Getting the Word Out

Saturday night we went to dinner at Panera Bread for a cup of Chicken Noodle soup and half a Turkey Artichoke Panini. Yum.

When I walked in the manager took my order.

Manager: I can help you over here sir.

George: Alright.

M: How are you doing tonight?

G: Pretty good. How are you doing?

M: I am tired. Overworked and Underpayed. (Nice response from a Manager.)

G: Welcome to the working world.

He took my order.

M: So, what does "Ninjabetic" mean? (I was wearing my shirt)

G: Well I am a diabetic...

M: And you're a Ninja?

G: Yeah I am. It takes being a ninja to live sucessfully with Diabetes.

With that he started telling me about this book all about ninjas that I just "had" to read and how awesome all things ninja are. He was an even bigger dork than I am which surprised me.

My wife and I walked over to the soda machine and I told her that he was the first person who had ever asked me what that meant.

She replied, "You are gonna blog about this aren't you?"

Does she know me or what?

Music: Faced

So I went. After all the comments yesterday, which I am so thankful for, "going to Weight Watchers and facing the music" was the winner.

When I walked in I saw that the rude annoying mean lady was behind the scale.

"Where have you been?" She said.

"Oh, I've been here and there."

"Well, I am glad you are here now. We missed you."

She was actually nice. Maybe that one day was a bad day and not the norm. Maybe today was not the norm. Whatever the case I was ready if she said some rude stuff.

RAM LAdy said, "Alright, are you ready to weigh in?"

"Let's see how much damage I have done."

I stepped on the scale. Waited for an "I've got it" from RAM lady. Looked down at my chart and she said in a whisper, "You went up a little."

I looked down expecting that 5 pounds or more. Turns out it was not as bad of a gain.

3.6 lbs.

In my head I thought, "Don't get too comfortable 3.6 cuz you are not welcome."

BAM!

Thanks for all the encouragement everyone!

Decide My Fate OC!

I stepped on my scale this morning. I have not stepped on this thing in a month. What I have done is consume massive amounts of any food I can get my hands on. I am still exercising but typically after a burger and fries, not a salad.

Anyhow I show a gain of 5 pounds. FIVE POUNDS! I am so angry with myself but not surprised if that makes any sense.

So here is the question. Do I go to Weight Watchers and face the music tomorrow?

My only hesitation is the last time I gained several pounds the lady behind the scale said quite audibly, “Woah! What did you do!”

I almost quit that day. I am not a fan of negative motivation. It does not work for Ninjai. We need positive reinforcement and hugs.

Yes, even Ninjas need hugs.

What are your thoughts? Do I go back tomorrow and weigh in? Do I go back to my WW diet for a week and go back next week to lessen the sting? I am torn!

Seriously, I am leaving it up to you guys.

Turn Around Trip

I got to work this morning and the second I stepped foot into the building, I realized I left my insulin at home.

This morning I needed to change my pump and I made sure I packed up all my supplies and stuff this morning except of course the "nectar of life."

How could I be so dumb? I packed up my lunch this morning, left a little early, got to work on time and then BAM have to turn around and go back home.

I tried calling a local pharmacy but they would not sell me Humalog without a prescription. Now I should tell you, I only live 15 miles away but it takes me 40 minutes to get here. Traffic makes for a fun drive each day.

Now I had to drive home in traffic and come back in it again. And then go home in it later! I need a helicopter.

I know I should change my pump at home but I sleep for as many minutes as possible and I never have time in the morning before I leave. Doing it at work is good for me but only when I do not forget.

A gal here said to me as I got back from the insulin run, "I'll bet you'll never forget that again!"

I said, "I still have not achieved perfection so there is a good chance I will."

The Sunflower

My friends are a part of my family. I have always felt this way. My family knows and treats my friends as family too. My family treats their friends as family. It is just the Simmons way and I am so thankful for that. I am thankful that my wonderful Grandparents started a family with that kind of love in it. And I am thankful that my parents brought us up that way.

This post is about two very important, special, amazing friends in my life.

Morgan and Lisa are both friends we have met from church and quickly have become family to us. We have known them both for several years and have seen both of them evolve from bright high school kids into some of the best people I have ever known. This week both of them have embarked on a journey they would have never thought they would be on.

Lisa and Morgan are going to work at an orphanage named “The Sunflower” or “El Girasol” in Peru for 2 months this summer as interns. The orphanage is located outside of Cuzco, in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, just down the mountain from Machu Piccu and it looks amazing.

This trip is not affiliated with our church, or any church for that matter but rather a humanitarian program that runs this particular orphanage.

Lisa will be using her skills a Social Worker to help the kids, and Morgan will use her teaching skills to analyze the current curriculum as well as teach English to the kids. The best future these kids have is within the tourist industry so learning English would be a big advantage.

There could not be a better team.

Morgan speaks Spanish and has gone on several mission trips to Peru in the past. I had the pleasure of attending one of these trips and I will tell you, Peru is an amazing country. She is very familiar with the Peruvian culture and knows her way around both Lima and Cuzco. She is great with kids and adults alike and you just can’t help but love her.

Lisa worked as an intern last year at a hospital in Ghana which is in West Africa. She has dealt with language barriers, foreign currency, and respecting culture unknown to her. She can adapt well and has a personality that destroys any walls that people can put up. Lisa radiates love and acceptance.


I would love it if you checked out their blogs. They will have internet access and will update while they can. You can even say hello. They both know all about all of you, I tell my family everything, so they will not be surprised to see you if you decided to leave them a comment.

If not, just send them some good energy, happy thoughts, and/or prayers. They are getting “ninja” ones all the time!

You Tube Tuesday #74 - By Popular Demand!

After many comments yesterday and just because I thought it would be cool, I present to you George and his brand spanking new guitar!

I told him to look like he was rocking out. He did a pretty good job not busting into a laughing fit. He was a little embarrassed.

Enjoy!

Luck Lost

I used to be lucky. I used to win concert tickets on radio stations all the time. I would win raffles, 50/50 ticket draws, contests, and once I won a Palm Pilot at the concert I went to! I used to be lucky.

Now it seems that luck is gone.

On Saturday we attended a bowling fund raiser for a local counseling center and although I bowled a decent game, I was sure I would win one of the many raffles or the 50/50 draw. But none of my tickets were drawn and I felt as though all of the talk I did to those in our lane like “Oh I always win” and “I’ll buy lunch with the 50/50 money I am going to win” came back to haunt me, quickly. Oh well. After my friends were done making fun of me (rightfully so) I decided that it was time to just say goodbye to the good luck.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon:
It is my son’s 14th birthday and we were planning on spending the afternoon at Disneyland. We had asked our son about what he wanted for his birthday and he asked for gift cards to Guitar Center to add to the money he is saving to buy “his” guitar.

After church I asked him, “So dude, how much money do you have saved up so far for your guitar?”

“251.00”

I was shocked. When I was 14 there was no way I could keep 20 bucks in my pocket without spending it. Who the hell is this kid?

“And how much is the guitar you want to get?” I ask.

“Like 1 thousand bucks!” He says laughing out loud.

I told him, “Okay dude, I do not think you should spend a grand on your first guitar. I couple of hundred bucks is cool, but for your first guitar, you should not spend that much. Your second or third guitar, when you are like Jimi good, then spend the grand.”

He agreed that 1000.00 was a little out control for his first axe. We told him that if we go to guitar center and find something he likes, and the price is not ridiculous, that we would kick in the rest as his birthday gift. At that point I knew Disneyland was not going to happen.

When we got there I asked him which guitar he was looking at. He said an “Epiphone Les Paul.” I know that my brother in law has one and it cost him around 700 so my guess is he saw some crazy one online and thought they were all that price. I was not prepared to pay another 450.00 so we had to find something cheaper.

He looked around and found nothing. Then he comes grinning from ear to ear and hands me this beautiful white guitar and says, “Here it is dad.”

I look at the guitar and it says, “Epiphone Les Paul” on it then I look at the price tag.

$299?

I ask a salesman if that is correct. He looks at the guitar, looks at the price tag, looks back at the guitar and says, “No, this is the wrong tag.”

Crap.

“Oh well. It’s marked $299 so that’s the price," the salesman said.

I know where my luck went.

Happy Birthday Son

Random Rant

I am not sure why I am writing this but it bothering me. Typically when stuff really bugs me, and I share it here I end up feeling better.

THIS HAS NADA TO DO WITH DIABETES!!

So, today I go into the mens room here at work and I notice a new bottle of "air freshener" sitting on the counter. On the side of the bottle I see two sugar cookies and let out an audible, "huh?"

I grab the bottle and looked for the name of this new scent. Keep in mind we had this tropical spray that smelled pretty good so I was curious what managment thought the "boys lav" should smell like.

Vanilla and Baking

Huh?

I sprayed a little to check it out. It smell really good. Really REALLY good like I wanted to permanently be in its wake. Like cookies and donuts and other yummy stuff was baking all around me! It was awesome.

But then it hit me. Why? Why would your want your bathroom to smell like baking? I assume this scent was not intended for potties but really, that is wrong.

Imagine this scene. Someone walks into the office and says, "mmm what are you baking?" They start to creep around with visions of warm cookies and pastries in their heads. Being lead by their noses they creep around the corner and find the smell is coming from the bathroom.

This problem is two fold. Imagine being "the sniffer" and realizing what an idiot you were to follow your nose after a yummy smell only to find that this yummy smell is there to cover a yucky one.

Then imagine being "the sprayer" who has to admit that they made the yucky smell and masked it with the false hope of baked goodness with the yummy one!

THAT IS JUST WRONG!!!!

Shame on you Febreeze. You should have a disclaimer on this one that says, "Do not use where bad smells occur."

< /rant >

Today's the day!

You have to get over to Amy's site, Diabetes Mine, and vote for on the 2nd Annual Design Challenge.

There are some very cool designs and ideas that would make my D life a whole lot easier.

Too bad no one designed a cure huh?

Anyhow, go check it out and vote!

You Tube Tuesday #73

Being a Drama nerd in high school and still a drama nerd now, I found this to be hysterical! I wish I would have won one.

Enjoy.

Monday Meme

Several of my OC friends tagged me for Meme's while I was "down and out" and since I was feeling pretty crappy, I did not do it.

First I want to apologize for that but here is a meme that my good friend Nicole (who was also "gone" for a while) did as did several other OCers. I am not going to tag anyone in particular but if you have not done it, I would suggest it. I have never had so much fun doing a meme before.

Instructions:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker.

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your flickr name.

I feel like I should explain the pictures although that dog is clearly a "George." Can anyone guess my favorite dessert?

8th Grade Graduation - With Pics!!!

Here He Comes

The Proud Parents

Dad is a hugger

Four C's

Cramping

So my wife’s grandmother is still in the hospital but they do not think she has anything major (besides diabetes) going on. Unfortunately she is learning about all of the prepackaged crap that comes with Diabetes like poor circulation, neuropathy, and pain. She keeps having terrible muscle cramps which make it almost impossible to get around. I have always hated how so much is “because you have diabetes” and not something that can be taken care of.

Conclusion

Check out the second part of my “New Endo” story on dLife.

Confirmation

One of the really good things that happened while I was away was my son’s confirmation. He had to choose a bible verse that spoke to him and not only present it to the congregation but talk a little bit about what it means to him. He chose John 11:25-26 which says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

He talked about how this verse meant so much to him because he was not sure he believed it. He said, “In my short 13 years of life I have had many people I love die and I always questioned God’s promise of eternal life. Now I can say that I do believe and know that I will live forever in Him.”

I was so proud of him. His honesty was very revealing and yet he spoke with confidence and without fear. He simply amazes me. Below are some pictures of that day.

Coming Soon

Tomorrow is George’s 8th grade promotion. To think I am going to have a kid in high school really freaks me out! Wow! I will be sure and take pictures to share.

Whose Endo Is It Anyway?

Late last night after a day of newness, we get a phone call that my wife’s grandmother is not feeling well. My wife calls her aunt who is out of town and asks her what we should do. My wife grabs her purse and heads over to her grandmothers to check on her and possibly call an ambulance if necessary.

My day of newness was really only two new things. The new Endo and new eye glasses. I am writing the Endo story on dLife so please check that out. Part 2 to come tomorrow.

My wife found that her grandma was in terrible pain to the point where she could not move. Her blood sugar was in the high 200’s and she was miserable. My wife called an ambulance and went with her grandma to the hospital. I ended up falling asleep before she got home.

My wife called when she was in the hospital and asked, “What is your Endo’s name?”

“Dr. Reece.”

“That is what I thought. My grandma just told the doctor here that she sees Reece.”

“Crazy,” I said.

My wife told me that they were probably going to move her into a room over night just to keep an eye on her. It sounded like it was not going to be too bad but it gave us quite the scare.

I always feel better when someone is in the hospital being observed. At least then if something needs to be done, they are in the right place.

You Tube Tuesday #72

Yet another example of how technology can be frightenly cool.

Enjoy!

Make Tomorrow Today!

I know that is an impossible request but I just want tomorrow to be here now!

No, we are not going to Disneyland or a taping of Oprah. Tomorrow is my appointment with the new Endo.

Back in March I told you guys about this Endo. I have waited this long to meet with him and as much as I am excited, I am trying not to get my hopes up too much.

When I expect less then I am pleased to get more, if I do. If not, then I am not as disappointed.

Last week I got an envelope in the mail from his office with all the "first time" paperwork to fill out so I could get in to see him quickly.

There is a note with the paperwork that I should expect a 45-60 minute appointment.

My friend told me he was thorough but an hour? Wow!

I feel so special already.

Friday Fun

I keep writing about my mood and how much better it has gotten and I should be honest with you. I am semi-faking it.

A good friend once told me that we are all hypocrites for a while when we are trying to change. As soon as we get our new attitude down then we are officially new creations. I am somewhere in the middle of that change.

So today I am trying to add as much fun I can into a work day. I have a USB powered disco ball spinning at my desk and I listen to "Beauty and the Beat" and other 80's classic albums on my PC.

After work I am meeting the guys at the park for some Disc Golf.

Then later tonight my sister is hosting a poker party at her house.

Earlier this week I lost it during a racquetball game. As soon as the adrenaline started pumping my mind started to race and think about the house and all that stuff. I got so angry that I kept hitting the ball as hard as I could.

In fact, I have to replace the one I broke. Sorry Sean. :)

Oh well, today I am going to try once again to keep this smile on and make it look real.

Shower Scene

This may sound like a TMI post but it is not, I promise.

I am one of those people that cannot function unless I take a shower. Sure there are the camping trips out in the middle of nowhere when Jungle Ninja emerges and I can handle it but if I am anywhere near running water, you can bet I am in it first thing in the morning.

We have a ½ bath in my bedroom with a shower. A very small, RV like shower with a glass door on it. And every morning I stand under the hot water waiting for my brain to wake up so I can start my day.

Lately I have taken to “writing” one word each day on my shower door through all the fog and steam. I try to just write the first word that comes to me and then by the end of the shower, how it fits in to my life. I know I am a weirdo but you should all know that by now.

My word today was “loser.” I wrote it with a Laverne DeFazio kind of “L” and underlined it with a squiggle of my finger.

Loser?

I continued my shower with thoughts of the “Beck” song in my head. I really had felt like a loser for while. Like a total complete loser.

Loser?

I have been in a better place these last few days. Focusing on my past and seeing that I have accomplished many things.

I think the smell of Irish Spring soap did the trick.

I looked at the word and with the one swoop of my hand, I wiped it off.

I woke up.

A Little Goes a Long Way

“Hey Robert, how’s it going man?”

“Hey George! Man, you are looking trim!”

“Thanks. I’m trying to keep it up,” I say through a smile.

And now I float around all day on that compliment.

What a huge deal. I know I am nowhere near trim but that compliment made me feel like a skinny ninja.

In fact my Wii Fit reminds me that I am Obese on a daily basis although that is getting closer to the Overweight spot on the scale. How sad is it that I am working to be Overweight? Ha ha.

Oh well, its all about the baby steps.

My suggestion or challenge to you all is just to pay at least one person a compliment everyday. That seems easy enough and I can tell you that it goes along way. I cannot wait for racquetball tonight to exercise even more so the next time a vendor comes into the office they can say, “Dang George, I didn’t even recognize you!”

You Tube Tuesday #71 - The Return

I have missed this Tuesday morning fun. If you have not seen this already then my guess is, it will be making the rounds via email soon. Tell um you saw it here first! :)

Enjoy.

Wii Will Be Fit!

I am going to get fit.

Last Wednesday I was in line at a 24 hour Wal-Mart and bought the very last Wii Fit in their store. And since I got it, I have not been able to stop working out on this thing.

It looks like a silly little toy but it packs a punch.

The Yoga poses are awesome and makes my ninja skills seem so worthless.

Then the strength training is very challenging. The push ups, lunges, leg extensions, and jack knives are such a good workout.

Then I can jog around a little island and watch all the Mii’s on my Wii wave and cheer me on.

My whole family is digging it as are some of my friends. Maybe adding this to my daily routine will help me lose the weight I gained in the month I have been blog free and Weight Watchers free.

Have any of you check it out? I would love to know if anyone in the OC is Wii Fitting!

Anyhow, I had a great weekend and I am ready to get my act together. I appreciate all the kind words and support from you all.

The Ninja is back!