Well my week was not going well. Work was a grind where I was not getting anything done. My Social life consisted of staying home all week. But all that was about to change…here comes the weekend.
So late Friday afternoon I decided to quickly mow the lawn so that I wouldn’t have to do it over the weekend. I had just enough time to get it done before I had to pick my little one up, so a mowing I went. I was done with the front yard in no time, it must have been the running music on my player that spurred me along, none the less I just had to change the height of the mower, finish the back and it was O’beer thirty. Hmmmm, the tab to change the mower height was stuck…I’ll just give it a push….
Now when I tell this story, it is important to note…I did not chop my finger off on the blade. The mower was off and the little rubber grip you use to change the mower height pulled off as I tried to push it…not my fault…OK maybe I am a bit klutzy, but not this time. No mater how it happened there was a good amount of blood, and I was wondering if I needed stitches. I did my best to stem the flow of blood, bandage my wounds and finish the mowing (I’ll be damned if I let this stop me from getting it done).
After I picked up Ains, I began to wonder if I needed stitches and (mostly) if I needed a Tetanus shot. So off I went to the Emergency Room. I tried to talk myself out of it 5 or 6 times: “I’m fine,” “It’s not that bad,” “who needs and index finger anyway.” So I sign in and wait. And wait. Let me tell you, if you are ever staved for entertainment, the ER on a Friday evening is full of it. Some old guy just wanted to talk to anyone who would listen (I think he was a patient). Another guy had just been in a car wreak…I wondered if he looked that much different before the wreck. And some poor guy was there because his pee looked like coffee…I don’t even want to know what his problem was…the nurse said enough when she said, “he is in bad shape.”
Then there was little old me, “Oh I just cut my finger a little, might need a tetanus shot.” So when the triage nurse saw me and said she didn’t think I would need stitches I started feeling better. Then she said I was smart to come and get the shot, but I did have 72 hours to get that done, I felt a lot better. I figured I had waited long enough and I already had everything I needed: 1. A professional Nurse’s opinion that I did not need stitches. 2. Information on how long I had until I needed a Tetanus shot. I beat the system. I told them I had to get home to my daughter (Sheryl was home watching her, but it sounded good at the time) and left the ER.
So the cut was a pain, the wait at the ER was a pain (1 ½ hours of my life I’ll never get back), but as I said I felt like I beat the system. I probably would’ve had to wait another 1 ½ hours not to mention what my insurance would have thought of the whole endeavor. On Monday, I went to a walk-in clinic and got the shot. In and out in less than 45 minuets and only a $10 Co-pay. The doctor did mention that he might have given me a few stitches…Everyone is a critic.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Friday, July 16, 2004
All my rowdy Friends…
It’s funny. When you have a kid you are so excited for them to hurry up and do things for the first time. There is the first time they roll over, first time crawling, first words and of course the first steps. I remember how happy I was that day, but what I didn’t know then was: that was the last time my wife and I would enjoy a meal together in a restaurant. One of us is always entertaining our child, chasing our child, or otherwise wrestling with her. That is unless she is asleep or at home.
To have a baby sitter is a great thing. Especially one you don’t feel guilty about how late you are gone. Where do you find one like that? Well Family of course.
This past weekend my parents came up to help us build Fort Ainsley, and we took advantage of them by going out on Friday night. It was great, since they were staying at our house, we did not need to be home by a certain time and best of all, it was free. So we were defiantly in the mood to have fun.
Off we go to meet some of our college friends, who we have not seen in a long time because; well they are single and don’t have kids and basically have a life as opposed to us. When we arrive the first thing we see is a Thermos grill/cooler that Samuel Addams is giving away as a promotion.
So we seek out the beer girl and ask her the deal, she said, “with every Sam Addams you drink you get to keep the glass, get a cozy and a raffle ticket for the grill.”
Well to a couple of suburbanites who don’t get out much and could use a device like this for tailgating…this is a challenge. I mean you might as well wave a red flag at a bull. Even my wife, who is not a fan of Sam Addams, can smell competition. We start ordering beers like we are using them to put out a fire. We down two before our friends even arrive (we were a little early because we were so excited to get out). Then when our friends Mason and Alexandra do get there, we quickly dispense with the pleasantries and immediately fill them in. They’re in…Another round of Sammies please.
By the time we get a table, the free glasses and cozies are starting to pile up. By the time we order our food we need an extra chair to hold all the freebies. Well by now we have made great friends with the beer girl who is dispensing the raffle tickets and she has a proposition. She is running out of cozies, can she trade us raffle tickets for them. Well this plays right into our hands. I mean I have a whole cabinet full of cozies (I know, I have a problem, but that is a topic for another time), all I need is one or two as a keepsake (as I said, I have a problem) and more raffle tickets. We need to win. We start to calculate how many rounds we can get in before the drawing. Drinking Sam Addams has turned into a competition sport.
As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, we did not win the cooler/grill. We were one number off and the guy who won it had not even had a Sam Addams – he got the winning ticket from someone who was leaving. So while we were a little bitter, we were also drunk and we didn’t let a little thing like losing get in our way of a good time.
Off we go to our favorite watering hole where Alexandra was as well known as Norm was at ‘Cheers.’ I mean they practically yelled her name when we walked in.
Bartender: “Pour you a Cosmo, Alex?”
Alex : “Alright, but stop me at one.....make it one-thirty.”
Sheryl and I were a little jealous; I mean that used to be us. But we did feel better when we saw our friend Glenn, the executive chef…knowing people who have access to free beer trumps knowing patrons.
So although we may have been the losers of the grill/cooler, we had a great night out. Not to mention we had a huge set of Sam Addams glasses to remember the evening by; well that the hangover and Sammie gas…
To have a baby sitter is a great thing. Especially one you don’t feel guilty about how late you are gone. Where do you find one like that? Well Family of course.
This past weekend my parents came up to help us build Fort Ainsley, and we took advantage of them by going out on Friday night. It was great, since they were staying at our house, we did not need to be home by a certain time and best of all, it was free. So we were defiantly in the mood to have fun.
Off we go to meet some of our college friends, who we have not seen in a long time because; well they are single and don’t have kids and basically have a life as opposed to us. When we arrive the first thing we see is a
So we seek out the beer girl and ask her the deal, she said, “with every Sam Addams you drink you get to keep the glass, get a cozy and a raffle ticket for the grill.”
Well to a couple of suburbanites who don’t get out much and could use a device like this for tailgating…this is a challenge. I mean you might as well wave a red flag at a bull. Even my wife, who is not a fan of Sam Addams, can smell competition. We start ordering beers like we are using them to put out a fire. We down two before our friends even arrive (we were a little early because we were so excited to get out). Then when our friends Mason and Alexandra do get there, we quickly dispense with the pleasantries and immediately fill them in. They’re in…Another round of Sammies please.
By the time we get a table, the free glasses and cozies are starting to pile up. By the time we order our food we need an extra chair to hold all the freebies. Well by now we have made great friends with the beer girl who is dispensing the raffle tickets and she has a proposition. She is running out of cozies, can she trade us raffle tickets for them. Well this plays right into our hands. I mean I have a whole cabinet full of cozies (I know, I have a problem, but that is a topic for another time), all I need is one or two as a keepsake (as I said, I have a problem) and more raffle tickets. We need to win. We start to calculate how many rounds we can get in before the drawing. Drinking Sam Addams has turned into a competition sport.
As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, we did not win the cooler/grill. We were one number off and the guy who won it had not even had a Sam Addams – he got the winning ticket from someone who was leaving. So while we were a little bitter, we were also drunk and we didn’t let a little thing like losing get in our way of a good time.
Off we go to our favorite watering hole where Alexandra was as well known as Norm was at ‘Cheers.’ I mean they practically yelled her name when we walked in.
Bartender: “Pour you a Cosmo, Alex?”
Alex : “Alright, but stop me at one.....make it one-thirty.”
Sheryl and I were a little jealous; I mean that used to be us. But we did feel better when we saw our friend Glenn, the executive chef…knowing people who have access to free beer trumps knowing patrons.
So although we may have been the losers of the grill/cooler, we had a great night out. Not to mention we had a huge set of Sam Addams glasses to remember the evening by; well that the hangover and Sammie gas…
If anyone is wondering Murphy’s Law is alive and well
Have you ever been driving down the highway and seen someone on the side of the road, in the poring rain, wearing a suit, changing a flat tire…and thought, “Sucks to be him?” Well let me tell you about my day.
On my last business trip, everything went wrong. My broker had a family emergency and could only make the first day’s appointments, meaning I would have to do the next two days on my own. That was not a problem. I do this often so I don’t really need someone to hold my hand, but I had to shuffle hotel reservations and I didn’t have all of the files I would have had if I knew I was on my own. None of this bothered me though, I adapt. It just meant I would spend some more time on the cell, as I drove by myself.
So there I was about an hour into a 3 or 4 hour drive constantly on the phone trying to re-organize my schedule when a torrential downpour breaks out. So I hang up to concentrate on the road, not to mention my cell was about dead anyway, when it happened. THUMP! REEEECK! It’s got to be a flat. So I get to the side of the road and step out to take a look when I notice, “Wow, It really is coming down.” One wheel is completely shredded and the other doesn’t look to happy either. Not a problem, this is a rental car, I’ll just call them.
So starts about the most infuriating call I’ve ever had. I mean, you would think this had never happened to anyone driving an Avis car before. I was very succinct and full of information,
ME: “I’m Southbound on I-75 about ½ mile from exit 423 about 10 min. from Lake City and I have one possibly two flat tires.”
AVIS IDIOT: “What?”
ME: “I’m Southbound on I-75 about ½ mile from exit 423 about 10 min. from Lake City and I have one possibly two flat tires.”
AVIS IDIOT: “What City is that near?”
ME: “I’m sorry is the connection bad”
AVIS IDIOT: “No I can hear you fine”
ME: “I’m about 10 min South of Lake City”
AVIS IDIOT: “What City is that near?”
ME: “Look my cell is about to die, I’m maybe 40 min. North of Gainesville.”
AVIS IDIOT: “Oh, Gainesville. And what is wrong with the car?”
ME: “I said I have one, maybe two flat tires, my cell phone is dieing and it is raining.”
AVIS IDIOT: “That’s right, you did say a flat. Can you tell me what exit you are near.”
ME: “Could you get a pen or something…I have very little time left on my cell. As I said, I am about ½ mile from exit 423.”
AVIS IDIOT: “Hang on…4…23??”
ME: “Yes”
AVIS IDIOT: “I’m going to put you on hold”
ME: “No I can’t…my cell is about to die. Take down my number and call me back.” Then I give her my number
AVIS IDIOT: “Hang on….let me get some paper….OK….what was that again.”
ME: “ARRRRRGH!”
So I hang up and think I got two choices fix it myself or call AAA. I look at the rain. I look at the cars passing within inches of me at 90 mph. I call AAA. As soon as I get through and start to give them my card #, my cell dies (of course). So I get out of the car and open the trunk…then take another look at the cars speeding by. Now, I like to think I’m a bit of a handy guy. I’m no wuss. I can change a tire. But, It’s only ½ mile to the exit, and I’m a runner.
So I change into my running shoes (a suit with running shoes is a good look), grab my cell charger (my car charger had a short in it…I originally thought the plug in the rental car didn’t work. Of course that made me that much happier at Avis) and sprint through the rain to the nearest gas station. The looks I got at the gas station were priceless, but finally, I charge my phone and call AAA (who by the way, were great). By the time I make it back to may car AAA’s truck is there. In 20 min. I’m on my way again and and I get a call from Avis suggesting I call AAA…I hang up on them.
Anyway, what did I learned from all this? A AAA membership is invaluable, Avis Roadside assistance sucks and I can make pretty good time running in a suit.
On my last business trip, everything went wrong. My broker had a family emergency and could only make the first day’s appointments, meaning I would have to do the next two days on my own. That was not a problem. I do this often so I don’t really need someone to hold my hand, but I had to shuffle hotel reservations and I didn’t have all of the files I would have had if I knew I was on my own. None of this bothered me though, I adapt. It just meant I would spend some more time on the cell, as I drove by myself.
So there I was about an hour into a 3 or 4 hour drive constantly on the phone trying to re-organize my schedule when a torrential downpour breaks out. So I hang up to concentrate on the road, not to mention my cell was about dead anyway, when it happened. THUMP! REEEECK! It’s got to be a flat. So I get to the side of the road and step out to take a look when I notice, “Wow, It really is coming down.” One wheel is completely shredded and the other doesn’t look to happy either. Not a problem, this is a rental car, I’ll just call them.
So starts about the most infuriating call I’ve ever had. I mean, you would think this had never happened to anyone driving an Avis car before. I was very succinct and full of information,
ME: “I’m Southbound on I-75 about ½ mile from exit 423 about 10 min. from Lake City and I have one possibly two flat tires.”
AVIS IDIOT: “What?”
ME: “I’m Southbound on I-75 about ½ mile from exit 423 about 10 min. from Lake City and I have one possibly two flat tires.”
AVIS IDIOT: “What City is that near?”
ME: “I’m sorry is the connection bad”
AVIS IDIOT: “No I can hear you fine”
ME: “I’m about 10 min South of Lake City”
AVIS IDIOT: “What City is that near?”
ME: “Look my cell is about to die, I’m maybe 40 min. North of Gainesville.”
AVIS IDIOT: “Oh, Gainesville. And what is wrong with the car?”
ME: “I said I have one, maybe two flat tires, my cell phone is dieing and it is raining.”
AVIS IDIOT: “That’s right, you did say a flat. Can you tell me what exit you are near.”
ME: “Could you get a pen or something…I have very little time left on my cell. As I said, I am about ½ mile from exit 423.”
AVIS IDIOT: “Hang on…4…23??”
ME: “Yes”
AVIS IDIOT: “I’m going to put you on hold”
ME: “No I can’t…my cell is about to die. Take down my number and call me back.” Then I give her my number
AVIS IDIOT: “Hang on….let me get some paper….OK….what was that again.”
ME: “ARRRRRGH!”
So I hang up and think I got two choices fix it myself or call AAA. I look at the rain. I look at the cars passing within inches of me at 90 mph. I call AAA. As soon as I get through and start to give them my card #, my cell dies (of course). So I get out of the car and open the trunk…then take another look at the cars speeding by. Now, I like to think I’m a bit of a handy guy. I’m no wuss. I can change a tire. But, It’s only ½ mile to the exit, and I’m a runner.
So I change into my running shoes (a suit with running shoes is a good look), grab my cell charger (my car charger had a short in it…I originally thought the plug in the rental car didn’t work. Of course that made me that much happier at Avis) and sprint through the rain to the nearest gas station. The looks I got at the gas station were priceless, but finally, I charge my phone and call AAA (who by the way, were great). By the time I make it back to may car AAA’s truck is there. In 20 min. I’m on my way again and and I get a call from Avis suggesting I call AAA…I hang up on them.
Anyway, what did I learned from all this? A AAA membership is invaluable, Avis Roadside assistance sucks and I can make pretty good time running in a suit.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Ehlersism # 108
No matter how carefully you think you are following directions, there will always be pieces left over when ‘some assembly is required’
And
As size and quantity of the left over pieces equals the concern you should have. Example: 1) a few extra screws and washers…probably just included incase you lose a few
2) a giant 4 x 4 post and whole packages of bolts that look like they are used to construct suspension bridges…maybe we should read the directions again
This bit of wisdom comes to me after my parents came up to help assemble their birthday present for my soon-to-be-two-year-old. We spent last weekend carefully constructing a monstrosity of a swing set. My family is not the sort who enjoys paying for labor, when you can do it yourself. Call us cheap, but there is something to be said for building it yourself. I enjoy deckzilla that much more because when I sit on it, I know that I put it together (with a LOT of help from my family). So with that in mind, instead of buying the pre-fab swing sets, my parent bought a kit from Home Depot and drove from Clearwater, with tools in toe, to put it together.
My Dad and I went to Home Depot to buy the lumber (from a list in the kit) and then he got started cutting all the lumber to the proper specifications (again as laid out in the kit) while I…had to work. But early Saturday morning we started to put it together. Yes it was hard work and a little confusing at times (there is nothing worse than having to unassembled a part and start over because you looked at the picture backwards and put a board on the wrong side), but slowly Fort Ainsley started to take shape.
Late in the afternoon, when the heavy lifting was at its pinnacle, we came to the realization that we might not get it done in one weekend. But that is when (insert trumpet sound here) the reinforcements arrived. The great thing about my neighborhood is the people that live there. When someone has a project, be it laying sod in your lawn, building a deck or building Fort Ainsley, people just show up. The men all brought out their tools, the women fetched supplies, the kids and dogs play to the point that our yard looks like an Amish barn raising.
Now it is customary to provide beer and pizza if you are the recipient of such neighborly good will. And as the beer flows, and the men plan, Fort Ainsley gets more complex. We varied from the plans and fortified Fort Ainsley to the point that it could withstand a real military assault. But no amount of beer and pizza could thank my neighbors for their help, as a matter of fact; I seem to be the recipient of neighborly goodwill more often than not. Maybe that is why I always try to ‘build it myself’…because I never really do it by myself. Now if I can just figure out what I’m supposed to do with all the extra lumber and all these bolts…anyone building a suspension bridge?
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Well no one blew off their finger…
The Race is over, the Keg is Tapped.
We had a great party on Deckzilla for the 4th of July. As mentioned before, a large group of us ran the Peachtree and then we raced home to join the others for the festivities. In the past we have barbequed pork (many of my friends compete in the Memphis in May Barbeque competition so the food is always good), but this year we wanted to do something different. So our friend Glenn, who is the chef at a local restaurant, was able to secure a ton of quality seafood so we decided to have a “low country boil.” By the way, I highly recommend having a talented chef as a friend and neighbor. Glenn slaved away over a boiling pot (much like a witch) and produced some of the best food I have ever had.
A great time was had by everyone. Crab legs were eaten, keg beer was drank, dogs played we even had a pool set up for the little kiddies to frolic in. Of course the real fun began when the little ones went to bed and the adults only had the responsibility of the baby monitors (one of these days I have to do a post about the sheer volume of baby monitors in the neighborhood…I mean Deckzilla looked like mission control with all the monitors plugged in).
As the title to this post indicates there were no injuries, but we did come close. Rich, tired from the morning’s race not to mention the exuberant drinking shortly afterwards, had a brief moment of concern. After lighting a firework of some sort, he threw the lighter instead of the firework. He quickly realized his mistake and threw the firework, but we didn’t find the lighter until morning. Of course that act earned him our ridicule for the rest of the night.
But the truly amazing thing is, none of the little ones woke up for more than a second even with things exploding right outside their window. Ainsley came the closest. After a very loud and bright explosion I went up to check on her…she sat up in bed, pointed out the window and said, “Uht Oh.” But apparently the long day of cheering the racers on and playing with all her friends in the pool and yard was too much for a not-yet-two-year-old, and she promptly fell back asleep.
Well, I’m looking forward to the next party…that is once we get finished cleaning up from this one. Thanks to everyone who helped out with time and money.
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
56:33 (Unofficial)
I'm the guy in the white shirt...
Well some Kenyan did it in 28:04, but I was still pretty proud of my time for my first Peachtree Road Race. My Goal was to get under an hour, so I’m happy. Really I did not know what to expect. I have timed myself at various distances and thought I could break an hour, but you never know what the course, the heat or the crowds will be like. And let me tell you for my first race (I did a few 5K’s when I was a kid) this one was interesting. If you live in Atlanta and run you have to do the Peachtree, and at least for me, once you do you are hooked. I’m now frantically looking up other 10K’s that I can register for…I have truly caught the bug.
All in all it was a fun event, Sheryl Dropped us off at the start then went to a friend’s house nearby to watch on TV. Misty, Rich and I wanted to run together, so we lined up with the last group, but it was so crowded it was too hard to stay together. Then after the race, we met up (after collecting our coveted T-shirt of course) with Sheryl, Ainsley and their friend Candice in Peidmont Park. They provided us with a few celebratory beers while we exchanged race stories.
One thing I was not prepared for was the crowds. I mean everyone told me, and common sense dictates that the “World’s largest 10K” might get a little crowded. But I figured that after the first mile or so, the walkers would thin out…Or at least MOVE TO THE RIGHT. Sorry to shout there, but you wonder what your time might have been if you didn’t have to constantly play Frogger with the walkers. People were constantly asking them to move to the right, some were polite about it, others where not. Peachtree is a big road, 6 lanes in most places, how hard would it be to keep to the right.
By the way, my playlist was just about perfect: Rocky Theme going up Cardiac Hill, Machine Head after it (breath in, breath out). The only problem was I didn’t give myself enough credit. I made it 1:15 long just in case my time was worse than I thought; I figured I could skip ahead near the end but I didn’t really feel like it at the time. In fact, I didn’t pay attention enough to know that there were marker along the way telling me how far (I never saw them, but my fellow neighborhood runners told me about it after the race). When the finish came up…it kind of surprised me. Next up the 10K Classic.
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