tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36563017141120331842024-03-13T11:24:22.920-07:00Ramblings from the Afternoon TideRead about the misadventures of a sped high school teacher in Savannah, GA as he sails through the exciting seas of committment, marriage with step-kids, some tour guiding while he attempts to break into the world of professional storytelling and the occasional act of piracy.Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-61745630540970995602018-03-10T10:30:00.002-08:002018-03-10T10:30:36.659-08:00Help Robby Richardson Catch a Kidney<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGB78KCpUIU/WqQep8ywgiI/AAAAAAAABTE/bWhwar-ccsoF3X2pp3FsZY7oKq9can3nwCLcBGAs/s1600/robby%2Bkidney%2Bdoor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="751" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fGB78KCpUIU/WqQep8ywgiI/AAAAAAAABTE/bWhwar-ccsoF3X2pp3FsZY7oKq9can3nwCLcBGAs/s640/robby%2Bkidney%2Bdoor.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My name is Robby Richardson. I need a kidney. Since 2006,
I have been on dialysis, and now I’ve made the decision to begin the transplant
process. After much discussion with my family, I’m seeking out a living donor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have explored my options for some time. My reasons for
seeking a live donor can best be summed up by this taken directly from the web
page of the National Kidney Foundation: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Living donor kidneys will last on average
12 to 15 years and cadaver kidneys last on average 8 to 10 years at the present
time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Currently I live in my hometown of Savannah, Ga with my
wife Kim and my two awesome children Roni and Jude. These three wonderful people
are often the reason behind most of my smiles. In spite of kidney disease, I still
work full time as a teacher at Jenkins High School where I am in inclusion
Special Education teaching 10<sup>th</sup> and American Lit. Lately, I’ve begun
to focus some of my work on helping autistic students integrate into the regular
ed setting. Another reason for my smiles--I love teaching. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My insurance will cover the process, so there should be
no out of pocket expenses for you if decide to give me this much appreciated
gift. If you are a state employee, you will even receive paid leave in the
state of Georgia because they support organ transplants. If you go through the screening
process and discover you are not a match, you can still donate your kidney
though a paired kidney donation program where you can match with another person
and in turn, UNOS will match me another donor, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> You can find more
information here:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.augustahealth.org/kidney-and-pancreas-transplant/kidney-and-pancreas-transplant-home-page">https://www.augustahealth.org/kidney-and-pancreas-transplant/kidney-and-pancreas-transplant-home-page</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Just click on “Become a living donor.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s pretty humbling to sit and type all the reasons why
you need to put out to the universe why you need someone to give up one of
their organs. Words come pretty naturally to me and frankly, this has been the
hardest thing I have ever written. It comes down to this--in spite of living
with dialysis (which sucks), I have found the greatest happiness in my life with
my wife and kids. I dream of walking my daughter down the aisle one day, watching
my son figure whatever amazing thing he’s going to do with his life, and
growing old with my wife and spoiling her rotten to repay her with all the
support and love she has given me through this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dialysis has kept me alive for 12 years, but I
am now ready to live and I have three of the most amazing reasons to live for
which I have just shared. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I can’t offer you money, but I can give you my eternal
thanks for making the third act of my life matter. By donating your kidney, you
will have helped make a huge difference in my life. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Somehow saying thank you just
doesn’t seem to convey my gratitude enough for reading this but sometimes
there aren’t enough words so please know I really do appreciate this.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">---Robby Richardson <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
March 10, 2018 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Savannah Ga<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vR_YBuvEIK8/WqQesWth_CI/AAAAAAAABTI/YONqK9p4Mmge7xG1VYAt7B_u-55otPAyACEwYBhgL/s1600/1501641_10204367764329092_4625219414321145424_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1224" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vR_YBuvEIK8/WqQesWth_CI/AAAAAAAABTI/YONqK9p4Mmge7xG1VYAt7B_u-55otPAyACEwYBhgL/s640/1501641_10204367764329092_4625219414321145424_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why I smile so much...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Citations:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.kidney.org/blog/ask-doctor/do-living-donor-kidneys-last-longer-cadaver-kidney-transplant">https://www.kidney.org/blog/ask-doctor/do-living-donor-kidneys-last-longer-cadaver-kidney-transplant</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-38119160018934465942018-02-16T07:26:00.001-08:002018-02-16T07:50:37.621-08:00School Shootings? Nope. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Normally I shoot to be more polished and amusing but I’m
not amused in light of the recent school shootings. As a teacher, I have thoughts
and decided to actually try to share them rather than go to Facebook and post a
bunch of memes., Though in fairness, I have might have posted a few. These are
clearly my opinion and mine alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hire
some Vets to be armed guards<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Please do not hire anyone to sit in my school with
a weapon unless they are a real police officer. It’s a lovely idea in the sense
that I am sure there are many vets who’d be more than qualified and happy to so
such a service. Yet in what capacity would they serve? If there was an active
shooter, wouldn’t they have to stand own anyway? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me it seems to make more sense to have actual
law enforcement on hand who can coordinate better with authorities. Nope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Arm
the Teachers<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Have you met most teachers? The way society has
singled us out over the years, we are on a disgruntled level that makes post
office employees be great Hallmark store greeters. Sorry, but in all seriousness,
I do not want this responsibility placed on me and I am guessing many teachers would
agree. I have parents trying to get me in trouble with administrators because I
won’t take late work from a kid who refused to do it when it was assigned in class.
I cannot foresee carrying a weapon would come with any less difficulties. In addition
to lesson plans, data review meetings, professional trainings, oh, and actually
teaching in class to ensure we have a good graduation rate, now I have to be
Dirty Harry? The responsibilities are dense already. I do not feel comfortable
with conceal and carry added to that mound. Nope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have little faith in any school system to even come
up with a way to manage and finance this plan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me three years of begging to get a
printer for my classroom that I didn’t have to pay for. I teach Special Ed and
have to continuously write IEPS and other forms of governmental paperwork not including
all the stuff I have to print out for my class and students. How would money be
allocated and where would it come from? Where would this money be allocated from
and what already underfunded programs would lose out? Arts in School? Hiring
more teachers? Retirement? Nope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Speaking of which, let’s be frank. I don’t get paid
much and that’s fine. I am not here for a paycheck yet we don’t get raises or
even a realistic cost of living bump anymore. If I see a bump in my paycheck it’s
because I know my healthcare costs are going up. That’s not political it’s just what
we teachers are dealing with: conservative and liberals. So now in addition to everything
I else I do, I could potentially be trained to carry? Once again, where is this
money coming from? And do you really want to arm folks already frustrated and
underpaid?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not trying to be funny
here. Teachers deal with high levels of depression and anxiety already. Nope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to be
as honest and I can right here and I am not trying to be dramatic. Every
morning right before class, I make sure to lock my classroom door. Some
mornings, I just am feeling lazy or enjoying talking to a student and I don’t
feel like it but then the reality hits me,” What if this was the day we have an
active shooter?” I get off my ass and get that door locked ASAP. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s a pretty sobering thought to have but I’ve had it
for several years now. I lost a friend and fellow teacher back in 2007 at
Virginia Tech. Jamie Bishop and I worked together for a few years at a summer camp
and became good friends. He was mowed down by the shooter protecting his students.
I know Jamie and his excellent good nature. I have no doubts he did everything
he could to disarm the situation but was shot anyway. I ask myself every time,
will I be able to be brave like that if I have to square off with an active
shooter? It terrifies me because I want to protect my class but I also do not
want to be a soundbite like my friend has become when another shooting happens.
I have this thought EVERY SINGLE DAY. Nope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What
do we do?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">OK, nothing new here but this what I have from the perspective
of a teacher with his own kids in High School<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I had a nice bit written about removing assault
weapons but let’s face it, you’ve already heard it so let’s focus on what you
can do directly at home: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Listen
to your kids.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> When I say this I don’t mean to spend 30
mins hearing about what latest YouTube star just ate a Tide pod. I mean listen
to what they like, what they do, how they spend their time. If you can’t name
one of their friends, START PAYING MORE ATTENTION. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Make
sure your kids are aware of their surroundings</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">. They are actually in
the schools. If someone is saying violent stuff, mention it to a teacher or a counselor
and you, as the parent, follow up (with email to create paper trail) . Keep it within reason what is reported
because remember teens do weird stuff but if your kid is talking about a student
proudly proclaiming he is a sociopath or likes to hurt small animals, might be
the time to say something. Better to be safe than sorry, it quite literally my
mantra at school now. It’s much easier to apologize to a student and their parents
rather than have to live with the guilt of knowing I could stop something
horrible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Tell
them you love them and yes, this is not normal.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t get any
of this nor do I understand any of it and why nothing is being done. About that I am very upfront with my kids. It’s
not right. It’s a school not Beirut. My wife is great at getting our kids to
open up and share their fears. From this we have usually a pretty good
discussion about all this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s not an easy problem to solve with no easy
solutions. The worst is that so much of this is dependent on factors out of our
reach. Be loud. Make your voice heard. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and
most all, vote out these a-holes getting gun lobby money from office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p>I am going to put up with this anymore? Nope. </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-60745721461006847182018-01-05T10:48:00.000-08:002018-01-05T10:48:20.669-08:00Comcast Xfinity Made Me Break My New Year's Resolution....<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Never being a fan of mathematics, I recently re-learned
the importance of just how serious a decimal can be. On Thursday, while all of
Savannah was out making snowmen and finding ways in enjoying our 2<sup>nd</sup> snow day in decades, I was fighting
off a panic attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTOt9FxZUow/Wk-p4DBZmeI/AAAAAAAABRg/PcrmHrRWoTwKYOfZ7Fc5EcphhrTqFqNxACEwYBhgL/s1600/Yoda%2BHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eTOt9FxZUow/Wk-p4DBZmeI/AAAAAAAABRg/PcrmHrRWoTwKYOfZ7Fc5EcphhrTqFqNxACEwYBhgL/s320/Yoda%2BHouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Calm you will remain on this Snow Day in Savannah."<br />Nope. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> For years, I have used the online billpay through my school’s
credit union. While checking my balance because I was debating on surprising
everyone by grilling steaks if the roads got clear and I got get to Publix, I
noticed I was at zero and my savings account was much lower. My first thought
was maybe the school system didn’t get my check deposited due to weather but
that didn’t make sense. We got paid through two hurricanes so there had be
another answer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Looking through what had cleared I found the culprit. Instead
of paying Comcast $153.40. I had accidently put in $1534.And Comcast happily
accepted it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Shit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before I go any further I want to be clear and fully
admit this is my mistake. I screwed up because I didn’t go back and double
check before submitting. I do stupid things constantly. It’s practically the
basis for most of my humor. Yet when it’s money, I freak out. And freak out, I
did with plenty of dizzy spells and words only my grandfather could use with
mastery. And my Pop could swear with the mastery of Shakespearean poet. “He
quoteth fuckingly”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Kim came in with words of comfort and sage advice. Just call
your bank and Comcast if you have to. Yet the bank wasn’t open because
remember, Snow Day? So I had to deal with Comcast and thus began the follies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> 8Am. I started
by using the customer service number. My first two calls were frustrating but
pretty much what I expected. The first rep said because it was a check there
was nothing she could do so I needed to call my bank. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Sigh,
let the game of ping pong begin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDzwk_UyBzI/Wk-on3pBuLI/AAAAAAAABRM/t16dVcaJ8TcHN_00FABIxRsVOG40jeg_QCLcBGAs/s1600/Emerorr%2Bcomcast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="501" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDzwk_UyBzI/Wk-on3pBuLI/AAAAAAAABRM/t16dVcaJ8TcHN_00FABIxRsVOG40jeg_QCLcBGAs/s320/Emerorr%2Bcomcast.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> 8:20Am. Even
though the bank was closed the online Billpay folks had an 800 number and they
were pretty helpful. The online Billpay rep said that this happens frequently
but because the bill is now in pending meaning the money had left my bank and
was in the process of being accepted as payment by Comcast. All I needed to do
was speak with a Comcast Rep and have them refuse payment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> 8:40Am Armed with
this nugget of info, I called back Comcast and got a brand new story. A refund
ticket can be written up on this problem because it is an electronic check and
not the same as a regular check. If that was the case, how about just refuse
payment as suggested by my online billpay rep? The 2<sup>nd</sup> Comcast rep
assured me that was not how it worked and they never did that. Even though it’s
an electronic check, it still has a signature like a credit card so she’d need
an expiration date to proceed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">No
worries though, my 2<sup>nd</sup>
Comcast rep assured me she had my number and would call back when the banks opened
later that day and we would straighten this out altogether. She would call back
just after 9am. She had my bank’s number and could easily get this resolved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">At
this point, I knew better than to believe yet I really wanted to believe her.
For every 12 Comcast reps I have dealt with in the past I occasionally got
lucky and found someone who was honest and helpful. Even a clock is right twice
a day so some odds have got to be coming my way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
I type this, it is 10:31 am and no phone call has been received. Who would have
thought a Comcast rep would lie to me? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Shocker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vvUbeSivdGU/Wk-oqtr2EDI/AAAAAAAABRQ/fE3Wa58-4Rsu1qXJ1U7yVpiXDmIjMAnfwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Satan%2BComast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="460" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vvUbeSivdGU/Wk-oqtr2EDI/AAAAAAAABRQ/fE3Wa58-4Rsu1qXJ1U7yVpiXDmIjMAnfwCEwYBhgL/s400/Satan%2BComast.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">9:47Am I take a different route and use the
online chat from the Xfinity Facebook page. I had used this a few times in the
past with great success so I had high hopes which would soon be dashed like a
carton of eggs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Apparently,
when using an online chatroom, the Reps go from being called that to the
preferred nomenclature of “Billing Analyst”. I had the pleasure of speaking
with Ruth. Ruth being my third Comcast rep, whoops Billing Analyst. Three
Comcast folks means, you guessed it, a third new story! Fortunately, because it's alive chat, I now can have some form of recorded evidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Hers
goes like this: She can’t do a refund ticket because payment is pending. Once
it goes through, no problem. Just check back later and the money can be
returned. OK, fine. I’ll just check back in a few hours. Between being iced
in Savannah and broke, it’s not like I can afford to go anywhere anyway. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">1:40Pm</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Our fourth Billing Analyst means our fourth
tale in this sage of redemption and refund. I also begin to make the
correlation between “analyst” and “anal” because this is largely becoming a
pain in my ass.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Analyst
number is four is Gagandeep. He is a nice young man who enjoys long walks on
the moonlight beach and also making promises for Comcast in which he’ll never
keep to customers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Our
transaction basically came down to my payment has cleared and he could pull up
a refund ticket which will take some time. All of this will be confirmed to me
via text and also an email of my choice. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">. Don’t take
my words for it, let’s look at how it went down via my awesome screen shot ability.
I’m like Wolverine but instead of SNIKT, I left click….</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Yeah, that was bad by even
my standards. Sorry, but I’m slowly losing my mind here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Cwga5s9Mt8/Wk-k_vmjbhI/AAAAAAAABRI/RLqyGJcm98cVVzp9DT0Lrmk8-KxBnzseQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Gagandeep%2Bconversation%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1326" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Cwga5s9Mt8/Wk-k_vmjbhI/AAAAAAAABRI/RLqyGJcm98cVVzp9DT0Lrmk8-KxBnzseQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Gagandeep%2Bconversation%2B1.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Needless to say it’s a little past 11Am a day later as I
type this yet no e-mail or any form of confirmations has occurred. I was hoping
for the best, thinking a ticket may actually exist w/ hopefully some resolution
would be coming within 5-7 business days. I am such an </span>optimist<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> posing as a pessimist. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> 4:06Pm. The roads
to Publix have melted enough for us to trek down for a quick grocery and wine
run. While in route my messenger chimes. I had forgotten about my message to
Xfinity from 9:30 earlier that morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Ally brings me my fifth and final story. Much like the
Ghost of Christmas future, Ally’s news was about as cheerful. And foreboding. Curious to see if
Gagandeep’s story would match, I went along with Ally and discovered many new
things. According to her, my payment is still pending so there is nothing she
can do. Have you tried calling your bank? There is no record of ticket but do
not worry, if a customer rep from Comcast said they are doing something, it’s
going to happen. My mind flashes to <i>Last Crusade</i> with Indiana Jones on the zeppelin.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2dOYlTkGorA/Wk-2okoqnrI/AAAAAAAABRw/nFsvGu1XSGo2WTSFZQCUb9p9RAhMB_XcgCLcBGAs/s1600/no%2Bticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2dOYlTkGorA/Wk-2okoqnrI/AAAAAAAABRw/nFsvGu1XSGo2WTSFZQCUb9p9RAhMB_XcgCLcBGAs/s1600/no%2Bticket.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> At this point, my awesome wife, Kim, stepped in and set
me straight. My money situation with Comcast was doing nothing but making me lose my mind. Just wait until
tomorrow when my bank is open and they’ll help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Kim was right, as she usually is. I had let the day get away from me with
nothing to show for it. With the exception of my half of the mortgage, all my
bills were covered with overdrafts from savings so I’m ok for the next few
days. I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of using my credit cards to get gas and
basic stuff but I’m frugal so we’ll be fine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> I turned the rest of my day around seeing that I couldn’t
fix anything. Kim and I drank some cocktails and sat with the kids. Kim made her amazing pasta with chicken sausage & sundried tomato cream sauce. We went to bed
early snuggled up warm and cozy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Kim gets up for the Morning shift early so I usually wake
up after she leaves, read a bit, grab some water, check my texts, then go back
and crash for a few hours. This was waiting for me on my messenger. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--J-C6hICZ08/Wk-5gwromBI/AAAAAAAABR8/6IHa6yDimHQiJ5NUZt9gfuwI2knw--HdwCLcBGAs/s1600/Comcast%2BHow%2Bwe%2Bdo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="611" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--J-C6hICZ08/Wk-5gwromBI/AAAAAAAABR8/6IHa6yDimHQiJ5NUZt9gfuwI2knw--HdwCLcBGAs/s1600/Comcast%2BHow%2Bwe%2Bdo.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In my defense, I never used profanity....<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> There is a certain amount of skill that goes into doing a
job poorly while at the same time having enough hubris about that poor
performance to solicit reviews expecting praise. Now I know how it feels to
work in the White House Press Corps. Odds are high that Sarah Sanders could get
a pretty swank job with Comcast Xfinity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the bright side,
while I am frustrated. I never totally lost it. Sure, I got a tad snarky but
the old Robby would have come out with a profanity laced sarcastic response.
Instead I went just went with terse and biting. Its days like this where I
switch to <i>Wrath of Khan</i> Kirk mode and
fight the “No-win” scenario.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In closing I go back to
a phrase my Pop was fond of when pointing out how useless something is. If my
grandfather was dealing with Comcast, my Pop would just shake his head and
mutter,”They’re about as useful as tits on a boar, son.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yep, sorry that I
reverted back to Old Robby right there for a moment but hey, Comcast made me
break my New Year’s Resolution……</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0byiOuZBjkY/Wk_HY0AmaII/AAAAAAAABSM/iR20JWEp7O0aIiYrV-BmoxlNNAEZW6GYQCLcBGAs/s1600/Comcast%2BAlcoholic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="420" height="224" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0byiOuZBjkY/Wk_HY0AmaII/AAAAAAAABSM/iR20JWEp7O0aIiYrV-BmoxlNNAEZW6GYQCLcBGAs/s320/Comcast%2BAlcoholic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="chat-message agent">
<br /></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-54098074794857879582017-03-11T08:32:00.002-08:002017-03-11T08:32:35.227-08:00Living with Kidney Disease Like You're Judd Nelson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My new pulmonary doctor
is located at the Lewis Cancer Research Pavilion off of Reynolds. After </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OawI_BNl8Y4/WMQcarKu8GI/AAAAAAAABMg/OA9Px3v1NTsVNUiL1_LHVri4g1AXYidagCEw/s1600/17157768_10209856729909801_568834511580607495_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OawI_BNl8Y4/WMQcarKu8GI/AAAAAAAABMg/OA9Px3v1NTsVNUiL1_LHVri4g1AXYidagCEw/s320/17157768_10209856729909801_568834511580607495_o.jpg" width="153" /></a></div>
my
doctor’s appointment I was walking out to my car when I saw this in the lobby
and it grabbed my attention. I read the placard and was moved by what it said:<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ring this bell </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Three times all’s
well</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> It’s toll to clearly say<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My Treatments done<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or a milestone won<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And I am on my way <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> I don’t have cancer and somehow felt like it wasn’t my
place to even consider ringing this bell. I wanted to show respect to the
people who had fought and earned that right because I can sympathize. I did
take that picture because I knew I’d want to remember this moment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
I walked out to my car I remembered the past eleven years of living with kidney
disease and dialysis. The number of ways it’s impacted my life to trying to
just live normally overwhelmed me: Lugging
that damn cycler on vacations and trips for NxStage, not being able to camp for
more than two nights. having to stick myself with damn buttonhole needles
nightly, the pain from that, not being able to make love to wife when the urge
hits us while hooked to my dialysis machine, labs, fatigue, maintaining a
fulltime teaching gig, missing tour guiding were just a few of the thought
going through my head as I fumbled for my keys to unlock the Falcon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
key was in my hand when that line hit me. “Or a milestone won” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Getting on the Transplant List for a kidney has got to count for something and it's a milestone for me. ......</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
walked back and rang the hell out of that bell and I walked out like Judd
Nelson at the end of <i>The Breakfast Club</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Screw
you, kidney disease</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-25aSUXdqI-k/WMQlRcDFWuI/AAAAAAAABM0/lIeSgl5sSKcxJ9-HNVKAGqMV7od1RzpnACLcB/s1600/Judd%2BN%2BBClub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-25aSUXdqI-k/WMQlRcDFWuI/AAAAAAAABM0/lIeSgl5sSKcxJ9-HNVKAGqMV7od1RzpnACLcB/s400/Judd%2BN%2BBClub.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cue Simple Minds song....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">March is National Kidney Month. Love your kidneys. Trust me, it's a divorce you don't want....</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-87514821959883861262017-03-11T07:34:00.002-08:002017-03-11T07:34:24.720-08:00Back To That Ideas Thing...<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> A few musings ago I wrote about how I am awesome at
coming up with ideas but my Follow -through leaves much to be desired. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, I know. Everyone says they have great ideas but I feel like I have
had some winners. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> Back in my geet-tar playing days, Jeff Doke and I came up
with an idea for a song that revolving around the idea of it always being five
o’ clock somewhere in the word so it doesn’t matter</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ltomgaY9l4U/WMQXboJS2cI/AAAAAAAABL8/2nWI51R8pdIT8NNMU6WEFN1ZII47W_oRACEw/s1600/5%2Bo%2Bclck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ltomgaY9l4U/WMQXboJS2cI/AAAAAAAABL8/2nWI51R8pdIT8NNMU6WEFN1ZII47W_oRACEw/s200/5%2Bo%2Bclck.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
when you pop a top on that
adult beverage, just enjoy. Yet somehow in our best intentions we never got
around to it and was unpleasantly surprised in 2003 when Alan Jackson released
a duet with Buffett called….”It’s Five o’ Clock Somewhere.” <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hate that song. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> Ok, I hate my inability to follow thru. It’s not the
first time and I know it’s not the last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> Take that new show on NBS called <i>Powerless</i> which comes on Thursday night after <i>Superstore</i>. The show feature an office at an offshoot of Wayne
Industries with an R & D crew of misfits making gadgets for people who have
to deal with a world filled with super powers, heroes, and villains. It’s
gotten some mixed reviews but I am enjoying it plus it has Ron Funches who
always cracks me up and Alan Tudyk as Bruce Wayne’s spoiled cousin. Tudyk is a brilliant
character actor but plays whiny jerk the best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zndz_ncbpiY/WMQXd23--mI/AAAAAAAABMA/ORIYiEmHYRMEoIkLDruAjEDqFjbJM63-gCEw/s1600/16864085_10209738614836998_3183825278832924360_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zndz_ncbpiY/WMQXd23--mI/AAAAAAAABMA/ORIYiEmHYRMEoIkLDruAjEDqFjbJM63-gCEw/s400/16864085_10209738614836998_3183825278832924360_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These 3 guys are geniuses together. Hate this show is not doing better.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> It also reminds me of a great idea I had back in my
Snellville days living with Tim Stoklas. It would be a short film revolving around
where did super heroes get all those wonderful toys? Yes, I just went there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> The idea would be framed by two well-meaning but brilliant
engineer brothers who would discuss the variety of products they have been
commissioned yet difficulties would always ensue. Working on Wonder Woman’s
Invisible Plane is great honor but what do you do when you lose the keys? How
do you keep up with the backlog on all those batarangs for Batman? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> The one that always made me laugh was a Green Lantern bit
we came up with over a bunch of Coronas. Green Lantern had commissioned some
special weapon for the two brothers to create. They were having the big unveiling
and Green Lantern was less than satisfied. It went something like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Green
Lantern</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Are you guys even the least bit aware how my
powers work?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bro1</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Of course, you received a cosmic ring from a
dying alien and was then commissioned as an officer of the Green Lantern Corps,
an interstellar law enforcement agency overseen by the Guardians of the Universe.
You protect all from the forces of evil so long as you keep your ring charged,
which is why we created this high impact Lantern Carrier from Amazonian gold,
GL.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">(Bro 1 was the salesman speaker of the
duo. We had planned he would refer to the Supes, his term for the heroes, with
colorful fast talking nicknames. Think the Business-guy from <i>Die Hard</i> that Hans Gruber shot but less
swarmy but likeable)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">GL</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: (seething at the two) Do I have any weakness that say, something like
a cosmic power ring might not work on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bro2</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: (happy to help out) Oh yeah, the cosmic ring
works on everything but……Ohhhhhh (realizing the mistake)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> (Bro2 was actually the smarter of the two but
not the talker. He tended to say things as they were and not very abstract) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bro1:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> (almost shouting the answer like he’s won a
trivia question) Yellow! Ohhhhhhh! (it
hits him the mistake)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">GL:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Yellow!” (as GL points to the Yellow Shaped
Lantern Case) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bro2</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: We did bad…..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GOqOW-ScJw/WMQXg30KY0I/AAAAAAAABME/ync-U834NxooeANUTNrWRtkdXrDUEZ5vwCEw/s1600/GL%2Byellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GOqOW-ScJw/WMQXg30KY0I/AAAAAAAABME/ync-U834NxooeANUTNrWRtkdXrDUEZ5vwCEw/s200/GL%2Byellow.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I realize all our bit was very visual but it never failed
to make me laugh as Tim would act this out over many beers and I know it wasn’t
just funny to us because others would break into laughter as<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">well. Just ask
Jeff Doke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> So why didn’t it ever happen? Lots of reasons. We had no
idea how to make a short movies and what it would entail. Ideas on movies are
great but we had no background for how to create them other than Kevin Smith
flicks. I’d also like to add that with no money to hire actors, we’d have to
enlist our friends to play the parts and while I have awesome friends I don’t
have many with the Ryan Reynolds physiques and I am including myself in that statement.
My six pack abs came from actual six packs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
also came down to where I was at in those days. In the early 2000s, I talked about
writing and I wanted to. It’s been my dream since I was 9. The abilities were
there but not the confidence in which I would type anything anybody would want
to read. Most of all, I didn’t have any confidence where I could create anything
I wanted to hear from myself. The late 90s and early 2000s, I was dealing with
more self-hate and depression than I am comfortable with admitting about myself.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
don’t hate myself anymore. Age has brought some wisdom that so long as I am
creating for myself, screw what people think. I am working on my follow -through
though I still spill out too many ideas to keep up with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There’s
that tour guide app that I got tons of notes on. I am still trying to write
that horror graphic novel where John Trotter will illustrate. Oh, I have that
Elvis story I’ve been running through my head since ’97. There is also this new
idea I had the other day and its super cool about WWII Jewish refugees on the
run where the mother…. Sigh. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ok,
let me get back to you. I still have some work to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One
story at a time……<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-32460961019240835262017-03-05T13:05:00.002-08:002017-03-05T13:05:17.778-08:00The Return of the Wookie? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sehGb415Hls/WLx8FEoI_BI/AAAAAAAABLg/ujfhBAX9LzwP3wU61mnFsiJiW0jJOq9MACEw/s1600/15110511_10153909647236105_5707342362147132508_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sehGb415Hls/WLx8FEoI_BI/AAAAAAAABLg/ujfhBAX9LzwP3wU61mnFsiJiW0jJOq9MACEw/s400/15110511_10153909647236105_5707342362147132508_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> OK, so I feel fairly comfortable that I can sell a
good bit of tees by tapping into all the circles I run within. Pretty sure
those guys can help me out but after that it’s done. And I do not want to keep
hitting my friends up for help. That’s just rude and flat out annoying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Like
I said previously, I need to cast a larger net. I’ve had an idea where I might
enlist Holiday Wookie. Basically, I am pondering on dressing Wookie up in the
nearest holiday, have him say something positive and amusing and see if it
catches on. If it doesn’t, no harm done. I had fun and move on to the next big
idea I’ll not follow through on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> If it
does though. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> If it
does, I can use Holiday Wookie to help me sell shirts. Getting some exposure to
the issue and using that for some good and not just for me to maybe spread some
awareness of how hard it is to do the whole transplant thing. I don’t know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m making this up as I go ….. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GamP_O72CIY/WLx9KoerzGI/AAAAAAAABLk/vZ20pqOIhOITVDQheO4Mu-amyVSknb1CwCLcB/s1600/I%2Bdont%2Bknwo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GamP_O72CIY/WLx9KoerzGI/AAAAAAAABLk/vZ20pqOIhOITVDQheO4Mu-amyVSknb1CwCLcB/s320/I%2Bdont%2Bknwo.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p>Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-49611920748721306512017-03-05T12:33:00.003-08:002017-03-05T12:36:00.459-08:00A Poem. (Joe Milford Has Nothing to Worry About)<div class="MsoNormal">
I always tell my students I hate poetry but secretly I am jealous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of it is very cool and mesmerizes me<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By being able to tell a story in a few words about<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hot water corn bread or making grits with your grandpa<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I only did bad haikus because they were assigned in class<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am older now and I appreciate things more. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Like NPR and watching the news<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SO now I want to write poetry<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I want to express feelings<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My thoughts <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And do it In fewer words<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plus I like to talk about myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
#Isthispretentious?<o:p></o:p></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-28279472871060752672017-03-05T11:51:00.000-08:002017-03-05T11:51:00.434-08:00Doubts? Oh, I've Got a Few.<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Anybody who knows me will tell you I am a veritable
fountain of ideas but always have a hard time following through. It’s something
I have really tried hard to work on over the past few years. So much in fact,
that I haven’t even mentioned to anyone I am writing daily as my form of Lent.
Frankly, I am worried I’ll stop in about a week or so. (I already missed Fri so
I’m trying to make up with three posts today. This is the make up one) But I am
really trying to focus and do this. I want to write and discipline is the key.
My dozens of short stories, novellas, and graphic novels fighting for my
attention on my hard drive are the proof I need to work harder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">I
am working on ideas constantly. It’s looking like we are narrowing it down to
getting Luke to do a show out in Fort Worth, something up in YHC, and the tee
shirts. I’d </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">really love to focus here in
Savannah but the money just isn’t here. Kim covers dozens of articles weekly in
her freelance career regarding fundraisers but they just don’t pull in the type
of bucks I’m going to need. Savannah is the epitome of the model for the 1% and
I just don’t see that circle helping a teacher/tour-giude </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
I got to figure out to get the biggest bang for my buck. One thing I learned
from my days as social chairman for my frat was the bigger the net, the larger
batch of fishes that come to the party. The American Kidney fund will match me
up to twenty thousand dollars so that is my goal. 20 gs. I’d break that down
further into the “how many quarters, dimes, and nickels but I suck at math. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Twenty
thousand is nearly half my yearly pay and for some reason I honestly have this
notion that I’ve got this. It’s comparable to the sword and the stone and I am
the young Arthur. It’s overwhelming. It’s daunting and there is absolutely no
reason whatsoever that I can do this. Others have attempted to pull the
proverbial sword form the stone so why do I think I can raise “Excalibur?” I
have no idea except for this: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There
are a handful of lessons I’ve learned over the years and the biggest is to
listen to my inner voice. It’s that little nudging I’ve cultivated from a
whisper to a more conversational tone since my younger years. And you know
what? My little voice is saying to me in very calm voice, “Robby, you’ve got
this.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
can assure you there is no swagger in any of this like in my Baby Rich college
days. That voice is not arrogant and I’ve come to realize it’s not even mine
but it’s that of the Big Guy’s trying to reassure me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Now
let me get this straight before we go any further. I do not honestly believe
the voice of my long dead father is speaking to me from the Great Beyond. I am
not lucky enough to have my Dad be my own personal Obi Wan Kenobi.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-02CkEb7q3dE/WLxV3_SrTII/AAAAAAAABLE/VC-I5TbNuCIpfD248wL7awZSVN4ezb7jACEw/s1600/obiwan02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-02CkEb7q3dE/WLxV3_SrTII/AAAAAAAABLE/VC-I5TbNuCIpfD248wL7awZSVN4ezb7jACEw/s200/obiwan02.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I just feel
like when my subconscious wants be to take things seriously, it knows to speak
to me I the tone of the Big Guy. It never failed to get my attention in the
past so why wouldn’t my brain know to use this to drive point home? <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
Big Guy taught me and my sister that in order to be successful, you’ve got to
have a plan and that involves preparation. It’s the beginning stages but I am
prepping like crazy. This week I am meeting with my social worker with a list
of questions in hand. I’ve reached out to Harvey who is my friend from NxStage
who has been through all this. Harv is working on a list to let me know
everything he wished he knew going into this. Timelines are being formulated
for me to start setting and meeting goals to get that kidney. And I have a
secret weapon:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Kim.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
personal bias on the abilities of my wife knows no bounds but I also am well
aware I am married to not only a professional writer but someone who is an
expert in public relations, has a background in fundraising from her army wife
days, and next to my sister, is the best person in the world who can keep my
off-the-wall ideas in check with some sense of reality in mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Then
I look a little further among my friends and family and it’s insane at the number
of talented and resourceful people I’ve got to be able to beg and borrow from.
There’s librarians, DJs, nurses, salespeople, artists, musicians, scientists,
comedians, teachers, actors, preachers, camp counselors, computer people, and
just a general gaggle of amazing people I’ve gotten to know and become friends
with over the years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
when I have these moments, and trust me, they happen several times daily when I
begin to sweat how I’m giving up six months of my life to recover. Six months
where I can’t draw a paycheck form teaching. Six months where I won’t be able
to drive the back and forth from Savannah to Atlanta for weekly doctor checkups
at Piedmont. Thirty-six months where afterwards Medicare will no longer pay for
the immunity suppressant meds that cost over a grand a month. A swirl of how
will I pay for this? How can I support my family? How can keep from being a
burden on Kim? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Stop.”
I hear myself say firmly inside of my head. “Take a deep breath. Breathe in,
breathe out.” </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jJe9mYtRTKw/WLxV3YfDqEI/AAAAAAAABKg/mIJe3ObplUYaFIYZ20dtyYooc49NdyTRACLcB/s1600/Breathe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jJe9mYtRTKw/WLxV3YfDqEI/AAAAAAAABKg/mIJe3ObplUYaFIYZ20dtyYooc49NdyTRACLcB/s200/Breathe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
An overwhelming feeling of peace washes over me and it’s as if I
feel that giant hand slowly grasp my shoulder which recognize since childhood
and I hear it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’ve
got this.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Damn
straight I do. Let’s get a kidney. Who’s with me? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-27116812256806274272017-03-02T10:53:00.000-08:002017-03-02T10:53:20.482-08:00A Teachable Moment.....<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">3/2/2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It has now been officially one week since I was told I
would be listed. It’s been nice. I honestly do not have the right word to
describe it. Ok, maybe overwhelming. But still nice. I’ve noticed that every night
when I sit down ot stick myself, I find myself wondering how many more times
will this be now that I know this will a process with a finite number. Somehow that
makes the sting seem a little easier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Had a funny moment in class yesterday during my Am Lit.
Voshawn came up and asked how I was feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “I’m fine, Thank you for asking but where is this coming
from. Very out of the blue.” I responded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Oh, well, Voshawn stumbling over his words in a very
surprised manner. ”I thought you got a kidney over the weekend. I wanted to
make sure you were ok.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Aww, man, thanks, I smiled and I said to him. “That is
really cool you’d ask but it doesn’t quite work like that. I then proceeded to explain
the process in a very quick manner which would keep a 17 yr old’s attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
couple of other kids began to listen because it was getting them out of doing
vocabulary work. Suddenly the back part of the classroom became an infomercial
on Kidney transplant. Not on the lesson plans but I guess we’re ok. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
don’t blame them for the questions and it has never bothered me. Frankly, I
keep wondering if there is some way to tie in informing folks on this in a
non-preachy, boring manner and where I could profit form writing. I guess that
is one of the reasons I’ve started writing daily about all this. Maybe this
will be my rough draft for something good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">#Fingers
crossed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-34328527428355806832017-03-01T14:50:00.000-08:002017-03-01T14:50:45.559-08:00Azaleas<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> When it comes to naming a
favorite season, I tend go impartial. I love parts of all of them. As spring
begins to erupt down here in Savannah with a vengeance’s, folks are complaining
about the pollen. I get it. Pollen bugs me but I can deal with a little of that
flowery spunk because it means my favorite part of spring is coming. The azaleas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It all began with my grandfather. Pop planted those azalea
bushes all over the property and when you’d drive up through the driveway, you
were surrounded in an explosion of reds, whites, and my favorite, the pink azalea.
I always associated azaleas with my grandfather and Easter because this would be
about the time we’d rive down from the mountains to visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> On my first date with Kim, we went out to Bonaventure and
the azaleas were literally popping with color. We drove around talking and
getting to know each other. It was the second time we were speaking face to
face but because I was by the Salt River and all the azaleas, I felt right at
home. It was a date I never wanted to end and so far it’s still going. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> There are several white and pink bushes over at my school
where I teach and I daily making my trek across campus and purposely walk
outside so I can be surrounded by them. Azaleas and live oaks are not something
most teachers can boast about on their campus and I consider myself quite
lucky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> When were house shopping, I knew I wanted certain things
in my yard. I had to have live oaks, palm trees and a few cedars. When I walked
into the backyard of what would shortly become the Manor, I knew I hit the
jackpot especially when I saw an entire side of the yard was just holly bushes
and azaleas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I spend much of my time at home staring out my bedroom
window into the backyard. It’s not very big but it has a taste of everything I believe
represents what Savannah is to me. If you drop by Stately Rich Manor, you’ll probably
find me on the back porch with radio playing and just relaxing while I survey
my surroundings. I’m a lucky man.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_M_xQ0fpzMI/WLdQB2HxwaI/AAAAAAAABKI/n5qu60S-UUcp--SWl_VvFsy-uoEe9EwNACLcB/s1600/16904818_10209765800116613_7635445140339375714_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_M_xQ0fpzMI/WLdQB2HxwaI/AAAAAAAABKI/n5qu60S-UUcp--SWl_VvFsy-uoEe9EwNACLcB/s640/16904818_10209765800116613_7635445140339375714_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-17040052204991338342016-08-27T13:35:00.004-07:002016-08-27T13:35:56.627-07:00<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.08px;">A modern-day, folk hero to a generation of kids inspired by his genuine love for comics, and the interwoven connectedness brought about by his appreciation for authenticity, and manifested in respect shown to all people, from all walks of life. Kudos, Sir! Enjoy your day, and may your next 'revolution' be one for the ages!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.08px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.08px;">Birthday wishes from Woody Hemphill.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.08px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.08px;">Just wanted to keep a copy of this somewhere. One of the nicest things anyone has very said about me. </span>Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-5455433006647915792016-06-11T09:10:00.001-07:002016-06-11T09:10:07.702-07:00In Which Adam Sandler and David Spade Spend the Day with Robby Richardson<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is Adam and David. This is Me </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ssf5uRsOGy8/V1wastD6CkI/AAAAAAAABA0/Ax7dZuHi4HkwuBOjstuOED7pjZrT3nNawCKgB/s1600/the-do-over-2016-movie-review-netflix-adam-sandler-david-spade-pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ssf5uRsOGy8/V1wastD6CkI/AAAAAAAABA0/Ax7dZuHi4HkwuBOjstuOED7pjZrT3nNawCKgB/s320/the-do-over-2016-movie-review-netflix-adam-sandler-david-spade-pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2gzSooI3JC4/V1wZrI63qLI/AAAAAAAABAg/ejbDGj-OJPMFB2QRDykKnf34JBIz1GO4wCKgB/s1600/13235418_10207423751206854_8230718710525091616_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2gzSooI3JC4/V1wZrI63qLI/AAAAAAAABAg/ejbDGj-OJPMFB2QRDykKnf34JBIz1GO4wCKgB/s320/13235418_10207423751206854_8230718710525091616_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="180" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And this is the story of how we met up one fateful day last summer while Sandler and Spade were in town filming a little movie for Netflix called <i>The Do-Over</i>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now I am a huge fan of these guys. I spent many late weekend nights watching their antics on <a href="http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live" target="_blank">Saturday Night Live</a> and I still watch their movies when they come out. When I had the opportunity to be an extra, I was all over it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/RLCastingSavannah/" target="_blank">Rose Locke Casting</a> pretty much ran an ad in the paper which my lovely wife and hard boiled newspaper reporter sent my way back before school was out and I replied via e-mail with some basic info and my head shot.<br />
<br />
I also to had to choose from a series of scenes being filmed. I opted for the High School reunion but also had the choice for Biker Bar extra but seriously pondered Naked Cadaver which paid double and seemed pretty easy work. For some odd reason both of my children begged me not to. It would be the Duchess who finally hit home with reminding me of what could happen if one of my students came across this and the embarrassing magic of photo-shop. Reunion it was !<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tc-VphfHuMI/V1wgrto8FEI/AAAAAAAABBE/1jWDFu3QJs4MEXewpcM1SPiinLBAv7f7wCLcB/s1600/11063591_10205366624779979_5021643795138832040_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tc-VphfHuMI/V1wgrto8FEI/AAAAAAAABBE/1jWDFu3QJs4MEXewpcM1SPiinLBAv7f7wCLcB/s200/11063591_10205366624779979_5021643795138832040_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How could they not love this jacket?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Armed with a cup of coffee and my wardrobe choices, I pulled into the <a href="http://savtcc.com/" target="_blank">convention center</a> parking a little before six. Extras were checked for wardrobe, some got make up and touch ups on hair. I had to bring two suits for the crew to pick for as "my look." Oddly enough, they did not go with the burgundy tux jacket with 70s crushed velvet lapels.<br />
<br />
We were then marched into two groups in one of the <a href="http://www.westinsavannah.com/" target="_blank">Westin</a> Ball rooms where we were told a bit about the scene we were going to be "a part of." We were all going Central High Class of '91 party-goers where Sandler and Spade would met back up after many years.<br />
<br />
As party-goers we were divided into several groups of 12 then placed strategically around the room. I had joined one of the "Dance Floor "people so I had a great chance of being on camera. I had pulled into the Savannah Convention Center parking lot at 6am. I saw my first camera right around 11am.<br />
<br />
Because of my height, I got pulled into a camera which would be directly in the line of fire. Yes!!!! I was thrilled. I also did not take into consideration that meant I'd be dancing for the next 10 hours.<br />
<br />
The hardest thing I've learned after being on a movie set is how nothing is organic nor accidental. While it looks like people spontaneously burst into acts of singing and dancing, it's actually the product of several hours of rehearsal, moving the camera, moving the camera to different angles, moving the actors around, moving the extras around, and hearing the same damn song over and over and over and over and over and over. <br />
<br />
Do you like this song? I do not. I find Marky Mark neither funky nor bunchy. But I was supposed to be an actor so far be it from me not to commit to the role. I can play a 40-something guy party it up at his high school reunion whooping it up. Nailed it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WrG0vp0vjHM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WrG0vp0vjHM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Now for the question everyone wants to know. Did I see/meet Sandler or Spade? I did sort of. Shortly before lunch when everyone was starting to fizzle, Sandler came out and spoke to the crowd. He came off very laid back, almost shy. He thanked everyone for being a part of the movie and seemed <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTzkeQqF4EY/V1wrM0XYnrI/AAAAAAAABBc/PYpIObkwnR0t9cLm4q17R1reDTLSu8L5QCLcB/s1600/DJ%2BSandler.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTzkeQqF4EY/V1wrM0XYnrI/AAAAAAAABBc/PYpIObkwnR0t9cLm4q17R1reDTLSu8L5QCLcB/s200/DJ%2BSandler.PNG" width="172" /></a></div>
more excited to introduce the actor playing the DJ to the crowd than talk about himself. The DJ turns out to be be his nephew who, and I quote,"got all the good looks in the Sandler family"<br />
<br />
<br />
While standing in line to go to lunch, Adam Sandler was sitting on a couch right by us. I took the opportunity to say hello and asked him how he liked Savannah. He was really cool and told us he dug Savannah but the heat was killing him. Picking up that he was busy, I left him alone and went off to lunch.<br />
<br />
David Spade was also around the set quite but seemed to stick to himself. I never got the opportunity to say anything because he spent much of time chatting with the director, Steven Brill, or looking over his lines. He came off a little aloof but not rude in the least.<br />
<br />
I think that was the other thing I took away from my day on the movie set. Watching all those old Burt Reynold's movies back in the day always ended with a gag reel over the credits. It left a impression on me that working on a movie set had to be a blast and a laugh a minute. While no one was a Debbie Downer, I was struck by the seriousness and professionalism given by the actors and the crew. Everyone was beyond friendly and courteous but it was also understood time was money and there was a job to done.<br />
<br />
While there were plenty of moments that made everyone chuckle especially when Sean Astin was in the room, it was never anything like this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TjBuJxOUSSE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TjBuJxOUSSE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
Shuffling back to my car a little before nine that evening, I had to change out my my black suit coat and khakis because i was drenched in sweat from he multiple takes of dancing to "Rude Vibrations" as our group began to refer to it. Sitting in my little Kia with the AC running was one of the most exquisite moments I think I had that summer next discovering Fireball whiskey and skinny dipping in our pool.<br />
<br />
I peeled off my Reunion name tag and stuck on a place of honor in the car. All we had to do now was to wait and see if I'd get my big Hollywood moment.<br />
<br />
Kim and I scoured the first few <i>Do Over</i> trailers as they dropped in spring. We literally went frame by frame to see but I never made it. Frankly, I had kind of forgotten about it.<br />
<br />
It was a late Friday night in May and I was about to crash. Doing a quick Facebook check, an old college buddy asked me if I had seen <i>The Do-Over</i> yet because it had just premiered. It was late but when I mentioned it Kim there was "no way we were waiting until the morning,"<br />
<br />
<br />
Sure enough, around 40 seconds in, I can be seen in the second row dancing and chanting my little heart out. One more item to be scratched off my bucket list. Mr. Richardson has now been in an actual big time Hollywood movie.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ILm5ISjL68k/V1wyxRXV3ZI/AAAAAAAABB8/owHOy5rw-sUj0OvqL4dV3JsIhNe9iRy9wCKgB/s1600/The%2BDo-Over%2Bstarring%2Bme.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ILm5ISjL68k/V1wyxRXV3ZI/AAAAAAAABB8/owHOy5rw-sUj0OvqL4dV3JsIhNe9iRy9wCKgB/s640/The%2BDo-Over%2Bstarring%2Bme.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About my SAG card.....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
It was pretty cool experience. In many ways it was a long and grueling one but at the same time, it was one of those experiences that as the time went on, the work part seemed to lapse into all the cool stories to be shared. And I now have more than a few to share. I barely scratched the surface in this post.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I got an awesome name tag.......<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MY0UKel-ER0/V1w3J346EbI/AAAAAAAABCI/rBqgoFAijdYRziT8hLvMFQXOxKK8XJj7QCLcB/s1600/WP_20160531_16_20_32_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MY0UKel-ER0/V1w3J346EbI/AAAAAAAABCI/rBqgoFAijdYRziT8hLvMFQXOxKK8XJj7QCLcB/s320/WP_20160531_16_20_32_Pro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-76776656670406046492016-06-01T10:15:00.002-07:002016-06-01T10:15:57.953-07:00Photo Bomb Tuesday Part II Johnny Harris Restarant picsSomething was nagging at me while digging up pics and organizing my own for the previous Johnny Harris Blog. After hit "publish", I later realized that I had these little beauties that I had scanned from the Georgia Historical Society several years back.<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xEfLPwBGjVI/V08Tj5nLbiI/AAAAAAAAA-8/iaW7DIX71MoOSgzE-tFGw3vCbvI61fjagCLcB/s1600/maple%2Broom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xEfLPwBGjVI/V08Tj5nLbiI/AAAAAAAAA-8/iaW7DIX71MoOSgzE-tFGw3vCbvI61fjagCLcB/s400/maple%2Broom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's a menu from the Maple Room in Johnny Harris. I am not sure of the year it comes from but if I had to guess it falls long before Don Draper was working in advertising..... </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-O3VuF9CVU/V08TmsRiGFI/AAAAAAAAA_A/7lOpENLPID8goiBq5Ff7Z0phuY7BhjCYwCLcB/s1600/Maple%2Broom%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f-O3VuF9CVU/V08TmsRiGFI/AAAAAAAAA_A/7lOpENLPID8goiBq5Ff7Z0phuY7BhjCYwCLcB/s640/Maple%2Broom%2B1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is there still such a thing as coat check? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v2cU9nJXQVo/V08TnUPya2I/AAAAAAAAA_E/pfCtqI5uTSE-xPBBjFwY7cTPHLO5eNdZQCLcB/s1600/Maple%2Broom%2B2%2B%2Bmenu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v2cU9nJXQVo/V08TnUPya2I/AAAAAAAAA_E/pfCtqI5uTSE-xPBBjFwY7cTPHLO5eNdZQCLcB/s640/Maple%2Broom%2B2%2B%2Bmenu.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">30 cents for an Old Fashioned? I'll take a dozen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Obviously it's the prices that will catch you eye but take a second and look at the cocktails offered. It just goes to show you how the collective palate will change over time. I'd love to see Starbucks come out with a Absinthe Frappe......</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCAkYicNHSU/V08ToHp431I/AAAAAAAAA_I/wi_O4KHsp3sBp-PfCciDjnMlvvkusyQpgCLcB/s1600/Maple%2Broom%2B3%2Blobster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCAkYicNHSU/V08ToHp431I/AAAAAAAAA_I/wi_O4KHsp3sBp-PfCciDjnMlvvkusyQpgCLcB/s640/Maple%2Broom%2B3%2Blobster.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I can't remember if this is part of the same Johnny Harris Restaurant menu.</div>
<div>
It's been a few years and I didn't catalog like I normally do with pics. </div>
<div>
Regardless, 60 cents is still too much for a bowl of Cream of Asparagus. </div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-45163412323861349622016-05-31T11:32:00.001-07:002016-05-31T11:32:22.777-07:00Photo Bomb Tuesday! In Which I Discover I am Not as Smart I as I Think I am Sometimes....Being an almost middle class kid back in the 70s coupled with being raised by Baby Boomers who in turn were raised by Depression survivors, I never ate out very much until I was able to drive on my own. Fortunately my parents and grandparents all had mad skills revolving around a kitchen stove, grill, and a pot on a certain outside Coleman stove filled with fresh caught shrimps and crabs so I did not suffer.<br />
<br />
Except regarding BBQ sauce. See both my grandparents and the Big Guy were absolute loyalists when it came to certain brands. My Pop swore by his hidden bottle of Crown Royal. My Grandma refused to budge on anything but Karo syrup in her pecan pies. My mother insisted on Donald Duck brand orange juice (though in all honesty I later discovered that was more of a budget thing). My Pop and the Big Guy became a dynamic tag-team grilling duo that the only real BBQ sauce was Johnny Harris Restaurant's in house made sauce.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-flQSW3Lc200/V02xZHW0OUI/AAAAAAAAA88/Zp7BUWEaNg0IiUHiWoqcYLDfbQb3QHqmQCLcB/s1600/pic_opack-square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-flQSW3Lc200/V02xZHW0OUI/AAAAAAAAA88/Zp7BUWEaNg0IiUHiWoqcYLDfbQb3QHqmQCLcB/s1600/pic_opack-square.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Ignorance is bliss and for many years, I had no clue whether BBQ sauce varied in flavors from the tangy like I was used to with Johnny Harris to the dripping with sweetness Honey BBQ sauce that Heinz would offer and I got sample for the first time and my Aunt Kay and Uncle Jim's cookouts,<br />
<br />
My father would just look at me as I would gobble down pulled pork soaked in Heinz Honey sauce like I was a cretin. As awesome as the Big Guy was, there were just some things you did not do in our home and go against the grain was one of them. In my defense, I had an unrefined palate powered by a subliminal effort to inject as much sugar in my bloodstream but then name one 7 year old who doesn't. <br />
<br />
As a result,I have never been much of a fan of eating at Johnny Harris's Restaurant.<br />
<br />
Before you say it, I know. I know. How can you be this die-hard Savannah Guy and not heap praise on this local landmark? Since my return to the promised land back in 2007, I have eaten there a few times. Each time I enter, I am enthralled by the dark polished wood, the ingrained smoke scents, and of course the ballroom. At 92 years old, the place literally sweats history.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B2CHgl_grqE/V020sFNIXoI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/IQ4RHXQ5SDE0J1mGd-7qFs9WcwR10cUpQCLcB/s1600/WP_20160528_11_30_25_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B2CHgl_grqE/V020sFNIXoI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/IQ4RHXQ5SDE0J1mGd-7qFs9WcwR10cUpQCLcB/s640/WP_20160528_11_30_25_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shall we dance?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I never dug the sauce and until recently had not been in to eating BBQ which thankfully, I've recovered from that last bit.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ao78X-WcXpk/V022VwkhbpI/AAAAAAAAA9c/LELnND_yj5og-Fh75P4N9LvlqzObnRmbgCLcB/s1600/WP_20160528_12_35_04_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ao78X-WcXpk/V022VwkhbpI/AAAAAAAAA9c/LELnND_yj5og-Fh75P4N9LvlqzObnRmbgCLcB/s320/WP_20160528_12_35_04_Pro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Last Saturday morning, I had to make a quick run downtown to pick up some dialysis supplies and while driving up Victory, I spotted this. Earlier in the week, <a href="http://www.wrhq.com/main/lyndys-bio.html" target="_blank">Lyndy Brannen</a> on <a href="http://www.wrhq.com/" target="_blank">Quality Rock 105.</a>3 had broadcasted on the air about dropping by to grab a lamb sandwich and a slice of coconut pie. Two items I had not tried and was intrigued. As I drove by around 11ish, I realized it was the 28th and my last chance ever to try what many locals refer to as a Savannah staple.<br />
<br />
<br />
Even at 11 o'clock , the line was already out to the street but we all waited patiently for the next thirty minutes and got to chat with many of the people in line near me. Most of them were much older and had great stories about dining here after high school football games, wedding receptions, and one elderly couple even had their first date here. All the news crews were out in full force. WSAV did pretty good report. See if you can catch a certain local storyteller wannabe who had no idea he was caught on camera until he previewed the clips.<a href="http://wsav.com/2016/05/28/johnny-harris-serves-savannah-one-last-day/" target="_blank"> Click here</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W12A_44sjPU/V028AMzULzI/AAAAAAAAA98/ynW9S-QAdNU2zqMuHU-UpXJAn2-y0BL0gCLcB/s1600/JH%2Bballroom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W12A_44sjPU/V028AMzULzI/AAAAAAAAA98/ynW9S-QAdNU2zqMuHU-UpXJAn2-y0BL0gCLcB/s400/JH%2Bballroom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Over the past nine years, I've probably been in JHR around a half dozen times. Every time, I try sit in the main dining room just for the ambiance and I always think the same thing. "How often did Grandma and Pop come in here and did the ever dance in the ballroom?"<br />
The dome like ceiling makes the acoustics perfect which was why the <a href="http://savannahsongwriters.com/" target="_blank">Savannah Songwriter</a>s would perform here all the time. Plus the ceiling had tiny white lights to give the illusion of stars at night, Unfortunately, I was using my cell phone and could never quite capture the shot just right nor could I find any on the net. Sorry.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrNlC5RNtdc/V03HqxIiIaI/AAAAAAAAA-k/1BqonzsgjN8omdaCZ3MU86e9Zj3wyuP_gCKgB/s1600/WP_20160528_11_30_42_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wrNlC5RNtdc/V03HqxIiIaI/AAAAAAAAA-k/1BqonzsgjN8omdaCZ3MU86e9Zj3wyuP_gCKgB/s400/WP_20160528_11_30_42_Pro.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
This is my booth. Every time I've come in to grab a bite, I always feel like I'm walking back into the 40s and need an Old Fashioned in my hand along with my best girl at my side and a mystery to solve. It's a shame there are not more places like this here in Savannah where it still feels the same as it did fifty-sixty years ago.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-rP6op12FE/V03HtxK_ooI/AAAAAAAAA-s/uOJQnPJDbasS5rNjFf33e4G4hoP9pH5BQCKgB/s1600/WP_20160528_11_32_57_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M-rP6op12FE/V03HtxK_ooI/AAAAAAAAA-s/uOJQnPJDbasS5rNjFf33e4G4hoP9pH5BQCKgB/s400/WP_20160528_11_32_57_Pro.jpg" width="225" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My server handed me a special menu for the last day proclaiming, "The Final Transmission." Younger Robby would have figured a way to smuggle this menu out of JHR. Older, Present Day Robby was in too much of a Carb Coma to make an attempt.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIpq2p9Exn8/V03Hy5aNqmI/AAAAAAAAA-s/IEqP6zKT79ofH9gK-ibjvbEn4uQ7cLTFACKgB/s1600/WP_20160528_11_35_51_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIpq2p9Exn8/V03Hy5aNqmI/AAAAAAAAA-s/IEqP6zKT79ofH9gK-ibjvbEn4uQ7cLTFACKgB/s640/WP_20160528_11_35_51_Pro.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do not push the shiny candy like red button, Stimpy.....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is another item here at JHR which always enthralls me. Each booth in the main dining room has these buzzers which actually work. You use them to call over the waiter. Until May 28th, I 've never pushed one but fortunately my Brunswick Stew needed some Tabasco sooooo.......<br />
<br />
So I ordered the lamb sandwich after a bowl of Brunswick Stew. At first, I almost just opted to do the lamb platter because the description for the sandwich read, " sliced leg of lamb served on toast with our original BBQ sauce."<br />
<br />
The Savannah Foodie in me began to scream how could a sandwich be any good on plain toasted white bread and also that sauce? Fortunately something told my snobbish foodie shelf to take a long walk off a short dock and give it a go.<br />
<br />
Man, I am so glad that I did because that lamb sandwich was outstanding. It was so tasty, I had eaten most of it before I I realized I had forgotten to take a picture.<br />
<br />
And the sauce? Call it being caught up in the moment of saying goodbye to a Savannah landmark. Call it growing up and learning to let my palate enjoy different flavors even if they were so simply combined, but I loved. JHR sauce will never necessarily be my fave (that slot is allotted to <a href="http://www.bscracklinbbq.com/" target="_blank">B's Cracklin' BBQ</a> ) but I am buying a bottle the next time I hit Kroger.<br />
<br />
<br />
As I walked out roughly an hour later, I felt a little sad. Because of a childhood prejudice towards BBQ sauce, I had let the opportunity to enjoy something people much smarter than myself have been raving about for decades. Sadly, I found that one menu item that would have brought me back again and again on the very last day. #RobbyOutsmartsHimselfAgain. Oh well, live and learn.<br />
<br />
This meal much like the Big Guy, also put me in my place. It's interesting that in a time where I pat myself on the back for having such a refined palate because I enjoy items like the pavlova at <a href="http://savannahcoffee.com/" target="_blank">Savannah Coffee Roasters</a> or the spicy black beans at <a href="http://www.tortugasislandgrille.com/" target="_blank">Tortuga's Island Grille</a> that a simply made smoked meat sandwich on toasted white bread that would stick out like it did. It's lesson to remember in which good food does not always have to be fancy food.<br />
<br />
Oh, and JHR did serve a mean slice of coconut pie. I did manage to get a shot of that before attacking my dessert.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LG0_hKdsp6s/V03HwlV-UuI/AAAAAAAAA-s/c_0crEujON4zwSij3ka7BkMoI73YyTblACKgB/s1600/WP_20160528_12_20_26_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LG0_hKdsp6s/V03HwlV-UuI/AAAAAAAAA-s/c_0crEujON4zwSij3ka7BkMoI73YyTblACKgB/s320/WP_20160528_12_20_26_Pro.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind if I do!!!!!<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Calibri Light', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-51339212862710367062016-05-25T16:01:00.002-07:002016-05-26T05:18:04.891-07:00In Which the Infamous "Bad Reputation at Weddings "Curse is Lifted<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is Tim This is me. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VljVsQa0udc/V0WiX1RQw4I/AAAAAAAAA6o/CmJYWhBfR5IL_N7ngYufaGAyjavFvdoKACKgB/s1600/10418480_10153069323800813_3763681408921573511_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VljVsQa0udc/V0WiX1RQw4I/AAAAAAAAA6o/CmJYWhBfR5IL_N7ngYufaGAyjavFvdoKACKgB/s200/10418480_10153069323800813_3763681408921573511_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_7PBQmbCdaY/V0WjRwPCaDI/AAAAAAAAA6s/k5xDcYMhwuEpMWRhOsj3OIrcscpLcRJCACKgB/s1600/12523158_10206460017594116_5651954798633956433_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_7PBQmbCdaY/V0WjRwPCaDI/AAAAAAAAA6s/k5xDcYMhwuEpMWRhOsj3OIrcscpLcRJCACKgB/s200/12523158_10206460017594116_5651954798633956433_n.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
This past weekend, Tim and myself had the honor of being groomsmen in our great friends, Jeff Doke and Susan Perry's wedding. Doke and Susan are two of my closest friends so this was a very special occasion. Not only was this, as the Soaps put it, "A Very Special Wedding" but it was also the first time Kim and myself were both in a wedding party together. It would be an outstanding weekend filled with a celebration of love for my two friends along with reunions of old ones not to mention Kim and the kids getting to meet several important people from my younger and more rampant years.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, there was an elephant in the room, partly of my own doing and partly because stories have a life of their own. As they get retold, these stories sometimes get larger.<br />
<br />
You see, Tim and I have a bit of a reputation regarding our attendance in weddings as a : <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l4dFpX3kr7U/V0WinVCjoFI/AAAAAAAAA6w/LOxL5NdWAWg-7_fJNfyZaAe7Q2dZLEk4wCKgB/s1600/13255968_884525945006772_1529105353937781383_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l4dFpX3kr7U/V0WinVCjoFI/AAAAAAAAA6w/LOxL5NdWAWg-7_fJNfyZaAe7Q2dZLEk4wCKgB/s320/13255968_884525945006772_1529105353937781383_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guilty as charged....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
With that being said, it's pretty obvious that there was just a tad bit of pressure hanging above us. No worries. Doke is a pretty easy going guy and I had rented a golf cart in which I ended up tricking out over the weekend so I knew I could outrun Susan. (Sorry Susan, while you never once acted like a Bridezilla not to mention a perfect lady as well as hostess, I'm still a little scared of you. I've learned to never cross a Brunswick girl......Love you, Mrs. Doke)<br />
<br />
The wedding took place on Driftwood Beach which in my humble opinion is one of Georgia's most gorgeous beaches and also not well known. It is a very special place to Susan and Doke so that only added to the beauty of the "day".<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9Hv0C4K0qQ/V0WicIk5BTI/AAAAAAAAA6o/-3lOKpBXNnQeb_AjyQn9wv7LPcUK3j_9QCKgB/s1600/11836627_10207806052370790_3290998115621213723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--9Hv0C4K0qQ/V0WicIk5BTI/AAAAAAAAA6o/-3lOKpBXNnQeb_AjyQn9wv7LPcUK3j_9QCKgB/s640/11836627_10207806052370790_3290998115621213723_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oddly enough, Driftwood Beach's name is not ironic.....<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
As the Big Day drew closer, Doke put out an All-call for there to be be as much Anti-Rain Voodoo as possible. I contributed by packing my rain jacket the Big Guy gave me for Christmas one year, Every time I pack that damn jacket, it never rains. I've probably worn the stupid thing less than a few times. Our friend, Courtney, claimed to do to perform a series of elaborate No Rain Dances back in LA where she lives now. Fingers were crossed and everyone quietly hoped Doke had a Plan B as the chances of rain did not seem to subside.....until the very last minute.<br />
<br />
Our good friend, <a href="http://www.paintmonkeystudios.com/" target="_blank">John Trotter</a> does a daily sketch and for Saturday, Doke and Susan's Big Day, Trotter drew this: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiOH_p0s0ZY/V0W0YKicU9I/AAAAAAAAA7I/0UuS1_KIxTk3fh0CKIEBIayHZEhR224GACLcB/s1600/13240021_10153511429291078_7303352561693223347_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xiOH_p0s0ZY/V0W0YKicU9I/AAAAAAAAA7I/0UuS1_KIxTk3fh0CKIEBIayHZEhR224GACLcB/s400/13240021_10153511429291078_7303352561693223347_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There was much joking around during lunch about how dusty every one's villas were as they checked their Facebook because it was impossible to look at Trotter's cartoon and not tear up. We could all feel the impact this wedding would have on all of us. It didn't matter whether it rained or not, All that mattered was to watch our friends tie the knot and start their new lives together with their families.<br />
<br />
It's a cheesy thing to write much less say out loud, but as I looked at this sketch, all I could think was that line Steve Martin said in L.A. Story about how he'd stop the polarity of the earth, roll in fog, etc. etc. to keep his love from leaving. I kept thinking of how much Doke would do anything to give Susan the wedding she never had. <br />
<br />
And it went off without any huge hitches. A few few people were late. A couple of folks needed last minutes rides to the beach but by 4 o' clock, everyone was at their respective wedding posts:guests and attendants.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_vv7MVSYAPs/V0WimdLrtUI/AAAAAAAAA64/0zMPCgVeE1grIFclbkvH3g_Osnk_zLIZQCKgB/s1600/13226772_10207095810896949_6707103534307472197_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_vv7MVSYAPs/V0WimdLrtUI/AAAAAAAAA64/0zMPCgVeE1grIFclbkvH3g_Osnk_zLIZQCKgB/s400/13226772_10207095810896949_6707103534307472197_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best use of a pallet ever.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I'd also like to mention how Tim and I created nor caused any wedding drama, disaster, discourse, disturbances, divorces, division, damages, destruction, debates, departures, and keeping with the "D" theme: duets.<br />
<br />
Now there were a few close calls. Tim had originally planned to show up at the rehearsal wearing a pair of these<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATZQeiJEgQk/V0W4xzYnQGI/AAAAAAAAA7c/X_Ung3jtOrUqzvuT-_Pyx7zmrpm94CWlQCLcB/s1600/615d0qfKw-L._UX385_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATZQeiJEgQk/V0W4xzYnQGI/AAAAAAAAA7c/X_Ung3jtOrUqzvuT-_Pyx7zmrpm94CWlQCLcB/s320/615d0qfKw-L._UX385_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The Tim I knew from 10 years ago would have shown up wearing this with myself alongside wearing a cape as had been bandied around jokingly. But we're older now. We have careers, families, responsibilities, house payments and such. We have matured. So much in fact, we waited until the cookout after rehearsal. It actually went over really well.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-72KjC7yWDZM/V0W7QWTExdI/AAAAAAAAA7o/esV7nylNbPYXnuIXQlrBAxbEnozgesnuQCKgB/s1600/FOT3F58.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-72KjC7yWDZM/V0W7QWTExdI/AAAAAAAAA7o/esV7nylNbPYXnuIXQlrBAxbEnozgesnuQCKgB/s400/FOT3F58.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Tim wore one and then handed me the other. I honestly am saying I had no idea just how comfortable wearing a pasty would be. Surprisingly comfy and it doesn't hurt when you pull it off (well, except for chest hair but I wouldn't think would be an issue for the intended use.). They are also surprisingly affordable, though to be honest, I've never really considered just what a pasty should cost. Check it out on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Silicone-Charming-Adhesive-Heart%C2%A0shaped%C2%A0Sequined%C2%A0tassels-Red/dp/B012CEJGL0/ref=sr_1_3?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1464187792&sr=1-3&nodeID=1040660&keywords=heart+pasties" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYuW_fHDp_8/V0Wim62n5dI/AAAAAAAAA6w/HEewEbI0MowDUogUrED2TU6POJwzW9JyACKgB/s1600/13239911_10208953459011296_1238513109149113894_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYuW_fHDp_8/V0Wim62n5dI/AAAAAAAAA6w/HEewEbI0MowDUogUrED2TU6POJwzW9JyACKgB/s320/13239911_10208953459011296_1238513109149113894_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
Everyone always says how it was a beautiful wedding but this one hit home for myself. Watching Doke and Susan exchange their vows was almost too much. Both of them had been through enough to be in a Meredith Baxter-Birney Lifetime movie so when vows were read, the tears started streaming.<br />
<br />
All of us had stood beside both of our friends through some pretty crazy times but somehow these crazy kids made it and everyone recognized the power of what Susan and Doke feel towards each other.<br />
<br />
A few Christmases ago when Doke had not reconnected with Susan yet, we had driven together to a friend's dad's funeral. When we came back to my house afterward, The kids were being sweet while Kim greeted me at the door with a kiss followed by one of her patented smart ass quips. Doke looked wistfully and said, "This is what I want for myself someday."<br />
<br />
As Doke opened up his moleskin notebook and read his vows to Susan, I kept thinking to myself. "Well Ol' Boy, you certainly got what you wished for and much more. Well done, sir."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KOAy8ahO2xA/V0WimeS5iNI/AAAAAAAAA64/a_CZIYc9CHAPM7BLfRLwLmJBIjYqkIRPQCKgB/s1600/13217294_10208146418031901_975842500698532623_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KOAy8ahO2xA/V0WimeS5iNI/AAAAAAAAA64/a_CZIYc9CHAPM7BLfRLwLmJBIjYqkIRPQCKgB/s640/13217294_10208146418031901_975842500698532623_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
It would be at the reception not only filled with good food, laughter, and flower girls dancing to <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5u2ixXq1bdc/V0WimQwwLKI/AAAAAAAAA6w/j9B1XAXQrp0x6CKhcL3JRYhVkbrmy27PwCKgB/s1600/13227025_10209388617334525_7261735801587876246_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5u2ixXq1bdc/V0WimQwwLKI/AAAAAAAAA6w/j9B1XAXQrp0x6CKhcL3JRYhVkbrmy27PwCKgB/s320/13227025_10209388617334525_7261735801587876246_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
catchy little ditties like the Chicken Dances and the Cha Cha Slide. It would be the location where Tim and I would have to go through our final labors to prove we had grown up and were no longer a danger to bachelor parties, wedding ceremonies, and receptions.<br />
<br />
Scott Ryfun is one of Doke's buddies down in Brunswick and does a popular radio show down that way. He is neat guy as well as the creator of the podcasts, <a href="http://mystarwarsstory.com/" target="_blank">My Star Wars Story</a> and the notorious <a href="http://www.dinner4geeks.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">Dinner 4 Geeks</a>. As the reception was winding down, Ryfun sought me out and said with a grin, "We need a criminal. C'mon." Ego stroked, I went along.<br />
<br />
Curiously I followed Ryfun outside to meet up with another of the Dinner 4 Geeks commentators, Ryan. It was Ryan who shared how he had gotten a hold of the bridal suite room key and we were minutes away from going and trashing it. The following conversation occurred pretty much like this in a short narrative in which I've entitled:<br />
<br />
<i>Scenes From a Wedding Reception</i><br />
<br />
ME: (without hesitation) Nope. I'm out<br />
RYAN: Where's your balls? C'mon it will be hilarious.<br />
ME: My balls are exactly where they've always been. I'm no afraid at all. I'm just staying out of this. Tim and I have garnered a tad bit of a rep at these things and I am lying low.<br />
<br />
ENTER TIM<br />
<br />
TIM: Hey guys, what's up? Ryfun said to meet out here.<br />
RYAN: We're about to go and mess up Doke and Susan's room.<br />
TIM: (without hesitation, part II) Nope. Have fun.<br />
<br />
EXIT ROBBY AND TIM<br />
<br />
TIM: Did we just...?<br />
ROBBY: Yep, We're getting old.<br />
TIM: I don't think it's that so much as you and I are determined to not have anyone cursing when our names are mentioned this time,<br />
<br />
ROBBY AND TIM SAUNTER UP TO BAR. END SCENE.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeWUa0GoF_o/V0WinjxL5ZI/AAAAAAAAA6w/Dw-7SKHGMqItNtt6gbl_paR2HR5CIKsWwCKgB/s1600/13256282_10208486416091332_6226630245243977297_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeWUa0GoF_o/V0WinjxL5ZI/AAAAAAAAA6w/Dw-7SKHGMqItNtt6gbl_paR2HR5CIKsWwCKgB/s400/13256282_10208486416091332_6226630245243977297_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What were the odds that the Groom's cake would be Star Wars related? Hmmmmmm...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Our final test would come when the lucky bride and groom were preparing to leave. There was this idea in which all the guests would line up outside in two rows and much like a royal military procession where swords are crossed, the happy couple would meander their way on out.<br />
<br />
This is an adorable idea. My first thought was instead of swords, we'd all hold toy light sabers due to Doke and Susan's love of geek culture. Imagine my shock when Kim explained we'd all hold these mongo-sized sparklers overhead as the Dokes would pass under us.<br />
<br />
I love my friends. They are amazing people. Seriously. But I also recognize that once alcohol has been added to the equation the resulting sum using ends in some sort of call to an emergency service. Add to this equation the variable in which I am a fire bug especially after a few libations, then game on.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9FKtZwRQQ4/V0WinJV2j_I/AAAAAAAAA6w/bNEViX_0peMMmjZJL35k66Nh8yIgYF-lwCKgB/s1600/13241180_10154040293761343_1211315184998934465_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9FKtZwRQQ4/V0WinJV2j_I/AAAAAAAAA6w/bNEViX_0peMMmjZJL35k66Nh8yIgYF-lwCKgB/s640/13241180_10154040293761343_1211315184998934465_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No wedding parties were harmed in the making of this photo....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Somehow the Dokes were able to do not one but two passes (for photo reasons and not some perverted Red Rover fantasy) without incident. I spent most of my time trying not burn any around me and the other half trying to keep Littleman from putting out my eye.<br />
<br />
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch and was quite fun. I got to smoke a Cuban cigar while hanging out with Stu and Kevin, Courtney's husband. Everyones' kids had a blast running around together. Kim and I spent much time with everyone hanging out in the Villa's pool and passing the bottle around. The Dokes even came by and the evening very slowly turned into an "I love you, Man"-Fest. It was awesome.<br />
<br />
Now don't get me wrong. This weekend was certainly all about Susan Perry and Jeff Doke getting married. Frankly, Kim, the kids, and myself had so much fun, it reminded me how special wedding can be. I revisit what I said earlier about that Christmas break back when Doke was single and wanting to find that girl who was just right for him.<br />
<br />
There are some couples you meet in life and you know they gel just right. Pardon the <i>Forrest Gump</i> reference but you guys are each other's peas and carrots and I am thrilled that I got to be a part of this very special day. Thank you both.<br />
<br />
You did it, Doke Well done, sir.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1fnKx0gH-CE/V0Yr7qrw8dI/AAAAAAAAA8M/-NPbzeCrSXI-galKD0s3Nm1jrgiM87nyACKgB/s1600/13235418_10207423751206854_8230718710525091616_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1fnKx0gH-CE/V0Yr7qrw8dI/AAAAAAAAA8M/-NPbzeCrSXI-galKD0s3Nm1jrgiM87nyACKgB/s320/13235418_10207423751206854_8230718710525091616_o.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
And I did nothing to fuck it up this time. Curse broken. I'll have that top shelf margarita, please.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
These are is probably my favorite non-wedding related pictures of the weekend in which Kim took<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HkTCPFD6v8c/V0YtDRA0FRI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/U34VvLTJ2iMUv0hkzIlSZ6q0xTGnJZQ6QCKgB/s1600/13227614_10208257372504867_8842754625229123047_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HkTCPFD6v8c/V0YtDRA0FRI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/U34VvLTJ2iMUv0hkzIlSZ6q0xTGnJZQ6QCKgB/s640/13227614_10208257372504867_8842754625229123047_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About that time the Duke Boys decided it was time to groove......<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Also love this one of the Duchess at <a href="http://www.tortugajacks.com/" target="_blank">Tortuga Jack'</a>s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EA9RMSmJYpY/V0YuIrc2HoI/AAAAAAAAA8g/vXZBeAmcO4cIt7umjdYIJjL_v4vF7BsMQCLcB/s1600/13243995_10207425367807268_9060467739017241981_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EA9RMSmJYpY/V0YuIrc2HoI/AAAAAAAAA8g/vXZBeAmcO4cIt7umjdYIJjL_v4vF7BsMQCLcB/s400/13243995_10207425367807268_9060467739017241981_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Waiter, I ordered the large...."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-70171663972834550512015-01-03T10:38:00.001-08:002015-01-03T10:38:05.355-08:00Bring it on, 2015!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S0kZPpInAPk/VKgz1k589hI/AAAAAAAAA0w/g5Rga-vg40s/s1600/WP_000078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S0kZPpInAPk/VKgz1k589hI/AAAAAAAAA0w/g5Rga-vg40s/s1600/WP_000078.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contrary to popular opinion, Kepis are not comfortable</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tour guiding has been a bit slow so I’ve taken on a new
gig downtown as an historical actor for one of the trolley companies. At times
I feel a bit silly but the money is good and will get me through the upcoming winter season. As I begin to stretch and get comfortable in acting again
for the first time in twenty something years, I find that I enjoy the job. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s a bit of a kick to play someone and entertain. The longer
I do this, the more I am reminded of my theatre days up in Young Harris and the
blast I had but I am finding other aspects of my new job that I am enjoying
even more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_GhZFadKiUQ/VKg0Y9I9PxI/AAAAAAAAA1A/Ws6erbKA1GM/s1600/WP_000029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_GhZFadKiUQ/VKg0Y9I9PxI/AAAAAAAAA1A/Ws6erbKA1GM/s1600/WP_000029.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> During my three hour shifts, I have a lot of down time as
I wait for the next trolley to pull up so I can do my Civil War Soldier spiel. Some
of the time is spent reading my kindle which I downloaded on to my new windows
phone. The view is spectacular for the Savannah downtown. Many of the tourists will come up and we begin to chat which has been a
blast. I’ve spoken to people from all around the country and many parts of
Canada and even South Korea.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ItbKPYPJuAE/VKg0WC3Ap-I/AAAAAAAAA04/KPXwvrlRhN0/s1600/WP_000087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ItbKPYPJuAE/VKg0WC3Ap-I/AAAAAAAAA04/KPXwvrlRhN0/s1600/WP_000087.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Because I am camped out at the corner of where the
Mansion meets Forsyth Park, the people watching is superb. So far, I’ve gotten
to meet a lovely older couple who have two corgis they named Porgy and Bess. There
is the crazy electric wheelchair lady who takes her Chihuahua out for a walk
and during the last cold snap, she looked like a deranged Yukon Cornelius out
searching for his silver and gold. I call this one guy the Griot. He’s an older
African American gentleman whom always has a wooden walking stick. While he
carries it though, the Griot never lets that stick turn vertical or touch the
ground. The stick is laden with beaded bracelets and all sorts of decorative
trinkets. I swear the Griot even has an old teething ring on there that looks
just like the one my little sis had when she was a toddler. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Yesterday, I was witness to something that brought back some
very happy old memories which affected me in a good way for a change. As I sat,
leaning against the Mansion’s wall, a young family approached. Mom and Dad were
both young, probably in their early to mid-thirties. The parents were bundled
up in some very nice designer wear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The Dad was pulling a red wagon which turned out to be a
brand new Radio Flyer. The payload was an adorable two year little girl who had
the biggest smile in the world. As they walked past me, that little girl acted
like she was training to be on a beauty pageant float somewhere down the road.
Dad would make deep trunk horn sounds which prompted that little girl to squeal
in delight. I could not help but share in that joy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Out of the blue, an old memory shot into my skull like an
electric charge. I’m about five years old in Savannah at my grandparents’
house. I am being pulled around in my Sears & Roebuck special edition red
wagon by my Pop. As we go down the hall way into the living room, Pop bellows in
that old Savannah dialect which is an amalgam of a refined Southern drawl with a
large dash of Gee Chee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Choo Choo! Dang a lang!!!!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I clap my hands as I laugh then shout, “Again, Pop!” to
which my grandfather is more than happy to oblige. This goes on as we keep strolling through the five room house my grandparents bought back during the Depression. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> We’re on what will be our third and final lap as the
bedroom door to where my parents are sleeping opens and the Big Guy stumbles
out with a bit of an exasperated look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I forgot to mention that my grandfather was always
an early riser, usually around 5am. My favorite part of these visits was always
getting up with Pop and hanging out in the kitchen as he’d brew his coffee in
one of those old metal percolators that would make the neatest bubbling sounds.
We’d walk down and get the morning edition of the Savannah Morning News then go
back and read it. Grandma wouldn’t get up until around seven so that gave Pop
and I plenty of time to get into trouble together just like we just did with
the Big Guy. As I look back, I realize the fun for Pop was twofold. He got to
make a few amazing memories with his grandson while at the same time yanking
his own son’s chain a bit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s
been way too many years to recall the last time I had thought about being
pulled around in that little red wagon but a smile stayed on my face for the
rest of the day. By the time, that little family had crossed over Drayton and
got into Forsyth Park, I knew I’d want to write about this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
I was trying to figure out how I was going to lay it all down on paper, it got me
to thinking about the New Year. Not going to lie to you, while 2014 had some
very special moments, I was happy to see the door hit it in the ass on the way
out. It’s been a bumpy road of late which I own up to some of my own doing but
I’m ready to start 2015 off right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I
hate New Year’s Resolutions nor have I ever really been able to keep anything significant.
Years ago, I began a series of sarcastic ones like, finally give up heroin,
bring back codpieces in men’s wardrobes, all while trying to gain membership
into the Daughters of the Confederacy. Nor am I going to start them now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> For
a while, I debated on maybe I should focus on trying to be a better person but
it just felt cliché. I kept coming back to that red wagon that both I and that
little girl at the park got so much happiness from. So I decided that not only
am I going to focus more on finding the joy that is my world around me but I
also want to help be a source of that for others. How to go about such a thing,
I have no idea but I know that working on my attitude will be a start. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> As
I peer into the start of 2015, I am actually a little excited. I’m writing again
which always helps me deal with all my crazy. There are some big things on the
horizon for this year. My kids are healthy, beautiful, and doing great. My wife
just keeps getting more and more gorgeous as she heads down her own career path
of writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I
guess the trick is to remember that when everything comes crashing down, it’s
not that hard to take a second and remember how awesome the world can be just like
that little girl did in the back of that wagon and just smile like you are in
your own parade. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Last night before I went to bed, I was reading Facebook because I couldn't sleep. I rarely pay attention to most memes unless they are funny, dark or sarcastic but I came across one that caught my eye and resonated with me. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TF5zHIGPWDE/VKg2LQqMVjI/AAAAAAAAA1c/gD3jMvbtPiA/s1600/Negativity-Quote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TF5zHIGPWDE/VKg2LQqMVjI/AAAAAAAAA1c/gD3jMvbtPiA/s1600/Negativity-Quote.png" height="211" width="400" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Maybe it's from all the Breaking Bad I've been watching with Kim but as I start out in this New Year, I keep hearing the following phrase said in my best Jesse Pinkman voice....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> "Choo
Choo Dang a lang, bitches………"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-74826279415203628052014-09-01T14:58:00.001-07:002014-09-01T16:35:35.672-07:00First Time for Everything.....<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> In the previous three
years, Kim and I have several firsts. First phone call. First date. First kiss.
Today was another first. We looked at our first house.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KYfyPrjGzcc/VATriIhPBEI/AAAAAAAAA0g/r2h2bXuaKmg/s1600/there-is-always-a-first-time-for-everything_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KYfyPrjGzcc/VATriIhPBEI/AAAAAAAAA0g/r2h2bXuaKmg/s1600/there-is-always-a-first-time-for-everything_thumb.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Two weeks ago, this would have never happened so what has
changed? Simple. Mom has decided to sell the family home and move on to Metter.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> In my last post, I explained in great detail the whole
story. At the end I also recognized it was just a place and I’d be happy
anywhere I lived so long as Kim and the kids were there along with the occasional
visits from Aunt Mary and Aunt Christine not mention Amy, Kim's sister, who always makes the best cocktails. While, on one hand it sucks, on the
other it has been quite freeing. I am amazed at how easily I am adjusting to
the idea of not having a home at 2619 Salcedo Ave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> We rent and have been here for several years. I love my
house from the swinging bachelor days when I moved in here five years ago to
the quiet family life I have here now over cook outs by the pool. Over the past
year or so, Kim has often mentioned the money we’d save if moved somewhere
smaller or bought. I’d always balk because I knew the family home was in my
future and I didn’t want to get stuck with a house payment and the family
property. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> That’s all gone now so I am freed up to look around and
not feel tied to anything. And we did. It was pretty exciting.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lSfUJIToJog/VATrSjpg4SI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/NumeONdtbUA/s1600/l25dccd44-m0o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lSfUJIToJog/VATrSjpg4SI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/NumeONdtbUA/s1600/l25dccd44-m0o.jpg" height="312" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New Geeky Hut or maybe stately Rich Manor?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I had never looked at a house to purchase before. The
place is a foreclosure out on the marsh. I’d have a deck with palm trees. There’s
a huge fireplace to hold my Star Wars Trash Compactor Book ends and room for
Xmas stockings. I pictured myself cooking many pancakes over the island in the
kitchen. I already could picture Roni and Jude’s room. I also know where I want
the shark head to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I flash forwarded to next summer <i>Raising Arizona</i> style to a scene of us hosting a cookout when the
Freenors would arrive along with David Westbrook and his magical recorder. We’d
pop a few beers as much shit would be given to me about whatever point Steve
and Dave could rib me about. Jeff Doke and family would arrive with their obligatory
bottle of rum and his guitar for a little strumming on the deck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> So are we going to buy this place? I have no idea. It’s a
HUD home with much to look at. Yet for the first time, I allowed myself to do just
that. Look at something I had not already pre-ordained in my head. And somehow
I survived. Lol. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The reason I am writing this is because I now know I am
going to be all right with this unexpected change in my life. I had fun walking
around with my wife and trying to plan out in my head how to fit all of our
stuff into this new place. I want to do it again and I suspect we will now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ACVB8s19TeI/VATq--poH9I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/Qro3SbSVOWE/s1600/10383648_10152488748474086_1220937761067109450_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ACVB8s19TeI/VATq--poH9I/AAAAAAAAA0Q/Qro3SbSVOWE/s1600/10383648_10152488748474086_1220937761067109450_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
A couple of days ago, I came across this on Facebook. I
don’t really go for all those uplifting expressions and usually reserve my meme
watching for something more sarcastic. Yet this one got a hold of me and just
wouldn’t let go. I guess someone is trying to tell me something and for once, I
am going to listen. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Well there you go, another first…..I’m getting good at
this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-9734904940152780362014-08-17T10:20:00.000-07:002014-08-17T10:20:42.440-07:00Letting it Go. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s been a rough patch
of late and I’ve been having a hard time trying to find my smile and I am
finally going to explain why. I haven’t been holding back because I wanted to
be dramatic. It’s just been a bit difficult to wrap my brain around how life
has been going lately and I wanted to figure out how I felt before I said
anything because I know questions are going to follow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Thursday a week ago, my mom called me after dinner. I
assumed it was to check in and see how things are. She was a former teacher so
I unloaded all the drama that comes with going back to school. My mother
listened but I quickly realized this was not the reason she called. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> My mother said, “We need to discuss some things that are
going on. I can’t maintain where I live any longer so I am selling the property
and I’ve going to move to Metter and buy a house there.” Mom went on to explain
that this is where her life is and she really feels this is where she needs to
be. The conversation took a severe nosedive and ended with my mother hanging up
on me because I lost my temper and was screaming at her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i81LVx-EpCM/U_DeHsPCv8I/AAAAAAAAAuA/TphyS0a_MtA/s1600/walkway%2Bdike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i81LVx-EpCM/U_DeHsPCv8I/AAAAAAAAAuA/TphyS0a_MtA/s1600/walkway%2Bdike.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
The property in question is four acres with a marsh view,
a deck, and a dock. My grandfather purchased the land for $800 during the
Depression and had a small farm out there for some time. By the time I was
around, Grandma and Pop had retired and made this tiny 5 room house into a home
that to me still rivals any mansion or castle.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Grandma had a small green house on the front
porch where she’d tend to her hundreds of plants. Many had overgrown their pots
and were spilling over and a few had even grown to touch the porch ceiling.
Every spring their yard would explode in a series of reds, pinks, whites, and
yellows from all the azaleas and other flowers Grandma babied.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_iQeVRG7fys/U_DeUnZekBI/AAAAAAAAAwU/qsPqZ9W5Ygw/s1600/IMG_0044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_iQeVRG7fys/U_DeUnZekBI/AAAAAAAAAwU/qsPqZ9W5Ygw/s1600/IMG_0044.jpg" height="320" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter 1979</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
Pop would always be tinkering outside the pump house. If he wasn’t fishing or
crabbing, Pop would be in the garden. Often with me in tow because I would be
in charge of mowing or weeding. Looking back, I hated every minute of it but I
also now seem to have that same Richardson Green Thumb because all that time
turned out to be a gardening class with Pop as the headmaster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After
they were gone, my dad and mom would spend all their free time fixing up the place.
I’d get a phone call once a weekend because while dad was tinkering on the dock
and mom would be laying out getting some sun, they’d see a dolphin or maybe
some otters playing on the floating dock. It was always a story and I’d love to
hear my father spin them even if it was over a phone cord. Not every bit of my
storytelling skill come s from my grandfather, the Big Guy gets some credit
too.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BaW_zIbhteg/U_DeTJV5i2I/AAAAAAAAAv8/tZHGZo-188w/s1600/IMG_0032_NEW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BaW_zIbhteg/U_DeTJV5i2I/AAAAAAAAAv8/tZHGZo-188w/s1600/IMG_0032_NEW.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After
Dad was gone, my friends stepped in to help which was a blessing because all
the technical skills jumped a generation from Pop and Dad and all went to Mary,
my sister. I stuck to mowing, weeding, and any chainsaw related work. But
eventually I got sick, Mary moved away, and life went on as all of us began to
start our own lives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ten
years ago Mom moved in and has pretty much been keeping the place up,
remodeling, and trying to make it a home again. She splits her time between the
family property and Metter with her boyfriend.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p9JQ0EHWOiQ/U_DeS9DbYuI/AAAAAAAAAv4/9rOUJAhTmG8/s1600/IMG_0026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p9JQ0EHWOiQ/U_DeS9DbYuI/AAAAAAAAAv4/9rOUJAhTmG8/s1600/IMG_0026.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
just got to be too much for her and I want to be very clear here. I understand
that. Mom is getting older and living on a very fixed income. That property
takes a lot of work and even more money. I get that. I’m not mad at my mom for
having to sell our family place. I’m upset at how she went about making the
decision but that is something else for me to work out and understand as I go
on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
that’s where I am at right now. I’ve spent the past week talking with Mary and
a few others so I can wrap my head around this. This is what I’ve figured out
and pretty much the actual process. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 374.25pt; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
suxs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
suxs much animal genitalia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
suxs but I am also and adult and so therefore I am just going to have to pull
up the ol’ big boy pants and trudge along. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krc1Q3SdLq4/U_DeT1123AI/AAAAAAAAAwI/389DDdmTXl4/s1600/IMG_0034_NEW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krc1Q3SdLq4/U_DeT1123AI/AAAAAAAAAwI/389DDdmTXl4/s1600/IMG_0034_NEW.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">For
a few days, I lost much sleep worrying about how Mary and I would come up with
the $300,000 to save the property. I scoured the internet reading over rent by
owners and even looked at how bed and breakfasts work. Deep down I understood I
was clutching at straws even though I refused to acknowledge it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
few friends I discussed this matter with showed enormous amounts of great
support. Gideon helped me look at the business side of it and I actually began
to think that maybe, just maybe, I could pull this whole thing off.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86lSyw6KJxw/U_DeQWsyAbI/AAAAAAAAAvM/tUOuWsdRG3U/s1600/GidLights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86lSyw6KJxw/U_DeQWsyAbI/AAAAAAAAAvM/tUOuWsdRG3U/s1600/GidLights.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gideon hanging Xmas lights before the Oyster Roast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
wasn’t until my old frat buddy, Jeff Ragsdale talked to me that even clicked
and I finally got myself into a place where I could think realistically. For
very wacky story I can share about Rags and his past like the time, I can also
share how he’s grown into quite the responsible adult and very shrewd
businessman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
was Rags who pointed out the very obvious. “How can you afford to live in that
place? All your money will go into maintaining the place and Kim and the kids
will end up being miserable because it’s so small.”<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_dPjsKDfJuE/U_DfcS_8i3I/AAAAAAAAAxY/c5PHghAkI70/s1600/Ragsmaria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_dPjsKDfJuE/U_DfcS_8i3I/AAAAAAAAAxY/c5PHghAkI70/s1600/Ragsmaria.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rags & his wife, Maria</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
shook my head in a not so willing agreement as I knew my friend was right. I don’t even hit fifty grand a year and I’m
the big bread winner of the family. How could I keep the house and land up
without investing not only all my time but also any income that trickles in?
This is not even taking into account any of my medical bills; living car
payment, regular living expenses and the fact that I have a teen age daughter
who seems to believe that anything by Hollister clothes are “an investment.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Then
Rags said it, “Robby, if your dad was still alive, he wouldn’t want you to do
this. You are going to put your family at risk and that’s not worth it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ding
went a bell. Rags had just said the
words I needed to hear that finally rang inside of my head and I knew where I
had to go with this. I have to let this piece of property that has been in
Richardson hands for over seventy-seven years go.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i8nOjTMt1cc/U_DeMB3-U5I/AAAAAAAAAuI/tCIR9drNmh0/s1600/1979%2BSavannah%2BHammock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i8nOjTMt1cc/U_DeMB3-U5I/AAAAAAAAAuI/tCIR9drNmh0/s1600/1979%2BSavannah%2BHammock.jpg" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
I felt ok. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Actually
even though I cried a little bit, I felt relief. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
property has been in my way for years and to be a bit poetic, hanging around my
neck like an albatross. Yes, I’ve had a dream for years of living there with
Kim, Roni, and Jude. I even pictured Roni and Jude learning how to throw a cast
net and catching shrimp like we used to do when I was a kid. I pictured Kim and
me sitting on the deck, watching the sunset with drinks in hand. She’d snuggle
up to me and maybe nuzzle my ear and say something like, “I love our life
here.” I pictured Christmases where Aunt Mary and Christine come to visit and
we’d open presents in the living room like Mary and I did when we were younger.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8IJhBhkkf-c/U_DeMYtzPNI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/7GfdsbNUB9w/s1600/1993%2BXmas%2BFrandma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8IJhBhkkf-c/U_DeMYtzPNI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/7GfdsbNUB9w/s1600/1993%2BXmas%2BFrandma.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1994 Our last Xmas with Grandma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Those things already exist just in a different form. Roni
and Jude love it when Kim and I pack up the van and hit Tybee for the day
lounging on the beach. I get to stare at the surf while the kids attack the
beach with their boogie boards. We eat cold fried chicken and everyone always
laughs at me as I try to fly my kites very badly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBom3DQy0SY/U_DeVt8XOVI/AAAAAAAAAwg/xYSWXkSVnzE/s1600/KimRon%2Bmarsh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kBom3DQy0SY/U_DeVt8XOVI/AAAAAAAAAwg/xYSWXkSVnzE/s1600/KimRon%2Bmarsh.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ROni and Kim's first time at the Dock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We
don’t have a deck but Kim and I spend many of evenings sitting on the front
porch staring out at our cul de sac. Kim has her glass of wine and I drink my
bourbon over ice as we peer through the porch ledge which is laden with all our
plants and herbs because I have my grandparents’ green thumb. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Every
Christmas morning, we open our presents in our own home in Coffee Bluff in the
living room. Even though Aunt Mary and Christine live in Hartford, CT, they
join us through the magic of my Xbox’s video Kinect.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fczn1ssEdYA/U_DgZ7XFyJI/AAAAAAAAAxo/0NXlFD1S7nM/s1600/Mar%2BRob%2BXmas%2B83.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fczn1ssEdYA/U_DgZ7XFyJI/AAAAAAAAAxo/0NXlFD1S7nM/s1600/Mar%2BRob%2BXmas%2B83.jpg" height="270" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xmas 1985</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Someday
when the wind is blowing the right way, I smell the march around me and I can hear
the boats as they come up the channel. It’s not the same thing as way I grew up
over at the family property but it is good enough for now because it’s my life
and with my family.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTMJWT10xGo/U_DgNMxTdvI/AAAAAAAAAxg/HPFQFWt5L6U/s1600/mary%2Bjude%2B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTMJWT10xGo/U_DgNMxTdvI/AAAAAAAAAxg/HPFQFWt5L6U/s1600/mary%2Bjude%2B4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After
Rags and I hung up, Kim came in to check on me. She and the kids have been
really supportive during this past week. As she asked if I was ok, I smiled and
nodded. Everything fell into place for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
I started to write this blog, I kept thinking of the scene towards the end of <i>Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade </i>where
Indy has the Grail in reach while his father is holding them over the ledge.
Indy can almost touch the Grail and it’s so close when he hears his father say
calmly, “Indiana, let it go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You
know the rest, Indiana Jones realizes his dad is right and is pulled to safety
by Sean Connery. Indy never needs the Grail because in their search, he
reconnected with his dad and Indy had his family again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
have my Holy Grail too but it’s not a gold cup but rather a beautiful wife who
can set the word afire when she sits behind her keyboard to write her stories,
a daughter who’s beauty and smarts only rivals that of her mom’s, and a son who
is as talented with his music as he is quick witted and clever. My love for
them and the love they give back are worth more to me than any piece of land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
know that good days and bad days are ahead of me as I deal with all of this.
Been there, done that before. It is going to suck a little but I can’t help but
feeling like the rest of my life is now ready to unfold. This is just something
I have to go through to get to the next step and I am more than a little bit
excited about that. I’ve got my family and that’s all I really need when it
comes down to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Let
it go and not in the <i>Frozen</i> sort of
way”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Thanks
for reminding me of that, Indy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/URQ1eiatMEI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> As I went through my pics to find some to use in the blog, there were just too many to fit in the actual story but I still wanted to use them because there was just so many stories that happened there. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFrEK61NmyA/U_DeU3lsdXI/AAAAAAAAAwY/BcuQD6bCUNU/s1600/JihadJoe2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFrEK61NmyA/U_DeU3lsdXI/AAAAAAAAAwY/BcuQD6bCUNU/s1600/JihadJoe2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hagan & Stu after removing the unplugged freezer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-as6C8_ZnY-o/U_DeMEu6XBI/AAAAAAAAAuM/GWoVM7gzpWQ/s1600/1987%2BMary%2BRob%2BDutch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-as6C8_ZnY-o/U_DeMEu6XBI/AAAAAAAAAuM/GWoVM7gzpWQ/s1600/1987%2BMary%2BRob%2BDutch.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary & me 1987 with Grandma's dog, Dutch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7JZ_Z3FQg7E/U_DeRa2aUWI/AAAAAAAAAvk/4glaxCsBsMI/s1600/IMG_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7JZ_Z3FQg7E/U_DeRa2aUWI/AAAAAAAAAvk/4glaxCsBsMI/s1600/IMG_0006.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and oysters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9afg047jlh4/U_DeNIGHasI/AAAAAAAAAuc/ELxsLjf8BLI/s1600/Boil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9afg047jlh4/U_DeNIGHasI/AAAAAAAAAuc/ELxsLjf8BLI/s1600/Boil.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hagan, Stu, Gid, and Robyn at at Low Country Boil</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4gzsIKladEg/U_DeM_fxu7I/AAAAAAAAAuY/mXfBPbO5GNo/s1600/BelleComfy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4gzsIKladEg/U_DeM_fxu7I/AAAAAAAAAuY/mXfBPbO5GNo/s1600/BelleComfy2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dog, Belle, loved when everyone was over because there was always somewhere to get comfy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGtyXJMXinI/U_DeM1PDWdI/AAAAAAAAAwE/muLXyqrzqfE/s1600/1998%2BOroast%2BMary%2BRob%2Bguitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGtyXJMXinI/U_DeM1PDWdI/AAAAAAAAAwE/muLXyqrzqfE/s1600/1998%2BOroast%2BMary%2BRob%2Bguitar.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xkJ_2EFZTWU/U_DeN3hChfI/AAAAAAAAAuk/IQ9WgCk5tL4/s1600/BurnSpeaker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xkJ_2EFZTWU/U_DeN3hChfI/AAAAAAAAAuk/IQ9WgCk5tL4/s1600/BurnSpeaker.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire Marshall Rags</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ICHRotF1QwI/U_DeN1IFFlI/AAAAAAAAAuw/PU7fHkusnb4/s1600/DCP03131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ICHRotF1QwI/U_DeN1IFFlI/AAAAAAAAAuw/PU7fHkusnb4/s1600/DCP03131.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what happens when liquor stores throw out their Xmas displays...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mxv7EjvUM34/U_DeOdLhbFI/AAAAAAAAAu0/1CKWq6a8xSg/s1600/DCP03137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mxv7EjvUM34/U_DeOdLhbFI/AAAAAAAAAu0/1CKWq6a8xSg/s1600/DCP03137.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sammy and his daughter Ashley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cAsNtl7dTxk/U_DePijaSvI/AAAAAAAAAu8/44LYfGTuzeY/s1600/DCP03141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cAsNtl7dTxk/U_DePijaSvI/AAAAAAAAAu8/44LYfGTuzeY/s1600/DCP03141.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Oysterroast 2004</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtHKh4xQZwM/U_DeP-0RfPI/AAAAAAAAAvE/cDBWc9xH5ic/s1600/DokeCasper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtHKh4xQZwM/U_DeP-0RfPI/AAAAAAAAAvE/cDBWc9xH5ic/s1600/DokeCasper.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fabulous Cerveza Brothers, Doke & Casper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ny7yopIOsA/U_DeQhSDA1I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/kSnUbkPbN7g/s1600/Gravy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ny7yopIOsA/U_DeQhSDA1I/AAAAAAAAAvQ/kSnUbkPbN7g/s1600/Gravy.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gravy Smoothie?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8uJfVq3Ceq0/U_Dhb2uE_CI/AAAAAAAAAy8/eJe6rfI7Opg/s1600/roni%2Bmary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8uJfVq3Ceq0/U_Dhb2uE_CI/AAAAAAAAAy8/eJe6rfI7Opg/s1600/roni%2Bmary.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing with their Aunt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsUVdvbwMx8/U_Dhb22AF5I/AAAAAAAAAyc/z8hoMMoXDL0/s1600/Roni%2BJude%2Bfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GsUVdvbwMx8/U_Dhb22AF5I/AAAAAAAAAyc/z8hoMMoXDL0/s1600/Roni%2BJude%2Bfish.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5V4BscdIIoY/U_DhcGhkfsI/AAAAAAAAAyk/XqXLnKon_Yo/s1600/santahead1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5V4BscdIIoY/U_DhcGhkfsI/AAAAAAAAAyk/XqXLnKon_Yo/s1600/santahead1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister can talk me into anything....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H3gYhUUYqEk/U_DhcnDPGTI/AAAAAAAAAyo/a2znuOP1v00/s1600/shrimp%2Bstache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H3gYhUUYqEk/U_DhcnDPGTI/AAAAAAAAAyo/a2znuOP1v00/s1600/shrimp%2Bstache.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrimp 'stache....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zTqP0RHcSDY/U_DhdEI7JrI/AAAAAAAAAyw/o77rbXw_6bw/s1600/walkway%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zTqP0RHcSDY/U_DhdEI7JrI/AAAAAAAAAyw/o77rbXw_6bw/s1600/walkway%2B2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uhbG3o5cS2s/U_DhYhiq_AI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/dtlRTr7DxZ8/s1600/IMG_0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uhbG3o5cS2s/U_DhYhiq_AI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/dtlRTr7DxZ8/s1600/IMG_0056.jpg" height="454" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pop and Dad 1987</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wU-om-Y7VVs/U_DhbhuGeUI/AAAAAAAAAyY/_EF6Zkei4gc/s1600/Ronnie%2Bwagon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wU-om-Y7VVs/U_DhbhuGeUI/AAAAAAAAAyY/_EF6Zkei4gc/s1600/Ronnie%2Bwagon.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P6o0DLroDpk/U_DhkLMNDEI/AAAAAAAAAzI/R26CQBYEors/s1600/RonBebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P6o0DLroDpk/U_DhkLMNDEI/AAAAAAAAAzI/R26CQBYEors/s1600/RonBebe.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ron Bebe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sJXjV_uwScE/U_DhlhZhYoI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/GH2ADOVIFF8/s1600/PumpHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sJXjV_uwScE/U_DhlhZhYoI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/GH2ADOVIFF8/s1600/PumpHouse.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pop's Piddlin' Place</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-85228552150000171032014-07-09T12:27:00.001-07:002014-07-09T12:27:06.091-07:00I Have 99 Posts but Another 100 Won't Be a Problem.....<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> So this is what a 100<sup>th</sup> blog post feels like!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnko-aP2o6ifaamtcXxoKoPnZvc9jZ4K-c7fLvUX1oRg3xnQiBGg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnko-aP2o6ifaamtcXxoKoPnZvc9jZ4K-c7fLvUX1oRg3xnQiBGg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Four
years ago when I started this blog, I had no idea that I’d have enough to write
about to make it this far. It was all an experiment to work on my writing
skills and to improve as a story teller. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I’ve written these posts in many spots. I started out on
an antique hallway desk that was leftover from my first attempt at marriage. I’d
sat in a refurnished chair my Papa used in his many wheeling and dealings. The table
was actually one of those narrow deals better suited for hallway decoration
rather than function because I couldn’t afford a real desk so it served the
purpose for writing and getting through me my Masters in Special Education. Due to my own non-compliance, my kidney
disease had worsened and I was got pretty bad off. Somewhere through all of
this, I got my head out of my own ass and pulled myself out of a very dark and
deep hole to find a very bright world that was always there waiting on me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d9pFu6GHEKM/U72TjV5tvEI/AAAAAAAAAtw/kZZ7IU-nuII/s1600/P9080001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d9pFu6GHEKM/U72TjV5tvEI/AAAAAAAAAtw/kZZ7IU-nuII/s1600/P9080001.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I moved on to a very comfy office chair placed
next to the “falcon”, my NX stage dialysis cycler. The chair was courtesy of
some very silly governmental waste and a very good friend whom I do not see
often enough but that becomes the case as we all get older. I wrote on a lap
board while hooked up to my cycler in three and half hour periods. It was
probably my most productive time because I was a captive audience to my
machine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
was frustrating to sit there because I had begun to return to the land of the
living. Being a shut in for a few years left me wanting to leave the house and
do things and see people. Through the nudging of my roommate and E-Harmony, I
also met a very special lady with two outstanding kids. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> By the time I switched to nocturnal dialysis and had my
afternoons back, I was married to that special lady and those awesome kids were
running rampant in my very lucky life. The Ol’ Geek Hut was no longer a
bachelor pad but a real home for a family. I began to write on my side of the
bed in snatches and when I had the time. I also noticed I began to be less
frequent in posts. Between teaching and
dealing with dialysis, I had to deal with carlines, drop off/pick up karate,
art club, band stuff, summer camps, doctor appmts. Weekends were filled with
going to the beach, and picnics at Forsyth. Life was busy and it still remains quite
full. I love it.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://stwww.geekexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fatherhood-Faith-and-The-Force-The-Funny-Misshapen-Body-of-Work-of-Author-Jeffrey-Brown-feat-482x276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://stwww.geekexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Fatherhood-Faith-and-The-Force-The-Funny-Misshapen-Body-of-Work-of-Author-Jeffrey-Brown-feat-482x276.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These books make a lot of sense now. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Nowadays I still write a little on my side of the bed but
the best days are when I sit on our new living room couch (which is a whole
other story involving family homesteads, meth labs and a pet goat that gets
kidnapped) while I tap out whatever hits me on my coffee table that was also an
old wooden ships door. I have to pick my times carefully because that’s also
where the flat screen and my beloved Lucille stays. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(Lucille is the X-box).
Writing in the main family room can be a bit tricky but we seem to work it out.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GG_U0vC_LCI/U72O6n_pgtI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/6ywkUQfXG_A/s1600/2014-07-09+14.26.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GG_U0vC_LCI/U72O6n_pgtI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/6ywkUQfXG_A/s1600/2014-07-09+14.26.54.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s become my favorite time because when I write in the
living room, I get to zone in my little writing world but I also feel connected
to the whole house where my family are doing their own thing.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TWasG5Nfx2g/U72PKENk7WI/AAAAAAAAAtY/nIdWIj0wjhE/s1600/2014-07-09+14.25.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TWasG5Nfx2g/U72PKENk7WI/AAAAAAAAAtY/nIdWIj0wjhE/s1600/2014-07-09+14.25.28.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 11th Dr. is short.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Jude
is either reading a stack of comic book or playing with his massive Lego
collection in his room which is sure to leave stray pieces for my bare feet to
find later. My teenage daughter, Roni,
has created her own world devoid of adults and our on-going lameness in her
room filled with music from Panic at the Disco and her own life sized Dr. Who
(Matt Smith).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
then there is Kim, my wife. Kim is the glue that holds all this very lucky life
I lead together. At any given point, my wife is whipping something together in
the kitchen for us to eat later, working on a story for her reporter job at the
paper, or anything left out in front of her that needs doing, fixing, mending,
or a hug. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But
the very best days of writing on the couch is while I’m trying to figure out
some way to tie my post together, I hear the tapping of another key board in
the dining room. The kids have been gone all summer with their father so Kim
and I have both adopted our own work spaces to work at. While I have staked out
the living, room, she’s taken over the kitchen table to work on her book and
sometimes her very awesome blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">See
when we met over three years ago we both had just started out on our writing
path. From the start, Kim always talked about writing her own book on dealing
with her past and overcoming the obstacles. For a while, she had stopped but
over the past year, Kim has been working hard revising and adding to it. And it
thrills me to no end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
know this is going to be a great book and it’s not just because I love this
woman so much anything she does. She is a very talented and honest writer which
is a rare combination in today’s writing market. To make it a trifecta, she is
a true storyteller though she refuses to admit to it because Kim is also pretty
shy until you get to know her.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lG89xzwYBCI/U72Pgt9afZI/AAAAAAAAAtg/sNKyzdHub6w/s1600/2014-07-09+14.26.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lG89xzwYBCI/U72Pgt9afZI/AAAAAAAAAtg/sNKyzdHub6w/s1600/2014-07-09+14.26.30.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Reading
anything Kim writes not only makes me proud but it also spurs me on because I
get it. Writing is not something to be
done to pass the time, or to entertain, or even to get digs in someone who has
wronged you or your family. It’s just something that is inside that has to get
out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">See
everybody has something in them that has to get out. For people like my father-in-law,
it’s a painting or a drawing. For my buddy, Dave, it’s music. But for people
like Kim and myself, it’s a story where writing is the medium we’ve chosen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It
makes me happy to hear my wife tapping away on her worn laptop because I know
she is getting closer to her goal of getting that story out and sharing it with
the world. She doesn’t write because she wants to. She writes because she has
to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Kim
is lucky because she has figured out what it is that she has to say. I’m not there
yet but I know it’s coming because it’s something I dwell upon almost every
single day. Until then I write and keep at it until I get my ideas refined into
whatever story that I need to tell. The one thing I’ve learned about this blog is
that I have the freedom to do whatever I please and I find relevant. So pop in
your favorite mix tape, sit back relax and let’s hit the road and see where we
end up</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1BSB3d7RV0U/U72P4BnpmNI/AAAAAAAAAto/b9PnpGKv0VA/s1600/2014-07-09+13.40.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1BSB3d7RV0U/U72P4BnpmNI/AAAAAAAAAto/b9PnpGKv0VA/s1600/2014-07-09+13.40.37.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’m
up for another 100. How about you? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-76956711015442282212014-06-25T12:54:00.000-07:002014-06-25T12:54:36.151-07:00It's Good to be the Robby<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This
whole bit started when NXStage, the good people who provide with my all my
dialysis necessities, asked me to write about what independence means to me.
This should have been a cinch but in spite of numerous attempts to get this
blog rolling, everything sounded like something Ralphie the <i>Christmas Story</i> kid would write for a
grade school assignment. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.pencilrevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ralphieatdesk.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.pencilrevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ralphieatdesk.png" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">See,
not only do I teach the occasional high school Lit class but I also write my
own blog about the life of a school teacher/tour-guide/pirate wannabe learning
how to live as newly found step dad and all the adventures that come with that.
Should have been a piece of cake but it wasn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
went back through my blog to see what I had written before. Many of the older
posts had been written to pass the three and half hour treatment times of when
I was hooked up to my NX Stage Cycler. The funny thing is that other than a few
passing references to living with kidney disease, I had not spent any amount of
time discussing what it’s like to be on home hemo dialysis in over three years.
Why is that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
had started off with peritoneal dialysis but it wasn’t the right fit for me. PD
was great because I did it in my own home and around my own schedule but it
wasn’t enough dialysis for me. I’m a big guy coming in at 6’4”.Within two
years, my health began to decline. I looked horrible with very pale skin and
huge bags under my eyes. I felt even worse and literally shuffled everywhere I
went with a constant fear of tripping and not being able to get back up (which
actually happened one day at school).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://cdn.arwrath.com/3/36377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.arwrath.com/3/36377.jpg" height="163" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Even
with kidney disease, I worked full time, went to grad school, and even had a
part time job being a ghost tour guide for a pub crawls here in Savannah, GA. Eventually, it got so bad that I had to quit
my tour guiding (which I loved and got me out of the house). It was all I could
do to stand an eight hour day then online classes for my Masters. The disease
was winning and I knew it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
doctor and nurse convinced to get over my enormous fear of needles and switch
over to home hemo dialysis. It was a challenging transition but well worth it
in the long run. It took about two months but I began to feel something I hadn’t
felt in some time. I felt like a regular person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As
I write this, I realize I could expound on and on about how using the NX Stage
Cycler gives me the independence to control my own treatments. How being independent
allows me to be treated as Robby that guy who’s a teacher and tour guide rather
than that poor bastard who has kidney disease. I could talk about how being
independent also affords me to look at myself not as a victim but just as some
guy who has a pretty cool life.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZleRwRUTpc/U6snFpCb7PI/AAAAAAAAAss/Zd6CD-k8t-U/s1600/tybee+floatilla+June+22,+2014+102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZleRwRUTpc/U6snFpCb7PI/AAAAAAAAAss/Zd6CD-k8t-U/s1600/tybee+floatilla+June+22,+2014+102.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="http://www.staffordpromotions.com/Tybee-Island-Floatilla" target="_blank">Tybee Flotilla</a> last Sunday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">All
of those points are important in creating the sum of my whole but it doesn’t
quite hit the nail on the head for me. I’ve come to understand the independence
I’ve gained from becoming a home hemo patient was the puzzle piece I needed to
begin living my life. It’s just pretty much as
routine to me and my family as brushing my teeth. It’s just part of the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">NX
Stage asked about what independence means to me? It means I can live my life
with all the risks and chances. I have been able to grow and find new
opportunities. Somewhere along the way, I discovered my soul mate and two
outstanding kids. Home hemo has allowed
me to live with so much going on that my life now is actually even better than
before my kidneys failed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It means I can be normal and in the long run,
that is what anybody would want. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uk1FS-XZpg/U6soqNMumSI/AAAAAAAAAs4/VsgA9cJk6NY/s1600/2014-03-29+16.57.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uk1FS-XZpg/U6soqNMumSI/AAAAAAAAAs4/VsgA9cJk6NY/s1600/2014-03-29+16.57.35.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This is a video I made on my a<a href="http://animoto.com/" target="_blank">nimoto</a> account that might sum of all the above a little better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://animoto.com/play/KfsLYKhxwdJ3VsS0es8mAg" target="_blank">http://animoto.com/play/KfsLYKhxwdJ3VsS0es8mAg</a></span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-72699603754670964092014-05-24T11:13:00.001-07:002014-05-24T11:13:38.773-07:00Happy Anniversary to My Amazing Wife and some Belated Thank Yous<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Two days from our second anniversary and I stumbled across this pic. It never struck me until today that this pic describes hows it's supposed to be as a husband and a parent.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1619689498" href="https://www.facebook.com/kim.wade.397" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Kim</a> and I are looking down at the path to make sure where we lead <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100006065891901" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006065891901" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Roni</a> and Jude will be safe. Meanwhile the kids are free to enjoy the ride. That's what it means to be a husband and a father and it's something I treasure every day.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Almost weekly, I always thank you, Kim, for this amazing life but I realize I've never stopped to thank the other part of the Richardson-Wade-Yancey Clan.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Thanks, Roni, for finding a way to let me in. I know it was hard and I love you even more for your tenaciousness and ability to care about those you love. You're becoming an amazing woman but that appears to be a Wade family trait (along with beauty)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Jude, since the start you've always been my buddy. I 've always believed the reason I held on to all that crazy geek knowledge was for my your Aunt<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=4921991" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheHIppie5" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Mary</a>, but I've come to realize I was waiting on you. You're becoming quite the young man with personality, smarts, and loads of talent (also another Wade family trait)</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Both of you are growing up too fast for me but you both will always be my kids and one of the reasons I smile so damn much.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Thank you Roni. Jude, and Kim. The past two years have been the best a guy could ever ask for.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I love all of you.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-top: 6px;">
Robert "Big Daddy" Richardson</div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3K3HuUk_MnA/U4DgvsW17yI/AAAAAAAAAsY/niOqh_nhYN8/s1600/182557_3755313614281_152866082_n+(1)+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3K3HuUk_MnA/U4DgvsW17yI/AAAAAAAAAsY/niOqh_nhYN8/s1600/182557_3755313614281_152866082_n+(1)+-+Copy.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crew.....<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-70524705832071043842014-03-17T10:06:00.000-07:002014-03-17T10:13:30.705-07:00All I Ever Wanted To Do Was Wear my Sandals...<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I subscribe to a Facebook page called Badass Teachers and I love it. I've actually found a group of teachers who are more militant than myself. A few days ago I came across a contest about hwy you became a teacher. The prize was a $700 Amazon gift card so how could I say no? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> This is my entry which as usual I wrote on the fly. While I am not expecting to win in the least (my competition is pretty good), I am kinda psyched that I've entered my first writing contest. "First step in a larger world and all that, hopefully. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Anyway, while I watch the St Patrick's day Parade on the TV, Roni, Jude and I are loungin" about enjoying our last day of Spring Break. This might be the most productive result of that. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I got into to teaching for two reasons: 1. I was burned
out in my current job and wanted to do something new 2. The person who talked me into it convinced
me that I’d get to wear my beloved sandals to work every day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The person who shared this tidbit was Robyn Rice. Robyn
and I were working at an Adults w/ Disabilities Program. Working directly with
the guys was awesome but I had grown very tired of the program director and the
politics involved in running the program. It was time for a change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Robyn was working alongside me as she finished her
Masters in special education. She often tried to tell me how much happier I’d
be in a classroom and how awesome I’d be with the kids. As much as I enjoyed
having my ego stroked, I kept resisting. Looking back, I knew I was afraid. I
knew teaching was a serious commitment and I just wasn’t sure I had it in me.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.weareteachers.com/images/grants_stories_misc/20-things-new-teachers.png?sfvrsn=2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.weareteachers.com/images/grants_stories_misc/20-things-new-teachers.png?sfvrsn=2" height="200" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> But Robyn was relentless and eventually I caved. When I
had spare time during the summer of 2002, I canvassed the Atlanta area trying
to get my foot in the door. I figured I’d be able to start off as a parapro and
work my way up. Nobody was hiring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> By some stroke of luck I ended up in an interview through
several strands of friends of friends. It was a middle school in Gwinnett
County. I assumed I was there for the para pro job but in reality the principal,
Ms. Malone, l was interviewing me for a Special Ed resource teacher. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I have never been a religious man but higher forces were
at work because I was hired after a 30 min interview to be a classroom sped
teacher. Without a teaching certificate. This was a fact I was very upfront
about but Ms. Malone explained there were in dire need and my background made
me more than qualified. Besides GA had an accelerated teaching certificate
program and she could get me in. A certificate would be about a year away with
a little hard work. I walked into that middle school hoping to be a parapro. I
walked out a 7<sup>th</sup> grade Geography sped resource teacher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> My father always told me the story of how his father taught
him how to swim. It involved being tossed into the river and hoping for the
best. My first year was a lot like this but somehow I adapted and found that I
liked being a teacher. I’d spent years working with a variety of adults dealing
with their disabilities in day-today life. Switching over to children had its
moments but also provided so many rewards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KipQ5dp70Gc/UgFRNuKrn_I/AAAAAAAABXc/dfOLyyGSZ1w/s1600/Teachers-have-three+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KipQ5dp70Gc/UgFRNuKrn_I/AAAAAAAABXc/dfOLyyGSZ1w/s1600/Teachers-have-three+(1).jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> My imagination was on fire trying to get these kids fired
up about World Geography. Through the use of duct tape, discarded household
items, and loads of imagination, I took my class on an archaeological dig in
China, made up a class song when we built Africa drums out of coffee cans, and
even created our own Egyptian burial chambers complete with Hieroglyphics
describing our lives,. My favorite was the kid who had Spider-Man and Wolverine
duking it over his kingdom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Education isn’t just what I did as a teacher, I quickly
discovered. I also had other roles. I was a traffic director during bus call.
Police negotiator during conflicts in the hall with class dismissal. Curriculum
expert as I sorted through the textbooks to figure out how to scaffold my
lessons. Testing expert at the end of the year when we doled out all the
standardized tests. And I also learned I had to listen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Middle school is a rough time for a kid’s self-esteem.
Being a sped student almost doubles that. Student feel singled sharing some
classes then having to switch. We spent almost as much time processing that as
learning about the economies of certain countries.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rUCRcRf8lb4/UWyq9Ud52OI/AAAAAAAAAXs/jQVJ3phF44s/s1600/more+than.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rUCRcRf8lb4/UWyq9Ud52OI/AAAAAAAAAXs/jQVJ3phF44s/s1600/more+than.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Over time my time my classroom, which my students
nicknamed “The Hobbit Hole”, gelled and my confidence in being called a teacher
began to grow. I figure I made plenty of mistakes but I also felt like I
learned from them. I wish I could say that every student I had in my seven
periods of World Geography passed but they didn’t. I do believe they left my
class at the end of May knowing they were just as valid as regular ed students
and had the coping skills to be just as successful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Ms. Malone was good on her word and got me hooked up with
that accelerated teaching program. Unfortunately, my math skills were badly out
of practice and I didn’t score high enough on the Praxis Math portion to obtain
a provisional certificate. My contract was not renewed even though I missed
passing by one point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It was a bitter pill to swallow and I spent a few months
upset with the world. Eventually that bitterness turned into something positive
and I found myself studying harder than I ever had before and passing the Math
portion of the Praxis. With my provisional in hand I eventually got hired at
another middle school and went right back to work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The next few years would be a series of ups and downs as
I tried to find a school which would be the right fit for me ideologically. I
got married, divorced, and discovered I had end stage kidney disease but
somehow got through all that and finally got my teaching certificate in 2009
when I earned my Masters in Special Education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I am happy to report that I’ve spent the past 8 years
teaching at the same high school my parents went to and even met at. I co-teach
social studies and Literature and have never been happier. Even with all the controversy
in merit pay and Common Core Curriculum, I look still enjoy this second career
and still swell with pride when people asked me what I did for a living.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I’m a special ed teacher. And I’ve still never worked at
a school that would let me wear my sandals to work. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTq484TEJ0jdah7UZR2Xq559EY5kEHLqRohkUbMvuwJIMtOVoSF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTq484TEJ0jdah7UZR2Xq559EY5kEHLqRohkUbMvuwJIMtOVoSF" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-78812111433764637922014-02-19T13:33:00.001-08:002014-02-19T13:33:31.478-08:00Making Choices, Seeing New Paths, and Philosophy of Thomas Magnum, P.I.<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.crossfit858.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/magnum_pi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.crossfit858.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/magnum_pi.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The Big Guy and rarely agreed on television viewing
preferences but due to the unofficial Richardson Family Hierarchy, my voice
normally didn’t matter. One show we did agree on was <i>Magnum P.I.</i> Looking back; I wouldn’t be surprised to find out the
Big Guy set his work schedule around 8pm on Thursday nights on CBS. I couldn’t blame him. The show sucked me right
in too. Private investigator solving crimes in Hawaii with shirts that obviously
influence my wardrobe choices? I’m in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><a href="http://www.magnumpi.it/S8/images/01-10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.magnumpi.it/S8/images/01-10.JPG" height="155" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Toward the end of the series, the writers came up with
this cliffhanger where Magnum had been shot and spent the whole episode in a
limbo style paradise with his old, long dead side-kick, Mack. As Magnum tries
to figure out the limbo process, Mack plays the guide role. At one point Mack
eats a jelly doughnut, seemingly out of nowhere. When Magnum asks about where
the doughnut came from, Mack replies, “Time has little to do with infinity and Jelly
doughnuts.” Shortly after, we watch Thomas Magnum stroll without a care in the
world, through some bad 80s blue-screen as he walks off to heaven. Season
cliffhanger! Will he return?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Being a TV and movie junkie, there are many lines that
take up room in my head that probably should have gone to something useful like
algebra. I didn’t write much in those days but I guess my subconscious could
recognize something good and store it away for later. That line has resonated with me for some
reason since I first heard it in the bottom of Sharp Hall in 1987. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Other than it was just a clever line to move along a
script, it never held any meaning until the other night. It was Tuesday morning
around 3 am after I had pulled my needles from my nightly treatments. Usually I
roll over to sleep like a baby but not that night. It was my first night back
from my unexpected hospital trip. I was home next to Kim in our bed in our
room. It smelled the same and felt the same. Kim had straightened up our room a
bit but everything was safe and familiar. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> That was when I started crying. I have never broken down
like that before. I was crying because I was happy to be here next to my wife
who I love more than anything. Yet, a few minutes later I‘d start crying again
because I was scared. I had just come the closest I ever have to dying and
never get to be around my wife and children. I kept remembering what the doctor
said right before he said they had to restart my heart with the paddles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> He tried to smile to reassure me, “It’s going to hurt
like hell but you have to have this if you want to see your family again.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I just nodded because I had already decided in the ambulance,
no matter what, I was staying with Kim and the kids. The jolt felt like I was
kicked by a few mules but it worked and my heart slowed down from the 278 beats
per minute to a normal rhythm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> For the next few hours that Tuesday morning, I would cry
for a bit and then just sit there and think about everything that had just happened
to me. No disrespect to the ladies but I honestly felt like I had the male
version of a period for a short bit, I ran all the major emotions. I’d be
thankful then get angry because I wish I’d gone to the doctor. I’d turn sad
because I knew I scared Kim badly. The worst was remembering how scared I had
been after the doctor shocked me and then I remembered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I was lying on the stretcher and I could finally breathe.
Everything was settling down and I had been just starting to feel like I was in
the clear. Everyone was back in the room including Kim. I couldn’t take my eyes
off of her and she kept smiling at me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Around that time, I began to feel something but I couldn’t
see it. I can’t explain why I know this but I just knew that if I looked at the
door to my room where there was a large window to look in, I’d see my Dad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
knew he’d be there in his blue short sleeve shirt with all the pens in the
pocket, Mary and I saw him wear to work a zillion times. I knew I’d see his red
hair which was getting peppered with gray. I knew Dad was there on the other
side of that door and if I looked at him, he’d tell me it was time to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
wanted to see him so bad. I miss Dad so damn much it hurts. Over the past few
years, I often wish I had just one more chance to talk to him and ask him
questions about being a father and a good husband. I wanted to bury my face in
his gigantic chest one last time and fell that bear hug no one can replicate
and hear him tell me that it’s all ok. But I also knew that if I acknowledged him
that was it. I talk fast but I could never talk my Dad out of something when he
was on a mission. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
I didn’t look at the door and I just looked at Kim and focused on her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And
he left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Fortunately,
I had a therapy appointment yesterday and we talked at great lengths about
this. My therapist, Kim (wild coincidence, huh?) said sometimes when we are
that close, people tend to visualize the next step as a place or in my case as
a person. I visualized heaven as my Dad. I have no idea how true this is but it
makes sense to me and I feel satisfied with leaving it that way. I do want to
see the Big Guy again badly and when we do, it’s going to be a lot of laughing
and hugging. Just not anytime soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">With
the exception of my immediate family, I have three individuals that I value
more dearly than myself. I plan on being around for a long, long time. There
are too many stories left to write and to tell. There are too many hugs and
kisses to be shared and too much laughter for me to miss out on with Kim, Roni,
and Jude. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Season
8 was the final season on <i>Magnum P.I</i>.
and it picked right up where the finale ended. Magnum was headed off to heaven
when he realized he had unfinished business and came back. For the first half
of the episode Thomas was a bit comatose and refused to acknowledge Rick, TC,
or Higgins. At the 27 minute mark, , Magnum broke his silence and just said,”
Time has little to do with infinity and jelly doughnuts.” Cue car chase….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
past couple of weeks have gotten under my skin both personally and professionally.
That’s on me for letting the idiots get under my skin. The past few weeks, my
emotions have controlled me rather than the other way around. I think that jolt
did more than restart my ticker; it shocked a little sense back into me. I am
going to spend a little more time focusing on those around me and being the
best Dad and husband I can be and a little less on letting those whose opinions
don’t matter affect my family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I don’t think I want to leave teaching as
planned but rather work towards being a better teacher and maybe even trying to
find a way to become an advocate. The past few weeks have got me excited about
my profession and the realization that maybe I can do something about the rut
GA seems to be stuck in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
didn’t find Jesus or Allah or give the Richardson Family Mint fortune to that
tele-evangelist in Texas but I feel like I have figured out myself enough to know
what I want to accomplish for the next few years. For the first time a very
long time, my path feels very concrete and in front of me rather than the
muddled mess I often find myself in. I am very excited about the future and what
it will bring as I get to be around a bit longer to watch my kids grow up and
my wife just keep getting more beautiful. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/398814_3598352472349_328895117_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://scontent-b-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/398814_3598352472349_328895117_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where I am going to be for a very long time....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">As
far as much how time I left before the Big Guy comes back for me, I have no
idea nor am I going to dwell on this anymore. There’s a lot of living left to
do and I plan to be around for a very long time for Roni and Jude, and Kim.
Besides, if I’ve learned anything from </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Magnum</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">,
</span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">P.I</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">.,
“Time has little to do with infinity and jelly doughnuts.”</span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-27980356125272510122014-02-04T17:03:00.000-08:002014-02-04T17:03:49.682-08:00Firewood, the Big Guy, and a Poem<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The Big Guy has been heavy in my head of late. Over the
past decade, I’ve gotten very comfortable with hearing his words bellow out of
my mouth. The wincing has stopped and most of the time I am either chuckling or
actually agreeing whole heartedly with whatever wisdom I have shared on the
behalf of the Big Guy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Every now and then though, an instance or a moment passes
where I swear somehow he’s pulling the strings to remind me of his lumberjack
presence. It happened today during my 2<sup>nd</sup> block Brit Lit class with
Elizabeth Henderson. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I’ll come back to that but first let me backtrack to the
beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Last Tues as the snows came to settle on GA, I had raced
home to purchase a trunkful of wood from Mr. Ricky. My only concern about all
the potential weather would be bad icing and power outages. The infamous Xmas
Ice Storm of ’81 holds special reckoning in the Richardson Histories due to the
3 days without heat or power. So long as we had some wood, I knew Kim and the
kids would be fine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> As I pull into the driveway, I can tell the temp has
dropped about 5-10 degrees and the wind has picked up. It’s not nice outside
but the wood has to go from the trunk to the front porch. Suddenly, I am
reminded inside is another set of small hands that need to be helping. Jude was
not amused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The next twenty minutes is a series of hemming and hawing
back and forth. Jude is throwing every excuse at me to be excused. He has
sniffles, there are bugs in the wood, and it’s too cold. My replies grow curt
and angrier at each comment. Finally I snap and then the Big Guy comes out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Son, we have to get this unloaded. We need this wood.
Your mother and sister need this wood so they don’t freeze if we lose power. I
am just as cold and tired as you but we don’t go in until this chore is done.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Jude and I worked mostly in silence but it we got the job
done. He did a good job with stacking the wood once I showed him how and was
helpful running out to bring in more as the next few days passed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s a week later and I am still fixated on that whole
interchange. My We-Need-Wood Speech actually cracks me up at this point. It hit
me a few hours later during my defrost mode why all those words came so easily
to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I
had heard them before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> This whole interchange between Jude and myself had
happened numerous times before up in Young Harris during the early 80s only it
was a six foot seven inch librarian/wood cutter having it out with his thirteen
year old artistic son/free labor. History is all a circle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Bear with me while I explain how Ms. Henderson ties into my
Brit Lit class. As much as I love teaching Literature, I hate, hate, and hate
poetry. It just doesn’t make connections in my brain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Fortunately, I am co-teaching with Elizabeth Henderson.
This lady is the real deal when it comes to understanding Lit and I have
learned so much working with her. She is also great for suggesting new bands
and authors so I am digging my 2<sup>nd</sup> block with her. I just wish our
students would appreciate it. Lol<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> We are working our way through the Romantic Poets which
is such a snooze fest for me. Ms. Henderson shared a poem out the Brit Lit book
about chimney sweeps which led me to share about the most dreaded day of the
year at my house where the Big Guy and I had to sweep out the chimney. I am not
even sure if my students believed me but I had fun going over a forgotten
memory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Afterwards, Henderson and I started talking more about
the joys of wood heat and laughing. Always the Lit Teacher, she recommended a
poem by Robert Hayden. I politely listened out of respect to Henderson but its
poetry so, you know. She was kind enough to print me a copy and I am very
thankful she did. This may be the first time I have actually connected to a
piece of poetry. Here it is<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Those Winter Sundays<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
by </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/196"><span style="background: #F9F9F9; color: #336699; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Robert Hayden</span></a><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sundays too my father
got up early <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">and put his clothes on
in the blueblack cold, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">then with cracked hands
that ached <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">from labor in the
weekday weather made <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">banked fires blaze. No
one ever thanked him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'd wake and hear the
cold splintering, breaking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">When the rooms were
warm, he'd call, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">and slowly I would rise
and dress, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">fearing the chronic
angers of that house, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking indifferently
to him, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">who had driven out the
cold <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">and polished my good
shoes as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What did I know, what
did I know <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">of love's austere and
lonely offices?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">- See more at: <a href="http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19217#sthash.zMEPsiOS.dpuf">http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19217#sthash.zMEPsiOS.dpuf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Change out Sunday to Saturday and you have how the wood gathering,
splitting and hauling process went at 5 Old Bald Mountain Road, Young Harris GA
301582.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">As I
folded up the poem to put in my pocket, it hit me what day it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
have been so absorbed in dealing with all the stupidity from my wife’s crazy ex,
trying to keep one of my students from dropping out with four months left, and
all the other noise in my life, I forgot about today. It
snuck right up on me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I
miss you, Old Man. Doesn’t feel like 15 years and it’s still not fair. It may
not hurt as much but your absence is still noted. I tell your grandkids about
you daily and they love to giggle at how you kept Mary and me on the run. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Thanks
for making me get up all those mornings to learn my lesson of how to keep my family
warm even at my own discomfort. Thanks for not letting me get away with any the
strange maladies I seemed to come down with right before going out to cut a
load of wood. But I think the biggest thanks goes to using (of all the ways to
reach out to me today) a goddamned poem to remind me that you are gone but you
are always looking over my shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">15
years and you are still teaching me. The poem is awesome<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Thanks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3656301714112033184.post-11277097466831027442014-01-18T10:45:00.001-08:002014-01-18T21:21:13.905-08:00It's Time For a MONTAGE!!!!!! How the TRAGIC Movement Relates to Every Mid 80s Action Movie<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> By the time the mid 8os hit, I was deep into my formative
high school years and the advent of the greatest movie plot device known to
man. I am speaking of the Montage. <i>Rocky IV, The Karate Kid</i>, and <i>Revenge of the Nerds</i> taught me the
valuable lesson of how I can accomplish any heroic task like David and Goliath if
I just huddle with my friends and work hard all while set to anthem style 80s
music with quick editing cuts, flashbacks and parachute pants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/iBktYJsJq-E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> This past week feels like that first few minutes in a
montage as I have started to battle against my new HRA insurance plan from Blue
Cross Blue Shield courtesy of the State Health Benefit Plan folks. I won’t
waste your time in backtracking and explaining the current healthcare
situation, if you are new to this then click on this link to explain: <a href="http://www.tragicga.com/">www.tragicga.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> To continue my movie metaphor in this blog, it’s felt
much like the third reel in any movie where I set out to accomplish my task ,
fail miserably, then find that inspiration
go on swinging as I take on the Bad Guy who I am obviously out matched
with no chance to win. My Bad Guy is the insurance empire of Blue Cross Blue
Shield. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> My issue is two-fold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="line-height: 32px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> 1) </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Not only am I in serious financial peril
because under their insurance plan BCBS won’t pick up any costs until I meet my
$1500 deductible. (I picked the Gold Tier which is the highest. Had I gone
Bronze, it would $3000, but wait because it gets better for my case) This means
anyone under the new state health plan doesn’t have a co-pay and has to pay
out-of-pocket to their doctor until the deductible is met. Oh, prescriptions do
not count either. People are reporting on our web page how they’ve gone from
$50 co-pays to up to $300 for visits. Everyone under this plan is screwed
especially folks living with chronic illness like me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2)<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> 2) </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">DSI, Savannah doesn’t have a contract
with BCBS under the HRA plan. DSI also happens to be the only place in the
region which offers my form of treatment, nocturnal home hemo dialysis. It’s a
wordy way to say I do all my own dialysis treatments in my own home as I sleep
six times a week. Do I really need this? Take a look at the before and after
pics of me especially my color and the bags under my eyes then decide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FLPgW8Rcmy8/Utq_x4PdEfI/AAAAAAAAArk/7penzHEyuw0/s1600/Robby+2009+Rags+at+PH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FLPgW8Rcmy8/Utq_x4PdEfI/AAAAAAAAArk/7penzHEyuw0/s1600/Robby+2009+Rags+at+PH.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009 Before Nocturnal Home Hemo Dilalysis At Pirate's House w/ my best buddy<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pJfugWDosL4/Utq_zTfPPTI/AAAAAAAAArg/pAl7v_u5n9g/s1600/2013+Robby+1st+day+o+school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pJfugWDosL4/Utq_zTfPPTI/AAAAAAAAArg/pAl7v_u5n9g/s1600/2013+Robby+1st+day+o+school.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall 2013 First day of School 3 years of NHH Dialysis Treatment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">My
BCBS rep told me on Tues that I had 60 days to find a new center in their
networks. After a nerve wracking conference call on Thursday, I found that BCBS
will grant me out-of-network benefits so I can stay but my deductible is now
$3000 instead of the Gold Plan which I
signed up for. What frustrates me is that is not much for BCBS to have to cover. I am eligible for medicaid due to teh kidney disease diagnosis. This means BCBS only has to cover 20% of the expense. Greedy much? So much for taking my family on a summer vacation up to
the North GA Mountains where I grew up to bore them about the good ol’ days…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Read
the Tragic Facebook page or the<a href="http://www.tragicga.com/" target="_blank"> webpage</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">. My story is not unusual. Many of my colleagues are having horrible issues to where they have to</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;">choose whether to go to the
doctor or pay their bills. Some of us are in a bad way. I cried yesterday when
I read about a teacher that was months away from getting her kidney under our
former healthcare plan. She has yet to hear anything form BCBS.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<a href="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/MjAxMy00ZWNhOWQxYmI1ZmM3MDc2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/MjAxMy00ZWNhOWQxYmI1ZmM3MDc2.png" height="224" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A
5 month pregnant teacher posted that her weekly doctor visits have shot up from
$40 to $360. This doesn’t include blood work, imaging, etc. She will be close
to $5000 before the baby even comes and then she has the hospital bill. Mid
wives stand to make a bundle this year in GA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
word is getting out. Melissa McCoy is a fellow teacher with me here in Savannah. Click on WSAV to see</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;"> when we were interviewed at <a href="http://www.wsav.com/story/24449888/some-state-employees-upset-about-new-health-insurance-plans#.UtaG3DL54vJ.facebook" target="_blank">WSAV</a> on this situation. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.25in;"> Melissa has been a great advocate for the
cause and an eloquent speaker even though she is quite shy and reserved in real
life. My long standing respect for her has grown in leaps and bounds over the
past week. She has rocked it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Working with Melissa on the TRAGIC
campaign also leads me to my next point of this not a conservative versus
liberal thing. Obamacare and the ACA have nothing to do with our current state
health benefit problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It’s
about working in a state where the many of our elected representatives
including Governor Nathan Deal have continuously made billions of cuts in education
over the past six years. Ironically, when it comes to the political spectrum,
Melissa and I are so far away from each other on that line. I’m the liberal to
Melissa’s card caring Libertarian yet somehow we both can see the non-partisan
ship of this issue. If only our Congress could work like this. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
amount of finger pointing and placing of blame has been outstanding to the
point of comical. Of, course out Governor, man of the people, has said United
Health Care is to blame for getting the teachers riled up. (They lost the
contract for this year in GA). I do hold Governor Deal accountable because “The
Buck Stops Here.” Yet I look around for
accountability and see another guilty party. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Even though I didn’t vote for Deal, I
honestly have not made my voice of what I expect from my representatives. With
the exception of one e-mail to Jack Kingston regarding student loan
forgiveness, I have never contacted any of my representatives nor seriously read
up on them to see what they are about until this past week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I am a bit ashamed of myself because I teach
U.S. Government to my students but really haven’t followed the process as much
as I should have. Even though I vote religiously, I don’t read about each issue
and every candidate like I should. Let me assure you, this is about to change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r4RxAPvEduQ/TLDRzObBrjI/AAAAAAAAKe0/VbmgjsivYB8/s1600/sounds+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r4RxAPvEduQ/TLDRzObBrjI/AAAAAAAAKe0/VbmgjsivYB8/s1600/sounds+good.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy of TheFrustratedTeacher.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
past several years have made it quite unappealing to go into teaching. Frankly,
I am rearranging my 10 year plan because I just don’t see lasting much longer
if current circumstances continue. The sad thing is that I love working with my
fellow teachers and students It’s a powerful moment to watch the kids when the
lesson finally hits home. Sadly, the past years have made it hard for teachers
to not only do their jobs but now it’s just coming down to basic cost
effectiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I already hold two jobs to make ends meet on
top of all my health issues and being with my family. How much farther can I be
spread out? How many teachers are
starting to ask themselves the same question? My guess is quite a bit more than
in past years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It’s
been an exciting few weeks being a teacher for me. Up until the start of 2014,
complacency had set in and I didn’t do much except complain about my current
job situation. Lately, I honestly do hear some of those old 80s soundtracks (I
was a soundtrack junkie in my younger years musically) in the background as I
contact ally my state reps and local news media sources. Gotta admit it’s been
great because it’s been sometime since I’ve dusted off my Rocky IV soundtrack
and tormented my kids during car-line.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Some
folks have been asking me if I honestly believe whether the TRAGIC movement can
make a difference. Is it possible for a special ed teacher in Savannah, GA with
bum kidneys to actually get a major insurance company and a Red State
legislature headed up by a Governor with more than a few ethics violations to
take note?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Yes.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Oh,
it is very possible. Because it's is not just me. There is 8,999 other teachers including other
state employees who can’t afford to maintain their current health plans. And we
are growing, and writing, and speaking out. I believe The Dude said it best in
The Big Lebowski with, “This will not stand” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">So
if you will be so kind as to excuse me, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Governor
Deal. Both of your pictures are taped to my bathroom mirror and there’s a large
ass cart of rocks to work on lifting. Let the montage continue…….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1oDTNEEu3Rw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<br /></div>
Robby Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07831785712744639772noreply@blogger.com0