Welcome, my adoring public. Glad to see both of you could visit. Ha ha!

I have some updates! My employers have foisted yet another shift change upon us, but this time it's for the good. Of the available shifts, I have obtained the perfect one. It fits perfectly with my school schedule AND it's not a night shift. I'll be getting home around 2am instead of 9am, and with time to get sleep before classes start.

Unfortunately, on the weight loss side of things, I've only lost two pounds over the last month and I know why. I have indeed increased my walking but I've also increased eating bad stuff like chips and cookies. These things are supposed to be a rare thing and I've been finding myself munching on them with more frequency. I believe it's because of the overnight shift- we rarely get any calls so I'm forced to occupy my mind with something else. Even before the surgery I used to eat as a recreation, and that's a habit I need to stop cold. For now though, since the night shift hasn't ended just yet, I've switched to some fresh vegetables. Fresh vegetables are more expensive snacks, but they'll tide me over until I'm in my new shift that isn't quite so dull.

My brother's wedding is in 2 weeks, and I have managed to secure my tuxedo. I'm concerned about the shoes though, they are only size 16 and my feet are 16.5. I normally wear 17s. We'll find out when I pick up the tux on Monday.

Dave is recovering well. He is out of the ICU and I hope to see him relatively soon. I'm sure he's bored out of his mind but at least he has internet. Speaking of Dave, I've also taken in his kitty as well. At first I had him separated from Miu Miu but it got terribly warm so I had to let them roam free. So far, it's only been a little hissing, a little growling, but for the most part they're avoiding each other. At least it isn't the outright fighting that Miu Miu and Lucy(Melissa's cat) had. I think they're eventually going to get along.

I have secured my days off for a quick trip to Ohio. I still need to check with Amanda on a few things, and Candi is still unsure of being available for the 23rd, but I'm sure I'll have a good time.

School starts August 25th! I'm nervous, a little intimidated, but nonetheless happy to be going back. I'm anxious to get my education and certification back on track. Speaking of certification... All I need is 3 more History classes and I can be certified in History as well! So that History minor I picked up back at UB is worth something after all!

Hope to have more soon. Dad! Lets go fishing sometime.

Things have started to pick up lately. Dave has survived the surgery- they performed the lung surgery but the stomach surgery has to wait. He's sore, but alive and kicking. We've been talking about video games mostly, but since he has little to do right now it's a comfort he can use.

Work has once again decided to switch shifts around on me again. The good news is that there's a perfect shift available to me, one that fits my school schedule perfectly. However, the chance of me getting it is somewhat slim. I'm roughly in the middle of the pack in the ranking(which decides who gets what shift) so it's a long shot.

I spoke with my academic advisor and I managed to sign up for the classes I needed. I also learned that I only need three more history classes and I can be dual-certified in Chemistry and History! How cool is that? I think that's very cool indeed.

I'd like to bring up something I don't talk about much- my love life. Let's face it, it's non-existent. I've been really interested in a girl for a while and recently I let her know that I was in love with her. Suffice it to say she said she had no physical interest in me. This played in my mind for quite a while- I beat myself up over it, wondered what I could do. I was even depressed for a couple weeks and it was rough going. I realized however that this girl is a lost cause. If I don't have at least some interest from her, then I don't have anything at all. I feel real jaded now about some of the love-doctors advice, and especially Hollywood movies. They're all bologna. You can't make a girl fall in love with you. If she's not interested right away, then it's not worth the effort. As soon as I made this realization, I found I was over the rejection, and ready to move on. This is not to say I've given up- not at all. Rather, I plan on shifting my focus, and I hope it works for me. Nothing else has.

It has been a while, hasn't it? Time seems to be going very fast lately.

As some may know, I did quit my second job at AVI. It didn't seem that the company really cared if I did a good job or not, they just wanted a body to fill in some space. After only a week and two days, I quit. That same night, however, I found out that my full-time job started offering more overtime again. I didn't like doing overtime for my main job, but I realized I liked working for AVI much less, so the choice was obvious. Now that I've gotten into the swing of things it's actually not so bad. However, between overtime and my wonky night-shift schedule I've left little time to pause and relax.

I'm still trying to get a hold of my academic adviser for my fall classes. I'm still not sure how it's all going to work out. I suppose it's only a matter of time though. I've left voice mail, I've sent email... What else can I do short of a visit to the man's house?

Because of my diminished free time, I don't play much Warcraft. I've gotten to the point where I am bored with it again and I'm rather burned out on MMOs right now. Dave wants me to join him in Dungeon Runners(a free MMO) but I don't know if I have enough interest in it right now.

Speaking Dave, I still don't know when his surgery is going to be, but they are moving forward with it soon. We had a little scare with Atlas, as the woman who is taking care of him noticed he was having trouble using the litter box. A quick trip to the vet and they said it wasn't a huge deal and prescribed soft food. Hopefully Atlas is doing better, and I'll check up on him this weekend.

I'm definitely planning a trip to Ohio this year. I haven't nailed down the details yet but it's definitely going to happen. King's Island(A theme park) is definitely on the list, and since I'll be around 350lbs by then, I'm looking forward to going on roller coasters again! It's been years!

PS. I found out Dave's surgery is Monday. Keep him in your prayers.

The wedding was a private affair and at the request of the bride and groom, I have taken my account of the wedding into private mode. I will, however, post the whole thing up on my Live Journal account, located here:

The Legend of Jeff Raven

The posts will be locked to friends only so if you want to read it you'll need to register for Live Journal.

I wanted to take a brief break from the recounting of my adventures, or rather Goob's and Erika's adventures.

I started my second job for AVI, filling vending machines on Thursday. What a mess! The guy before me really had things in a state of insanity, and I spent most of Friday morning cleaning up after the guy and getting my location set up so it's easier for me. It took me 6 hours to get it organized and I'm still not done... but it should be much easier Monday morning.

The job doesn't pay as much as I'd like but at least it's something I can do to generate some more income. It is also physically demanding as well and it's a good workout before I zonk out at home.

Work at 'the call center' has been rough as I've had to get used to the overnight shift all over again. It's not that we're busy- far from it. It's just so dull that I often have to fight sleep by the time mid-shift rolls around.

Word from Dave is that he's doing okay but is really bored, and is looking for someone, anyone to visit. My odd work schedule doesn't allow me to visit so easily but I have a plan to see him next Saturday morning. Dave did tell me that they are planning on getting the surgery done soon but he doesn't have a specific date yet. Here's hoping it's soon.

I took my Dad, Cindy, and Eric to breakfast this morning, although it was mostly to treat Dad. We went to Ponderosa's, and while it's normally good the eggs were a little off. Got to see my uncle Ron and Aunt Mary as well and it looks like his business is doing really well. Uncle Ron doesn't know it but I admire him and his fortitude with his new business.

I found out that my academic adviser at Buffalo State is still working there but is no longer an adviser. I'm going to need to visit a new one. I know the guy but he still isn't responding to emails...

I'd like to cover a few things before I get into my trip to Rhode Island for Goob's wedding.

First off, overtime at work has ended and we're back to normal hours again. I'm still working evenings and switching to an overnight shift kicked me to the curb- it is very difficult to switching to such a late shift. I'm still alive though, it's just going to take time to get used to it.

I applied for and hopefully secured a second job doing what I did before switching to Adelphia... filling vending machines again! Hurray! Actually it's not going to be as bad as the place I worked before, much quieter, and hopefully quicker. The only thing left is passing the drug test. That shouldn't be a problem.

The credit card companies are now starting to take notice of my inability to make the minimum payments and I'm starting to get more calls. I'm going to have to start screening my calls now and get used to not answering the phone immediately. I'll keep you updated but on this topic I am unconcerned. I need to make that emergency savings and then I'll get back to making payments. That's going to take me a few months, even with the second job.

I am planning on another trip to Ohio this year, instead of doing a camping trip. It's much cheaper, will take fewer days, and I really miss my two friends from Ohio. I'd love to see Tecumseh since we were rained out last year, and I'm hoping to visit a theme park as well. I hear King's Island is good.

By the way, I did make the risotto, a chicken and mushroom dish. I thought it was fantastic, my sister thought it was fantastic, so I think I did it right! More on that during the wedding blog.

As of last week I am 380lbs. I'm going to weight myself again sometime soon just to get an exact number again. The weight just keeps melting off! Weight meter on the right has been updated.

That's what I have for now. Next up: The Return to Rhode Island!

So I've been avoiding updating recently, and there are some reasons.

First, I've been on edge regarding my work schedule. At first, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get the shift I wanted and for a couple days it looked pretty grim... But I secured it. My next shift is going to be 11pm to 7:30am, with Sunday/Thursday off. Sounds like fun doesn't it? There's a long story as to why it wasn't going to happen, and it involved a fishy shift bid and policy against unscrupulous employees. Suffice it to say, I was able to work around it and my shift is safe. Now I only hope school will work with me too.

I've been working overtime right now and it's got me beat, but it's going to come in handy soon.

Goob's wedding is in less than 2 weeks and I'm excited and nervous. I hope I get done all that I need to get done!

Dave's doing much better with each day. He says thank you to everyone who is praying for him.

Church was awesome this week, and I will definitely be going back. I feel more and more welcome each time.

I'm going to teach myself how to make risotto.

Man I haven't updated in ages. Here goes...

So I have a new car, and a whole bunch new debt. But I have a car. The old Crown Vic has finally bit the dust, the transmission and drive shaft are toast. The adventure of procuring my new car was long and tortuous ordeal and I'd rather not go too much into detail, other than it involved many drivings back and forth between Batavia and home. My car is a 2001 Chrystler Intrepid. How is it different from the Dodge Intrepid? Not much, just a different transmission. I do have things to worry about in the future though. I will need new struts eventually, and I have to be near-religious with the oil changes. Nonetheless, the car should last me quite a while.

Dave is doing worlds better and he thanks everyone for the prayers. He is has become much more animated and he is no longer on a tube. He is taking nourishment. However, this good news has its taint: Dave's mother passed away last Thursday night. Despite his improving condition, he is mourning his mother's loss, and it's been a rough ordeal. I do not have the details of her death, but it appears to related to her health issues. Dave still needs your prayer!

I should have my shift straightened out too. I will be working overnights so that I can go to class in the morning. I do have one night class so that might make it message...nonetheless we'll see how it goes.

I still haven't gotten my Economic Stimulus Check.
I owe too much money to too many people.
I'm probably not getting a Wii any time soon.
But I'm still positive. God's helping me out here.

Recent events have put chinks in my otherwise pristine armor of optimism.

Dave's mother has informed me that Dave is at his worst right now but didn't go into too many details. He's been put on a breathing tube, and apparently there are other things going on that makes me believe everything isn't kosher. I visited him today and he wasn't conscious at the time but I talked to him, said the Lord's Prayer... sigh. I'm praying that whatever happens, I and everyone who knows Dave have the strength to accept God's Will.

So why did I visit Dave today instead of yesterday? Well, as I was on my way to work, in fact just a few yards away from my apartment, my car let out a large bang. Then a loud grinding/crunching noise came from the car. And then it shuddered. My first thought was, "Damn, did my muffler fall off?" And my second thought was, "I hope its the muffler..." I immediately stopped the car and checked underneath and didn't see anything dragging. I got back into the car and attempted to shift into gear and at that point my fears were realized. The car would not shift. I had to push the car off the road and wait for some assistance from my sister. The car has been towed and today I have a rental car. I do not know what exactly is wrong but everyone is saying transmission.

So I probably won't be getting a Wii anytime soon, as the money is going to go towards a new car or car repair.

Dammit.

Dave's in rough shape right now folks. This weekend my sister and I were worried about Dave and we went to check up on him. He didn't answer his door, and he's been pretty alone for a couple days. At first I didn't want to disturb him for fear of invading his privacy, but it turned out to be the right thing to do. He was out of it, much like he was when taking his pain medication. He was not coherent, and seemed to be confused when we talked to him. We decided to call an ambulance, but Dave refused to go. We then contacted his doctor who assessed the situation and decided Dave needed to get to the hospital immediately. We called the ambulance back and again Dave refused, but Melissa convinced Dave it was necessary for him to go... And so it was. Dave was rushed to the hospital and went right into the ICU. I've learned that Dave was very dehydrated and he was in trouble. Today I learned they're putting him on a breathing tube as his lung is doing worse.

I've been feeling kinda awkward about the whole week or so leading up to this. On the one hand I was worried about him declining again, falling into depression. On the other hand, I didn't want to disturb his privacy or annoy him. People aren't happy when they're sick, and I didn't want to frustrate our friendship. I was concerned Melissa and I were sending him to the hospital for something that could have been trivial, but it wasn't until afterward that I learned it was pretty serious. I just don't know what I could have done different to prevent this from happening. Maybe I do know and I don't want to face it?

I'm going to visit him later today. Please, everyone, keep him in your prayers.

I wanted to make a quick update: I've begun the long process of converting my old Live Journal entries over to my blog here. It started way back in March of 2005, and you can view that month by clicking here. I don't have all of the entries up but I'm working on it!

I got myself out of bed early today and headed out to church. Lockport has two Presbyterian churches, so I visited the 1st one. I'm glad I did! The atmosphere was friendly, the church itself is beautiful(it has Tiffany glass windows), and I felt very welcome. They even gave me a newcomer gift which included(among other things) a new testament and a candy bar. The sermon was about tithing and while I understand that it's important I would have probably delivered it differently. The pastor delivered it well though, despite being generic in nature.

I'm afraid I also picked up one of my bad habits again. That's right folks, I rejoined World of Warcraft. One of my coworkers convinced me. Whether or not it lasts longer than the 10 week trial we'll see.

I have one week of training left, and then I'm back on the phones! Woot?

So what have I been up to lately? Many things, mostly dull and boring stuff, but there have been some highlights.

My friend and I are talking again. We don't broach the religion subject much but I'm sure things will be ironed out eventually. I think we've both agreed to not let religion get in between our friendship.

I've talked to both my doctors recently. The surgeon wants me to add Vitamin D to my pill regiment. Its the most common prescription is gives out nowadays. I'm not sure what Vitamin D does for me but I'm inclined to do what the doctor says. My progress continues to improve. I've also recently started walking. It's not much, only about 15 minutes a day but I can cover about half a mile in that time. I have no doubt I can do more too. It is such an awesome feeling to be able to walk more than a couple blocks and not be winded or having to shut down for a while with a sore back!

I've started training at work for my new job, which has filled up 8 hours of my day with boredom. I'm not happy with the transition but since I want to keep my job I have to stick with it. I have, however, made friends with a couple folks, including Jim. He went from a well-paying job as a network specialist at another company to talking tech calls like I do. He inspires me because he was tired of being pushed around at his former place of work, where promised pay increases were never realized. He still looks for better jobs but he said he wanted to start over again. He's also trying to get me back in Warcraft, go figure.

Speaking of digital distractions, my current interest has moved over to Bioshock. This game is FANTASTIC. I watched Dave play it on his XBox and I thought I could never play it because it was too damn scary. Turns out it really is scary, but I could play the game much better on my PC than on the Xbox, and while it was scary, it was also awesome. The gameplay was fantastic, the story was fantastic, and the ending was very satisfying. I recommend this game to anyone and everyone. The most interesting aspect of the game is the moral choice you must make. In the game, there is an element called Adam that must be obtained in order to advance. To do this you must gather it from "little sisters." These little sisters were once young children who were genetically altered to harvest Adam from corpses in the game. Once you defeat her Big Daddy protector(think of a human rhinoceros in a diving suit), you have the choice to either rescue the Little Sister(which frees her from her genetic altering and makes her a normal child) or harvest the Adam from her. The process for rescuing is shown and the child is grateful before she runs off. The process for harvesting is not shown, but it is understood that while you don't actually harm the child, you kill the slug inside her, which in turn will kill her. The moral choice comes at a price- less Adam to improve your character. When I played I could not harvest, as it wasn't in me. I know it is just a game but it was too difficult. The second time around I decided to play evil and harvest. The first few times it was very difficult to do, but understanding that it is only a game, it's actually not that hard. There is a different ending for being evil in the game, and I'd like to see it.

Other happenings? I received a card from Amanda, which was pretty cool. I wasn't expecting it and it wasn't for any particular reason, but it brightened my day nonetheless. I hope she's doing good as well, as I don't see or hear much from her lately. She's going through some tough times but I know she'll pull through too.

I also signed up for classes in the fall! I just need to get one class cleared first and then it shouldn't be a problem, but here's looking like I'll finally get back on track with my education!

That's it for now. I'll keep you updated in a couple days about a couple other developments. For now, keep smiling!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=D_zR2eGgr5Y