We're So Young and Life Goes By So Quick
08-19-05, 9:51 AM

�Is there a Mack Truck running through here?� I thought at 3 a.m. when startled awake on my parent�s family room couch with the plasma television glow�s casting a blue hue and the volume set so low that CNN�s anchor voice became inaudible over the constant reverse warning �BEEP! BEEP!� emitting from my father�s scooter.

In my house, I usually set the television�s sleep timer to shut-off the television while I fall asleep which usually takes two minutes when my head hits the pillow. Over the years, this has become a habit because I find comfort in hearing people�s voices before I fall asleep or I just don�t like to sleep alone. So, CNN anchor�s have become my bedmates � Robin Meade my favorite when waking!

Any rate, the past couple of nights have been �good� in the sense my dad didn�t wake-up during the middle of night and cause a raucous, however that changed last night and permitted only four hours total sleep in two, two hour intervals. My co-worker just walked in and asked if I was hung-over. Why didn�t she ask this yesterday when I was really hurting from the previous night�s binge?

So, last night at three a.m., with my eyes wide-open and my mind trying to visual where my father was located in the other room, I debated about whether or not he required help. Beep! Beep! Beep! Click! (The click indicates he is now moving forward.) Beep! Click! Beep! Beep ! Beep! Beep! Click! �.Click! Beep! Beep! Thud!

�That sounds as if he hit the wall.�

Finally, after a half hour of beeping and clicking, I hear a weak exasperated voice, �Bob!? Bob!? I need your help. Bob!?�

Sure, I could have gone in at three a.m. and put an end to this disturbance but my father has to learn not to get up in the middle of the night and cause such havoc. He�s like a three year old. Around mid-night, he decided he was hungry, after refusing dinner earlier in the day, and turned on all the lights in the house and made two peanut butter sandwiches over a one hour time span. It is not as though this is a quiet event either. Recall, the scooter�s warning sounds � BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!? It becomes very annoying.

The mirror at the end of the hall reflects my half-closed eyes and a swollen, sleepy face as I drag myself down the hall to find Dad not resting in bed but stuck between the bed and his scooter. He is dressed in a t-shirt, no pants and his �Depends� undergarment on the other side of the scooter. Over the past two years, I�ve learned not to question how he gets himself in these situations. At one time, my father was infallible and his stellar character was set high upon a pedestal. Now, I see the vulnerability and character flaws. How can you not when you have to lift a half-naked, sixty-two year man off the floor who is dead weight and dependent upon everyone for his care?

Most likely, when I return from work today, his memory will not recall last night. He�ll believe he slept soundly throughout the night.

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Received a return email from the H.R. Director that the �next step� will take two weeks and I�m still being considered.

Nothing from the Cayman Islands, yet. Man, I would love to work there!

Otherwise, work is going well and projects are being constructed. Recognition from Councilmen with glowing reviews are starting to flow to my bosses who in turn are loosening the leash.

I find myself tempted to write/call old girlfriends but that is deemed a pathetic action of loneliness. So, I don�t. I�m curious though as to what they are doing, hence I try to find pieces of information by Google-ing.

Last December I created a personal finance budget on a spreadsheet when gas was $1.43. I recall noting that this was a �high price� and if it were to go any higher, I can�t afford to live on what I�m being paid. Guess what? This morning the price is $2.69. Bank account � negative. Sad.

The National Geographic Channel and History Channel have become one of my favorite as shows are tracing the origin of man. It is amazing how our thoughts are caught up in the present. Considering we evolved over millions of years, it�s amazing how fast technology developed over the past 50 to 100. Just think far we�ve come since stone tools? Modern man, we�re so young and life goes by so quick.

Yesterday - Tomorrow