I’ve always been good charging into battle.  At work I’m known to act first and worry about the consequences later.  It’s a strength and also a weakness.  Sometimes it is better for me to be patient and I’ve added some limited patience to my repertoire.   But I’ve tried to conquer something that maybe it isn’t meant to be conquered…

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Meet Aengus and Keegan (Keegan has the red collar)

I’ve just got some really cool writing that I will be passing on soon.

I know in my heart of hearts that it shouldn’t limit his RSS and won’t now for you RSS Readers (Astin, Wawfuls etc). But I need people to visit the site and comment there, not just on Twitter or Facebook. Well at least until Wawfuls helps me with the blog intergration.

Other things that I know:

• No matter how hard I try, the garage door will have to be looked at after the first of the year.  The stopping in the middle of the way up is annoying as hell!

• Big Win for the Red Raiders last night versus Washington. But it means NOTHING unless you follow it up with a win versus TCU on Tuesday. Winning at home is expected. Winning on the road is where you make your RPI look good for the NCAA’s.
• It’s not the holidays. It’s CHRISTMAS DAMMIT!  I’m so tired of people filled to the brim with political correctness.  The holiday that causes people to wait for deals at 4 in the morning isn’t Kwanzaa, it isn’t Festivus, it’s Christmas.   Stop wasting my time with “Happy Holidays”. It’s either Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah.  All the other imitators need to go away now.
• I know that if  it takes a paid subscription to read your stuff , I won’t be subscribing.
• I’ve wanted it to snow more and more and every time I hear 1- 3 inches expected we get nothing. It’s kinda disappointing. All I want them to say is “this storm won’t drop much” , and then we’ll get three feet.
• That the wedding is closer and what needs to be done are the little things.  But those little things are KILLING Joanna and I now.  If we had a weekend to get it all done it would be easy. But it isn’t . Joanna leaves in 8 days to go home for her final wedding preparations.
• I will say it for the record. I am NOT NERVOUS!  Just depending on other people to take care of certain things are driving me crazy! The wedding planner for the site is horrendous.

Alot of work this week for the wedding with wedding music. I’m putting together the list and the computer with the music on it. I refuse to have the following songs played at my wedding :

We aren’t having a DJ at the wedding reception because :

A. We don’t have the room in the room to have a DJ.

B.  I’m not listening to crap at my wedding. I remember some of the music that the “Alleged DJ” thought would be “perfect” for my first wedding, and watched as the dance floor stayed empty.  We’ll have a great mix of rock , country , a little hip hop. But unfortunately, I can’t have Steel Panther played at the wedding reception otherwise I’d offend the offensive.

C. We have a former XM Satellite PD as our official button pusher/programmer.  Thanks John for helping us out!

D. The usual requests at the wedding are so esoteric that we would rather listen to music that we like rather than what other people like. Maybe that’s a bit selfish, but it is our day. I have no desire to listen to anyone that I can’t stand ie The Macarena, Anything by Vince Gill, Joanna has banned U2 and I’m still wavering on the chicken dance. It may be on the play list but it won’t be pulled out unless I’m feeling right!

One last reunion…

In a way , this may be the last time I’m going to be seeing this group of my good friends together again ever.  Each of the wedding party on my side has a special purpose. In Alphabetical Order:

My best goat blowing friend Joe… What can I say? We toughed out some of the toughest years of our lives with the other encouraging the other.  When he was dealing with Family Auto Spots, I was laughing along with him.  When I was dealing with divorce, he was there to tell me that I would find love again.  As for the goat blowing, its a inside joke.  I was honored to be Joe’s best man at the wedding of him and Ann.

My brother Liam…  He is my tie to my family, been there for the last 29 years supporting me when I wanted to pull away from everyone and hide in Lubbock.  He’s the one who told me to go play cards after Pat died and started me back onto the road of self strength.  I know when the phone is ringing at 1 in the morning that it could be only one man. My brother. I can depend on him.

My college friend Mitchell… who has been there since college, doling out the advice on a when I really needed it basis.  Stayed quiet when I discussed Angie before I got married the first time, but now tells me how Joanna is such a good fit for me. If he approves someone, he will back them up. Also knows where the bodies are hidden and where to hide them !

My work friend Reid… host of donahue.org, instanttragedy.com and my first friend in radio in Lubbock.  We worked overnights , him at FM 99, me at KLLL and yet we’d talk to each other to keep each other awake. Bring the term Eleanor Roosevelt up to him and he’ll tell you a sidesplitting story about screwing with Kelli the overnight woman at Mix. Don’t forget the chicken call and some of the more interesting .

My brother from another mother Shawn… What can I say about Shawn?  We played cards, and helped each other with our poker play. Him to a world series seat, me to a top 6 finish in the APL National Championships. I knew he was a great guy when him and Curtis just listened to me talk to my kids one time back from the lake to Oklahoma City and pulled me aside to say that he knew my pain and he would always be behind me.  Unquestioned friendship. I’d tell you more, but he’d ask for a dollar for the bad beat story.

And there are many other people that I could substitute in there  for almost each of them.  People that have made an impact in my life; Dalby, Hyatt, Ken, Jon, McDermott and the list would continue on and on.  But I chose this fabulous five for this moment.  At this time I needed them, and they will be there.

The days approach to the wedding, and I have no fears.  Except the one where the wedding planner doesn’t call us back.

Yup, able to write for a bit.

Let’s see here, Joe came to the blogosphere, drank all the liquor, tried to taunt my deceased dog, and posted once.

Coming up after the break: Joe’s New Blog, Tech football and wedding thoughts as well as a bunch of others in this Uber (tm Iggy Inc).

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But why?

Details coming tomorrow!

Had issues with power and trip to Limerick, Galway Bay and Cliffs of Moher.  Some of the most incredible pictures were taken today.  Hopefully I can get them up on Sunday when I return.

Broke news to the rents tonight. 

Now the trip home is the true test on how they take it…

A bigger version?

Maybe I should stop  talking about “need”s and the Company!

Friday I went into the surgery center looking to be out by 3:30.  The doctor had told Joanna that if I wasn’t out at 3:30 that it would be time to worry.

I went at High Noon bringing the necessary paperwork and with a slight amount of fear on my mind. I knew that Doc Chako told me not to worry.  I remembered that a couple of my good friends at University Medical Center had told me great things about Dr. Thames, my surgeon.  But in my world, a healthy amount of fear is warranted.

12:14 the paperwork was done and I was sitting in the waiting room with my parents.  Joanna had given me a wave as I walked into the center.  She was nervous and I talked to her while we waited.

12:28 each second brought to me a new degree of fear, fear of the unknown.  Dad and I started making jokes about things not to hear during the surgery or what to do if we see the white light.

At 12:38 they called me back and the nurse asked me to do the thing that embarasses most men before surgery. “Please change into the surgical gown.”  Now the surgical gown was short and it was cold in the room.  There was NO way I was giving up my lucky socks.  Yup, there was a fight for about one minute and she realized that she wasn’t going to win.  So the socks remained.

At 12:45 she started the IV in my arm.  I hate needles more than anything in the world, nothing worse than having a hard piece of metal in my arm.  So I started to watch tv waiting for the surgeon.

The surgeon came in and talked to me and marked the sites of the various removals.

Then I waited…

and waited…

then the director of the center came in and said the words that I’d been hoping for.

“With all the areas that we are working on we have a problem sir.  If we try for a local on everything we’d have issues with toxicity.  And I know you prefer to live.” (more…)