Recently, Art of Manliness had a post called 8 Tools That Will Change Your Life. The 8 tools were basically just pieces of advice to help improve a man's relationships with others and thus, improve his life. At the end of the post, the call went out to the readers to post their best piece of advice for developing stronger, more mature relationships. I did not post a comment, but in lieu of what's been happening in my life lately, I wanted to offer two pieces of my own. But first, some context....
Two weeks ago, I spent my weekend with my son in the town he lives in with his mother. The weather was supposed to start turning to rain that Sunday, which was only going to add to a volatile situation with the Red River of the North, which separates North Dakota and Minnesota. More specifically, it separates my adopted hometown of Fargo, ND from its sister city of Moorhead, MN. The predictions were already calling for potential record crests of the river. The forecast was even calling for something worse than the infamous flood of 1997. A scary prospect for those of us from this region that remember the devastation it caused. I drove home that Sunday night in a horrible down pour. I listened to the radio and heard of the beginnings full scale sandbagging operations around the region. Our city was in danger and people needed to act quickly to hold back the river water.
Piece of Advice #1 - Embrace Your Community.
I moved to Fargo in the fall of 2000. At first, I hated it. I had lived in Minneapolis the previous school year and needless to say, Fargo was no Minneapolis. It was not long before I began considering moving back to the Twin Cities, but over the course of that first year, something changed. I began to love Fargo. There was so much potential for growth. So many opportunities. For a college student like myself, I could see Fargo as a great place to learn and grow. There was a healthy music scene that I loved and enjoyed and the NDSU campus provided me with the chance to really make my mark. Sure, I wanted to get out of Fargo as soon as I completed my degree, but for the time being it became home.
After graduation, I made my move. Not the exciting adventurous move to some big school in some bustling urban area like I had hoped. Instead, I made my way to a small private school in a small South Dakota town. Fargo had never seemed so attractive. I moved back after only 5 months and again, Fargo was home. Since then, I have fallen more in love with the city. It has grown and changed so much in the 9 years I have been there. The people have become my friends and family and the downtown area has become my neighborhood.
If I can offer some advice, I would encourage you to embrace your community. The places that we live often seem irrelevant. We are often just looking for the next ride out of town or the next job to take us to the next big opportunity. Rather than seeing our towns as temporary landing points, why not embrace them and participate in the culture they have to offer. I'm not going to pretend like Fargo has everything I want in a town, but it has enough to keep me satisfied. And what it may lack in culture, it makes up for in hospitality. What it lacks in terms of weather, it makes up for in camaraderie.
Our stops in places can often be short and it is easy to look to greener pastures. Instead, embrace your community and learn to see the green already under your feet.
And the Waters Continued to Rise
The beginning of the week brought frustration for me. My campus was the only one not closing offices. We were on a break between quarters, which was good because we did not have to cancel or make up any classroom time. But it also meant a busy time at the office. Some people were able to get away and help with the flood fight, but not me. My role takes on a greater significance as we try to transition current student from one quarter to the next and as we try to prepare new students to get off to a strong start to their college careers. By Wednesday, we were cutting the days short and eventually, we too would close our doors. Wednesday night, I walked into the FargoDome and was blown away by the operation. Hundreds of people were on the stadium floor filling, tying and stacking sandbags. Forklifts and dump trucks maneuvered around each other and the crowds of people in a strange industrial ballet. From the stands, it looked like an anthill of sorts. Chaos on the surface, but a clear purpose was being achieved.
Piece of Advice #2 - Stand Strong in Times of Crisis
I could have titled this section "Volunteer" and it would have also worked. I was blown away by the efforts. Wednesday night at Sandbag University, Thursday night in Oakport Township, Friday at Sandbag University, Saturday on River Drive... you get the picture. There were times that so many volunteers showed up at sites that they had to be turned away. People would call into the radio broadcast of the flood coverage, stating that they needed help as soon as possible, within an hour they may have 100 volunteers at there door. I saw kids under the age of 10 standing atop piles of sand, pushing the load down to shovels at the bottom. I saw elderly women separating empty bags and folding over the tops to make for easier filling.
I saw the lines between the haves and the have-nots blur. At one location, we were filling bags as quickly as we could from the community sand pile. Our levee was small. The neighbors to the north had access to a goose neck trailer, which the were able to load with pallets of full bags. Their levee was strong. But they got to point where there levee was adequate and they had not used all of their bags. Rather than reinforcing their levee with the extra bags, the pulled the trailer over to us to help us add to our level of protection. About that same time, 20 volunteers from a town 3 hours away showed up to volunteer. They had no reason to be there other than just good will.
There were talks of evacuations and contingency dikes. Talks of giving up the fight in some parts of town to save others. Practice runs were conducted on the interstates to get used to the idea that all lanes would have to accommodate traffic leaving town instead of two way traffic. Later, rumors would come that federal officials had encouraged a full scale evacuation, but the local leaders said no. If we would go down, we would go down swinging. Some parts of town would issue mandatory evacuations and others staged voluntary evacuations. Yet even in those neighborhoods, the fight continued. We reinforced the levee behind two houses that had already lost their basements in hopes that we could salvage the main floors.
Call us crazy, but the people of Fargo/Moorhead would not give up. We built the levees as strong as we could and stood by to respond when any portion would begin to weaken. It seemed natural to me, if I had truly embraced this community, I would stick around to try and protect it.
And the Waters Went Down... For Now
The crest came and the waters have started to recede. Efforts have turned to maintenance of the levees and by the middle of this week, some normalcy was returning. From nearly 41 feet, the level has dropped to around 35 feet. Some talk of clean up and recovery has begun, evacuation orders have been lifted. You can sense an air of exhaustion around the region. We had a tough winter and a tougher spring. We battled an epic flood and, for the most part, held it off. Unfortunately, it is not over yet. Word from the National Weather Service is to expect a second crest in mid-April that could reach 41 feet or higher again. It seems crazy that we will have to be on guard for the remainder of this month.
It is discouraging and depressing to think about the flooding. To think about the homes that have been lost and the people who have been displaced. But when I think about the scene I saw when I first walked into the FargoDome, or when I think about passing sandbags in a line of people to protect a house that belongs to complete strangers, I cannot help but feel encouraged and warm in my heart. More than ever, Fargo is home to me now. The green grass might be underwater right now, but I know it is there. I am so proud to call the Red River Valley my home. I am so proud of the people. And if I ever have to move away, I hope I take my own advice to embrace that new community and to be willing to stand strong in the face of crisis to protect it.
We are weary, but we are not giving up. If the river rises again, so will we. Continue to pray for us.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
To More Dead Ends and Mysteries
I never did write a decent follow up to my man-cation. So I'll do the quick rundown now. January 14 was the day. I woke up relatively early and headed out to Broadway Barber Shop to get my hair cut. It was the first time I had ever gone to a legit, old-school barber shop. There was a man, probably in his late 60s in the chair when I got there, so I observed the situation and even joined in a bit of shop talk with he and the barber. The hair cut I received was nothing out of the ordinary. For the sake of time, I decided to forgo the shave. But he did a nice job giving me a man's hair cut and trimming up my sideburns and eyebrows. He offered to massage my shoulders, which I watched him do with the older gentleman. He strapped this vibrating apparatus to his hand and ran it across his shoulders and upper back for a couple of minutes. I declined his offer and he said most younger guys do. Next time, I think I'll accept.
I started tweeting my experience (http://twitter.com/johnandrick) before I ever got to the barber and continued throughout my day. I follow and am followed by Brett McKay (http://twitter.com/brettmckay), who is the man behind the Art of Manliness. At one point, he sent me a direct message commenting on my trip to the barber. I told him about my plans for the man-cation and asked for his recommendations for activities. His response: "wrestle a bear, if you can't find a bear go buy a pocket knife." So the decision was made, time permitting, buy a pocket knife.
I began my hunt for a new car by visiting a couple of lots I had been to previously, to see if certain cars were still there, or if anything new caught my eye. I made my way across the river to Moorhead and stopped at a small lot that had a couple of cars that I was interested in. I walked in the door and told the man I wanted to buy a car. He looked at me like I was crazy. See, it was about -25 degrees that day, probably something like -40 with windchill. He told me he would help me out, but that it may come down to what cars will even start. We chatted for a bit about what my price range was and what I might be looking for. He asked where I was from and proceeded to tell me about the many hunting trips he had taken to the Williston, Grenora, and Westby areas. He and his brother-in-law had even eaten at the Red Rooster Cafe on one excursion into Divide County. Later, he would show me pictures... it was cool though, because we built rapport. We had names that we both knew, which I figured would help me not get ripped off.
During this time we had tried to start one car, it was frozen and dead. No surprise. We went back in while the car was hooked up to a truck to try and charge it. The guys daughter, a cute 20-something blonde, came in while we waited. Her dad proceeded to tell her that she needed to date someone with more ambition than her current boyfriend. Someone that could buy her a nicer car. He made sure to mention where I work and that I seemed to be awfully young to already be teaching college level courses. She was a sweetheart, but I'm not sure either of us were impressed with dad's attempts to make a connection between us. Finally, she left and we got back to cars. I had noticed a blue one, similar to the frozen car, so I asked about it. We checked on the financing to see if it would still fit in my price range (it had fewer miles, and was more "loaded" than the other car). The price was right, so we decided to give it a try. Sure enough, it started on the first attempt. I gave it a drive and decided it was a good fit. I came back and we made the final deal. A 2006 Chevy HHR for nearly $2000 less than the Kelly Blue Book price. Some of the paperwork related to the financing took much longer than I thought they would due to a blip on my credit report. Once that was straightened out, I returned my rental car and made my way home with my kill. I had done it. I shopped for a car, secured the financing, arranged the insurance, all on my own. For that day at least, I was a man.
I still feel manly about it all. Except for in certain lights when the blue paint looks to be a bit purple. But that's ok. I'm happy.
The remainder of my day consisted of loading my hockey equipment into the new ride and heading off to the rink. I didn't have time to try on suits, or pick up a pocket knife. Those were tasks I would save for another day (I have completed both, by the way). The night ended with me scoring my first goal of the season. A small, but bright way to cap off my man-cation.
January 14 was a turning point for me. My 2009 was off to a bad start, but since that day things have gotten considerably better. I won't get into the details right now, but I must say it has been an eventful first six weeks to the new year. I know that my life will have its ups and its downs as the year goes on, but the way it has started has reminded me that we often have to go through those rough patches to really appreciate the good ones. And the good ones always give us something to hope for when we are down in the valley. So bring on the highs and the lows, 2009, I hope all of you reading this will stick around and enjoy the ride with me.
I started tweeting my experience (http://twitter.com/johnandrick) before I ever got to the barber and continued throughout my day. I follow and am followed by Brett McKay (http://twitter.com/brettmckay), who is the man behind the Art of Manliness. At one point, he sent me a direct message commenting on my trip to the barber. I told him about my plans for the man-cation and asked for his recommendations for activities. His response: "wrestle a bear, if you can't find a bear go buy a pocket knife." So the decision was made, time permitting, buy a pocket knife.I began my hunt for a new car by visiting a couple of lots I had been to previously, to see if certain cars were still there, or if anything new caught my eye. I made my way across the river to Moorhead and stopped at a small lot that had a couple of cars that I was interested in. I walked in the door and told the man I wanted to buy a car. He looked at me like I was crazy. See, it was about -25 degrees that day, probably something like -40 with windchill. He told me he would help me out, but that it may come down to what cars will even start. We chatted for a bit about what my price range was and what I might be looking for. He asked where I was from and proceeded to tell me about the many hunting trips he had taken to the Williston, Grenora, and Westby areas. He and his brother-in-law had even eaten at the Red Rooster Cafe on one excursion into Divide County. Later, he would show me pictures... it was cool though, because we built rapport. We had names that we both knew, which I figured would help me not get ripped off.
During this time we had tried to start one car, it was frozen and dead. No surprise. We went back in while the car was hooked up to a truck to try and charge it. The guys daughter, a cute 20-something blonde, came in while we waited. Her dad proceeded to tell her that she needed to date someone with more ambition than her current boyfriend. Someone that could buy her a nicer car. He made sure to mention where I work and that I seemed to be awfully young to already be teaching college level courses. She was a sweetheart, but I'm not sure either of us were impressed with dad's attempts to make a connection between us. Finally, she left and we got back to cars. I had noticed a blue one, similar to the frozen car, so I asked about it. We checked on the financing to see if it would still fit in my price range (it had fewer miles, and was more "loaded" than the other car). The price was right, so we decided to give it a try. Sure enough, it started on the first attempt. I gave it a drive and decided it was a good fit. I came back and we made the final deal. A 2006 Chevy HHR for nearly $2000 less than the Kelly Blue Book price. Some of the paperwork related to the financing took much longer than I thought they would due to a blip on my credit report. Once that was straightened out, I returned my rental car and made my way home with my kill. I had done it. I shopped for a car, secured the financing, arranged the insurance, all on my own. For that day at least, I was a man.
I still feel manly about it all. Except for in certain lights when the blue paint looks to be a bit purple. But that's ok. I'm happy.
The remainder of my day consisted of loading my hockey equipment into the new ride and heading off to the rink. I didn't have time to try on suits, or pick up a pocket knife. Those were tasks I would save for another day (I have completed both, by the way). The night ended with me scoring my first goal of the season. A small, but bright way to cap off my man-cation.
January 14 was a turning point for me. My 2009 was off to a bad start, but since that day things have gotten considerably better. I won't get into the details right now, but I must say it has been an eventful first six weeks to the new year. I know that my life will have its ups and its downs as the year goes on, but the way it has started has reminded me that we often have to go through those rough patches to really appreciate the good ones. And the good ones always give us something to hope for when we are down in the valley. So bring on the highs and the lows, 2009, I hope all of you reading this will stick around and enjoy the ride with me.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Catastrophe and the Cure
None of you would know about it. That is, none of you that get the bulk of your information about me through this blog would know about it. What 'it' is, is that 2009 is off to a rough start. But none of you would know. Because I have not told you yet. So here I am. And I bring to you the story of my transition from 2008 to 2009. Where do I begin?
I have heard many people say that they were glad to see 2008 go. What with the economic crisis, the election season, the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series... 2008 was apparently a tough year. I think for others it is the hope of 2009 shining so brightly that makes them happy to see the previous year go. A new president will take office and many see this as a reason to believe a more hopeful and positive era is coming. I am not sure about all of that. I did not mind that the Phillies won it all. And while I am anxious to see Obama in office, my myopic view point does not allow me, perhaps, to see the grand implications. My life is not all bad right now, will a new era make it that much better?
That all said, as 2008 approached its end, I did not feel a sense of relief, or an overwhelming sense of hope for something new to come. Time passes in two week increments in my world. The holidays meant that I would spend more time with my son, which threw my internal calendar off much more than the changing from one year to the next.
Gunnar and I loaded up the car and traveled west for Christmas. One of the better Christmas seasons I've had, I must say. My whole immediate family was home despite the challenges of winter traveling and some unexpected extra driving. I only wish we could have all heard my mom sing "Oh, Holy Night", one of the few holiday traditions I truly look forward to. Of course, my family has its imperfections and we can let the claws come out from time to time. However, taking Gunnar to the ol' hockey rink for his first skate around seemed to help ease any remaining tensions. The leaving always comes to soon but it was fun while it lasted. Andrick Family Crosby Pub Crawl 2008, never thought those words would appear in that combination. I hope it isn't another 2 years before we're all together again. Not for a Pub Crawl, but anything would be nice.
We returned to the east so that I could resume working. It seems we never stop at my job. In fact, it seems rare that we even slow down. Gunnar and his mom stayed for a few extra. They mixed a trip to Grand Forks in as well. On the eve of New Year's Eve, they traveled to Grand Forks. That night, my 2008 came to a disappointing end. As I traveled home from work, a mere two block from my apartment, another driver made a mistake that resulted in their vehicle and mine crashing into each other. Both driver's were OK. And while I cannot speak for the final verdict on her car, I can say that mine was bad. Car accidents never happen at good times. They can certainly happen at worse times than others. Holidays are not good times, if for no other reason than the fact that they slow the process down. While I would say the insurance issues were handled quite well, the just would have happened more quickly had this not happened in such close proximity to New Year's Day when most offices are closed. Everything got worked out.
Some people say bad things happen in 3s. I don't know much about that. They do seem to pile up at times. "When it rains, it pours", you may have heard. For me, it was moreso like tar icing on a dirt cake when I came down with tonsillitis the weekend after my car accident. Hello 2009. I could feel the sickness coming right before the weekend, so I made the committment to spend as much time as I could at home and in bed. The next week would mark the start of new quarter, one in which I am teaching two classes instead of just one. I could hardly afford to have my throat cause me to miss any work. All the rest was nice, but I woke up Monday morning with a temperature of 102 and the doctor would tell me for the second time in three months that tonsillitis was the verdict. More pills. A day home from work. And a throat that could handle little else besides soup and popsicles. I only allowed myself one day out of work, just enough for me to be deemed "not-contagious". I played through the pay and taught my class, worked the remainder of my standard 40 hours, and tried to get any nutrition I possible could. In the end, I lost about 15 pounds, survived about 8 days without any caffiene, and did battle with overwhelming cravings for frozen pizza and Taco Bell.
Things are nearly back to normal for me. The blister like sores in my throat have mostly healed. I ate the most glorious cheeseberger of my life this past Sunday night. I spent a fantastic weekend with my little boy (I have throw in here that on both afternoons that I was there, he and I fell asleep together while watching the Lion King, his new favorite "nap" movie). This week at work has been a little bit more normal and I am trying to do what I can to keep those 15 pounds from coming back.
I never did finish the car story. Probably because the ending has not been lived yet. Car shopping has not been easy, I just haven't had much time. It's a relatively time consuming process and my schedule just hasn't allowed for it. I decided it would be necessary to take a day off from work to give it the necessary attention it deserves. As I sat at my computer last night doing some preliminary shopping on the web, an idea was born. I do not want my vacation day to be strictly about buying a car. I want to take advantage of the day. In my mind, buying a car (something I have very limited experience doing) is a right of passage of sorts, one of those things that adults do. And me, being of the male persuasion, am chosing to look at this a sort of transition to manhood event. One of many that I should experience in my lifetime. Call me dramatic, but I feel almost like a young warrior being sent to hunt on my own for the first time. As a result, tomorrow is more than a vacation day. It's a man-cation day. I'm going to wake up fairly early and get my hair cut and a get a shave. After that, I will spend however much time I need to bring home my first kill... er... my new car. I have some gift cards from my birthday/Christmas, so I am hoping to go pick up a couple of dress shirts and perhaps try on some suits while I'm at it. Then they will end with my strapping on my armor and joining my fellow gladiators at the hockey rink for a game.
I think it sounds like a pretty good man-cation. Truthfully though, I am a bit nervous about the car shopping, so if you're they praying type say a few for me. I want to find something that will be a good fit for Gunnar and I, so let's hope I make wise decisions. If you are a twitter user, I will be tweeting the experience as I go, so feel free to follow me at http://twitter.com/johnandrick or you can see the updates in the box on the right hand side near the top of this page.
Hope you all have had a smooth transition to 2009.
I have heard many people say that they were glad to see 2008 go. What with the economic crisis, the election season, the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series... 2008 was apparently a tough year. I think for others it is the hope of 2009 shining so brightly that makes them happy to see the previous year go. A new president will take office and many see this as a reason to believe a more hopeful and positive era is coming. I am not sure about all of that. I did not mind that the Phillies won it all. And while I am anxious to see Obama in office, my myopic view point does not allow me, perhaps, to see the grand implications. My life is not all bad right now, will a new era make it that much better?
That all said, as 2008 approached its end, I did not feel a sense of relief, or an overwhelming sense of hope for something new to come. Time passes in two week increments in my world. The holidays meant that I would spend more time with my son, which threw my internal calendar off much more than the changing from one year to the next.
Gunnar and I loaded up the car and traveled west for Christmas. One of the better Christmas seasons I've had, I must say. My whole immediate family was home despite the challenges of winter traveling and some unexpected extra driving. I only wish we could have all heard my mom sing "Oh, Holy Night", one of the few holiday traditions I truly look forward to. Of course, my family has its imperfections and we can let the claws come out from time to time. However, taking Gunnar to the ol' hockey rink for his first skate around seemed to help ease any remaining tensions. The leaving always comes to soon but it was fun while it lasted. Andrick Family Crosby Pub Crawl 2008, never thought those words would appear in that combination. I hope it isn't another 2 years before we're all together again. Not for a Pub Crawl, but anything would be nice.
We returned to the east so that I could resume working. It seems we never stop at my job. In fact, it seems rare that we even slow down. Gunnar and his mom stayed for a few extra. They mixed a trip to Grand Forks in as well. On the eve of New Year's Eve, they traveled to Grand Forks. That night, my 2008 came to a disappointing end. As I traveled home from work, a mere two block from my apartment, another driver made a mistake that resulted in their vehicle and mine crashing into each other. Both driver's were OK. And while I cannot speak for the final verdict on her car, I can say that mine was bad. Car accidents never happen at good times. They can certainly happen at worse times than others. Holidays are not good times, if for no other reason than the fact that they slow the process down. While I would say the insurance issues were handled quite well, the just would have happened more quickly had this not happened in such close proximity to New Year's Day when most offices are closed. Everything got worked out.
Some people say bad things happen in 3s. I don't know much about that. They do seem to pile up at times. "When it rains, it pours", you may have heard. For me, it was moreso like tar icing on a dirt cake when I came down with tonsillitis the weekend after my car accident. Hello 2009. I could feel the sickness coming right before the weekend, so I made the committment to spend as much time as I could at home and in bed. The next week would mark the start of new quarter, one in which I am teaching two classes instead of just one. I could hardly afford to have my throat cause me to miss any work. All the rest was nice, but I woke up Monday morning with a temperature of 102 and the doctor would tell me for the second time in three months that tonsillitis was the verdict. More pills. A day home from work. And a throat that could handle little else besides soup and popsicles. I only allowed myself one day out of work, just enough for me to be deemed "not-contagious". I played through the pay and taught my class, worked the remainder of my standard 40 hours, and tried to get any nutrition I possible could. In the end, I lost about 15 pounds, survived about 8 days without any caffiene, and did battle with overwhelming cravings for frozen pizza and Taco Bell.
Things are nearly back to normal for me. The blister like sores in my throat have mostly healed. I ate the most glorious cheeseberger of my life this past Sunday night. I spent a fantastic weekend with my little boy (I have throw in here that on both afternoons that I was there, he and I fell asleep together while watching the Lion King, his new favorite "nap" movie). This week at work has been a little bit more normal and I am trying to do what I can to keep those 15 pounds from coming back.
I never did finish the car story. Probably because the ending has not been lived yet. Car shopping has not been easy, I just haven't had much time. It's a relatively time consuming process and my schedule just hasn't allowed for it. I decided it would be necessary to take a day off from work to give it the necessary attention it deserves. As I sat at my computer last night doing some preliminary shopping on the web, an idea was born. I do not want my vacation day to be strictly about buying a car. I want to take advantage of the day. In my mind, buying a car (something I have very limited experience doing) is a right of passage of sorts, one of those things that adults do. And me, being of the male persuasion, am chosing to look at this a sort of transition to manhood event. One of many that I should experience in my lifetime. Call me dramatic, but I feel almost like a young warrior being sent to hunt on my own for the first time. As a result, tomorrow is more than a vacation day. It's a man-cation day. I'm going to wake up fairly early and get my hair cut and a get a shave. After that, I will spend however much time I need to bring home my first kill... er... my new car. I have some gift cards from my birthday/Christmas, so I am hoping to go pick up a couple of dress shirts and perhaps try on some suits while I'm at it. Then they will end with my strapping on my armor and joining my fellow gladiators at the hockey rink for a game.
I think it sounds like a pretty good man-cation. Truthfully though, I am a bit nervous about the car shopping, so if you're they praying type say a few for me. I want to find something that will be a good fit for Gunnar and I, so let's hope I make wise decisions. If you are a twitter user, I will be tweeting the experience as I go, so feel free to follow me at http://twitter.com/johnandrick or you can see the updates in the box on the right hand side near the top of this page.
Hope you all have had a smooth transition to 2009.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Grandpa Leonard
From a Facebook note, written by my sister:
For those of you who have asked and emailed...
My Grandpa Leonard was taken by Ambulence to Minot this morning (from Crosby it is a two hour trip) for what they believe is an obstruction of some kind in the lower intestine. He is in a lot of pain and the stress is causing his heart to be labored. He is experiencing a shortness of breath as a result.
As some of you know, he suffered a fall about 3 weeks ago that the Doctor's believe was the result of a blackout of some kind. Tests revealed that at some point in the past, he suffered a stroke. The blackout may have also been a minor stroke, but there is no way to really know. He has not been well since the fall.
Grandma Peggy was treated this week for dehydration due to the flu, most likely. She and my mom are headed to Minot seperately. Other family is on their way as well. At this point, family is not being called home as we are unsure of the overall seriousness of the situation. However, in a man of his age, things of this nature are always difficult.
We are just asking at this point that people pray for the wisdom of the doctors, for healing, and for peace. As well as safe travel for all those involved.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
First Breath After Coma
Those of you that have kept track of my life over the years know how I feel about the month of December, so I won't be boring you with bah humbugs and rants about materialism and commercialization this year. Ok, enough with the cheering, you don't have to be so excited about :P.
Thanksgiving has come and gone. This year it was uneventful, but was full of reminiscing. I spent sometime with an old friend and her family. I used to visit them frequently when we were in high school and into our first couple of years of college. Some where, there is a video that we made of one of our many adventures. 70 miles to the south of my home. With a Darth Vader piggy bank. A plate of french fries. An infamous light pole. And a host of other memories that I do not need a VCR to relive.
It was like old times for a couple of hours.
It was my second Thanksgiving away from my family. I would not say I am ok with it, but it is not a horrible thing either. Another sign of aging: slipping into an "every other year I get to go home for [insert major holiday]" routine.
Not much else to say about the holidays. I want to keep it positive.
Two more things:
- Tonight marked my third week of hockey. My legs are slowly coming back, but they still feel like they weigh a thousand pounds each by the end of the night. Unfortunately, I was unable to convert any of my good chances into any goals tonight. But my team came out on top. 9-2.
- I am planning to write an end of the year post in the near future. I want to talk about 2008 in retrospect. If you have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see me write about that were important in 2008, feel free to comment.
Thanksgiving has come and gone. This year it was uneventful, but was full of reminiscing. I spent sometime with an old friend and her family. I used to visit them frequently when we were in high school and into our first couple of years of college. Some where, there is a video that we made of one of our many adventures. 70 miles to the south of my home. With a Darth Vader piggy bank. A plate of french fries. An infamous light pole. And a host of other memories that I do not need a VCR to relive.
It was like old times for a couple of hours.
It was my second Thanksgiving away from my family. I would not say I am ok with it, but it is not a horrible thing either. Another sign of aging: slipping into an "every other year I get to go home for [insert major holiday]" routine.
Not much else to say about the holidays. I want to keep it positive.
Two more things:
- Tonight marked my third week of hockey. My legs are slowly coming back, but they still feel like they weigh a thousand pounds each by the end of the night. Unfortunately, I was unable to convert any of my good chances into any goals tonight. But my team came out on top. 9-2.
- I am planning to write an end of the year post in the near future. I want to talk about 2008 in retrospect. If you have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see me write about that were important in 2008, feel free to comment.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
I'm coming up only to show you wrong
Just two days ago I posted a short list of things to do on my day off. I'm sad to say I did not accomplish much from that list. Actually, I'm not that sad about it. I did get my oil changed and I did drink coffee. That's a good chunk of stuff done.
Tonight was my first night of hockey. I'm playing in the Novice Hockey League (NHL, clever right?) through Fargo Parks. The first two weeks will be practice and scrimmages so that the organizers can get a sense of our skill sets. Then we will be split into teams and play a league schedule from there. There are over 70 people signed up so we will likely have 6 teams in the league. There are men and women, people of a variety of ages, and a broad range of skill levels. You could tell that some of us had played some in the past. You could also tell that some are still just learning to skate. I would say I'm in the top end of the skill set, but i'm certainly not the best guy out there.
It never ceases to amaze me each year the first time I get out and skate. I have been skating all of my life, but there have been a couple of years in there that I did not skate at all, or I only skated a handful of times. I have not played organized hockey since I was about 14 years old. But inevitably, in my mind, I can still play like that 14 year old did. And inevitably, I come to th realization that I can't. Tonight was like that. I'll have to recognize the limitations in my ability. I'll have to realize that my skills have eroded over the years. I also have to realize that I have not done strenuous physical activity of this kind in years. Let me tell you, I am out of shape!
I don't expect this great hockey experiment of mine to be the solution to any problems. While I'm sure it will be beneficial, it will take more than 1 night a week to get me into better shape. It will take more than this to help me lose any weight. And not that those were goals I set for myself when making the decision to sign up either. But I do think it will have an effect on my lifestyle. I likely will sleep better at least one night a week. I likely will go out less (although this has begun already). I think it has the opportunity to be the catalyst for wanting to get in better shape and to lose some weight.
The benefit that I think is most likely, and that I'm probably most looking forward to: new friendships. Over the course of the last 6 weeks or so, 4 of my closests friends have left Fargo. I just don't have as many social options as I once did. This should certainly open the door to some new ones.
For now, I just hope that I can walk in the morning...
Tonight was my first night of hockey. I'm playing in the Novice Hockey League (NHL, clever right?) through Fargo Parks. The first two weeks will be practice and scrimmages so that the organizers can get a sense of our skill sets. Then we will be split into teams and play a league schedule from there. There are over 70 people signed up so we will likely have 6 teams in the league. There are men and women, people of a variety of ages, and a broad range of skill levels. You could tell that some of us had played some in the past. You could also tell that some are still just learning to skate. I would say I'm in the top end of the skill set, but i'm certainly not the best guy out there.
It never ceases to amaze me each year the first time I get out and skate. I have been skating all of my life, but there have been a couple of years in there that I did not skate at all, or I only skated a handful of times. I have not played organized hockey since I was about 14 years old. But inevitably, in my mind, I can still play like that 14 year old did. And inevitably, I come to th realization that I can't. Tonight was like that. I'll have to recognize the limitations in my ability. I'll have to realize that my skills have eroded over the years. I also have to realize that I have not done strenuous physical activity of this kind in years. Let me tell you, I am out of shape!
I don't expect this great hockey experiment of mine to be the solution to any problems. While I'm sure it will be beneficial, it will take more than 1 night a week to get me into better shape. It will take more than this to help me lose any weight. And not that those were goals I set for myself when making the decision to sign up either. But I do think it will have an effect on my lifestyle. I likely will sleep better at least one night a week. I likely will go out less (although this has begun already). I think it has the opportunity to be the catalyst for wanting to get in better shape and to lose some weight.
The benefit that I think is most likely, and that I'm probably most looking forward to: new friendships. Over the course of the last 6 weeks or so, 4 of my closests friends have left Fargo. I just don't have as many social options as I once did. This should certainly open the door to some new ones.
For now, I just hope that I can walk in the morning...
Monday, November 10, 2008
For Tomorrow
Goals for tomorrow:
- Get oil changed
- Write a legit blog entry
- Prep for class
- Explore grad school info
- Drink coffee
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