Mitchellero

Somewhere in the not too distant past, there was a discussion about success and ambition, I think it was initiated by Melisa, and chimed in on by Rocas, Etan and some others.

Why do I bring up the past?  Well, because that's where I live.  Hee Hee.  Just Kidding.

Driven is the difference, I believe.  Some people would call it determined.  Some might call it insane or Rob Thomas might call it Bent.  Case in point...

Last Tuesday, the 8th, I got a flat tire.  Not a big deal.  Happens thousands of times a day, I am sure.

There I stand, staring at Fergie Jeans's wheels.  35" BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires.  Heavy Moto Metal rims.  Tiny jack.  One good arm.  113 degrees Fahrenheit.

What does that have to do with being driven?  Nothing.  It is what you do with seemingly insurmountable odds that separate the men from the boys.  The driven from the passed.  So, I did what any normal, driven person would do.

I changed it. 

Took me nearly two and a half hours.  But I changed it.  And really, it was one of those moments that I just felt that I was being challenged to rise to the occasion.  In retrospect, this really prepared me for dad time.  We swap on Wednesday now, and the very next day is the day I picked up the boys and began my 'on' week.  It would be my first week with the boys since surgery.

Laundry?  Cooking?  Dusting?  Mopping?  Playing?  Yardwork?  Wrestling?  Shooting baskets?  Yeah, all that stuff was more difficult.  But hey, I changed a big tire all by myself with one good arm, so really, the rest was just a cakewalk.

Peace.

What the H E double toothpicks does that mean Mitchell?  In English, por favor.

Hmmm....

As the Ulnar nerve begins to work again in my arm it feels like there is THE BIGGEST ANT FARM ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH LIVING JUST BENEATH THE SKIN IN MY RIGHT FOREARM!!!!!

That's what it means.

Mitchell's prayer for today:

"God, please grant me the serenity not to GNAW OFF MY RIGHT ARM!!!!!  And make the ants go to sleep at night so I can too."

Not complaining.  The alternative is definitely worse.  Just a minor annoyance on the journey.  :)

Arm Hurts.

Typing with one hand is an adventure.

Thank God for Automatic Transmissions.

Tomorrow at 10:15 am (GMT-7) I will be going under the knife.  Apparently, the thenar muscles in my right hand have atrophied severely enough to cause the orthopedic surgeon to say "Oh, that doesn't look good", without even x-rays or the other cool medical acronyms.  So, off I went for an EMG to test the nerves in my right arm and wrist.  Then I got back to the doctor and was expecting "Good news, Mitchell, here are a few exercises you can do and you are golden".  Nope, didn't go that way.

Went something like this (conversation shorted because I don't remember all the medical terms):

Doctor walks in.  Not smiling.

Mitchell thinks, uh oh.

Doctor says, "We need to move your ulnar nerve in your elbow and the median nerve in your wrist.  Oh, and you really need to stop playing your guitar and riding your dirtbikes."

Mitchell mutters "F#(* me."

Mitchell says "That Sucks!"

Mitchell asks "Really, do we have to do surgery?"

Doctor says, "Nope.  You can live with the increasing degeneration in your hand.  Your choice."

Mitchell mutters "F%$* me."

Mitchell says "That really sucks."

Tomorrow is the big day.  Six to twelve weeks of PT and I should be good to go.  Woo Hoo!  Back to dirtbikes.  Increasing strength in my grip, which is mucho importante when trying to hold on to a CR450R.

So, it is good news.  I have lived with numbness in my right hand for quite some time now, shows up when I play guitar and ride my bikes.  Makes for some interesting solos (try dropping your pick 3 bars into a solo, not fun) and some interesting trail rides.  In a few weeks, I will be freed of that which is, like, "Way Cool, Dude". 

:)

Well the road trip to Rocky Point was fun.  Waves were good for being the Sea of Cortez, so boogie boarding for the boys was a treat.  What's the road like, you ask (or, I imply that you ask...)?

Well, it was hot that day (but not as hot as it is right now):

And there is a lot of land between Phoenix and Rocky Point.  Desert land.  Uninhabited land.  Like not much on it but the road.  My GPS was drawing a blank:

Once you hit Gila Bend, it get's really interesting.  For about 30 seconds.  Unless you stop.  Then it is about 90 seconds.  Now, if you are lucky, you can get a glimpse of the Space Age Lodge.  Complete with Meeting room, Gift Shop and Salad Bar.  Which are the three most sought after items in the universe, as evidenced by the eerie shadow (which I believe are aliens in a space ship), looking for those three inter galactic delights:

Highway 85 is even more desolate, usually, and like 347, not much to show so here is my GPS, again (notice that I have increased my speed from 63 MPH to 64 MPH, because that's JUST HOW I ROLL!!!!):

Before you get to Ajo, these days, you can catch the Border Patrol checkpoints.  Cool.  Tax dollars at work.  And if you are really lucky, you can catch working dogs ahead.  At first, I thought the sign referred to the agents, but as it turns out, they were real dogs.  Yep, you guessed it, Border Collies (damn, that was funny):

And then, hours later, you get to Ajo (a mining town), and just as interesting.  See what I mean:

And now, I have to go to a baseball game.  Brewers versus the Diamondbacks.  So you will just have to check back for more of this amazing drive through the desert.  :)

"It is not so strange that I love you with my whole heart, for being a father is not a lie which can be ignored.  Nature in her wisdom has attached the parent to the child and bound them together with a Herculean knot ..."  -- (Sir Thomas More, 1517)

Both of my sons, at some point in their growth have given me a framed version of love written on a thick piece memory stock, complete with their own footprints.  One sits on my desk at the office, one here.  The words?

"Walk a little slower Daddy,"
Said a child so small.
"I'm following in your footsteps
and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm grown up,
You're what I want to be;
Then I will have a child,
Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you."

These two little bundles of joy.  They really have changed my life for the better.  This quest for strong character and integrity, I would not feel them so profoundly if it were not for being a father.  They are the reason I drive a little slower, I apologize more frequently, I swear less often, I fight less often, the list could fill up my allotted space here, I am sure.

Happy Father's Day!

PS. Now it's time to pack up Fergie Jean (that's my FJ, get it?  I am so creative  ;) )  Taking the boys to Rocky Point.  I love the heat, but hey, if you are going to sit around in the heat, you might as well be next to a beach...)