Has anybody here seen my old friend...

     Has anybody here seen my old friend Jim the Blogger?  Can you tell me where he's gone?  He wrote a lot of blogs once, but it seems he's gone quiet...  I just looked around and he's gone!  My apologies to Dion (never knew he sang Abraham, Martin and John) but I like to use song lyrics to introduce my blogs. So, in that vein...

    Please allow me to re-introduce myself...  I'm a man of  words on a page.  I've been around for a lot of blogs... Shared stories of happiness and rage .  Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name... But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game...(blog).  Sorry, Mick but it was too apropos this time.  I guess we'll call this "Sympathy for the Blogger."  

     Okay...enough with the massacred song lyrics.  I am back to recap the last few months of life here in sunny (very sunny) Arizona.  When last I wrote you (August), I was celebrating a year at the Hyatt and a new woman in my life (Nancy)...  I am pleased to announce that I am still at the Hyatt with a kick ass schedule...(Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) and Nancy and I are still together.  The weather has gone from blistering 100+ and some pretty vicious storms (with some serious flooding) to the absolute paradise that is the next 7-8 months.  The weather change wasn't gradual this year... a tropical storm (yes, a tropical storm in the desert!) named Rosa came from California and dumped a crap load of rain on the Valley and swept the heat away.  We went from 100 degrees to mid-80's in less than a week and it has stayed like this...(Thank you, Rosa!!).  So, as snow begins to fall on the and rest of the country, I am blessed with high 70's during the day and mid 50's overnight...It's time for shorts and sweatshirts!   The golf courses are done with over seeding and are lush and green and open for business.  I am off on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday every week (Thanks, Boss!).  But the best news is that Nancy and I are still together...  it has been a great experience getting to know her and hanging out together and discovering this great place we live in.  I look forward to every time I see her.  In fact, tomorrow we will be celebrating 5 months together and I feel really good letting the blog world know that we are looking for a place to live together and hope to move in to a place soon...(don't look now, but it looks like someone is growing up and becoming an adult!).  But don't worry, I still have the mind of a child...

     So, that is exciting news...after 10 years here in Arizona (Nov.15--Happy Birthday to Cathy Daddy and Molly!) I am still embarking on new adventures and new challenges...moving into a new place...(wherever it may be) moving in with my girl, Nancy...working at a job I truly love to do...(the 4 days off a week is pretty nice too).  I needed to get back in touch with all of you because I am truly blessed right now and I wanted to share that with my blog family...My health is great (considering all the years I spent trying to kill myself with booze and drugs)... I have found a church and have been attending on Sundays with Nancy... (when work will allow).  It's a Methodist Church here in Tempe (I like to call it "Catholic Light"-- all the religion without the guilt!).  It's nice to be involved in a church again.  I have never lost my relationship with God...(He has blessed me beyond belief) but it feels good to visit Him at His house.  My golf game is also beyond belief...(I still can't putt but it's better now than it ever was) and my scores are consistently in the lower to mid-70's (now I can try and beat the temperature!),  Sheba, the cat (aka Mrs. Wafflepuss) is alive and well...although she doesn't like Nancy...(jealous cat that she is).

     It really feels good to get the blog going again...I hope that all of you are doing as well as I am and I send warmth and sunshine your way...(I sure do have a lot to spare these days).  God Bless you all!  I'm back! Back in a blogging groove! And baby, you'd better believe...I'm back! Back in a blogging groove!  Back in a blogging mood!  See Ya!!

One of these nights...

                                              One of these nights, one of these crazy old nights
                                        We're gonna find out, pretty mama, what turns on your lights
                                                 The full moon is calling, the fever is high
                                                And the wicked wind whispers and moans
                                               You got your demons, you got your desires
                                                          Well, I got a few of my own

     And one of those demons is working the night shift...Here I am at 1:15 am on a Monday...(I don't usually work on Monday as you well know) doing my security thing.  One of the night crew called off and a group text went out and I volunteered to work. What makes this shift so special is that it followed 4 hours of trauma training from 1-5 pm.  So basically, it's a 18 hour day at work...(4 hours of training--2 hours downtime-12 hour shift).  Yes, I am a crazy man but the call of overtime pay is still strong.  Green fees will be going up in September, so a few extra shifts now and then will cover the increase.

     The trauma training was very interesting.  In these times we live in, training for a possible active shooter event (both before it occurs and how to help after it's over) is essential.  The training we received is the same training given to Police Departments and Firemen and EMT's (though not as specialized). We are First Responders  here at the resort.  We know the location better than anyone and are needed to make sure the EMT's and Fire Dept. get to the victims quickly and safely.  We are the first on the scene in an emergency.  I'm no hero, but I'm not afraid to do my job and properly trained I will get in there and do what I can to help.  The techniques and methods I learned today...(especially those needed to remain calm in the face of possible mass casualties) could possibly save a life (including my own).  Old dogs can learn new tricks...

     I am coming up on my 1 year anniversary with Hyatt this week (8/8) and that means VACATION TIME! I told you...(or I didn't) that I was heading back to Aruba in December to visit with Toni Ann and Bob and Nancy accepted my invitation to come along...(a week on a Caribbean island...tough decision to make).  I have stayed in a timeshare and a resort hotel so this trip we're going to use Airbnb and stay in someone's apartment.  I'm really glad Nancy is coming with me.  I always want to show off MY island and she has never been there.  Plus, it's been too long since I have visited with Toni Ann and Bob.  Can't think of a better way to spend a vacation than laying on the beach with good friends and my girl!

     It's 3:45 am and I'm still awake and ready to go on my second patrol.  I need to "just say no" when a night shift becomes available, but it still has a hold on me.  Old habits die hard...(alcohol, drugs, and night shift).  At least I won't have to go to NSA (night shift anonymous) because there is no way I will have a relapse and become addicted to working overnights...Oh no,  I am a day walker.  It is sunshine and getting home on the same day I started for this man...but every once in a while...

Living the Dream...

     Hello, and greetings from the blogosphere...it is your intrepid blogger coming at you from the monsoon soaked environs of the Great Southwest.  If you pay attention to the Weather Channel, you know that it has been brutally hot here in Arizona...(I like it, which explains a great deal of where my heads at!).  We topped out at 116 last week with an added dash of humidity...(not like the kind of humid I remember from the East Coast but enough to notice).  It made for some adventurous patrols around the property at the job, but again...I love the heat.  Give me 115 with a sun that feels like it's touching your shoulder over 2 degrees with a negative windchill and a foot of snow any day...So back to the monsoon soaked environs.I was having lunch with my old boss in Scottsdale and some ominous clouds appeared as I was leaving to come home.  I got on the 101 and the real fun started...HABOOB! (Arabic for duststorm).  By the time I entered the highway you couldn't see 100 feet ahead of you and it got thicker as I drove on.  The exit signs that I knew were there appeared out of the dust as you reached them and the traffic slowed to about 30 mph (on a road where 70 is laughed at and rarely the speed of choice).  About halfway down the 101 toward Tempe the rain...(yes, I said rain!) started mixing with the dust making it a little more fun.  At that point I exited the freeway and took to the side roads...("Backroads" Bob, my father, would have proud).  It was then that the dust dissipated and torrential rains came...(finally got to use those windshield wipers I replace and never use).  Trees down, instant flooding and morons...(the other drivers) littered the roads but I managed to get home in one piece...(a 30 minute drive took me 1 hr and 45 mins).  The rain stopped by the time I got to the apartment but the rainfall probably doubled our yearly average.  The best thing is the temp right now is 78 and the air smells of the wet desert...(a scent that I have come to enjoy but rarely get to smell except during monsoon season).

     More news on the new Door...from this moment on she will be called Nancy (which is good because that's her name).  She and I have been dating for about a month and its pretty terrific.  She's funny and smart and can handle all the craziness that makes yours truly such an interesting character.  I truly enjoy spending time with her and hope to continue to do so.  I will keep you posted.

     I am venturing to Virginia and Pennsylvania this weekend to visit my Sister and her family and the Sloca Nation reunion.  Having extended days off makes getting time to travel a heck of a lot easier.  My co-workers and I cover each other's shifts whenever someone needs some time off, so getting a weekend now and then is possible.  It will be good to see my nieces because Vee didn't have the chance to come to Phoenix this year for Comic Fest.  And I haven't seen Nat in ages...(at least it feels that way).  Getting together with the Cousins et al... in Pennsylvania is always an adventure and I'm glad to be able to go this year.  The extended family is extending to new heights as kids grow up and have kids of their own.  It will be good to sit and catch up again...

    So that's the latest news from the desert in the Great Southwest.  Always more to come...(because I still have a lot to say).  God Bless you all. See you next time.

So this is what having a "life" is like...

     Well, the schedule is in at work...Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I work 12 hour shifts.  I then have off Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  At first it was a little daunting...what to do with that much time off.  I have been working so much in the last few years (workaholic that I am) that having time off is a little strange...(and pretty damn good!).  I need to fill my time off with new hobbies and pursuits and perhaps a little travel?  We'll see where we go from here, but it sure is a great problem to have...

     Work continues to be great...it took me a long time to find my niche in the workforce, but to be able to do what you like to do at this stage of the game is a blessing I don't take for granted.  My advice to all (especially to the youngsters entering the workforce for the first time) is to find a job that you love and hold onto to it for dear life.  All of us have had crappy jobs growing up, but those should be used as motivation to continue the search for the job you look forward to going to every day.  You're going to spend a majority of your life (God Willing) working and if it's something you love to do it will enhance every other part of your life.  Too often we give up going for the dream job for obvious reasons (money, food, shelter, transportation, etc.) but as I have learned over the years it isn't the quantity of life (material things) it's about the quality of life and that includes the struggles to get that quality.  I have now reached the quality portion of my life...(took me long enough, eh?).  I have a job I love and am good at, I live in a beautiful place, I am in decent health and my work schedule is not the dominant thing in my life. 

     My further advice to anyone willing to read this blog is to start saving for retirement as soon as you can.  It's money taken out pre-tax or after tax but money you can't touch and when you get to be my age you can actually think about not having to work anymore.  My boss at the Goodyear store I started working at in 1984 got me to start an IRA and it is was the smartest thing I ever did for myself (except for the quitting drinking and drugging thing).  I can honestly say that I can now see the end of the work cycle coming in the near future.  But for now, I going to enjoy this new chapter on my journey.  I'm going to enjoy having a "life"...  Ciao for now, my faithful readers.

Free at last...Free at last...

     Free at last...Free at last...Thank God Almighty...I'm free at last!  With apologies to the late, great Martin Luther King (still one of the most memorable and moving speeches I have ever heard), I needed to borrow this excerpt from his "I Have A Dream" speech to because I received great news this week...My bankruptcy payments are OVER!  I received a letter from from the bankruptcy Trustee that I have satisfied all debts to my creditors and therefore no further payments will be necessary!  I even got a check in the mail for over-payment of said creditors.  I will be receiving a letter in the next 30-45 days from the Bankruptcy Court to discharge my case and when it arrives it will become officially official, but my money is now my money again!  I am overcome by a sense of relief and thank Almighty God (once again) for seeing me through this very stressful time.  Even though I know it was totally my doing, it was a rough four and half year run of creative financing (including rolling change for gas money sometimes and working three jobs sometimes) but it taught me valuable life lessons.  I was able to continue doing what I love to do and living where I love to live and re-established a belief my Father (God Rest His Soul) instilled in me a long time ago...Hard work and perseverance eventually pays off.  And now it has!  I can't tell you how happy I am right now...(it still brings tears to my eyes every time I revisit it and reread the letter).  If you need financial advice...please don't look to me!!!  But if you need an example of what not to do or poor fiscal responsibility then I'm your man!  HALLELUJAH AND PRAISE JESUS! I am alive and well and I have survived yet again.  

     Even happier news...I continue in good health...not bad for a guy turning sixty this month....(Sixty!  Who would have thunk it!)  I never in my wildest dreams believed that I would reach this monumental milestone...(and those that remember me before I got clean and sober can attest to this).  But here I am in the homestretch with nine days before the happening...I still need to take care of a hernia, but all in all I am in good health physically...(mentally, not so much).  I am meeting with a nutritionist later today...(my eating habits in a word--SUCKS) and it's time to put my general health at the forefront of my priority list. Now that I an going to be sixty I plan on hanging around a good long time more so I am making appointments with the eye doctor, finding a new general physician and getting back in a good healthy routine.  Now that I can work one job...(one job...what a concept!) I can put myself as priority number one. With four days off a week...(still can't believe it when I say it) I can work on myself  and live a life that revolves around something other than work.  The golf game is glorious and I continue to be amazed at how it mirrors life itself with ups and downs and good days and bad days.  I meet great people every round I play and enjoy being out on beautifully landscaped courses with spectacular views and breathtaking layouts.  And with little or no rain...(can't remember the last time it rained) I never miss a chance to be outside enjoying the beauty of my home state...(which I plan to explore more now that I have time and some money in my pocket!).

     If it's June in Arizona...it's over 100 degrees every day! Arizona fun fact...we average 110 days over 100 degrees every year...(at the time of this blog it is 105 topping at 108 around 4 o'clock my time). Like everything else, it needs to be enjoyed in moderation...much water drinking, shade finding, hat wearing, sunblock wearing, moderation.  I can't say it's for everyone, but this guy likes it just fine.  The three months of brutal heat is a small price to pay for the nine months of spectacular that is the state of Arizona.  So after a round of golf in the morning, some recovery time in the air conditioned apartment...(writing this blog) I will be off outside again enjoying some heat!

     One last bit of news...(this is for you, Mrs. Daddy).  A "door" has finally opened in the dating arena and I have met someone that I truly like and hopefully will continue to see in the future. I leave it in God's Hands. He steers my ship very well). We will see what we will see. I hope it works out.  It would be a nice addition to a life I have worked long and hard for.  God bless you all.  Talk soon.

Time flies...

     Time flies...especially when you are a lazy-ass and don't get to blogging (which is the reason I started this thing in the first place).  I am less of a fan of Facebook these days and I don't Insta-gram or Snap-chat so this is the best way I know to stay in touch with the readers in the blogosphere...(It's my blog and I'll make up words as I see fit). 

     The new job is coming along swimmingly.  The property is gorgeous, my boss is terrific, I like the people I work with and the schedule is still a little crazy.  I haven't had the same schedule since I started and I've been working 4 days instead of 3, but this week I worked Sunday and Monday and I don't go back until Saturday.  Four days off in a row...(this is the eventual plan when we finally get to be fully staffed).  When that happens I plan to start working on my golf bucket list and a few other projects...but for right now I have tee times lined up and a trip back to Phoenix Comic Fest on Friday...(I will be in costume again.  This year I am going as Walter White from Breaking Bad).  I am meeting up with some friends from work, so I will have some photos to post.  I have also been busy in the personal life category...(Doors are opening, Cathy Daddy!)  I have been communicating with a few women via the online dating website and have two meet and greets scheduled for later this week...(no further information until they actually happen. Don't want to jinx it!).

     I would be remiss if I didn't take some time talking about my sports teams.  The Mets were flying high at the start of the season, but like Icarus and his handmade wings they crashed back to earth from flying too close to the Sun. They have settled back into the middle of the pack and the long season will prove to be another up and down one.  Here's hoping they play consistently enough to make it fun throughout the season...(nice sweep of the Diamondbacks over last weekend).  The Jets...
ah, the Jets.  Yet another "franchise" quarterback in a long line of failed attempts to find one that can  stay healthy and win consistently...(Wasn't Darnold quoted earlier in the year saying he didn't want to go to the Jets and they drafted him anyway?).  What a crapshoot this season is going to be. 


     Lastly, but not leastly...(my word).  Congratulations to niece Veronica and adopted niece Casey on the successful completion of freshman year at their respective colleges.  Congratulations to niece Natalie (sorry, Felix) on her year in high school and congratulations to Cousin Anna's daughter Molly on her graduation from High School.  Great job to all and continued success to you on your academic endeavors. You have a big fan of  all of you out here in Arizona.  I will miss having my nieces out for ComicCon, but I hope we can get together for another adventure down the road.  God bless you all.

Plop, plop, fuzz, fuzz...Oh, what a week it was!

    My apologies to the makers of Alka Seltzer, but I was going for the rhyme in the title...I am referring to the first week on the NEW job.  My head is about to explode with all the new information and procedures I had to learn...(it's still security, just a different way of doing it).  I really need to have my memory made digital...(all my information in my head is in files and on a rolodex).  This way I could recall things quicker.  But I believe there is no software upgrade available for my brain because the system was developed before computers.  So, I'll have to make due with what I have.  It's incredible how much storage is available in the human mind for important things and useless information...(now if I could just remember where I put my keys).

     Anywho...I digress (and who is better at going of on a tangent than yours truly!).  The first week flew by (nice when you only work 3 of 7).  Getting used to 12 hour shifts is easy.  Getting used to being awake during the day is taking some time...(can't believe I have to retrain sleep for this).  The first day I was yawning at 4 pm because that when I used to nap before going in to do the overnight shift.  Getting up in the morning is no problem because I fell asleep at 9 pm after every shift!  But I give it another week before I'm back to being a normal working Joe...(in contrast to the Zombie version I was for 9 months).  The thing that takes some getting used to is seeing all these people during my shift (employees and guests).  When you usually see 3-5 people a night in 8 hours you become numb to the visual stimulation.  Now I see 3-5 people a second.  And I love it!  Interacting with the guests and fellow employees is what I was born to do in this security field.  We are constantly busy with daily tasks and frequent calls (medical, locked out of room, escort, wheelchair assist, etc.).  So the time flies by.  I need to find a reliable step counter because I am travelling miles on foot around this enormous property...(mostly because I get lost).  The property is beautiful, my fellow employees and bosses are incredibly nice and helpful and I thank the Lord I stumbled on this opportunity because it was exactly what I needed to recharge the batteries.

     Got to go now...I have a tee time (what else is new?).  Don't have a regular schedule yet but I will only be the FNG (Effing New Guy) for 2 weeks before a another new employee joins the ranks.  Hyatt is amazing with offering opportunities for people to move around and take other positions (it's how I got this gig) so new people are moving in and out constantly.  Working Monday, Friday and Saturday next week (still in training mode) and 4 days the following week to cover vacation.  Things should settle down in May with a more regular rotation...(or not!).  Either way, I am back full time to livin' the dream!  Adios, for now...

Oh, what a beautiful morning!

=    Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day! I've got a beautiful feeling...Everything going my way!  My apologies to Oklahoma the musical (reading the lyrics is way better than hearing me sing them).  The neighborhood dogs are barking in pain! But what a great couple of weeks I am having.  I know it probably won't last long but I sure as hell am enjoying the ride...

     First and foremost...Saturday was my last graveyard shift.  I am free again to walk among the living.  I spent Sunday watching the Masters golf tournament (great finish!) and relaxing.  I woke up Monday morning and drove to the new job and...found out I wasn't scheduled until Tuesday!  But it was a great trial run to find out traffic patterns and find out how long the commute will be. I forgot how many people work in the daytime and traffic is crazy.  I got to wear sunglasses TO work! (FYI...the sun is that yellow ball in the sky that appears everyday here while it's snowing elsewhere).  So, I pulled an instant replay on Tuesday and spent my first shift absorbing all I could about the new hotel.  My uniforms were ready... (I get to wear shorts!) and the 12 hour shift flew by.  My head aches for all the information I had to process, but the property is beautiful, the people are fantastic, my boss is terrific, and I got to go home on the same day I started!  I woke up this morning and knew it was Wednesday!  And I have 2 days off until my next shift.  I am on a training schedule right now...(Tuesday, Friday, Saturday) so I'm not sure what my permanent schedule will be, but who cares! I have days off a week! 

     Second...baseball season has begun and the two teams I root for are doing great!  The Mets have won 9 out of 10...(including a sweep of the Nationals in Washington) and the Diamondbacks are in first place in their division.  Of course, I realize it is a long season, but what a great start.  The Mets have never started a season 9-1 and who knows where it can go from here.  And the dbacks are getting great pitching and clutch hitting, even though they lost their best player (JD Martinez) to free agency.  I am looking forward to the Mets visit here in June.  I hope they can keep up the winning ways.  Staying positive until they prove me wrong!

     Third...my golf game has returned to form and I have a new student that I am working with.  I had some business cards made up offering lessons and I give them out when I play.  A woman called me the other day and we started working together on fundamentals and helping her is helping my game also.  We played last Wednesday and I carded a 3 under par 69, with 6 birdies, 3 bogeys and 9 pars. My scores are low, my swing is really good, and she may get me some more students from the league she plays in.  More greens fee money! Cha-ching!

     Fourth... I'm getting my blog back on!  I have found my voice again and it is a good thing...(for me anyway and I hope my faithful readers will think the same).  It is very therapeutic to sit here and type my feelings and goings-on and God knows I could use therapy! 

     So, all in all, its been a great couple of weeks. I miss the people I worked with at the Andaz, but I sure don't miss the hours!  It is so cool to see how the hotel runs from behind the scenes.  And interacting with the guests is a blast!  There's a lot to do but I've never shied away from working.  It will take a few shifts to get used to being busy all day...(after having nothing to do on the overnight shift) but walking the property...(it is huge!) will get me back in fighting shape in no time!  I see nothing but good things with the new job... Living the dream just took a turn for the fantastic. God bless.

The Phoenix is rising from the ashes...

     Like the mighty Phoenix rising from the ashes, the intrepid blogger rises and gets back to the keyboard.  Like the hibernating bear, the blogger has awakened from a long winter nap and gets back to the keyboard.  In the spirit of Easter, the blogger has rolled the stone away from the tomb of writer's block and creative numbness and has risen again to return to the keyboard...(I do not claim any resemblance to the Truly Risen Lord, but the metaphor was too good to pass up).  Can I get an amen? (ok, that's pushing it).  What I am trying to say is... I have found my voice in the desert and it's time to back to work...

     A little background... Eight months ago I went to work for Hyatt at the beautiful Andaz Resort and Spa in Scottsdale.  I took the overnight position (10:30pm-7:00am) thinking that working nights would free me up to pursue my one and true love (golf, of course!) and it would be cool to have the days free and it was still security which I really enjoyed.  Let me tell you something...it's anything but cool.  Sleeping during the day isn't so bad...(everyone else is at work) but the drain on you is something you can't prepare for.  I now firmly believe that the person who came up with idea for the TV show "The Walking Dead" was a former graveyard shift worker.  Zombies do exist!  It's the horde of people (shells of their former selves) walking around during the day after getting off shift.  At first it was just getting used to the changing sleep cycle but then even the change had a profound effect on my entire existence.  I was tired all the time even after sleeping all day.  It was difficult to focus...(which was always the case anyway. Now it was even harder!).  Plus the fact that nothing happened after 1 am... NOTHING!  The boredom and quiet wrapped around me and sapped all strength and ambition from my body.  I needed to be around people and if I was going to work, I needed to get it back to being on my terms.  After all, that was the plan when I moved out to the Valley of the Sun.

     So I started looking elsewhere for employment.  Couldn't find anything I liked.  There were many security jobs available, but it meant starting back at square one with benefits and vacation time.  Then, out of the blue, my current boss asks if I would interested in a job at another Hyatt property in Scottsdale, the Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch.  It's a beautiful property with 10 pools, meeting facilities and a GOLF COURSE!! I told him that I would like to interview for the position.  I met with Colleen at Gainey Ranch and it was a dream come true...Three 12 hour shifts per week (7am-7pm) with 4 days off, no interruption of benefits or vacation time (I would still be a Hyatt employee) and golf privileges during the summer.  I told her I would like to be considered for the position.  She said "When can you start?" and long story longer (it is my style, after all), I start on Monday April 8.  That means I have 5 more shifts on the overnight zombie train.  The count down has begun!  Arizona Jim is returning to the land of the living! It may be more than I bargained for and hard as hell, but it's only 3 days a week.  And who isn't up for a new adventure?  Change is good and so is life!

     I would be remiss if I didn't admit that there was another reason I am back at the keyboard.  Baseball season has begun again (yes, I am still a die hard Met fan and part time Dback fan) and I saw that the Yankee home opener and Mets-Phillies game was postponed because of snow! Snow in April! Meanwhile, here in my little slice of paradise the nights are in the mid 50's-low 60's and the days touch 90 degrees. It hasn't rained since sister Sheryl visited here in February (a visit that I enjoyed immensely).  I don't have a clue how much fun it is to shovel snow in April but shoveling sunshine year round keeps me in pretty good shape!  Ok, enough with the weather jokes...(although I do enjoy them).  On the whole, I return to the keyboard with good health...(as healthy as a 59 year old man can be), a brand new positive attitude (see Job above) and a renewed faith that God is Great and that he has a soft spot in His heart for recovering drunks and scatter-brained bloggers (that would be me).  I hope this blog finds all my readers...(I hope you're still out there) healthy and prosperous.  I love you all.