Yeah so we finally broke down and ordered a new computer from Dell. This is in response to our previous computer finally having a mental breakdown and committing suicide.
I say "suicide", however it is clear that foul play on the part of our fish was involved. I will now recount the horrific story as I recall it:
It was tuesday - yesterday. I returned home from work to find that the fish seemed hungry, so I decided to feed him. I successfully dropped some fish flakes into the tank, and then reached for the fish pellets (as I am told fish should be fed a variety of foods) with no idea of the horror that was about to begin. I dropped a few pellets into the tank and closed the lid. It was then, that hell and hades opened figuratively beneath my feet, engulfing me in flames so fierce I thought I might not make it.
Yes, that's right, I dropped the bag of pellets. They spilled from the bag, creating a pile of pellets on the carpet directly in front of and below the fish tank. I knew something had to be done immediately, so I rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the vaccuum cleaner. Rushing back into the office I proceeded to plug the vaccuum in and stepped on the on switch. At that very moment, time and space seemed suddenly to freeze as if the very rotation of the universe had been stopped inexorably by an invisible and yet omnipotent hand. The vaccuum did not turn on.. and furthermore, the computer (which heretofore had been left running almost constantly) had lost its power. I had tripped a breaker.
I ran down into the dungeon.. er basement, fighting against the cold drafts and damp cement that clawed at my skin like a drooling beast, hungry for all the warmth in my body. I reach the breakers without injury and found the errant switch, which I proceeded to reset. The sudden and yet unmistakable whine of the vaccuum echoed eerily from above.
I vaulted back upstairs and vaccuumed up the fish pellets, then turned off the vaccuum cleaner and turned my attention to the computer. Its power remained off, so I turned it back on and left it for a few minutes while it performed the inevitable dance called "Scandisk". After a few moments I returned, prepared to check my email only to find the screen completely blank except for a blinking cursor in the upper left hand corner.
I had seen this before - 3 times before the computer had died so, and each time I had resuscitated it by reinstalling the operating system overtop of the current configuration. So I did this. With baited breath I restarted the computer after completing the reinstallation.. and a blinking cursor stared back at me from the upper left corner of the screen.
It was then I knew that there was no going back for our wounded computer. I had been too slow, and the computer's soul had entered its final resting place.
I looked over at the fishtank and there was the fish, staring at me, unblinking, mouth opening and closing as if mocking my misfortune. That is when I knew my fish was a PC Killer.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Sunday, April 24, 2005
The Dog who Itched too Much
That would be our dog, Baron. As previously posted, we took him to the vet about a month ago because of a large hot spot (hair had been licked/bitten off) on his side and also at the time he had been pooping and peeing without seeming to have control over himself. At the time the vet had treated his stomach problems which are now fine, but the itching will not stop.
I feel really bad he has been wearing a buster collar for over a month now, when we aren't watching him, because everytime we leave him alone he starts eating himself! We finally took him to the vet today expecting to discover that he has flears or something, and our groomer also said his ears are infected. Fleas are easy and relatively inexpensive to treat and would have been the best scenario. Instead the vet says that he doesn't seem fleas but is obviously an extremely itchy dog.
So, she reccomends doing a skin scrape to rule out mites, which are the easiest and least expensive possible cause of the problem. She also prescribes antibiotic. So after the scrape and the antibiotics our vet bill today ended up at about $125. And lo and behold, he doesn't have mites apparently, which means that we now have to move into the next level of investigation, including a biopsy and possible blood work. Added up we come to just about $500. For an 11 year old dog. I think we're gong to try some natural remedies first and hope the anti-biotics help.
Unfortunately we left the dog unattended without his buster collar as not only is the patch on his side much larger and worse, but he has created a bunch of new spots all up and down his front leg that he has done a great job chewing on. One of them was actually quite bloody and the rest are new. All I can say is that it is extremely frustrating and disheartening.
Anyway, I prayed over the dog and "laid hands" on him.. I told God that Baron is his creature and God promised to take care of the smallest of his creations. We can't afford $500 in vet treatments at this point so something else is going to have to be done. If you think of it, would you pray for my dog too? He's a really good boy who deserves better.
Well that's enough out of me - later.
I feel really bad he has been wearing a buster collar for over a month now, when we aren't watching him, because everytime we leave him alone he starts eating himself! We finally took him to the vet today expecting to discover that he has flears or something, and our groomer also said his ears are infected. Fleas are easy and relatively inexpensive to treat and would have been the best scenario. Instead the vet says that he doesn't seem fleas but is obviously an extremely itchy dog.
So, she reccomends doing a skin scrape to rule out mites, which are the easiest and least expensive possible cause of the problem. She also prescribes antibiotic. So after the scrape and the antibiotics our vet bill today ended up at about $125. And lo and behold, he doesn't have mites apparently, which means that we now have to move into the next level of investigation, including a biopsy and possible blood work. Added up we come to just about $500. For an 11 year old dog. I think we're gong to try some natural remedies first and hope the anti-biotics help.
Unfortunately we left the dog unattended without his buster collar as not only is the patch on his side much larger and worse, but he has created a bunch of new spots all up and down his front leg that he has done a great job chewing on. One of them was actually quite bloody and the rest are new. All I can say is that it is extremely frustrating and disheartening.
Anyway, I prayed over the dog and "laid hands" on him.. I told God that Baron is his creature and God promised to take care of the smallest of his creations. We can't afford $500 in vet treatments at this point so something else is going to have to be done. If you think of it, would you pray for my dog too? He's a really good boy who deserves better.
Well that's enough out of me - later.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Does writing about evil make me the Devil?
A month or so ago, my friend Gwen (yes, the same one who is thankfully still attached to Russ at the hip!) emailed me a question that really hit home for me. We had been talking about the fact that she and I and my best friend Rich are all kindred spirits of the dorky variety (i.e. we love Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, etc) when Gwen asked me (being, as she implied, a fairly "experienced" Christian), what I thought about fantasy and science fiction from a spiritual perspective. As I had been pondering that very question at that time, this naturally led to a lengthy rant by yours truly, which I have now doctored up slightly (so that it reads more like a post and less like an email to someone) and reproduced for you reading pleasure.
I didn't really come into my own in (in terms of my walk with Christ) until I was around 14 or so, but I have always had the belief. I have also had my struggles on the issue of the "Good" and "Evil" inherent in things like fantasy and science-fiction as well as other art forms, specifically music and TV/Movies, etc, etc..
For a long while I really wasn't overly concerned about this, especially in terms of music which has been a big part of my life for a long time. As some of you may have noticed I listen to fairly heavy music and have done so since I was 17 or 18 - I really didn't censor it too much unless it was really blatantly gross or Satanic (i.e. Marilyn Manson), but because I pretty well hated Christian music and loved Industrial/Metal style stuff I got into a lot of Nine Inch Nails and things of that nature. I really had no interest in thinking about whether I should be listening to this or that because I just wanted music I could enjoy regardless of anything else.
It was probably a year or two ago that I really got turned onto Christian music in the vein that I
listen to and started listening to bands like Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Massivivid, etc and realized that music is so much cooler when you connect to it spiritually. Since then I have been very careful about the music I listen to and have realized that there is a huge potential for evil
things to creep in through music and art in general.
Have said all of that - specifically speaking into the fantasy and sci-fi vein of things, I think there is definately a huge potential for both Good and Evil to be glorified through fiction, but I don't feel this is an inherent thing in the genre - rather to me is all dependent on the intentions and spiritual approach of the author.
To take C.S. Lewis for example - The Chronicles of Narnia were extremely allegorical of his Christian Faith and yet you can read it with or without that aspect and still enjoy the story as simply a fantasy story. Even for a non-Christian who reads it just for enjoyment, the spirit of the story will still have an impact because that was what the author intended.
Another example is The Lord of the Rings - to hear it from the author, his intention in writing it
was simply and purely to write a damn good story - he detested "allegory" in all of its forms and wanted to write something that was left up to the interpretation of the reader. Having said that - Tolkien was also a devout (believing) Catholic Christian and that aspect of his personality naturally comes out in his writing. So while he wasn't intentionally trying to "preach" through his books, his worldview and beliefs are in there.
I think this can definately be true of non-Christian writers as well - I've read a lot of "secular" fantasy and Sci-Fi that I have absolutely no problem with.. the author didn't have a purposefully anti-Christian agenda and their worldview and beliefs, while not necessarily Christian are also
not "Satanic" or whatever. One aspect of fantasy that I have always found problematic is the concept of "magic", which is always present but takes on many different forms and has different explanations depending on who is writing the story. I am always careful about any book that glorifies the use of the occult for power - this I have a problem with because intentional or not, the author is basically promoting witchcraft.
In this there is also a huge difference between pure fantasy (as in fantasy based in a completely fictional world with completely fictional spiritual dynamics, etc - i.e. LOTR) and fantasy based in the real world (i.e. Harry Potter). I have always had a huge check in myself about Harry Potter because it is not exactly a fantasy story - it is in fact a story about a boy from OUR world
(meaning that OUR God exists here, and our Devil) who is the hero because of his powers as a Wizard. This is not only promoting the occult and witchcraft on a fantastical/conceptual level, but is DIRECTLY promoting witchcraft and the occult in the REAL world.
While pure fantasy in this vein might encourage a child to want to be a great fantasical wizard in a fantasy world (which is not really a good thing, but is also not real or possible), a series like Harry Potter makes little boys and little girls want to actually BE witches and warlocks in OUR world (which is entirely possible and readily available if you know where to look - like your local family book store).
So basically I avoid occultic fantasy in general and real-world based occultic fantasy like the plague. There are tons of good books out there that take the occult out of magic, which I appreciate - Tolkien did this. If you read LOTR and really pay attention to what "Magic" is, there is no mention of occultic power used by the heroes - in fact none of the human
characters or heroes use what can be considered to be "magic". There are Elves, who are thought to be magical and use magic, however the Elven magic is actually an innate characteristic of their nature and is offered up to Illuvatar (God) as worship. Take away Elves and the only "Magic" in that book comes from the dark powers (Sauron) and the Wizards (Gandalf and Saruman). Tolkien's Wizards are often misunderstood as being human beings
with magical powers when in fact they are closer to what we would call angels. As such their "magic" is also infused into the nature of what they are and for what purpose they were created. When Saruman turns to sorcery this is depicted by machines and fires and artificial power destroying and perverting the natural order. This arrangment, of course, was all intentional, not because Tolkien was writing a Christian story but because he was a Christian writing a story.
I've read books where this comes out in the other way - one in specific that I can recall included a journey by the main character at the end of which he runs into a secret society of Elves, whom the book had setup as wise and sagelike people whose job it was to guide the main character to
the right way of doing things. At one point this character sees a painting depicting a meeting of "the gods" in which all of the Gods are portrayed as beams of light. When he questions one of the very wise elvish types about this, the response is "What did you expect the Gods to look like -
yourself? Only a fool believes that he is made in the image of god." As soon as I read that I felt that "slimed" feeling like I've just been party to something spiritually underhanded. The remark just seemed so specifically aimed at Christians and I couldn't get that out of my mind.
I just honestly had the feeling afterwards that the book was just no good, so I got rid of it and felt much better.
I think in the end it requires a lot of discernment to decide what is okay and what isn't - in my mind it is all about the author's intentions and their worldview and beliefs. The genre itself can be used in a very Godly way, or it can (as is usual) be used for something else. I myself have
been writing a very long fantasy story (see "The Chronicle of the Sentinels" under my links if you don't know what I am talking about) that I have intended to contain Christian allegory while being completely removed from the real world. There is "magic" involved, but I am writing this to behave (in an embellished way) the way it does in real life. Basically there are "Saints" who follow the true God and are granted certain powers by that God. These powers are always dispensed by the God of their world and are not contained in the person. Alternately there are evildoers who have access to supernatural powers by way of demonic entities and what we would call the occult. In this way I am trying to make a distinction between what the good and bad guys are drawing upon.. the bad guys use "magic", which is self-serving and evil, while the good guys call upon their power and authority from God and use it for God's purposes. In a way my story is almost like a more adult oriented Chronicles of Narnia - imagine C.S.
Lewis' theme done with a Tolkien-esque skin.
So, to summarize - I believe whole-heartedly that God can used ANY artform for his glory, and that the Devil can take that artform and corrupt into something else. I also believe that what is acceptable for some to read or watch or whatever may be different for someone else. While one person may be able to read Harry Potter without be affected negatively by it, I believe that children and anyone with an unhealthy fascination in the occult should definately stay away.
I am definately tired of fundamentalist types labelling anything that contains characterizations of evil or the occult or the devil as being "Of the devil". And there's a lot of people like that who will look at LOTR and say "Oh look how ugly that thing is! Look that man is a sorceror! This movie (or book) must be evil!". By that logic the Bible would be the most satanic writing in human history. The devil is real, and his tricks are real - portraying these realities is not wrong as long as we don't start to confuse evil with good and make the bad guys the good guys or the good guys good because they are in fact so bad. There is a difference between depicting evil and glorifying it!
Anyway that's enough outta me. Peace out.
I didn't really come into my own in (in terms of my walk with Christ) until I was around 14 or so, but I have always had the belief. I have also had my struggles on the issue of the "Good" and "Evil" inherent in things like fantasy and science-fiction as well as other art forms, specifically music and TV/Movies, etc, etc..
For a long while I really wasn't overly concerned about this, especially in terms of music which has been a big part of my life for a long time. As some of you may have noticed I listen to fairly heavy music and have done so since I was 17 or 18 - I really didn't censor it too much unless it was really blatantly gross or Satanic (i.e. Marilyn Manson), but because I pretty well hated Christian music and loved Industrial/Metal style stuff I got into a lot of Nine Inch Nails and things of that nature. I really had no interest in thinking about whether I should be listening to this or that because I just wanted music I could enjoy regardless of anything else.
It was probably a year or two ago that I really got turned onto Christian music in the vein that I
listen to and started listening to bands like Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Massivivid, etc and realized that music is so much cooler when you connect to it spiritually. Since then I have been very careful about the music I listen to and have realized that there is a huge potential for evil
things to creep in through music and art in general.
Have said all of that - specifically speaking into the fantasy and sci-fi vein of things, I think there is definately a huge potential for both Good and Evil to be glorified through fiction, but I don't feel this is an inherent thing in the genre - rather to me is all dependent on the intentions and spiritual approach of the author.
To take C.S. Lewis for example - The Chronicles of Narnia were extremely allegorical of his Christian Faith and yet you can read it with or without that aspect and still enjoy the story as simply a fantasy story. Even for a non-Christian who reads it just for enjoyment, the spirit of the story will still have an impact because that was what the author intended.
Another example is The Lord of the Rings - to hear it from the author, his intention in writing it
was simply and purely to write a damn good story - he detested "allegory" in all of its forms and wanted to write something that was left up to the interpretation of the reader. Having said that - Tolkien was also a devout (believing) Catholic Christian and that aspect of his personality naturally comes out in his writing. So while he wasn't intentionally trying to "preach" through his books, his worldview and beliefs are in there.
I think this can definately be true of non-Christian writers as well - I've read a lot of "secular" fantasy and Sci-Fi that I have absolutely no problem with.. the author didn't have a purposefully anti-Christian agenda and their worldview and beliefs, while not necessarily Christian are also
not "Satanic" or whatever. One aspect of fantasy that I have always found problematic is the concept of "magic", which is always present but takes on many different forms and has different explanations depending on who is writing the story. I am always careful about any book that glorifies the use of the occult for power - this I have a problem with because intentional or not, the author is basically promoting witchcraft.
In this there is also a huge difference between pure fantasy (as in fantasy based in a completely fictional world with completely fictional spiritual dynamics, etc - i.e. LOTR) and fantasy based in the real world (i.e. Harry Potter). I have always had a huge check in myself about Harry Potter because it is not exactly a fantasy story - it is in fact a story about a boy from OUR world
(meaning that OUR God exists here, and our Devil) who is the hero because of his powers as a Wizard. This is not only promoting the occult and witchcraft on a fantastical/conceptual level, but is DIRECTLY promoting witchcraft and the occult in the REAL world.
While pure fantasy in this vein might encourage a child to want to be a great fantasical wizard in a fantasy world (which is not really a good thing, but is also not real or possible), a series like Harry Potter makes little boys and little girls want to actually BE witches and warlocks in OUR world (which is entirely possible and readily available if you know where to look - like your local family book store).
So basically I avoid occultic fantasy in general and real-world based occultic fantasy like the plague. There are tons of good books out there that take the occult out of magic, which I appreciate - Tolkien did this. If you read LOTR and really pay attention to what "Magic" is, there is no mention of occultic power used by the heroes - in fact none of the human
characters or heroes use what can be considered to be "magic". There are Elves, who are thought to be magical and use magic, however the Elven magic is actually an innate characteristic of their nature and is offered up to Illuvatar (God) as worship. Take away Elves and the only "Magic" in that book comes from the dark powers (Sauron) and the Wizards (Gandalf and Saruman). Tolkien's Wizards are often misunderstood as being human beings
with magical powers when in fact they are closer to what we would call angels. As such their "magic" is also infused into the nature of what they are and for what purpose they were created. When Saruman turns to sorcery this is depicted by machines and fires and artificial power destroying and perverting the natural order. This arrangment, of course, was all intentional, not because Tolkien was writing a Christian story but because he was a Christian writing a story.
I've read books where this comes out in the other way - one in specific that I can recall included a journey by the main character at the end of which he runs into a secret society of Elves, whom the book had setup as wise and sagelike people whose job it was to guide the main character to
the right way of doing things. At one point this character sees a painting depicting a meeting of "the gods" in which all of the Gods are portrayed as beams of light. When he questions one of the very wise elvish types about this, the response is "What did you expect the Gods to look like -
yourself? Only a fool believes that he is made in the image of god." As soon as I read that I felt that "slimed" feeling like I've just been party to something spiritually underhanded. The remark just seemed so specifically aimed at Christians and I couldn't get that out of my mind.
I just honestly had the feeling afterwards that the book was just no good, so I got rid of it and felt much better.
I think in the end it requires a lot of discernment to decide what is okay and what isn't - in my mind it is all about the author's intentions and their worldview and beliefs. The genre itself can be used in a very Godly way, or it can (as is usual) be used for something else. I myself have
been writing a very long fantasy story (see "The Chronicle of the Sentinels" under my links if you don't know what I am talking about) that I have intended to contain Christian allegory while being completely removed from the real world. There is "magic" involved, but I am writing this to behave (in an embellished way) the way it does in real life. Basically there are "Saints" who follow the true God and are granted certain powers by that God. These powers are always dispensed by the God of their world and are not contained in the person. Alternately there are evildoers who have access to supernatural powers by way of demonic entities and what we would call the occult. In this way I am trying to make a distinction between what the good and bad guys are drawing upon.. the bad guys use "magic", which is self-serving and evil, while the good guys call upon their power and authority from God and use it for God's purposes. In a way my story is almost like a more adult oriented Chronicles of Narnia - imagine C.S.
Lewis' theme done with a Tolkien-esque skin.
So, to summarize - I believe whole-heartedly that God can used ANY artform for his glory, and that the Devil can take that artform and corrupt into something else. I also believe that what is acceptable for some to read or watch or whatever may be different for someone else. While one person may be able to read Harry Potter without be affected negatively by it, I believe that children and anyone with an unhealthy fascination in the occult should definately stay away.
I am definately tired of fundamentalist types labelling anything that contains characterizations of evil or the occult or the devil as being "Of the devil". And there's a lot of people like that who will look at LOTR and say "Oh look how ugly that thing is! Look that man is a sorceror! This movie (or book) must be evil!". By that logic the Bible would be the most satanic writing in human history. The devil is real, and his tricks are real - portraying these realities is not wrong as long as we don't start to confuse evil with good and make the bad guys the good guys or the good guys good because they are in fact so bad. There is a difference between depicting evil and glorifying it!
Anyway that's enough outta me. Peace out.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Another Story Update
I really do apologize for having posted nothing in here for awhile. I have been completely preoccupied with getting my prologue finished. Speaking of which - I've posted the next segment at http://sentinelstory.blogspot.com
Hopefully now I can devote some brain power to posting some more of my deep thoughts around here!
Hopefully now I can devote some brain power to posting some more of my deep thoughts around here!
Monday, April 18, 2005
Excuses, excuses
Looks like I haven't really posted in awhile.. I do have some stuff going on in my head that I will post eventually, but my first priority is getting my prologue finished at the other blog (http://sentinelstory.blogspot.com).
I am getting close to posting another segment, and there should one more segment after that. Then I will start unloading some of the random gibberish in my noggin here. Are you all excited? Mmmkay.
I am getting close to posting another segment, and there should one more segment after that. Then I will start unloading some of the random gibberish in my noggin here. Are you all excited? Mmmkay.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
2 Years! Can you Believe it? I almost can!
Yup, yup, yup.. me and the Lisanator have official made the 2 year mark. Well, I should qualify that - in about an hour or so we will have made the 2 hour mark, as our wedding started at about 11 am and I would guess the knot was officially tied about 30 minutes in. (Oh God I hope I got the time right.. oh well if not, that's what the EDIT button is for, right?).
I can't say that it has been a particularly easy 2 years, nor can I say that it has always been a pleasant journey, as Lisa and I have, shall we say, conflicting personalities. However, I can say with certainty and assurance that it has been an entirely worthwhile endeavour, and one that has made me quite a different person in many ways.
Let us recap the last 2 years in brief:
April 5, 2003: Well, we got married. High Jinks Ensued. Oh did I mention that neither of us had a job?
April 14, 2003: I started working at West Corp. To start with it ws the best paying job I'd ever had. Which is sad because it was like $9.00 an hour to start. However, as Lisa once predicted from a dream she had, the job has opened doors for me.
May or June something 2003: Lisa started working for Dr. Laidley. While there have been some definate ups and downs for her, I certainly feel this was a blessing and also a daily lesson for the both of us. 3 or 4 years from now, when Lisa is an RMT, I'm sure we'll both agree this job was largely responsible for her inspiration to actually do it.
August 21 2003: Lisa organized a killer surprise birthday party for me at the Keg, with like 3 million people. It was awesome. I don't think we even paid for that prime rib.. MMMMmmmmm.
August 25 2003: I was promoted to "Performance Assessment Specialist" at West Corp. This has been a truly great job for me and I have excelled at it, thanks to the good lord!
(Oh lord this is taking too long - let's skip ahead a bit)
December 25 2003: Our first Christmas together. I think this was the year I got the "I live with fear everday, but sometimes she lets me play golf" T-Shirt from Fear's.. er I mean Lisa's Dad. Actually maybe that was the year before.
February/March 2004: Doctor Shit-Head diagnoses me with Type 2 Diabetes. Turns out all this time I thought I was just "husky", I was actually quite obese. The photographic record also supports this hypothesis.
March 2004: I fling dung at Dr. El-Stupido-Retardo and opt out of taking deathly diabetes medication. Cynicism about the Western Medical system sets in. Flying in the face of modern medical treatments, I set out to get better, instead of worse. I stop eating sugar and refined carbohydrates and not excercising and start eating vegetables, natural foods, walking and working out regularly.
Juneish 2004: I'm well on my way to getting better.. lost a lot of weight.. blood sugar starting to return to normal levels. I jog for the first time. This is a big day.
Julyish 2004: I am jogging on a regular basis, continuing to lose weight and get better.
August 21 2004: Lisa holds another killer surprise birthday party with a ton of people, outdoors at Elk Lake. Unexpected torrential rains kill most of the party guests, but on the upside I got to see a killer magic show by Kernel Popcorn!
September - October 2004: We move into our current residence and adopt our 11 year old German Shepherd, Baron. I have my first hemoglobin A1C test since I was first diagnosed. The test comes back well within normal range. Yay! Eat that, Dr. Shitface! Oh and thanks to our new doctor, Dr. Gary Nielsen for being a stand-up dude and helping me through all of this!
Now flash forward to today. I'm a totally different person. I've lost a total of 80 pounds, am regularly active and just better. Sure I've got emotional problems, but hell, these days who doesn't??!!
Seriously though, 2 years is a major accomplishment in the marriage arena - most people don't make it this long without a mass-murder/suicide or some kind of gas main explosion. We're on our way!
Love you Lisa! Here's to another 2 years!
I can't say that it has been a particularly easy 2 years, nor can I say that it has always been a pleasant journey, as Lisa and I have, shall we say, conflicting personalities. However, I can say with certainty and assurance that it has been an entirely worthwhile endeavour, and one that has made me quite a different person in many ways.
Let us recap the last 2 years in brief:
April 5, 2003: Well, we got married. High Jinks Ensued. Oh did I mention that neither of us had a job?
April 14, 2003: I started working at West Corp. To start with it ws the best paying job I'd ever had. Which is sad because it was like $9.00 an hour to start. However, as Lisa once predicted from a dream she had, the job has opened doors for me.
May or June something 2003: Lisa started working for Dr. Laidley. While there have been some definate ups and downs for her, I certainly feel this was a blessing and also a daily lesson for the both of us. 3 or 4 years from now, when Lisa is an RMT, I'm sure we'll both agree this job was largely responsible for her inspiration to actually do it.
August 21 2003: Lisa organized a killer surprise birthday party for me at the Keg, with like 3 million people. It was awesome. I don't think we even paid for that prime rib.. MMMMmmmmm.
August 25 2003: I was promoted to "Performance Assessment Specialist" at West Corp. This has been a truly great job for me and I have excelled at it, thanks to the good lord!
(Oh lord this is taking too long - let's skip ahead a bit)
December 25 2003: Our first Christmas together. I think this was the year I got the "I live with fear everday, but sometimes she lets me play golf" T-Shirt from Fear's.. er I mean Lisa's Dad. Actually maybe that was the year before.
February/March 2004: Doctor Shit-Head diagnoses me with Type 2 Diabetes. Turns out all this time I thought I was just "husky", I was actually quite obese. The photographic record also supports this hypothesis.
March 2004: I fling dung at Dr. El-Stupido-Retardo and opt out of taking deathly diabetes medication. Cynicism about the Western Medical system sets in. Flying in the face of modern medical treatments, I set out to get better, instead of worse. I stop eating sugar and refined carbohydrates and not excercising and start eating vegetables, natural foods, walking and working out regularly.
Juneish 2004: I'm well on my way to getting better.. lost a lot of weight.. blood sugar starting to return to normal levels. I jog for the first time. This is a big day.
Julyish 2004: I am jogging on a regular basis, continuing to lose weight and get better.
August 21 2004: Lisa holds another killer surprise birthday party with a ton of people, outdoors at Elk Lake. Unexpected torrential rains kill most of the party guests, but on the upside I got to see a killer magic show by Kernel Popcorn!
September - October 2004: We move into our current residence and adopt our 11 year old German Shepherd, Baron. I have my first hemoglobin A1C test since I was first diagnosed. The test comes back well within normal range. Yay! Eat that, Dr. Shitface! Oh and thanks to our new doctor, Dr. Gary Nielsen for being a stand-up dude and helping me through all of this!
Now flash forward to today. I'm a totally different person. I've lost a total of 80 pounds, am regularly active and just better. Sure I've got emotional problems, but hell, these days who doesn't??!!
Seriously though, 2 years is a major accomplishment in the marriage arena - most people don't make it this long without a mass-murder/suicide or some kind of gas main explosion. We're on our way!
Love you Lisa! Here's to another 2 years!
Friday, April 01, 2005
More Story!
Part 2 of the prologue has been posted! Check it out at http://sentinelstory.blogspot.com
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