Monday, June 15, 2009

Yay!!! I'm all done posting my MySpace blogs!

Ok...it took a little while and a lot of cut-and-pasting...but all my MySpace blogs are now here. I think only one of them is out of order chronologically...and that would be the first one I posted here.

I forgot that I had previous blogs before that post and I posted it before I realized it. Then I went and posted everything else. I suppose I could have erased it and done them all in order...but it was an ordeal in itself anyways.

Regardless, all the blogs are posted and now I'll start posting again. I took a little hiatus for a little while, but I have my mojo on again.

God Bless!

Thank You All SO VERY MUCH!!!

[17 Aug 2008 | Sunday]


Current mood: thankful
Category: Life

Firstly I want to take the time to THANK YOU all for the great concern and the prayers and the support that you have provided my family and I in our little family crisis. I know that every little prayer and thought helped and was very much appreciated.

I guess I should explain what happened.

Mom was traveling with my Aunt Jeanette and my cousin Jeanelle to Raleigh, North Carolina to go to my other cousin's (Jenna) wedding. They had practically just arrived in the area and went out to do a little last minute shopping. As my mother was trying to get back in my aunt's 4x4 truck (a little taller than your average pickup) and she reached to close the passenger side door, she lost her balance while sitting on the edge of the seat and tumbled "flipped" out of the truck and landed on her head, neck and back. A couple of passerbys stopped to help my aunt with Mom and (rather than call EMS) put Mom in a wheelchair that was in the back of the pickup (my cousin has severe rheumatoid arthritis and needs a wheelchair occasionally) and wheeled her across the street to the nearby ER.

Dad received a phone call from the ER doc and I managed to call back and talk to her. At that point she had already been thru x-rays and CT and was immobilized on a backboard with a cervical collar awaiting transport to WakeMed Trauma Center.

My brother Matt left from Tennessee immediately and Dad and I left at daybreak on Sunday for the 13 hour drive. Mom was immediately admitted to Neuro ICU and diagnosed with a displacement of the C-6 and C-7 vertebrae. We talked with the neurosurgeon and I was able to look at the CT. The neurodoc stated that it was a miracle that my mother did not have complete lower body paralysis. Both vertebrae were displaced several centimeters and actually the edge of C-7 vertebrae was resting on top of the edge of C-6. According to the doc, Mom was "blessed" with "a generous spinal canal" (the area where the spinal cord goes thru) which resulted in very little neurological deficits. The only thing my mom was complaining about (aside from the neck pain) was bilateral upper arm weakness and pain.

Mom spent the weekend horizontal in NICU with about 40 pounds of traction on her head and neck, trying to get the vertebrae to go back into place naturally. Well, naturally, that didn't happen. Mom's first surgery was Monday afternoon and lasted for 4 hours. The neurosurgeon reported that the vertebrae went back into "perfect alignment" and had to insert a titanium plate and screws on the posterior side of C-6&7.

Mom spent the next two days recovering from surgery and we finally got her back eating and drinking, though she was in extreme pain (was on a morphine and then a fentanyl PCA pump for a day and a half). On Thursday it was decided that she would go back into surgery on Friday to place a second plate and screws on the anterior aspect of C-6&7, basically to strengthen the neck for the long term and per the doc "would improve her long term recovery significantly". So that surgery went without a hitch. She was transferred out of NICU on Thursday night to a private room in the neuro step-down unit and had her surgery the following morning.

As of right now, Mom is recovering tremendously (though Dad would believe otherwise). I guess this paramedic stuff doesn't hurt. It was a bit tough with it being my mom and all, but I was able to stay objective and managed to keep both Mom and Dad informed of all the different aspects of care and what to expect and etcetera.

Mom is almost her sassy self. She was to remain horizontal until Saturday and gradually be allowed to sit up. Just talked to Dad a little while ago and Mom was sitting up, they had removed her catheter and got her standing and walking a little bit this morning. Everything is progressing very nicely from my point of view. Wild guess, but I think Mom will be able to return home late next week or so.

Mom, Dad and I all decided that I should probably get my butt back to work so I managed to grab a flight on Saturday. I spent the rest of the day with my Aunt Jeanette and Jeanelle (who had hip surgery on Wednesday) at UofM Hospital. I just got back home about an hour and a half ago.

Again, thank you for all your prayers and thoughts. They were very much appreciated. Once again, I know without a doubt that I have the VERY BEST family and friends that a man could ever hope for.

Love you all!!!

Mikey

21:01 2 Kudos

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Wow, and I thought my situation was bad! Pleas let your mom know I am thinking of her... And tell dad not to worry too much... Let them both know how much I love them, and love you. I will place a blog for my circumsances because this is not the place for it.
Love you, Mike...
Sonja
Posted by Andi on [17 Aug 2008 | Sunday] - 20:1

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Mikey, I had no clue but I am so glad your mom is ok. I will be praying for her and your family. Hang in there.. Love, Brenda
Posted by BRENDA on [17 Aug 2008 | Sunday] - 21:19

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Mikey

So sorry to hear about your mom. I will say a prayer for her. I see her alot at Sunnybrook for the fundraiser events as of late. I hope she has a speedy recovery and is back to her "sassy" self as soon as possible.
I will keep everyone in my thoughts. Wishing you and your mom the best.
John
Posted by Duckstr on [17 Aug 2008 | Sunday] - 21:30

My 40th Birthday...and My New House!

[01 Jun 2007 | Friday]

Current mood: relieved
Category: Life

First, let me apologize to everyone out there for not writing more lately, but if you're one of those that actually knows what's been going on, Bless you for understanding. If you're not...please read on with this one caveat: If you're approaching a milestone birthday, I got one word for you...Beware!

Lemmee tell you about my birthday…it wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. I don't know how I survived. Maybe good genes or a whole lot of patience. I dunno. I do know that I think a lesser person would've run down the street screaming like he was on fire and flung themselves in front of a semi. Believe me...I thought about it. Anyways...on with the story.

I took the day off from work to do my normal birthday stuff (go to the Secretary of State's, etc.). Other things on the docket that morning included getting my homeowner's insurance, a union grievance meeting at work at 2 pm and teaching the EMT class at work from 6-10 pm. I decided to get the easy stuff out of the way first. Off to the Secretary of State's office!

Well, it seemed all good at first glance. Nobody waiting in line. Cool! I'll be done in no time and I might actually have some time to sit around and do nothing for a little while today. I had no problem re-registering my truck, but I also had to renew my driver's license. Well, apparently, now they do a check on a national driver's database when you renew your license. And guess what…something came up. An incident in New York. They gave me a contact number and an incident number so I could resolve it…but I couldn't renew my license until the incident was resolved. Right about now, I start to get a little worried.

I call the contact number and then I remember what happened. I was involved in an accident back in 1988 in upstate NY. A couple of friends and I went up to Montreal to celebrate the Fourth of July in my buddy's truck. I was the designated driver and the two guys were plowed. Unfortunately, I fell asleep while driving, ran off the interstate, and hit a tree. Nothing major for injuries but apparently (unbeknownst to me) the cops cited me for an uninsured accident (I didn't have my insurance on me because it was in my own vehicle at the time) and apparently revoked my driving privileges for a year. I don't remember receiving any mail or anything like this (but that's probably because I had most of my mail go to my parent's house and it might have gotten lost somewhere….who knows). Anyways I find out from the NY DMV what I have to do (download a form from the internet and sign it and mail it) but the guy on the phone tells me it'll take four to six weeks to process. Now I start freaking out.

I need a license. Secretary of State says they can't do squat until the incident in NY is cleared off of my record. I need a license so I can go to work, so I can work and also because I need a valid ID for that Friday because I'm closing on my house. I leave the SOS office and go home to tell my dad what's going on. I download the form and get it ready to mail. While I'm talking with my dad, I get a phone call from my soon-to-be roommate, telling me to get my ass over to my house (the one that I'm buying and closing on Friday).

I jump in my truck and blaze over there (two miles away). My roommate meets me at the door, telling me this story: She came over to the house to finish painting her room and the first thing she sees is one of the builders there at the house. Just to back up a second; my dad owns the property (has the mortgage and the lien), and a real good friend of ours (Mark) along with a friend of his (Pete) did most of the rebuilding of the house. They went in on the deal together to basically try to make some money (buy a fix-it-upper, redo it and resell it for a profit). Well, the housing market went south and they couldn't sell. Dad basically begged me to buy the house from him to salvage whatever he could from the deal. He was losing over $2000 a month and was already $20,000 in the hole. The builders weren't going to do much better. They were going to lose about $15,000 a piece. But, that's better than losing more than what they were already.

Ok…back to the story. Pete is over at the house. The first thing my friend sees is his minivan and him shoveling stuff into it. My friend runs into the house to use the bathroom and discovers that the electricity isn't working (as was previously). She goes back out to talk to Pete and asks him about the electricity not working and he tells her that he'll look into it. Anyways, as soon as she turns her back, he jumps into his van and takes off like a bat outta hell. Then she goes back into the house, figures out why, and calls me.

I walk into the house to discover that all of the kitchen cupboard drawers, the cupboard doors, the garbage disposal, the sink fixtures and the lighting fixtures (in the kitchen and the three baths) are all gone! I go downstairs and discover that the circuit breaker box for the electricity is gone! The electric garage door opener is gone (so I can't get into the garage)!

I was too dumbfounded to be flaming pissed. WTF!!!! The first thing I did was call Dad up and let him know what was going on. As soon as I hang up with him, Dad's on the phone with Mark wondering what the hell is going on. I'm taking pictures of everything missing and making a list. My roomie comes back to the house and I get her and her friend (who also witnessed the incident with Pete) to write a statement, just in case. Meanwhile I'm still trying to figure out what to do about my driver's license. I had gotten online at the State of Michigan website before I left Mom and Dad's and grabbed a phone number or two for the state DMV and start calling. Nobody can help me, saying that I have to get the NY thing off my record. I talk to one lady and then her supervisor and then her supervisor. Always the same thing.

Also about the same time, I realize that there's just too much going on right now. I call up the boss and my union representative and tell them I have to cancel the grievance meeting. I also cancel my teaching stint, just in case. This day just got a whole lot longer.

Dad finally calls back and said he finally got a hold of Mark and Mark called Pete and then Mark called Dad back. Basically, Pete wasn't happy with the deal he's gonna be getting by selling the house (apparently he wants to lose even more money), so apparently, we decide that this (stealing everything—and probably more if my roomie hadn't interrupted him) was his way of blackmailing my dad for a better deal. Dad finally makes it over to the house to see the damage and then we also find one of those flyers that has all the house information on it for potential sellers and the latest one has Pete as the seller-owner and he was the person that reduced the price of the house from $194,500 (my Dad's original asking price) to the present $180,000. So once again, Pete was the one that slit his own throat by lowering the price anyways. We're starting to conclude that Pete's not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Anyways, Dad and I finally decided that it wouldn't hurt to call the police and at least get the ball rolling. Dad's already told Mark to tell Pete that there will be no negotiations until the house is back to it's original condition or he's going right to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. In the midst of all this, I'm still freaking out about my license. So Dad and I decide that we need to call in the big guns. Boy, I'll tell you it is a good thing we got our noses in politics. We always try to help during the campaign seasons and we figure that our State Representative would be a good first choice. So I call up the office and talk to the legislative aide (who it turns out is a good friend of the family) and tell him my story. He takes my information and says it might take a bit of time (since it's now about 3 pm) but he'll get back to me. A police officer finally shows up and we tell him the story, but we decide that we'll hold off for now on the police report and if we need to do anything about it, just to bring the pictures, statements and everything down to the police station and they'll proceed.

We went back to my parents, downloaded all the photos and then ran over to the post office to stand in line for a half-hour. I send the form next-day priority mail to New York DMV and then a trip over to Home Depot to buy some new locks. The last thing we did on my birthday was change the locks on all the doors of my new house, finishing up about 8 pm.

The next day (Thursday) started just a little bit less hectic. Dad was already on the phone with Mark and Pete by the time I got rolling. He had scheduled a quick meeting with both of them already that morning. Basically, the same as before: Pete puts everything back by 5 pm or he's going to jail. No negotiating. Nothing. I'm off and running up to State Farm to get my homeowner's insurance, but first a quick stop at the house to let Mark and Pete into the house so they can start putting everything back. After I let them in, I'm off to State Farm. I get a call from Dad stating that the legislative aide from the State Representative's office just called and told me to go to the Secretary of State's office and have them call a phone number (that he provided) and talk to a lady at the other end.

So, ok, everything's starting to look up. I get to the State Farm office; find out my agent is gone to lunch. So I take the time to run to downtown Mt. Clemens (not too far) and visit the Secretary of State office there. Have the lady at the counter do what I was told to have her do and call the phone number. Presto, chango. It (the NY incident) still needs to be addressed and taken care of but at least I got my license! Took my picture for my new license (a pretty good one, actually, for a change). Ok…that's done. Run back up to the State Farm agent and get my homeowner's insurance taken care of. That gets done in about 20 minutes and a chunk of change. WOOT! I'm on a roll for a change!

During all these goings-ons I'm keeping Nicole updated and we decide to meet up for lunch. She's at the doctor's office (down in my neck of the woods) and I'm up in her territory. We decide to meet up at Applebee's up near her house. While I'm waiting for her I decide to do a little window shopping while I'm waiting. I run over to the furniture store (Art Van's) to do a little browsing. I walk thru the door and suddenly wish I had a million dollars. I just about fell in love with the set sitting right in front of me right inside the doors. Just a gorgeous four-poster bedroom set with kitchen and sofa sets to match! All told probably 6-7 grand. Obviously, I can't afford it right now so I do some asking and get a brochure on the set so hopefully one day I'll be able to get it. I wish I would've gotten some pictures of the set. Modern with an antique feel to it. Fit me to a tee.

Off to Applebee's. Get there a little early and get myself a beer. Finally! Didn't have any Guinness so I have to settle for a Killian's tall. Nicole finally arrives and gives me my birthday card. What a hoot! Star Wars themed…you know the opening lines: "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…." Open the card to hear the Star Wars theme in music and the punch line…"You were born!" Best card I've ever gotten from her! Got a good laugh from that one. Anyways we both had a great lunch with good conversation and good food.

After that, I ran back towards my house to find that Mark and Pete had finished putting everything back. Well, mostly, anyways. Missing a couple of light bulbs and the sink leaked a little bit. After that, back to Medstar to teach the paramedic class for the evening.

Friday morning found myself back at Medstar to teach the 800 MHz radio operator class for the latest group of new-hires. Then off to sign on my house. At 3:56, I was a new homeowner and my Mom and Dad were ecstatic that the gorilla was finally off their back. Me? I guess my first thought was…"Wow!" As soon as I signed the papers, I was off again to the city offices to file my paperwork and then off to teach again that evening. My students got their (rather amusing) explanation of why I couldn't teach on Wednesday. I think I was forgiven.

Epilogue:

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Sorry for the verbosity. I get crazy like that sometimes.

It's now been a month to the day that I signed on my house and moved my butt into my house. The place looks like a demilitarized zone on a daily basis, but I'm slowly getting my stuff unpacked and stowed away.

My first meal was spaghetti with homemade sauce. No I don't have a recipe…It's on the spot, but it was damn good! Actually, most of my meals are home cooked…I'm not much of a TV dinner guy. I got Mom and Dad to thank for that. All those years of spending time in the kitchen are finally starting to pay off. No offense to anyone else (especially my cousin who's the personal chef of Mr. Joe Dumars) but, I got dibs on the best cook on the planet! Learned how to cook from Mom and how to bake from Dad (not that Mom can't bake, mind you…she can bake like Betty Crocker!), but Dad can get the job done too!

I'll say this much about being a new homeowner. It's a different ride. Not that I was Mr. Irresponsibility by any stretch of the imagination, but now it's a bit more; sometimes it feels like I bit off more than I can chew (and obviously, I can chew a lot!).

Anyways, you guys have been clamoring for pictures of my house. So, don't say I didn't warn you….without further ado…my house!

Me signing my life away. At least it was for a good cause!

Mom and Dad were especially happy!!! Look at them! All serious!

My lil' ol' house! Probably can't see the weeds in the flowerbeds...rest assured, they're there!

The back deck. Not much to look at but it's a deck!





A better view of the backyard and a hint of a garage! More weeds in the flowerbeds! Aaauuuggghhh!

One view of the kitchen


And another view of the kitchen.


The front room...notice the hardwood floors. WOOOOT!


Not sure exactly what to call this room...it's connected to the kitchen and obviously has the back doorwall. Also connects to my bedroom on the right. I guess it could be the dining room...at least for the time being...something for me to think about.


A view from the back yard. The two windows on the right are to my bedroom and a half bath just for me! Sorry...no pics of the bedroom yet...if there is a demilitarized zone in the house, that's where it's concentrated the most!


Except maybe here...the basement and my pile o' shit. Amazing that I had all this (and more) wedged in my parent's house. I used a shoehorn apparently!


And this is proof that I actually did celebrate my birthday on my birthday...I had to improvise because a little blonde birdy that lives in some mountains said I had to. Yes I enjoyed my twinkie!! Couldn't fit 40 candles on two twinkies tho.

Ok folks, that's pretty much it for now. As things get back to normal (whatever that may mean), I'll write more and snap more pictures. I'm also getting pressure to have a house-warming party so stay tooned for more information on that!

God Bless "Me...you...everybody! Everybody!"

Mikey


20:32

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Only you Mikey!!! The house looks great. Whats for dinner Drew and I are hungry? Love ya nicole
Posted by Nicole on [02 Jun 2007 | Saturday] - 00:28

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congrats on the house...Let me know well ahead of time about the house warming so that I can send you a gift
Posted by Andi on [02 Jun 2007 | Saturday] - 20:48

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Mikey!

Congratulations on your new purchase! Welcome to the debtors club!!!! What a feelin!

Hey also, by the way, happy 40th you old man! Glad you were first....it was cool to see your parents in the pics too. I haven't seen them in years! They look great.

Anyhow, where is this purchase at? Is it in our wonderful St. Clair Shores?

All the best!
john
Posted by Duckstr on [13 Jun 2007 | Wednesday] - 18:55

EMS Expo 2007 at Grand Rapids

[23 Apr 2007 | Monday]

Current mood: rejuvenated
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

Hi Everyone!

Michigan's EMS Expo was this weekend in Grand Rapids. Kinda quiet for Medstar's standards. There was only a few of us (and I do mean a few!) that attended. Nicole and I made the most of it!

Got a later start than we wanted to on Friday (not too mention bogged down by traffic), but we arrived safe and sound at the Amway Grand at noon. Got settled in, took in a couple of classes and then the fun began.

We were invited to a meet and greet for a very special person early Friday evening. Here's a pic to prove it (see if you can guess who the guy in the middle is before you go farther).

That is none other than Mr. Randolph Mantooth....better known to the EMS community as Johnny Gage from Emergency!

This all took place on the 28th floor of the Amway Grand in the reserved section of Cygnus 27, pretty much a 5 star restaurant/martini bar. After that we went down a level to the restaurant proper and had a very excellent dinner! The lobster bisque was sensational and if I didn't think they could top that...the dinner was even better! The sea bass was phenomenal!! I don't know if I've ever had better fish (and I've had my fair share of fish over the years). Just exquisite! Dessert was excellent. I recommend trying the trio sampler...you'll know when you see it! The martini's were outstanding! All in all...a great evening (just to get started)!

There's the desert trio (finished of course!) on the table!

I don't think Nikki ever takes a bad picture! If she does, this isn't it! Looking faaaabulous, dahling!

A little fondue to finish the dinner off!

Two peas in a pod! THe sister I never had and the brother she never had!

I'm not exactly sure what this was...but it tasted delish!!!! And a none-to-subtle reminder of somebody's birthday!

Like I said...the night was just getting started! Next stop...

http://www.mojospianobar.com/index.html

Lemmee tell you....Rag's to Riches (our old EMS Expo hangout) is history! This place rocks! We had a veritable blast! The drinks are cold and the show is awesome! I never thought that I'd have a blast in a piano bar of all places. Of course Nicole got me up on the stage for my birthday! Everybody had fun at everybody's expense!

All of the pianists were tremendous, but one of them stood head and shoulders above the rest. His name is Andy. Andy just didn't play the piano or the guitar or the bass guitar or the trumpet. He sings just as well as he plays. And they played everything! Concertos, old rock, country, pop, new stuff, old stuff....everything! We talked to Andy after the show and found out that the only instrument that he doesn't play (and he is so frustrated by the fact that he can't get it down) is the sax. His parents came up all the way from Columbus, OH to see him play (for the very first time ever) and I found out that his mother is collecting money to do a 60 mile walk for breast cancer. Of course I gave her a donation. A buck a mile. Good money well spent! A truly tremendous family!

Andy (sorry I didn't get his last name) is playing in Ypsilanti at Pub 13 on July 14th and August 4th. I'm gonna be planning a little road trip! Stay tuned! Everyone is invited!

Ooops! I kinda forgot my camera when we went to Mojo's (both day's even...boy, I'm getting old!). I'll do better next time!

Well, I was pretty whipped after that so we went back to the Grand after that and crashed...apparently very hard (for me at least). Nicole went over to bother Brook Atkinson for an hour or so. I left a dent in my pillow! I was poooped! So pooped that I don't remember yelling at Nicole for jumping on my bed when she got back to the room. I also don't remember her trying to get me up in the morning to go to Melissa Gladieux's class at 0800. After that we went to see Randy's (Johhny Gage) keynote session on the beginnings of EMS, of which Emergency! was a big part.

After that...time to work...if you want to call spending three hours at an arm's length from Mr. Mantooth work. We helped everyone get their autographs. He did the autographs for free, we just sold the pics and other memorabilia so he could raise money for the County of Los Angeles Fire Museum which is going to include the start of EMS, EMT's and Paramedics within the exhibits.

http://www.clafma.org/

Here's Randy's official website:

http://www.randymantooth.com/

Had a blast...another job where you can have fun while working! Always works for me!

The man...the legend himself!

Nikki and Randy!

Mikey and Randy!

Randy signing one of many photographs. He went through almost a dozen sharpies in the three hours he was signing! And only one potty break! Now that's dedication!

After that we attended the Award's Banquet and Dinner like we always do. Luckily, Kolby's got contacts. He lost the banquet tickets! We still got it though! Good dinner! I even had seconds (ok...so it was whatever Melissa couldn't finish)! After that...martini's up in the tower again at Cygnus 27.

Then back to Mojo's to finish the night off. Once again, a great time! Jerod (from Macomb County Medcom fame) joined us for dinner, martini's and Mojo's. Even an old sourpuss (JK Jerod!!!) like him had a great time!

We crashed again and slept in a bit on Sunday morning. Grabbed a great breakfast at Bentham's after checking out (can't beat the sausage gravy and biscuits!). We finished our little vacation by taking a little trip through history at The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. Jerod and another friend Kim joined us on our jaunt through history. Well worth it...I'll recommend it to anybody!

And then the reluctant drive home...

Epilogue:

I am coming to the distinct impression that Grand Rapids is my singular choice for a weekend getaway. The city is absolutely gorgeous. Downtown is clean and well organized. It might be a little on the expensive side for a getaway but the amenities make it all worth it. And it's growing rather than the decay we see around here. Of course...I'll always be the eternal optimist. It is possible that Detroit could rebound and be as nice as Grand Rapids is. It's going to take a lot of work, though.

Next blog is coming soon...featuring my new house!!! Pictures to be included! Stay tuned!

God Bless!

Mikey

21:19 0 Kudos

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Well said Mikey!!! Let's do it again next year!!! Love ya nicole
Posted by Nicole on [24 Apr 2007 | Tuesday] - 12:12

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You know it Beautiful!!!!

I also wanted to add...because I was woefully neglectful...Randy Mantooth is the genuine article, folks! He doesn't act standoffish or celebrity. Heck, before the banquet I saw him standing in line with the rest of us waiting to get a drink.

He is a genuine, down-to-earth, good-hearted individual on a mission. His only use of his celebrity status is to advance a good cause. Maybe that's why (well, there's plenty of other reasons too!) I remain the optimist in an ocean of pessimism...most people are basically good and good-hearted. And another reason I do what I do. Because I'm surrounded by good people and great friends.

Muppet and I talked a little bit last night (while I was writing my blog) and we came to the conclusion (not a bit overly obvious) that, no matter how much our family and our friends love us and support us, unless they do what we do, day in and day out, they will NEVER completely understand us and why we do what we do. This is not said out of contempt, it's just the way it is, God bless them. And Us.

God Bless!

Mikey

Posted by Mikey on [24 Apr 2007 | Tuesday] - 19:44

Back from Washington and Other Stuff

[07 Apr 2007 | Saturday]

Current mood: chipper
Category: Life

Hello all!

Yes it's been a little while (almost a month). Busy, busy....

Firstly, my vacation was just that...a well deserved vacation. I enjoyed every minute of it. It's one of those vacations that you don't want to ever get back to reality. There's a little bit of beautiful in Washington, and I think I found it. There's a little bit here as well, but sometimes you just gotta put on your walking shoes and go see what's out there.

Holly and her family were more than just a bit accomodating to me and I sincerely appreciate it. Holly and I took a little walk (HAH!) up the mountain to her little slice of the planet and it was well worth every out-of-breath and out-of-shape minute. I realize that pictures don't really do any view justice but here are a couple.

In case you all are wondering about the last pic, that's my yearly snow angel. Been doing them for as long as I can remember. Pretty good for an old guy!

Let's see....I got Holly's myspace page up and looking good. We tweaked it and she's looking good!

Other news from the front...

I guess the biggest news of late is that I'm in the works of buying my first home. I should be closing on it at the end of this month. Details and pictures to follow (eventually). Be prepared for a house warming party of some sort!

Work's work. Busier than ever. Had a few decent calls lately. They generally are good for me and my students/third riders...bad for the patients. Always doing my best to kick the reaper in the drawers and away from my patients. Doesn't always work, but I got good odds .

Well, I promise not to be a stranger...hopefully I got myself in a routine for a little while. I'll be back soon. Until then...

Have a happy and blessed Easter!

God Bless,

Mikey

18:50
[05 Mar 2007 | Monday]

Current mood: relaxed
Category: Travel and Places

Hello all!

Doing well. Doing nothing is good! Relaxing is even better!! Boy, I had no idea how much I needed this. Being able to sleep in til noon (if I want to) is a good thing.

Been seeing the sights, so to speak. If you're looking for monuments and skyscrapers, this is the wrong part of the universe. If you're looking for nature at it's finest, then this is God's country!

Lots and lots of snow. If you were paying attention to the news on Wednesday (February 28th), the sixty-car pileup was about 20 miles or so from where I'm at. I was safe at home watching all the snow fall, drinking my hot coffee. Really, the weather isn't bad at all, if you're used to the snow every day. Temperatures have been pretty reasonable. Good thing I didn't bring a bulky jacket. I can get by just fine with a fleece jacket.

Here are some pictures of the surrounding area:

Holly's (and her parent's) driveway:

Holly's house:

A view of the countryside (with lots and lots of snow):

And last-but-not-least...downtown Cle Elum:

Okay, gotta go...they're kicking me out of the internet cafe again. More tomorrow!

Mikey

21:01 2 Kudos

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Beautiful pictures!!! Are you sure you want to come home? I'm glad your having a relaxing time we miss ya. Tell Holly I said hi. That is to much snow for me I need a beach and some palm tree's because I am having cabin fever. Love ya Nicole
Posted by Nicole on [06 Mar 2007 | Tuesday] - 01:05

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Mikey,

It is so pretty there. I would not want to shovel all that snow. Make an igloo for me. Tell Holly and her family I said hi.

Love,

Cherie

Posted by Cherie on [07 Mar 2007 | Wednesday] - 00:27

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LOL, You two crack me up! No shoveling up here (at least for the most part). They got a couple of back-hoe's to do the job. Been pretty mild this week. Lots of melting snow and even some rain today

Love you two!

Mikey

Posted by Mikey on [07 Mar 2007 | Wednesday] - 20:00