Wrong Way

I am doing some realizing.  Should we make getting a drivers license a little harder?

I know that part of the test is looking at pictures and telling what sign it is.
Shouldn't we also know what that sign means?

Yield:  Let other traffic go before you.
School Crossing:  Children crossing the street.  DO NOT HIT THEM!
Stop sign:  Stop Idiot
Detour:  Go around
No Left Turn:  Don't turn left.
No U Turn:  Don't turn around here.
Keep to the Right:  Go around the big concrete thing in the middle of the road.
No Parking:  Do you really want to get towed?

One Way:  ONLY Drive in the direction the arrow is pointing.

That last one is the one people seem to be confused on.
In the last two weeks, I have seen people go the wrong way in a school parking lot every day.
There are children crossing here.  The One Way sign is for their safety and yours.  There is not enough room to pass if you are going the wrong way in the middle of the road!
I have also seen this in the city.  Downtown to be exact.
A bright red convertible going down the wrong way down a busy street during lunchtime.
I am actually surprised that the big utility truck in the lane next to me moved.  I wouldn't have.

Try your luck.  Here is a website for the Driver's License street sign test.

http://www.usa-traffic-signs.com/Test_s/50.htm

Just to let you know.
I only missed one.

I Don't Want to Grow Up

I don't want to grow up.  That is the crux of what I am.
Then come the comments. "You have a job!" "You have kids!" "You're married!"
House, car, monthly payments! Yes! I agree! I am a Grown UP, an adult, over thirty, whatever you want to call it.

But I don't want to grow up!  I want to play with my kids like I am their age.
I want to have my video games and comic books. I want to watch that stupid movie with my friends.
I like sneaking out and watching TV until 2am.
Then I will see if I can sneak into bed without my wife waking up. (she catches me every time)
I want to laugh like I don't have a care in the world.

I don't want to be the guy, who at the end of his life said, "I wish I had done.....more."
I don't want to be the boring dad that the kids don't want around their friends.
I only want to embarrass the kids when I want to. Not just because I am there.
I want my kid's friends to be happy I am there.

I it a lot to ask?  Probably.  but here I am asking anyway.
I am getting older.  That is just a fact. Nothing I can do about it.
The other option is not one I really want to try right now. Or ever really.
But I am sure I can wait for as long as I need to. (The Reaper can wait)

I want to be a kid when my kids have kids.
I don't want to be the grandpa that the kids have to be careful around.
I want to run and play with them. Or at least not be left too far behind.

But I will always keep in mind the saying, "Young at heart"
But if you live by "You are only as young as you feel", then you can have some very crappy days even if you are 23.

The Night Before

Here I am the night before.  Awake.

It's not that I probably can't go to sleep.  I am just not really wanting to.
I can't eat anything.  I can't drink anything.  It's after midnight.  I just really don't want to go to bed.

For those of you who don't know. (And I am sure that most of you don't.)
I am having minor surgery in the morning.
I seem to have damaged a nerve in my left arm.
And before you go jumping to conclusions, it is not "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome".
I looked it up. "CTS" is when the nerve that runs down the Radius bone, through the wrist and palm of your hand gets damaged.
You feel numbness and tingling in the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and thumb-side of ring finger.

I have damaged the Ulna nerve.  Otherwise known as the funny-bone. This runs from your shoulder, around the elbow and follows the Ulna bone to the outside of your hand. (Hence the name "Ulna Nerve")
I have numbness and tingling in the pinky finger and that side of the ring finger.
With both, you eventually have loss of movement and muscle in forearm, hand and fingers that are affected.
I have lost dexterity and grip in my left hand.
Just my luck.  That's the hand I write with.




The funny thing is that I damaged the nerve playing games on my computer.
(Wife will never let me live this down.)

So, tomorrow I will wake up with the farmers.  My wife will drive me to the surgical center.
There, I will fill out a bunch of paperwork.  Get blood drawn for the anesthesiologist. And then get knocked out while they cut open my arm and try to relieve the pressure on the nerve.
Then I will wake up.  Get dressed and come home.  Where my wife will give me my medicine and put me to bed. So I can heal up and get back to normal living.

Sounds simple, right?
Then YOU do it. (You're saying no, aren't you.)

Now you may think that I am scared about getting knocked out.
Did it before. Wisdom teeth. Woke up fine.  Almost convinced my Mom to let me drive home.
Scared about the surgery?
I've been through worse at a younger age. (story for another time.)
Scared of the pain?
Not really.  I have a high tolerance. Plus, pain goes away...... I hope.

I have resigned myself that I am getting older.  Thing happen.
I will have to go through a lot in the coming years. (Remember, I do have kids.)
This is just something I have to do and get over with.
And I will have a great scar to show for it. (Chicks dig scars)

My only hope is that I can have the full use of my fingers and hand when this is done.
Because my pinky seems to have a mind of it's own some days.

Now that I have gotten this off my chest, I am going to bed.
I will wake up in the morning and face this challenge head on.
Come out a little poorer, a little wiser, and a little sleepier.

And while I'm going under will think to myself.  "Chicks dig scars"