9/12/20 - 16.5 - Magnolia (2nd in 3D Open; 1st in 2D Youth) $
9/04/20 - 16.197 - Magnolia (5th in 3D Open; 2nd in 2D Youth)
8/21/20 - 17.4 - Magnolia
8/14/20 - 19.4 - Buffalo
7/31/20 - 18.15 - Magnolia (10th of 25 in Open; 2nd of 7 in Youth) $
7/20/20 - 16.494 - Magnolia
7/10/20 - 18.4 - Magnolia
Sunday, September 13, 2020
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Slow Leak and Customer Service; August 11, 2020
So you have to be able to laugh at yourself, right?
I haven't shared it openly, but I needed to make a trip to Pennsylvania this past weekend so I could open up an Estate account for the Estate of my uncle, who passed away in mid-June.
He and my aunt, who passed just a few days before Christmas last year, had named me the executor of their will about nine years ago.
It is an honor to be entrusted with such a responsibility - one that I put close to on par of putting together the memorial service for my sister six and a half years ago.
After I left the Altoona, Pennsylvania area two months ago, when we met with and started to work with the attorney that is handling the legal affairs of the Estate, Texas became one of many COVID-19 hot spots -- and made it such that anybody traveling to the Commonwealth from the Lone Star state had to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Couldn't afford nor did I have the time to be able to do that.
So flying into Pennsylvania from Texas was out!
Since the procedure to get sworn in as the executor of the will with Blair County in Pennsylvania was remote, via FaceTime, I elected to stay in Texas and then tried to get the Estate account setup without having to go there.
I spoke with the bank - Investment Savings Bank - that my aunt and uncle did their banking with about what needed to be done to open it, and they said I had to be there in person.
My only other option - at the time - was to open an account here in Texas and with a letter with the appropriate documentation, they could close the checking and savings accounts, cut a check and mail it to me for deposit.
I visited Chase Bank, where I've been doing my banking since they acquired Texas Commerce Bank, early last week and they came back and told me that there was a Commonwealth law that Estate accounts for wills in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania must be at Pennsylvania banks.
The rationale of using Chase was that since they have branches in Pennsylvania, any check presented on the Estate to a Pennsylvania business wouldn't be an out-of-state check. But, to no avail.
Like Willie Nelson, I was "On The Road Again".
When I went to leave the hotel Sunday morning in Lexington, Kentucky, the indicator on the back right tire was that it was low on pressure, but it wasn't flat. I went and aired it up, and then proceeded to head in the direction of the airport in Lexington to exchange it out.
While waiting on hold on the phone en route, I noticed that the psi number went up from 48 to 49 and that it was holding.
Exercising a great deal of faith, I decided to press on to Pennsylvania. Much to my relief - and surprise, it basically held all the way and it was at 40 psi this morning.
(Oh, I had called the Budget office in State College and they didn't have a car in my class to swap out. They also said that they would just put air in it as any patching had to be sent out from Roadside Assistance.)
I surmised that the tire was slowly leaking the entire time since the car was put into service. When I got the car on Friday, it had about 7,600 miles on it. (Not anymore!)
That gets you caught up to today, Tuesday.
On Monday, the good folks at Investment Savings Bank (ISB) were super helpful in helping me get the Estate account set up and monies transferred over from my aunt and uncle's checking, savings and Christmas Club accounts.
The first order of business was to go to another local bank to get the payoff amount for a loan where the house was noted as collateral.
That's what I did Tuesday morning.
It took about 10-15 minutes to handle everything when I realized I forgot one thing: I wanted to get $5 worth of quarters in case I needed to air the tire up on the way home. I didn't want to have to ask every convenience store in the south to make change to do so -- especially in a national coin shortage!
So I hadn't even left the building, waited my turn behind another customer and then spoke to the same young lady who worked with me to accept a large check to pay off a loan and she said, "I can't do that since you're no longer a customer of the bank."
I was stunned. I got it, but it was one of those "Really?" moments.
I said, "Well, since I'm a customer of ISB, I'll just go right down the road" and left.
Needless to say, when I went to ISB, the folks there were more than a little surprised, but since I was a customer there, they gladly did it for me.
One of the many benefits of a smaller business.
However, that's not the best of it.
So I stopped at Sheetz and went to the machine to put air in my tire -- and their machine was free. Hashtag that as #thankful. Even though I had $5 worth of quarters.
I went inside, grabbed some items for a late breakfast / early lunch and headed back up Plank Road and got on 99 and started to head south - to head to Texas.
About two or three exits down, specifically exit 32 for Roaring Spring and Portage, I realized that I forgot to get the contents on my hotel room -- other than my laptop bag, which I always carry with me!
I was in such a good mood - for many reasons - that I almost came to Tennessee, where I stopped tonight, without my clothes and other belongings!
Google says I logged 713 miles from Altoona, Pennsylvania to Dickson, Tennessee tonight.
Very thankful I made it here with everything and all in once piece!
I haven't shared it openly, but I needed to make a trip to Pennsylvania this past weekend so I could open up an Estate account for the Estate of my uncle, who passed away in mid-June.
He and my aunt, who passed just a few days before Christmas last year, had named me the executor of their will about nine years ago.
It is an honor to be entrusted with such a responsibility - one that I put close to on par of putting together the memorial service for my sister six and a half years ago.
After I left the Altoona, Pennsylvania area two months ago, when we met with and started to work with the attorney that is handling the legal affairs of the Estate, Texas became one of many COVID-19 hot spots -- and made it such that anybody traveling to the Commonwealth from the Lone Star state had to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Couldn't afford nor did I have the time to be able to do that.
So flying into Pennsylvania from Texas was out!
Since the procedure to get sworn in as the executor of the will with Blair County in Pennsylvania was remote, via FaceTime, I elected to stay in Texas and then tried to get the Estate account setup without having to go there.
I spoke with the bank - Investment Savings Bank - that my aunt and uncle did their banking with about what needed to be done to open it, and they said I had to be there in person.
My only other option - at the time - was to open an account here in Texas and with a letter with the appropriate documentation, they could close the checking and savings accounts, cut a check and mail it to me for deposit.
I visited Chase Bank, where I've been doing my banking since they acquired Texas Commerce Bank, early last week and they came back and told me that there was a Commonwealth law that Estate accounts for wills in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania must be at Pennsylvania banks.
The rationale of using Chase was that since they have branches in Pennsylvania, any check presented on the Estate to a Pennsylvania business wouldn't be an out-of-state check. But, to no avail.
Like Willie Nelson, I was "On The Road Again".
When I went to leave the hotel Sunday morning in Lexington, Kentucky, the indicator on the back right tire was that it was low on pressure, but it wasn't flat. I went and aired it up, and then proceeded to head in the direction of the airport in Lexington to exchange it out.
While waiting on hold on the phone en route, I noticed that the psi number went up from 48 to 49 and that it was holding.
Exercising a great deal of faith, I decided to press on to Pennsylvania. Much to my relief - and surprise, it basically held all the way and it was at 40 psi this morning.
(Oh, I had called the Budget office in State College and they didn't have a car in my class to swap out. They also said that they would just put air in it as any patching had to be sent out from Roadside Assistance.)
I surmised that the tire was slowly leaking the entire time since the car was put into service. When I got the car on Friday, it had about 7,600 miles on it. (Not anymore!)
That gets you caught up to today, Tuesday.
On Monday, the good folks at Investment Savings Bank (ISB) were super helpful in helping me get the Estate account set up and monies transferred over from my aunt and uncle's checking, savings and Christmas Club accounts.
The first order of business was to go to another local bank to get the payoff amount for a loan where the house was noted as collateral.
That's what I did Tuesday morning.
It took about 10-15 minutes to handle everything when I realized I forgot one thing: I wanted to get $5 worth of quarters in case I needed to air the tire up on the way home. I didn't want to have to ask every convenience store in the south to make change to do so -- especially in a national coin shortage!
So I hadn't even left the building, waited my turn behind another customer and then spoke to the same young lady who worked with me to accept a large check to pay off a loan and she said, "I can't do that since you're no longer a customer of the bank."
I was stunned. I got it, but it was one of those "Really?" moments.
I said, "Well, since I'm a customer of ISB, I'll just go right down the road" and left.
Needless to say, when I went to ISB, the folks there were more than a little surprised, but since I was a customer there, they gladly did it for me.
One of the many benefits of a smaller business.
However, that's not the best of it.
So I stopped at Sheetz and went to the machine to put air in my tire -- and their machine was free. Hashtag that as #thankful. Even though I had $5 worth of quarters.
I went inside, grabbed some items for a late breakfast / early lunch and headed back up Plank Road and got on 99 and started to head south - to head to Texas.
About two or three exits down, specifically exit 32 for Roaring Spring and Portage, I realized that I forgot to get the contents on my hotel room -- other than my laptop bag, which I always carry with me!
I was in such a good mood - for many reasons - that I almost came to Tennessee, where I stopped tonight, without my clothes and other belongings!
Google says I logged 713 miles from Altoona, Pennsylvania to Dickson, Tennessee tonight.
Very thankful I made it here with everything and all in once piece!
Monday, July 27, 2020
48 Years Ago Today; July 28, 2020
It is early Tuesday morning, July 28. Today would have been my sister's 48th birthday.
I started to think about this a bit on Sunday as I was finishing up a book that I bought on sale from the Barnes & Noble in College Station late Saturday morning.
Actually, it was two books that I bought. Some might call it part of a minor addiction.
Nonetheless, one is Howard Kurtz's "Media Madness: Donald Trump, The Press and the War over the Truth" and the other was Joe Biden's "Promise Me, Dad."
Call it equal opportunity reading. :-)
Biden's book, honestly, was hard to put down as he covered many themes, but most importantly the common thread was his late son Beau's cancer diagnosis, treatment and eventual succumbing to the disease.
However, much was written about the relationship that Beau and his brother Hunter shared.
I read it with a little bit of envy.
Not that mine with Holly was ever totally bad (yes, there were times that we were distant), but it wasn't where one consulted with the other over a major decision as the two Biden brothers, born little more than a year a part, did.
Holly and I were born five and a half years apart. That probably kept up from being closer than we could have been.
I faintly remember her coming home from the hospital after she was born.
Well, it was more like I think I remembering missing my Mom more than anything
I remember that I had stayed with my grandparents, my Dad's parents - my Gom and Papa, while my Mom was in the hospital bringing Holly into the world and remember running to her - and almost tackling her - when she came in the door to the kitchen from the garage at the house in Tipton.
There are other simple memories that stand out.
We moved a few times in the late seventies.
From our home in central Pennsylvania to Texas, then to Arkansas and back to the western part of the "great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" - as I like to say when I announce and know that a runner from home crosses the finish line.
Four and a half months we made a home in a two-story townhome - that felt like three due to the entry from the garage below - in Venetia (in Peters Township south of Pittsburgh) before heading back to Texas in March 1980.
We weren't there long enough to really get to know too many people - although I surprisingly had good enough friends that took me to a Penguins game before we left - so we played with - and I'm sure quarreled some - each other quite a bit.
I remember we spent too much time throwing either a ball - one of those ones that cheerleaders throw out to the crowd at sporting events - or a rolled up pair of white socks shaped similarly up and down the stairs between the two floors.
Minor in consequence, but major in the good memories column.
Some might call it a shame that our best memories don't some from more significant events in our lives, but I suppose working together on something is really significant.
I know this sounds really egotistical - given all of the races I've run, attended or been a part of putting on; however, the inaugural Chick-Fil-A 5K and the Run With The Cows Kids' 1K in Spring was about the only perfect event that I've ever been at or involved with.
Maybe something minor with the race happened that I've long since forgotten about, but when Holly passed six and a half years ago the race was still fresh in my mind when I delivered a eulogy at her memorial serivce and referenced it with the same opinion that I have today.
The results can still even be found online: http://runhoustontiming.net/race_result/1342614807_8028428_cfa5Koverall.txt
Driving home from a movie late Monday evening, I chuckled remembering that we actually crossed Kuykendahl - over about a quarter mile into the race and back late in the race!
You couldn't do that today, for sure.
While I brought some resources to bear for the race, that was not any pull that I had, but rather the relationships that Holly had built through her professional career.
That was truly one of the greatest days ever, even though I personally that day experienced some emotional sorrow that maybe only Waverly knew about.
Obviously, today is hardest on my Mom as well as my Dad.
We won't understand it fully until it is our time to pass on from this earth and - as a result of accepting Christ as our personal Savior - spend eternity in Heaven.
All I know to do is to keep the best memories - regardless of how significant they are or aren't - alive and well and to pay respect to all that she accomplished and had a hand in or was a part of, including - in different ways - the continuing successes of her two daughters - my two nieces.
I know from the Bible - and believe - that Heaven exists, but wouldn't even fathom to say how things actually are there so I hesitate to say the popular "Happy Birthday in Heaven" just because I don't know if that's really the case or not.
However, I will use the occasion to keep her memory alive as long as I'm around to do so.
I started to think about this a bit on Sunday as I was finishing up a book that I bought on sale from the Barnes & Noble in College Station late Saturday morning.
Actually, it was two books that I bought. Some might call it part of a minor addiction.
Nonetheless, one is Howard Kurtz's "Media Madness: Donald Trump, The Press and the War over the Truth" and the other was Joe Biden's "Promise Me, Dad."
Call it equal opportunity reading. :-)
Biden's book, honestly, was hard to put down as he covered many themes, but most importantly the common thread was his late son Beau's cancer diagnosis, treatment and eventual succumbing to the disease.
However, much was written about the relationship that Beau and his brother Hunter shared.
I read it with a little bit of envy.
Not that mine with Holly was ever totally bad (yes, there were times that we were distant), but it wasn't where one consulted with the other over a major decision as the two Biden brothers, born little more than a year a part, did.
Holly and I were born five and a half years apart. That probably kept up from being closer than we could have been.
I faintly remember her coming home from the hospital after she was born.
Well, it was more like I think I remembering missing my Mom more than anything
I remember that I had stayed with my grandparents, my Dad's parents - my Gom and Papa, while my Mom was in the hospital bringing Holly into the world and remember running to her - and almost tackling her - when she came in the door to the kitchen from the garage at the house in Tipton.
There are other simple memories that stand out.
We moved a few times in the late seventies.
From our home in central Pennsylvania to Texas, then to Arkansas and back to the western part of the "great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" - as I like to say when I announce and know that a runner from home crosses the finish line.
Four and a half months we made a home in a two-story townhome - that felt like three due to the entry from the garage below - in Venetia (in Peters Township south of Pittsburgh) before heading back to Texas in March 1980.
We weren't there long enough to really get to know too many people - although I surprisingly had good enough friends that took me to a Penguins game before we left - so we played with - and I'm sure quarreled some - each other quite a bit.
I remember we spent too much time throwing either a ball - one of those ones that cheerleaders throw out to the crowd at sporting events - or a rolled up pair of white socks shaped similarly up and down the stairs between the two floors.
Minor in consequence, but major in the good memories column.
Some might call it a shame that our best memories don't some from more significant events in our lives, but I suppose working together on something is really significant.
I know this sounds really egotistical - given all of the races I've run, attended or been a part of putting on; however, the inaugural Chick-Fil-A 5K and the Run With The Cows Kids' 1K in Spring was about the only perfect event that I've ever been at or involved with.
Maybe something minor with the race happened that I've long since forgotten about, but when Holly passed six and a half years ago the race was still fresh in my mind when I delivered a eulogy at her memorial serivce and referenced it with the same opinion that I have today.
The results can still even be found online: http://runhoustontiming.net/race_result/1342614807_8028428_cfa5Koverall.txt
Driving home from a movie late Monday evening, I chuckled remembering that we actually crossed Kuykendahl - over about a quarter mile into the race and back late in the race!
You couldn't do that today, for sure.
While I brought some resources to bear for the race, that was not any pull that I had, but rather the relationships that Holly had built through her professional career.
That was truly one of the greatest days ever, even though I personally that day experienced some emotional sorrow that maybe only Waverly knew about.
Obviously, today is hardest on my Mom as well as my Dad.
We won't understand it fully until it is our time to pass on from this earth and - as a result of accepting Christ as our personal Savior - spend eternity in Heaven.
All I know to do is to keep the best memories - regardless of how significant they are or aren't - alive and well and to pay respect to all that she accomplished and had a hand in or was a part of, including - in different ways - the continuing successes of her two daughters - my two nieces.
I know from the Bible - and believe - that Heaven exists, but wouldn't even fathom to say how things actually are there so I hesitate to say the popular "Happy Birthday in Heaven" just because I don't know if that's really the case or not.
However, I will use the occasion to keep her memory alive as long as I'm around to do so.
Friday, July 10, 2020
2020 Movie Ratings
Make You Think / Action
1. "Just Mercy", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 9)
2. "Clemency", Regal Green Hills, Nashville, TN (January 29)
3. "The Gentlemen", AMC Metropark Square 10, Shenandoah, TX (February 17)
4. "21 Bridges", Star Cinema Grill Richmond/Katy, Richmond, TX (June 12)
5. "The Outpost", Tomball Premiere 7, Tomball, TX (July 5)
6. "The Hunt", Star Cinema Grill Conroe, Conroe, TX (March 16)
7. "Bloodshot", Star Cinema Grill Missouri City, Missouri City, TX (July 10)
8. "The Last Full Measure", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 4)
9. "Richard Jewell", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 7)
10. "1917", Cinemark at Market Street, The Woodlands, TX (January 17)
11. "The Rhythm Section", Cinemark Valley Ranch, New Caney, TX (February 3)
12. "Bombshell", Cinemark Spring-Klein, Spring, TX (January 10)
13. "Deadpool", Star Cinema Grill Vintage Park, Houston, TX (July 3)
Thriller / Odd Endings
1. "The Invisible Man", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 27)
2. "The Wretched", ShowBiz Cinemas Fall Creek, Humble, TX (June 5)
3. "Brahms: The Boy II", Regal Lone Star 19, Tomball, TX (February 26)
4. "Underwater", Cinemark Valley Ranch, New Caney, TX (January 20)
5. "The Turning", Regal Green Hills, Nashville, TN (February 13)
Feel Good
1. "The Photograph", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 25)
2. "The Call Of The Wild", Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas The Woodlands, The Woodlands, TX (February 23)
3. "Mighty Oak", Star Cinema Grill Baybrook, Friendswood, TX (June 6)
4. "Playing With Fire", Star Cinema Grill Cypress, Cypress, TX (June 6)
5. "The High Note", Waco Hippodrome Theatre, Waco, TX (June 13)
6. "Max Winslow and the House of Secrets", ShowBiz Cinemas Baytown, Baytown, TX (July 6)
7. "Jumanji: The Next Level", Cinemark Tinseltown 290, Houston, TX (March 10)
8. "Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (March 3)
9. "Bad Boys For Life", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 21)
10. "Smallfoot", Huntingdon Cinemas Clifton 5, Huntingdon, TX (June 25)
11. "Irresistible", Star Cinema Grill Springwoods, Spring, TX (June 29)
12. "The Way Back", Xscape at 1488, Conroe, TX (March 8)
13. "Like A Boss", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 16)
14. "Downhill", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 18)
Classics
1. "Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark", ShowBiz Cinemas Kingwood 14, Kingwood, TX (July 2)
2. "Jaws", Cinestar of Huntsville, Huntsville, TX (June 30)
1. "Just Mercy", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 9)
2. "Clemency", Regal Green Hills, Nashville, TN (January 29)
3. "The Gentlemen", AMC Metropark Square 10, Shenandoah, TX (February 17)
4. "21 Bridges", Star Cinema Grill Richmond/Katy, Richmond, TX (June 12)
5. "The Outpost", Tomball Premiere 7, Tomball, TX (July 5)
6. "The Hunt", Star Cinema Grill Conroe, Conroe, TX (March 16)
7. "Bloodshot", Star Cinema Grill Missouri City, Missouri City, TX (July 10)
8. "The Last Full Measure", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 4)
9. "Richard Jewell", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 7)
10. "1917", Cinemark at Market Street, The Woodlands, TX (January 17)
11. "The Rhythm Section", Cinemark Valley Ranch, New Caney, TX (February 3)
12. "Bombshell", Cinemark Spring-Klein, Spring, TX (January 10)
13. "Deadpool", Star Cinema Grill Vintage Park, Houston, TX (July 3)
Thriller / Odd Endings
1. "The Invisible Man", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 27)
2. "The Wretched", ShowBiz Cinemas Fall Creek, Humble, TX (June 5)
3. "Brahms: The Boy II", Regal Lone Star 19, Tomball, TX (February 26)
4. "Underwater", Cinemark Valley Ranch, New Caney, TX (January 20)
5. "The Turning", Regal Green Hills, Nashville, TN (February 13)
Feel Good
1. "The Photograph", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 25)
2. "The Call Of The Wild", Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas The Woodlands, The Woodlands, TX (February 23)
3. "Mighty Oak", Star Cinema Grill Baybrook, Friendswood, TX (June 6)
4. "Playing With Fire", Star Cinema Grill Cypress, Cypress, TX (June 6)
5. "The High Note", Waco Hippodrome Theatre, Waco, TX (June 13)
6. "Max Winslow and the House of Secrets", ShowBiz Cinemas Baytown, Baytown, TX (July 6)
7. "Jumanji: The Next Level", Cinemark Tinseltown 290, Houston, TX (March 10)
8. "Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (March 3)
9. "Bad Boys For Life", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 21)
10. "Smallfoot", Huntingdon Cinemas Clifton 5, Huntingdon, TX (June 25)
11. "Irresistible", Star Cinema Grill Springwoods, Spring, TX (June 29)
12. "The Way Back", Xscape at 1488, Conroe, TX (March 8)
13. "Like A Boss", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (January 16)
14. "Downhill", Cinemark 17, The Woodlands, TX (February 18)
Classics
1. "Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark", ShowBiz Cinemas Kingwood 14, Kingwood, TX (July 2)
2. "Jaws", Cinestar of Huntsville, Huntsville, TX (June 30)
Friday, June 26, 2020
Here in Almost Heaven; June 26, 2020
Good evening from Huntington, West Virginia.
(If you're under 30, you may not have gotten the heading reference. And if you're older than 30 and didn't, google John Denver).
I'm beginning my return trip back to a troubled Texas over the COVID-19 crisis after going to Pennsylvania late last week to help my cousin and fiance prepare for and meet with the attorney who will be opening up the estate of my uncle Dave who passed away last Tuesday from injuries suffered in a fire at his house early Monday morning, June 15.
I really hate to say it, but if my grandparents' house were still in the family after my grandmother passed last June 25, I would have stayed in Pennsylvania until everything gets back on track in the Lone Star State.
The county that I'm from - Blair County - may have less than 100 active cases right now.
Granted, I would consider it basically a rural county, but if I were running away from it I would go there. (Even though I've seen people as cavalier to it all as those in Texas are, including a health care worker that walked into a Sheetz without a mask on.)
I have changed my tune, by the way, on masks after all of the businesses in Pennsylvania and Maryland that I went into required them (even though some in Pennsylvania I didn't see visibly enforcing things).
While I don't spend a lot of time in any business, other than a movie theater recently, I will wear them ongoing, even if I go to Montgomery County to do certain shopping, as I have largely this past week here on the road.
I saw one person on a friend's post calling Harris County judge Lena Hidalgo an idiot and my thought was, "How many people have to die from this for you to stop calling her that?"
One is too many.
You may choose to block, unfriend or unfollow me on social media and avoid me personally, and that's OK, but something I've known all along as I've read how people suffer from - and die from - this disease, many have died the same way my sister did in 2014 -- from the flu.
They go into an ICU, get on a vent and never get off and die.
I'm fortunate and I thank God as much as I can - and certainly never enough - that I can - because of my job - limit my interactions with others.
In some lighthearted moments, I've said that I was social distancing long before it was required.
I like my space and unless I invite you in it, stay out. And the rules haven't changed, but they just have gotten more serious.
Despite the tragedy last week involving my uncle, I'm thankful to God for many things.
I was glad that my aunt - and my Dad and uncle's sister - was able to make it back to Pittsburgh before my cousin had to make the tough decision to let his Dad go. My Dad was unable to travel and she was able to be with my cousin and fiance.
I was able to spend time with the two of them on both Saturday and Sunday as well some time with my cousin at the attorney's office Tuesday afternoon and again - the two of them - today before I left to return home.
For two young people, who will marry in the next year or so, to handle this, including my cousin losing both his Mom and Dad within six months of each other, as well as they have - is remarkable.
And I told them both that repeatedly and put it here in writing.
While the desire for my aunt and uncle to make me the executor of their wills were rooted in another time in their son's life, I'm always honored that they trusted me to be wise enough to do the right things by their son.
He's matured a whole lot since then and has a good help mate in his fiance. And as he said today before I left, "it's time to put on his big boy pants".
I'm proud of them both and look forward to working with them to meet the legal obligations with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and eventually close the estate to their benefits.
It was good to visit with Doug and Pat - my great aunt's son and family friend, respectively - in Tyrone a little bit today, both of whom helped my grandparents and our family out in Pennsylvania while part of us are in Texas.
I'm thankful, of course, for safe travels.
And as I stated earlier, I'm appreciative of my employer who has allowed me to step away a few times to handle some things related to these matters.
However, I am looking forward to being home to get back into some of the routines that I was doing to stay healthy.
I think I've logged over 500 miles of running or brisk walking since mid-March. That's a new high for me. And I need to safely maintain and do more, if possible.
I'm also grateful that my daughter is able to be visiting currently her best friend from college and her husband in Virginia this week.
If I've said it once, I've said it 500 times, I'm very proud of my daughter and who she is and what she's made of herself.
I hope to get in a run here in the morning to remember a running friend who passed away this week at the age of 78. He graduated from Marshall University, which is located here in Huntington. I plan to get a few miles in in memory of Charlie Viers.
Hug your family members, tell them you love them and reach out to your friends - but don't touch them - and make sure they are doing OK. (Well, if you shake their hands, just make sure you wash immediately after - just in case!)
(If you're under 30, you may not have gotten the heading reference. And if you're older than 30 and didn't, google John Denver).
I'm beginning my return trip back to a troubled Texas over the COVID-19 crisis after going to Pennsylvania late last week to help my cousin and fiance prepare for and meet with the attorney who will be opening up the estate of my uncle Dave who passed away last Tuesday from injuries suffered in a fire at his house early Monday morning, June 15.
I really hate to say it, but if my grandparents' house were still in the family after my grandmother passed last June 25, I would have stayed in Pennsylvania until everything gets back on track in the Lone Star State.
The county that I'm from - Blair County - may have less than 100 active cases right now.
Granted, I would consider it basically a rural county, but if I were running away from it I would go there. (Even though I've seen people as cavalier to it all as those in Texas are, including a health care worker that walked into a Sheetz without a mask on.)
I have changed my tune, by the way, on masks after all of the businesses in Pennsylvania and Maryland that I went into required them (even though some in Pennsylvania I didn't see visibly enforcing things).
While I don't spend a lot of time in any business, other than a movie theater recently, I will wear them ongoing, even if I go to Montgomery County to do certain shopping, as I have largely this past week here on the road.
I saw one person on a friend's post calling Harris County judge Lena Hidalgo an idiot and my thought was, "How many people have to die from this for you to stop calling her that?"
One is too many.
You may choose to block, unfriend or unfollow me on social media and avoid me personally, and that's OK, but something I've known all along as I've read how people suffer from - and die from - this disease, many have died the same way my sister did in 2014 -- from the flu.
They go into an ICU, get on a vent and never get off and die.
I'm fortunate and I thank God as much as I can - and certainly never enough - that I can - because of my job - limit my interactions with others.
In some lighthearted moments, I've said that I was social distancing long before it was required.
I like my space and unless I invite you in it, stay out. And the rules haven't changed, but they just have gotten more serious.
Despite the tragedy last week involving my uncle, I'm thankful to God for many things.
I was glad that my aunt - and my Dad and uncle's sister - was able to make it back to Pittsburgh before my cousin had to make the tough decision to let his Dad go. My Dad was unable to travel and she was able to be with my cousin and fiance.
I was able to spend time with the two of them on both Saturday and Sunday as well some time with my cousin at the attorney's office Tuesday afternoon and again - the two of them - today before I left to return home.
For two young people, who will marry in the next year or so, to handle this, including my cousin losing both his Mom and Dad within six months of each other, as well as they have - is remarkable.
And I told them both that repeatedly and put it here in writing.
While the desire for my aunt and uncle to make me the executor of their wills were rooted in another time in their son's life, I'm always honored that they trusted me to be wise enough to do the right things by their son.
He's matured a whole lot since then and has a good help mate in his fiance. And as he said today before I left, "it's time to put on his big boy pants".
I'm proud of them both and look forward to working with them to meet the legal obligations with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and eventually close the estate to their benefits.
It was good to visit with Doug and Pat - my great aunt's son and family friend, respectively - in Tyrone a little bit today, both of whom helped my grandparents and our family out in Pennsylvania while part of us are in Texas.
I'm thankful, of course, for safe travels.
And as I stated earlier, I'm appreciative of my employer who has allowed me to step away a few times to handle some things related to these matters.
However, I am looking forward to being home to get back into some of the routines that I was doing to stay healthy.
I think I've logged over 500 miles of running or brisk walking since mid-March. That's a new high for me. And I need to safely maintain and do more, if possible.
I'm also grateful that my daughter is able to be visiting currently her best friend from college and her husband in Virginia this week.
If I've said it once, I've said it 500 times, I'm very proud of my daughter and who she is and what she's made of herself.
I hope to get in a run here in the morning to remember a running friend who passed away this week at the age of 78. He graduated from Marshall University, which is located here in Huntington. I plan to get a few miles in in memory of Charlie Viers.
Hug your family members, tell them you love them and reach out to your friends - but don't touch them - and make sure they are doing OK. (Well, if you shake their hands, just make sure you wash immediately after - just in case!)
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Time Marches On; June 17, 2020
You know, maybe it is one of those things that you just experience more as you get older.
And that's people you love leaving this earth.
Some do so after a long, well-lived life and others way, way too soon.
My family has had quite a go of it here the past few years.
Of course, my sister and my grandfather - my Dad's dad - passed away in 2014.
My Dad's sister's third husband, Ted, passed away just after Hurricane Harvey made its way through the Gulf Coast area in 2017.
My great aunt Phyllis - my grandfather's sister - expired on February 17, 2019.
My grandmother - my Dad's mom - died last year at the age of 94 last June. It will be a year ago on June 25.
My Dad's brother's wife - my aunt Ginger - died unexpectedly three days before Christmas 2019.
My great aunt Jane - my grandmother's sister - joined her sister in Heaven on March 11, just three months ago.
And two family members of my daughter's mother - both on her mother's side of the family - passed away this year in Tennessee.
We learned Monday morning, June 15, that my Dad's brother - my uncle Dave - was burned over 80 percent of his body in a fire at his house in Duncansville, Pennsylvania very early in the morning (close to midnight actually).
He was life-flighted to UPMC's Trauma and Burn Center in Pittsburgh Monday morning and it was determined Tuesday evening that there wasn't any more that they could do for him and that he passed about 90 minutes from midnight.
My Dad's sister - my aunt Peggy - flew there yesterday (Tuesday) to be with Dave's son Travis and his fiance to help deal with everything and it looks like I'll start traveling to Pennsylvania Wednesday evening to assist Travis with all of the legal things that he'll have to be a part of dealing with.
Much of this, including my Dad's stroke earlier this year during our current COVID-19 pandemic, I haven't shared with more than one or two people outside of my immediate family.
For all of my involvement over the years in the community, including what I share on social media, I've simply chosen - even though I have people that view me in a very favorable fashion - not to share too much of my personal life.
I pulled this up late Tuedsay evening and it fits, "We are okay with the idea of giving our burdens to God, but we aren’t so keen on sharing them with those around us."
Yes, Alyssa J. Howard, the person who wrote this four years ago on a blog, that's me to a "T".
She went on to write that it was pride that was a refusal to share - and even using Galatians 6:2-3 that one might think that they're too important to help someone else.
The verse she went on to reference was, "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. – Galatians 6:2-3 (NLT)"
The latter - helping someone - simply isn't the case with me.
I think it is more that I'm just a fairly private person, but sharing in this fashion - the written word - is the most comfortable way for me to get out and manage my thoughts and feelings.
My employer and work team has been great over the years in allowing me the time to deal with the situations with my sister, grandparents and my Dad. I couldn't be more thankful.
The issue is that I'll have some legal responsibilities to fulfill on behalf of the wishes of my aunt and uncle and my Dad, who handled most of the things for my grandmother after my grandfather passed and almost all of the items after she passed, is simply not in the physical condition to be able to travel as he desires to.
I know my Dad shared with those on his Facebook page Monday and Tuesday and all of our family is certainly appreciative of all of the prayers that so many requested of the Lord.
As my Dad shared with me Tuesday evening, relaying a conversation that he had with our church's pastor emeritus here recently, there's just certain things that we won't fully understand until it is our time to pass to the other side.
Friends, hug your loved ones as much as you can.
I've had my failings in this area over the years - and it is just a result of my fighting my own battles and not from any lack of care or concern of those closest to me.
A verse from my childhood, James 4:14 (KJV) -- "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
So very true.
And that's people you love leaving this earth.
Some do so after a long, well-lived life and others way, way too soon.
My family has had quite a go of it here the past few years.
Of course, my sister and my grandfather - my Dad's dad - passed away in 2014.
My Dad's sister's third husband, Ted, passed away just after Hurricane Harvey made its way through the Gulf Coast area in 2017.
My great aunt Phyllis - my grandfather's sister - expired on February 17, 2019.
My grandmother - my Dad's mom - died last year at the age of 94 last June. It will be a year ago on June 25.
My Dad's brother's wife - my aunt Ginger - died unexpectedly three days before Christmas 2019.
My great aunt Jane - my grandmother's sister - joined her sister in Heaven on March 11, just three months ago.
And two family members of my daughter's mother - both on her mother's side of the family - passed away this year in Tennessee.
We learned Monday morning, June 15, that my Dad's brother - my uncle Dave - was burned over 80 percent of his body in a fire at his house in Duncansville, Pennsylvania very early in the morning (close to midnight actually).
He was life-flighted to UPMC's Trauma and Burn Center in Pittsburgh Monday morning and it was determined Tuesday evening that there wasn't any more that they could do for him and that he passed about 90 minutes from midnight.
My Dad's sister - my aunt Peggy - flew there yesterday (Tuesday) to be with Dave's son Travis and his fiance to help deal with everything and it looks like I'll start traveling to Pennsylvania Wednesday evening to assist Travis with all of the legal things that he'll have to be a part of dealing with.
Much of this, including my Dad's stroke earlier this year during our current COVID-19 pandemic, I haven't shared with more than one or two people outside of my immediate family.
For all of my involvement over the years in the community, including what I share on social media, I've simply chosen - even though I have people that view me in a very favorable fashion - not to share too much of my personal life.
I pulled this up late Tuedsay evening and it fits, "We are okay with the idea of giving our burdens to God, but we aren’t so keen on sharing them with those around us."
Yes, Alyssa J. Howard, the person who wrote this four years ago on a blog, that's me to a "T".
She went on to write that it was pride that was a refusal to share - and even using Galatians 6:2-3 that one might think that they're too important to help someone else.
The verse she went on to reference was, "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. – Galatians 6:2-3 (NLT)"
The latter - helping someone - simply isn't the case with me.
I think it is more that I'm just a fairly private person, but sharing in this fashion - the written word - is the most comfortable way for me to get out and manage my thoughts and feelings.
My employer and work team has been great over the years in allowing me the time to deal with the situations with my sister, grandparents and my Dad. I couldn't be more thankful.
The issue is that I'll have some legal responsibilities to fulfill on behalf of the wishes of my aunt and uncle and my Dad, who handled most of the things for my grandmother after my grandfather passed and almost all of the items after she passed, is simply not in the physical condition to be able to travel as he desires to.
I know my Dad shared with those on his Facebook page Monday and Tuesday and all of our family is certainly appreciative of all of the prayers that so many requested of the Lord.
As my Dad shared with me Tuesday evening, relaying a conversation that he had with our church's pastor emeritus here recently, there's just certain things that we won't fully understand until it is our time to pass to the other side.
Friends, hug your loved ones as much as you can.
I've had my failings in this area over the years - and it is just a result of my fighting my own battles and not from any lack of care or concern of those closest to me.
A verse from my childhood, James 4:14 (KJV) -- "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
So very true.
Friday, June 12, 2020
Friday Night Something; June 12, 2020
If you had told me 20 years ago that the way to break my boredom for a weekend was to go out and run around the great state of Texas, I'd have laughed at you.
I just shuttered at the thought of sitting still for a whole weekend.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sitting and reading a good book or two, but doing more of that - or other sedentary activities - than other things ... I just feel like I'm wasting a bit of my life away.
Still there's so much that I like to do that I can't, but that's changing in a few weeks. Let's hope.
In two weeks, I'm going to run a 5K in Jacksboro (Jack County) then drive out to Lubbock to cover the Ironman Texas 70.3 for Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine.
I'm already looking for a race for the Fourth of July. Likely, I will be going to Mexia (which would be a new county - Freestone - to run a race in), and then to see a Texas Collegiate League baseball game somewhere as they will kick off that weekend.
Next weekend, I may go to Abilene to take part in the Abilene Runners Club's Summer Solstice Run, which includes a 5-miler, a three-hour run and a six-hour run.
Beyond all of this, it is make it up as I go.
There were lots of things in the world that were almost sure things that you could plan on so far in advance. All of that has been turned upside down. More than once or twice even!
So who knows what I'm working on these days.
I will see my 25th movie of the year in my 15th different theatre. And, yes, I think I have most of the theatres in the state on a tab on my big master spreadsheet.
If you're reading, short and sweet here.
Have a great weekend - and thanks for your friendship.
I just shuttered at the thought of sitting still for a whole weekend.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sitting and reading a good book or two, but doing more of that - or other sedentary activities - than other things ... I just feel like I'm wasting a bit of my life away.
Still there's so much that I like to do that I can't, but that's changing in a few weeks. Let's hope.
In two weeks, I'm going to run a 5K in Jacksboro (Jack County) then drive out to Lubbock to cover the Ironman Texas 70.3 for Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine.
I'm already looking for a race for the Fourth of July. Likely, I will be going to Mexia (which would be a new county - Freestone - to run a race in), and then to see a Texas Collegiate League baseball game somewhere as they will kick off that weekend.
Next weekend, I may go to Abilene to take part in the Abilene Runners Club's Summer Solstice Run, which includes a 5-miler, a three-hour run and a six-hour run.
Beyond all of this, it is make it up as I go.
There were lots of things in the world that were almost sure things that you could plan on so far in advance. All of that has been turned upside down. More than once or twice even!
So who knows what I'm working on these days.
I will see my 25th movie of the year in my 15th different theatre. And, yes, I think I have most of the theatres in the state on a tab on my big master spreadsheet.
If you're reading, short and sweet here.
Have a great weekend - and thanks for your friendship.
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