Eli's Dad's Blog

Wow, do I still have a blog? So I turned 40 this year.  I wanted to have a physical to keep an eye on some issues. BP--fine. Cholesterol--bad.  Due to that, family history and some occ chest pains, we choose to do a stress test. The technician I went to actually uses a torture machine that resembles an exercise bike as it is easier on the joints.  So we do some breathing tests up front to the point of making me see various colors and wavy lines. Then comes the bike. The technician said she wanted me to get to 85% of max. So as I get to that point, she tells me let's get to 100%. I'm already thinking I get to stop at 85% so my mind isn't happy but I trudge on. We get to 100% and she then says to hold there as long as possible. I think she is just toying with me at this point. Yeah, I didn't hold on very long after that. Luckily, stress test normal. My doctor also stated he wanted to take pictures of my colon, I say I like you doc but I'm not into that. Turns out that is actually a test so I agree to it--I usually agree to his requests, hopefully that never ends badly.  Anyway, my colon is normal and I don't have to do that again for 10 more years! I did try to buy some of the happy juice they knock you out with but apparently they don't sell it to patients directly.

Have really been lax in blogging due to baseball season and work stress. Thought I would do an update on Eli's school year and yes I'm going to brag a bit as I tend to gripe more than I praise.  Yesterday was the last day of the school. Picked up his report card today. He made all A's for this period and only had one B the whole year which is pretty good for a kid who doesn't always complete all his work. He received a Reading Award and A/B honor roll award on awards day.  We were blessed with a teacher who had the patience to work with him and not write him off.

It's become obvious that we should expose Eli to different cultures as Eli yelled the other day to come see President Obama on TV and it was actually the local black weatherman.

Baseball has been an experience this year. We're playing coach pitch and Eli hasn't adjusted well.  His meds are worn off by the time these later games start and he just can't pay attention. Hopefully since the last four games will be earlier that he will be able to concentrate. At least he has a good coach who has taught some great fundamentals and the team he is on is a good one.

In other words, Madden will no longer be doing sportcasting. In other words, Madden won't be on the football broadcasts.  In other words, you'll turn on your TV and boom, he won't be there. 

So I spent a majority last night curled up in the fetal position due to a stomach virus. It's wasn't the worst bug that I've ever picked up but I called in sick today mostly due to lack of sleep and the possibility of passing it on to others. Then the guilt sets in. As a state employee, I have a large amount of leave built up. I don't mind taking vacations as everyone expects those. I generally feel guility anytime I take sick leave and am able to walk. I have several employees who when they gain a day of leave, they take a day of leave with no thought of keeping some leave for emergencies. I know I get my work ethic from my Dad who didn't get paid if he didn't go to work and I can't remember him ever taking time off due to illness. I guess I feel guilty knowing that he would be at work feeling a lot worse than I do right now.

A buddy from work recommended this series to me a while back. I know it is reshown on SciFi or SyFy? but I've missed it every time.  I'm not currently a member of Netflix right now so I attempted to find it online.  Hulu doesn't have it yet.  I used google and came up with Tv.blinkx.com.  It has several hard to find series along w/ a great many movies. It does limit a viewer to I believe 55 minutes a day for free. You can sign up for more--I really haven't got into the website that deeply as Dead Like Me is usually around 42 minutes per episode. The 1st thing about Dead Like Me is it has one of the best opening credits that I can remember.  The show itself is indeed enjoyable. It may not be my all time favorite but it's worth watching.  I'm half thru the second and final season of it.  It focuses on George who recently died thru a tragic accident and was she was forced to become a reaper.  Reapers have to live ordinary lives as well as remove the souls of the upcoming deceased. Here is the link to it if you want to give it a shot: Dead Like Me.

Dead Like Me: Life After Death

During Eli's evening prayers, Lisa (my wife) had taught Eli to pray for missionaries overseas (among other things). There's a song out now that mentioned missionaries in foreign fields. Eli asked what foreign fields meants. Lisa told him that was like Africa or Asia and Eli cut in and said "and North Carolina?"

Eli is having a good school year. He's made only one B and the rest A's. He still is having some difficulty with not blurting out in class and talking way too much. His reading skills have really exploded this year and that's enjoyable to me as I loved to read as a child. 

We've started practice for baseball in a 7 and 8 yr old coach pitch league.  I've got to spend much more time with his catching and throwing the ball. It's a skill that come from repitition which is a difficult task for such a hyper child. I'm happy with his hitting as that seems to be coming along well.  The main problem we are going to have is the practices are at seven and his ADHD medication is well out of his system so getting him to focus is difficult. The great thing is we have the best coach I've ever been around in my years of playing ball and the previous two years of Eli playing. This guy can flat out teach. He is also aware that these are kids w/ short attention spans and does an excellent job of keeping their attention by having multiple drills going at once. I learned a great deal of coaching techniques in just a week's time.

• You blog so infrequently that your computer doesn't accept your passwords and demands you call it HAL
• The keyboard is sticky from the fish scales and you can't see the screen for all the TPS reports
• You still think the Pittsburgh Steelers winning the Super Bowl is a relevant topic
• The low amount of blog entries makes you eligible for an AIG bonus
• Monkey attacks are at an all time high and you've yet to signal a warning
• You have a wonderful wife, interesting child, crappy job and a love for the Lord and no one knows it
• Your name is Eli's Dad

• Wondering why the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed the Seattle Seahawks to design their Super Bowl champions apparel
• Fully expecting the trainer who kept Roger Clemen's supposed steriods syringes from several years ago to give full disclosure and admit to have several old pairs of Andy Pettite's jock straps and Joe Torre's toe nail clippings
• Have to guess that Geico's advertising budget is literally down to that pile on money they put the eye balls on to show how much money you might save with Geico
• Now we know why Micheal Phelps consumed so many calories---freaking munchies

Men, forget your diets...........Bacon Explosion

Amazon gives several reviews of this book and such snippets describe the book as "a post-apocalyptic blight of gray skies that drizzle ash, a world in which all matter of wildlife is extinct, starvation is not only prevalent but nearly all-encompassing, and marauding bands of cannibals roam the environment with pieces of human flesh stuck between their teeth." I thought after reading these reviews that this a book for me. I always enjoy post-apocalyptic novels as one of my all time favorite books is The Stand by Stephen King. 

After completing this book, I seriously have to wonder if Amazon's reviewers read the same book that I did.  As I read throught the book, I kept waiting and waiting for some action or thrills. Or anything of interest.  You basically have a father and son roaming an ash filled road. Everytime they are almost out of food, they (by broad strokes of luck) come upon enough food to sustain them for a while.  After reading everything Stephen King writes, I'm used to detailed character development. Not so much here.  After a while, I began to feel that I was reading some very extended high schooler's short story.  I also almost found it laughable that every so often, the author would include a misplaced attempt of similes and metaphors to make his writing appear more scholarly.

To make matters worse, I read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol directly after reading The Road. It completely underscored what talent Mr. Dicken's had as a wordsmith.