Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

I have had this Carpel Tunnel crap for a while now and am really getting fed up with it. I started out with just wearing a brace. It helped some but not really. Then the doctor put me on some medication (I forget what its called) to help with inflammation and pain. Since that didn't work, I went back for the next step, a cortisone shot.

After 45 minutes of sitting and thinking about how much its going to hurt, nervous sweat running down my forehead, the doctor finally came in. He explained that this was the last step before having to perform surgery. And now its time. I really hate shots so here goes..... They mix latacain with the cortisone, to help with the pain. I have to tell you that the shot was not bad but it did hurt. I could instantly feel a cool fuzzy feeling in my thumb then the rest of my fingers went to sleep. The cool fuzzy turned to warm tingle. The pain was really intense right at the spot of injection. There was instant relief, No Pain. I actually was not feeling much of my hand at all. The doctor put my hand in a fist and cupped his over it, rolling it back and forth. I could feel the medication flowing through my fingers, very wild sensation. My hand was real stiff for most of the day, but No pain!!!! Yesterday every joint hurt but not intensely. Today, I have very little pain. You know when you bump into something and you get that half second of pain, its very tolerable, but enough to say "ouch". It seems to be getting better each day! Just hope it lasts. The doctor said that it could last a week, a month or 6 months. One of the other doctors said she had 1 single injection and the inflammation never returned. A friend said that he had the cortisone shot in his knee and never had any problems with it after that. So lets see what happens. It's really nice to get rid of one of my nagging pains. Now if I could just get rid of this pain in my ass called "A Job" I would be even more happy..... and that is a new post coming up next. So stay tuned for the continuing saga of my pathetic life...... right here on your favorite blog Flight Of An Eagle.

I Got Over It, Or Did I?

I posted about not getting the foreman's position a few days ago, being all butt hurt and all the mixed feeling. I did get over it and now glad that its not my position. Our big boss convinced Corey, the former foreman, to stay on as a mechanic, which helped tremendously. But things seem to be in chaos. David is not doing a bad job but is making a few decisions that I don't think are quite right. Without getting anybody in trouble, one of the many examples that I could give you are, he flipped a coin to give me an answer to a problem I had the other day. It was a $500 part that I had to replace. He also made the call to replace an alternator when the battery was bad.. not the alternator. I don't think that that's right but...........you make the call. When I have had to make decisions like that I have always asked for a second opinion. According to another co-worker you should always allow the person working on the unit to thoroughly go over the problem before making a snap decision. I agree. but I am not in charge so... and something else other department heads are bitching about us not getting the trucks out faster and how nothing seemed to get done. (keep in mind, I alone, work on 12 or more trucks in one day) So the solution was to drop work on all pickups and trailers and only work on big trucks (18 wheelers). All the Ford's and Chevy's we have that need work will go to some one else like the Ford or Chevy House! Mind you, one of the last trucks that we sent up there, took them 3 MONTHS to get to. So I don't think this is going to go over very well. We were also told that when we work on Saturdays that all we are supposed to fix is the air conditioners. Mind you the trucks may be falling apart and not running but the air conditioners are going to be working great! Go Figure.

I give up! So I have made up my mind. I am going to approach my boss and inform him of the transfer I want to make. I am wore out and burned out with the position I have and will do what it takes to get away from it. Even if it means going to work for another company!

I plan on going to work, within the company, to work for another department being a measurement tech. They read and repair meters for the rigs. I am told its easy work, good pay, and they get quarterly production bonus' too. Being a mechanic, the only time we get any kind of recognition, or bonus or praise of some kind is during Christmas where the bonus' are company wide.

In a way, I brought this on myself. I wanted to be a pee-on that just did his job making lots of money with no responsibility. I have outdone that and proved my self too dependable/responsible. I've got to quit doing that!

Life is good otherwise and I am just going to take it all in stride. A war may brake out but in the end I will win. I think what I need to do is get my balls out of Shelly's purse and just say what I have to say!

Amazed

This is amazing. I have never had this many people view my blog. According to Feedburner, my post about the supposed "Tornado South of Fort Stockton" has 435 visits in the last 30 days.

Someone even posted comments about it on an Audi Forum site. Its funny, I don't believe this person really read my comments about the picture very well. He/She wrote:

Sorry Folks, but the image is a FAKE. Here, it says the tornado was at a different rig in March, not April. Weird? Naw, just fake. http://flightofaneagle.blogspot.com/2008/04/tornado-south-of-fort-stockton.html The tornado and lightning are real, but the rest is photoshopped. The image is from 2006 from Florida, not 2008 from Fort Stockton, Texas. Snopes isn't always right, but since the tornado and lightning were posted in 2006 and updated on Snopes in 2007, this can't be Fort Stockton in 2008. Note that it was reported to be from Missouri before being reported from Texas, but without the oil well. http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/sedalia.asp I was suspicious as I don't recall the radio tower south of Ft. Stockton or the trees. <>

O well, glad I gained a few more readers. And by the way, SandRidge does have a few rigs that drill for oil, but these are drilling for gas. There is a radio tower out there, you just can't see it from the road.

I Need To Just Get Over It

As of last Friday, our shop foreman has put in his two week notice, and is going to go to work for as an adjuster for an insurance company. So, as everyone knows, I am the foreman's assistant. Everyone that needs work done comes to me if Corey was not available and I would handle all the delegations and paperwork. Since he was leaving I thought that I would get the foreman's position. I have been working for the shop for over 2 years now, know whats going on, and already know all the in's and out's of the position. However, I did not get it. With mixed feeling, let me step back and give you a little bit more info on who did and why I am not el heffe (I think that's how you spell it).
Some time back an entire bay was taken from the shop and set up for truck inspections. Because of the massive fleet and the amount of tickets that were being give to our drivers for DOT violations (anything that the DPS would pull you over for), the company decided that this would be best to help eliminate the problem. David is a friend of mine and is very close friends of our big boss. David moved back to Fort Stockton from Austin to work in this DOT Lane. They actually are getting paid to inspect a handful of trucks, then stand around and do nothing for 8 hours of the day. David worked as a mechanic many years ago when the company was very little. I guess that was good enough for the big boss to say "Put him in charge." He is a very hot tempered, sometimes ill mannered, short fused man. Though he is a great guy, he is just not management material. The big boss said, that he did consider a couple of us for the position, but thought it best to bring in someone from the outside. "I can't afford to loose anymore help on the floor."
Here is where the mixed feelings part comes to play. I do a lot of work for the shop. And am very depended upon. I've been told by several of the guys that I should have been put in charge, no questions asked. That really makes me feel good; knowing I have a crew that's "got my back". On the other hand, some days, I'm so glad that I am not the decision maker. I'm not going into detail because it is too much to blog about right now, but yesterday was stupid crazy and being in charge of mass hysteria was not something I wanted to deal with. Guys, I make decent money; the over-time is great, so that is NOT the issue right this moment.
My issues are:
I am not allowed to transfer to another department.
I am not able to move up the ladder to a better position.
I cannot go to work for any other company in this area doing the same work for the amount of money that I am being paid; am I going to have to stay in the same position till I die just because of the pay?
Flip side:
I am respected as a hard, dependable worker
Do not have to deal with managing others,
Am in the situation to perform my work the way I want to,
I am not expected to be on call 24/7,
I do not have to do extra work to fill in for what other co-workers didn't or couldn't do,
Put in more overtime just to catch up on the things like paper-work....

Does any of this make sense? Maybe not, but I had to get my jumbled thoughts out so that I might be able to just "get over it"

*UPDATE* Tornado South of Fort Stockton?

Check this out

O

Someone anonymously commented with a link from Snops.com that gave the history behind the real tornado.

"The picture of the tornado funnel and lightning bolt was indeed taken in Florida, but it long antedates the tornadoes that hit the state in February 2007. According to the National Weather Service Forecast Office In Melbourne, Florida, this Photograph was snapped near Lake Okeechobee, Florida on 15 June 1991. It has been available for purchase (in poster form) through the Tornado Project's on-line store since at least mid - 2001. "

Thank you Anonymous for the info and to TheLGB for the comment!

Tornado South Of Fort Stockton?

Supposedly on March 30, 2008 there was a tornado next to one of the Sand Ridge Rigs (on the ranch about 25 miles south of Fort Stockton). That day and night we had some very fierce winds that did damage some trees around town but no word of any tornado. However,

Kevin Gafford took this picture south of Ft. Stockton Drilling for Sandridge.
"Man it was quite a sight last night",
Kevin.

The picture is absolutly amazing, yet unbelieveable. There was no tornado reported arround the imidiate area and no reported damage to any of the property. A tornado that size would have produced major damage to something, and trust me if something is damaged, all of us know about it.

This picture has aready circled the globe, I have received it in a subcription email from Joke-R-Uss and have been sent to my inbox several times from friends/family all over the place. To be honest I don't believe this to be real, just photoshoped or something. I have not talked to Kevin yet but will let you know when I do.

What do you think?

A Lizard Story

If you have raised kids (or been one), and gone through the pet syndrome including toilet-flush burials for dead goldfish, the story below will have you laughing out LOUD!
Overview: I had to take my son's lizard to the vet.



Here's what happened:
Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was "something wrong" with one of the two lizards he holds prisoner in his room. "He's just lying there looking sick," he told me. "I'm serious, Dad.



Can you help?"
I put my best lizard-healer statement on my face and followed him into his bedroom. One of the little lizards was indeed lying on his back, looking stressed. I immediately knew what to do.



"Honey," I called, "come look at the lizard!"
Oh my gosh," my wife diagnosed after a minute. "She's having babies." "What?" my son demanded. "But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!" I was equally outraged. "Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we didn't want them to reproduce," I accused my wife.




"Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage?" she inquired.



(I actually think she said this sarcastically!)
"No, but you were supposed to get two boys!" I reminded her, (in my most loving, calm, sweet voice, while gritting my teeth together). "Yeah, Bert and Ernie!" my son agreed. "Well, it's just a little hard to tell on some guys, you know," she informed me.



(Again with the sarcasm, you think?)
By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, deciding to make the best of it. "Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience, I announced. "We're about to witness the miracle of birth.



"
"OH, Gross!", they shrieked. "Well, isn't THAT just Great! What are we going to do with a litter of tiny little lizard babies?" my wife wanted to know. (I really do think she was being snotty here, too. don't you?) We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later. "We don't appear to be making much progress," I noted.




"It's breech," my wife whispered, horrified. "Do something, Dad!" my son urged. "Okay, okay." Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gingerly tug. It disappeared. I tried several more times with the same results.




"Should I call 911?" my eldest daughter wanted to know. "Maybe they could talk us through the trauma.



" (You see a pattern here with the females in my house?)
"Let's get Ernie to the vet," I said grimly. We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap. "Breathe, Ernie, breathe," he urged. "I don't think lizards do Lamaze," his mother noted to him. (Women can be so cruel to their own young. I mean what she does to me is one thing, but this boy is of her womb, for Heaven's sake.



)
The vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass. "What do you think, Doc, a C-section?" I suggested scientifically. "Oh, very interesting," he murmured "Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?" I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside.




"Is Ernie going to be okay?" my wife asked. "Oh, perfectly," the vet assured us. "This lizard is not in labor. In fact, that isn't EVER going to happen... Ernie is a boy. You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into maturity, like most male species, they um....um....masturbate. Just the way he did, lying on his back." He blushed, glancing at my wife. "Well, you know what I'm saying, Mr.. Cameron.




" We were silent, absorbing this. "So Ernie's just...just...Excited," my wife offered. "Exactly," the vet replied, relieved that we understood. More silence. Then my vicious, cruel wife started to giggle. And giggle. And then even laugh loudly. "What's so funny?" I demanded, knowing, but not believing that the woman I married would commit the upcoming affront to my flawless manliness. Tears were now running down her face. "It's just...that... I'm picturing you pulling on its..its...teeny little..." she gasped for more air to bellow in laughter once more.




"That's enough," I warned. We thanked the Veterinarian and hurriedly bundled the lizards and our son back into the car. He was glad everything was going to be okay. "I know Ernie's really thankful for what you've done, Dad," he told me. "Oh, you have NO idea," my wife agreed, collapsing with laughter.




2 - lizards - $140...
1 - Cage - $50...
Trip to the Vet - $30...
Memory of your husband pulling on a lizard's wacker .Priceless...

A Lot Going On!

We have a lot going on right now, and it's things that are great for us.

Here is a quick rundown:

Not only did we get the new car (Which Shelly absolutly loves) I was able to get a promise from someone to take my Dodge truck that I could not get to run, have an person interested in taking the P O S Neon off my hands that also sitting in my driveway, I found out that the money that I have invested so far in my retirement plan has made twice as much as I thought, bought a great suround sound system that I will install in the living room here in a little bit, an official toddler in my household (Brenton is 18 months old as of yesterday) who is in a very hyper and happy mood this morning, a Tyla who will be home soon after spending the night with a freind, who will also be hyper when I give her the Miley Cyrus/Hanna Montana CD I bought her

AND

(Deep breath......)

It's gonna be another beautiful day outside today! Tomorrow will be a complete different story, but today is looking GREAT!

Playing Around

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a BOX of "stuffing" to re-cussion my hand-me-down recliner. (It needed it badly, thanks to my mother-in-law... she loves me so!!!). When I opened the box it come billowing out and went everywhere. Brenton had a blast and I let him play. Cotton was everywhere! (we're still finding cotton in the wierdest places!) We all had fun and I had to take pictures.

It was all giggles by the time it ended!

Shelly's New Car

Earlier in the week Shelly's Jeep (its acually her Mom's) started acting up. Made some really wild sounds coming from the engine. Sounds and acts like the water pump is going out (I think). With working all the long hours that I do, I culd not find the time to attempt to fix it and could not even insure that I could get it done in a short time period. We have been talking about and looking at the Chevy Colbalt's for about a year now so we just up and decided it was time. Now here is the interesting part.

Shelly called Gilbert at Amistad Motors here in Fort Stockton. Told him that we would like for them to pay off the Cavalier, put us in a new economical 4 door, payments at $350/month, and our APR at 7%. We thought it was worth a shot, all he could say was no, right? (keep in mind here, that this is only dealing with him over the phone, not actually at the dealership!) He first came up with a Pontiac G6, nice car but would up our payments to $475 per month. We told him No Can Do. So about an hour later he calls Shelly back and has a 2007 Cobalt that would fit us perfect, and to meet him at the dealership at 8:00 that night. That was fantastic, gave me time to get home and get a shower and eat a quick dinner.

Guys, here is the sweet part about all of this (and to shorten up the story). They did paid off the Cavalier and let us keep it, put us in a new Cobalt, required no down payment, put extra insurance on BOTH cars, uped our interest rate to 7.99%(only cause we still owed $6000 on the Cavalier) and all for a grand total of $21,000 and payments at $376/month!!!!!!!! That feels so great.

Fire Balls

I am going to have to try this some time!



How To Make Fire Balls - video powered by Metacafe

Immigration

I am not going to say to much on the subject since it might "dismantle" the content. There are a couple of things that I found that have supported the content like Here and Here (read up on your history) read on, let me know what you think.

This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper......... Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!

New Immigrants From: "David LaBonte"My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined.Dave LaBonte (signed)Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor:
So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times.They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children anew life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.

Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy,France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2007 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life . I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed) Rosemary LaBonte

Christmas 2007

As always it stays busy around here during the Christmas season. Shelly and the kids went to San Antonio to visit her uncle the weekend before Christmas.

That was a house full! I stayed at home since I had to work.

Christmas Eve, we went to my parents house for the traditional reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas". In case you didn't know, what happens is, we each purchase a single gift. Gag gift, fun gift, or just something neat. We all sit in a circle around the living room, and listen to my dad read the story. Every time he says the word "THE" we pass the gift to the person sitting next them. It is histarical! and you will be amazed at how many The's are in that story. At "The End" the gift you end up with you get to open. The kids are just now getting old enough to enjoy it.

That was another house full! Always too much fun.

Christmas day was great too. After spending half the day putting everything together (Yes, my dumb ass left my good tools at the shop....uggg), we all just had a day of nothing put play!

From the Tunnel of Fun

To the very addictive PlayStation 2

The two little rug rats made out like bandets again this year.

Happy New Year!

Lost

Have a Lot More to post....but Shelly some how lost the alarm clock, then her cell phone after church (she put it on silence) during the Greatest Christmas Program.

Wait...

Shelly found her phone, Thank THE LORD, and YES good grief she found the alarm clock.

She is blaming me for loosing the clock since she found it on her side of the bed and under the head board, and I am the one that had to get up early yesterday, and I had to have had it because.... Keep it coming... It's ok ... I take the blame.... as long as you found it, it don't mater

Gas Prices Too High

T&C must have there heads up their ass . This has been this way for weeks

Not only do I have to pay $8.05 a gallon for gasoline, I can't fart when I take a piss. What that hell?

I go into this T&C all the time. Since my name is on my uniform, they know me by name. I walked in with the camera and they looked lost. I went to the restroom then right back to the car. The new employee followed me out and lit a cigarette then started dialing someone on her cell. She watched me leave the parking lot. I pulled in to the video place across the street to take the pic of the $8 per gallon sign and I could see that she was pointing at me. I could only guess that she was calling the police. Why? I don't know. This was just too funny to pass up!

"Snowmen and Snowflakes" Mission Complete (Well, Almost)

I think all of the outside decorating is done. I am glad.

It turned out to be quite a bit more work than I expected. Me and my bright ideas!

First off, I got the ideas to use snowflakes after finding a few packages of little plastic ones at Wal-mart. When I realized I did not have enough and went back to get more there were none. After looking around some more there were no snowflakes anywhere to be found. None other than the lighted icicle type. By the way, it turns out that all these lights I've seen around town have just about burned out. So Shelly & Tyla made some out of that cheap glittered batting that is supposed to be used as a table cover. Tyla had a blast.

We put them on the roof and a few on the fence next to the house.

I made a huge snowflake out of lights on the right side of the yard. Can't see it from the street though. O-well.

I built the Christmas Trees and the Snowman family a couple of years ago. I always get compliments on them. The only problem I have with them is the Pennies I used for the eyes. They keep falling off. I guess Super Glue doesn't stay super forever.

I will have to periodically go out and straighten things up from time to time but I think we are all done. Now its time to sit back and enjoy the season.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Snowflake Update

Got more snowflakes up and it looks cool. Taking me and Tyla a lot longer to make the flakes than I anticipated. (....like Dad I have to pee..., Dad I need....Dad we have to.....) So it will be another week before everything will be done and pictures posted.

If It Works...Hey, Go For It!

Leaving work the other day I happened to notice this car in the parking lot. I have to say its not original, but if it works than go for it. I laughed really hard. Not at the person for doing it, just wondered if my self-proclaimed "redneck" brother was around to do the repair job!

You cannot see it to well but the new"head light" is securely attacted using the finest method possible. (J you have to get your hands on some of this!) Industrial strength 2" electrical tape. This new product holds up to 2 lbs more than standard duct tape and is fasionably appealing.

Watch Out for Online Job Applications

As with most job seekers, I have my resume posted on Monster.com and occasionally recieve emails that show interest in my resume. I received one from VeriResume that actualy looked promising and legit. It asked for me to post my cell phone number and provider and then upload my resume. (First thought, why are they asking for my resume if they already have it.) I went to research the company that they are supposidly repersenting, and they mention nothing about the position that VeriResume is looking for. ONLY to CONTACT THE HR. DEPARTMENT FOR THAT POSITION. The William Morris Agency does exist and does have job opening, but I personally qualify for NONE! Here is the email I got:

Dear Scott ,

I recently saw your resume online and I think you would be a great fit for one of our clients, the William Morris Agency. They are looking to hire an accounting clerk, and considering your background, I think you would be a great fit for the company. WMA is looking for an entry level accounting clerk. A degree in accounting or finance is a plus, although not a requirement for this position. New grads are encouraged to apply. As an accounting clerk for WMA, you will need to be detail oriented and consider organization a priority. WMA offers competitive wages and a comprehensive benefits package to the right candidate. Joining the team at WMA means you will be a part of the largest and most diverse talent and literary agency in the world, with offices all over the world, including New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai. If you would like to apply for this position, please click on the link provided below and fill out the online application. *(Link deleted for safety reason) Expect to be contacted one or two business days after submitting your online application. I look forward to hearing from you soon! Regards,Rose Snyder

According to Tabatha Marshall's "Something's VeriRotten with VeriResume" information and research, I found out that I was almost subject to acts of a spammer/phisher. There are mixed comments on her site but most are against VeriResume.

So let me say, watch what your doing, do your research, and again...if its too good to be true...