Bucket List reflections

Entertaining movie; worth the watch. As it started to unfold and death was chasing both Edward and Carter I started to think about my father's experience with cancer. I did not expect this to happen when the movie first began, but the parallels were so striking that I had no choice.

His experience was nothing like theirs. He was given six months to live upon diagnosis and six months he got. There was no jet setting around the globe or random acts of fun. There was hospital, chemo, bed, repeat. All along, we were fortunate enough to watch his quality of life steadily decline.

I was a senior in college at the time and came home when I could. He was diagnosed shortly before Thanksgiving in 1998 at the ripe age of 60. That means I spent Christmas, New Years and a few random moments with him that I now savor as my last. He did not make it to see me graduate from college; the saddest part of the whole story. He missed Commencement by four days.

I struggled to enjoy my final days as a college senior before the big, bad real world would come down upon me. Several changes were all about to happen at once. I graduated from college thereby losing my current circle of friends and way of life that I had gotten used to for the past four years, my sister moved out of state to pursue her dreams and my father passed. For those at home, I lost three things when I gained my diploma:
1)College
2)Sister
3)Father

Sice then, Mom and I have been keeping the clocks on time and trying to make sure all is good. I lived with Mom for two years after graduating before I ventured out on my own. It was time and she was stable. Finances were in order and we needed time apart.

I'm in a much better place now. It's been 9 years since I lost my father to pancreatic and liver cancer and every day is a new challenge. I still carry the torch he passed on to me many years ago and it continues to fuel my fire in my personal life and professional career. That torch has pissed off more than a few individuals along the way. That's their problem. They need to toughen up and get with it. Your life is not that bad. Neither is mine; this is not a "woe is me" post, but rather a reflection upon how some feel that life is tough for them. It can get a whole lot tougher in one instant; one announcement - Daddy's sick.

Great outing today

I'm a Sox fan, but went to a game at Wrigley. It's an annual thing I've been doing with two co-workers since the summer of 2000 which makes this our 9th game.

It started out just the three of us - Joe, Derk and myself. Derk is the Cubs fan and his birthday was this week. Each year, we gather for a Friday home game around his birthday to watch his team and then go out for some drinks and food after. Some years, it's been a very late night of pub crawling but as of late we stay more under control and everyone heads home by 10pm. Myself, I was on the 8:40 train tonight. I had my fill and needed to prep up for a familly reunion tomorrow in Michigan. More on that later.

Generator

OMG, I have reached the pinnacle of suburban living when I need a generator; and this thing is super cool. Well, it's super cool if you like tools and electricity and having the lights stay on for hours after there is a major storm that rolls in and takes out the electricity for 18 hours (see my post about Father's Day).

This year alone (2008), we have had about 4 electrical failures. One of them lasted all day long on Father's Day and the others were less lengthy, but long enough to threaten the (refrigerator-keep) milk supply of a nursing mother. Once we nearly lost that 4-day supply, Katie had enough and we decided it was worth the expense.

We pony'd up for the 10HP 5500 watt model from Briggs and Stratton. Additionally, I purchased a transfer switch to so that we can plug the generator into our house and power certain electrical circuits. We don't need to run extension cords through the windows/doors and plug in our refrigerator. This thing will power the outlets that all our electronics are already plugged into. That means the Internet, TiVo, TV, lights, computers and furnace all stay powered up by this generator. If you are curious as to how a manual transfer switch works and why it's really neat, here are a few links:

www.green-trust.org/generator/genny_install.htm

www.reliancecontrols.com/Stream/ProTranInstall/ProTranPlayer_T1.aspx

I've been fascinated with generators and electricity since I was a child. We had a generator when I was growing up - a 1200 watt Sears Craftsman. It ran and ran and ran. It only provided 1200 watts of power, so you were basically limited to one freezer or fridge back then. We had to switch the extension cords back and forth from the kitchen to the basement. It was a pain. On top of that, it only ran for a few hours because it had a small gas tank. Today's generators are much better; the one I have provides 5500 watts of power and has a runtime of over 10 hours per tank. While I don't look forward to having a power failure, I like to know that I am ready to light up when the time comes.

Allergies - revisited

So I don't have allergies (as some have suggested). I know this because 1)Claritin did not help me and 2)allergies don't create yellow/green phlegm (AFAIK) or body aches and pains...

I haven't been able to sleep for more than two consecutive hours since Tuesday and it's taking its toll. I can't talk (work was hell Thursday and Friday) and I have a sore throat so I cannot swallow anything. I can't smell so even comfort foods don't help.

At the suggestion of my co-worker Roger, I have started taking Mucinex-D. I have to say it gets things moving, but it's no miracle worker. I've taken three tablets (read horse pills) so far.

Allergies?

I've felt bad for the past week with body aches, a sore throat, sinus congestion, shivvering and a general malaise. I don't have allergies to anything that I'm aware of. I've tried Dayquil/Nyquil, Sudafed and a Walgeens generic. Today I start with some OTC Claritin. Let's see how that goes.

UPDATE 3:30pm - Claritin was no help. Pain everywhere. Need sleep. Can't communicate.

And another one's down

I took out yet another tree-like bush in the back yard. It only took two minutes to "chop" it down via reciprocating saw (love 18v DeWalt gear), 15 minutes to dig up the stump and another 15 minutes to backfill/seed/fertilize/water. I love it when a plan comes together.

A/C help is on the way

Jim, Brian's Brother-in-law (who fixed the gas line to my furnace last winter), will come out and replace the worn out fan and anything else that comes along. He's cutting me a deal which is nice. It can get pricey in a hurry. ETA 9:30pm