I just got back on Saturday from getting my daughter from Camp Huckins in Freedom, NH. The trip up started a little rough, a few words were exchanged but it was truly nothing. If only the van had a radio that worked but "She who must be obeyed" won't get it fixed. The kids get very bored on long rides. I guess that's why I always use my Ipod when driving the "Family" van. It's really strange how much I miss the kids when they are gone. They are going to Williams burg Virginia next week. They leave on Friday in the AM. That's why this week I took off of work to spend with them.
On Monday I took them to Breezy Beach in Douglas, MA. What a money maker that place is. Simple idea get a couple of acres of lakefront property. Throw 3 water slides up, make a sandy beach and place another 35 picnic tables on the property. Add a snack bar and a game room and you are printing money. Genius Idea.
Tuesday was Gary Gygax's birthday the creator of Dungeons and Dragons. So we celebrated by playing D&D yesterday and today. Tomorrow I don't know what it holds but with my kids it will be fun.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Ramblings written at Bradley Parker State Park
As I sit at the picnic table at the Bradley Parker State Park in Ipswich MA. my children are playing. Luke as usual is the social butterfly and has made friends with one of the boys who are adjacent to our tale. They are playing Jai Lai in the green field across the street. Emma has chosen to hit the wading pool, but it does have a few fountains shooting water that seem to be fun.
Two days ago I celebrated my 48th birthday. That's twice as long as the doctors told me that I would live. In 1981 I was told that I would not live to see my 25th birthday, surprise, surprise. I opted to take their advice and have their experimental stomach stapling surgery. I was one of the first in the state of Massachusetts to have it done. If I knew what would have happened, I never would have subjected myself to the pain.
To say that I shrank would be an understatement. I went from 475 lbs to 154 lbs in 13 months. I basically starved myself. At the end I could not hold food or water down. I had no blood pressure when I stood up. My roommate of the time Jay convinced me to call home and have me go to the doctors. I was 48 hours away from death.
The Lahey Clinic admitted me. I was so malnourished and underweight that they had to put a center line to feed me. While they were putting in the line in they punctured left lung. Nothing is as scary as not being able to catch your breath. For the first time in my life I was terrified. But I survived, 34 days in the hospital. My parents had to return from their yearly trip to Hawaii and I scared everyone who knew me.
The one woman who even to this day has a special place in my heart, was there when I woke up from my operation, Marcy McDonald. I woke up to her smiling face and I'll never forget that. But being playful as I have always been. I looked at her and said "Who are you?", I played the amnesia victim for a couple of minutes till I saw the concerned look upon her face and I ended the joke.
I go under the knife in two days for circulation problems in both my legs. To be honest, I am tired of living this life of constant pain. I don't know when the world began to bother me. Not long ago I could care less about what people thought o but now it is always on my mind. I can no longer do the things that I used to enjoy. In all the theaters of Boston I am too big for their seats. And if I do get in them the question is can I get out. So in short I cannot share my love of the theater with my kids. The only place I can do this is at the North Shore Music Theater which returned to operation this year. I will have to take the kids. Fenway park is out of the question. Normal people have problems, let alone someone of my size.
I start to cry now when I enter a room and everyone turns to stare in disbelief at me. I truly have become a cartoon character. Sometimes I wish I could just pass into the night. But I continue on for my kids. If I can teach them a couple of things then in some strange way I continue to live on.
Two days ago I celebrated my 48th birthday. That's twice as long as the doctors told me that I would live. In 1981 I was told that I would not live to see my 25th birthday, surprise, surprise. I opted to take their advice and have their experimental stomach stapling surgery. I was one of the first in the state of Massachusetts to have it done. If I knew what would have happened, I never would have subjected myself to the pain.
To say that I shrank would be an understatement. I went from 475 lbs to 154 lbs in 13 months. I basically starved myself. At the end I could not hold food or water down. I had no blood pressure when I stood up. My roommate of the time Jay convinced me to call home and have me go to the doctors. I was 48 hours away from death.
The Lahey Clinic admitted me. I was so malnourished and underweight that they had to put a center line to feed me. While they were putting in the line in they punctured left lung. Nothing is as scary as not being able to catch your breath. For the first time in my life I was terrified. But I survived, 34 days in the hospital. My parents had to return from their yearly trip to Hawaii and I scared everyone who knew me.
The one woman who even to this day has a special place in my heart, was there when I woke up from my operation, Marcy McDonald. I woke up to her smiling face and I'll never forget that. But being playful as I have always been. I looked at her and said "Who are you?", I played the amnesia victim for a couple of minutes till I saw the concerned look upon her face and I ended the joke.
I go under the knife in two days for circulation problems in both my legs. To be honest, I am tired of living this life of constant pain. I don't know when the world began to bother me. Not long ago I could care less about what people thought o but now it is always on my mind. I can no longer do the things that I used to enjoy. In all the theaters of Boston I am too big for their seats. And if I do get in them the question is can I get out. So in short I cannot share my love of the theater with my kids. The only place I can do this is at the North Shore Music Theater which returned to operation this year. I will have to take the kids. Fenway park is out of the question. Normal people have problems, let alone someone of my size.
I start to cry now when I enter a room and everyone turns to stare in disbelief at me. I truly have become a cartoon character. Sometimes I wish I could just pass into the night. But I continue on for my kids. If I can teach them a couple of things then in some strange way I continue to live on.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
June 9,2010 The Begining of Das Blog!
What an adventure today has been. I got up at 5:45 am to take my Dad to St. Elizabeth's Hospital for a 9:00 pm Doctors appointment. Now to put everything in a nut shell, I have been out of work for 6 month due to some open wounds on my legs. True, I had let them go far too long. But I had to work to take care of my kids and work my job as best as I could.
I should tell you a bit about myself. I am a huge guy. I've always been big standing six foot six inches, packing 480 lbs. In 1981 I had one of the first stomach stapling in Massachusetts. I went from 420 lbs to 157 lbs in thirteen months. Along the way I developed health problems and another personality. It got to the point that my roommate had to call my family to come get me after I began to pass out after standing up.
Well for the next month I was living in the hospital, scared I was gonna going to die. But I survived, graduated college, got married, had two kids Emma and Luke, and then got asked for "a break". The break was 7 years ago. I do have the two greatest kids around, and I am thankful for them. They are why I continue on. But back today.
Pops has always had this habit of being early for everything. His favorite saying concerning this, "I'd rather be an hour early than a minute late!" Well he proved that to me. We left the house at 7:30am, I plug the address into the GPS and away we went. Of course, Pops had a lot to say, "Jesus, I know where we are going just listen to me, you are such a Deano!" The entire trip was like that, I know the man is 86 years old and fought in WWII, Korea, and the beginning of Vietnam but enough complaining. Its a miracle that he wakes up every morning but he seems disappointed.
I can understand, all his friends are gone and he seems to feel alone in this world. He has me and his grandchildren who are his world. His eyes light up and he develops a happy attitude. But they live with their mother and he only gets to see them on weekends. Which is sad but beyond my control. But I also think like this. If I lived with their mom, I would be doing family things but without my Dad.
Since I live in the apartment it seems that they see their Grandparents more now. I guess its a double edge sword. Anyways, we made it to the doctors office in record time. He left me in the car and off he went. He wasn't the frail old man he portrays at home, he was smiling and moving very well. Finally after two hours out he comes out practically dancing. He had gotten a great report and probably lived another 50 years. We got home and put the trash out.
As I came to the top of the stairs of my apartment the pain in my leg became unbearable. I peeled off my pants (I know the visual). My left leg is completely black and blue and swollen. I hope this operation fixed both of my legs and helped the circulation return to my legs. The wounds have healed on both of my legs. The only thing wrong now the results of this operation.
The rest of the day was spent doing nothing but pick up after the dog. Nuster (the dog) has become my only companion but even he has become a pain in the ass jumping on my sore leg....it's too funny! I've been out of work with these leg problems and my short term disability end on June 16th. I am hoping that I can return to work the following week but I have filed my long term papers just in case. I miss my friends at work ie. Cisco. But there are others there I do not miss.
Joe (not his real name) was an old friend who I had worked with since the 1980's. He worked there along with myself and my father. When the business as closing my father had already retired. So when the doors finally closed Joe and I went our separate ways . He went to work for an old competitor, who had bought all of our old stock. Me, I waited until my unemployment nearly ran out. Then I got a job with F.W. Webb in Boston. I worked there for a couple of years when an opening came up so I called Joe and told him he should come over for an interview he did and he got the job.
Around the same time my parents had lost their tenants. So i suggested to Joe he take the apartment in my parents house. They did and everything was fine for a couple of years. It was about the time that Joe's wife lost her job that things started to change. She work in a discount store and it seems that they did a lot of their shopping there and you can really stretch your dollar there when you work the register. I don't deny it I took advantage of it once or twice. But I guess if you get caught, your gone especially if you are working under the table.
She then tried the Disabled route but was turned down, thus started the doctors and the lawyers. It was then when the call into work that Joes wife had had a fall down the front stairs of my parents house while on her way to a doctors appointment for her back. This is where I have a problem with their story. Supposedly she broke her ankle but she got up and walked three blocks to the doctors office. No shouting or screaming were heard throughout the situation. Now I know if it were me and I fell I would have screamed bloody murder until someone came, I would have used my cell phone and gotten help and an ambulance to take me to the nearest hospital. But no she supposedly picked herself up off the ground and walked to the doctors office.
Truly it makes no sense to me. But they proceeded to sue my parents and that where the craziness started in my life. Working with him became a living hell. It all came to a head about 7 months after it had supposedly happened. I have limited mobility due to the fact that I have severe arthritis in both of my knees, that and the fact that I am a heavy guy. The little snide remarks kept coming. But in front of my a counter full of customers he called me a "Stupid Spic!" and told me that my kids were not real because they were created in a lab. Yes, they were the result of fertility clinic and they are the only two people in this world I would do anything for.
The Boss heard about it and did nothing. Here I was embarrassed by being called a Spic and it hurt beyond you could imagine. One of the customers came to me and ask me why was he still employed at F.W. Webb. I asked myself that, since I had been racially attacked by Joe. So when I went out on disability five months ago it was a mental blessing. Because I have had plenty of time to think about everything but I wonder how much has changed since I have been gone.
I should tell you a bit about myself. I am a huge guy. I've always been big standing six foot six inches, packing 480 lbs. In 1981 I had one of the first stomach stapling in Massachusetts. I went from 420 lbs to 157 lbs in thirteen months. Along the way I developed health problems and another personality. It got to the point that my roommate had to call my family to come get me after I began to pass out after standing up.
Well for the next month I was living in the hospital, scared I was gonna going to die. But I survived, graduated college, got married, had two kids Emma and Luke, and then got asked for "a break". The break was 7 years ago. I do have the two greatest kids around, and I am thankful for them. They are why I continue on. But back today.
Pops has always had this habit of being early for everything. His favorite saying concerning this, "I'd rather be an hour early than a minute late!" Well he proved that to me. We left the house at 7:30am, I plug the address into the GPS and away we went. Of course, Pops had a lot to say, "Jesus, I know where we are going just listen to me, you are such a Deano!" The entire trip was like that, I know the man is 86 years old and fought in WWII, Korea, and the beginning of Vietnam but enough complaining. Its a miracle that he wakes up every morning but he seems disappointed.
I can understand, all his friends are gone and he seems to feel alone in this world. He has me and his grandchildren who are his world. His eyes light up and he develops a happy attitude. But they live with their mother and he only gets to see them on weekends. Which is sad but beyond my control. But I also think like this. If I lived with their mom, I would be doing family things but without my Dad.
Since I live in the apartment it seems that they see their Grandparents more now. I guess its a double edge sword. Anyways, we made it to the doctors office in record time. He left me in the car and off he went. He wasn't the frail old man he portrays at home, he was smiling and moving very well. Finally after two hours out he comes out practically dancing. He had gotten a great report and probably lived another 50 years. We got home and put the trash out.
As I came to the top of the stairs of my apartment the pain in my leg became unbearable. I peeled off my pants (I know the visual). My left leg is completely black and blue and swollen. I hope this operation fixed both of my legs and helped the circulation return to my legs. The wounds have healed on both of my legs. The only thing wrong now the results of this operation.
The rest of the day was spent doing nothing but pick up after the dog. Nuster (the dog) has become my only companion but even he has become a pain in the ass jumping on my sore leg....it's too funny! I've been out of work with these leg problems and my short term disability end on June 16th. I am hoping that I can return to work the following week but I have filed my long term papers just in case. I miss my friends at work ie. Cisco. But there are others there I do not miss.
Joe (not his real name) was an old friend who I had worked with since the 1980's. He worked there along with myself and my father. When the business as closing my father had already retired. So when the doors finally closed Joe and I went our separate ways . He went to work for an old competitor, who had bought all of our old stock. Me, I waited until my unemployment nearly ran out. Then I got a job with F.W. Webb in Boston. I worked there for a couple of years when an opening came up so I called Joe and told him he should come over for an interview he did and he got the job.
Around the same time my parents had lost their tenants. So i suggested to Joe he take the apartment in my parents house. They did and everything was fine for a couple of years. It was about the time that Joe's wife lost her job that things started to change. She work in a discount store and it seems that they did a lot of their shopping there and you can really stretch your dollar there when you work the register. I don't deny it I took advantage of it once or twice. But I guess if you get caught, your gone especially if you are working under the table.
She then tried the Disabled route but was turned down, thus started the doctors and the lawyers. It was then when the call into work that Joes wife had had a fall down the front stairs of my parents house while on her way to a doctors appointment for her back. This is where I have a problem with their story. Supposedly she broke her ankle but she got up and walked three blocks to the doctors office. No shouting or screaming were heard throughout the situation. Now I know if it were me and I fell I would have screamed bloody murder until someone came, I would have used my cell phone and gotten help and an ambulance to take me to the nearest hospital. But no she supposedly picked herself up off the ground and walked to the doctors office.
Truly it makes no sense to me. But they proceeded to sue my parents and that where the craziness started in my life. Working with him became a living hell. It all came to a head about 7 months after it had supposedly happened. I have limited mobility due to the fact that I have severe arthritis in both of my knees, that and the fact that I am a heavy guy. The little snide remarks kept coming. But in front of my a counter full of customers he called me a "Stupid Spic!" and told me that my kids were not real because they were created in a lab. Yes, they were the result of fertility clinic and they are the only two people in this world I would do anything for.
The Boss heard about it and did nothing. Here I was embarrassed by being called a Spic and it hurt beyond you could imagine. One of the customers came to me and ask me why was he still employed at F.W. Webb. I asked myself that, since I had been racially attacked by Joe. So when I went out on disability five months ago it was a mental blessing. Because I have had plenty of time to think about everything but I wonder how much has changed since I have been gone.
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