update

Thank you all for your prayers and nice words. My brother is awake and seems to be recovering fine. Still not out of the woods yet though. Thank you again. It's good to know there are good people out there.

Please read

As I write this, my older brother is in intensive care in Denver because of this condition that is very avoidable. Please read.

Alcohol Acetaminophen Syndrome


Please pass it along. I love my brother very much and I don't want anybody to go through what my family and I are going through right now. For those that know my brother, Chuck, we appreciate all your thoughts and prayers and he can use every one of them. As for my brother's condition, his liver has suffered a great deal of damage and now we can only wait. God only knows.

Hug and tell your family that you love them.....every day.

CODE 7

I just got done with lunch. Leftover top sirloin on whole wheat bread. Yeah, I'm a maniac like that. Dang, I wish I could shread it and put it on a hoagie roll and melt some cheese on it and then chase it with a nice warm Coke. Shasta or RC would suffice too. Dangit, I got some meat stuck in my teeth. I'll just try to pick it out with one of my business cards since I don't have any floss here at my office. Note to self: get floss for office.

In case you're wondering, I had to start over. I got lazy after I got canned back in November and plus Icouldn't really leave a 3 year old running around the house by herself because my equipment is in the garage. I know, excuses...excuses. I did manage to only win back a couple of the pounds that I shedded. Damned football sundays. Turkey day. Jesus made me do it too. My new clothes still fit...that's a good sign. It's back to push and pulling iron but I going to do alot more cardio than lifting this first part of the year because I really want to shed some pudge before I get back in the pool because the fatty chasers down the street are starting to be a menace, Karen's having to beat them off with a stick.... and also I'd really like to run in an organized event early in the summer. I was hoping for the Shiprock marathon relay but I think I have to take smaller baby steps before taking that event on. We'll see.

Oh well, lunch is over. Protein drink in 1 hour. Treadmill and chest this evening. Chicken breast dinner and cottage cheese. Asleep by 9 and do it all over again tomorrow.

Did somebody say Lotaburger? I'll buy if you fly!

Christmas cheer, the hard way

The Friday before Christmas I drove to my girl's daycare in a blizzard for gifts which is kind of out of the way because I had to drive all the way into Albuquerque from Bernalillo and then back to Rio Rancho. The things you do for your kids huh. I got out of there quick before the snow really started to stick and before I could really say that it was a bad idea. After learning that I had been laid off from my job, the daycare "adopted" us even as I protested that we weren't that far into the gutter but they did anyway. They are awesome, geez, these people went way overboard but they felt that my girls were worth it. I don't know how to ever thank them enough.

As I drove home the sky started opening up over Rio Rancho and I forgot one of the laws of thermodynamics as there was no conservation of heat by the clouds so the ambient temperature began to drop as heat escaped into space, but I continued home without fail and backed into my drive way. I opened the door and put my weight down my left foot on the concrete which had a blanket of ice beads strewn about. I couldn't stop my self. My left foot went immediately under the driver door and under the truck. My left hand slid down the door and my right hand just gripped the bottom of the steering wheel. What to do. What a site. All I could do was allow my self to drop and, y'know, get up and dust off the embarrassment but no, it was way slick and after thudding on the cold concrete I continued to slide under the truck. All I could do was wedge my left knee under the front tire while I figure out how to get up. I layed there for a while and admired how dark blue the sky was and then noticed that the neighbors Christmas lights had just popped on. All those reindeer looking at me. I could only imagine what a spectacle I thought I was. Ha ha. Big brown dude stuck under his truck, in his drive way. Reminded me of my firefighting days in Window Rock where we'd have to check up on glaaniis sleeping under peoples vehicles. I thought...God, is this a sign? Should I stop being mean to stupid people? Should I invest? Is this what flounders see? Should I carpet the driveway? I hope the truck doesn't slide. That pigeon is eyeballing me. Ha ha. I dug for the only thing that could rescue me, my cell phone. I dialed. "Where are you, you're late," she said! "Karen!", gritting my teeth, "I need some help....", I said as she hung up the phone. She came out and looked in the truck and called for me. I said, "I'm under the truck...I've fallen and I can't get up!" All she could do was laugh. I couldn't stop for a while neither. So she literally had to drag me to a dry area that was a couple of feet away from the drivers side door. We unpacked and went inside. Moral of story, keep your cellphone on you and wear clean skivvies. You never know.

Did you save me a place?

I'm back. Back when I said I was back, I wasn't back. But now, I am back. And pissed. Damned Steelers. My brother and I both sobbed uncontrollably for a moment and then we watched Ratatouille with the our girls. Yes, as has I, he's been blessed with girls. Karen and I are cut off from the baby making bizz so there won't be any Friday night lights like I hoped but I guess I'll get used to volleyball, ballet, basketball or something they may take up. They're getting bigger so I hope to get them into some kind of sport this summer. I can't wait to fill the pool again, this summer is going to be awesome. With my new job and all it's going to be easier to do things in the evenings with my babies while they are still babies.

Well, I've been back at work for 3 weeks and it is awesome. I'm actually doing some engineering and designing from inside out. I miss designing highways but I'll be doing stuff that is more along my career goal environmental engineering and some civil work. The people here are cool and I actually have more than one mentor that I can brain-pick at. For the next few months I'll be doing alot more studying because I'll be preparing for my professional engineer's license (P.E.). I can't wait to get that out of the way. Plus, it may mean more beso.

The last time I posted was way back in November and we've been ok since my lay off. I got to take a vacation and reflect and watch midday tv while sitting with Emie. We had a good time but it does get boring and I'm glad that I was able to get back to work. A man can only take so many tea parties. Sorry Emie, monsters did not steal the tea party set.

I wasn't able to get home like I wanted to for the holidays but it was nice to see people come out to see us. I smoked the hell out of a turkey for Thankgiving... dang, ya'll should have come by. I made a brine and let the bird soak for a day and I shlathered it with some homemade poultry seasoning and smoked it for about 6 hours. I've never had a more juicy tazhii in my hole life. I might do it again for the Super Bowl but we'll see, my brother wants to cook up something too but we're not sure. Maybe mutton. We might have too much food but for those that know me and those of you in the neighborhood, please let me know that you're around. You have a friend in Rio Rancho!