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Darryl sporting the finest in western wear.

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Brandon. Big man in a little man hoody.

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It's Been a While...

Yeah I know it's been a while. But things are going about the same here on this end. Just working and paying bills. Spending time with my boys and trying to enjoy my life a little. Looking forward to Christmas and spending time with Jay and Bryce.
Work is going good. Been a little slow, but it usually is this time of year. Seems SUM DUDE just dont like the cold as much as he does the hot weather. Although there was the male prostitute that came in the other day that had been shot.....I just wonder when during the act the john realized that "HEY THIS IS A DUDE!" ?


Bryce has discovered Sesame Street. It's amazing that some of the stuff on there is the same as when I was a kid. And I still love it...i will get him and we'll get on the computer and look at videos. The one above is one of my favorites.

And of course Dad has discovered that there are Eagles videos on Youtube....So he and Bryce watch them in the evening. It's Bryce's chill time. Kind of winds him down for the evening.

And of course there is always the videos that I can fit into my life. Just one of many.
Well hope that all of my dear readers have a Happy holidays and Merry Christmas. Y'all be safe out there.

Babe in the Woods

Starting to break Bryce in on hunting early. Dad and I have had him down to the deer camp a couple of times. He loves to be outside. Of course when we saw a deer Bryce was well off in dreamland. But i'm sure that he will have plenty of opportunity in the years to come to see deer. Can't wait for him to get old enough to start taking him hunting.

Just wanted to show off Maddie. She is the daughter of Chris and Stacy. Chris, I would say, is my best friend. We may go a month or more and not talk, but we are always there for each other. He is more like a brother to me than anything else. We have helped each other thru some rough times. I love this picture of Maddie, so very precious. Amazing how innocent babies are.

And of course the obligatory picture of Bryce. He was being silly for his big brother. Jay is really taking to him now that he is more interactive. I think it's because jay has realized that Bryce is not gonna break.

Any way, just a few pics for today. Hope all is well. Drop me a line.

Hey how are you?

Hey folks, how's it going in your life these days? All here is good. Just rocking right along. Working, paying bills, and trying to maintain my sanity. LOL. Bryce is growing like a weed. It seems like everyday he is doing something new and growing before my very eyes. In the pictures above you see my Aunt Evelyn, she stayed with us while Gustav worked his way thru Louisiana. Needless to say Bryce enjoyed her stay. When I was a kid Evelyn was always spoiling me rotten, and she did the same for Bryce. Hated to see her leave, but she had to go back to see what damage had been done to her house. Bryce has learned that Papaw has a snack every evening, and that if he is persistent enough he can share in it. Think he really likes sugar free Jello. Bryce is really a happy lil fella. About the only time he really fusses is when he is sleepy, dirty, or hungry. He has four teeth across the bottom and the two middle teeth are just barely thru the gums.

As far as for me, work is good. Been busy of late. Seems that the good folks here in Memphis can't get go a day without shooting, beating, or stabbing one another. And of course the government of the city wants everyone to thing that it is just a garden spot. Yeah right! Oh well it keeps the bills paid.

Drop me a line and say HI! Stop just lurking around and leave a comment. Feedback is always welcome.

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"There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who wont anymore, and who always will. So don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future."
Stole that from a blog friend Cory. She works ICU in Nashville, TN. Shes a trauma nurse also. Hit her link in my list and check her out. Great blogger and has that interesting sense of humor that all of us nurses have.
Not a lot going on right now. Just working, paying bills, and living life. Waiting on this custody thing to be worked out. Hopefully the 24th of this month I will at least have the temporary order of custody. Lawyer says should be no problem. But you know how cynical I am. I believe nothing 'til I have paper in hand.
Got family up from Louisiana. They headed north to get away from Gustav. So far from what they have heard, as far as their homes are concerned it's only been minor damage. Some shingles off and a few trees down.
My cousin Terry and his wife, Wanda, are staying here at mom's and my aunt and some of my cousins are staying at my place in Jonesboro, AR. Shoot I can't even see my own house but I'm glad that my family is able to use it in their time of need.
Bryce is loving the extra attention from everyone. Wanda raises Poms and she brought all seven of hers here with them. Cute 'Lil things. Look like mini Chow Chows. Bryce will stand up at the back door and bang on the glass. He likes to watch them run around.
My prayers go out to the folks down on the coast. Please say a little one today for them also. Y'all take care.

Hey Hows Life?

Hey folks hows it going? Just want to thank all of ya'll that drop in and send a comment or e-mail. It's nice to know that someone other than my folks read what I post here. This blog has become an outlet for some of my frustrations.
Got pics of Bryce above for your viewing enjoyment. He's crawling now and into everything. it's amazing how something so small can be fast. Well I say small, relative to me he is small. At 23 lbs 4 oz and 30.5 inches long he ain't really that small. LOL. He's pulling up too. If it sits still for more than 30 seconds he's standing next to it. Bryce is getting brave too, he's starting to turn lose of whatever he's holding onto and standing on his own. So I guess it won't be long before he's walking.
Anyway, have a great day. Thanks again for dropping by.

Think Bryce has a Crush...

Well folks it was bound to happen sooner or later. Just didn't think it would happen this soon. Bryce has his first crush. The Wason's Pool and Spa commercial will come on and he comes to a complete stop. I mean he will go from a full blown temper fit (not that there are that many of them.) to full attention on the TV as soon as Jennifer starts talking. I mean, I don't really blame him. Heck, I think i've had a crush on her for years too.
Not alot going on in life right now. Working, paying bills, dealing with lifes little issues. You know, everyday stuff. So what's new in your world. Drop me a line and say HI.

Life Update...

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I have also found that family is more important than all else. For without my family I would have foundered in the sea of depression that I have found myself in. I have discovered that although it's been seventeen years since I've had a baby of my own to take care, I can do a halfway decent job.
I have also learned to really listen to the advice of friends. That sometimes they really are right. (Sorry Booker, next time i'll listen.) I have learned that owning a house does not necessarily make it a home. That sometimes it just becomes a really expensive mini-storage unit. Something to house broken dreams, tore apart promises, and the tears that no-one else will ever see.
I have also learned that my boys are more important to me than anything else in this world. That I will move heaven and Earth, and walk thru the fires of Hell for them. I will allow no one to do anything that will cause them harm. They are now my life and forever will be. Even moreso than they were before.
If any of this makes sense, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, and you got questions, then feel free to ask. Right now i'm an open book.
Take care, Jim

Dreams fulfilled....

Well my travel buddy, Ashley, is doing what she has dreamed of doing for a long time. She's flying with the PEDIFLIGHT team at the childrens hospital here in Memphis. She has worked hard to get a ton of certifications. And it has finally paid off....She's flying.
Am I a little jealous? Hell yeah....I catch the helicopters all night long at THE MED, I just would like to ride in one sometime. But I also am very proud of her. She's worked her ass off, and finally her dream of flying is coming true.
Drop me a line and say HI. Let me know how life is for you. Peace!

Ghetto Chucky Update...

Just a quick update on Ghetto Chucky. Darryl went to court the other day. Chucky got eight months for his attempted assault. Darryl said it was kinda humerous hearing Chucky being called a threat to his person. Justice prevails. LOL!

Number two with a Bullet....

10 Worst Crime Cities

In 2007, Memphis ranked second in violent crime per capita in cities of more than 500,000 people.

1. Detroit: 2,286*

2. Memphis: 1,950

3. Baltimore: 1,631

4. Nashville: 1,509

5. Philadelphia: 1,475

6. Milwaukee: 1,403

7. Indianapolis: 1,234

8. Houston: 1,132

9. Boston: 1,155

10. Dallas: 1,069

* Number of violent crimes per 100,000 people.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Well Memphis you have let me down again....Was hoping for number One. You would think that with the amount of crime victims I see on a daily basis we would be number one. I can only imagine what it would be like living in Detroit.
You gotta love living in a city where the majority of the city council is made up of drunks and crooks, the mayor is a egomaniac, and the majority of your population is non-working welfare cases.
Anyway thats my two cents worth. Drop me a line and give me your opinon. Come on Memphis, lets go for number ONE this year.

Pump Gas Drags '08

Hot Rod Magazine every year puts on the Pump Gas Drags here in Memphis. It was this past weekend. Let me give you a little run down on it, it's an invitational race. The cars all have to be street legal, granted barely. And they have to run on pump gas. There are other rules but I won't bore you with them now.
As part of the deal, they all go thru tech check at Comp Cams and then make a thirty mile drive thru Memphis to the track. The first year they did this on Friday night during rush hour. If you live in Memphis then you know what that's like. After that they started doing it on Saturday.
It started raining and having tornadoes in the area. So after the first round of elimination they decided to postpone them to Sunday AM. Of course with that being Mothers Day I had to miss the finals.
My thanks to Mellon for the great video. And follow the link. He also has great video of the races.
Makes me want a car again so bad.....maybe when I get some bills taken care of and life on a more even keel. Until then, I can dream. Peace!

A Little Advice

You know it's amazing the number of our patients that come into THE MED complaining that the police have beat them up. I think this video will explain how not to get beat up by the police. All good advice. Pass it on to your friends.

Have a good one. Drop a line. Let me know how your doing.

Jay's Prom

Well Jay has reached another milestone in his life. His first prom. He looked absolutely handsome. I forget just how great looking my son is sometimes. His date, Tiffany, was a total knockout in her dress. And together they were perfect. They looked like they should have been walking down a red carpet before an award show somewhere.

His friend, Nathan, is the son of one of my best friends from high school. Joey and I spent a little while talking about the last twenty-two years that have passed since our prom years. And how cool it is that our boys are friends. It was nice to catch up a little. We need to get together and really have a chance to talk.

here are a few pictures I took that day. Let me know what you think.

What I want....

You know I've been asked what I want in a relationship alot of late...let me tell you what I want.
I want someone that is...

1. Financially stable.
2. Reliable.
3. Responsible.
4. Trustworthy.
5. Has their issues under control.
6. Self sufficient.

I mean am I being unrealistic? I don't want to be someones father. I want someone that will be a partner in the relationship. I don't need a liability. I want someone that understands that sometimes I need a little ME time. As I will respect that they do too.

Applications will be posted in the near future, so put a shine on that resume. And I will be checking references.

Ghetto Chucky

Ok let me set the stage for you.....I'm at work last night and we have a patient come in....Just for fun we'll call him Chucky. Now Chucky is all of 3 ft 6 in tall and about 100 pounds soaking wet. No he's not a pediatric patient, he's a midget. Seems Chucky has a bad habit of falling and always hitting his head. Maybe thats because it's so big and he's always drunk. I don't know, I may be wrong.
Now for the nurse side of things...We have Darryl at 6 ft 4 inches and 260 lbs, Tommy 5 ft 6 inches and 135 lbs (after a big meal), and me 6 ft 4 inches and 330 pounds (after purging). And of course we had other nurses there but they are not central to this post.
Now Chucky came in talking and cutting up like he normally does. For some reason after a while of being there he began to get more upset with us. He started to focus his anger at Darryl. I don't know, maybe cause he's black. We were able to talk him down a few times, but it seemed to escalate each time.
So anyway, I'm sitting where I can see Chucky. I see him reach into his pocket and pull out a lock blade knife. The blade is about 4 inches long. So anyway, I tell Darryl "Hey, he's got a knife." To Chucky I said " Now, you need to give us that knife." Chucky pounces off the end of the stretcher and starts to make threatening moves towards Darryl and of course mouthing at him. Darryl does what any self respecting man would do....He grabs up a chair like a lion tamer and wards off Chucky. In the meantime Tommy and I are circling around Chucky.
After a couple of minutes of trying to talk to him, we said to hell with it and we took him down. I grabbed the knife arm and his other arm and Tommy grabbed him too. Darryl drops the chair and grabs ahold of him too. Tommy was able to break his grip on the knife and get it away from him. Now picture this, 725 pounds of nurse on 100 pounds of deranged knife weilding patient. If it wasn't so serious of a situation it might have been comical.
Darryl and I picked him up and returned him to the stretcher where we restrained him 'til the police came. And of course we all had to make statements to security. Darryl pressed charges and had to go downtown.
Just another night at the trauma center. like Rachel says...YOU JUST CANT MAKE THIS SHIT UP!

Wings....

Hey folks, just a quick video for this post. This has got to be the one of the best parts of my job. I freaking love playing with the helicopters. They call me the helibitch at work 'cause I'll go to the roof no matter the weather. It don't matter if its freezing cold or burning hot, i'm there. By the roof I mean the actual roof of the hospital. Granted its only like seven stories up..but you get a pretty good view of the city. And now that spring is getting here, before long you'll be able to see the lights from Autozone Park where the Redbirds play. Ah and May brings the Memphis in May bar-b-que cookoff. The smell is enough to make your mouth water. As much as I can hate this city there are some things to love about it.

And of course I work at one of the busiest Level One trauma centers in the US. Sum Dood is rampant in this city. And when Sum Dood is busy that means I'm busy. And life is good.

Y'all take care and and drop me a line to say HI!!

In the End....

You know that's what so great about blogging....You can post your thoughts and anyone can comment on them. Sometimes its good, bad, or indifferent. But all in all the comments really don't matter for this is something I do for me.
The great thing about life is that it's a death sentence in the end. There is no chance for parole. No call from the governor at the last minute.
Somewhere it is written:

we came to bury Ceasar not praise him,

the good that man does is oft interred with his bones,

the evil lives on forever.

I guess that all I can hope for when my sentence is complete is that the evil I have done is at least equaled by the good that I have done. My boys are my legacy to the world. I can only hope that they spread good unto the world and where ever I spend eternity I can look back on them with pride. For they are definitely my pride now. The house I own, the truck I drive, the amount in my bank account, the job I do, none of that really matters in the end. For all of this can be gained and lost in a heartbeat, my sons are a one time gift. All I can really hope for is that I instill into them a sense of worth, and that they do good for the world.

I bid you happiness and love. Drop a line and say HI.

Ever get the feeling......

Ever get the feeling that you are trying to bail out a sinking ship with a table spoon? No matter how fast and hard you work your still going down. Kinda how I feel right now......Everything I have worked so hard for is rapidly sliding under the waves. It's amazing how fast the waters of life can suck you under when your keel has been ripped out by an iceberg.
One minute your cruising along, yeah the water is a little rough, but manageable. And then wham........Your whole world is spirling to the bottom.
Someone you thought was a gonna be there to help you, turns out to be the first to abandon ship. Oh yeah, and don't forget that they are the one that drove you onto the iceberg to start off with.
Anyway, Bryce is getting bigger day by day. I guess you could say that he and Jay are my life perservers. When I just want to quit bailing and give up, I think about them. There are lots of days I just want to stay in bed and cover my head and let the world go on without me. But seeing that grin on his lil face makes it alot easier. Jay is doing great, he's a junior and doing good in school. Still trying to decide about college and what he wants to be. But I have faith that his mother and I did a pretty fair job of raising him and he'll do well. Don't see him as much as I want to what with him working and school. And of course i'm working alot too. But he knows I love him and he loves me. So all is good.
Anyway, drop me a line and say HI.

Here's looking at you, Kid!

Hey gentle reader, Hows things going for you? All in all, things here are going well. Work is good. Bryce is getting bigger by the minute. He's now on a six hour schedule. Taking six ounces at a time. His personality is really starting to show more every day.

As far as my life.......Income tax really came in handy. Got some loans from my folks and brother paid back, and best of all paid off a credit card. They say that prayer does work.....Beginning to see that that may be true. Financially life is really looking up. As far as the rest of life, well lets just say that it's what it is. Getting better every day.

Hope all is well for you. Drop me a line and say HI!

Valentines Day

Hey folks another Valentines Day is upon us. Hope you enjoy your day if your one of the folks that are deeply in love with someone and all goofy eyed. If your not, then curse the love birds and bemoan the fact that you can't get a decent seat at any restaurant, and this includes the local Waffle House.
Have a good one folks, and drop me a line to say HI!

Long Time No See.....

Hey folks hows it going? Things are getting better here. There have been some major upheavals in my life of late. But that is a blog for another time. Bryce is getting big. He is starting to really develope his personality. It is so great to come home in the morning from work and he be awake. I speak to him and his eyes light up and I get the biggest, widest open mouth toothless grin. It's fun to talk to him and him "talk" back. Just waiting on it to get warmer so I can take him to the zoo and just get out of the house. I've been looking at a Radio Flyer wagon with the big tires. I think it would be great for taking him to the zoo. I tell ya having a baby has definitly made me feel younger. And of course has given me a different outlook on life.

I'm back doing trauma at THE MED in Memphis. Didn't really know how much I missed it until I had been gone from there for a few months. Yeah the money was great traveling, but I really like the trauma thing.

So hows things for you gentle reader? Drop me a line and say HI. It's been a while since we talked.