October

Things dont seem to be improving but at least there are no setbacks. I have good days and bad days. I still need, or maybe love, to take an afternoon nap. But, I am cooking dinner for Peg now and still putting up some tomatoes. It has been a great time to catch up on all the issues around the house. Since I am here, we could schedule the dog groomer (she comes to the house), carpet cleaners, fridge repairman, 2 vehicle recalls, water meter replacement, and I cant remember them all. My honey do list grows quickly. In mid October, my employer sent me a form to be filled out by my doc. I was tentatively scheduled to return to work on Oct. 27. Well, the doc told them I was restricted to lifting 10 pounds, needed to be close to the mens room, and also needed several rest periods through the day....ah my beloved naps. Anyway, my employer said, dont come back until there are no restrictions. Once I got over my dissappointment of another month off, well, ok, there was no dissappointment.

I told you about my golf buddies on my last post. One of the highlights of my year is my annual Manly Mecca to Myrtle Beach. There are 8 guys who go the third week of October. I look forward to this like a kid looks forward to the last day of school. Anyway, since I couldnt work, and the trip was paid, and the doctor told me I could do anything except play hockey, I went. In fact, the doc said I would be a better golfer because every time I would swing hard, I would pee my pants. Golfers know they should swing easily and smoothly but we cant resist trying to knock the pee pee off of a golf ball.

My buddies made sure I didnt lift more than 10 pounds. I didnt carry my luggage or clubs. Or groceries or booze. Man am I going to have to pay back next year. Anyway, my first day of golf was not very great, other than I was out. I did get tired, and I did need a couple of pads. But I was with 7 great guys and the weather was perfect. Plus, when the round was over, we got to go into the clubhouse and watch the Steelers win. After the first day of golf, we always hit the grocery store and buy lunch meat, bread, buns, coffee, food not good for regular consumption, enough tonic water to float a boat, dips, Crystal Lite for those on restriction, and of course, extra toilet paper. You can never have enough when you eat the crap we eat down there. We had enough experience to buy the booze the afternoon before when we got in. We flew in on a Saturday, and they close booze stores at 7 pm down there. They cant sell booze on Sunday, so we had a window to stock up, plus, we put some down on Saturday. Since I really only shot my regular game on Sunday, I wasnt too sure about the swing easy thing. Then on Monday, we played a beautiful course called Thistle. I was golfing out of my head. I had a 77 after 15 holes, well on my way to a round in the mid 80's, the best I ever shot. Then on hole 16, it felt like I was slipped a date rape drug. Well, maybe not that strong, but the fatigue hit me without warning. Sadly, it took me 16 strokes to finish the last 3 holes but 93 is still a great round for me.

I usually cook dinner for the guys one or 2 nites, but they would not let me. Which was good. I went back to the condo, ate a sandwich and went to bed, leaving instructions to be awakened one half hour before leaving for dinner. Charlie woke me up, I showered, went to dinner, returned home and went to bed at 9. I slept until it was time to get up the next morning. This pretty much was my week. I did not golf at all the third day, and the last day I had to stop after about 11 holes. But I still had a good time with the guys and the weather could not have been better. We flew back to Pittsburgh on Saturday morning to rain. It figures. It was great to see Peg. I usually dont get homesick, but not being up to snuff, I really did miss her this trip. We stopped for a late breakfast, then I went home to bed for a 6 hour nap.

All in all the weather for October in Pittsburgh was above normal. No rain, and warm. Halloween was over 60 degrees. I remember one Halloween we had 10 inches of snow. As I write this, on the news, they are saying that taking Vitamin E and selinium do not prevent prostate cancer. So if you are doing this, save your money and get your PSA checked.

A few words about my golf buddies. I have mentioned some of them in the last posting, but need to introduce you to the others. There is Dale and George who stay in the condo with Charlie and I. These guys did everything for me except for the shower thing. The other 2 I havent mentioned are Denny and this year, a newbie, Sid. Except for Dave, Denny and I, all the others are entrepreneurs and own their own business. Bruce and Dale are retired, the others still work many hours a day, and Denny and I are in senior management, a fun job that masochists love. Dave is retired but works as a consultant in Human Resource Management. The point I am attempting to make here is that we all make about a hundred decisions a day as part of our job. When we are on vacation, no one wants to make one decision. Issues like where to go for breakfast or dinner can take hours to resolve. It is almost comical to watch that hot potato get passed about. Thankfully, Bruce will usually help us make up our minds. I cant thank these guys enough for this year in Myrtle. I couldnt have done it without them. It was a blast, even if only when I was awake.