Where to start??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERRI!!!! Hope you are having fun on the beach!

I ending up taking the whole day off today. The original plan was to work until 10 then drive down to the folks house and take Dad to his doc appt. But during a meeing Evie said, "Geo's off tomorrow". My boss looked at me and he knew that I was working until 10 but as I sat there and thought about it I liked the being off all day idea. So I asked after the meeting if he mind if I took off the whole day. I knew the answer was going to be "Sure, no problem", but I still like to ask.

So the storm came through and lit up the bedroom at 4:30. Try as I may, I couldn't really get back to sleep. 5am I was up and at 'em. Ugh! Still really warm outside when I let Sadie out. TV says if you are heading out today to take a jacket because the temps are going to drive bomb later this afternoon.

I have a million things I want to get done today and over the course of the long weekend. Guess I better sign off and get busy!

ONE WEEK TIL THE CI!!! Just seems too unreal!

The bike was in the picture!

CI countdown... 9 days out!

Well everyone the bike made it to the picture on Sunday! Boy did it feel good to be back out and cranking away. It was sort of on of those "oh look at the pretty leaves sort of ride" but I had a good average to coming back after pulling a Joba the Hut. I stayed on the north side of the river looking for friends I've lost over the past few months. I spotted the AR Bike Club but that was it. I saw Ed's truck over by the Big Bridge but no Ed. The climb to Fort Roots was even fun as I remember. Overall, the bikeway was really quite for a Sunday afternoon.

The weather is about to change... big time! They said the "s" word in the forecast for Friday. Snow. Just a slight chance but it those slight chances that dump on us when we're not ready.

Church media went smooth yesterday. Love it when that happens! We are having a short devo tomorrow (Tuesday) night rather than normal Wednesday classes. But guess what? They want a whole production! Wha??? No rest... no rest at all. There are videos and and all sorts of stuff. I put the presentation together and headed to the building. Lucky for my that is only a mile from the house. One of the videos they want will not work! UGH! I spent an hour and a half working with the codec and everything else. The video just will no play nice. It's not a major piece of the production so I emailed them and requested they not try to include it. The rest turned out nice. Lots of animation and fade in's and outs. Love the stuff!

Every year the hospital gives all the employees a Thanksgiving gift. Yep all 4,000 of us! We got to choose from a turkey, a ham, a cheesecake or new this year... ribs! Yep, I'm going for the ribs. They bring an 18 wheeler and we can get it right off the truck tomorrow or we can pick it up at the Honey Baked store. Good stuff.... Joba Syndrome will continue a little longer I guess! HA!

Terri was off and got the carpet cleaned today. Always go Ewww when we see how bad it was. House smells like oranges tonight.

Life is good! Hey meant to say, if you are traveling this Thanksgiving, have a great time and be careful.

Sunny Sherwood Saturday

I think it's fall here again. Yep, I'm quite sure of it. It's really cool and windy and the yard is covered in leaves. I'll be cranking the lawnmower up and heading out to get them all up after while.

I judged a dessert cook off at the hospital yesterday. The winner was a fancy lemon souffle surrounded by lady fingers. It was light and fluffy and I wanted to eat it all but the slice was huge and I had already sampled 10 other entries. I gave it a 5 (highest). The other favorite to me was a brownie sandwich. It was a thin slice of brownie then had a blob of chocolate cheesecake in the middle the another thin slice of brownie. Around the sides was finely crushed peppermint every now and then. Oh momma slip me! It was good. Check back here because Kelley shot some photos and I'll get a hold of some of them and show you these 2.

We went over to Texas Roadhouse for dinner last night. Talk about VIP treatment! 2 of Em's friends work there and they waited on us hand and foot. I had my usual prime rib and it was like the end of a good book when I finished. I was happy. HA!

Greg and I went through the Sunday service media and just a couple of very minor adjustments and we'll be ready to roll. We talked for a few minutes as we always do. I call them my weekly "Balcony Sessions". He asked if I was getting excited about the CI and I am but I also told him the nervousness is beginning to creep in a little. It's not the surgery I'm worried about. That's a breeze. Surgery, home, relax a couple of days then back to normal routine. It's the activation that has me worried. Remember the book Rebuilt I was talking about? Well the author is opening honest about everything including his dating life which I understand why he includes that (for social standpoint of CI users). But while reading it I also realized that this journey is not going to be easy by any means. I wonder how I will adjust to being deaf in my right ear for almost 7 years now. How long will it take my brain to clue in and the wires to spark that says, "Oh yeah, I remember this!"

I think there may be the word "bike" in the picture this afternoon. If so I'll be riding with my pal Ed who has lost a whopping 140 lbs! He is a speed demon now on a road bike. I'm now the dough boy who judges dessert contest and only rides every now and then on weekends. HA! (OK, it's really not funny!)

Well time to get busy doing Saturday stuff

Good to have friends!

I sent out the beg and plea today to see if I could get coverage for church media for the months of Dec. Jan, and maybe Feb. I read on one of the CI blogs or postings that the user had trouble in Church services so I decided I would still do a lot of the creative but let someone advance the program. Once I'm cool with the songs and understanding the sound again then I'll jump back into the drivers seat.

Funny story... last week Michael bumped his remote mic on his belt and ______ nothing. We pulled it off in flying colors but I was looking out of the booth like a deer in highlights. Why am I not hearing him... panic!! Just took a deep breath and advanced he program with the crowd singing. It's so funny how much goes on behind the scenes during a church service. On day they got up there and started talking and welcoming everyone and there was no sound and several folks turned and looked up at the booth at me and I just grinned really big. I don't know anything about the sound board and they all know this but where was the sound roadie? Uh, in the restroom! HA!!! That's like putting a fish in charge of dry land. Ain't gonna work.

Life is good and tomorrow is Friday!

ACH CI

I forgot all about this and ran across it on you tube.
Here's one of our patients going through CI. this was several years ago i think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEH28KdxjAY

The big drop

Out from my office window towards the hospital

POURING DOWN!

So at 3pm today it was a hot and muggy 76 degrees and at 4pm it was a windy and c-o-l-d 61 degrees just after the storm passed.

The hospital looked like a ghost ship during the storm and I felt for the folks who sprinted across the parking lot without umbrellas. I hate that cold wet feeling.

Got the call from PR today and they want to follow the CI journey and turn it into a story! I told them out would step out of my comfort zone and blog raw data about what I feel and what is going on as I get cyborged.

I have to admit the Rebuilt book is really helpful because too much of it is what I've felt. The loneliness of not going somewhere because there would be too much noise and you just can't hear voices enough to understand. Actually I can hear voices but I don't understand. It's an insane sort of feeling. Serious, my hands sweat sometimes when I go into a meeting just because I wonder if I'll be able to hear.

Another fear is going to happen next week. Terri and Tyler will be going down to FL to see Terri's folks. Emmy and I will be here at home. So what's the fear? At night I can't sleep because I'm afraid something will happen and if Emmy called out to me for something, not that she has in years, I wouldn't have my hearing aid on to hear her. It's a "what if" sort of feeling.

Yes, I'm looking forward to the surgery and the real start of the CI journey and yes, I have really high expectations. One of the things Rebuilt mentioned what that the author listened to Winnie the Poo and read along in the book so he would learn the sounds that go with the words. First thought, "what a cool idea". I bet it's all part of the therapy.

I was surprised when Speech Path called and asked if it was OK that my Speech Therapy appointments were not the same day as my Audio appts. Speech therapy?! My speech is fine. OK, thick country southern accent but fine otherwise! HA! Sorry but you can't take the south out of this boy. I'm interested to see what I'll be doing in speech. I know it will be repeating words and sentences I suppose. Oh man, just thought of something... please Lord, don't let it be those same words I have to say in my hearing test!!!
Say the word baseball
Say the word hot dog
Say the word sidewalk
Say the word 'night y'all!

Cochlear Implant countdown...

Cochlear Implant: 15 days and counting!

It hit me today as I booked an appointment in my datebook for Nov 27th. I would be getting my CI the next day! I'll getting excited now. Yep, two weeks from Wednesday. I slipped in and read the notes on my account to be sure everything was really in place and I saw the insurance authorization number and they even gave me a 2 day ticket to ride inpatient if needed. It won't be. I'm just doing this through the drive through lane! In and out in a few hours, home to sleep off the versed and just hanging out the next day. I wished they made versed in a 6 pack! They give me that stuff then I just dgjaaash sijgths 'ojpjnaidfhb .....

I plan to get a movie or two for the day after. I remember growing up and if I had to stay at home sick there was never anything to watch (pre-cable). Well guess what? Now years later I can be at home and loaded up with a truckload of stations and still hate daytime TV. If I'm ever in a car wreck where I have to stay put, trust me, TV is not going to be a part of my day! Judge this and Judge that with "Have you been injured in a car accident?" commercials in between. Not me!

I've been over to the cochlear implant forums at Advanced Bionics site and there are some really nice folks over there who have gone through what I'm about to. It's been a nice way to ease the nerves.

I kept seeing a reference to a book called Rebuilt by Micheal Chorost. He was 36 and on the road traveling when his hearing aids go out or so he thought and it was his hearing going down by the hour. He ends up with CI's. I read an except from his book on Amazon and thought this is so true to life. I mean the guy hits it on the head! So I asked the buds over in our CI clinic if they had the book and sure enough. I got it this afternoon and plan to start reading it here in a little while.

I love the book cover! One of my coworkers saw the book on my desk this afternoon and said, "Is that going to be you?" You bet cha! Part Computer/Part Man!

Ok, I know the other big question you want to know...

How many miles did I ride this weekend?

Uh, that would be zero.

WHA??!!!

I said that would be zero, turn your aid up a little!

But why?

So you can hear me!

No... but why no ride?

Because I was busy cleaning the yard.

I have a neighbor who cleaned the leaves off their yard Saturday and then again Sunday because yo couldn't tell they did it the first time. This morning as we drove out of the drive I pointed there yard out to Terri and neither of us could believe their yard was covered up again. I mean it's really covered up.

Oh well.....

North Little Rock fall color and swans

Seems like just the other day

I took this same photo and it was fall.

Another yar has yet come and gone.

After battling a stomach problem all afternoon and into the night yesterday I woke feeling really rested. Maybe that was because I parked it after I got home and didn't do anything but watch the tube and nap then in bed around 10.

I turned the clock away from me so I couldn't see what time it was and I would really get some rest. For some reason I have this goofy mental thing that if it's 4:30 then I'll be up in an hour so why get anymore sleep? But if I don't see the clock I will sleep until daylight. Weird sleep patterns seem to run through my family.

Since I was feeling so good and the sun was just coming over the hills I ran down the road to the lakes and tried to shoot at the Old Mill but it was closed until 8 and I would the early sunlight. Also they had a backhoe parked down there. There goes everyone's fall photos. If you have ever seen the movie "Gone with the Wind" then you've seen the Old Mill. It's several neighborhoods over and a beautiful place to go.

I ended up at a couple of the lakes surrounding the Mill.... enjoy the fall photos from this morning.

The exposure isn't good on this one.

The colors are really dark and rich

but the sun was too high already.

I just have a cheap camera but it's still a lot of fun.

These swans were not happy that I didn't bring them food like many visitors do.

The Friday 5

Sneaking in a blog hit right quick while no one is looking...

Friday five, here we go...

1) Yes, I am riding my bike tomorrow afternoon. I need to work on my climbing.

2) I have to mow up leaves this weekend

3) Got to clean the garage because I know that an attic full of Christmas stuff is about to coming down in a few weeks.

4) For those who know me... I ate fish taco's last night so I won't be eating them this Saturday.

5) Terri returns this afternoon!

Thursday

Another day of Mr. Mom is coming to an end. Terri will be home tomorrow. I spoke with her earlier today and said the meetings were going good.

Here's the opening media for Sunday. Y'all don't forget, it's Vet's Day Sunday.

I'm having a blast doing media for church. Sometimes I get really nervous in the booth during the services since I move the media with the songs. I'm afraid I'm going to miss something but so far there has only been one bad Sunday but no one remembers now but me. It was an emotional service and one of he songs got out of order and I sort of jumped the tracks. Luckily the songs were ones everyone knew so not a big deal.

I have a link off of my website to my niece Melissa's blog. She is in the middle of the time of life when everyone is having kids. She and her crazy husband (that's crazy in a good sort of way) have twins. She has some of the best links off her blog. Most are mommy sort of chick reading stuff but some are filled with heartwarming stories while others are filled with heartbreaking. There's a mom with quads. No, you fool... not a deer camp ATV. She has 4 babies. One of he mom's is starting an adoption process. I won't even tell you what is on her blog today! Remember the movie Caddy Shack and the Baby Ruth? It's something like that!

I cannot believe tomorrow is Friday! Everybody dance now!!!

The big boom!

Frost is coming in so I shot these two real quick before work.

It's going to be sad to see the summer flowers leaving for a few months.

Ok, I lied... there is something going on. We have had 2 days of drill at the hospital. What happened? A fake BIG earthquake. I mean end of the world type stuff. My VP was Administrator-on-call this week and every time she's on call something happens. Usually it's something like a snow/ice storm or something crazy but this week she got to save the world. It was funny seeing the update emails coming out. It started off as an earth quake in a small rural town of Arkansas but it ends up complete chaos! I mean the sewage failed, cell phone service goes down, public panic and they start coming to the hospital, traffic stops and EMT's can't get through. Yes, that crazy.

But as much as we laughed about it, it was a good thinking exercise too. Terri and I drove down to Benton after work yesterday to have a little family meeting with my sisters. Nothing big, just planning some stuff. Anyway, we were talking about what would be our plan if something of that scale did happen? I'm lucky that my wife is 3 blocks from my building and our son works about 2 blocks from her. We worried about Emmy being 8 miles away over here. Morbid, I know, but you really do need to plan for the unexpected sometimes.

Terri has a conference over in Vicksburg, MS today and tomorrow and will be home Friday afternoon. I guess the drill really did have an effect on me because it was really lonely driving home solo today. I miss hearing about her day... good or bad.

There is a really cool Wounded Soldier bicycle ride coming through Little Rock tomorrow around 11. I hope to bust out a few moments and get some place so when they ride by I can cheer them on. They will ride from War Memorial stadium down to the bike trail along the river and over the big bridge then along the north side to the USS Razorback sub. That will be really great for those guys!

Walking with The Dino's starts tomorrow at Alltel. They have been here for a week setting up.

I noticed on my comments was an entry from a girl named Jennifer. Folks, I think she got her 2nd cochlear implant surgery yesterday. Cochlear in stereo! I was over on the Advanced Bionics boards trying to calm my pre-surgery nerves. Hello Jennifer and thanks for the comment! i hope your surgery went well!

Oh yeah, when I got home yesterday, I walked to the end of the drive to get the mail and called Terri out to look across the valley with me. Beautiful afternoon but something had happened over the pas couple of days. The oak trees turned b-r-o-w-n. Serious, straight from green to brown.

Quick hit Wednesday

Just a quick hit this morning. You'll laugh or roll our eyes but it's trash day on my street so you know what that means!! It's getting closer to the weekend! HA!

Not really a lot going on here. I got a shot yesterday for my cochlear implant surgery. Hard to believe that I'm exactly 3 weeks out. If I would have kept the first schedule where I would be doing it over at UAMS then it would be tomorrow but I'm really glad I'm having it with my own hospital. When I went for the shot yesterday i had to go to the ENT clinic and it was like a beehive over there. People everywhere! I asked Patti if it was always like that and she said every Tuesday and Friday. Guess who is in clinic those 2 days... yep, the best... Dr. D (Dornhoffer).

I'll write some more tonight but gotta run to work.

Sunday 11.04.07

Sunset at my sister Donna's backyard (aka: Arkansas River)

The time changed and from what I hear, I was not the only person who woke up an hour earlier. My friend Michael from church said he did the same. i woke at 4:30 rather than my usual 5:30 but did go back to sleep until 5:45. Whew, felt like the day was half over! HA!

I'm not liking the earlier sunset but am digging this daylight by 6:15 again! My girls get up so much easier when it's daylight.

Been a nice relaxed day with nice temps and plenty of sunshine ... sigh... my kind of day!

Oh the bike!

Oh yeah! I did it!!! I rode a down and back on the north side. Man, it was like going back to preschool for bikers. I felt awesome just pushing along at 16-17. Lot of families out and it was a great day to get back in the saddle.

Plan to do it again tomorrow. Hoping I can make the 1pm club ride if for nothing else to say hello to some friends I've not seen in a while.

Our media production for church in the morning is looking good! I'm about to meet up with Greg for the run through. I'm looking forward to infusing more video into the service.

Don't forget to set your clocks back... I'll wake up at 4:30 thinking it's 5:30 no doubt!

The Friday 5

Here's a new gig for Friday's on the blog... 5 things.

1) I do feel bad about eating so much and bragging about it. D-u-m-b!!

2) Tomorrow -- the bike and me! Oh my love my love where have you been! First ride in 47 days. (Note to hard core friends... no I am NOT riding in the morning when it's 50 degrees!). You can find me on the river trail about 2:30 or 3.

3) I'm loving our Honda Odyssey! It's so soccer mom or old foogie van but man they ride nice and the space... they were made for road trips!

4) One of the stores here sent us a post card to let us know they were opening at 6am this Saturday morning. So what? Hope they don't expect folks to be waiting in lawn chairs for them to open. What happened to celebrating a little Thanksgiving for a moment?

5) Favorite costume seen this week... on my nephews blog. His daughter dressed as her mom (nephews wife). She went as "Mandy in the Morning".

It's been a good week friends and family! Hope y'all have a greeat weekend and i'll try and write and post a few photos. It's all about the hair!

I kid you not!

I kid you not... the day is a little over half over and I'm so ill and plan to get even ill-er.

Meeting this morning -- "Geo, I brought dounuts!"
(I ate 2 chocolate ones --- but but but I got a flu shot then too. I needed comfort food!)

After meeting -- "Geo, I'm going to Java City... come on!"
(I go to Java City and gets a medium latte)

A bit later -- "Geo there were dounuts left over so I brought them up. They're over there on the counter."
(Thank goodness... no chocolate ones left -- I passed)

10:30a.m. --- Time to go over and judge a chili cookoff for one of my departments.
(I sampled 5 different ones -- 4 little samples and a big one -- ever had BBQ chili --- good stuff!)

!0:32 a.m. -- Ok, maybe a little later -- I find out I also am a judge for the desserts.
(Cheesecake won hands down! It was my daughters boyfriend (or whatever he is this week)stepmoms cake. She works at ACH).

11:00 a.m. Given a Thank You gift for judging. Bag of Orange lifesavers and box of Whoppers. Both are downfalls for me.

Noon: Open the box of Whoppers

Noon -o- two: Shaking the box wondering where they all are... tummy reminds me.

1:33pm -- I need a coke... be right back!

**************Later that day****************************

I know, y'all want me to say I barfed! I didn't...

Ok, so at 1:33 I got up to go get the coke but never made it.

2PM -- "Geo, come on it's October birthday's in the conference room!"
(I'm thinking, they're joking right? So I have my piece of birthday cake)

2:30pm -- I opened my bottom drawer for a form and there looking at me with evil brown eyes are a box of Whoopers that I was given earlier for judging the chili cookoff. I released a primal scream and eat them! Ok, maybe not the primal scream part.

Dinner: Terri made Weight Watcher taco soup. I eat it to ward off the evil hunger spirits but she also made cornbread that was like cake... ohhh cake! I had 3 slices. No shame at all!

8PM a juice size glass of chocolate milk.... ok I have to have chocolate milk at night. I've done this for 500 years now.

Well tomorrow will be a better day... (I'm thinking all the left over Halloween candy!)

Missing my homeys!

Man, I'm really missing the love of my biker buds these days! Rushed to get home and still didn't make it out there for the ride. I did notice that at 6:15 is was starting to get dark. That's only 15 minutes into the ride. Oh the fun thoughts of me trying to get back to my car and riding along the river trail in the dark with only a three quarter moon as light. I would sing at the top of my lungs to spook the deer out of the way. Surprised they never got ticked about it and mug me and beat the snot out of me to make me shut up! Trust me, hearing impaired folks don't sing the best... sort of like that kid on Little Rascals. Yep, that bad. But then come to think of it, I don't think we (the hearing impaired nation) are as bad as some of the folks on American Idol.

Emily got back from DC last night. We picked her up at the airport and got home around 11. No one wanted to get up this morning. She had a great time and had loaded her photos by the time we got home today. I think I might have to got to DC some day. Cool stuff. I was strange saying her shooting a gun at the FBI training center.

You know how I live for the weekends and certain things signal the weekend is approaching? Yes, I took the trash to the curb tonight. That means tomorrow is Wednesday and that's the halfway point and when the tornado tester sirens go off at noon tomorrow it's all downhill from there baby! At least that's what I like to think!

By the way, a couple of friends of mine have announced they are expecting! I'm happy as a loon for them. They have one little girl. Both of the parents are a hoot to be around and I'll tell you more later. Not sure how public it is just yet.

Happy Halloween folks! Y'all go buy good candy if you haven't already. Don't bu that cheap crap... Oh, I got to see some of Charlie Brown tonight. Haven't seen it in a few years. I as really laughing! Poor Charlie Brown... do you realize he has been getting those same rocks in his trick or treat bag since 1966??!!!!

Geo out....

Ok, so anyway...

Ok so anyway....

Rain for couple of days then a teaser of sunshine then a cold drizzly day. But in reality it was a beautiful day! Trust me on this one!

Last night I was checking over the heating system in our house and I sneezed from the dust. Silence. Everything became very quite and the only sound was way off in that barrel effect sound. I gasped and then told myself to pull it together. I was as nervous as I could ever be. I became sick at my stomach at the thought that my hearing had just bottomed out. Think positive my man, think positive. It's not what you think, it's not what you think, it's not what you think... Hearing aid out, drops in, throw yourself into your work. I closed my eyes to sleep a few hours later wondering what the world world be like tomorrow.

I got up and went about my routine and kept putting off the hearing aid longer and longer. I had to go to work but first had to hear Emmy's voice before she left for DC today. Flipped the switch and bottom of the barrel sounding.... but it was a little better. I could hear enough to wish her a fun time and to tell the Bush's hello for us.

On the way t work I popped my ears over and over. It really is what you are supposed to do with ear problems (unless it's post surgery). With each pop it allows a tad bit of fluid out. I logged in at the office and tried to play cool. Who am i fooling? I stopped, headed out the back door and straight to my safe zone... Audiology. On of my favorite heros looked at it and smiled.

Geo, what's it been doing outside for the past few days?

Raining.

And what happens to our hearing aid when it gets wet?

It croaks.

That's what happened.

But I didn't get it wet.

Didn't have to. There is so much mositure in the air it's getting in through the door where the battery is.

Are you serious?

(Warm smile) Yes. Come on, let's fix it up.

Flipped the switch and ta-da!!!

I told them the sound of the aid was different than when I workout/ride and it gets wet.

Ok so anyway... LIFE IS FULL OF SOUND AND IS GOOD!

Let's see what else... today is the official end of the 40 Days. Of course it's raining so I can't ride (which I gave up for 40 days) but my tail will be on the river trail for a "Hello legs, remember me?" ride. I have gained way too much weight during this but it was a good thing. If you haven't tried one of those bibical 40 days without something ... try it but be forewarned, it can make you insane but it gives you a clear picture of a lot of things.

Man this house it quite without Emmy the cell phone queen. She did make it to DC and has a beautiful hotel with a great view. They were about to go hang out and see the nation's capitol city. It was funny listening to Terri talk about them at the airport. "Oh yeah, it was fine but Pam had to check in her gun..." At least my daughter's Washington baodyguard "carries" HA!

Well, y'all stay dry out there and I'll right some more soon...

Close to 2 months then the wheels began to turn again

It's been close to 2 months since I've written in bloggness. Folks have really asked me to write again. People really think this stuff is interesting?

Well awww righty then, let's kick off this show!

Let's see, I gave up my bike riding for 40 days for a church issue. Ok ok, giving up the blog was a part of it too. Have you ever done this 40 Day deal. Man, I'm telling ya, it's playing a real game and it will stap you ragged. I will admit, I rode my bike 1 day for a ride I signed up for a long time ago but I only rode half and felt guilty for doing that. It's sitting in the same place I put it that day after the ride. It's right by the door in our garage so it begs me every day. I hope what they say about "it's just like rding a bike, you don't forget." If that's not true then keep checking back and I'll post bloddy crash pics.

I have hair now! Serious! I have hair on my legs which I've not had in a couple of years. I have a lot of hair on my head now. It is inching over my collar back there now. I'm doing it for 2 reasons. One and the real reason is for the cochlear implant I'll be getting the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. I was given the opition to move it back 2 weeks and have it done right here. It's going to be a hoot because I recruit the surgery staff and now they're going to see me in a pediatric backless OR gown. I was told I had to wear Batman underwear like all of our other patients. My favorite nurse said she preferred Superman. I think they are going to mess with me something bad! Oh well, y'all know me... make 'em smile and the world is a happier place. The other reason my hair is growing out is some weird midlife crisis I'm going through.

Oh, I meant to ask... y'alll ever look at photo blogs? They are the bomb! I love looking at weekend warrior photographers work. There are some awesome folks out there. Go over to flick'r http://www.flickr.com/ and type in anything you want in the search. I've only run across one that had nude photos but it warned me before it opened that it would be partly nude, so you have time to exit out of that... yes, I exited out... geesh! I have used a couple of photos I've found for slides during church services. I just send an email for permission to use one time. Most are very excited you use their work. It's a free compared to stock photos. There is also a guy that walks along the river with a camera a lot and I found his work. Type in North Little Rock and you'll find it. Awesome stuff! You can also type in any event and someone has photos posted.

OK... that's a taste of what's to come... thanks for reading friends and family!

Oh what a beau-tee-full morning!

Oh what a beautiful morning it was! Rumor had it we would see a low in the 60's for the first time in a long time and we did! I woke to 67 degrees and I let Sadie out and even left the door craked so she could go in and out. Been a long time since that happened. I even opened a window or two. Ahhhh, fresh morning air and a Saturday of a long weekend. Neighborhood was as quite as it gets. I had a little breakfast and headed out the door for a ride to the river and some play time. I spotted several long lost friends and said howdy as we passed. I was hoping to see the NLR Summerset 5K but they were finished when I rolled through.

I stayed on the NLR side and there was yet another no addition to to the trial. There is now and new section to stop and enjoy the sand bar view where the boats all bank and play volleyball in the middle of the river. Yep, it's cool. I also spotted a few larger house boats easing their way down the river.

I finally headed toward the house and still rolled in 45 minutes before I thought I would. Next week is the MS150. I'm going to ride the Saturday part of the ride and boy I'm looking forward to it!

Lots of folks are going to ride Robb's POP ride tomorrow. I wished I could go out and ride it. I've done it once and it's a blast. Tough but fun. Part of the course is the Saturday MS course. I would be nice to go out and ride that for prep for next Saturday.

Later folks!
Geo.