Gravity Does Work!

It is never a good thing to hear a wife scream in virtual dismay while laying in a semi-deep sleep at 11:00 pm!! Yes, this is exactly what transpired yesterday evening. I had fallen asleep a few minutes earlier but was awaken by some very disconcerting noises from my wife. My wife was in the bathroom very near the toilet and a very small connecting piece broke off and water was gushing everywhere. As soon as I heard my wife I leaped out of bed and made my way into the bathroom. I did my best to turn the valve off to stop the water but the valve would not close. There was water gushing everywhere and after what seemed like and entirety I decided I needed to turn off the main water valve to the house. This valve is located in the garage (downstairs from the master bathroom). I scampered downstairs and as I entered the kitchen I noticed the water leaking from the ceiling. The kitchen is directly below the master bathroom and it only made sense that the water was leaking from the ceiling as gravity was doing its job!

After struggling with the main water valve I managed to get it closed and the gushing water stopped. However; the damage was already done as the water was cascading from one of the light fixtures in the kitchen and the air conditioning vent as well. I am not exactly sure how long the water was gushing for but my best guest estimate would be around 6 or 7 minutes which apparently is a great deal of water. Thankfully everyone acted quickly and towels were thrown down along with makeshift buckets to catch the water. This could have been much worse and I hesitate to think if this had happened when no one was home, yikes!!

Since we are renting the house I placed a phone call to the property manager whose wife wasn’t exactly to hear from me at such a late hour but thankfully the Property Manager was very responsiveness. It was much too late to get someone at the house so the best course of action was to wait until the morning especially since the water had been turned off. My wife who was borderline hysterical when she saw the water cascading from the ceiling into the kitchen had calmed herself down. I am not exactly the “comforting” type in these types of situations because my reaction to her was that this is very inconvenient but certainly not the end of the world and yes, it could have been much worse.

We mopped up all of the freestanding water and the makeshift buckets were doing their job so we decided to go to sleep. I did a better job of comforting my wife once we got into bed and we both smiled before falling asleep. This morning since the water was off and all of the “facilities” were off limits I needed to go to the gym earlier than planned. Also I couldn’t do my planned workout because the plumber was on his way and I wanted to get back to meet him. I got in a substandard workout and for some reason my stomach did not feel well at all. I managed to get in an hour workout and I like my new IPod (thanks Mom!). I still have to be aware of what caused the damage to my old IPod which was my excessive sweating during the workouts so I have employed a new tactic positioning the IPod on my arm instead of my waist. Who know if this will be effective but if it isn’t I need to think of something drastically different because I can’t keep going through an IPod every year.

I came home and after an hour the plumber did arrive and his assessment gave us comfort as he stated it wasn’t that bad. There was some damage to the ceiling in the kitchen and the good thing for us is the fact that the landlord shoulders the responsibility for these repairs. We are in the process of trying to buy the home and as fate would have it I made an official offer just yesterday. I wonder if this issue will hamper the process but I am very glad we don’t have to pay for the damages. In any event the ceiling needs to be re-done which should take about 2 days worth of work. Oh well; crazy things do happen and life is anything but boring!!!

Exceptional Everything

The beat continues on as the weeks keep passing in a blink of an eye. Wow life is certainly fantastic in every aspect. The days are filled with work and softball. If anyone is concerned yes, I am still working out but I am in between races. I decided not to run a marathon next month and I am considering if I will run the half marathon instead. My body needs a break and it appears my next marathon will be in either November or December. I was hoping to be able to run the New York City Marathon this year but I was not fortunate enough to gain an entry. I will try again next year and from all accounts it is “the” marathon to participate in. The crowds are huge and the atmosphere electric. I have cut back on the running for now but I am still going to the gym between 4 and 5 days a week.

Last week I received a voicemail message from a long lost friend and I was taken by surprise. This is a friend that I have not spoken to in over 4 years. I have yet to catch up with this old friend as we keep exchanging voicemails. This is nothing new because I have a very dear friend who I have been trying to get a hold of since earlier this month but we must have exchanged at least 15 voicemails along with a few emails. It is interesting because in this day and age communications are at our fingertips but for some reason the personal connection of actually speaking with the other person is the best (at least in my opinion). In any event I am certain I will be able to speak with both of these friends in the not so distant future.

Softball is moving along as we won and lost our last two games. My daughter pitched in the game we won but it was a very interesting game as we gave up a big lead but won in the last inning. The game last night was not very good as our best player was busy with another endeavor and our team seemed to be asleep for the game. We made a gallant comeback but lost in a horribly played game by both teams (more so by us!). It continues to be a pleasure to coach the team and even though we played terrible the girls seemed to have bonded as a team. After the game I gave my post game “speech” and the girls didn’t disperse like they normally do. I took this to be a good sign and I know everyone has a terrible game and hopefully this was our one and only terrible game.

I had the pleasure of attending a Yankees/Angels game yesterday as I spent the day with my two bosses watching the Major League Baseball game. I still have a soft spot for the Yankees and even though I am a Mets fan and have been one for many years I don’t dislike the Yankees. I believe most Mets fans do hate the Yankees but I am not one of them. I am a big fan of Derek Jeter and don’t know how anyone could dislike the man. He carries himself with class and is quite possibly the best postseason player of all time. Sure the Yankees have been buying there way to the pennant which really hasn’t worked very well since 2000 but I was rooting for them yesterday albeit very quietly. The Yankees did field there “C” team but won the game in a very non-eventful 3-2 fashion. It was a great way to spend a Wednesday afternoon.

Work keeps moving along and I have some help thankfully. I found I am not very good by myself and work much better as a “director” as opposed to the person who actually performs the work. I found a very good assistant and it is working out very well so far. Business has been good lately and hopefully we can gain some momentum as we head to the historically slow months of November and December. I am very fortunate to be in the position I am in and very grateful for everything in my life. My boss was correct when he said, “we are the best thing that has happened to you post-sentence”. There is no doubt about this statement at all.

The days and weeks are passing soon enough and these days and weeks are filled with all good things. Last week was the fourth milestone celebration of our Gamblers Anonymous group. This marked two four year birthdays. One of the members has been a stalwart in the program and I do remember this person when they first entered the program. The other member came from a nearby group which was floundering four years ago yet somehow continued in the program and now has celebrated four years with the program. My sponsor stated it very clearly when he said this proves the program does work for anyone in any circumstance when the program is embraced wholeheartedly. Once again I am very fortunate in all these aspects and my life is indeed exceptional.

1-2-3!!!!!

Astutely my mother has pointed out that I haven’t written anything in over two weeks. She is correct and in that time span instead of writing I have been very busy with all the good things in life. Work is moving along (more on that later), softball is taking a life of its own and overall everything is outstanding. I am really enjoying coaching my daughter’s softball team and I had no idea what I was getting myself into! The fall season is “supposed” to be instructional and non-competitive and for the most part this is how I am approaching the season. I have received a few “mixed” signals along the way but I am trying my best to filter out those mixed signals. The practices are going very well and I am very fortunate to have a great deal of help from many parents. This is a huge help because there is no way I could do all of this by myself. I schedule out the practices and the girls are improving with every practice.

This past Saturday we had our first game and I was very impressed as to how well each team played. We came out on the short end of the score but it wasn’t for lack of effort. We had one bad inning and really didn’t hit the ball when we needed to. However; all in all losing 4-1 wasn’t so bad. I even got my daughter into the game as a pitcher and I was more nervous about this than anything else. This is a very big transition year for her playing with and against girls one year older and much bigger. She is such a great competitor and the last thing I wanted to do was demoralize her. Thankfully the opposite happened as she recorded a 1-2-3 inning as the opposing team went down without a fight. The timing could not have been any better since she was facing the bottom three players in their batting order; however; even though my daughter did receive some help from one of the players she pitched great and as she came off the field she was beaming from ear to ear. Last season it took her all year to produce a 1-2-3 inning and here she was in her first game with the 1-2-3 inning, I was so happy!!

Yesterday we played our second game of the season and unlike the first game our bats were alive and well. We didn’t have any bad innings and made quick work winning 8-2. My daughter didn’t get a chance to pitch (I am picking my spots with her this season) but she did collect her first hit and first run scored of the season. She hit a very solid single to right field and made her way to home plate all the way from first base. It was great telling her to go home as the throw from third went into left field and she scampered home. I am so blessed experiencing all these wonderful things in life, wow!!

I can’t forget my son and it does feel weird not being at his games as much I have in the past. The roles have reversed and I am more involved with my daughter but I did see a little of his first two games. He too is facing a transition year in baseball as he moves up to play with 9 and 10 year olds. The rules are certainly more like “real” baseball with wild pitches, stolen bases and ball fours. My son is still searching for his first hit having walked three times and struck out twice in the first two games. He just needs some confidence and he is a very slow starter. He was playing great at the end of last season and I do expect he will find his own as the season continues.

Work is moving along very well and of course there are ups and downs. My ups far exceed my downs but there is something that has come up over the past week that is just one of those things. No matter how far I am from my past my past is still MY PAST. I know I can’t change any of what has happened and yes, I am doing my damndest to ensure that it NEVER happens again. However; perceptions are perceptions and I can’t shake or shape those perceptions. Fortunately I have great bosses who understand and really don’t care about those perceptions. I wouldn’t be truthful if I said I didn’t care about those perceptions either because there is a small part of me that wants to smack myself in the head for those perceptions. It is one of those “it is what it is,” things. I have to deal with it as best as I can and know I am on the right path to a wonderful life because my life is wonderful beyond my wildest dreams. I have an exceptional wife, awesome children, incredible family and fantastic friends. I need to move forward in positive and thoughtful matter.

I did miss a Gamblers Anonymous meeting over the Labor Day weekend because we were having a picnic with some dear friends. The picnic went well and it was great to reconnect with these dear friends. Normally I would be able to attend a GA meeting during the week but due to softball practices I wasn’t able to get to a meeting until the following Sunday. I needed that meeting this past Sunday because it is that connection to GA that keeps me on the right road of recovery. Also I haven’t been so good in keeping in touch with my sponsor which I need to make a much better effort in the coming weeks. Life is great and there are those ups and downs that go with life. I have all positive in my life and I owe all of this to recovery. I realize that with recovery life for me does not exist and I need to stay focused each and every day!!