3 Months

Well it has been 3 months and a couple of days since I have last blogged anything. Several times I found myself sitting at the computer typing away and preparing something to post and the little voice in my head said don't do it. Sometimes that is how I roll. Other times I don't have a stinking clue as to how I roll.

Yesterday, as every October 28th is, was a pleasing yet difficult day for me. My youngest turned 16. What a thrill for him it is to have a drivers licence in hand. After speaking with him last night he is probably thinking about all the possibilities in front of him. Of course those possibilities are always going to turn out perfect in his eyes as I'm sure it does with every other 16 year old.

He brought me to tears earlier this month when I went back to Nebraska and watched him run in his conference championship for cross country. I can not explain with words how PROUD I was to watch his drive and determination while running 3.2 miles through pasture, woods, hills and corn fields. When I was 21 I ran 3 miles on a flat surface in 18:00 minutes and thought I was pretty much a stud. He runs 2/10th's further over a much more difficult path in 17:28. It leads me to believe I am nothing but a mere student to his ability. Did I say how PROUD I was of him? Yep, I guess I did. Well I am!!! The good thing is that he has two more years to improve and I know he is excited to do so.

LONG TIME

Okay so it's been a L O N G time since I have been on here and shared any perceptions or thoughts of any kind.

I really don't know what to say. Maybe it's because I am at peace with my thoughts and feelings. Maybe it's because there isn't anything getting on my nerves. Maybe it's because I am finally relaxed for the first time in a couple of years.

So this blog might just ramble about anything and everything.

I have always felt I have been misunderstood by my actions and reactions to certain situations. That's just me. Ask those who do know me well, and of those of you who read this there is probably just one of you that know me that well. Thanks S. W. for understanding. No offense to anyone else but I am very dry and sarcastic most of the time and very few people get that about me.

Lately I have been reconnecting with some music that I listened to back when there wasn't hair in any funny places. For those of you that have heard of Zebra you will understand what I mean. Those dudes are as old as dirt. I don't know about you but I wasn't born yet when dirt was a cool thing.

Did I tell you that I might ramble off the beaten path on this blog?

I have found a new energy for my work. It is funny to do what I do and go out every day in the elements; whether it be rain, sun, heat or cold and enjoy my occupation. I wouldn't trade it for anything but I have had some ill feelings to what I do. Lack of motivation, no desire or whatever it may be. I haven't put my all into what pays my bills. Conventions do help!!! I have found a new motivation to providing a service to my customers and making sure they are taken care of where before I haven't really given "two shits" about it all.

My children and I have always had a quiet and almost secretive communication between us. When we need the other they are there and that is how it has always been. No judgements, just good parenting and understanding. That is all still there but now we find we reach out to each other more than before just to say "hey, what's up"?

This past weekend (back to the job thing) I got to know some guys even better than before. We are all here to help one another out. Whether it be work, relationships, criticism, encouragement or what have you and that has been a huge part of the motivation I have rediscovered. I (as we all need to do) have discovered, once again, that it isn't about what I get.....it's about what I give. Giving is the best thing I can offer to anyone and if we all would give as much as we want then we would all be in the best shape of our lives. Emotionally and physically.

Again it's all about the perception and this is my perception.

Have a great weekend everyone.

IT WAS A BAD DAY

I wake up this morning around 7:00 and knowing I didn't have to leave the house until 8:30 for an 8:45 appointment to fix a gentleman's front bumper on his truck. So I took my time and had some fun with my cat playing with his ball of yarn he is trying to trade me for. Inside joke.

All was well when I left the house but little did I know my day was going to go in the crappy sooner rather than later. I get to the dealership where I told the gentleman to meet me and there he was waiting for me. I looked at his front bumper and told him it wouldn't be a problem to fix and with in 45 minutes all was taken care of and I thought it was over. Little did I know that a couple of days ago he damaged his back bumper as well. "Just a little dent", he said. So I walked around to the back of the truck and it was not a little dent. From one corner to the other his bumper was completely smashed in. I don't know if it's the gambler in me or the idiot in me that made me think I could fix this. I'm pretty sure it was the idiot! Right off the bat I start pressing on the bumper and blow out a fitting on my press. So I switch it out and the very next press blew out that fitting. Again the idiot in me decides to try instead of folding and I blow the third fitting and break the ram for the press. Fittings are $8.00 each and the ram is $110.00 It's part of the job and it happens. But I kept plugging along. Finally after2 hours of working on this bumper (it looked worse than when I started). I finally gave up, which has to be done on occasion, and told him he will need a new bumper. He was glad I tried and That was the end of that.

We settled up and my phone rang. A salesman from another car lot. He has a customers bumper he would like for me to repair and the customer lives in Knoxville. I was in Morristown working today. My impression of the phone call was the vehicle was at the dealership in Morristown and the guy wanted to know when I could have it fixed by so he could pick it up. I told the salesman I was on my way and to have his customer there at 1:00 pm. He said it wouldn't be a problem. I get to the lot and the salesman said he would be there a 1:00 with the vehicle. I told the salesman I was under the impression the car was already there and he wanted to know when to pick it up. Simple misunderstanding. I let him know I would be back at one and to tell the customer to wait in the waiting room and not bother me while trying to fix the vehicle. Salesman said he would leave that up to me and then turned to me and said he didn't like my attitude and could care less if I fix the bumper because he didn't like me and he didn't want me to make any money.

I followed the salesman inside to the showroom and asked what I said wrong. He started (rather loudly) throwing a few "F" bombs my way and said he wasn't going to talk to me about it. So I went to the main manager, who heard, along with several others, what had just gone down and told him what I said. The manager said the salesman is an idiot and to be back at 1:00 and take care of the bumper.

I showed back at 1:00 to fix the problem and found it was just missing a part and I decided to screw one into the proper spot. Unfortunately I grabbed the longer piece instead of the shorter and mounted it right into the windshield washer fluid reservoir. Fluid was flying everywhere. Awesome! A crap day getting more crappy. So I price one of those at $100.00 and get that taken care of and get the vehicle already to go back to the customer. While getting in my truck my $150.00 Ray-Bans on my head fall off as I am shutting my door and needless to say it was a perfect hit and they ended up in a couple hundred pieces on the ground. What else I think? It's not over yet folks.

My next stop I am taking off the rear bumper of a Chevy truck and my air ratchet literally snaps in half on me. You know what? It's awful hot out today and I was about ready to go off. But a couple deep breaths and a small stroke later I am staying positive. I at least got that bumper fixed and it looked really nice and nothing blew up on me after that so I thought my luck was changing.

The next stop there wasn't' anything to do. So nothing to break or screw up and at that point I decided to stop at Lowe's and get some supplies. This past weekend I lost a nut to the tonneau cover on my truck and picked one of those up to replace the lost one. I get all my supplies back to my truck and put them in the cab and open the tonneau cover to see if the nut fits. It does, so I pull out a ratchet to tighten it up and the bolt holding the bracket snaps in half and now my tonneau cover won't stay open. I thought it was changing for the better but I was mistaken.

So needless to say I decided to quite working for the day and come home and see if I could burn down the house somehow, slip and fall in the shower or maybe break a window. I'm not sure.

None-the-less I'm alive and life is good. Sometimes you just have to laugh about it.