Buckeye Mike

In my normal routine this morning, I sat down and opened the local news page on my Android phone. I look there to see the latest world news, the latest updates on Tattoo-Tressel-Pryor-we-are-screwedgate, and to check on whether it is going to be 100 degrees or pouring rain (we here in Columbus Ohio don't get 70 degree, low humidity, sunny days). Anyway, a few days ago, I saw the link to the story about our new court house in Franklin County. A $105 million, 7 story modern building, it has taken two years to erect this structure on High Street. At some point during the design of this architectural wonder, they decided to put in glass staircases. This would offer another facet to the light and sheik look of the building. And so, the planners gave the go ahead. And when the structure opened this week, that elegant staircase punctuated the beauty of the high rise. But there was one major problem that no one saw coming. And it is so obvious that it blows me away that it was missed. ...

Hello all, hope this evening finds you well. I know I know, it has been almost a month since I last posted on here. I could tell you I have been very busy at work, or that I spent time finalizing my move to Buckeye Lake and getting settled. But the truth of the matter is that I have not taken the time to sit down and write, something I intend to start moving higher on the priority list. But I though it was only appropriate to mark my return to the blog from where I am tonight. As I sit on my fathers back deck, I look out from the table. Right beside me I hear the water from the pool rippling in the cool evening breeze. Beyond that just a dark tree line across the field that backs up to his property. It's peaceful. Serene. Just a couple hours ago the pool was filled with children as Dad looked on from his lawn chair. They were loud and boisterous and having the time of their lives. It has been a good day. Just the latest in a string of them for me, but this one is a little differe...

Tonight I find myself sitting in my apartment, looking at the boxes and realizing another page in my life is turning. In an effort to cut costs and help a friend over a rough patch, I am moving to Buckeye Lake, Ohio tomorrow. It is going to be an interesting experience, as this summer is going to be one filled with all the things I love - the water, bonfires, good music and bbq's. The downside is that it takes me a little farther from my boys, and from other very important people in my life. But it isn't a far drive and I should be able to keep things steady while I am there. But that is not what tonight's blog is about. I remember the day I met him. Clad in a beige work jumpsuit with Mr. Sparkle branded on the name tag, Brad Stefanov had to be the most unique individual I had met since my family had moved to Columbus the summer before. It was 1988 and I had just started my first job, at Kroger in Gahanna. I was a bagger and making a paycheck and thought I was king of the...

Last Wednesday I woke up very nervous. As I have mentioned before, I don't like to go to the doctor's. They like to keep me and cut me open, so I avoid all of that as much as I can. But as you are all well aware, after the car accident I had to get this thing figured out. And the culmination of that was Wednesday. I got to the hospital on time. Purple was waiting on top of the Safe Auto Garage for me, and we spent just a couple minutes relaxing before we headed in to the hospital to report to pre-op. I was sure it was going to be the last time I would be outdoors for awhile, and was disappointed that it was raining. Not that I should expect any less here in Columbus Ohio, but grey skies don't exactly brighten your day when you are already a nervous wreck. When we were settled in a room, we sat and talked and joked like we always do. She is a great friend and really brought a lot of comfort to me as I anxiously awaited them to take me in. The 1:15 start time was pushed t...

Under normal circumstances the last week or so would have been really good. I saw my family at my brothers on Saturday. I saw more family Sunday when I went to see my Uncle David and Aunt Lora back home. It was a busy week at work, with an escalated workload from a weather pattern that had us dodging lightning and tornadoes all week. Those who do not understand what I do for a living may think I am crazy. Those who do understand or work with me are kicking themselves for not being here. I spent a lot of time with friends, both new and old. I had extra time with the boys, which I will never pass up. And the laugh of the week was when my brother discovered that no matter what options his new Dodge Ram came with, it is in fact NOT a boat. It doesn't float. 15k in damages later, I think he learned a lesson. Honestly though, if I cam along the same stretch of road in the same vehicle, I would have done the same thing. Don't laugh, you would have too. A good week, right? Except tha...

It's been a few days since my last blog. I have been very busy with work, trying to sort out what the next two months are going to be like, and spending time with the boys. But tonight, though its late, I needed to sit down and share a couple things I have seen recently, things that have hit home and made me really stop to think. Ralphie and I have been friends for a long time. He has been there through the birth of all three of my sons, through the loss of my mom, and my divorce. I have watched him go from a very grounded, worry free life through a divorce, and then other curve balls life has thrown at him. One thing I always admired about him was his relationship with his oldest daughter. When she was younger, they were inseparable. She was the apple of his eye, and she was a Daddy's girl. She grew up with John-Michael and Bobbi's daughter Brianna, as we got together often for them to play and for us to catch up. But her Daddy was clearly her best friend. On Saturday ...

Over the last couple of years I have been afforded a tremendous opportunity to travel and see things I have never seen before. Before the inception of this blog I already had been all over, from Seattle to Virginia Beach, Florida to Minnesota, and so many other stops in between. I called myself a traveling man because, like my colleagues around the world, we never know where we might be tomorrow. I have had the fortune recently of meeting someone who has somewhat similar experiences. Only, hers are much more in depth than my few weeks in Chile or few months in Tennessee. She is a true gypsy soul, never being able to stay in one spot very long. A native of Columbus, she has lived in North Carolina, California, Nevada, and more places I am sure I have forgotten. A free spirited guitar player, she told me that when she was a child she told her father that someday she was going to live in Arizona. She had no idea when or even where that state was at the time, but she knew she would go th...