You Say It's Your Birthday

Another birthday is here, no fanfare, fireworks or marching band. Just a nice quiet day. Cards and calls from family, e-mail from friends and a gift or 2 from the boy and wife. That's all. I want/need nothing else.

I have decided to do my year in review today and hopefully every year on my birthday.

The past year was a hard one. Lots of change and uncertainty. The two biggest event were moving to Indiana and the boy's brush with death. Both made something very clear to me, family is the most important thing in life. PERIOD.

We left a pretty good life in New York to move closer to my family and we are the richer for it. It was a big risk and it is already paying off. We are happier and closer out here. We sacrificed some free time. I no longer get home at 2pm and the wife works longer day hours as well but the time we have together is our time. No unions, no district stores looking for help, no rushing home to get the boy because he is sick or has no school. We had a full house as the boys first baseball game, everyone one was there down to the family dogs. We have dinner with the parents, or my sister or my brother, or everyone at least once a week (sometimes twice). We've been to more movies and plays and 'date nights' more these past 6 months than the past 6 years. It was a tough choice but we made the right one.

The boy is doing great, his condition was a lot more serious than we knew. Kind of puts you on edge when the surgeon calls at 3am and 5am to check his vitals and doesn't take a day off in 2 weeks. However, all is healed and he is doing great. Didn't seem to affect his swing as he knocked in 2 runs at last weeks game and caught 2 innings and warmed up to pitch with no discomfort. We go to church every Sunday and try to sneak in those Holy Days of Obligation as well cause we are truly blessed.

Personally I feel great. I enjoy work and can leave it there. I do not miss the union stress of dealing with contract issues, grievances and such. Less stress, less tension at home. When the phone rings it is a friend or family member not a co-worker with yet another issue. My e-mail is less crammed and my desk is virtually empty. Thank God.

I feel better all around and am glad. Talking with a New York friend the other day I guess it was a ballsy move. Up root in a matter of days and off we go into the wide blue yonder. We are just happy we actually did it after talking about it for so many years.

Rethinking Yesterday

About yesterday's post, the one thing I am sorry about is the fact that I didn't think about the consequences to my friends still at my old station. I only talk to one member of the night crew and the 'clique' will blame him for 'ratting' on them. I also have a hit counter and ISP tracker so I can see who is visiting the website, but I never said they were smart. I am sure he will be punished for no reason other than he might have tipped off some guy that doesn't work there anymore and will never see them again. I guess they just wanted to sit behind my back and laugh, as always. I hope they are not THAT petty. I was just upset because since I left New York I haven't thought of any of them. Fresh state, fresh start and no need to haul around old garbage.

E-Mail Response

The following is a response to an e-mail sent today:

Denise,

No I would not change what I am writing now that I know people that know me might be/are reading. You take that chance when you start a blog and I have nothing to hide. I write this to vent and chronicle my life as I see it (or feel it). I've gone back and viewed some posts to get a better perspective on a situation with some time past. I can see if I acted out of anger or did the right thing. It also helps my memory as days/dates flow into one another sometimes. A few of my new co-workers do know I have a blog and have visited. One even help edit a post, she corrected a quote I had posted incorrectly.

If some of my friends there do know of the site I hope they do read it and comment. I still e-mail several members of my old AM crew and talk on the phone to a few others. So I am still in touch with them.

If you worry about what some who know you might think about your blog then be careful what you write. Me, I could care less and will write what I want/feel.

And that is, as they say, the end of that