The Cherry Blossoms Cometh

Two more "firsts" have been achieved since I last tapped on a keyboard to you. For the first time since I've known her, I've been away from Kim for 2 1/2 months AND that's the longest I've been away from Miss G since she was born.

Also, I missed our first Valentine's Day...well, I sent some happies to Kim and Georgia...but it was the fist Feb. 14 to not be around them.

I've survived driving an old Benz in snowy-slush...and two significant snow falls...there's been a few others but those were nothing. Yeesh, I sound like a winter-pro or something! :)

My Benz also has a new "doctor." Well, I doubt to find a Tony Murphy of Tony's Tire & Auto in Jackson...but Pat at Custom Auto might be close. The ole gal has new belts and front brakes. I'm still driving instead of taking Metro - it works out far better...just would rather let the Benz have a break.

Kim and Georgia are coming here this Thursday - FINALLY! February sweeps kept me from going to see them and we had planned a jaunt to NYC to show a couple the town and stay in Katie's apartment in Manhattan. Except for a corporate meeting requiring me to head that way mid-way through, it should be a wonderful getaway. Kim and Georgia will be here until the Monday after Easter.

Wow, how time has flown! I've been here 9 months but don't feel "birthed" into this area. Still feel as a man without a country, of a sort...and will continue to feel that way, I'm sure until things get organized and arranged at the station (rebuilding and building a department takes time) and get relocated.

Otherwise, I've seen a bald black man speed walking backwards today...realized that the mention of snow around here sends people to the store for "bread and milk" (Channel 9 has a Bread-O-Meter to rank the severity of storms)...much of Maryland looks like Mississippi in some ways with lots-o-trees and foliage but far better roads...being a manager is tough but helping people succeed is rewarding...it is "all about the meetings" as my former boss once said, which is why I make every effort to either avoid them or make them shorter...and if this doesn't work out, I can always make a decent living opening my own coffee shop!

More to come...

Comments

When Three Weeks Felt Like Three Months

These words have taken months to reconcile as I've wrestled with and revisited many times over. Summarizing three very long weeks of December 2023 has been quite the challenge. I was in Mississippi for what began as a hip fracture for my mother and ended in her passing. It's still rather surreal for her to be gone. The first Mother's Day without her impacted me more than what would've been her 86th birthday on January 24 or what would've been her 67th wedding anniversary on April 4. Not getting a call from her on my birthday July 1 was also a void which was filled with Dad calling in birthday wishes. My family being a thousand miles away for the last 20 years, only speaking on the phone once or twice a month, visits only being every few years due to life and expenses...it feels almost routine being disconnected from Mom. Yet, random memories and various regrets have trickled through my mind since those exhausting weeks in December. Three weeks which felt like three ...

READ THE FULL STORY »

A Very Angry Prostate

Cancer. No other word evokes so many emotions and consumes so many thoughts of both the one with the diagnosis and those who learn of it. On Tuesday, June 25, at 4:40pm, I learned that I have prostate cancer. One of the questions I'm most asked: "How did you know to check?" Naturally, some wondered if I had signs or pains. There were none. Last September, I had my second physical with my new primary physician. With an age of 50, he requested a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test be added to my blood panel. The next day, the results were in my portal. For my age, my PSA should be no higher than 4. My reading was 4.191. Since this number was out of range, the portal chart visually shouted at me that this was HIGH. Googling sent me into a spiral of thinking I might have prostate cancer which led to many thoughts of mortality. I was at work sitting in my cubicle attempting to calm myself and praying as waves of anxiety, thoughts and emotions washed in. I contacte...

READ THE FULL STORY »

Grateful During Unemployment

Two years have passed since I last scribed in this blog. Much life has transpired during that time. Too much to really unpack here. Then, I was a few months into a new public sector role with the City of Baltimore and starting to pursue the dream of rebooting the paranormal broadcast TV news series I co-created with Darren Dedo called "Unexplained" as a YouTube docu-series "Unexplained Cases." Today, I am unemployed and "Unexplained Cases" has grown but has yet to generate revenue. In July, I was dismissed from both my part-time weekend job at Grace Community Church and my City of Baltimore job. I've never had the pleasure of being released from two jobs in a month. Technically, I was released in June from Grace and my separation date was July 3. My last day of work at Baltimore was July 23 and my separation date was September 23. Unless one has been through an extended period of unemployment, one cannot understand the emotions that are stirred. For ...

READ THE FULL STORY »

Mr. Garner Goes To Washington

Search This Blog