Last night was awful. I had found out the bank screwed up my account and I had an overdraft plus extra money taken out to pay for my car loan. With Dave's help I straightened it out and the bank corrected the mistake.

It was then I noticed I had a call on my voice mail from last night to call my surgeon's office. I called them before leaving for work and they told me my surgery is not going to be in December, but rather the 22nd of this month. My surgeon apparently got approval to allow me in the CAT scan(which is rated for 450lbs or lower) even though I'm 480lbs.

This is fantastic news and I couldn't but help text messaging my friends to let them know... However I was unable to reply to their questions. My cell phone told me that the messages were undeliverable and that I was to contact the CIA to correct this problem. CIA? Are they monitoring my text messages? I think its the customer service dept for my cell company.

Anywho, if anyone has any questions about this, please feel free to message/email/reply to this post and I'll answer them... just not on my cell phone, alas.

And if there is any doubt, I am rejoicing at this news and cannot wait!

I have some excellent news. I managed to get the day off today so I could make the trip to Rochester to see my surgeon. He looked me over, weighed me, checked my vitals... and told me he's going to book my surgery for December. I don't have an exact date but it will be in December. He still wants me to lose weight, and 450lbs is still the goal. I'm happy to say that I'm at 480lbs right now! I was 494lbs at the end of August so I managed to lose 15lbs in a month. If I keep at this rate, I'll definitely reach the goal! It's fantastic to know that after months of this process it'll finally come to fruition.

Dave's doing pretty good. He's getting a great deal of sleep but considering his condition that's not too bad. I also learned my Dad is going into surgery himself to fuse some of his vertebrae. It is a serious business but in the end it'll leave him with a great deal less pain. Like all surgery, it has risks. My Dad could end up paralyzed from it, but if all goes well(and I'm focusing my thoughts on that), he'll end up in better condition than before.

Here's praying for ya Dad.

Wow has it really been a week and a half? Things have been a bit busy lately. My buddy Dave went back into the hospital for a while, but he's back. There was a concern but that was resolved and he gets to take some new medicines now, but at least he's home. I contacted my surgeon at his new location and they want me to show up in Rochester. Yep, 60 miles away... So I'm working tomorrow- normally a day off- so I can have Wednesday off to drive over to Rochester. I'm really hoping they tell me more than just "keep losing weight" and "we'll let you know," because frankly I'm getting tired of waiting and not knowing anything. I've started this last December and I'm still waiting...

My dad called to tell me that he's going to have surgery too. He's been putting it off and now his doctor told him it needed to be done. It has something to do with his back which has been plaguing him for years. There's a chance he'll end up paralyzed but the risk is low, so I'm confident he'll pull through fine.

Work is still brutal. I don't enjoy it anymore. I did make bonus, but it's a small comfort in these miserable times. They keep hanging out a carrot saying we'll have more people on the phones soon... but right now, while the newbies are in training, it's a long, frustrating day. I suppose it means I don't have to worry about not having a job, but right now that job isn't very fun.

I splurged a little and pre-ordered the Orange Box. Pre-ordering allowed me to access the TF2 beta, which is out right now. Man I love this game. If the videos don't convince you, then take the word of your trusted friend JR that this game rocks! There are so many improvements over the original, and not to mention a great new look, this game is definitely going to be on my favorites for quite a while. It's good to have some distraction from my crappy job right now.

I finished listening to the final Harry Potter audio book and now I'm going back and listening to the first 6. I've also picked up the movies and watching those again to check the differences. Is this an obsession?

I shoulda wrote this earlier... but it's been busy. My computer is now back up and in fairly decent working order. I took apart the CPU cooling unit, cleaned the fan up some more(there was some hair in the bearings) and I also noticed my processor's thermal goop was all dried and caked. I slapped some new goop on there and now my PC is running much cooler.

I took Monday off to have my car looked at(as well as get a well-needed break) and it turns out I need a $200 fuel-air control unit replaced. The guys at the shop said they would be able to put it in in less than an hour so the repair cost itself would be cheap but the part itself was $200. Oh well, yet another expense to look forward to.

I did find out that my dental insurance covered most of my last visit, and it's only going to cost me some $20. Woot.

My birthday part was awesome. I got up early with my dad to do some fishing on Saturday. It was a gorgeous morning. The sun was peeking out of the clouds, we had a cool breeze, and it was nice and quiet. However, the fish just weren't sticking to the bait. I felt some bites here and there but no takers. If we fished for sunnies or bluegill we would have fish but it usually takes 20 or 30 to make a meal out of those. After a morning of fishing we headed back home. I got to meet my stepsister's new kitten, Peaches, or as I like to call her, Mangler the tooth-and-claw-filled Furball. She had a habit of attacking anything that moved, including my knee. I have the scars to prove it.

The party itself was great. A cornucopia of food that didn't put a hole in my parents pocket was available and I could not resist chocolate-on-chocolate cake or the moosetracks ice cream. :9 My aunt and uncle came too and I learned that my step-mom's father and his wife are HUGE misguided liberals, which made for some interesting and loud conversations at our table. They were stubborn old folk too and were hard-pressed to change the subject.

I wasn't expecting much in gifts(we're all tight for money these days) but I did get a couple bucks for my birthday and my brother gave me the coolest gift ever: It's a knitted winter cap that is shaped like the dome of R2D2. Kick ass! All in all, it was a very satisfying birthday, and I hope all birthdays could be like that. Food, friends and family for the win.

It's Sept. 5th and my birthday has come and gone. It seems strangely anticlimactic these days. Goob forgot my birthday was September 4th, but I forgive him. I didn't forget his birthday is March 9th. Or is it April 9th? ;-)

I woke up with this message from my dad:

dad: haPPy bRthdAY toooo uuuuuuuu! haPPy bRthdAY toooo uuuuuuuu!!! HAPPy BBBRRRithdaY dEAR little Guy, haPPy bRthdAY toooo uuuuuuuu!!!!!!! :-) Call me. we b fshn strdy mrng erly

My dad's two-finger typing at it's best. He is of course talking about the fishing he and I are going to do this Saturday morning. Hopefully we'll catch something edible for dinner that day too.

Dave's been home for about a week and it's going pretty well. He's enjoying the fold-out couch I purchased for Melissa back in November. It is a little crowded but we'll manage. He's even talking about possibly having his own apartment pretty soon. All he needs is his housing and welfare applications approved.

Money talk depresses me so I'm not going to go into it much, other than things are real tight right now but I think I'm going to manage.

1. I'm alive and in (relative)good health.
2. I have friends and family I can rely on.
3. I'm employed.
4. I will soon be able to begin the second phase of my life.
5. God hasn't abandoned me, and I haven't abandoned him.
6. My car still runs.

I don't know why but I'm feeling depressed.

The final day was the trip back home. Amanda had to go to work and I had to leave before she left. It was a dreary drizzling sky and it seemed as if Ohio was sad with me. I gave Amanda a hug and thanked her for having me stay. Ohio was definitely worth the visit and it wouldn't have been nearly as cool if I didn't have friends here. Thank you Amanda and thank you Candi for showing me what Ohio has to offer.

The road home was uneventful save for a few passing state trooper, although the sun did come out by the time I reached New York State.

For those of you who want pictures, you can check them out here:
Ohio 2007

Amanda's day started much earlier than mine in that she had to wake up and take her sister to a doctor's appointment, but I was awake before they headed out. Once they returned we headed over to the Garden of Roses, a quaint garden of... roses. Many kinds of roses as far as the eye can see... It was beautiful and it was good to get a walk around. Kayla did a great deal of talking but it helped distract from the heat so it wasn't unwelcome. We also stopped by a water fountain to cool off a bit before heading up and around the huge garden.

We dropped Kayla off at her ride home and Amanda and I headed back home to relax for a couple hours. Thunderstorms rolled over Columbus with a tornado to the north. Because Tecumseh! is an outdoor theatre production, we vigilantly watched the Weather channel to see if Chilicothe, the city where the production takes place, was going to be covered in rain. At the time we left it was clear for that area of Ohio, but outside our door it was gloomy and wet. We braved the downpour and by the time we reached Chilicothe, the skies were quiet.

Amanda wanted to show me the Great Seal of Ohio on the way(which, by the way, does not have any flippers), so we zoomed up and around a hill, avoided a cop, and...it's a mountain.

We arrived at the place with a good parking spot and plenty of people milling about. The theatre itself is outdoors and before anything began you could get a feeling that the production is going to be epic. And epic it was! From the beginning the play was fascinating and astounding! Unfortunately, soon after the intermission, the heavens opened up and Tecumseh's battle plans were foiled by torrential downpour. Alas, the show was forced to end and I did not get to see how it finished, but I suppose it'll be fresh for me the next time I go to Ohio!

Today we did get that early start, as the trip over to Dayton would take an hour or so. Why Dayton? Because that's where Digigurl lives! After a conversation-filled drive over to Dayton, we met at the mall's food court and to finally meet Digigurl in the flesh was like magic! It was awesome. We got something to eat and talked to Digi for quite a bit about what's going on and her plans for the next few weeks. She's leaving for Virginia to meet her boyfriend's family. She seems so serious about it and I wish her the best of luck! We also talked a little about her plans for college as well, but soon our bellies were full and we headed out to the Mall Proper to check out the sites and shops.

We had some fun with Spencer's of course and checked out a few other shops. While Amanda checked out a sports store Digi and I hit up a chocolatier for some chocolate covered potato chips, some "buckeyes," and some sugar-free cherry cordials. The chocolate "chips" used real potato chips and I was reminded of chocolate pretzels. Yummy! The buckeyes were chocolate covered peanut butter treats that are shaped to look like buckeyes. Tasty! And of course the cherry cordials are chocolate covered cherries with a yummy syrup. The best part is that they're sugar free for me! Sweet!

After that we did some more walking around, checked out a bookstore, a homestead store(lots of candles, christmas scents, and wood carvings). Once we made our way back to the food court, we talked a bunch more. I snapped some pictures of Digi and Amanda trying on my Indie hat, and I think they both looked cute. Digigurl smiled a great deal and I hope she keeps on smiling. It's the best part of her personality.

It was soon time to say our goodbyes and give out hugs. It was a golden moment, something I will cherish forever. I hugged Digigurl and we went out separate ways. I couldn't imagine a more fun day than today. The trip back to Columbus was a little sad because the day was ending, but Amanda and I chatted for a bit before I started to doze off.

When we returned I asked Amanda what she would like to do and she wanted to relax. I figured that was fine. We did hit up Bob Evans for breakfast-for-dinner which was very tasty and satisfying. Apparently Bob Evans in Ohio is far better than they are in New York State, as I likened the NY experience to something closer to Denny's.

The meal finished, I made a paper crane for Amanda and one for our waitress out of our place mats but was just a bit of silliness. It was good to have that silliness appreciated. Tomorrow, we meet up with Kayla again and as well as get to see an Indian performance(weather permitting).

Today was the day of easy going, of slowing down to the pace of our surroundings. After Amanda's sister begged us to visit, we decided to drive down to McConnelsville where her parents and sister lives. The drive was pretty interesting, as the street that her parents live on is a one-lane road with delusions of grandeur. I still do not know how that oncoming truck passed us without knocking us off the road.

We arrived late afternoon and I did a lot of chatting with Amanda's mom, and a little with Kayla. For someone who begged us to visit she didn't give us much attention when we got there. I was hoping to do some walking around the property but that didn't seem to happen. I did bring some ground beef and some broccoli for dinner and Amanda's mom made it fantastic. After dinner we headed out to the porch and watch hummingbirds get their meal. Amanda and I talked some more, and just relaxed in the country atmosphere. The sun went down and the bugs came out, Amanda's mom joined us for a bit. After that we headed back home. I was a little disappointed as I was hoping to get some more interaction with Kayla who invited me, but alas, teenage girls will be teenage girls.

After that I think we were both too tired to do much else but go to sleep. And just as well as the next day would require an earlier start.

Before embarking on our great adventure, we had to visit Amanda's place of employment to pick up her purse as well as get gas and a new front tire. Awesomely there was a Sonic's across the street. Living in Buffalo, NY we do not have a Sonic within 200 miles, but we get their commercials all the friggin time, and I've always wanted to try their food. Today was the day to cheat on my diet so I went full speed. I got a cherry limeade(fantastic) a Supersonic cheeseburger(awesome), and some jalapeno strips(tasty).

My curiosity and tastebuds satisfied, Amanda and I headed out to COSI, or Center Of Science and Industry. It's a science museum in Columbus, and it was awesome. It had a great deal of interactive stuff to handle, play, and learn about. I do regret not having enough time to hit the Gadgets area and the Weather station was a little disappointing, but the Ocean area was fun as well as the Life area. Definitely a fun place to take kids too.

COSI closed at 5pm so we had some time left over. Amanda sent me a postcard last year of a place called the Book Loft in German Village. Yes there are real Germans in German Village(we heard them talking). Apparently it used to be a German settlement way back when and it still looks very quaint. The Book Loft is hard to describe but I will try my best. Imagine a two story curio shop, with many rooms and shelves. This two story shop stretches from one street to the one in back, and it is FILLED with books. Books everywhere. There are so many books that I had a hard time navigating as my large frame tends to knock things over. This place was a book-lovers heaven. While I looked at a little bit of everything(including some Harry Potter obsession books i.e. Letters to Harry Potter from kids around the world, and Quidditch Through The Ages) I picked up two books, one of them was Ohio Oddities, which even Amanda found interesting.

After the Book Loft we headed back to sanctuary where we both dozed off for a couple hours. Not wanting to burden Amanda with dinner and in the mood for a fish fry, we headed over to TGI Fridays and I treated Amanda to fantastic meal. I was hoping that Friday's fish meal wasn't like Applebees, and I wasn't disappointed. The Fish 'n' Chips meal was much better. The fish came in breaded strips, and along with a quesadilla appetizer, the meal turned out great. Amanda had the steak and shrimp which she seemed to enjoy. We chatted a great deal and just had fun. I also tried Friday's Oreo Cookie cakes and it was so rich I couldn't finish it. We came away satisfied and happy. We stopped over at Walmart to pick up a few food items and a dinner table for me(so I could type at my computer right now). We settled down to more tv and then headed off to bed.

Even more adventures to come!

Normally I hit Rhode Island for my vacation but this year things turned out different. Ohio is the place of choice to see one of my dearest friends- Amanda aka Archergirl. Those of you who do not know who she is, I direct you to this blog. And this one too.

The trip down to Ohio was uneventful and I am very thankful for that. My car survived without any noticeable harm. It was hot and muggy the whole way but otherwise calm and quiet. I'm very grateful for that. I managed to pack everything I needed except that I forgot my cell phone charger. I've been keeping my phone off to save the battery, and I hope it'll last until I leave on Wednesday.

I arrived in Columbus to hugs from Amanda, licks from her dog, and disinterested stares from her cat. Amanda had a delicious meal waiting for me(parmasean chicken! :9) and we chatted before heading off to see the Simpsons Movie. The Simpsons movie... it wasn't bad per se, but the drive in we went to was very ghetto, and the screen was blurry. It got mostly chuckles but no hearty laughs. If only the Simpsons movie was as good at the pre-2002 Simpsons shows. Oh well. After that we kicked back, watched some TV and we both stumbled off to our respective beds.

This is only the beginning!

Lots of things have happened since the last post. The swelling is all but gone, my face is normal and I'm not sick anymore. The tooth can be saved for a crown so I'm happy about that.

I finished the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book, and it was fantastic. I won't reveal any spoilers but the book ended well and I was satisfied. I think this book should be read by everyone as it is very well written and not to mention very entertaining.

Custom-hatter.com is finally up and running! Gary has been away taking care of his family and we finally hooked up. I switched his domain over and it seems to have worked beautifully. Check it out!

My car's engine has been making a funning whirring noise this past month. I had it checked at Lockport Tire and they said it was the alternator. They said they're not sure how long it'll last, could be a couple weeks, it could be a coupe years. I just hope it lasts for my trip down to Ohio. Speaking of Ohio, I've been getting ready for that trip and I hope I have everything I need. Besides the usual stuff, any suggestions?

I've taken over as host of the Monastery game server(under the name Chapel - I am sooo clever :o). This has pros and cons. I have a hard time playing other games with it running, but I also keep the community together with its communication abilities. A shame it will have to go down when I leave for Ohio.

Just today my CPAP machine died. It was used and it served me well, but I can't get it to work anymore. This machine is my lifeline and if I don't get a replacement soon, it's going to be hell. I've called the doctor and he'll put in a prescription in for it. I just hope I can afford it with my insurance.

I was also asked to sign up for Time Warner Cable's new digital phone service. I can only imagine how much I'd use it(not at all) but I appear to be in a certain area where they want to test it so they kindly asked me to do it. We'll see how that turns out.

I've been in and out of coherency and that last post was at the end of one of my lucid states these past few days. The swelling has gone way down and as long as I keep taking my antibiotic it should go away completely. I've been pretty miserable but on the whole I'm still alive, so at least I have that.

Yesterday I picked up my nephew and hauled him back to Lockport for a couple days. He's graciously offered to help me out with my chores and we've managed to vacuum the last vestiges left in my apartment, as well as get the laundry done. For that I treated him to a 3-movie night at the Drive-In, featuring Underdog, Ratatouille, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The star of the night was definitely Ratatouille, and Harry Potter definitely rounded out the night with its constant action scenes. Unfortunately we had to suffer through Underdog which was about as fun as watching another Garfield live-action movie. I learned that Underdog was made only for little kids and old ladies who have puppies for children. I'm not kidding about this. Next to us there was an old lady sitting with her dog while she held him in the drivers seat as she tittered at the corny jokes and urging her dog to watch.

Ratatouille was cute and in Shrek-like fashion they included many in-jokes that a kid wouldn't notice but an adult would. Harry Potter again serves up lots of action from the book, and the lady who played Umbridge nailed the performance exactly. All in all a decent film.

My weekend rolls on. I'll be sure to share more later.