 1975 by actress Ally Sheedy)
2. Afrotina and the 3 bears (a variation on the Goldilocks story which follows the plot very
closly until Afro Ike shows up and beats the HuffNPuff out of AfroTina!)
3. Eyeshield #21 (someone liked this Manga so much that there are 21 volumes???!!!)
4. 365 Manners children should know (Mommy, please check that book out for us!)
5. Work Abroad (I didn't think Women liked to be called "Broads" anymore!)
6. My Correct Views on Everything (Great! Now what am I going to call my memoirs?)
7. Hitler (I'm guessing this is not a "fun" read)
8. Between my thighs (a story of a lonely girl and her Harley Davidson... yeah, right!)
9. Dirty Dingus Magee (tell me again what a "dingus" is?)
10. A Game of thrones (otherwise known as "Taco Bell Roulette.")
(PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE ACTUAL TITLES OF BOOKS AND VIDEOS THAT CAME THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT TODAY...GO AHEAD, CHECK AMAZON AND BARNES AND NOBLE...I DON'T CARE!!!)
Luke...a cancer story...part #2
This is Luke the morning of April 2nd...just hours before surgery
He looks pretty healthy here, but you can't see the 4 tumors he's going to have removed
"CHEEEEESE"
Totally ignoring the sign....
2 days after this picture was taken we got the news that Luke has terminal cancer
More pictures that should have posted
I'm not sure what my Dad is doing here, but Jared is goofing off as usual...
My Sister Kayla and her oldest Daughter, Jordan
Jared finds a way to crack up Grandma Verda
Jared took this picture of his Grandpa Doyle...not a bad picture!
Dustin, Jared, Dad (Doyle), Verda, Me and Sherry
April 1st, 2007 in Springfield, Missouri
Pictures that should have gone with that last blog entry
Here I am with Grandma Fry who is 94 years young
Jared (age 7) Dustin (age 13) and Grandma
Sherry and Me with Grandma....April 1st, 2007
My Mom (Doris) with Jared and Dustin in Springfield, MO
It was a warm and windy April day in Springfield
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
The ups and downs of life
Saturday March 31st... I wake up with a leg that won't bend...what's up with that? Is it the weather? My bad knee joints??? What??? Anyway, by Noon I've taken two pain killers and put enough Theragesic (sp?) ointment on it so that I smell like a candy cane. The pain is bearable, so I go to work at the bookstore that night.
Sunday April 1st... Still got the hurting knees (but mostly the left one). We get up early and head to Springfield, Missouri (about 3 hours South of here) to see my Grandma. She's 94 and is best described as in a "fading" condition. As we enter the outskirts of the city we see a guy on a tractor talking on his cell phone... Hey, we're not in Kansas City anymore...are we?
We arrive at Grandma's house and as we enter she asks "Who is it?" because she can't see much beyond six to ten feet in front of her. I tell her who it is and she begins to cry saying that she has missed us so much. I nearly cry too.
She does pretty good for about the first half hour, then she asks me what my last name is, and didn't I used to live down the street. She then asks if our youngest Son is our oldest Son's son. I tell her that Dustin is only 13 and that they both are my Sons. She can't get over how big Dustin is and then you can see it click in her mind who they are and who we are and she's okay again for about 15-20 minutes and then I have to remind her who we are and where we're from. Meanwhile my heart is breaking each time she fades away.
My Aunt and Uncle are there and it's good to see them even if they don't get along with my Mom very well. We visit with them and then my older Sister, Kayla arrives with her two Daughters and my Mom and we all visit a bit. We tell Grandma bye and in my heart I feel it is the last time we'll see her. She tells me that we won't be seeing her again and the hurt creeps right back in.
We walk next door to my Mom's and visit with her for awhile. She's doing pretty good for 75, but has breathing problems...(Thank you for smoking, MOM!) She collects EVERYTHING and has a bunch of money and arrowheads that I had as a kid. (Every year Dad would plow the garden and dig up more and more arrowheads...it was great!) So now I have the arrowheads...even the purple one I treasured as a child.
We go to meet my Dad and StepMom at our favorite Chinese place, only to find a sign in the window that says "EFFECTIVE APRIL 1ST WE WILL BE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS." Great...just great.... Did they not know I could almost taste the cashewed chicken???
So we go to "Golden Corral" and I eat way too much and then dread the 3 hour drive back and the distance between public restrooms. The boys are being pretty good and Jared is hoping to stay awake so that when we pass the Llama Ranch just North of Warrensburg he can see the Llamas. It was nice to visit with Dad and Verda...I had missed everyone a lot.
We get back home and start answering voice mails that we got that day...
Monday April 2nd.... Opening day for the Kansas City Royals... the day of Luke's cancer surgery and oh yeah, my 40 somethingth birthday... We have so much going on and Scouts that night, so we don't really even celebrate. Lots of people told me happy b-day, and Luke's surgery goes well, but he still has to stay the night to recover. Mel ( our buddy) brings Possums and Squirrels to Scouts to show...the kids love it... Mel is the best! Oh, and the Royals beat Boston 7-1....Whooo hooo!
Tuesday April 3rd... People are still telling me happy birthday, which is kind of cool. Work is okay and I get a lot done... I get stuck in traffic on the way home which makes us late picking Luke up, who looks and obviously feels, really bad. We have to take Jared to baseball practice, so we take Luke too, and he's really thirsty and wants to walk a lot. He crashes when we get home and is really frustrated with the cone on his head that protects him from biting his stitches.
Sherry and the boys take me to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and it's good, but the place is SO LOUD YOU CAN'T EVEN HAVE A CONVERSATION...
Luke's up a lot overnight and banging into things and yelping and whimpering and barking. I get way too little sleep and discover that if he wants to eat and drink he's going to need smaller bowls. I call in to work and tell them about Luke and that I need to stay home with him, which sounds really stupid, but is totally necessary. You can tell he still feels crappy by the morning...
Weds April 4th... I stay home and then I shop for Luke. I buy him a hotdog at Quik Trip which he gulps down really fast. The Vet calls and says that while they got the tumors during surgery, his cancer is spreading throughout his body and is terminal. This makes me sad, Sherry cries and the boys are unhappy too.
We decide to not chance anymore surgery and will just do our best to keep him happy and comfortable for whatever time he has left... I love that goofy, big dog...
-David
Sunday April 1st... Still got the hurting knees (but mostly the left one). We get up early and head to Springfield, Missouri (about 3 hours South of here) to see my Grandma. She's 94 and is best described as in a "fading" condition. As we enter the outskirts of the city we see a guy on a tractor talking on his cell phone... Hey, we're not in Kansas City anymore...are we?
We arrive at Grandma's house and as we enter she asks "Who is it?" because she can't see much beyond six to ten feet in front of her. I tell her who it is and she begins to cry saying that she has missed us so much. I nearly cry too.
She does pretty good for about the first half hour, then she asks me what my last name is, and didn't I used to live down the street. She then asks if our youngest Son is our oldest Son's son. I tell her that Dustin is only 13 and that they both are my Sons. She can't get over how big Dustin is and then you can see it click in her mind who they are and who we are and she's okay again for about 15-20 minutes and then I have to remind her who we are and where we're from. Meanwhile my heart is breaking each time she fades away.
My Aunt and Uncle are there and it's good to see them even if they don't get along with my Mom very well. We visit with them and then my older Sister, Kayla arrives with her two Daughters and my Mom and we all visit a bit. We tell Grandma bye and in my heart I feel it is the last time we'll see her. She tells me that we won't be seeing her again and the hurt creeps right back in.
We walk next door to my Mom's and visit with her for awhile. She's doing pretty good for 75, but has breathing problems...(Thank you for smoking, MOM!) She collects EVERYTHING and has a bunch of money and arrowheads that I had as a kid. (Every year Dad would plow the garden and dig up more and more arrowheads...it was great!) So now I have the arrowheads...even the purple one I treasured as a child.
We go to meet my Dad and StepMom at our favorite Chinese place, only to find a sign in the window that says "EFFECTIVE APRIL 1ST WE WILL BE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS." Great...just great.... Did they not know I could almost taste the cashewed chicken???
So we go to "Golden Corral" and I eat way too much and then dread the 3 hour drive back and the distance between public restrooms. The boys are being pretty good and Jared is hoping to stay awake so that when we pass the Llama Ranch just North of Warrensburg he can see the Llamas. It was nice to visit with Dad and Verda...I had missed everyone a lot.
We get back home and start answering voice mails that we got that day...
Monday April 2nd.... Opening day for the Kansas City Royals... the day of Luke's cancer surgery and oh yeah, my 40 somethingth birthday... We have so much going on and Scouts that night, so we don't really even celebrate. Lots of people told me happy b-day, and Luke's surgery goes well, but he still has to stay the night to recover. Mel ( our buddy) brings Possums and Squirrels to Scouts to show...the kids love it... Mel is the best! Oh, and the Royals beat Boston 7-1....Whooo hooo!
Tuesday April 3rd... People are still telling me happy birthday, which is kind of cool. Work is okay and I get a lot done... I get stuck in traffic on the way home which makes us late picking Luke up, who looks and obviously feels, really bad. We have to take Jared to baseball practice, so we take Luke too, and he's really thirsty and wants to walk a lot. He crashes when we get home and is really frustrated with the cone on his head that protects him from biting his stitches.
Sherry and the boys take me to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and it's good, but the place is SO LOUD YOU CAN'T EVEN HAVE A CONVERSATION...
Luke's up a lot overnight and banging into things and yelping and whimpering and barking. I get way too little sleep and discover that if he wants to eat and drink he's going to need smaller bowls. I call in to work and tell them about Luke and that I need to stay home with him, which sounds really stupid, but is totally necessary. You can tell he still feels crappy by the morning...
Weds April 4th... I stay home and then I shop for Luke. I buy him a hotdog at Quik Trip which he gulps down really fast. The Vet calls and says that while they got the tumors during surgery, his cancer is spreading throughout his body and is terminal. This makes me sad, Sherry cries and the boys are unhappy too.
We decide to not chance anymore surgery and will just do our best to keep him happy and comfortable for whatever time he has left... I love that goofy, big dog...
-David
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