8.21.2007

Florida

The Florida trip is going well. I'm in the northern/central part of the state so it's extremely hot and muggy. Despite the lack of direction/data from the client my Finance presentation went very well; it's always a good feeling when members come up and thank you, telling you that you did a great job and that it was very informative. It's a really great group of people up here and I'm glad I got to come.

My travel partners have actually been very great to be with. They are much better outside of the office than in. Hmm. I was upgraded to a "VIP" room at the hotel because they gave away my king-sized bed, which meant a comfy robe, free bottled water and free access to the lounge drink/food. I do think my boss was a little miffed about it at first, but I made sure to invite her and my co-worker up to the lounge after our meetings for free drinks. Everyone was happy.

I'm looking forward to going home and seeing B; it's been almost six days since I've seen him. And let's face it, the only time a Florida trip is enjoyable is when you can spend most of the day in the water cooling off. Yes, it will be good to be back home.

8.16.2007

Flying Free

I found out from my brother this evening that he was accepted to Ohio University in Athens. I am absolutely thrilled for him and very proud of him. He has struggled (as I did) finding his path in life and I think he's finally figured out his true direction and calling. It will be his first experience away from the family (I don't count Kent because it was less than an hour from home), and I'm really happy for him. He will have ups and downs, good days and bad, but I have 100% faith in him that he will succeed in making his dreams come true. Though it's not like I see him every week or anything, I will miss knowing that I can't just hop in the car, drive 10 minutes and see him. He is always welcome to crash at our house anytime and I can't wait to go down there to see him in his new environment.

It's a big step, younger brother. But you're up for the challenge and you'll do just fine. Remember, home is always here for you and so am I.

Left Behind


The husband left this morning for Adair, Iowa to see his mom. His sister and her twins are coming, too. It sucks I can't be there, but it just didn't work out. Instead I'm stuck at work. I should be working but I just find myself thinking of B. and of Iowa. I think the photo represents the town pretty well. Brad will be crossing that bridge around 5:45-6:00pm or so.

8.15.2007

Is it a sign?

Dunder Mifflin now has an official web site for all of your paper needs.

The best part? The NYSE name for Dunder Mifflin is actually the name of the company I work for. Is it a sign? I think so!!! It's all coming together now....

No wonder I find it so darn easy to relate to that show.

8.12.2007

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Looking Back (Last Week)

  • The County Fair was awesome. It was great seeing all of the farm animals, and more importantly it was great to see so many little kids in the 4H program. Maybe the small farmer isn't becoming a rarity after all. The best part was that I rode on the Scrambler and during the ride I noticed most of my low back/right leg pain go away. So, I have a plan. If the acupuncture doesn't work I will officially become a carni-groupie and follow the Scrambler everywhere it goes. I will ride it once a day to help promote less pain, and then during my down time I will play Slingo and try to earn some of that daily/weekly/monthly jackpot money in order to support my new carni-groupie lifestyle.
  • Speaking of Slingo, is there a more mindless game out there? I remember playing Slingo 10 years ago when it was on AOL. It was a great game to have in the background at 3am while I was IMing various friends across the country. Well, I have rekindled my love of Slingo. I was doing really well on the game at first, but I think maybe I was doing too well because now my most recent scores have been half of what they once were. Or maybe I'm over thinking it?
  • Had a good afternoon with B. and my brother yesterday. Went out for lunch, got a birthday gift for my grandma B. and also an anniversary card as it's grandma B. and her husband's anniversary. We met up with the rest of the Ohio family in the evening for dinner at Brio. Food was good, company was decent. It's a bit weird to be celebrating an anniversary for your grandmother and husband #4, not even knowing how long they had been married (21 years) or where they were even married (Reno). Obviously they have been together a long time and always seem happy together, but it's just not your typical family situation.
  • I think I've found a new medicine to help me sleep at night - Unisom. Not bad stuff. So far the only bad effect is that I had a hard time waking up this morning. I still don't feel awake, and that's after a Diet Mt. Dew. This wouldn't fly during the work week.
Looking Forward (This Week)
  • Work is going to consume my time this week. I have a bunch of marketing initiatives I'm in charge of that need to happen, plus I have a big financial presentation to prepare for a Florida client. I'm most nervous about the financial presentation because I'm still waiting on data, and I'm actually going down there next Sunday evening so I can present it on Monday morning to their Finance committee for approval. I hate these last minute things. Luckily I feel pretty comfortable with presenting, so it shouldn't be that bad. I just hate doing financials in a rush as you're more likely to make mistakes.
  • B. is leaving for Iowa on Thursday morning, and will not be back until Sunday evening. I'm glad he's going so he can spend time with his mom, plus his sister and her twins which are coming from Texas. Unfortunately I have to leave for Florida before he will be back, which means I won't see him until Tuesday evening. As always I'll really miss the guy.

8.09.2007

Acupuncture

So today I went to an acupuncturist.

Now I would be the first person to admit that I have been skeptical about acupuncture for years. I've heard of people who go in weekly for treatments, if not multiple times within a week and swear by it. As it's not something covered by most insurance it's mostly a cash business. It just comes across as something that could easily be a scam by a non-talented doc to make some money.

Over two months ago a nurse practitioner at a pain clinic was telling me about an acupuncturist in the area that she had known for years and even trained under at one point. She said he was a miracle worker. And I, who have been looking for some miracle of pain relief for years, was at the point where I would try anything. Besides, if I'm going to try something why not go to the best?

I tried to set up a time back in June but was put on a waiting list. In July I finally got a call to schedule my appointment, which was today. During that time I've seen myself free-fall into a never ending pit of constant agony, where no pain killer or activity would even produce a noticeable improvement. So as you can imagine I have literally been counting down the days.

So I'm back home. The verdict? I'm impressed but not a true believer yet. The doctor was a gentle, soft spoken Chinese man. He spoke pretty much the whole time and had a great sense of humor. He was always moving. After I explained where the pain was and my history he started with my "pulse points." Magnets that looked like a band aid with little metal grooves in the center were going on and off various points of my hands. He'd place a magnet, feel the pulse again, adjust and check the pulse again. I was so busy just observing the process that when he asked me if I felt any leg pain, it was then that I realized that I had no leg pain. None. I've had leg pain every day of my life since July 2005 but as I was sitting there in the office my leg felt painless. It felt like my leg was on a floating cloud.

Once the leg pain was taken care of the focus was on the back pain, which today was focused more in the middle of my spine. I can't say that I felt a lot of improvement on the back pain during the visit. Finally it came to the point where the needles were used: one in my right elbow, one in my left forearm, one in my right ankle, one in the left side of my neck and a final one in my right ear. You could barely feel them. I'm fine with needles as long as I don't look at them. They stayed in about five minutes. The needles were removed and the magnets were taped over with a real band aid to keep them on. I have eight magnets taped to my hands at the moment, which I am to leave on until morning.

So what is this process all about? Well, my doc says it's about reprogramming my body's energy. The various areas have lost their natural programming throughout the course of time, especially given the surgeries, procedures, etc. It's not mean to cure anything. It's to realign the energetic properties in the body and hopefully get things working with me and not against me.

Do I believe in acupuncture? I'm not about to go out there telling anyone else to try it. It's been three hours since the appointment and the leg pain is back a little. However, it's still a lot better than it's been. The doc told me that I would still have bad days but they should be less frequent. I'm going back in a month, at which time the doc will see how my body has responded to this reprogramming. Adjustments will need to be made, but the goal is to bring me closer to a point where I have pain that's manageable and not unbearable or driving me out of my mind.

I'm not sure if this is the long term solution I've been praying for, but I'll take it. It's certainly better than the few remaining options I have left out there. It will be interesting to see what the future holds.

8.03.2007

To go or not to go

Thank goodness it's Friday and I officially have less than seven days until my acupuncture appointment. Though most of weekend I plan to spend getting my spine in a better place, our neighbors/friends did extend an invitation to us for the Medina County Fair on Saturday and we should probably let them know whether we are going.

I have not been to a County Fair since, well, middle school. Or maybe it was ninth grade, my memory is a bit fuzzy. I'm a little hesitant to spend a bunch of money or my limited physical energy on a Fair, yet there's something drawing me to it.

I think it's because to me a Fair is a big event that typically honors the farmer. And coming from a farm family, I have a great deal of respect for those small farmers gamble away almost everything to grow food and raise livestock just so the rest of us have something to eat.

The County Fair is a tradition that gathers family and friends in celebration. It's the only place where you can smell the combination of livestock waste and fried foods in the air. The only place where you can hear pigs snorting and kids yelling with glee on rides. It's a happy, fun place. And yes, you unfortunately you can't avoid hearing the continuous country songs, but it's a small price to pay.

Now I just need to talk B. into it....

8.01.2007

Shocked


I really just don't know what to say.

This is just astounding. As a former Twin Cities resident for six years, I'm really in shock that the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River just collapsed. Here's hoping our family and friends are all ok; I'm saying a prayer for all of them.