Sunday Scribblings-Power

This weeks Sunday Scribblings is all about power. When have I felt the most powerful? That is a tough question for me because I feel like so much of my life is out of my control. Like today. I haven't been feeling well for a while now. It has been just a bunch of little things that have been adding up. So I made an appointment for today.
I was the last appointment for the day and they were running behind when I got there. I had to go through today wondering what was going to happen when I got to the doctor, so I was pretty much useless the whole day.
I finally get called back to that little room where they take your vitals and all that. My blood pressure was high. I never keep up with what it is. I told the nurse that I have been trying to lose weight and have lost about 20 pounds since the beginning of this year.
I was then moved into that other room where they make you take off your clothes and put on that toilet paper robe. The one they put me into today was a front enclosure and not big enough to go all of the way around me so there I am sitting on the table half exposed in my socks, underwear, and Charmin robe. You will never feel more powerless than you are at this moment.
They took blood. They took urine. They poked and prodded me all over. I turned my head and coughed. I got some medicine. I was put on a diet. I have 30 days to lose weight and lower my blood pressure. That's all, 30 days. I know it doesn't sound all that hard, but the thought that I have to do it in 30 days makes me nervous which can't be good for my blood pressure. You can see the problem that I am having.
When did I lose all of my power? I feel like I am losing control of what little power I have. At what point in life do you have the most power? I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to be a detective, a truck driver, Indiana Jones, and a member of The A-team. All of that was just Monday. Then I got older and got scared of failing and not following my dreams. I don't like people being angry with me. The thought of actually confronting someone makes me cringe. So I lost my power. I work every day at getting it back. It is a daily struggle.
I'll keep you posted.

Fridays Feast for September 28

Appetizer How are you today? Not so good. Long visit with the doctor. This next month is going to be rough.

Soup Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis. Wow, just three? House, The Office, and Heroes. I could go on and on though. Sometimes I thing I love television too much. You know that guy who watched television growing up and now spouts Pop Culture references that no one else gets? Guilty as charged.

Salad What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced? Driving through Hurricane Fran back in 1996. Dumbest move of my life, but I didn't know it at the time. I thought I was driving away from where the storm had hit instead of toward it. Should have stayed where I was.

Main Course If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be? France.

Dessert What do you usually wear to sleep? A t shirt and pajama pants.

Fridays Feast for September 21

Appetizer What is your favorite type of art? Something that I can tell what it is by looking at it and something that I couldn't do myself is my favorite piece of art. Oh, and I like Art Bell. :)

Soup When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it? I get a free lunch or dinner or breakfast anytime that I want. A meal plan comes with my job so all I do is take advantage of that. (I feel like a freeloader at times.) Man these questions are not making me look too good this week.

Salad On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you? About a 4. I bottle those emotions up. Keep them down inside. One day I am going to explode. What can I say, I just don't show a wide range of emotions. Maybe it's the water. Who knows.

Main Course Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails? About 10 minutes. Last night I spent about 20 clearing out my inbox. What is it with Nigerian princes and ads for Cialis? Does anyone really respond to those emails? I'm sure the answer to that question is yes.

Dessert To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat? I have no thermostat and no control as to whether or not I am getting hot or cold air. I like about 68 when I can control it though.

I feel like this weeks questions made me look really bad. Maybe I am just paranoid, I am not this self centered. I'm going to go lie down now and quit rambling.

Sunday Scribblings

I thought that I would try a new meme. You can try it to at this link.

Here goes: Hello, my name is Joey...and I am many things in life. Husband, son, brother, cousin, friend, coordinator, supervisor, supporter, blogger. I am all of these things and so many more.

I am proud of my heritage and where I come from. I have never been ashamed of being an American. I love my country and all of the freedoms that we have.

I am proud to be from North Carolina. I think I live in the most beautiful place that there is. We have the best mountains and beaches. Our BBQ is pretty good too.

I am proud to call myself a Christian. I am not perfect, just forgiven. Jesus died for me, so that I can be saved. There are aspects of my faith that I struggle with at times, but I know that God is there for me.

I am more conservative politically than some, but realized that most of the time politics are boring to discuss with others. Very rarely do you change any one's mind about anything and that old adage about not discussing politics is more often true than not.

I love baseball, I like to take in games at the park. There is nothing like seeing a baseball game in person.

I am all these things and much more. I am learning more and more about myself every day.

A few thoughts on Five Years of Marriage

A couple of months ago, I read a blog where someone posted their “Five Thoughts on Five years of marriage.” I thought that it was an intriguing idea, so I filed it away in the back of my brain. This Friday, September 21, 2007, will mark 5 years that my wife and I have been married. With all apologies to the original author, I would like to offer some thoughts of my own on 5 years of marriage.
I heard going into it that the first year of marriage is the toughest year. The first year was rough for us, but it was nothing compared to the second year. Looking back on that year, it is a wonder that we are even around, let alone married. Between money troubles, illnesses, being away from our families, stuck in a job that I hated to go to every day, my wife stuck in a city far from home with no one around that she knows, I think we both went a little crazy that year.
Things did not get much better going into year three. There were more trying times, but looking back, it was more like a ship righting itself as it prepares to start sailing into smoother waters. We were certainly not out of the dangerous seas that every marriage goes through, but things were certainly getting better.
Years four and five have been more stable for us. It seems now that we react to outside forces rather than outside forces reacting to us. I have learned that the line to that old Ricky Nelson song is correct; you can’t please everyone, so you have to please yourself.
Marriage is something you have to work at daily. Sometimes I do well at that daily thing; sometimes I do not so well at that daily thing. I still say things that I can’t believe I said when they come out of my mouth. The thing that I keep reminding myself is that I am going to say stupid things. I apologize for what I said and try not to say it again.
Change has been a constant in my life since I have been married. I have had the same job and the same apartment for the last two years. We have still moved 6 times in 5 years. Anyone who is willing to move 6 times has to seriously love you.
It won’t always be easy, it hasn’t always been easy. It has been interesting.

September 14th Fridays Feast

Appetizer When was the last time you visited a hospital? This afternoon as a matter of fact. One of my residents had a car accident and I went to see him.

Soup On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you? As of this moment, about a 6. At first I thought it said how ambidextrous are you and I thought...What a strange question.

Salad Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukulele tings healthily.) No One See's Everything.

Main Course If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it? How about a specialty recipe club, I would call it Just Desserts.

Dessert What color is the carpet/flooring in your home? Bluish.

Fridays Feast for September 7

Appetizer Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel? Overwhelmed

Soup What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn? There are so many things that I like about Autumn I don't think I could limit it to just one part. The coolness in the air, the leaves starting to turn, Fall baseball, the State Fair. That is a start to the many things that I like.

Salad Have you ever had any bad experiences online? Yes, before I met my wife, a girl I had dated a few times broke up with me via email.

Main Course Name three things that make you happy daily. Seeing my wife everyday, reading or writing things down in my journal, and the fact that I am living in the greatest country in the world.

Dessert What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without? I am pretty attached to my retractable Sharpie Marker.