Buckeye Mike

By now I have come to expect the unexpected, especially when it comes to my work. I remember a couple years ago, at 10 o'clock on a Saturday night, being asked to jump in the truck and drive 16 hours to Minnesota for a month long job. I went. Last year's Chilean adventure proved that I could get a passport in 48 hours. And who could forget going from the penthouse to the outhouse in Tennessee last year. But the last 30 hours or so have been a real roller coaster ride, and I think it is just starting. I have been awaiting test results from an MRI I had about 2 weeks ago. With each passing day the anxiousness wore off a little more, as I figured if they had found anything serious they would have called me in right? So when my phone rang last night and I was asked to jump on a plane to head to Seattle, I was all over it. I love that area, and went to bed last night thinking about Pike Place and The Space Needle. Not only that, but with things here feeling a bit overwhelming, I wa...

Today was a day that I really missed my mom. No, its not her birthday or anniversary or even the date we lost her. Instead it was kind of a rough day for me. There are a number of things in life right now that are weighing on me, and late in the day they all came to a head at once. And in the past when I have needed to sort things out like this I would call her. She always had a way of nudging me in the right direction, without forcing what she thought on me or just telling me what I wanted to hear. As I drove from Chillicothe to Columbus I knew it was one of those moments. And since picking up the phone and letting her guide me through the rough patch is not an option, I instead went to The Point. Normally I find great comfort there. It has been a place of great solace for me. I go there in the middle of the night and let what is really rattling around my head come out, as if speaking the words and letting the wind take them somehow takes the weight from me. As I walked out onto the p...

Today was a bit of an adventure. I went to the office expecting to knock out a couple of small, back burner tasks. Instead I wound up on the road to West Viriginia by 9 am. The drive down was pleasant, as it was sunny and mid seventies. A few hours in the town of Nitro and I was headed back north, this time battling winds and rain for much of the trip. It slowed me down a little and by the time I got back in to Columbus, I was ready to relax. I stopped at Purple's, and she asked me to watch a movie with her. Anyone who knows me know that my favorite movie is Walk the Line. Sure I knew bits and pieces of the Johnny and June story before seeing it, but I had a whole new perspective after. Breakfast at Tiffany's is her favorite movie, and I had never seen it. I had read the Truman Capote novel. But watching it, like the first time I watched my movie, I gained new perspective. The plot of the movie is simple enough, with Holly being a New York socialite, spoiled by her suitors and ...

From beating up that kid on the bus that was bullying me when I was 5, to keeping it together as everyone else was falling apart when Mom died, thank you. Your courage and strength through the years has been an inspiration to everyone who knows you. We may have our moments, but you have no idea how much I respect and admire you. Happy 40th to my sister Angelia. I love you.

18 years ago I was living in a condo near Upper Arlington. I was still dating my high school sweetheart, working full time, and was just beginning my adult life. I was pretty aware of my surroundings back then as I am today. I paid attention to what was going on in the world and in my own community. So the question I have is how did I miss this " supermoon " then. I never heard that term until, well, today. I took the boys outside just before bed tonight and let them see this once-every-1.8-decades phenomenon. And they were not disappointed. It was really big in the east sky and bright enough to light up the ground around us. Not like daylight, but like that few minutes when the sun is almost down and the fireflies come out in the fall. They would have pitched the tent and stayed out all night if I had let them. But living in an apartment that's not a great plan, plus my tent is in Chillicothe . But I am still sure they will remember this in 2029 when it comes back aroun...

Last friday nights events have left a lingering theme in my head. If you read the blog I posted earlier you know that the start of the weekend was pretty adventurous, and the words of a friend that night keep replaying in my thoughts. I tried to figure out why they would considering in her context, they had nothing to do with me. But there they are. We were not raised this way. So I thought I should sit down and see what comes to mind as I try to figure it out. When I was younger - I mean a lot younger - there was a place I went to that I truly considered home. Before and during the time my mom was married to the monster, we moved around a lot and never found true stability until 1986, when she married my dad. But there were some rough years in between. Back then home was always 10940 Morrow-Rossburg Road in Pleasant Plain, Ohio. My aunts, uncles, and siblings recognize this address as that of my Grandparents, Mama and Papa Hodge. We spent a lot of time there growing up, and for years ...

March is a month that is noted for "Coming in like a lion, going out like a lamb". Being that my birthday is on the 3rd, I can agree with that. I have often said that the world change and maybe even shuddered a bit the day I was born. But this saying really applies to this past weekend for me, as it really fits perfectly into my Friday through Sunday adventure that has left me in a state of introspection today. Thus the lunchtime blog. So many people wanted a piece of my time Friday evening. Purple wanted me to have drinks on her last night in Columbus before she moves away. High school prom date wanted to get together, and even my good friend the attorney wanted to know if I wanted to have dinner. But alas, in the end, Miss B wanted to have beers and see a movie, and that is a proposition I will very rarely turn down. So she arrived at my home about 7 or so, and we had some drinks and turned on a movie. We talked and laughed as usual, with the afore mentioned prom date join...

I am known for being Mr. Direction. Several times a week I will get a call from someone to ask how to get from point A to point B, and normally I can get them where they need to go. I had one person tell me that she could call me and only describe the trees and I could know exactly where she is at. Another simply calls me the map (if you have kids, you know the map Dora has in the back pack). My issue seems to be finding my own direction. Sure I recognize the path I am on. I know where I am and where I want to be and am trying to make those roads intersect. But I am terribly out of my comfort zone right now. With the medical things going on combined with other issues going on in life, both personally and professionally, I am feeling a bit uneasy about where things stand today. I am not necessarily saying those are all bad things, though work stuff could really be negative if it plays the way I think it will. Personal stuff could go awry as well, though right now it seems to be balanced...

Have I mentioned I don't like doctors? Nothing personal if there are any MD's in the reading group. But I have never been a fan. Sure when I was younger and my mom was working for Dr. Mary Lee or Dr. Hontanosis I went regularly and they were always very nice to me. Even got a sucker or two when I left, which I was sure happened because my Mommy was their "boss". But in the spring of 1990 all of that changed. It had been a pretty good year. Made the Chorale. Was due to play summer baseball. The girl I had been chasing told me at the prom she wanted to go steady (a legendary prom I must say). Not bad for a 17 year old looking foward to senior year. Until my mom noticed a change in my appearance. She told me one day it looked like my left eye was coming out of my head. I told her she was crazy but my mom, the medical professional and resident worrier in the family, insisted I see a doctor. The next day we were in Westerville and were told there was a slight abnormality w...

It's hard for me to believe that it has been almost two weeks since I last posted a blog on here. Seems like just yesterday I was telling the tale of a fender bender while I was at work. Now here we are 13 days later and I wonder where the time has gone. So I guess a recap is in order I started a vacation on March 1, 2011. With the project being all but complete, I needed to take a week to re-charge my batteries. The week, however, has been pretty eventful. To start, Purple has decided to make a move back to her hometown, about 50 miles from where she lives now. She found the perfect house for her and the girls. Filled with character and charm, it has her name written all over it. So I have made several trips to her new home, delivering boxes and small furniture to help set up the bog move that will occur next weekend. Thursday the 3rd was my birthday, and it came and went without a lot of fanfare. Just like I like it lol . Calls from family and messages from friends highlighted a ...