Has the cuteness worn off yet? Not hardly....

At this writing Maggie is harassing the cat. Having that dog in the house just might add a few years onto the cat's life. If for no other reason that to piss me off. Stupid (Yes, that is the cats name) I swear the puppy just wants to be friends. It's just a coincidence that your food bowl got moved to the bathtub and the puppy sleeps on the bed instead of you. You really shouldn't read more into the situation than that, I promise.

Were down to the wire. One Chemo Wednesday left. I really think I have reached my limit with the whole chemo situation. I've had enough, It's time for it to be done. Other good news on the medical front. The double/double Endoscopy and Colonscopy was last Friday. It took me till Monday to get the fog off of my brain. The endoscopy found an ulcer in my stomach (or what's left of it). I'm sure it will have time to heal as my appetite is dead anyway. Down to a svelte 211lbs and still dropping. Time to eat some donuts maybe and slow that down. I was at 224 for my March Oncologist appt, then 218 last week there. Yesterday at Chemo I'm at 211 and the nurse is using that frown.. I think the Chemo is just finally taking it's toll. The Colonoscopy was unremarkable and the good doctor says I don't need another one of those until I am 50. I guess I need to add that to my bucket list.

Sean's baseball team got beat on Tuesday. They played without purpose and we're snotty besides. They earned that loss. We have a double header on Saturday and I hope they learned something this week.

Casey continues to work hard on her school work and the results are showing. Keep it up kid....


Has anyone ever wondered if the people who work in the criminal justice system are a bigger part of the problem than previously thought? Steven's Parole Officer is a real pain in the ass. Steven called him the other day to ask for a travel permit to accompany us to Hawaii in June. We have been talking about this trip for two years. He said no. Not "No, I don't think it's a good idea" or "You haven't earned that trust". Just a flat "No" with that "I can say no just because I want to" attitude. When questioned he stated it was DOC policy that parolees are not permitted to fly over International territories. Just how many countries are between Arizona and Hawaii you jackass! I know he's just being pissy because the guy before him said it wasn't a big deal when we asked. Also, Steven's probation officer said yes as well. I guess Mr Douche bag was having a bad day. It won't be the end of the world if we go in October instead of June. The kids miss an extra week of school I guess. It's just that we have waited for this for so long. I am going to take one more try to call and see if I can sway him. If that doesn't work I'll start working on my nasty letter to be delivered to the DOC director on August 13th the day after Steven's discharge. Decision time: Should we send Casey and Sean for the Month of June and then go again in October? I know, tough decisions.... I am hoping that my stimulus check will be arriving any day to help pay for the plane tickets.

Until next time.... Mahalo

Holy Crap and some random thoughts....

Holy Crap! (My favorite phrase from Achmed the dead terrorist)..
I simply refuse to apologize for not blogging since 3/16. I have been busy… Deal with it.

The weekend of March 28 took us camping out near Florence Junction. We had a fun time with the Myers clan. Glenn, Judy, Dan and Jerry were there too. We had a nice ride through Box canyon on Saturday. Peach cobbler in the Dutch oven that night was divine! The French fries were nothing special but those chicken wings we’ll see again for sure.

A rash of birthdays the last couple of weeks have our heads spinning. Steven, Melanie and I all have birthdays within 9 days. We went to Rock Bottom brewery for Steven’s day. I think we both agree that their steak is as good as or better than mine. I took last Friday off for an ATV ride from Lake Pleasant to Crown King with Steven and a friend from the office.

Chemo is rolling along and this week is the off week. Three more chemo Wednesdays and then all wrapped up. I think the next scan will be in May sometime. I do have an endoscopy and colonoscopy scheduled for later this month. It sounds like a real party!

More good news heard recently, Melanie and I are fans of a cover band called Shirley’s Temple. Stephanie who is the drummer was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Her story can be found at http://caringbridge.org/visit/Spudtata . The latest news for her (Which is what I was referring to above) was that the lymph nodes removed from her were all cancer free and that no more surgery is expected to be necessary. A little Chemo and Radiation and all wrapped up.. Sound familiar? Congratulations Stephanie! We’re making cancer our bitch!

You know, I have never been obnoxious enough to think that everyone who coaches youth baseball has to do things the way I do but sometimes I just want to scream… One of the things I learned (too late) from my own son.. If he’s not having fun, I am not doing my job. That doesn’t apply to just my kid, but all the kids. Also, here’s a thought.. Own your mistakes as a coach. If you make a crappy decision on defensive assignments then own it instead of berating the kid who you are yelling at for making a mistake in a situation that you created. Make no assumptions on the ability of your own kids to play the game you love so much. There is a better than average chance that he’s not nearly as good as you think he is. If he is, be surprised and enjoy it. If he isn’t, do your job as a coach and put him in the position where he can best help the team. I made a point to track down one of our players last week after the game and compliment him on his efforts. I thought that the coach was too hard on him for the way the play developed. He’s too green to be expected to react any way other than he did.

There is something about babies and puppies that make you feel young. At least it does for me. Maybe it’s the thought of imagined possibilities being limitless. The optimism of that which is fresh and new, pure and unspoiled. The way things were meant to be. This past weekend we expanded our family by one six week old Labrador puppy. She is as cute as could possibly be. Her name is Maggie….. Fresh and new, pure and unspoiled…. There is nothing quite like hot puppy breath on your neck…

Hawaii, Hawaii, Hawaii…. I am sure my wife thinks I am a broken record.

Happy Easter to all…. Enjoy the blessings bestowed upon you this day.

More good news!!!! Steven got a job! Yahoo!!!!! Starts Monday at 6am… Save your money kid and buy a car so I don’t have to take you to work every day!!!

Enough for now… We’re enjoying the day in Flagstaff with family.