Fourth Time The Charm - Leprechaun Sold Separately

Our trip to Mississippi last weekend was very bitter-sweet. For the first time, we were visitors to the state I've called home for over three decades. Never rented a car from Jackson International (oops, Jackson-Evers International) before - but that was a pleasant experience. Great way to test drive a car, too. The new Chevy Malibu is nice...but I'm just not a modern American vehicle kinda guy.

We returned to Maryland Tuesday night, looked at yet another house Wednesday morn, had a "sickening peace" about it being the one, put in the contract, and learned Thursday night that we had it. A two-floor townhouse in Columbia. It'll need a paint (not sure what the guy was thinking - mint green bathroom) and some carpet but the place has been well-kept. Commute may be a bit more interesting...but it'll all come out in the wash

However, due to the gent who's in there now having his next house built...we are closing the 29th of this month...but not moving in until near November. The end is near...but that's a ways away.

Finally, we'll be able to pull our two cats out of the in-law's townhouse...our Beagle out of the home of their friends...and some stuff out of storage. Fairly sure it's not gonna all fit.

I've been running since getting back, catching up on stuff, doing errands, Kim's sister is in town this weekend, and the couple keeping Maddy is out of town. So, I'm checking in on her and their dog. Someone wake me up next year.

As always, 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