Merry Christmas!!!

To everyone near or far from this secret location undeneath the umbrella of the Houston metroplex, Merry Christmas, and Have a Happy New Years! Saying "Happy Holidays" is for wimps. When I want to say something, folks, I don't mess around.

Divine Intervention

Did you ever get the Christmas blues so bad that you couldn't shake'em no matter how hard you tried? I've found out that examining yourself inside, down deep, taking a couple of days to do it, talking to God, and talk to someone you trust really helps.

A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 7 & Finale

Got an early start on the day. We picked up, packed up, and prepared to move out. After I came down from the loft (I will never do that again) I proceeded to have a Grand Mal seizure. Thank God that I was safely on the good ol' terra firma before I had it, because like most of them, I am unnaturally sensitive, and yes, I was conscious for this one. Each seizure is it's own individual world of hurt, and no two are the same. That's just the way it is. As soon as I was able (aka 20-30 min) I got back in the game and continued to help in packing up.
I barely got some oatmeal down my stomach and was able to stand, maybe walk, when dad was ready to get the truck and trailer, meaning I was to go with him and M.
Now, it's not a long ride into Livingston from the state park, it's just a matter of finding the Uhaul place. After 5-10 minutes of looking, we finally find the place, only there's no building. All I saw was a newly-built half modular building up on cinder blocks with no a/c which I could have really used then, because I was starting to get nauseated for some reason. My mom once told how she found I was so hot-natured (body-temp). In '88 my parents had a picture taken of them in period dress, holding me (also in costume). There was little to no breeze that day, and you can tell how happy I am because of the waterworks dripping from the costume. I had no a/c on me, plus, no breeze. In short, I hate being hot. I think that played a part into my nausea, but the rest of the players were my meds. It took dad 15 minutes to secure truck and trailer, but that didn't really matter at the moment. What mattered was if there was a was a trashcan I could upchuck in if I had to. Finally, we were outta' there, Dad and I in the truck, and M driving the van. I'm not fond of Matt driving anything but his Mustang. Safe to say, we got back in one piece, and yes, I kept my all of my cookies where they belonged.
This is where I might lose you. I felt like the presence of the two elderly women across the road, well, were not all they might have shown themselves to be. I as a Christian am steeped in the Bible, and I believe we might have been neighbors with guardian angels for a few days. I just have a gut feeling. Their timing was impeccable for the whole time we were there. Take this any which way you want. As for me, I think God was in that place the whole time, but that's just me.
Finally saw the National bird, the Bald Eagle. perched atop a 50 ft tree. And here was I thinkin' I was going to have to go all the way up to Alaska to see them.
We're out of the shelter ahead of time about 11:30ish-12p and on the road for good, having enjoyed each other's company about as much as we do at home, only we don't have too many electronics out here. That's what camping's all about. Whoops! Didn't pack something? Adapt. That's the name of the game. That's the fun in camping is when you get to adapt and change things when the presise instrument is out to lunch. How we beat all four elements is a miracle, but it took the whole family. In short IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT!!! THANKS GUYS!!!

A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 6

We had a brief breakfast to start day 6 of our expedition at Lake Livingston S.P. Dad, Dan, and Matt really needed to quicktime it on the repairs to that truck, but mom had traced out a pattern of the of one of the radiator's thingamabobs (yeah, flunked car anatomy 101, too). Really not trying to become permanent inhabitents of the park or notify our next of kin; we were just trying to enjoy our vacation, which is what led me take a shower after breakfast. As soon as this was done, I stepped outside the restrooms and I thought I saw a 'coon, only it wasn't. It had the body and colory of a long house cat, and tail of a raccoon. I haven't researched this creature yet, but with my inquisitive nature, you can be sure I will.
Ok. Car update. Filter failed. All we can think of at this time is a tow truck. Now the choice is logically Triple A, in fact, my mom gets all the through to the office in Livingston, but the call is cut off just in time for me to have an epiphany- Why not rent a small truck and trailer to get our things home? Boom! Instant success! Less expensive than a full-year plan. I couldn't help feelin' kinda' proud of myself, since everyone but yours truely had gotten involved with that truck, I finally jumped in at the last. I guess it was a "Family" campout after all. It all matters in how you look at it. I thought we were going up to the state park to relax, and yet, the opposite happened. Now we need a true vacation to recover from our last "vacation."
Heard what I thought was a Bald Eagle. Never have seen one live and in the wild before, so that inspired me to go on a picture exploration. Once again, another beautiful day.
When I got back, Dad was finally ready to go exploring. So I took my camara and dad drove us to the far end of the park, exploring some nature trails, and the marina on the way. This was a unique park in that it did "horse hikes." They were seasonal of course, and shut down at the moment, but we found a really nice campground there, too.
On our return, I promptly sat down to a idyllic scene out back on the "porch" picnic table. I sat there and read for about an hour when dad built another fire and starting the coals for the dutch ovens. I insisted that we have dinner outside on our final night. That, like all of the sunsets, were individual, and one-of-a-kind, and naturally, I couldn't resist it. It was nice, sitting down with my family by a roaring campfire with a good meal fighting off the biting cold. About 10p. we finally turned in after several rounds of Chickenfoot. (You may have noticed that's our favorite family game on campouts- That's just a rumor started by a constant winner at the game.)

An Irony

I'm constanly surprised by this city I'm living in, the Houston area. Anyhow, it snowed for the third straight year, and this time in the daylight meaning a dip into the high 20's is expected. For as much as I hate living here, the snow makes this place look pretty. We've got a 1/3 in down, right now. (If you want to see pics, esp of snow on a palm tree, go to my Facebook acount. It will be up by tonight.)

A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 5

Another late start again, while the neighbors begin to leave, one by one. Apparently they were going to take their Sunday getting back to where they belonged, while we were still stuck. We had brunchfast late again, typical for home. I don't what got into M, but he began to cook chicken for breakfast, and all I know is that some of it made it's way on to the shelter floor. Needless to say, the vacuum cleaner (Sara) did the honors. Did I mention that chicken was raw? Well, that dog erupted 10 minutes later. That little episode lasted about an hour. She eventually settled down, but she doesn't have the brains God gave a goose when it comes to food. She's a Beagle alright, but all she'll hunt are our plates and our food. Very intelligent, even nicknamed her "Nanna" after the dog in Peter Pan but Sara is just not a hunter, unless it's a squirrel, and then, hold your ears.
D's car a work in progress. He, Dad, and I run into Livingston to get parts for the truck at Auto Zone, Wal-Mart, and Lowe's. In the parking lot at Wallyworld, I see my dreamcar: an '84 red Corvette. Needless to say, I got a lot of good shots of it!
On our return to the shelter, Dad announced that all work (fixing the Ford) was going to stop for the day, but needed mom to do one final thing: cut out the gasket material out since she's got a talent for working with her fingers
I wound up spying a red-admiral butterfly. Check that. I saw at least a dozen swooping in and out of those trees. I stood, dumbfounded, for the first time, getting to see my favorite butterflies take flight. If you're a nature lover, you'll understand my excitement when you're surrounded by them. I was six when I picked up my first insect guide, now here I am at nearly 22, and I finally have caught up to them at last!
The day ended with a real campfire (no, no propane. Eagle built. Eagle strong.) Fact is, we had that sucker burnin' well before sundown, and had we wanted it too, could've burned well in to the morning. At nine p.m. or so, we all went inside to play everybody's favorite game, Chickenfoot.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 4

The only thing that can D up early is his truck, and that's exactly what it took to roust him up this morning. He and M were up at daybreak leaving me to slumber. When I finally got out there, He had the truck up on the ramp, and the engine taken apart. 'Only this could happen to us,' I thought. We, out in the middle of a state park, our one reliant vehicle blown to smithereens. Yeah, that's our family, alright.
After breakfast, Sara and I took a walk, nearly a mile in length, when we ran into my parents. They picked us up because my boots and I weren't on friendly terms. The blisters had been on my left heel in the past, now they fit just fine. It was the Achilles heel that was bothering me in my right heel now, and it wasn't exactly causing blisters at the moment. A ways back, when I was playing baseball, a got a foot injury from sliding into 1st base. Turned out I had the same injury now that I had then. Dad informed in the car that one foot was slightly larger than the other. That's the last time I ever bring one pair of shoes on a trip again. After a short trip back to the shelter, My dad and I went out and bought another night at the park, and some cords of wood for a fire. After a quck dropoff, Dad took D into town to get parts for the truck. When they get back, it's my turn to go to Wallyworld. People in Livingston sure do take All Hallow's Eve seriously around here. For instance, this one customer was dressed up to look like she had her head cut off, and everytime I looked at her, I believed it. While we were at the store, we got some shoes for my feet, plus they were open heeled, so that was a plus. We returned to the shelter only to find D and M working on the engine of the truck under the makings of a beautiful sunset. I had to go out and shoot it, of course. Under another shelter just up from the lake, I took up a position in order to capture the waning globe of fire. I moved down the shore, when all of a sudden, I hear the sound of a van pulling up behind me. Lo and behold, a church-group pops out. It was a visit for a day only, I later found out.
Update on the truck: D and M still haven't fixed it yet. They took the water-pump out (the part that gave them trouble to start with.) with only 11 screws. There should've been 12. It's kind'a like the Aggies and 12th man in football. Somewhat. So it was time to pack it in, and wait for another Texas sunrise.
Tried to light a campfire tonight, but the wood was still too wet. We used all of our Eagle Scout skills, but as they say, you have it, or you don't. All the elements were against us, like the cold wind blowing across the lake, and it didn't take long for us to give up and head inside for a Chickenfoot Tournament. It was warmer, anyhow.

A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 3

Day 3: Rose late, but that's what you're supposed to do on vacations, right? Well, before I could partake of any breakfast whatsoever, I was called away to photograph waterfowl, especially as my brother had enticed them to come within six inches of his shoe with a slice of bread. It was a literall duck-shoot as we got three species that day: A Mallard, an American White Pelican, and a Least Sandpiper, the last two being new on my lifelist since then. You know the saying about things getting getting squirrely? Yeah, well, this situation really did. Try feeding bread to a photogenic squirrel who kinda' reminded me of Obamba that tries to hog the spotlight whenever he can. (All of these pics can be seen on my Facebook account.) When my brother ran out of bread, the critter tried my hand, literally. I was three or four inches away, trying to get the best shot, and up he comes, grabs me by my left forefinger, and checks (frisks?) me for breadcrumbs. I thought he was saying, "Hi, I'm Mr. Roberts. Welcome to the neighborhood." I've never shaken paws with a squirrel before, but he had a strong grip, and you can tell a whole lot about a squirrel from his pawshake, or at least that's what John Wayne said.
Okay, an update on the truck that broke down and was supposed to be the main vehicle's support car. Turns out it needs support in the way of a water pump. D has the parts at home so he and dad are taking the early express outta here to retrieve them
Once a late brunchfast was eaten, the three remaining settled down to play Nerts, which is a cardgame. Mom and the youngest were especially good at it, while I was, well, let's say a bit subpar. Of course, this was the first time I'd played it and I need weeks of assimilation and repetation for anything new to be learned well. So I sat back, and watched my mom smash my brother into the dust. After a few rounds of this, I decided to take the pooch on a walk, and a little exploration plus take pictures. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. With Sara pulling on my five foot leash going for all the scents she could whiff, it definately put my photo shoot on it's shutter. Turned out though, that the pics were salvaged and came out better than I expected. Now to learn how finally use the utility settings on said camera!!! We walked about two miles that day before collapsing in the shelter. Soon after Dad and D returned (After more than eight hours gone.) Mom and M were still at it playing Nertz so I went on another picture walk. You know, after 21-22,000 pics, I think it's time to unoffioially incorporate myself in the picture business. Ben Jones- "Nature Photography" I think that would fill the bill.
With the return of my middle brother, the work on the truck re-commences with him draining the oil from his truck. According to me, that's a dirty job.
I shot a beautiful sunset, devoting what must have been 45 minutes to it. All I can say is WOW!!! If God made the world in six days, what's He going to do 2000 yrs? My pictures don't do His creations justice, just to tell you the truth. I will always miss something, and that's why I have to keep coming back to witness His artwork and Creation all over again.
After dinner, Mom made up a double-batch of dutch-oven brownies. They were beyond perfect!
M wanted to win back some bragging rights he had lost to mom that day, so right after dessert, he and mom sat down to play Nerts again. Meanwhile, us two older ones listed in from the mezzanine. Oh, yeah, did I tell you that we were trying to get some sleep, well at least my other brother was. I was up 'till 02:00 in the a.m. composing the start of this journal which contained easy sentances that would jog the ol' brainbox.

A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 2

Day 2: We got up late that morning, us two elder ones in the second-story bunk, and our parents down below, and our youngest brother out in the truck. I could barely eat my instant oatmeal and sausage, but my mojo would kick back in later that day, to be sure.
To say the day was a complete washout was an understatement. No, with all the local rain, it was almost up to Biblical proportions. Just ask the duck swimming underneath our shelter.
Meanwhile, I hooked up another rope to act as a lever between levels for my daypack since there was no room for it on the floor, and yet I still wanted it at night because it had my meds, light, and book in it.
Shortly after we ate breakfast and cleaned up the shelter, we got a break in the rain and made a dash for the van. Naturally, we had take Sara with us, except there was no Sara. I got on the phone to my two brothers to ask them if they had Sara. They're answer was in the negative. It was then my heart was in my throat and my stomach became nauseous. About 10 minutes later, we found her on the other side of the parking lot. It was then we realized she was a squirrel dog and she wandered off when she came across it's scent.
We went into Livingston in search of groceries. We wound up at Wal-Mart, and dad and I went in. When we went in, we hit a break in the rain. Now, as dad and I came out, we were getting caught in the next wave of rain. I was not at all surprised to hear Polk Co. was under a Tornado Watch. (Note to self: You are an Eagle Scout with nothing left to prove, once more, you are injured. Do a cabin next time. There's no shame in that!!!) We tried to get plastic around the shelter because the wind was blowing SW/NE and it was scheduled to come about to NW/SE. The floor around the shelter was a wreck while we got the additional tarps up. The wind was gusting 50-60 mph, and then a siren went off. Trust me, I've lived across the street from one for seven years. Every first Wednesday of the month at 1:00p that sucker would go off. Now I didn't know at the time whether it was the dam horn (for the lake) or the tornado siren. I still don't know. Both happened. The dam was opened and at least a tornado formed over a town a few miles North of our area. The front moved through about 8-8:30p dropping seven degrees in one minute. Also, to add insult to injury, Dan's truck broke down, and it was supposed to be OUR backup vehicle. It was the water pump which is not easy to do.

A Tale of Four Elements Pt. 1

It was the wettest of times, and it was the fairest of times. The times for water pumps to fail, and duct tape to come into play. It was a trip of desperation, and yet success waited for us, there, at the end. You look back on these memories as challenges. Well, we did not go there to meet a challenge. Just the opposite. At least I think so.
So it took three days for us to get our act together as we had not been family camping for a while. We were going to Lk. Livingston S.P. for a supposed four-night stay in a shelter there. We had only about a two-hour drive, but we had two cars, and we kept losing the second vehicle every five minutes. That was supposed to be our backup vehicle as our main car was on it's last axles. It was muggy and our only savior was the strong wind that accompanied a front that was coming through on the morrow from the NW. Now, to my dad, a vacation means work. We were going there to relax from three long years of the school, work, chores, etc. Not so. It took dad so long to wind down was just beginning to as we left.
It took an hour for us to move in, and take a cursory look around. We noticed that every body of water on our trip up was full to overfulling and Lk. Livingston was no exception. My brothers decided to run into town, which was Livingston, to see what was there and dad left sometime after to bring in dinner. Meanwhile, mom and I walked the family dog, Sara. After surveying the outside, we went in and I went up to the loft to get my bedding ready. By the time I was time was done with that, I was exhausted. You see, my neurologist had started me on a new dose of old medicines that began this week. The side effects of those taken during the day were, primarily, sleepiness. This campout was planned way in advance of that, so I was not letting the meds have the satisfaction of ruining the campout for me. I may be there in spirit only, but that's better than not being there at all, true?
Dad brought back What-A-Burger, and I barely made it through my sandwhich before it was back up to the loft with me for good that night. Another item: wherever I go, my daypack follows. So naturally I had already taken it up to the loft, and when I got up there to sleep, I didn't have it secured at my feet. Sara found that out the hard way as she was sleeping on the first floor directly underneath the loft. It's safe to say that she wouldn't return to bed, and curled up at my dad's feet. I slept fitfully, probably borrowing too many equipment slipcovers, but the one I love most is an old buckwheat shell pillow I got seven years ago

The Invention of the Man-Purse, and Curse of the IV

This wasn't Dallas Presbyterian Hospital, and I'm no shavetail when it comes to them. I've been be-bopping in and out of medical centers for 20 years for one thing or another. The past few times it's been for re-hab, and volunteer work, but then there are VEEG's (Video Electro Encepehalogram). That's what I had done to me this week. I'm no stranger to them either, having completd at least half-dozen of them. As the seizure meds my doctor hadn't made a great difference in them, the neurologist wanted an up-close and personal view for himself. When I came down here from Dallas, all he did was shove medicines at me, but this time, he sprang into action. All of this started out Tuesday, 6:15 in the cock-a-doodle. I got my stuff together and was ready to go on a seriously, muggy morning. We reached the hospital in downtown Houston an hour later, and got settled into the room. It was smaller than the others I'd been in, but it got the job done. M411, downtown Hospital Row. Methodist, this time, not Presbyterian. Hospital regs say that if you're in for an EEG, you gotta have a button down shirt. I hate button-down shirts with a passion, but in my closet there is at least a tropical jackcket I was able to wear. Something else you have to go without: blankets at night. Break out the long cargo pants,and just in time. The AC guys had finally fixed the air-conditioning in my room. My only savior was the box fan that was behind the chair. And who doesn't believe in miracles? Having waited an hour, a nurse finally pops in and says she's ready to do the leads on my head. "That's fine," I think, but when she came back, she was toting some gadgets I'd never seen before, and certainly not at Dallas Presby. Anyway, the nurse was a talkative young lady, and it wasn't long before we were swapping stories. there was a total of 28 leads on my head, subtracting two on my chest, and it took about an hour to do. First, the nurse measures the diameter and circumference of the head, and sets the 26 intersections at where they need to cross on muy la cabsa. Then attaching the actual leads is a science all to itself, but the glue smelled awful, but when she had it in just the position, that nurse would turn her machine on, and dry them to my skull. And did she ever push down hard on those that misbehaved! Then she had to get all the leads straigtened out over the video camera- kinda like an airplane checkoff list. Last but not least,is the invention of the man-purse. That's where guys have to drag this box of leads, attached to their heads around wherever you go. It makes you really think about your actions as you trip over the assorted cables day after day. I believe that the term was thought up by my nurse that got me hooked up to those buggers, and my mom seemed to like it too. By the by, my tv was Dish, and the menu was good as the Olive Garden++. The only thing that stunk about it was the IV. No, I did'nt have one put in me, but just the port which I got used to over time. I have a very bony hand, and after she failed drilling for blood at the bottom of my arm, that's where she had to go. After this commotion, I ordered lunch, and began to relax; reading, listening to peaceful music, and watching conservative news tv. We watched all of our favorite prime-time tv shows, and went to bed, but then it hit me: "How am I going to wear the CPAP mask over my head? We paged the nurse, and she helped us with it. To add to the perfect trifecta, I had brought my trusty Iriver, and set it up to play. I think would someone have looked over into the bed, and let's just say he might have gotten more than he bargained for.
I belive it was a single bed, instead of a queen mattress that I had to get re-used to again and that required several rotations to maneuver in the bed. So it was not a good night for me. I finaly did get to sleep with Rachmaninov's 2nd piano concerto softly playing in my ears. 2 strings of nurses kept Be-boppin' in and out every hour or two taking my temp bloodpressure, and pulse.
Finally morning came, so right around 8:45 mom made me get up and order breakfast. After that was accomplished, I laid back and took it easy. After desayuno, I attempted some of my schoolwork but gave up on it about 1/2 hour in so I thought I'd nap for a bit. Bit indeed. When I woke up, I discovered that it was a full three hours later, and I needed to order lunch. I did so. I got some reading done,and snoozed some more. Countless nurses came in, some downright friendly, like R, and then some then would scarcely do a good job. R was my M, from Dallas Presby. She's what made it liveable, except the repeated visits to my room to re-adjust the leads on my head. Starting at 4pm we turned on the Glenn Beck show. We stayed around that tv for seven hours that day. Program after program. It sorta reminded me of the trips we would take up to Oklahoma to see my grandparents. Hotel-wise that is. We used to spend hours around the tv just soaking up the classics. At the end of that marathon, I knew I needed a shower, but you can't while you have the "purse" on you, so you have to take a sponge bath. I needn't tell you how many ropes there were to untangle that day concerning my "ladies bag." It was a pain in the royal can! Anyhow, the 2nd night was better since we knew what to expect. The morning of the third day passed like the first, and around noon, the neurosurgeon came in to say I had been a productive fellow (having lots of seizures) and that he would like to run another test on me. Trouble was, the techncians who were ran the test were out with the pig flu. So he released me. I left the hospital in style, in a sort of wheelchair with me sitting up front and the baggage in the back.
So, I've had my first VEEG in Houston, but sadly, I wouldn't make it my last.

Ike Revisited- One Year Later

At 2:10 am this morning, one year ago, Hurricane Ike came on shore in Galveston. Last night was totally different as opposed to the one 365 days before it. Now, we were watching dvd's and waiting for the time to mark the anniversary. Then, we were scared half out of our wits, the electricity gone, and all gathered in the lower story of our home wondering if the second storey of the house would stay together as the center passed to our west by five miles. Now it is a steambath outside, but then, 60-70 mph winds were gusting outside. When I woke up this morning, my south fence which I share with my neighbors stands, and they have a solid roof over their house. Then, half of the south fence had been knocked bown, and a major hole knocked into our neighbors roof. Now, you hardly see a blue tarp indicating some kind of roof damage, and yet then, 2/3 houses had a tarp of some sort for roofs that had some sort of "modification" done to them, and rain threatening to soak the residents.
Now, Galveston is almost completely rebuilt, minus the fishing piers. Then, in the daylight, you could'a bought the whole town for $5000. If it weren't for the scrappy people that stayed, putting up with porta-potties, no electricity, no water, no ice, and most of all, no air-conditioning for a couple of MONTHS, how could Galveston get rebuilt, along with the ocean-side hotels, which are almost fully repaired, by the way.
As I'm gazing out my window, how different it all seems. How much does time seem to change things, bringing about a new time, and season.

Locked In Combat

A bit of sunshine: I battled a gigantanormos cockroach a few nights ago, and won, evntually. The sucker wouldn't stay dead. After I thought I'd killed it, I made the mistake of throwing it in the trashcan. I went out of the room for a while, and there it was again, on the floor, kind'a woozy-lookin' sayng in a crazy voice: "Come on, is that all you've got???" So I responded in a typical KO fashion with my shoe from four feet above. All of this was made funny by my one self-not-understood fear: Cockroaches. So there we were, two mortals scared to death of each other, wishing one of us could be somewhere else at the time. It was not a pretty picture.

Early Retirement

Ever feel like life is passing you by while you're stuck in front of a red light or a lightpole? Take your pick. They're both the same. Well, that's the way I feel in this tropical nightmare, Houston. Sure, it's fine for the quick commute to the beach, and for the necessary jobs that we have, but what elae? Our social life was 300 miles North of us, but since then, all of our friends have moved on. I expected as much, but we (my family and I) expected to do it with them, and not rely on Facebook to do it for us. Instead, we have become strangers in a strange land, to quote the Bible. We don't have many friends down here, and we feel detached from the ones we made up there. For example: One is married now,and one to be married a few days from now. Another one has had a baby only four days ago, and she was giving me and a friend dancing lessons only three years ago. Makes me feel old. Tempest really does Fugit when you're busy, and that's what I've tried to be, but I'm also keenly aware of what I'm missing in the amount of old and new friends. I know this is a touchy-feely post, but it has to get put down in one way or another.

A Raindance Story

It was a warm, sticky afternoon,and anything could happen... Aparently, I did the ol' Sugar Land rain dance today, and I got more than I bargained for. There was electricity in the air, literally. Cloud-to-ground lightning danced wickedly in three parts of the sky, making the viewer feel surrounded. There was no warning, no signal except when it hit, and it hit with the fury of a lion. There was one, loyal, shelter on a small porch directly in the storm's path, needing to be disassembled post-haste. Four brave men answered the call when the storm was at it's worst, getting completely drenched in the process. With the winds howling at speeds of 40 mph they managed to reduce the height of the canopy all the way to the ground, and secured it to the door after they came in from the tempest. As they changed into dry clothes, little did these men know that they would meet the tempest in battle again. Being assured that no more alterations were needed for the shelter, they were surprised when their leader wanted to collapse the shelter down completely, and reluctantly complied. Having a recess in the rain assisted greatly in the complete breakdown of the canopy until the cloudburst drenched them yet again when the break in the storm ended. All in all, the deluge lasted for several hours, bringing nearly two inches of rain to parched neighborhoods all over Sugar Land.

Chasing Ambulances

When I checked out of the Hotel Children's Hosital, I wanted to go to the re-hab place in style, via the ambulance. Yes, it was seven years ago today, but as it was the crux of my complete visit of both hospitals, I wanted to do it right. Waell let's see, if I can remember correctly. My memories were a bit sharper then than they are now, if you subtract the 6320 +/- seizures I've had since then. On my last day in the hospital, the 19th, I woke up (or went to sleep, since the medicine they gave kept me up nights) had a quick run through my food. My right side was still paralized completely so they had quite a time turning me on my stomach, and shoving a suppository home- "The bullet of health." So I had a rotten morning, but it was about to get worse. I was going to be transfered to a children's hospital on the other side of town You know, a boy in my condition who could literally read the stiches on his own head could be given more of a break, but no. Ol' K139 (The room) was soon rid of me, ready for the next patient as soon as mom gave me a bath (Modesty, flying out the window) after I struggle over the steep side. By this time, I was barely dressed, and laying on a table, my belongings all gathered up when who walks in but two paramedics. They have my parents sign a few things, then disappear down the hallway. They return about 10 minutes later, and transfer me from my table to the stretcher. Anyone with 1/2 a brain tied behind their backs could have seen that I was too big for their stretcher, but apparently, one stretcher fit all that day. Once in the back of the vehicle, I was secured in place, and my mom sat at my side. When we were underway one of the drivers asked which radio station I'd like to hear. I replied. '101.1 FM.' He said, more or less, 'That's a good choice. We've had all sorts of kids come through here asking for the same station, and it's drivin' me batty.' After a 30-45 miute drive, we arrived at OCH (Our Children's House)a special re-hab place for children. They deliver me, and there I was to stay for three weeks, until August 6th, but that's another story. What one has to do to ride in an ambulance these days!

Owell's Funny Farm

Well, there I was, just coming to after the completion of my third brain surgery. As soon as I got my bearings, I became more and more conscious (it gets easier with every surgery. I just had a previous brain surgery a week earlier.) and realized that there was quite a bit of pain coming from somewhere south of the border. They had slipped a capheter in after they had drugged me. Sly dogs. They got me when I wasn't conscious or I would've given them a quite a fight over it. That's something that doesn't get any easier with expierience. I asked my mom to request it be removed. YOU do not ever want to have that happen to you. As you would expect, the hospital didn't play ball on that issue, plus when I got hungry, about an hour later, I ordered a full three-course meal; They show up with jello and water! That is just a travesty of justice!!! Good thing I had friends in the Neurology Department whom I went to see regularly when the neurologist ordered a EEG monitoring (quite frequently) The head nurse was just one laugh after another, they specialized in humor. Well, after my stint was done in the recovery room, that's where they moved me, right back to the funny farm. Later, of course, I turned the tables on one of the staff (who had the same name I do) by ordering chocolate pudding over the phone in a dying voice. The orderly (from the Philipines) couldn't believe I had done that, and exploded in laughter. To sum it up, the hospital recovery room service is ok, the food is average, but the memories are priceless.

Una Problema

Much to my chagrin, I've miscalculated my seizure total. It stood at at least 1/6 of where it should have. 1700 to 6280. It was due to a problem in my calculations, which I have now done 3x over just to be sure. 2-3 seizures/ day x 30 days in a month x 12 months x 6 years. I'm contiuing to fail upwards, I see. Well, at least I'm setting a record doing it. You see, you gotta remain positive in these things, even if you have to count seizures doing it. You know, according to my sick mind, I'm hoping to set a record in them, and YOU, didn't read that. Just consider the source.

Crash Course

I don't what a tetanus shot looks like because you usually get it in the bazooka, but I can definately say, this was a big one ready to happen.
My brothers all went with me to the store, and then, unbenounced to me, as we were driving home, we all of a sudden needed to go to an auto junkyard. Now, it was my little brother suggesting this from the back seat, and as my middle brother was driving, I had little choice in where we went. My brothers are into one thing a year-in 2008 it was computers; this year- cars and engines. So, that's what I was doing in the middle of a junkyard in sandals, and having to follow dumb and dumber around the car lot.
My middle brother was looking for a second Ford Explorer to go off-roading with. The other one was looking for a tail-fin for his Mustang. Me? I just wanted to find a way out of there. I think cars are nice, and I learn a lot of matienence from watching NASCAR. But, hands- on? No. I'm just not that type of person. Sure, I can do basic maintenance, but I'd rather be hiking. Good thing I don't have that problem yet. I'm 21, and have 1700 seizures and counting.
Both of my brothers found what they wanted. The youngest wanted to make arrangements to pick up the tailfin, but we had to wait to leave, because the other one went back to have a parting glance at his Explorer (no doubt to hug it goodbye) It was the happiest hour of my life when we said adios to that junkyard (but, I'm biased)

Teed Off

54 on a 9- hole course- decent; Body- here, in spirit only; Golfing with my dad for the first time- priceless. There's anther good thing about that day though; I didn't stroke out, as my dad calls my seizures when I try something new. It all started a couple of weeks ago when I was watching a round of golf on tv, for something different. That's when it all went south on me. I got in a conversation witn my dad that if we could go driving (golf) one of those days, it would really be a shot in the arm, or so. I seem to remember something about how old and heavy my dad's clubs were (37 yrs old) and they seemed to weigh a ton. Now I'm no stranger to golf having been to the driving course for the two years past, but when I saw the excitement that lit up my dad's eyes (and mine, too) you couln't blame me for getting a new set of clubs, could you? Didn't think so. Anyway, the week after, we practiced at the same driving course we'd always go to. Dad and I went through all the woods and irons (those woods just ain't the way they used to make 'em.) Since they're all pretty much the same material the irons are, there's some confusion on that front. While at practice, we worked on my stance, stroke, and my dad showed me some pretty neat tips on how to hit a ball fast, and improve your stance at the same time. A day after that, I treated my dad and I to a 9-hole golf course, just to see how it played. We first started off by renting a cart (there was a pocket for everything a golfer needed, even multiple pencil-holes in the dashboard for pencils to the scorecard, clipboarded to the steering wheel!) Our two bags secured, we set out for hole one (using the blue ground markers instead of the red ones. Duffers vs expierienced.) As we went on from there, I began to see that my area of expertiece were the longer greens, because I was somewhat proficient with the driver, 5, and 7 irons. I hit a few sandtraps,lost a few balls, learned a bit more about the sport- that the number on your ball is different from your competitor's ball, but I did not lose the form my dad taught me, not for one stroke. Hitting the ball, however, is anoter matter, but that's just about par for the course. It wouldn't be unusual for me to come in on a par-3 with a 5 over equalling 8 strokes. On longer courses, it was a little different: par-5 with a one over making 6 strokes. By the end of nine holes, we both were totally exhausted, and I couldn't shake the muscle pain for a few days, but we will go again!

Taking Lots of Heat

I have a riddle: why does the sun feel hotter in summer, when the sun is nearer to us in winter? If you can tell me that, you win a cookie. Just like the title said, the forecast here is for blazing hot heat, and a month ago, up in the North part of Texas, the windchill drove the temps down into the 40's. What a state. It's true, if you don't like Texas, just wait around five minutes.

Texas T

Well, it's been a first for me too. I attended my first tea party, and peaceful protest all in one setting. I finally got fed up with all of the liberal lunacy, and attempted to vent my frustration in the right place, instead of on my family. 1300- 1500 similar parties happened nationwide, usually at the city hall, and state capitol buildings. 2,000 was the minimum crowd occupancy; in the bigger cities, it was more like 24,000 apiece, or somewhere around there. This party consisted of bands, snacks, handouts, and a lot of speeches. Even had the channel 2 news chopper out there for going on 10 minutes, plus we heard the Railroad Commissioner of Texas, and a few other notables. In short, every area of concern for us was spoken about (13 speakers, 2-3 minutes apiece; you do the math.) My brother and I got there early, and stayed through the last speaker. There were a lot of signs, and I was no exception. Being an Eagle Scout, I displayed part of the Scout Oath, the part about God and MY country. The fun broke up about 2 1/2 hours later, when the sun went down. You know, nearly every day, after listening to the radio (Limbaugh etc.) I wanted to punch something out. Still do. True to form, when I got home, I had a huge, honkin' seizure, from which I didn't recover for an hour and a half. Teaches me to do anything about politics physically again, but I usually don't take orders from my body.
You talk about people who needed to be shaken up body and limb, it's those liberals; they're stupid gone crazy! Can't they see the transparency of Barry? Yet the flock to him, like nails to a magnet. I needed an outlet to take my frustration out on, and the protest/ tea party on tax day was it; like oil bursting forth from the ground.
"...and up from the ground comes this bubblin' crude
Black gold, Texas T..."- The Beverly Hillbillies

Additions/ Updates

Just added some games at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to take the poll I have in the upper right corner.

Noise Not the Problem

The earmuffs were certainly worth it. The camera setting I discovered was great, too. The only thing I could have done without, though, is the major sunburn, and consequently, the great windburn I endured at the track. NASCAR fans are the most loyal, however, braving whatever inclement issue that is thrown their way. Mine were once again, a shockingly cold cool front, and winds that topped out at nearly 30 mph, making the temp dip lower into the 40's. Unusual in Texas for April.
My dad and I made a weekend of it, camping out at a local state park, which we knew very well. Saturday, we took our time getting up there; it's almost 300 miles. We moseyed around in Carrollton, and Aubrey, our old stomping grounds. We finally made it up to the state park. We pitched camp, and then went to the Denton Fuddruckers for dinner. After that we went to a movie: "Knowing." It started off good, but as the movie went on, there were some parts that didn't fit. It wound up spoiling the whole movie. Of course, I had to have a seizure on the way back. Being up 19-20 hours is no piece of cake, and that seizure wasn't either. We retired for a shower, and lights out. Now, when we hit the sack, it was warm, and their was a light breeze out over the lake, and through the trees. And then at about 1 a.m. a very cold front moved in, and I had to fight the side of my tent for possession of my sleeping bag, even though it kept trying to oust me all night. I was a little less than amused when I awoke, weary from battle. My dad and I were going to eat out for all of our meals, so my dad beat me to the car that morning. I was taking my medicine, and doctoring the holes in my foot. Anyway, we had breakfast just after dawn at Cracker Barrel. I really stacked up on the protein I knew I was going to need for the day. We got to the racetrack, surprisingly without much traffic, and we got a very, really, good parking spot. We got out, rode the tram around the track, and found the merchandise aisles. There were lots of lanes of goodies, but we were only able to go down one, in order to make the race on time, and still do lunch. We ran into a couple of friends who just happened to get free tickets. One of those friends was the one I wrote about in, "The Denton Chronicles." So, we went on our way with my friends, and saw some of the sights that awaited us, such as a couple of demo cars, merchandise, and an arcade-18-wheeler. We eventually had to leave my friends, as they sat in seats across the track from us, and return to the car for lunch. After a quick repast, we made final preperations for the race. We took our seats, test-tryed our ear-muffs, and waited for the race to begin. We listened to a 12-year-old prodigy play a piano version of the "Star-Spangled-Banner," had prayer, and the drivers got those four most famous words in racing history: "Drivers! Start your engines!" After some warm-up laps, it was time for DW's famous line: "Boogity, boogity, boogity!" Then, I took "center-stage" with my camera. I really put it through a workout, taking 1100 pictures.That's the most it's ever taken in one shooting since I got it. Each one of them turned out to be a work of art (if I don't say so myself) through four-hours of sitting on hard benches, and being close enough to the track so that we got tire-dust all over us. Although no crashes happened per se, we did have a few accidents, like running into walls, engines blowing and the like. The eventual winner was Jeff Gordon, who had never won at Texas before. Now the only track he has yet to conquer is Homestead-Miami. Now we were anticipating 1-2 hours getting out of the parking lot, but were pleasently surprised when we exited in under 20 minutes. It was about 4:30-5p.m. and the race had worn me down, so we headed North to a Mexican restaurant we had frequented when we had lived in Aubrey. Before we got there, we moved our camp to a more sheltered area. When done there, we moved on to Raphael's, afterwhich making tracks for the campsite after a very, long, day. The good thing about that night is that I got a good night's sleep, plus the tent wall didn't try to collapse on me. We left late the next morning taking extra time to make sure camp was taken down properly, and quickly as possible. On the drive back, I had to work on keeping myself awake, and not just dad. The exhaustion, the sun, and windburn had got me out of the house for a bit, and here it is, exactly a week later, and I've still got all the ailments I had when I started out plus a few gained in action at the track. Ah, well, the price we pay for a full, round weekend spent with your dad, friends, cameras, and one of the South's best friends, NASCAR.

Playin' Footsy with NASCAR

I had to do it. Again. A long thought-out yes at the podiatrist's office has landed me in world of pain on the bottom of my left foot, twice. For upchucking purposes, I will not reveal what was on the sole of my foot, BUT it will have no bearing on whether or not I go to the NASCAR race this weekend. Yes, I said race. I bought tickets last November, and waited a whole whoppin' 1/3 of a year for it, We're getting fabulous seats, and apparently good parking, plus good camping conditions at a local St. park. The only hitch is that, once again, it is in the Denton area which means going 300 miles up, and the same going back. Trouble this time, is that we are going in a third vehicle that we did not travel in in January (The Denton Record Chronicles) My dad is working on getting it repaired. Good thing I can't drive, folks, there are two holes in my left foot that say no, and as you know, if I drive, it will have to be two-footed
"At first, I thought it was a pain, but it's grown on me, like a wart you wanna have removed, until you realize, it defines you somehow"- (Garfield: the Movie/ Me)

Fly Like A Model

Okay, so I forgot the glue. I finally found the model I wanted for my birthday, and I forgot the glue. I can offer up a defense, though. Painting a model is something I've never done, actually finising a model is something I've never done, so finding all the paints listed on the side of the model box was a new expierience for me; In short, I was distracted. The last time I tried to put together a model, was over a decade ago, and it was a Blue Angel. It crashed. I've also tried to construct this very model before, too, but without any forethought. Now, thanks to all the advice that's been given me by my parents and my many therapists during my illustrious career in hospitals, I'm ready to do this model right, slowly, and as accurately as possible. As a matter of fact, a certain plane (the model I'm making) and I have a history. I made it a point to go see it almost seven years ago (2002) a week before my first brain surgery. Woozy, nauseated, and on the verge of passing out, I made the trip, and took several pictures of the plane. Six and some-odd years later (2008), at an airshow, the exact same airplane shows up. I know I will fly her one day. I would love to fly. Oh by the way, the plane is the P-40B Flying Tiger No. 5.

Here it is in 2002



And again in 2008

Rockin' Robin

Hobbies. It seems like I have thousands of them. One of them I've tried to focus on is Ornithology, or the study of birds. Audubon pioneered the study and identification of birds, but, as much as I like to identify them by sight, I try to take it to the next level by identifying them by sound alone. I just have trouble remembering the songs, as I am often out on walks with my dog when I hear them. When that situation presents itself, I try to associate the song with a noise, sound or even words, so I can remember the notes of the sweet song that bird made. Often, this "listening" hobby of mine comes in handy when I can't see those little birds (approxamately 2-3 in) up in the trees. I have a birding program on my computer, that features 949 birds that reside in the U.S. and that program has filters wherein I can search for the bird I'm looking for. The really neat thing about this software, is that when you get to a certain bird's profile, among the other options,it has a program that can sing the bird's song, which is a real help to me. The filters only take away so many birds though, usually, I have to search anywhere between 60-70 species at a time, though I enjoy it. Repetition is the key for my memory loss. 86 birds is what I have on lifelist at this moment in time, thanks in part, to this program, and God, for granting me my ears.

Our Nanny

Sara. Beagle. Dog. Caninus Tinkerbellus. What can I say? Cute, cuddly, and loyal... only if there's food involved. There is something about her, though. She is kind of the nanny we didn't have. Picture Nanna from the animated "Peter Pan." She sleeps with us, eats with us, walks us (or we walk her, I get confuserated on that issue) and crys when we fight. She even checks on us close to every hour, upstairs when she's not raiding trash cans, and pillaging (begging) for our scraps from our meals. Still, I would not trade that dog for anything. Once or twice, when I was having a Grand Mal seizure, in the middle of my illustrious career, now at about 1600, she curled up beside me. Can you ask anything more from man's best friend? I can't think of anything better than that. She also comforts me when I feel low (often due to medicine dosage errors) and she loves food games; Frito fetch is very in right now. She loves it when my brothers and my mom join in the game. I love to brush her every day, as a way to take a break from school. She makes me look bad with all the fur she sheds everyday. Sometimes, when I'm very tired during the week, I take about an hour's worth of a nap (1-2 times per wk) At times, she'll come into my room, and take a snooze with me. She's definately a hound all right. You can tell by the way she'll sleep all day, eat scraps, beg, and then at night, go outside, and run up and down our backyard, howling, of course. It's hard to stay mad at her, brown eyes and all. That paint-brush of a tail doesn't help either. She doesn't contribute to the family kitty (money, not feline), and definately is afraid of her own shadow, but we love her anyway, and besides, she is our nanny.

Moving On?

It's been a while since I put up a post, so this is my attempt at it. There isn't much going on right now. True, my seizures are behaving themselves, and that could possibly be due to the fact that after I'd seen my neurologist last week, he'd prescribed a change in my seizure meds. One dosage up, and another down; keep the other were it stands. Also true, that it has seemed to be working for me. I'm feeling more lucid upstairs, some of my recent memory has been opened back up, I'm able to finish school in the mid-afternoon, and my favorite, the endless energy I seem to have. Funny thing. As I'm more lucid upstairs, parts of my brain seemed to have had a shadow lifted off of them, and I am able to do things that I couldn't do (at least while I was on that med) before. For example: My time with God, it used to be indepth, almost 3D. Lately, it has seemed stale, 2D. Now, I'm back to where I communicate with God on a conversational level. I think that is due to that particular medicine, or mixture thereof, had on my brain. I'm even picking up projects that are sorely needing to be done etc.
Of course, this could all go away within a few weeks like the rest of my career, but I have a good feeling about this dosage. After all, I gotta start my driving career (cars, not golf) sometime, and it's never too late to start. I am a true Benamite, right out of the Bible. I'm left-handed, and also left-footed. Good luck trying to drive like that. Of course, it could be due to that brain-surgery entire right-side paralyzing issue. I kid my family all the time that when I finally am able to learn how to drive, I'm going to have to 1. learn how to drive with a weakened right foot while the other is Velcroed down, or 2. two-foot the pedals, and my final option is to find a car hand control that operate the brakes. I think option two is the most likely. You just can't fight impulse. My seizures belong back in my teens, with zits, and I want to move on with my life, but as God wills, not mine.
"Moving on." - Cecil 'A Night At the Museum'

The Denton Record- Chronicles: Day Four

Written: 1-17-09 (Fourth in a four- part series) Typed: 1-22-09

The host's father (a crew advisor) woke us up from a very sound sleep at 8 p.m. and passed the word that we would be joining Venture Crew 1171 for breakfast. I did not know that they had apparently rented the whole Applebees restaurant out. The father bought our tickets in advance. The food was homemade, and the event was a fundraiser, probably for that trip to the Grand Canyon, that they told me about. If only Crew 1316 outta' Sugar Land could do that. I miss the excitement from Crew 1202, when we did high adventure activities all the time. My youngest brother spent the night at another friend's house, so we're picking him him up later today.
Check that. My brother's friend is bringing him here. We plan to leave out around noon, so we can get back to Houston before dark. It has been a bittersweet trip. Bitter, because things weren't remotely the same. I expected a little change, but this much in two years!? I'm reminded of a word that a long- lost friend made- up: sweetness. It perfectly describes the situation that I was in last night. That made the trip last night, getting to visit with some old friends!

The Denton Record- Chronicles: Day Three

Written: 1-16-09 (Third in a four- part series) Typed: 1-21-09

At last... sleep. The chance to sleepwalk, as I might very well do again like oh, so long ago when I first listened to the New World Symphony. After the 52nd rendition that was played out on my iRiver last night, I was barely awake to put it back in my pack. Dvorak's music kind of has that effect on you. It is down to earth-ish. But, sleep I did, and late, as well. 10' till 11 a.m. Once again, my brothers were out last night going to a friend's, brother's, girlfriend's party, or something like that. Then they came back, and went out again until 3 or 4 a.m. The chickens were still comatose, guys! Both hosts and my little brother are out early, doing I know not what, contrary to yesterday when they woke up at the crack of noon and nothing could budge them except a grappling hook and explosives. Instead, I was the last one up. I believe we're in for a quiet day. I called my other best friend's parents, and they invited me to dinner at 5:15 p.m.

It's 11 p.m. 10 minutes after I got back to my hosts home. We sure had a great time at my friend's house, even though he wasn't there. We spent most of the time talking over what had transpired since we had last seen each other. What have they been feeding those kids, Miracle Grow? They're so different! Guns, politics, school, scouts, hobbies were just the tip of the iceberg of subjects we discussed. I'm sure I'll come with more topics that I missed tomorrow when I can think with a clear head. The next to youngest dude surprised me the most. He's really grow up, and is smarter than I. He was solving a Rubix Cube every two minutes! I hear he plays chess too. I'd like to place him in a game against my middle brother. This family is one that I respect and like for several reasons: They're down-to-earth-people, not afraid to show who they are, and they truly home-school (not private-school like we get so often down here), and vote conscientously, rather than with the majority. The youngest girl, now 10, has grown the most. last time I saw her, she was at last four or more feet below me. I didn't even recognize the eldest, 18, (I put that in there specifically for you, R, if you're reading this) I spent 5 1/2 hours, and could have spent another just talking about old times, save for all of the phone calls I was receiving, and my brothers having to pull me outta' there, against my will, at 11 p.m. I got to take updated family photos and a photo of their family crest. Gotta' skeedaddle by noon tomorrow, so I best be turnin' in.

The Denton Record- Chronicles: Day Two

Written: 1-15-09 (Second in a four- part series) Typed: 1-19-09

9:35 a.m. and no takers... yet. The four of my friends and brothers stayed up till all hours last night, going out, and getting on their computers. I heard from the friend we were staying with that he had been talking to all sorts of former associates of mine, and my former best friend (whom I haven't seen in dog's years) We've just drifted apart, that's all. I could have done with some more sleep, however. Buddy, the Hibbard's dog, woke me early on, yapping his little head off. He's quiet now. 11:15 a.m. and they're just now starting to show some signs of life. Now I hear that at least two of them were out 'till 3:30 a.m. in the cock-a-doodle. Little wonder they're tired! At least the other pair made it in by midnight. Planning on going to DRMC for a visit. I have a barnfull of friends I would like to see. More later.

Turns out that the hospital has changed, a lot. I expected some, BUT THIS MUCH IN ONLY 2 YEARS?! There's this new director that's over just about everything. He/ She/or It got rid of the complete Outpatient staff, save for the Outpatient PT Lab. They also made external improvements to the hospital courtyard, the outpatient buildings, even the hospital itself. There was even new flooring installed. My doctors had been gone for a year; every, single, one. So I looked to the hospital staff to help me. I tried to go into inpatient PT, and yet, they didn't recognize me as the volunteer who cleaned wheelchairs and emptied paper boxes for five months. I think I recognized one of them, but again, I was wearing my beard. I had to return my pass, which I needed to do anyway. I contacted the volunteer director, and she made me out. I had a long talk with her about this and that, and what the blazes was going on around here! She confirmed that it was indeed a new manager/ director. So far my head's not turning! I went in to the cafeteria, and they were serving chicken- fried steak. So I walk up to the cashier, who's filling the drink machine with ice, and greeted her by name, and she, without turning around, addressed me by mine! I don't how she did it, but it sure made my day. When I went to pick up my steak, the server there remembered me, too. It's nice to come home to a warm, relatively unchanged cafeteria where everyone knows your name. Then I went up to the fifth floor, to the nurses and doctors who cared for those who had just been in strokes etc. and were learning how to use their limbs again. Usually the nurses were very friendly, and they had a candy jar that I kept full for them. They usually looked the other way when I, as a volunteer, went up to help the patients excercise and feed them. That's what I like doing. Today, I was a stranger. Not a person recognized me. Probably becaused the staff was just- hired (in my opinion) and were so young
A few hours ago, the guys assembled in the garage to put my middle brother's Ford Explorer engine back together so we go out to the old house in Aubrey. We got the ol' gal up and runnin' again in about 20 minutes and left out for our destiation. It wasn't quite as we left it. The lawn had completely grown in on one side, and mom's trees were ripped out. The bed on the other side was bare of trees and flowers, and had a black, ugly, weed guard. Who knows what they did with all the rocks that mom had in her beds! They ripped out the bushes in front of the front windows, too. It was just a disappointing day. To recover from it, we went to eat out at Raphaels, a popular Mexican restaurante' just outside Cross Roads, just East of Denton. The food is still as I remember it... terriffic! You can sure tell the Lord God is watching out over us on this trip. The numerous dings, scrapes, and accidents which we could"ve gotten into were navigated safely. Now to the computer's OS. I'm a Window's guy, and my buddy is a Maccer. Now just trying to figure out all of that out, the Mac, was enough for me. I just wanted to burn a cd, and I had to do everything but unplug the computer. I'll just stick with Windows for now. Before I slept, I had a very informative guitar session my pal's younger brother. He's really got some talent, and then he helped me burn my disc, too. It's about 10 after 11 p.m. and I'm bushed. Let's see Buddy wake me up from this one.

The Denton Record- Chronicles: Day One

Written: 1-14-09 (First in a four- part series) Typed: 1-18-09

I woke up this morning after trying to get to sleep for 40 minutes last night. Rushing around today was never planned, and yet was to be expected anyway. We packed up the cars and were on our way before 10 a.m. After a safe and quick journey of nearly six hours up there, we arrived at 3:30 p.m. Almost at once the mechanics trio, my brothers and our friend, got out and talked shop for two hours. His mom and dad not back from work yet, the guys thought that it would be okay to go over to Jack-In-The-Box for a quick snack. After that, we had to share our compadre' with another party, but he assured us he would be right back. Meanwhile, his parents had returned, and cooked for us a really good meal consisting of a chicken base and vegetables. Well, our amigo didn't make it back in time for dinner after all, but there was more for us. His dad and mom ate too as we watched "Knight Rider," and talked for a long while. Then it was back to the computers as fast as their feet could take them; I, on the other hand, sat down to watch tv, scratch Buddy (their Boston Terrier) and finagle with my guitar. His dad, apart from his busy schedule, sat down with my guitar and played on it with the usual elegant, classical style that he displays every time he picks up the instrument.

Problem Solving Deluxe

I'm on the eve of the biggest thing I've ever pulled, all for 96 hours. No mom. No dad. 300 miles between us and them etc. To be honest, I 've grown closer to them, my family, in these two years I've been away than I have at any other time, but when it's time to go, and all that... I'm 21 for crying out loud, and I have three cold fronts headed my direction this week. It's a safe bet that the friend's house we're driving to is going to have several hard freezes. I hate to become a papoose in someone's car, but you do what you have to in order to see folks. Now it's up to the drivers. I'll be my middle brother's navigator while my younger brother leads outta' Houston. Now, you would think I was packing like there was no tommorrow, but all those "safety" items are now necessary. I can't just pick up and go as I did when I was a boy, but maybe, just maybe, those will not become "the norm." I'm not holding my breath, though I have put myself into the hands of my brothers. (I cringe at the thought)

Home

This title might be deceiving, but I don't care. I'm going home! Up north, I mean. Just for a visit. Now, this trip will be a little wild, as it will entail just my brothers and I going. In other words, I will be the only adult on the trip. We plan on being there, in Denton County, for four days. That's where I did all of my growin' up. 10 years worth. My dad did something like this, driving out to California and all, so we want to have our "roaring days" too. All guys need them, throwing caution to the wind and the like. Apparently, I'm the only one who plans to take a map, a compass, and a GPS. It sounds like I'm paranoid, or overprepared, but when you travel with this bunch, you have to be. They're ready to shoot from the hip, and I want a plan, food and camping- wise. I agree with them on thing: better to campout them to put someone out in their own home. I'm currently making a list of things we'll need, and nobody has to tell me to check it thrice before we leave. Ah, well, I'm probably blowing this thing all out of preportion, but it's better to be prepared than sorry, so far from home.

Numbers

I've noticed a spike in the number of birthdays on the 31st of December, or it could just be me. When we went out to breakfast on my birthday (the 31st, 6 days ago) there was a little girl behind me celebrating her eighth birthday on, you guessed it, the last day of the year! Do you happen to think it was merely a coinkydink that she was sitting right behind me, or was it involved in a higher power? But, wait, there's more! One of my favorite talk show host's (Mike Gallagher) daughter- in law had a daughter on New Year's Eve. Now this is the first year I've become aware of this, so many people I've met having been born on this date. It kind of makes you wonder...

Legal at Last

21. Not the card game, it's me. I'm legal at last. My birthday was yesterday, New Year's Eve. One of the nice customs about our family is that my brothers and I are all born on the 31st of a month, and my dad is born on the last day of his month. Go figure. We usually get to spend the whole day with our parents, since we don't have many close friends down here, starting with breakfast, and our choice of stores to go pick up gifts. On our way back from breakfast, we stopped at one craft store, and picked out a flag displayer. (Eagle Scout 9-16-04) The flag had been flown over Washington D.C. December 16 2004, I believe. We came home for a while because everyone was getting a little drowsy, but after an hour it was back at it. The next hit: Walmart. I went looking for a watch battery, and came out with a much simpler analog watch. While I was waiting in the checkout line, I saw a lady in front of me with a shirt on which the back read: The Good- Texas; The Bad- Oklahoma; and The Ugly- Texas AM. Naturally wearing my Sooner shirt at the time, I stepped up real close and began to put my items on the belt, and said, "I reckon I must be the bad." She looked kinda' dazed, but that's fine, it made my day. After that, we hit the model places, but there was not the right kind of model to be found, so I'll have to look online. It was late afternoon we made our last stop, a sports store, and we looked around for a few minutes, then it was back home to get my brothers to eat dinner out as a family (I really love that tradition) Afterwards, having two cars, one of my brothers took mom and I home (as I was getting tired. With all the meds you are on, you have to sacrifice some stamina) My other brother and my dad went to Walmart to pick up the items that needed refrigeration, aka: my birthday cheesecake etc. As soon as they came home, we all sat down to one of the new movies, cheesecake in hand of course. Staying up to midnight was no problem for us. As we frequently stay up to 2am, 12 was not a concern, although, what really was a problem were the fireworks going off across the street, and no, these were not the kind you fire in a 10- minute burst, but a 3 hr 15 min blast! Imagine having to listen Roman Candles, and every sort of firework that belongs in a sactioned display. I don't what was going on over there last night, but it was long and loud. Anyway, that was how we welcomed the new year in.