I am so behind in keeping up...

     That title sounds like my road racing career... Here it is, officially spring everywhere and I will "spring clean" my activities for a fresh new season.  When last I left you, I was in a black mood, complete with a god awful funk that I couldn't shake.  Well, leave it to beautiful weather, a freak knee injury and a large dose of guilt...(at least I hope its guilt) to snap me out of a "poor me" phase and into a "leave the pity party because no one's coming".  The black mood was brought on by sheer exhaustion from working ridiculous hours for too long.  Let's face it, none of us is getting any younger, and working like I did will age you fast.  The large dose of guilt was my bosses finally realizing that Jim is not a machine and needs his rest.  As of right now I have 3 days off (and sometimes 4) per week and it couldn't have come at a better time.  I still work every weekend, but having those days off really rejuvenated the spirit.  The beautiful weather is here and glorious.  Remember when I said I couldn't remember the last time it rained?  Well, it was last Sunday.  March 18 roared like a lion...so much so that Flagstaff received 29 inches of snow, Anthem, which is in the valley, got snow and I got hailed on walking across the street in downtown Phoenix.  It was cold and overcast and nasty.  Then Monday came and by Wednesday it was 80 with abundant sunshine and cloudless skies...

     The freak knee injury was so freakish that I can't remember how it happened.  For those who don't know, my left knee is running on empty (of cartilage, that is) from arthroscopic and micro-fracture surgery.  It has already developed some arthritis in the joint and has been a mild pain in the butt for many years.  Last week, I awoke with swelling and intense pain everywhere.  It was probably a combination of too many hours on my feet and golf and neglect all rolled into one.  The pain was excruciating and nothing I tried seemed to work.  One boss was in Napa Valley for 4 days and the other was in Italy... (nice having me around, isn't it?) so I hobbled around and iced and elevated when I could.  Sleep was a problem also, because any movement caused me to wake up.  So when three days off in a row came up, I shut down completely and iced and re-iced and elevated and rested and knee braced the whole time.  After a week, it started feeling better and I played a round of golf today without the knee brace and I am happy to report that no new pain has developed.  It is still achy and sore but very manageable and I have an ice pack on it while I write this.  Needless to say (never understood this expression) it scared the bejeebers out of me.  It also made me realize that you can't take anything for granted.  It kick started my rise from the depths of despair and made me a man of action, not reaction.  That is why I have updated my resume and have applied to jobs in the valley (and some NOT in the valley) that have medical benefits attached to them.  While I enjoy being "Security Man" (most of the time), if a medical situation arises, I am up the proverbial creek...

     So, I have decided to remain in my current job and continue to seek a better employment opportunity.  If and when a new career path comes into view, I will evaluate it and proceed accordingly.  As always, I will keep you informed.