And Life 2 Go

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing" - Benjamin Franklin

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Uncovering The Past... Sort Of

...today at work I was looking for some old documentation in my file cabinet. Tucked in between the manila folders was a Day Planner I had used in 1997.

I slowly removed the Planner and brushed off a light layer of dust on the cover. I then proceeded to look at what plans I had made 9 years ago.

It was quite a trip down memory lane. In 1997 I was single, living in a "bachelor pad" apartment in Glendale Heights, IL. Not only in this Planner did it contain all my work appointments, but I had written down all my social events as well.

I smiled as I saw in April of 1997, a week blocked out saying "FLORIDA VACATION!". Me and two other single guys made a road trip down to Florida to see an old high school friend for a week. Man, was that a crazy week.

In May of 1997 I was quite the social butterfly. I had several dinner dates during the week with girl "friends" (Yea, I was one of those.. had no problem making friends with girls, just didn't have the guts to take it to that next "level"). I can actually recall many of those dates.. where we went to eat, and even what they were wearing...

June of '97 was fairly tame, although I noticed on Saturday, June 28, 1997, I have written "U2 Concert". While the concert wasn't that great, the day itself was just a.. good day. I asked my friend Julie to go with me, and we took the train down to the city. U2 was playing at Soldier Field that night, but the Taste of Chicago was going on too, so we made a whole day of it. It was sooo nice out that day, sunny with a nice breeze coming off Lake Michigan. We walked around the food tents, listened to some live local bands, saw a few other friends. We ended up sitting at the edge of the lake, feet in the water, just watching all the yachts and boats pass by (I remember we saw Scotty Pippen in his yacht, pretty cool at the time since the Bulls were doing so good). About an hour before the concert, we put our shoes back on and strolled over to Soldier Field and watched the show.

I could go on and on of what I found in the Planner... alot of memories were stirred up. I was a 25 year old single guy, just hanging out with friends almost everyday. While I am very happy where I am at now, if I could go back to 1997 just for a little while, I would.

Would you?

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Great Things About Being a Kid

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10 Great Things About Being a Kid
1. Your neighborhood, or even just your back yard, was your whole world.
2. Christmas time; All the presents, waking up extra early in the morning, heart racing, to see what Santa brought you.
3. All of your friends were just a bike ride away.
4. You didn't know, and didn't care, what a bill was.
5. Having the summers off (I suppose this applies to grown-up teachers, too).
6. One dollar was a huge amount of money to you. It could buy you, like, 4 candy bars.
7. Your birthday was a big deal, and usually you had a big party with all your friends.
8. Being able to think you could do anything in the future.
9. When it rained, you didn't run inside. You'd stay outside and see how many raindrops you could catch on your tongue, and then go slide in some mud.
10. Falling asleep on the couch, with my head in my dad's lap and my feet on my mom's lap.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

When I'm bored...

P1010013

... I lay down on the floor with my dog and have a staring contest.

He always wins.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

I need me my Pinky

... over the New Year, I busted up my pinky finger pretty bad whilst playing ping pong (Oh yes, it was an intense game. I, of course, wound up victorious... except for my pinky). I was debating on taking a photo of it, next to my un-injured pinky, to show the damage caused. But I decided against it. It was really quite gross.

By Monday it had swelled up to the size of my thumb. It was fairly amusing... I was the man with three thumbs. By Tuesday, however, it had turned a creepy black and purple, and the swelling hadn't gone down. I wasn't really able to move it, so my wife dragged me to her work to do an x-ray. No broken bones.

But it made me realize how much I used this little phalange on my hand. It comes in quite useful alot of the times. Have you ever been asked, "If you could lose a pinky for a million dollars, would you do it?". Before this injury, I may have actually said, "Yes". But now, I'd give you a definite, "No".

Assuming you use the correct "typing form", try typing without using your pinky. Muy difficult, si? (Mi espanol es muy bien). Try playing the guitar without your pinky. Try itching your ear without your pinky. Try counting to 10 with your hands without your pinky. Try doing the "Hang Loose" hand gesture without your pinky.

Now, now, I know many people out there with lost fingers, even limbs, overcome these obstacles eventually. But man, it's gotta be tough. I needs me my pinkies.

At the present time, the swelling and gone down to about ring-finger size, and the purple and black has mellowed to a nice pink hue. In a few more days I think my little buddy will be back to normal.

So next time someone asks you the million dollar pinky question, I highly recommend you answer with a resounding "No". Because if given a choice, I think everyone should always choose pinky.