Dan is back playing HOCKEY!!

LTNS everyone... just a quick update... My son Dan is attending college at SUNY Albany... now known as UAlbany... along with his studies, he was accepted to the UAlbany roller hockey team and the weekend of 10/23-10/24 went with the team to Glastonbury CT to play a 4 game event with other school teams... They won 2 and lost 2 and I got to watch 3 games... It was great to see him playing again, as he loves roller (and ice) hockey. His Uncle David and Aunt Marilyn were there to watch 1 game too. The pic is an impromptu group shot of the team just before they go on the deck to play... Dan is on the far right... more about this later...

Long Time No See....

Boy, I have really neglected this blog... But it's October now and new events are shaping my life..

About a year and a half ago, one of my many doctors advised me I was "borderline" diabetic. I knew this was coming... My brother has diabetes... I have a few of the signs and symptoms he has, particularly peripheral neuropathy, This is a feeling of numbness and pain in the feet.

I was advised to watch my diet, less carbs...etc. and I have tried... and failed...

Three weeks ago I came down with a heavy case of Bronchitis... Instead of going to my GP, (with whom I am not all that happy) I went to my pulmonologist... He is a great doctor and always takes his time with me when I have an appointment. Well... he examined me and decided the best therapy would be Symbacort Inhaler... and a 16 day regimen of Prednisone, starting at 40mg a day and winding down to 10mg a day at the end. Also, a Z-Pak 5 day anti-biotic. Got through the 5 day anti-biotic, but still had a bad wheeze and cough.. went back to the doc and he re-upped the Prednisone, and gave me a shot of Salumedral (sp) via IV... I was good for a few days... and congestion is breaking up though I still have a wheeze.

I feel fine but still, with the wheeze and cough I'm not 100% recovered. Did I mention I also have COPD? So I'll never really be recovered.

Anyway... Yesterday I did about 3 hours of yard work... mowed the lawn, (with my cute little Weed Eater riding mower) edged and blew away all the debris with my "electric" leaf blower... Lawn looks great. Felt good to do the yard work...

Then Jay and I went to see an attorney of mine for some "legal" advice and then went to dinner with Jed. (Rachel was a her own doctors appointments)

Came home from dinner and realized I was dehydrated,, even though I had been drinking lots of water all day, (I was also passing it almost as fast) . All day, however, my fingers kept cramping up and when we came home from dinner, my calves were cramping as well... I needed some potassium. (I bought two bananas on the way home to eat at work. (remember I work 10pm to 6am five nights a week)

When I got to work my co-workers(paramedics) said I looked pale... I told them about my dehydration and they check my blood sugar level. (WOW... 480...) too high and I'm in keto-acidosis...So they want to start me on an IV to flush out the system, but my blood pressure was 166/88, so no IV... Would put the pressure through the roof...

So I am advised to drink plenty of water...I drank five (5) 20 ounce bottles of water over the shift (8 hrs) and the blood sugar level down to 358... still too high... so this am... I will call the doc and see what we have to do... I'll get back to ya... Have a nice day...

Watch this and laugh...

The Real Reason

I'm alone... not only by choice, but by circumstance. I was going with, what I thought of as my second (maybe third) soul mate. for over 6 years...

We did everything together as our working schedules allowed. Family visits...trips, (including a 4 day Jamaica holiday I won from a radio station) weddings (on my side anyway)

But alas... her daughter was to be married and lo and behold, I was not invited with a lame excuse of her not wanting to subject me to her ex. (she's divorced for many years)

This hurt... a lot... but then I got sick with 2 bouts of diverticulitis... an intestinal problem. My first stay was only (ha only) 6 days in hospital. My second was 11 days... she visited my once during the 6 day stay and twice during the 11 day stay.

I am not the type of person that likes friction, conflict, fighting and rage... I find it hard to find the right words to explain my feelings in many instances and so I found it difficult to tell her just how hurt I was... It got to the point where I stopped calling her as often, we did not do out as often and eventually both of us stopped calling one and other altogether.

Fault... probably mine... for not having the balls to sit down and talk it out. Probably because the harm had been done and could not be undone. I miss her... and the good times we had together. But I believe I am better off to be without someone who was either ashamed of me for some reason (therefore no invite to the wedding) or there is some other embedded reason I am not aware of at this point.

So here I'll stay... alone... missing her... but without. So let it be written....

Tsunami hits Pacific Ocean

On Friday morning, March 11, 2011 (Japan time) an 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of north/eastern Japan produced a very strong Tsunami throughout the Pacific Ocean at a very bad time. While devastation in Japan was enormous, I was worried for a different reason.

My Son, Jay, sails on a tall ship for SEA Semester (Sea Education Association) and was about 500-600 miles south east of Hawaii when the tsunami was to roll through that area. Jay is (2nd Mate) sailing on the Robert C. Seamans... a beautiful white tall ship.
Unbeknown-st to land lubber me, I feared for everyone's safety on board the Seamans...

However, SEA stated (on their site) Even major tsunamis are nearly undetectable to ships at sea. The damage caused by tsunamis results from the energy contained in these waves entering shallow water near a coastline, building into destructive waves and washing inland. During a tsunami, it is safer to be at sea in deep water than in port.

... So I am now somewhat relieved to know my son and his shipmates are safe. Jay is due home after a stint in Hawaii, March 31st... Can't wait to see him again.

All for now... see ya...

Wow..Time Flies..

I've been neglecting posting here... time flies... with my last post back in 2009...

Lots ha happened in that time... working at NPFD continues... I love it there... but things around home are quite regular... lol rather than normal, since my life is anything but normal...

My daughter, Rachel now working at University Hospital @ Stony Brook NY for the past year, working in the Emergency Department as a Nursing Assistant... She loves it and I am so proud of her.

Jay is still sailing around the world... mostly with SEA (Sea Education Association) and is presently in Tahiti. (poor boy) He will sail to Hawaii in late March and then be home for a short while until his next assignment. Jay had his Captains Ticket and I wait for the day her steers his own ship.

Dan has been in Israel (Ashdod) since October 2010 as a volunteer on a 5 month mission to teach English to elementary school children. Dans' sister Rachel, her boyfriend Jed, and I visited Dan in Israel for a week, Jan 14th to the 22nd. What a great trip. If, you'd like to see how that went, visit http://amstersinisrael2011.blofspot.com

Oh BTW... Jed and Rachel became "engaged" while we were in Israel... MAZEL TOV!!.

I'm still on the board of directors at MVAC... but that may change soon... don't know.. seems to be momentum gathering for replacement of many positions within the corps. If a new Chief is elected, the present Chief will take (probably) the position I hold on the board now (past Chief). I'll be off the board unless I am elected to the board as a director, a position I have been nominated for as a just in case measure. All in all, while I like being involved in the board of director activities (i.e. financial responsibility for the corps) I would not be devastated if I did not get back on the board...

I continue my work with my home business of 27 years. Medford Compu-List... and still enjoy getting the jobs done...the money does not hurt either...lol...

I'm organizing my finances, working out a proper budget and dealing with lowering my interest rates with many of my credit cards...

My social life is non-existent since a stopped seeing Liz...I miss her but could not deal with the manner in which I was treated... that's a whole other story. Things will get better...

I realized that all the walking we did in Israel back in January was GOOD for me and allowed for better movement... so I need to get into a proper exercise regimen.

We'll see how that goes... now to go out and clean out my car... Bye