Saved by the Lifeguard

My highschool had an indoor swimming pool. As part of gym class, all students were required to swim 50 meters, or they would fail the class. If you failed gym, you could not graduate. And since I could not swim, that would be a bit of a problem.

Any student who could not swim had to take swimming lessons. I took the lessons and improved slightly. However, I never mastered the technique to breathe correctly. I could swim, but I had to hold my breath. That proved to be my downfall.

On the big day, I had to swim 25 meters, touch the wall, and return 25 meters. So, I took a deep breath and off I went. Somehow, I made it to the wall. I took another deep breath and attempted to make it the remaining distance (knowing, that if I came up short, I would fail gym, and subsequently not graduate).

I almost made it, but ...

As I was still in the deep end, I ran out of air and slowly started to sink to the bottom. If it wasn't for one of the Hertzberger brothers, I would have been remembered as the kid who almost made it. I may have had a plaque put up in my honor. "Here lies Dave, the kid we could not save.".

But, the lifeguard earned his life-saving medal and I am here to blog about it all these years later.

ps: I did pass the class and I graduated from Chartiers Valley (they never had seen anyone hold their breath that long in an attempt to swim 50 meters).

Rusty's Newest Friend

Over the years, our dog Rusty, has made many friends. There was Annie, Cody, Hershey, and Kiki just to name a few. All of those dogs used to run away from home to our front door so that they could come and play with Rusty in his fenced backyard (and his very own doggy pool). It may also have been to partake in the vast variety of doggie treats that Rusty would enjoy. I think the other dogs saw all of our PetSmart bags and knew that this would be a nice place to visit.

Rusty's latest friend is named Sammy. When the weather is a little cooler, we walk in a field (close to the Snake Field) that borders some houses. Sammy's family lets him run out to the field and play with Rusty. If Sammy doesn't appear right away, Rusty will just sit and stare towards his house. After a few minutes of yanking on Rusty's leash to try and get him moving, he will lay down and not budge. After a few more minutes of explaining to Rusty that Sammy is not home, he will finally walk away.

Our other dog, Bob, is not friends with Sammy. I will write about that in a future blog.

Beginners Luck

My grandfather loved doing crosswords. One time when I was visiting him, he encouraged me to try to create a puzzle for him to do. I was probably about 12 years old. Back then, there were no computers (TV had just been invented, I think).

So, I got some graph paper and proceeded to create a huge crossword that was of course, centered around sports. It took me a few months to create it (it was super-large). I'm not sure how good it was, but my grandfather sure enjoyed it.

That was the start of an on again / off again hobby that I still do to this day. I will have future blogs describing some neat experiences I have had related to crossword puzzles. Right now, I am creating a puzzle for a guy in the recording industry whose clients include Bon Jovi, Kenny Rogers, Reba McIntyre and The Beach Boys. I somehow became one of the most popular 'intenet-based' crossword constructors in the US. Some months, my puzzles had over 250,000 downloads.

A few years ago, I came across a website dedicated to the people who create the puzzles that appear in newspapers and other publications. I read up on the process that desribed how to submit puzzles to newspapers and decided to give it a try.

I had a few that I thought were pretty good, so one evening, I submitted one to Tribune Media Services.

The next morning, I received an email stating that my puzzle was accepted and would be published in newspapers all around the US (it appeared locally in the St. Pete Times).

I thought, wow, I can make some money doing this. I had quite a few that I could submit. So, I started to submit more puzzles only to learn that it is a real competitive market (most puzzles are not accepted). I have had other puzzles published and will soon begin submitting more.

I learned later, how unusual my accomplishment was. Almost noone ever gets published on their first try and the 'editor' who replied the next day has the worst reputation for getting back to people.

All in all, it was a case of beginners luck.

But, it was an accomplishment that my grandfather would have been proud of. Without him, I doubt I would have ever developed this talent.

I do have a website featuring my puzzles: http://www.davescrosswords.com/

The Amazing Bryce

With the exception of last year, my wife and I have been administrators for a children's discipleship program at our church, called TeamKids. We served in this ministry for approximately 7 years. The program ministed to over 100 children each year and we were blessed to work with over 30 adult volunteers.

TeamKids awards children (grades K thru 5th) with points for accomplishing various bible skills (memorizing scripture, learning the books of the bible, etc). It also includes recreation and a story time. The kids can spend their points at a 'concession' store at various times during the 8 month program.

At the end of the year, the TeamKids are recognized during a Sunday evening service. At one of these recognitions, an amazing event occured.

During the service, selected Teamkids would read a bible verse they had memorized. One little boy (who was in kindergarten), Bryce tried to read his verse, but he got nervous and started to cry. Poor little kid. All the other kids did well.

At the end of the servive, the pastor asked Bryce's parents if he wanted to try again. He came up on stage and the pastor put his arm around him and helped him get started on his verse. What happened next still gives me a thrill.

Bryce had not memorized one verse, but an entire chapter within Psalms. As he repeated verse after verse, I watched the people in the congregation. They were stunned, because they assumed this little boy was just trying to repeat a little verse.

It took Bryce several minutes to repeat all the verses (there had to have been close to 50 verses).

Anyway, when he was finished, he got a standing ovation.

It was an amazing thing to witness. It was also convicting. I need to get back to scripture memorization.

Snake Field

One of the few places I can take my dogs for a walk is the "Snake Field". It is called that for obvious reasons. I have only seen a few over the years and none have been 'bad snakes'.

Of course, the grass is so high right now, that I could be walking next to them without knowing it.

The field can be seen from I-75 as you drive south (between Bruce B Downs and Fletcher).

The other places I walk the dogs are mostly in woody areas where the mosquitoes are waiting for any dumb person to walk along. Hopefully, they will die off soon.

So, two or three times a day, I load the dogs into the car and drive to the field.

Rusty, the retriever, does not have to be on a leash. He has slowed down enough where I could catch him if he started to run after something. The other dog, Bob, is walked with a leash. This is because, the one time we let him roam, he got a sharp 'burr' on his paw and when he tried to bite it off, it got stuck under his tongue. He needed to have a mini-procedure to have it removed.

The funny thing about the walk is that Rusty will take a few steps into the field and then just roll on his back for about 10 minutes, or just enough time for me to walk Bob down the field and back to Rusty. (Not much excerise for the overweight Rusty).

Rusty has always loved to roll on his back. He seems to be smiling the whole time. He especially loves to find Armadillo 'waste'. He will roll in that until we have to force him away from it. He gets a bath after those adventures.

Working from Home

A lot of people would love to work from home. It does have it's benefits. But, having worked from home (for three consecutive years) while I was with Verizon, I prefer going into the office.

Having just worked a 12 hour+ day with my new job, I was reminded that you tend to work a lot more hours at home. When I was with Verizon, I had support duties that were almost around the clock (besides developing new systems). So, it was normal for me to keep the computer on from morning to late at night. The PC almost became physically attached to me.

Also, you lose the human contact when you work from home. My two main companions when I worked from home were Bob and Rusty (the dogs). They loved it. My breaks were centered around their walks, meals, and playtime.

I have been fortunate that I have had great and fun people to work with since I 'retired' from Verizon.

Going into the office is something I look forward to.

Although, having the option to work from home now and then is nice. I may even consider asking if I can do it once a week.

Triple 20

Over the past few weeks, a few of the guys from work have ventured out on a Friday evening for some golf, pool, and darts. The excursions have been a lot of fun. This past Friday was no exception.

Marbert, Mark, and myself started off at the driving range. Due to extreme heat, we only hit one Pro size bucket of balls (around 50 each).

Marbert had his 'bat club' with him and he did pretty good (especially, near the end of his ball supply).

Mark, on the other hand struggled. He blamed it on his recent cruise where he was not able to find time to practice his swing. He got so desparate that he made a point of saying that he would call my ex-golf-coach, Javier, to make an appointment. I will write a future blog about Javier, but to give you an idea on how bad he is. If Tiger Woods took lessons from him, he would have to give up golf and get a job at Busch Gardens, working with real tigers.

After golf, we went to Peabody's where they have pool tables and dart boards.

Mark and I arrived and had time to play a game while we waited for Marbert. We thought maybe he was intimitated since I had beaten him the last time we played. But, he eventually showed up.

We played some games and I admit Marbert did pretty good. He did lose to Mark during one exciting game. Mark's strategy was to let Marbert make every ball and then scratch on the 8-ball.

After pool (and some wings and fries), we decided to finish the evening with a game of darts.

Due to a mixup with the game instructions, only two players could play (Mark sat out). He may have been trying to call Javier (I'm not sure).

Anyway, Marbert and his 'pitching-arm' dart throw jumped out to a huge lead. He was bragging pretty good. I cut into the lead and was down by 80 when I stepped up to throw my last 3 darts. After the first dart, I was down by 61 and know that I needed the hardest score to get (a TRIPLE-TWENTY). I aimed and somehow scored 60 points. For my last dart, I closed my eyes and let it fly (knowing that only a score of 1 would prevent me from winning).

After the winning toss, I turned around to see Marbert's expression. He was gone. I asked Mark where he went. He said, he ran out just as I was starting my turn. It turns out, he had to make an emergency trip to the bathroom. Something, about a bad omelet he had across the street that morning.

Mark and I waited about 10 minutes before Marbert emerged. It took some convincing from Mark, but Marbert finally accepted his defeat.

I still think he knew he would lose and was in hiding.

A Different Kind of Fathers Day

This will be my first Father's Day where I won't be able to call my dad and wish him a Happy Father's Day. I will miss doing that. He passed away last December and it still seems unreal.

We used to call each other at least once a week. We both enjoyed sports and would talk about the teams in Pittsburgh. Since his death, the Steelers and Penguins have both won championships and his favorite team, the Pitt Panthers, advanced deep into the NCAA basketball tournament. We would have talked for hours about those events.

He was a good man with many good qualities. He loved to serve the community and he was recently honored by his local township for the work he did to have a major bridge repaired.

He had his faults. We all do (except my mom). As kids, we think our parents are perfect. As we get older, we start to see their flaws.

What I try to do is learn from the mistakes they have made and take the good qualities and try to apply those to my life.

Anyway, I will miss my dad today. I sure loved him.

Very Pleasant?

When I went to new Eye Doctor, I was able to read the referral from the first doctor.

I was pleased when I read that I was referred to as a 'very pleasant man'. I thought, oh, that was nice of her. Especially, since, I had acted a little upset when she told me the 'retinal detachment' news minutes after telling me 'everything was progessing normally'.

Anyway, as I was having my eyes checked by an assistant (before seeing the Eye Doctor), I mentioned to her (as she was writing notes), to make a note that I was a very pleasant patient.

She laughed and proceeded to tell me that ALL patient referrals have the identical language. I guess there is a standard form they all use.

I had a good laugh.

And here I thought I was special.

Vision Update (2nd Opinion)

Visited a new vision doctor today to get a second opinion.

He looked at my eyes and felt that the first doctor had sealed the 'retinal tear/detachment' in my left eye.

He thought the right eye may need some future preventitive maintenance.

He scared me a little by saying that I could lose vision in my left eye at any time. If that happened, it could be restored with some other surgery. But when, I asked more questions, he said that losing vision was an unlikey scenario.

Overall, he was optimistic. I go back in two weeks for another followup.

To be continued ...

A True Ghost Story

I moved to Florida in October of 1986. I remember leaving Pittsburgh during a snow shower and arriving in Florida 18 hours later (in bright sunshine). There was at least a 60 degree temperature change. I said, "I could get used to this".

I lived in Clearwater with some friends before moving to Tampa to be closer to my job. My first stop was the Woodlands Apartments on Habana Avenue. It was convienently located near Tampa Stadium. Back then, people were giving away their Buc's tickets, so I was able to attend quite a few games.

I made friends at the apartment complex and enjoyed apartment living (until, someone tried to break-in to my first floor apartment). Hanging out by the pool was the number one activity during the day and going to various night spots was the evening activity.

I remember one night, some people got into a religious discussion. One person was an athiest who was making fun of Christians and questioning their beliefs. I wanted to speak out but didn't. I had grown up in a Lutheran church, but was not really a Christian at the time (that's a story for a future blog).

Anyway, that night, I went to sleep, but I was awoken by a noise coming from my closet. I got up and walked towards the closet. I made sure I was 100% awake. I spent about a minute listening to the sounds coming from the closet. It sounded like metal hangers clinging together (or, wind chimes).

The closet was a stand-alone room. There was nothing above it, or behind it. I was absolutely certain that the noise was only a few feet away.

I know that most people will not beileve this, or think of an explanation. That's fine. I know what I experienced.

Anyway, I opened the closet door (I was scared, but I did it). When I did, that instant, the noise stopped. Inside the closet were a few metal hangers, but they were not moving at all. They were absolutely, perfectly still. So, they could not have been 'clinking' against each other a second earlier (and, there was nothing in the closet that could have caused them to move). There was nothing else in the closet, except for a craft that my grandmother had made me for Christmas. I still have that craft to this day.

Oh, one more thing. My grandmother had just recently passed away.

I believe that God wanted to tell me something. His message was that there is a spiritual world and He is real.

There are some things that I question that other Christians believe in. For example, some Christians believe the earth is only 6,000 years old. I don't believe that. There are other minor things I question.

But, and this is the last thing. If there is a spiritual world. And I can GUARANTEE 100% there is, than the Bible is true and we are not descendants of monkeys.

So, that is my True Ghost Story.

Believe it or not.

ps: After I settled down that night, I remember praying to God and reading my bible. It was something I will never forget. The next day, I told my family about it. My sister just reminded me of the incident the last time I was in Pittsburgh.

How to Spoil a Dog

If you have a dog or are thinking of getting one, the following is a guaranteed method of creating a 'spoiled' pet ...

The easiest way to spoil a dog is to 'hand feed' him or her as soon as they come home from the 'doggy' hospital. With our dog Rusty (who weighs over 120 lbs), that is exactly what we did.

Now, we weren't intentionally trying to spoil him, but that is what happened. Every meal, he expected to be served one piece of food at a time. If we didn't serve him this way, he got mad and barked until he got his way.

10+ years later, the pattern continues. Fortunately, he only requires the first 10 or 15 pieces to be served one at-a-time. He eventually finishes the rest on his own.

There are more Rusty stories to come (this dog is "king" of this castle).

Back to the Y

Sporting my new Stanley Cup Finals t-shirt, I was glad to return to the YMCA on Saturday. After taking a few weeks off (per doctors orders), I shot some basketball and was pleased that I was able to do pretty well. I'm not sure when (or if), I will be able to play in a game of basketball, but it felt good to actually take a few shots.

After the Y, I went and hit some golf balls (most of them went straight!).

Hopefully, I will get the green light this week (from the new doctor), to be able to go back to a full exercise schedule.

City of Champions (again)

It's great to be from Pittsburgh. Just a few months ago, I was leaving Raymond James stadium in Tampa after watching the Steelers win their 6th SuperBowl.

And last night, I watched the Penguins win an amazing Stanley Cup.

What's next? If only the Pirates could be winners again. Now that would be amazing.

Vision Update

I had my followup appointment today with the original doctor. She said that the laser surgery did what she intended. It has prevented any additional tearing of the retina.

She cautioned that the eye would need to be checked frequently since I had experienced a significant trauma to the eye. I was told what to look for in case of a new problem.

My floaters should disappear over time (could be several months or longer).

All in all, it was good news. No new surgeries are scheduled.

I have an appointment next week with a new doctor to get a second opinion.

One thing I want to avoid is having any surgery done on my right eye (which the first doctor has suggested).

I am looking forward to resuming normal activities (although, that is not allowed quite yet). I am allowed to read again! (that's a start).

That's all for now.

Where dots/spots/floaters are afraid to go

There are a few places that I have discovered where I can escape the floating objects that distort my vision. One place is our tv room and the other place is the Olive Garden.

Now If they would leave me alone at work or when I am outside , I will be happy.

Maybe I need to move away from the Sunshine state to a darker place like Pittsburgh or Seattle.

The Case of the Lost Book

Taking a break from the Vision stories for one day.

Last week, as I was departing my Southwest flight (I sat in the back to avoid the 'screaming baby' nightmare), I noticed that someone had left a paperback book in a seatback.

I picked up the book, but I knew that I would have almost no chance of finding the rightful owner.

However, I found that the bookmark that was used was a boarding ticket pass.

So, after retruning home, I spent about 15 minutes surfing the net (fortunately, the owner of the book had an unusual name). Based on property records, I learned the address of the owner.

So, to make a long story short -- the book will soon be on it's way to it's owner. I may even drop it off after church, since the owner lives in Land O Lakes.

Keeping things in Perspective

My problems seem much smaller ...

Just heard that a good friend of ours passed away due to an apparent heart attack.

His name was Ian and he was a great guy. Had a terrific sense of humor and he loved to serve the Lord at our church.

He inspired me to lose weight. He even gave me his size 40 pants that I was able to wear (until I lost my 40 pounds).

He always would carry lifesaver mints and would hand them out at church (he was a greeter).

We will miss him.

Latest Eye News

I decided to keep my Thursday appointment with the original Dr. to see how the laser surgery is healing.

My left eye is not doing well in the daylight. Dozens of tiny black spots float through the air like a swarm of tiny flies. Not sure if they are floaters or 'pepper spots'. We are hoping this is temporary. They only started appearing after the first 'freezing' surgery. They have not decreased since then.

I wore an eye patch at work and I was pleased that I did not have any headaches.

We are looking at getting a second opinion early next week (if the first Dr recommends additional surgery).

Eye Surgery Update

After having a freezing procedure done on Thursday, I experienced problems (started to see many more 'dots') when I came home that evening. So, I returned to the eye clinic Friday afternoon. I had a complete exam and the Dr said that everything was healing normally. She was ready to send me home and I asked her about all the new 'dots'. She then said that maybe the 'tear' was not sealed as well as it should be and she said that I should have laser surgery to make the seal better.

So, I had the laser surgery (which was very unpleasant).

Seconds after the surgery was over, she said that I had a 'retinal detachment' (which is the most serious condition a person could have).

I don't understand how a person could go from a tear where 'everthing was healing normally' to a detached retina within 15 minutes.

So, I hope to get a 2nd opinion later this week.

So far, my vision has not become any worse. I still see the smaller spots in my left eye. I hope that the new Dr can make things better.

Overall, I believe that things will work out for the best. I feel God's presence through this trial and it has made me thankful for the many years of good health and blessings that I have enjoyed.

I know that there are many people less fortunate than myself.

Life Has It's Ups and Downs

In one day ...

1) Learned I needed eye surgery for each eye to correct retina tears (not detachments). Already had treatment on left eye

2) Celebrated the Penguins victory over the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup playoffs (series tied 2-2)

3) Our dog, Rusty, had a seizure (he is doing fine)

But, life is still good. I thank God for the many blessings he has provided.

More later ...

YMCA Warning

If you ever find yourself playing basketball at the Y, try to avoid guarding any male in his 20's (if his girlfriend is nearby watching the game).

This type of individual will tend to be over agressive as he tries to show off his basketball skills.

Types of aggression include throwing elbows and shoving people.

This has happened to me twice recently. The first time, I shoved back and an argument ensued. However, I have learned my lesson. The 2nd time, I asked a teammate to switch who we were guarding before things got too intense.

Another life lesson learned ....

Mosquitoes Bug Me

One question that I might ask when I get to Heaven is why God created mosquitoes.

Besides spreading diseases and keeping me awake at night, what purpose do they serve?

I just reminded of this as I walked the dogs through the woods. Every few feet, I heard that familiar buzzing sound as they sized me up for a meal.

I know that mosquitoes provide foods for bats, but then again, why do we need bats if all they do is eat mosquitoes? But, I guess if we didn't have bats, we would never had the 'Batman' movies.

I guess I need to research this further ...

Birthday Giving Tips

Rule #1

If you order tickets to a show (example: STOMP), make sure you are not on a trip that would prevent you from being the first one to get the mail. This can lead to the birthday recepient finding out what they are going to receive.

Rule #2

When buying a birthday gift, consider getting something that you could also use (example: Digital Camera, Laptop, tickets to a show).

Bob takes on Armadillo (and wins)

I was welcomed back to Tampa with the chore of cleaning up another backyard kill. Our dog, Bob, took care of another critter. This time an armadillo.

It was a messy/stinky job, but it was made easier because it looked like the vultures had been there first.

I was hoping the word had gotten out to stay away from our yard. But, I guess not all animals had gotten the memo.