Call it a Comeback...

After a couple of months of using the computers at church and at the Waco Public Library, I had enough and took this bad boy into Circuit City, that great establishment that shares a building with Barnes and Noble. After a good deal of schmoozing and bartering (all legal and within decent ethical boundaries) I got a couple of hundred dollars worth of work for not a dime. So now there is a working computer in the house and I am back to blogging on a more consistent basis.

I, I, (choking up and fighting back tears,) I missed all of you. But I'm home, and everything is ok. I know you knew I'd be back. Thanks for sticking around and waiting.

After all that time away I have a lot of catching up to do. So buckle your seatbelts and let's go for a ride.

MY HEALTH

I spent a good deal of mid February to mid March in and out of doctor's offices. Three weeks with an upper respiratory infection and the vertigo problems, both of which I mentioned in previous posts. In the midst of all that I switched doctors because the people I was seeing were doing jack squat for me. The new guy, who is the doctor of several people at work, gave me stuff that cleared up the infection and he suggested I see an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist about the chronic ear infections I have been having off and one for, well, for the past thirty years, or 100% of my life.

Long story short-- I've seen the ENC (lingo for "Ear Nose and Throat doctor) a couple of times. What we know: In my right ear there is a bone protruding through the canal and a hole in my ear drum. This is causing what I (and most of my close friends) have known for a while-- that I'm hard of hearing in my right ear. In fact, they did a hearing test and found that my right ear is actually hearing 35 decibels less than what it is capable of hearing. What they don't know: There is a possibility that I have what is call a Cholesteoma, which is a benign tumor just below the surface of my ear canal. If this is true it explains my balance and dizziness problems from a few weeks ago, because the tumor could be applying pressure on my inner ear. I go back in August to find out for sure. If it is they'll have to do surgery to remove it. It isn't a huge deal, but they would remove it because it could cause more serious problems 15-20 years down the road, like infection of the brain. These are wonderful things to be thinking about right now, so I think I'll just move on.

WORK

Not much going on. Still enjoy my job. I get paid to sell books to people and to read a lot of books. Is this heaven or Iowa? There's about to be a huge reorganization of the store that will take a lot of energy, but it'll be cool.

WHAT I'M READING

It seems I've spent the past few months reading bits and pieces of this and that and only actually finishing the things that wow me. Reading "The Kite Runner" a few months ago set the bar very high, as I think I've mentioned. At the present I am in the middle of "Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safron Foer (I wanted to read it before I picked up his new book,) and "Protestantism in America" by Lauren Winner and some other guy.

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

I think I've mentioned this before, but about four years ago I started listening to country music again partly out of irony (hahh, look at me, I'm listening to country music, I'm cool) and partly out of trying to reconnect with my roots. Four years later it's practially all I listen to (with a few exceptions) and it sincerely makes me happy.

I'm not a big Tracy Byrd fan, but his new song called "Songs about Me" describes what I love about the genre. Even the most slickly produced pop-radio-friendly country songs are more rooted in who I am and what my life looks like than any other music, excepting, of course, kings of common-man-music such as Springsteen.

So over the past week I've listened to "Horse of a Different Color" by Big & Rich, Crystal Gayle's greatest hits, "Kerosene" by Lindale girl Miranda Lambert (go out and and get it now. It's wonderful and, in my opinion, worthy of a Grammy nomination,) and Johnny Cash's greatest hits.

Seeing it recommended on (I think) Corey's blog also prompted me to purchase Derek Webb's "She Must and Shall Go Free." Even though became increasingly harder to look past Caedmon's Call's freefall into Calvinistic Calvinism, I nevertheless enjoyed their music and could find great things about it. I thought Webb's solo debut would be the same, but I just coulnd't do it any more, and for opposite reasons of why I listen to country music (the same thing goes for a recent purchase of a newer Bebo Norman album)-- the songs sung were decidedly NOT songs about me and they did not resonate with my feelings about God. From Webb's "Nobody Loves Me" "nobody loves me, nobody loves me
nobody loves me but you." I can't sing that because it's not true. God is not the only one who loves me, thank God. I had an easier time resonating with Bebo's lyrics, but musically it's just not me.

WHAT I'M WATCHING

Jason and I are into the fourth season of Ed. It's been a cool time going through the entire series in just a few short months. It's fun watching it with a close friend as well who understands what the show means to me and who has been properly trained on when the appropriate time is to make comments and when is the appropriate time to keep his mouth shut (unlike some of my former Ed watching partners.)

I'm enjoying Grey's Anatomy and a couple of months ago started watching Everybody Loves Raymond and kick myself for not discovering that show sooner.

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I've got a lot more to write, but I'm staying up too late. I'll be back tomorrow.

Later Home G's.