Shoot

Growing up I guess I had some really bad earaches and really high fevers to go along with them. I hoped that Triton wouldn't ever get an ear infection because I hear that they aren't fun and can be a pain to new parents. About three weeks ago Triton was sick. He woke up one morning and his voice was all froggy. The next day his voice was just fine but he was coughing a lot. The next day his cough wasn't getting any better and he wasn't wanting to do hardly a thing. He has been sick in the past but he usually forces himself to play. He would try to play a bit so I wasn't too concerned. Sheri made a doctor's appointment anyway and I had the privilege of taking him. He hates the doctor with a passion. As soon as he knows that they are going to pick at him and listen to his heart and lungs he just screams. I admire doctor's who put of with that all day.

It turned out that she checked his ears and found that he did in fact have an ear infection in his left ear. His temperature was never higher than 101.3 so that is great that he didn't have a really high fever like I had when I was a young one. The doc prescribed some pepto-bismol looking stuff that he has to take twice a day for 10 days. He was pretty good at taking the medicine and was up to his regular self a few days later. The picture below is of him at his low point. He was trying to cover his eyes because the flash hurt his eyes! Poor baby boy.

In Trouble

This last Thursday I was able to go to nationals in Reno. It isn't anything special, anyone can attend that wants to pay. We usually go every year, unless it is too far. Reno is pretty far, but just at the distance that taking a plane is not worth the hassle. Driving was cheaper even with gas prices being so high. I drove the whole way there on Thursday morning, we left at 3:00am. I had 4 hours of sleep previous to tackling this drive, but it wasn't an issue at all. We didn't even stop except the one time for gas. I have to drive while in a car or I get car sick. I can be a passenger in a car, but in order to not get car sick I have to sleep. I felt bad for making Greg and Mike get up so early to leave, but I love to drive and night so I took the first and only shift on the way down.
I figured Reno would be a little warmer than here but it really wasn't. They didn't have snow except in the mountains, but either than that it was pretty much the same temperature as here. They might have been a little warmer here and there, but it was pretty cold. We did a bit of golfing which was real nice because it has been since early November since I had last swung a golf club. I took a short nap that first day and Greg Furrows and myself decided to try to get nine holes in before it got dark. We were able to finish the ninth hole just before darkness fell upon us. I golfed horrible, it wasn't funny how bad I did. It was a good thing that we didn't golf 18 holes because I would have certainly scored over 100. We golfed the next day before we had our team event for bowling. It was colder than the night before, but we still went anyway. This time Henry golfed with Greg and myself. I golfed a ton better than the day before which was nice. I thought I would do better, but I did have two holes that I birdied back to back. I beat Henry by 6 strokes and Greg by 17.
It was finally time to bowl and I wasn't thrilled with that, because I have sucked all year. I am thinking of not bowling a league next year at all. I was throwing the ball half decently, but I could not for the life of me pick a spare. During team event I had 14 strikes in three games and only 4 spares. I didn't even get a spare until the 5th frame of the last game. The next day we have three games each for doubles and then singles. Those games were worse, I was able to get a couple more spares but it was all for nothing because I couldn't strike as often. I have no clue why my mediocre bowling talent left me some 8 or 9 years ago, but it really doesn't bother me anymore. It isn't fun to bowl anymore. Last night during league I averaged over a 217 for three games, but felt that I bowled better in Reno? I didn't have any confidence and wasn't throwing the ball all that good, so why I scored well last night I have no clue?
Doubles and singles for our group was at 5:30 on Saturday afternoon. We had originally planned on staying that night and leaving the next morning sometime. I talked it over with Greg and felt that leaving after bowling wasn't going to be that difficult as long as I slept well Friday night. Friday night I actually slept great and wasn't concerned with driving all night after bowling. We checked out of the hotel and also talked Mikey J into joining us on that ride home. He said that he wasn't going to get into any brackets which would be way nice because it takes like an hour after bowling is over for bracket money to be ready at a different location. So, I wasn't happy at all when I saw him in line at the bracket counter. So, if everything went right we would have left Reno at 9:30 even with Mike's bracket delay. He put in $100 and only made $20 back, he bowled good enough to probably make at least his money back, but he must have had some bad draws or something? Anyway, we were set back an hour, I was pissed. We arrived at the bowling alley a few hours early because we had nothing better to do. We learned that our start time for our squad had been pushed back as well. We started at least a half hour late, probably closer to 45 minutes. Thus we didn't depart Reno until probably close to 11:00. If the squad was on time and Mikey didn't get in brackets like he said, we would have been on the road by 9:00 at the latest. We finally hit the road and I was happy as could be. I felt great, rested and alert.
Driving to Reno on 4 hours of sleep didn't get to me at all. I figured I would have been a bit tired toward the end, but that wall never hit me. Driving back was pretty much the same, I was doing great for the first 7 of the 9 hours needed for the drive. I have no clue what happened but the wall hit me and I was tired. My mom is going to kill me after she reads this. It was actually pretty weird, my mind was fine, I was singing along with songs that were playing from my IPod. I wasn't missing a word and I made sure to steer clear of the slow songs. I understood that I needed to stay awake and simply drive, but my motor skills weren't allowing me to do that. I was fading fast. I was letting the car freeze trying to force myself to stay awake. I was pinching myself, blinking, singing and moving all over the place in the driver's seat to try and stay alert. Again, it was weird because I didn't feel tired, I was still alert it was just my motor functions that weren't working. I wasn't swerving all over the road or anything like that, but I knew something wasn't right. I stopped at a rest stop to relieve myself and I informed both Mike and Greg that I was pretty dang tired. I mentioned it while we were all out of the car in hopes that one of them (especially Greg since he slept most of the way back) would offer to drive the rest of the way. Walking back to the car I was hoping that one of them would take the keys or be waiting by the driver's side door to hop in and drive the rest of the way. This didn't happen and I knew that I had to tough it out on my own. Obviously we made it back safe and sound since I am writing this here blog, but it wasn't fun let me tell you. The last 100 miles was me fighting my brain/body to stay alive. I don't think I would have fallen asleep at the wheel because it wasn't that kind of a fatigue, but it was obvious my body/mind needed rest of some kind.
So, the trip to Reno wasn't that fun. I didn't gamble a penny which is good. I have horrible luck anyway as I complain about all of the time. I was lucky enough to make it home safe and sound so that is all I need to be grateful for.

9 years, and Happy Birthday today to Josh

Most people would think of me as a nice guy. I believe there are a lot of people who have met me that look up to me for the kind of person I am. I am genuine, witty, not horribly ugly and I have a good heart. Most of those people don't see me in moments of life when I am a jerk who is unwilling to hear anything you have to say. There are three times when I act in accordance with the way I just described. One time is probably everyday!
I am not a morning person, I might have mentioned in previous blogs, but I hate waking up. Sleep is great and it is not a time of simply resting for me, it is a time when I dream. I watch a ton of movies and can predict how the ending is, who is going to be doing what and yadda yada yada. Dreams can make no sense to a person after they wake up and reflect back, but during the dream it is another story. Everything seems to make sense no matter how ridiculous. This is the main reason I love sleep. It is as though I am not only watching a movie sometimes, but I am a main character in a movie that is never predictable. I hate the fact that a body needs rest, there are times that I would rather not sleep, but you can't fight the need your body has for sleep. If I don't dream during the night I feel as though I have been robbed. I wake up feeling as though I went to a movie theater and watched nothing for hours. I hate the feeling of being groggy and weak upon waking up. Sleep is a waste of time in my book, but is obviously needed. So, when I am asleep I dream. Most of the time I have dreams that are so far fetched that Stephen King would love them for material. I have actually written down ideas from these dreams for maybe someday writing a book or two. Growing up I mentioned having nightmares. I wasn't asleep during these episodes and that is probably another reason I like sleep so much. Sleeping as a child meant that I wasn't awake in the scary night where the boogeyman lives. It is as though I don't care what happens to me when I am asleep. I have been awoke from sleep many times by strange noises and in my mind I think it could be a robber, a murderer or someone really bad along those same lines. I might lay there for a second wondering if I should check out what it was, but then I think it is okay I don't care if he/she kills me in my sleep? How horrible is that? Those times have since changed since being married and having Triton. I check the house when I hear strange noises and make sure everything is alright. Anyway, I am not a morning person. When I am forced to get up I don't want to be spoken to. I don't want anyone in the bathroom when I have to go in there in the morning. I don't even like to speak if I have to. Most responses are just grunts and dirty looks. Thus, you can see that most people never see you in the morning, so how could they see you at your worst. My worst isn't because I am ugly from waking up, but because I am ugly in mind when waking up. Sheri has to see me like this basically everyday!
Another time when I am not a nice person is when I am playing any sort of game and I lose. I am a great winner. I won't rub the fact that you lost in your face. I will be most happy to shake your hand and say that you were a worthy opponent. I will even say you were good even if you never had a shot to beat me. It is a completely different story when I lose. This trait is usually brought on by having brothers or sisters growing up. I never did have brothers and sisters. I was an only child and I never had any other kids around for the most part unless it was at school. My cousins lived with us when I was 11 or 12, but before that nobody. Of course I was around them and other cousins and friends, but never was I forced to be around them continually until then. So, why I have this ugly quality is beyond me. I just know that I like to be the best and hate to lose. I blame most of my losses on the fact that my opponent is or was extremely lucky! This might be the case in a few instances, but that is just an excuse most of the time. I will become quiet and say things under my breath to where I know that you would be able to hear. I make sure they are things that make you feel as though you were the luckiest person ever! Or, that I was the most unluckiest person to have lost to you! Sheri has not only seen me act this way and has to hear it all the time when I vent to her about it, but she has also been on the receiving end as well.
The last time that I am not a nice person seems to be those days that I just wake up on the wrong side of bed! It is as though there are those days when everything irritates me. Nothing you could do or say is right and for sure won't make me feel better. If I am in one of these moods it is better that you just find some other place to be. These days are rare. I like to just lock myself away and not be around anyone on these days. These given days are maybe one or twice a year. What brings them on I have no idea. Sheri, I hate to say has probably seen me in these moods more than anyone else ever has.
Sheri is a beautiful loving woman who has put up with my crap and still loves me! She has seen me at my worst, and will continue to be the only person who will experience the most ugliness that is Jason. She will love me no matter what! I have no clue why? Maybe I got extremely lucky and found the most beautiful dumb girl in the world. I mean you would have to be dumb to put up with me. She does this on a daily basis and doesn't bat an eye! I would like to think that I trained her well. I think it stems from what she has experienced from me that no one else has seen and that is the loving side of me. Everyone will see the worst in themselves, but never the best. I think highly of myself as a person. I have a beautiful smile that could brighten any one's day. I can be caring, gentle and joke with you in your worst times. I can help others to have better days when they wake up grumpy. I know that all the good things I think about myself don't compare with the good things that Sheri thinks about me. I can say in a blog about how she is dumb and she will love me for it? Many friends and family read this but she won't care. Sheri has put up with me for this long, and I have no doubt that in two days when our 9 year anniversary hits that we will still be together.
She has been around me in my most happy times. She has been the one to experience the most nice Jason. This Jason only exists in her mind and if I were ever confronted about being nice I will deny all. I am a man and have no soft parts. I will not share how much I love Sheri with all of you. I won't even share this with her, because after nine years why would anything else be different. I just hope that she puts up with me for at least another 9!