I arrived home this afternoon and I'm really happy to be here. Oklahoma is so different from here, and from the people to the topography, it is nothing like home. When I left, Howard County was picking up the pieces after the Mall shooting. Being away took away some of the sting. I read through a number of local blogs to catch up and saw how much the community is still grieving.
I did not grow up in Howard County. I'm a Prince George's County boy, born and bred. My parents moved to Riverdale shortly after I was born, but needed a bigger house not too long after when my sister was born. So we moved to Upper Marlboro when I was 4. We settled into the community and lived there for the next 20 years. It was a great place to grow up. I'm sure Howard County was much like it. I loved my childhood. I had great friends, great schools, and a great neighborhood.
As I've documented here, my grandparents were killed in a car accident in 1987, and their deaths had a dramatic affect on my family. My mother really struggled with losing her parents. She needed a change. A major life change. She and Dad decided to begin looking at new homes. I was a (commuter) student at the University of Maryland in College Park, and even though I was still living at home, I was in favor of the move. My sister and brother weren't quite as enthusiastic, especially since it would result in them leaving the only home they had ever known (or could remember), and all of their friends. Mom & Dad targeted southern Howard County. The Scaggsville area reminded us of the community we would be leaving in Upper Marlboro, which was a cross of suburban and rural and cozy. They found a neighborhood just off of Rt. 216 just west of I-95, and began having a house built.
Over the next several months, my parents would make trips out to Scaggsville to see how the house was coming along. I made several trips, myself, since I could get there more quickly after classes at Maryland. At one point, though, shortly after the foundation was poured, we noticed how steep the backyard was. This was a problem. Fill dirt had caused it to be practically unusable. My father was livid, and complained to the builder. The builder assured us that they could level it off so it wouldn't be as steep. Soon, though, it became obvious that nothing could be done about it, and my parents again went to the builder and issued an ultimatum: fix the backyard, or the deal was off. The builder had not been truthful from the beginning, and they finally admitted it. The deal was off, and we did not move. It was a tough situation to deal with. We had all reached the point where we were either happy with the move, or had accepted it, and now it wasn't happening. Four years later, my parents did move, this time to Bowie, MD.
I met and married Teresa in 1999. She was a teacher... in Howard County. She taught Freshman English and a public speaking elective, and was a very popular teacher at Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City. A few years after we married, we bought our first house, also in Howard County. Ironically, it was only a few miles away from the neighborhood where my parents almost bought their house. When Reservoir High School was constructed, Teresa was one of the first teachers recruited to teach there. The fact that it was right down the street was perfect. It was a tough move for her, but she was excited to be a part of starting something new. The school opened in the Fall of 2002.
We loved living in Howard County. Teresa wanted her children to go to Howard County schools, which she believed were the best in the state. I had always like Howard County, and since I had almost become a resident back in 1988, it was nice to finally finish that process and settle here. Teresa stopped working after our daughter, Melody, was born in 2003. Unfortunately, Teresa died of a massive heart attack on April 17, 2004, while we were all walking around outside Reservoir on a particularly warm Spring evening.
The community rallied behind us. Mt. Hebron staff brought diapers and food, and Reservoir started a memorial fund which eventually became a scholarship in Teresa's name, and would be offered to one student each year that best exemplified what Teresa's definition of a well-rounded student should be. Grace Community Church, aptly named, hosted her memorial service. Grace would build a new church building just a few years later in the same area as the school. We had started attending Grace in the Summer of 2003 based on the reputation the church had in the community. Teresa, as a high school teacher, could see the affect Grace had on the students who attended and were active in the youth program there. Teresa, armed with that information, was convinced Grace would be a great place for us to worship, and so it was. I consider us so fortunate to have a church community like Grace's for my daughter to be a part of.
I've now lived here in Howard County for almost 13 years, and it's very likely I will surpass the 24 years I lived in Prince George's County. There's a sense of pride that has developed in me since moving to Howard, and I'm happy to call it home. It's my community. It's my daughter's community. And when tragedies occur in our community, it hurts. So we look forward to being a part of the healing process that our community will go through and overcome. This is home. And we love our home.
Have a great evening, everyone.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Reflections Of A Family Christmas
While I'm stuck in OK City, I found myself looking through a bunch of old pics on my iPhone. They're not really old... A few weeks seems like old given the number of pictures I take, which is really easy with a cell phone. Anyway, the pics are of Christmas with my family, and I'm already amazed by how many things I received and already forgotten. That's pretty sad, really, but it was a nice reminder of a few things I can look forward to getting out of boxes when I get home! Enjoy...and Merry Christmas!
My new favorite mug!
A Griswold Family Christmas
Yes, we're really going!
Dad? Yo, Dad!?! Hello???
My brother, The Steel Chef
My daughter and my sister
Mom
Melody and a LOT of really big gifts
A two-headed hat?!?
Sunday, January 26, 2014
OK City Again...
I'm suffering from separation anxiety. I had to say goodbye to my daughter last night and I flew to Oklahoma City this morning. This is a quarterly business trip that I have to take, and I dislike it a great deal. I think I've made about 24 trips to OKC in the past five years, but I stopped counting at 10.
My daughter has a normal week of school, and she seems to handle these getaways better than I do. We're fortunate to have so much family in the area, so I'll have a house-sitter and baby-sitter while I'm away, and she won't miss a beat.
My daughter has a normal week of school, and she seems to handle these getaways better than I do. We're fortunate to have so much family in the area, so I'll have a house-sitter and baby-sitter while I'm away, and she won't miss a beat.
I, on the other hand...well, I don't take well to these trips. I hate being away from home against my wishes, and I really hate being away from my daughter. But it's necessary and required due to this job of mine.
So I'm in OK City all week, and regular posts will be kind of disrupted until I get home.
Hope everyone has a great evening. Hug your loved ones. You can't do it enough!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Shooting Leaves Me With A Loss For Words
Today's events have left me with a loss for words. The shooting at the Mall in Columbia was a sad, disappointing, and terrible thing, and the fact that it has happened in our community has hit hard. This is my home, and I'm tired of it being harmed by those who don't seem to care. There is no place for this kind of violence, here or anywhere else. It's a sad trend, as there have been so many shootings like this one throughout our country.
I'll be praying this evening for peace, understanding, and and end to this kind of violence. I'm praying for the families of those who lost loved ones today in the shooting. I'm praying for the safety of our young people in this community. I'm praying for the continued protection of our police and security people, and I'm thankful that they are here to help and protect the community. And I'm praying for God's continued presence in our lives, as He is still in charge.
Rest easy this evening, Howard County. May you look to Him for comfort.
I'll be praying this evening for peace, understanding, and and end to this kind of violence. I'm praying for the families of those who lost loved ones today in the shooting. I'm praying for the safety of our young people in this community. I'm praying for the continued protection of our police and security people, and I'm thankful that they are here to help and protect the community. And I'm praying for God's continued presence in our lives, as He is still in charge.
Rest easy this evening, Howard County. May you look to Him for comfort.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Girlfriends of Widowers
I was reading a blog this evening from a man who experienced the death of his wife, and was on the healing road and in a new relationship. The blog entry centered on the "hostility" (in quotes because I don't think it's intentional hostility) that seems to exist from those women who decide to date and/or marry a widower (known colloquially as WOWs or GOWs -- Wives or Girlfriends of Widowers). If you care to read the blog, here is the link. I find the subject fascinating, since I am a widower, especially as I am trying to make that step from grieving husband to new relationship. For me, it will be ten years in April since Teresa died suddenly due to a massive heart attack. I've shared the story here on my own blog several times, which you can read all about here.
I hadn't realized just how difficult it might be for a woman to date me. The "baggage" I've accumulated as a result of being married before is one thing, but to include the years of grief, the years of depression, a young daughter, a family of in-laws, and still living in the same house my wife and I purchased over 12 years ago, all of it must be completely overwhelming to someone who I just met and might like to date me. How does one deal with all of that? Is it fair for me to bring all of this to the table of a potential relationship?
That's where this "hostility" comes from. The widower may find it difficult to to get past much of this stuff, or even if they do, or think they do, there's still the GOW who has to confront this same stuff and decide whether it's worth it to enter into a potential relationship with the widower. There's a competition that exists, whether the widower sees it or not, between the GOW and the dead wife. If the widower has any unresolved feelings for the dead wife, that's going to be an issue for the GOW. Even pictures, or personal belongings that may be in the widower's home that belonged to the dead wife, are going to be issues. The widower may not think anything of them, but I guarantee the GOW will.
I dated a wonderful young lady a few years ago. The relationship was quite serious, and we were discussing marriage. There are a number of factors involved in why the relationship didn't work out, in particular the fact she lived in Oklahoma and I lived here in Maryland, but early on, she had a very hard time with the fact that I had pictures of my dead wife still sitting out. We had already started "pre-marriage" counseling, and the subject came up during one of our sessions. I reasoned that the pictures were there for my daughter's benefit, not mine. I believed it was important that my daughter know and be reminded of who her mother was. The girlfriend said she understood, but she didn't like it. She asked me to "sanitize" the house by getting rid of anything that had either belonged to my wife, or reminded us of her. In fact, we planned to move to a new house upon getting married. In addition, she wanted me to begin making lifestyle changes, such as changing churches, before we got married. This was especially hard, since my daughter and I were fairly involved in our church. I dragged my feet, and she got angry. I figured it would better to just wait until she moved here and we could find a church together. She disagreed, and it came up that she didn't like that we went to a church that my wife and I attended together, and she wanted me to immediately look for a different church for us to attend. I just didn't understand why this was so important to her. I still don't. I mean, I do, but it just seemed like she was being insensitive. My attending our church had more to do with me and my daughter, not with my dead wife. But she wanted our relationship to be all about us, including where we attended church, and that meant eliminating everything having a connection to my wife.
I now realize that this is one of those things that WOWs and GOWs struggle with. It may not have anything to do with me, the widower, but the GOW is going to want to feel special. These changes are going to be important, and communication is going to have to be there. It's going to be hard for me, as a widower, to shut off that part of my life. And it will be hard.
I hope I will be able to find someone understanding of my previous life, just as I hope that I will be able to make that someone understand that they are special and our relationship is unique to us. It's something I pray about regularly. I believe God will help make the relationship work, if it's meant to be.
There is much more I can write about this subject, but I'm going to stop here. Stay tuned.
Have a great evening, everyone!
I hadn't realized just how difficult it might be for a woman to date me. The "baggage" I've accumulated as a result of being married before is one thing, but to include the years of grief, the years of depression, a young daughter, a family of in-laws, and still living in the same house my wife and I purchased over 12 years ago, all of it must be completely overwhelming to someone who I just met and might like to date me. How does one deal with all of that? Is it fair for me to bring all of this to the table of a potential relationship?
That's where this "hostility" comes from. The widower may find it difficult to to get past much of this stuff, or even if they do, or think they do, there's still the GOW who has to confront this same stuff and decide whether it's worth it to enter into a potential relationship with the widower. There's a competition that exists, whether the widower sees it or not, between the GOW and the dead wife. If the widower has any unresolved feelings for the dead wife, that's going to be an issue for the GOW. Even pictures, or personal belongings that may be in the widower's home that belonged to the dead wife, are going to be issues. The widower may not think anything of them, but I guarantee the GOW will.
I dated a wonderful young lady a few years ago. The relationship was quite serious, and we were discussing marriage. There are a number of factors involved in why the relationship didn't work out, in particular the fact she lived in Oklahoma and I lived here in Maryland, but early on, she had a very hard time with the fact that I had pictures of my dead wife still sitting out. We had already started "pre-marriage" counseling, and the subject came up during one of our sessions. I reasoned that the pictures were there for my daughter's benefit, not mine. I believed it was important that my daughter know and be reminded of who her mother was. The girlfriend said she understood, but she didn't like it. She asked me to "sanitize" the house by getting rid of anything that had either belonged to my wife, or reminded us of her. In fact, we planned to move to a new house upon getting married. In addition, she wanted me to begin making lifestyle changes, such as changing churches, before we got married. This was especially hard, since my daughter and I were fairly involved in our church. I dragged my feet, and she got angry. I figured it would better to just wait until she moved here and we could find a church together. She disagreed, and it came up that she didn't like that we went to a church that my wife and I attended together, and she wanted me to immediately look for a different church for us to attend. I just didn't understand why this was so important to her. I still don't. I mean, I do, but it just seemed like she was being insensitive. My attending our church had more to do with me and my daughter, not with my dead wife. But she wanted our relationship to be all about us, including where we attended church, and that meant eliminating everything having a connection to my wife.
I now realize that this is one of those things that WOWs and GOWs struggle with. It may not have anything to do with me, the widower, but the GOW is going to want to feel special. These changes are going to be important, and communication is going to have to be there. It's going to be hard for me, as a widower, to shut off that part of my life. And it will be hard.
I hope I will be able to find someone understanding of my previous life, just as I hope that I will be able to make that someone understand that they are special and our relationship is unique to us. It's something I pray about regularly. I believe God will help make the relationship work, if it's meant to be.
There is much more I can write about this subject, but I'm going to stop here. Stay tuned.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Survey, Dating, Scout, and Stress...Just Another Day
If you read yesterday's blog, I posted a survey. It was really meant to be an attempt at being funny, but I'm not sure just how funny it really was. I admit to being very tired as I typed it out, and it may have been a poor attempt at humor. Thank you for indulging me, and for those that took the time to take the survey and answer the questions, thank you. The information you provided will go a long way towards helping me figure out who is reading this blog and why.
Nothing new to report on the dating front. I'm still waiting for that one woman to jump out of the pack and make an impression on me, or for any I've contacted to write back, or...well, something. I go through this every six months or so, and it becomes the same game each time. I lose more and more of my nerve to date when I got through this. It's disappointing in some ways, and it does affect my own confidence in myself, to some degree, to the point that I become too intimidated to contact some of these women who really seem to know what they want, to the exclusion of anyone else. I understand that they probably get flooded with unwanted attention from guys who absolutely do not meet their criteria, but sometimes they scare away guys who may come close, but due to the way the write their profile, I'm not sure I'd even want to try.
I went on a date a few years ago with a girl on a dating site where the young lady went on a rant about how every guy she went out with ended up not being her type. I looked over her profile and she had set no criteria for the type of guy she wanted to date. It was, pretty much, if you've got a pulse and hair, you're good to go. But that wasn't good enough for her once she got you out on a date. She never told me that I didn't fit her criteria, but I didn't go on a second date with her.
It's true that you need to really specify what kind of person you're looking for on these sites. It makes finding someone a bit easier. But there are still those people who truly believe they fit that criteria when they don't, and test the water anyway. So I guess it's okay to be picky in your profile write ups. And then, if you get past the "bouncer" at the door, maybe you'll really make a connection.
And maybe I'll win the next PowerBall lottery without buying a ticket.
Faithful Pup Scout returned home this morning after almost a week with my parents. I really missed her. I don't like to admit that to loudly. Scout is a cute little 10-pound white ball of fur of Maltese pup, and she is hardly the epitome of a manly dog. I always tell people she's my wife's dog, which is true. Teresa wanted a Maltese after meeting my Aunt's two Maltese pups before we got married, and after we bought our first home, we brought Scout home. Teresa died a little over two years later, and Scout became MY dog. And she loves me, just as much as I love her. She's a comfort to me. She's getting up there in age, and she's having her issues. She doesn't get around very well, and she sleeps most of the time. But she has her routines and she definitely is happier here at home than when she's elsewhere. Though she is content to be at my parent's, she tends to mope and act sad when she's with them. Then she goes nuts when she sees me after we've been apart for awhile. She was noticeably happy to be home today. And I was happy to have her.
I used to enjoy my Fridays at work, but tomorrow is just another in a string of stressful week ending days at the office. I don't like to go into details about my job here on the blog, but I will say that my level of responsibility has greatly increased in recent days, and some of the issues I'm dealing with have taken me way out of my comfort zone. That said, tomorrow I have to lead a large group of employees through a planning session that I have very little knowledge about, and I will be put on the spot. That's never easy, and being the introvert that I am, I'm not looking forward to it. So I've spent the afternoon worrying, which is stupid, I know, since there's nothing I can do about it right now. I keep trying to come up with ways I can get out of it that don't involve bodily harm to myself, or require me to lie, which I refuse to do ("My dog ate my homework" just won't cut it). So it looks like I'm on the hook. I hope the weekend provides relief.
With that, I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Good night!
***
Nothing new to report on the dating front. I'm still waiting for that one woman to jump out of the pack and make an impression on me, or for any I've contacted to write back, or...well, something. I go through this every six months or so, and it becomes the same game each time. I lose more and more of my nerve to date when I got through this. It's disappointing in some ways, and it does affect my own confidence in myself, to some degree, to the point that I become too intimidated to contact some of these women who really seem to know what they want, to the exclusion of anyone else. I understand that they probably get flooded with unwanted attention from guys who absolutely do not meet their criteria, but sometimes they scare away guys who may come close, but due to the way the write their profile, I'm not sure I'd even want to try.
I went on a date a few years ago with a girl on a dating site where the young lady went on a rant about how every guy she went out with ended up not being her type. I looked over her profile and she had set no criteria for the type of guy she wanted to date. It was, pretty much, if you've got a pulse and hair, you're good to go. But that wasn't good enough for her once she got you out on a date. She never told me that I didn't fit her criteria, but I didn't go on a second date with her.
It's true that you need to really specify what kind of person you're looking for on these sites. It makes finding someone a bit easier. But there are still those people who truly believe they fit that criteria when they don't, and test the water anyway. So I guess it's okay to be picky in your profile write ups. And then, if you get past the "bouncer" at the door, maybe you'll really make a connection.
And maybe I'll win the next PowerBall lottery without buying a ticket.
***
Faithful Pup Scout returned home this morning after almost a week with my parents. I really missed her. I don't like to admit that to loudly. Scout is a cute little 10-pound white ball of fur of Maltese pup, and she is hardly the epitome of a manly dog. I always tell people she's my wife's dog, which is true. Teresa wanted a Maltese after meeting my Aunt's two Maltese pups before we got married, and after we bought our first home, we brought Scout home. Teresa died a little over two years later, and Scout became MY dog. And she loves me, just as much as I love her. She's a comfort to me. She's getting up there in age, and she's having her issues. She doesn't get around very well, and she sleeps most of the time. But she has her routines and she definitely is happier here at home than when she's elsewhere. Though she is content to be at my parent's, she tends to mope and act sad when she's with them. Then she goes nuts when she sees me after we've been apart for awhile. She was noticeably happy to be home today. And I was happy to have her.
***
I used to enjoy my Fridays at work, but tomorrow is just another in a string of stressful week ending days at the office. I don't like to go into details about my job here on the blog, but I will say that my level of responsibility has greatly increased in recent days, and some of the issues I'm dealing with have taken me way out of my comfort zone. That said, tomorrow I have to lead a large group of employees through a planning session that I have very little knowledge about, and I will be put on the spot. That's never easy, and being the introvert that I am, I'm not looking forward to it. So I've spent the afternoon worrying, which is stupid, I know, since there's nothing I can do about it right now. I keep trying to come up with ways I can get out of it that don't involve bodily harm to myself, or require me to lie, which I refuse to do ("My dog ate my homework" just won't cut it). So it looks like I'm on the hook. I hope the weekend provides relief.
With that, I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Good night!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Survey Says...!
After writing this blog for the last several years, I'm very curious to find out more about you, the reader. With that in mind, I've put together the following optional survey. If you would please assist me by answering the following questions and posting them as a comment, I'd greatly appreciated it. You may answer verbally, if you prefer, but that's optional. If you have no interest in answering any of the questions, well.... that's okay, too. You may still read the blog. Thanks!
1. Please state your name.
2. What is your age?
3. What age do you feel like?
4. Are you a regular reader of this blog?
5. If you are not a regular reader of this blog, why are you reading it now?
6. If you write a blog, would you share a link to it here?
7. What is your best friend's mother's name?
8. Which shoe do you put on first?
9. Are you left handed? If so, do you bat right handed?
10. What is the strangest talent you possess?
11. Have you ever been tied up? Do you want to be?
12. How many different eye colors do you have?
13. What is your favorite flavor of fruit? Veggie?
14. At a movie theater, which arm rest is yours, the right or the left?
15. What is your favorite planet?
16. If you're staying in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep on?
17. Who is your favorite fictional character?
18. Who is your favorite non-fictional character?
19. What is your favorite age that you've been so far?
20. Are you smarter than the average bear?
21. Do you consider yourself a talker or a listener?
22. How many of each animal did Moses take on the ark?
23. Which celebrity do you most look like?
24. Which celebrity would you want to play you in a movie about you?
25. Do you wear a ponytail in your hair?
26. What number do you most look like?
27. What letter best describes you?
28. Do you have a pet? If yes, what kind?
29. Do you walk to work or carry your lunch?
30. Please do not take this survey at all seriously, and pass your answers to the person on your left.
Thank you! You're awesome!
Have a great evening, everyone!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD
I love snow days! This was a great day, with lots of snow, and schools were closed, and the Federal Government shut down... It turned into a fun day. Once I found out the government was closed, I got a few extra hours of sleep. I decided to get out of bed at 8:30. There was no snow outside at all, and I was concerned about the public perception of the government closing for no reason.
I watched the morning news and ate some breakfast. I had a few things recorded on the Tivo to watch, but, while doing my morning reading of the blogs, I came across Mark Evanier's blog about the new Criterion DVD of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, #17 on my list of favorite movies. It was due to be released today. I had already pre-purchased it from Amazon several weeks ago, and sort of forgot about it. I looked up the tracking number and it said it was delivered. So I went to the front door, and there it was! Hot dog! Now I knew what I'd be doing today!
The snow arrived about an hour or so later, and it came down fast. I decided that I had better go to the store and get a few supplies, since we really didn't have much in the house after being away all weekend. The grocery store was much more crowded than I imagined. I figured everything was pretty much shut down, but the store was hopping. I got what I needed and headed home.
I popped in the DVD and watched MAD WORLD. I've seen this movie dozens of times, but this edition is the most complete since it was first released in 1963. Directed by Stanley Kramer, the movie is a comedic tour de force, starring a who's who of comedy stars over entertainment history. And aside from the stars, it had cameos from just about every other comedian in Hollywood at the time. Spencer Tracy was the main star, and the only actor in the movie without a comedy background. Other stars include Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters. Others with cameos include Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Peter Falk, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Stan Freburg, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, and The Three Stooges.
When it was released, it clocked in at 202 minutes. It was trimmed down substantially shortly after, and much of the cut footage had disappeared. This edition of the movie includes much of this missing footage, and it was a lot of fun to see. I first saw the movie when I was a kid, and it I really enjoyed it. It obviously made an impression on me. The story is about a guy who committed a robbery many years ago, and he crashes his car way out in the desert of Southern California. A group of strangers witness the crash, and talk to the guy, played by Jimmy Durante, just before he dies. He tells them about all this money that's buried under a "big 'W'". The police show up, but the strangers decided not to say anything about the money to the police. Soon, however, they decide it might be for real, and it becomes a race to get to the money first. What ensues is craziness, as all of the characters make their way to where the money is supposedly buried, with the cops all monitoring them. While there is a lot of slapstick, the movie is hilarious because of the comedy genius of the stars. It's awesome!
The movie's length adds to the epic feel. The Criterion edition is well worth the price, and I highly recommend it. Check it out if you get the chance.
Enjoy the snow! Have a great evening, everyone!
I watched the morning news and ate some breakfast. I had a few things recorded on the Tivo to watch, but, while doing my morning reading of the blogs, I came across Mark Evanier's blog about the new Criterion DVD of IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, #17 on my list of favorite movies. It was due to be released today. I had already pre-purchased it from Amazon several weeks ago, and sort of forgot about it. I looked up the tracking number and it said it was delivered. So I went to the front door, and there it was! Hot dog! Now I knew what I'd be doing today!
The snow arrived about an hour or so later, and it came down fast. I decided that I had better go to the store and get a few supplies, since we really didn't have much in the house after being away all weekend. The grocery store was much more crowded than I imagined. I figured everything was pretty much shut down, but the store was hopping. I got what I needed and headed home.
I popped in the DVD and watched MAD WORLD. I've seen this movie dozens of times, but this edition is the most complete since it was first released in 1963. Directed by Stanley Kramer, the movie is a comedic tour de force, starring a who's who of comedy stars over entertainment history. And aside from the stars, it had cameos from just about every other comedian in Hollywood at the time. Spencer Tracy was the main star, and the only actor in the movie without a comedy background. Other stars include Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters. Others with cameos include Jack Benny, Jimmy Durante, Peter Falk, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Stan Freburg, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, Jerry Lewis, Carl Reiner, and The Three Stooges.
When it was released, it clocked in at 202 minutes. It was trimmed down substantially shortly after, and much of the cut footage had disappeared. This edition of the movie includes much of this missing footage, and it was a lot of fun to see. I first saw the movie when I was a kid, and it I really enjoyed it. It obviously made an impression on me. The story is about a guy who committed a robbery many years ago, and he crashes his car way out in the desert of Southern California. A group of strangers witness the crash, and talk to the guy, played by Jimmy Durante, just before he dies. He tells them about all this money that's buried under a "big 'W'". The police show up, but the strangers decided not to say anything about the money to the police. Soon, however, they decide it might be for real, and it becomes a race to get to the money first. What ensues is craziness, as all of the characters make their way to where the money is supposedly buried, with the cops all monitoring them. While there is a lot of slapstick, the movie is hilarious because of the comedy genius of the stars. It's awesome!
The movie's length adds to the epic feel. The Criterion edition is well worth the price, and I highly recommend it. Check it out if you get the chance.
Enjoy the snow! Have a great evening, everyone!
Monday, January 20, 2014
Matching Issues/Super Bowl Match-up
I've been on the latest online dating site for a little over a week now and I'm not having the kind of luck I expected. Actually, I guess it IS what I've come to expect. The only women that seem to be interested in me are the exact opposite of who I'm looking for. It's almost like a bad joke. I've laid out in my profile who I'm looking for, and it's as if these women are completely ignoring it. I just can't figure it out. Then there are the ones that I am attracted to. I've attempted to contact nine women who fit the criteria that I'm looking for in a match. Not one has returned the communication.
I'm a fairly intelligent guy. I'm not ugly. I'm above average, in my opinion. Yes, I have my issues, but I'm not advertising them. I've been told by women whose opinions I respect that I'm a catch. Heck, I've been married, happily married, in fact, though I've got that widower stigma attached to me. I'm a father, so I'm not scared of kids. What is there that's not to like?
So I'm second guessing everything. Maybe it is the widower stigma. Maybe it is the fact that I'm a father. Is it the facial hair? Do my ears stick out to far? Are my eyes too squinty? Are my feet too big? Is it because I bite my nails during sporting events? Is it because I'm a Pittsburgh sports fan? Am I just too picky???
I don't know anymore. Sadly, I've paid for a six-month subscription, so I'm going to have to live with this until July... or consider it a loss. Look out, ladies!
Though I didn't get the chance to watch either of the championship games yesterday, I was happy with the results. I'm not exactly a big Broncos fan, nor do I care for the Seahawks. But Super Bowl match-ups are measured by the team's success in the Big Game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers record six Super Bowl wins. The 49ers have been sitting at 5 wins for quite a long time, but I certainly don't want to see them tying the Steelers record. The Patriots have had a lot of success over the past dozen years, and they are one of the Steelers hated rivals, so I don't want them winning, either. The Broncos won a few Super Bowls in the 90s, and the Seahawks played in one but lost to my Steelers, so seeing these two teams play, and knowing one has to win, will have almost zero impact on the Steelers record.
With all of that established, I'm rooting for the Broncos since I'm an AFC guy. I actually like Peyton Manning as a player, though I think he's totally over-saturated in the media. He's the pitch man for everything from pizza to banking. He's practically the face of the NFL. The Broncos have an exciting offense and you get the feeling they should be able to move the ball against just about any team.
I still don't care for the Seahawks, even though the Steelers beat them back in Super Bowl XL, in January, 2006. It's the fact that the Seahawks team, coach, and fans still blame the officials for their loss in that game. They still complain about it. They totally discount the Steelers play in that game, and the fact that the game wasn't even close for most of it, regardless of the officiating. I hope the officials call a great game and the Broncos win big. Maybe that will put it to rest.
So I'm off to bed, hoping for a blizzard tomorrow!
Have a great evening, everyone!
I'm a fairly intelligent guy. I'm not ugly. I'm above average, in my opinion. Yes, I have my issues, but I'm not advertising them. I've been told by women whose opinions I respect that I'm a catch. Heck, I've been married, happily married, in fact, though I've got that widower stigma attached to me. I'm a father, so I'm not scared of kids. What is there that's not to like?
So I'm second guessing everything. Maybe it is the widower stigma. Maybe it is the fact that I'm a father. Is it the facial hair? Do my ears stick out to far? Are my eyes too squinty? Are my feet too big? Is it because I bite my nails during sporting events? Is it because I'm a Pittsburgh sports fan? Am I just too picky???
I don't know anymore. Sadly, I've paid for a six-month subscription, so I'm going to have to live with this until July... or consider it a loss. Look out, ladies!
***
Though I didn't get the chance to watch either of the championship games yesterday, I was happy with the results. I'm not exactly a big Broncos fan, nor do I care for the Seahawks. But Super Bowl match-ups are measured by the team's success in the Big Game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers record six Super Bowl wins. The 49ers have been sitting at 5 wins for quite a long time, but I certainly don't want to see them tying the Steelers record. The Patriots have had a lot of success over the past dozen years, and they are one of the Steelers hated rivals, so I don't want them winning, either. The Broncos won a few Super Bowls in the 90s, and the Seahawks played in one but lost to my Steelers, so seeing these two teams play, and knowing one has to win, will have almost zero impact on the Steelers record.
With all of that established, I'm rooting for the Broncos since I'm an AFC guy. I actually like Peyton Manning as a player, though I think he's totally over-saturated in the media. He's the pitch man for everything from pizza to banking. He's practically the face of the NFL. The Broncos have an exciting offense and you get the feeling they should be able to move the ball against just about any team.
I still don't care for the Seahawks, even though the Steelers beat them back in Super Bowl XL, in January, 2006. It's the fact that the Seahawks team, coach, and fans still blame the officials for their loss in that game. They still complain about it. They totally discount the Steelers play in that game, and the fact that the game wasn't even close for most of it, regardless of the officiating. I hope the officials call a great game and the Broncos win big. Maybe that will put it to rest.
So I'm off to bed, hoping for a blizzard tomorrow!
Have a great evening, everyone!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Driving in a Blizzard
We awoke this morning to blizzard-like conditions. It was snowing to beat the band, and the wind was howling. We checked out of the Sleep Inn in Johnstown, PA, made our way to Denny's for breakfast, and prepared our agenda for the day. We originally thought we would visit the Johnstown Flood Museum, not to be confused with the Johnstown Flood Memorial, which we visited yesterday. The Museum, though, turned out to be closed on Sunday. Plan B would be a visit to the Flight 93 Memorial, just down the road near Somerset.
We stopped at Walmart for a few supplies, then headed south to the Lincoln Highway, and ten miles east to the memorial site. It's a sobering place, fitting right in with the rest of our "dark" weekend (Johnstown flood and dead Hollywood star Jimmy Stewart). It's essentially a large field with a series of information boards containing information about what occurred on 9/11/2001, and in particular, the fate of Flight 93, which went down here after the passengers and crew decided to try to stop the terrorists who had hijacked the plane. The site looked like a frozen wasteland, with snow drifting all over the road, the wind blowing, and overcast skies. We got out and walked around, but it was intensely cold, and we made our visit a short one.
We stopped at Walmart for a few supplies, then headed south to the Lincoln Highway, and ten miles east to the memorial site. It's a sobering place, fitting right in with the rest of our "dark" weekend (Johnstown flood and dead Hollywood star Jimmy Stewart). It's essentially a large field with a series of information boards containing information about what occurred on 9/11/2001, and in particular, the fate of Flight 93, which went down here after the passengers and crew decided to try to stop the terrorists who had hijacked the plane. The site looked like a frozen wasteland, with snow drifting all over the road, the wind blowing, and overcast skies. We got out and walked around, but it was intensely cold, and we made our visit a short one.
The rest of our day, and our trip, was not really planned. We decided to go visit my aunt and cousin in Uniontown, PA, my father's hometown, about an hour or so west and completely out of our way, but we were in no hurry to end the trip quite yet. We ended up on a lot of back roads, which our GPS, "Michelle", seems to prefer, so though we were making good time, we had to be careful since the roads were not in the best of shape. In addition, there were plenty of people driving excessively slow on these roads. We finally arrived at my Aunt's place at around 2:30. She was happy to see us, and fed us lots of good, home-cooked goodies, like veggie soup and pepperoni rolls, plus peanut butter fudge. We felt bad about our short visit and eating up her food, but she claimed it was worth it to see us. Then we began the long trek home.
Shortly after entering Maryland, just past Frostburg, the snow completely cleared out and we had smooth sailing all the way. We stopped in Hancock, the traditional halfway point of the trip from Uniontown to home, and had dinner at the old Park 'n' Dine restaurant, one of our favorites. My family has been stopping here since the 60s. Unfortunately, the food was not very good. I always get the hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes, dressing, and gravy on top of everything. The stuffing, though, looked like it had been sitting out all day, and the turkey was all dark meat. The fact that the restaurant would be closing about an hour after we arrived might have something to do with poor food, but I was disappointed. We continued down the road after eating, and we arrived home at around 9:30, tired and happy to be home.
We're thankful the Lord gave us a wonderful trip, despite the questionable weather and not being able to do much of what we had planned to do, but the snow was awesome, and there is a bit of comfort associated with traveling in adverse weather. Don't ask me why. I was also very pleased with our new Jeep. It ran great, and the weather ended up being the best test for it. I was happy with how it handled, and I never felt worried or uncomfortable while driving it. It's a solid 4-wheel drive vehicle.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Jimmy Stewart's Hometown, Indiana, PA
My daughter and I spent the day at the Johnstown Flood Memorial, a rather depressing place which details the flood that wiped out the town in 1889. There is a short film that shows what happened on that fateful day.
After spending the morning in 19th Century Western PA, we went to 20th Century Hollywood in Indiana, PA, the hometown of my favorite actor of all time... Jimmy Stewart! It was a great time as we made the best of a snowy, cold Winter Day.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Frigid Trip
On vacation... Left Faithful Pup Scout and Macy the Hamster with our house sitter and made our way into the mountains of the Frigid North and encountered SNOW!
Love Western PA!
Have a great evening, everyone!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Skiing is Stupid
My daughter and I are planning to do a winter sports activity this weekend: snow tubing! We've been doing this for several years now, and it's a blast. It's also relatively safe compared to another popular winter sports activity: snow skiing. We're going snow TUBING. Big difference. Much safer. Possibility of injury snow skiing: 98%; possibility of injury snow tubing: 65%. Statistics are my own approximations, through personal experience, and may equal +/- 50 percentage points. But it doesn't matter. The fact is, I find tubing much safer.
I went skiing about 18 years ago at Ski Liberty in Pennsylvania. They were running a special deal that included ski rentals, lesson, and all-day lift ticket for a really cheap price for mid-week. A group of colleagues at work had been doing this for a while, and they talked me into going. I had never skied in my life. They promised me it would be easy and I'd love it.
The day came, and I volunteered to drive a few of us up, though there were, all told, about 15 of us going. Rick and John rode with me. I got my skis, had all of my winter gear on, and headed outside of the locker room, where I met with a few of my colleagues. I had missed the start of the lesson, and instead of waiting around for an hour until the next one, several of our group said I didn't need a lesson; they could easily teach me the basics and I'd be off and running. I listened to them and believed them. That was my fault. And that was the end of my good time.
They took me over to the lift for the bunny slope. I had been getting around okay up to that point, but I was on level ground. The lift took me and Scott to the top of the slope, and as I got off the lift, I promptly fell forward onto my face into the snow. I realized then that this wasn't the soft fluffy snow I had grown up with and knew. This was rather hard, icy, and, well.... fake. After those around me got a good laugh at my expense and ineptitude, I got up and made my way over to the slope. Without a single word of encouragement or guidance, I watched all of my friends skate off down the hill. I was by myself, and I didn't know what to do. So I started down the hill.
Now, there are a few things I learned later that would have helped me a great deal at that moment. One was how to control my speed. Another was how to stop. Yet another was how to fall correctly without hurting myself. All of these, or even one of these, would have been great to know. As I started down the hill, I knew none of these. I started to immediately pick up speed, to the point that I knew I was going to lose control. I could kind of steer, if I thought about it, but I wasn't thinking much as I reached an unsafe speed. I started to lose my balance, and I fell face first, doing what might be called a face plant followed by a belly flop. As I hit the ice (I won't call it snow), my legs went in 18 different directions, with one ski flying off my boot and passing me. I was told this was the wrong way to fall (I didn't know at the time there was a "correct" way to fall). Anyway, one of my friends, who had been following me, helped me get up and told me I was doing great. I had to remove my remaining ski just to stand up. Then I had to retrieve my other ski, and once I got them together, I snapped my boots in place to do it again.
And, again, I started down the hill. I started picking up speed. I got out of control. And I did another face plant/bell flop on the ice, with my legs flying around me. This time, my knee got twisted into a position it wasn't meant to go in, after my ski tip got stuck in the ice and I dragged it about 20 feet. This was getting old very quickly. But I still had a long way to go to the bottom of the hill. As old as it got, I still ended up falling about 15 more times till I literally hit rock bottom. I proceeded to take off the skis, go back to the rental shop and I turned it all in. I was done. Finished. I had met the enemy, and it was a pair of skis, a hill, and a field of icy, hard mush. My colleagues ran over to me and couldn't believe I was quitting already. I was in a lot of pain, and I wasn't having any fun at all. After one hour, I was done.
It was at that moment that Rick and John asked me if this meant I was leaving, since I had given them a ride there. I couldn't make them leave. Our original plan was to be there through the evening. So I said, no, I'd stick around. I ended up sitting in the restaurant/bar area at the resort for most of the day. Fortunately, they took lots of breaks, so I only had a few hours of being by myself. Most of the group were disappointed I had had a bad experience, and they said they wished I had given it another try. I told them a lesson probably would've helped, but my knees and legs had already taken too much of a beating. I wouldn't be skiing anymore that day, or ever again. To this day, I have no desire to ever get on skis.
Tubing is a different story. I'll share that one at another time.
Have a great evening, everyone!
I went skiing about 18 years ago at Ski Liberty in Pennsylvania. They were running a special deal that included ski rentals, lesson, and all-day lift ticket for a really cheap price for mid-week. A group of colleagues at work had been doing this for a while, and they talked me into going. I had never skied in my life. They promised me it would be easy and I'd love it.
The day came, and I volunteered to drive a few of us up, though there were, all told, about 15 of us going. Rick and John rode with me. I got my skis, had all of my winter gear on, and headed outside of the locker room, where I met with a few of my colleagues. I had missed the start of the lesson, and instead of waiting around for an hour until the next one, several of our group said I didn't need a lesson; they could easily teach me the basics and I'd be off and running. I listened to them and believed them. That was my fault. And that was the end of my good time.
They took me over to the lift for the bunny slope. I had been getting around okay up to that point, but I was on level ground. The lift took me and Scott to the top of the slope, and as I got off the lift, I promptly fell forward onto my face into the snow. I realized then that this wasn't the soft fluffy snow I had grown up with and knew. This was rather hard, icy, and, well.... fake. After those around me got a good laugh at my expense and ineptitude, I got up and made my way over to the slope. Without a single word of encouragement or guidance, I watched all of my friends skate off down the hill. I was by myself, and I didn't know what to do. So I started down the hill.
Now, there are a few things I learned later that would have helped me a great deal at that moment. One was how to control my speed. Another was how to stop. Yet another was how to fall correctly without hurting myself. All of these, or even one of these, would have been great to know. As I started down the hill, I knew none of these. I started to immediately pick up speed, to the point that I knew I was going to lose control. I could kind of steer, if I thought about it, but I wasn't thinking much as I reached an unsafe speed. I started to lose my balance, and I fell face first, doing what might be called a face plant followed by a belly flop. As I hit the ice (I won't call it snow), my legs went in 18 different directions, with one ski flying off my boot and passing me. I was told this was the wrong way to fall (I didn't know at the time there was a "correct" way to fall). Anyway, one of my friends, who had been following me, helped me get up and told me I was doing great. I had to remove my remaining ski just to stand up. Then I had to retrieve my other ski, and once I got them together, I snapped my boots in place to do it again.
And, again, I started down the hill. I started picking up speed. I got out of control. And I did another face plant/bell flop on the ice, with my legs flying around me. This time, my knee got twisted into a position it wasn't meant to go in, after my ski tip got stuck in the ice and I dragged it about 20 feet. This was getting old very quickly. But I still had a long way to go to the bottom of the hill. As old as it got, I still ended up falling about 15 more times till I literally hit rock bottom. I proceeded to take off the skis, go back to the rental shop and I turned it all in. I was done. Finished. I had met the enemy, and it was a pair of skis, a hill, and a field of icy, hard mush. My colleagues ran over to me and couldn't believe I was quitting already. I was in a lot of pain, and I wasn't having any fun at all. After one hour, I was done.
It was at that moment that Rick and John asked me if this meant I was leaving, since I had given them a ride there. I couldn't make them leave. Our original plan was to be there through the evening. So I said, no, I'd stick around. I ended up sitting in the restaurant/bar area at the resort for most of the day. Fortunately, they took lots of breaks, so I only had a few hours of being by myself. Most of the group were disappointed I had had a bad experience, and they said they wished I had given it another try. I told them a lesson probably would've helped, but my knees and legs had already taken too much of a beating. I wouldn't be skiing anymore that day, or ever again. To this day, I have no desire to ever get on skis.
Tubing is a different story. I'll share that one at another time.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
A Date With A Twist
I had been dating Teresa for about five months, and we had developed a comfortable relationship. We were going out a few times a week, and doing social stuff, like going out with friends as a couple, as well as the mundane, like grocery shopping. Teresa still shared her apartment in Laurel with her friend from college, Kristen, and I was living with my cousin, Dan, in Montgomery Village. It was tough because we were almost an hour away from each other, and farther during rush hour. We valued our time together, as a result, and I took advantage of my parents living in Bowie, since it was so much closer to Laurel, and would crash at their place on weekends. Our relationship was getting serious.
For whatever reason, we had gone through a stretch where we hadn't seen each other in over a week. In fact, we had had a disagreement about the differences in our churches, and for the first time, I wasn't sure what to do. That's how I knew we were serious. We were talking about the really detailed, real life, long term, super important stuff. Anyway, I realized that the love and respect that had developed and increased between us was strong enough to overcome a lot of the stuff we were concerned about, and though we hadn't come to an agreement, and knew we had to, we weren't going to break up over something that could be worked out. So I made plans to surprise her at her apartment with dinner (home made pizza -- I was going to make it).
I went to the store and got all of the ingredients, then sped over to her place. When I arrived, the parking lot in front of her building was blocked. They had just paved it and re-striped it, and they weren't allowing any cars to park there. That meant I had to park in a different parking lot. It also meant that I didn't know if Teresa was even home. Keep in mind, this was 1998, and I didn't have a cell phone. While she did have one, we weren't on the phone with each other constantly, and we certainly weren't texting each other. I had no way of knowing whether she was home, out for the evening, or if she just hadn't gotten home yet from work. Remember, this was a surprise. I found a place to park, but I was several buildings away from hers. I decided to leave all of the food in my car, just in case she wasn't home. I had bought flowers for her, and I trekked over to her place. I knocked on the door, and, hello!!! She was home! I gave her a big "Surprise!" and handed her the flowers. She was so excited to see me. We hugged and kissed and I told her I had dinner for us, back in the car. She said that was great, she's put her flowers in water while I ran back to get the food.
I was feeling pretty good about having surprised her, and I skipped back up the stairs of her building to the parking lot. Just as I reached the top step, my foot landed on the edge of the sidewalk, turning my ankle, and I went down in a heap. I was in severe pain. I honestly didn't know if it was just twisted, or if I broke something. It just hurt. I finally got my wits about me and I examined my foot. There didn't appear to be any broken bones, but I couldn't put any weight on it. I was able to struggle to a stand, and I hopped back down the steps to Teresa's apartment. She quickly answered and started to say, "Wow, that was quick!" But then she noticed the pained expression on my face and realized something was wrong. I tried to say something humorous, like "I just took a little trip," but it didn't come out very funny. She helped me in to the couch, and I explained to her what happened. She wanted to take me to the hospital. I kept saying no, that it was okay, I just needed to rest it for a few minutes. She helped me wrestle my shoe off, though I almost went through the ceiling, if was so painful. She placed a pillow on the coffee table for me to rest my leg on. I couldn't touch my foot or ankle, not even with the pillow.
She got an ice pack for me and we tried to figure out what to do. My little romantic evening was officially twisted (ha!) into a nightmare. I went from wanting to surprise her and make dinner, to being a patient and making her do all the work. She decided she had better hike out to my car to get the food. She didn't even know where I parked, so I had to try to explain it to her. She found it, then came back, then she had to make dinner. The pain had subsided a little bit, but it was clear I needed to get medical attention. We ate, then I told her I had better get home. I promised her I would get it checked out if it was still bothering me in the morning. She helped me get to my car, then I realized I might have a little bit of trouble.... I had a five-speed manual. I needed both feet to drive, one for the accelerator, and the other for the clutch. It was my right ankle. Teresa was immediately worried about me, and she started to volunteer to drive me home. I assured her I could do it. I would be okay. It was starting to get dark, and I didn't want her to continue to be outside (she lived in a rough neighborhood, really). I said goodbye, hopped in the car, and started for home. At first, I wasn't sure how it was going to work. I really struggled with the pedals until I got up to speed. Once I got on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, and got up to speed, I could set the cruise control and pretty much stay at speed until I got to Montgomery Village. That's what I did.
It was late when I got home, so I took some pain meds, hobbled into bed, and tried to sleep. My ankle just throbbed. I couldn't even put a blanket, or a sheet, on it, it hurt so bad. I just laid there, with my leg half hanging off the bed, trying to get some sleep. I was miserable. I regretted not going to the hospital earlier. I started to wonder how I was going to work the next day. At 2 a.m., and not getting any sleep at all, I determined I would NOT be going to work. The next day showed no improvement. In fact, my ankle was swelled up like a marshmallow. I called my boss and told her what happened. I was embarrassed. She laughed, but then lectured me about not getting medical help. I had to wait until 9 a.m., but then I called my doctor, and he agreed to see me that morning. His office was all the way out in Crofton, and as hard as it was to drive the night before, it was just as hard that morning. He couldn't take x-rays, but he believed it was a sprain, and referred me to a specialist for an MRI. The results of the MRI showed there were no broken bones. Whew!
But my ankle continued to bother me for several months. I had been playing street hockey with a bunch of guys from work, and had to quit playing while it healed. My poor girlfriend went from having a nice, surprise romantic evening to having to play nursemaid and cook. She got over it, fortunately. I let her do all of the driving for a while when we were together, but it had to be in her car, since she couldn't drive a stick.
I learned my lesson. Never skip up the stairs, no matter how happy you might be. To this day, whenever the humidity gets a little high, that ankle starts to ache. I can usually tell if it's going to rain. Give me a call if you need a weather forecast.
Have a great evening, everyone!
For whatever reason, we had gone through a stretch where we hadn't seen each other in over a week. In fact, we had had a disagreement about the differences in our churches, and for the first time, I wasn't sure what to do. That's how I knew we were serious. We were talking about the really detailed, real life, long term, super important stuff. Anyway, I realized that the love and respect that had developed and increased between us was strong enough to overcome a lot of the stuff we were concerned about, and though we hadn't come to an agreement, and knew we had to, we weren't going to break up over something that could be worked out. So I made plans to surprise her at her apartment with dinner (home made pizza -- I was going to make it).
I went to the store and got all of the ingredients, then sped over to her place. When I arrived, the parking lot in front of her building was blocked. They had just paved it and re-striped it, and they weren't allowing any cars to park there. That meant I had to park in a different parking lot. It also meant that I didn't know if Teresa was even home. Keep in mind, this was 1998, and I didn't have a cell phone. While she did have one, we weren't on the phone with each other constantly, and we certainly weren't texting each other. I had no way of knowing whether she was home, out for the evening, or if she just hadn't gotten home yet from work. Remember, this was a surprise. I found a place to park, but I was several buildings away from hers. I decided to leave all of the food in my car, just in case she wasn't home. I had bought flowers for her, and I trekked over to her place. I knocked on the door, and, hello!!! She was home! I gave her a big "Surprise!" and handed her the flowers. She was so excited to see me. We hugged and kissed and I told her I had dinner for us, back in the car. She said that was great, she's put her flowers in water while I ran back to get the food.
I was feeling pretty good about having surprised her, and I skipped back up the stairs of her building to the parking lot. Just as I reached the top step, my foot landed on the edge of the sidewalk, turning my ankle, and I went down in a heap. I was in severe pain. I honestly didn't know if it was just twisted, or if I broke something. It just hurt. I finally got my wits about me and I examined my foot. There didn't appear to be any broken bones, but I couldn't put any weight on it. I was able to struggle to a stand, and I hopped back down the steps to Teresa's apartment. She quickly answered and started to say, "Wow, that was quick!" But then she noticed the pained expression on my face and realized something was wrong. I tried to say something humorous, like "I just took a little trip," but it didn't come out very funny. She helped me in to the couch, and I explained to her what happened. She wanted to take me to the hospital. I kept saying no, that it was okay, I just needed to rest it for a few minutes. She helped me wrestle my shoe off, though I almost went through the ceiling, if was so painful. She placed a pillow on the coffee table for me to rest my leg on. I couldn't touch my foot or ankle, not even with the pillow.
She got an ice pack for me and we tried to figure out what to do. My little romantic evening was officially twisted (ha!) into a nightmare. I went from wanting to surprise her and make dinner, to being a patient and making her do all the work. She decided she had better hike out to my car to get the food. She didn't even know where I parked, so I had to try to explain it to her. She found it, then came back, then she had to make dinner. The pain had subsided a little bit, but it was clear I needed to get medical attention. We ate, then I told her I had better get home. I promised her I would get it checked out if it was still bothering me in the morning. She helped me get to my car, then I realized I might have a little bit of trouble.... I had a five-speed manual. I needed both feet to drive, one for the accelerator, and the other for the clutch. It was my right ankle. Teresa was immediately worried about me, and she started to volunteer to drive me home. I assured her I could do it. I would be okay. It was starting to get dark, and I didn't want her to continue to be outside (she lived in a rough neighborhood, really). I said goodbye, hopped in the car, and started for home. At first, I wasn't sure how it was going to work. I really struggled with the pedals until I got up to speed. Once I got on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, and got up to speed, I could set the cruise control and pretty much stay at speed until I got to Montgomery Village. That's what I did.
It was late when I got home, so I took some pain meds, hobbled into bed, and tried to sleep. My ankle just throbbed. I couldn't even put a blanket, or a sheet, on it, it hurt so bad. I just laid there, with my leg half hanging off the bed, trying to get some sleep. I was miserable. I regretted not going to the hospital earlier. I started to wonder how I was going to work the next day. At 2 a.m., and not getting any sleep at all, I determined I would NOT be going to work. The next day showed no improvement. In fact, my ankle was swelled up like a marshmallow. I called my boss and told her what happened. I was embarrassed. She laughed, but then lectured me about not getting medical help. I had to wait until 9 a.m., but then I called my doctor, and he agreed to see me that morning. His office was all the way out in Crofton, and as hard as it was to drive the night before, it was just as hard that morning. He couldn't take x-rays, but he believed it was a sprain, and referred me to a specialist for an MRI. The results of the MRI showed there were no broken bones. Whew!
But my ankle continued to bother me for several months. I had been playing street hockey with a bunch of guys from work, and had to quit playing while it healed. My poor girlfriend went from having a nice, surprise romantic evening to having to play nursemaid and cook. She got over it, fortunately. I let her do all of the driving for a while when we were together, but it had to be in her car, since she couldn't drive a stick.
I learned my lesson. Never skip up the stairs, no matter how happy you might be. To this day, whenever the humidity gets a little high, that ankle starts to ache. I can usually tell if it's going to rain. Give me a call if you need a weather forecast.
Have a great evening, everyone!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Scary Movies
I have a love-hate relationship with horror movies. In fact, as I've gotten older, it has become more of a hate-hate relationship. When I was younger, though old enough by my parent's standards to watch them, I liked horror movies, but they always scared me. My mother enjoyed watching them, and she sometimes let me say up to watch them with her. It started with some of the movies that are deemed classic horror movies, such as PSYCHO, or JAWS. To me, they ended up scaring me more by reputation than what actually appeared on the screen. PSYCHO was scary just because it was a Hitchcock film. I actually read the Peter Benchley novel before seeing JAWS, and the book was frightening, probably more than the movie, though the movie did keep me from wanting to go to the beach.
I was a funny kid, though. I still wanted to watch these movies. It was as if I wanted to be scared. I was fascinated by the old 50s sci-fi movies, and loved watching them, but never really found them scary. Horror movies were different, though. I watched the AMITYVILLE HORROR and it about scared me out of a week's sleep. ROSEMARY'S BABY was another that frightened me, particularly due to its satanic overtones. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, which I saw at a party, scared me more for its reputation, but it was scary, too. All of the teens in the room watching the movie teased each other about being scared, and some pretended they weren't, but it scared them.
The scariest movie of all was THE EXORCIST. I don't even know why I watched it, but it was the one that began turning me away from horror movies. Again, the subject matter made it scarier to me, since demon possession seems a little more real like with the satanism is ROSEMARY'S BABY. It got worse from there. I saw POLTERGEIST with the whole family, and it scared me like nothing else I'd ever seen. THE SHINING scared me, too. It wasn't the slasher style movies that were scaring me. It was the ghost stories, or anything dealing with demons or possession, that got to me.
You would think, as a Christ-follower, that I would know better than to let myself be scared by these stupid movies, and that I would just stop watching them. But, no, I kept watching them, and it got worse as Hollywood perfected its craft. THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE was spooky and atmospheric. Then there was PET SEMETERY. I had read Stephen King's novel, and it scared me like nothing else I've ever read, but the movie made it worse (since it wasn't a particularly good movie, either). THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY scared me so much, I couldn't watch them alone, and they may be the ones that keep me from seeing any others. I actually called my brother while I watched PARANORMAL ACTIVITY through to the end because I knew he had seen it and he talked me through it. This was just a few years ago.
I didn't want my little girl to watch these kinds of movies, so I've kept her from watching them. It's funny, though, how history will repeat itself. My daughter has gravitated to scary shows on TV, like SLEEP HOLLOW, which is a pretty scary show, and I've caught her watching them without my permission. She scares herself watching them, too, but that doesn't stop her. She's just like me.
Have a great evening, everyone!
I was a funny kid, though. I still wanted to watch these movies. It was as if I wanted to be scared. I was fascinated by the old 50s sci-fi movies, and loved watching them, but never really found them scary. Horror movies were different, though. I watched the AMITYVILLE HORROR and it about scared me out of a week's sleep. ROSEMARY'S BABY was another that frightened me, particularly due to its satanic overtones. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, which I saw at a party, scared me more for its reputation, but it was scary, too. All of the teens in the room watching the movie teased each other about being scared, and some pretended they weren't, but it scared them.
The scariest movie of all was THE EXORCIST. I don't even know why I watched it, but it was the one that began turning me away from horror movies. Again, the subject matter made it scarier to me, since demon possession seems a little more real like with the satanism is ROSEMARY'S BABY. It got worse from there. I saw POLTERGEIST with the whole family, and it scared me like nothing else I'd ever seen. THE SHINING scared me, too. It wasn't the slasher style movies that were scaring me. It was the ghost stories, or anything dealing with demons or possession, that got to me.
You would think, as a Christ-follower, that I would know better than to let myself be scared by these stupid movies, and that I would just stop watching them. But, no, I kept watching them, and it got worse as Hollywood perfected its craft. THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE was spooky and atmospheric. Then there was PET SEMETERY. I had read Stephen King's novel, and it scared me like nothing else I've ever read, but the movie made it worse (since it wasn't a particularly good movie, either). THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY scared me so much, I couldn't watch them alone, and they may be the ones that keep me from seeing any others. I actually called my brother while I watched PARANORMAL ACTIVITY through to the end because I knew he had seen it and he talked me through it. This was just a few years ago.
I didn't want my little girl to watch these kinds of movies, so I've kept her from watching them. It's funny, though, how history will repeat itself. My daughter has gravitated to scary shows on TV, like SLEEP HOLLOW, which is a pretty scary show, and I've caught her watching them without my permission. She scares herself watching them, too, but that doesn't stop her. She's just like me.
Have a great evening, everyone!
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