Leaping Snow Day

Today is February 29th, more commonly know as Leap Day.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_29  The month normally has 28 days, but every four years an extra day is added. Here in Fargo ND, we got 4 inches of snow. The city was expecting a foot, but mother nature decided not to give us that much.

With today being Leap Day, and with the snow, I started to think about one of my blog posts.  http://ellick92.blogspot.com/2011/01/400lb-magazine.html  In it I talk about some four wheeler magazines that I had seen as a kid. Here are some photos of those magazine covers.

                                                     February 1985

 

Can you imagine an 11 year old boy looking at that?

                                                     March 1985

I had this issue in my hands. I never even opened it up, I thought I was getting it in the mail. It has been 27 years, and I STILL haven't seen what was inside.

April 1985

 The April 1985 issue was the first one of my subscription.

WOW, those are some awesome magazine covers. It makes a guy want to get on his four wheeler and do some snow jumping.

                                                         March 1986

                             

Day of Reflection

There are certain days of the year which are of personal significance. Today is significant because it was one year ago that I had laser eye surgery.  http://ellick92.blogspot.com/2011/01/todays-day.html  I had been wearing eyeglasses since I was 14, or for the last 22 years. If you do the math you can find out how old I am. If you want to know why I decided to do it, read my very first blog post. That is unless your still working on the math problem. http://ellick92.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-of-change.html

The emotions of that morning were very similar to what I felt the day I was discharged from the US Navy. One of my favorite movies is the Shawshank Redemption. There is one scene, in only the way Mr. Morgan Freeman could do, that described what I was feeling. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRBl0GPBm4o&feature=related

The surgery part wasn't too bad. If you want to know what my vision was like during the surgery, just put some eye drops in and look into a light bulb. It is preferable that said light be switched on. When the procedure was over, I couldn't believe that I could see so clearly. I was told my eyesight would be very sensitive to light for a few days. How little would I know that light would be the least of my problems. The first two days were not too bad, but the third, fourth, and fifth days were hell. It was about 8:00 the third night that my eyes started watering, my sinuses got stuffed up and my nose started to run. Usually if that starts happening I take some claritin-d cold medicine and I feel better, but not even that could stop it. I couldn't lay down or go to sleep. It took until the 5th day for that nonsense to quit. I would have to keep my eyes lubricated and to use eye drops for pain. Sensitivity to light, dry eyes, and pain, the main side effects of recovery, were not that bad. The worst thing was all the gunk that collected in my eyes while I was sleeping. I had to be mindful to wipe away all that stuff before I opened them. Waking up is hard enough, now I got to remember that, UGH. The couple times that I did forgot to clean them out, it would take 20 minutes of blinking to get that crap out and to feel better.

There are two different ways that your eyes can be done. Either a flap can be cut on the outer covering of the eye (lasik) or it can be wiped away (PRK) before the laser is used. When a flap is cut, that person's eyesight is instantly better, but if it is wiped off it can take up to 2-4 months for clear sight. Guess which one I got? If you read  http://ellick92.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-of-change.html  you would know, but if you didn't I will tell ya. I had the one where it is wiped away. Right after I had my surgery I could see crystal clear, but over time that outer covering has to grow back. After the layer grows back the eyes would be as if nothing happened to them, but when a flap is cut, it never heals shut and can be dislodged.

During the day I could see good enough to drive, but at night the glare from the lights would cause me to have double vision. For my job I drive an end dump semi truck for Asplin Excavating.  http://www.asplin.com/  I am layed off for the winter months so the surgery didn't interfere with my job. The company got a contract to haul gravel from our gravel pit in Rollag MN to Kindred ND in early March, but since that is day driving I could work. I work in Fargo ND, so I have to be available to drive when the spring floods come to the Red River Valley. That doesn't happen until late March early April, so I had a little extra time for my eyes to heal. When the floods did come, I only had to drive for a week. I didn't go back to work full time until late April. By that time it was close to 3 months since the operation and my eyes were mostly healed. Another thing was I couldn't see my computer screen very well. I had to have the zoom at 150%. Over time I gradually reduced it to 125%. Even now with my eyes completely healed I prefer to have the screen at 125 zoom. I highly recommend that everybody try using their computers at that zoom level, 100% is too small.

Like any surgery, success is not guaranteed. Getting 20/20 vision isn't always achieved. My right eye ended up being 20/25 while my left was 20/600. Perfect vision is 20/20. My left eye was always weak compared to my right. My eyes have been checked on the eye chart four times since the operation, and it was frustrating for me and the nurses when I couldn't see the letters. I knew I could see, I just could not see that eye cart. It was always a relief when Dr. Strinden would come in the room and check my eyes and not say anything about the chart. The main thing that can go wrong with PRK eye surgery is that the outer layer of the eye doesn't grow back clear and becomes blurry. He would always say that my eyes are healing like they should and not to worry. I know my eyesight is as good as or even better than some people who don't wear glasses, but should. You know who you are. So I am not going to worry about it.

Would I do the surgery again? Yes I would. Not having to hassle with eyeglasses was reason enough, but the main reason was I wanted to be more outgoing. For twenty two years I was using them as a crutch for my introversion. During the past year I have realized it is going to be a long journey to change. Just like Red in the Shawshank Redemption, I HOPE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRBl0GPBm4o&feature=related




the answer is 37

Don't Take My Kodachrome Away

         

"Calvin STOP! I want to take a picture out the windshield." As a racing fan, one right of passage is driving through the tunnel that leads into Daytona International Speedway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytona_International_Speedway  We were about to go in when I realized that I need take a photo of this momentous occasion. It was what you could call, A Kodak Moment.

On January 19th, Kodak filed for bankruptcy. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/19/us-kodak-idUSTRE80I08G20120119 Kodak invented the hand-held camera and roll film. With those two products Kodak, you could say, started the personal photography and motion film industries. You think Kodak is only about film? Wrong, one of Kodak's engineers, Steve Sasson invented the digital camera. When you read this timeline, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastman_Kodak#Timeline you will see that the company was the developer of many important products in film and digital photography.

Why is Kodak bankrupt? Kodak made most of it's profit from film. With the development of digital photos, less people were buying roll film. And not that long ago, the company was the number two seller of digital cameras in the United States. I think the thing that hurt the company the most was the cellphone camera. How many people do you know who always has their cellphone? And compare that to the people with a film or digital camera. Do you see my point? I do not have a digital camera, but I do have a cellphone and film camera. The bulk of my photos are taken with my phone, which allows me to edit them for accuracy and content. The only time I use my film camera is for taking action photos. Most inexpensive digital cameras struggle with motion, except digital SLR cameras. Did you know that Kodak also designed the first digital SLR camera. With digital you can see right away if the photo is any good. You only have to develop the photos you want, but not after you have edited them. Film does not have that luxury. The only way to know if it is any good is to get it processed, and when it is processed it might not be any good. Now you got to buy more film to take more pictures and the cycle continues. Did you know that the one of the first one hour photo stores was built in Bismark ND. Sadly, last year they went out of business. http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/photo-express-to-close-after-years/article_ad96abec-2d9a-11e1-b77a-001871e3ce6c.html That news foreshadowed things to come for Kodak.

The top photo was taken with my Samsung 35mm camera with Fuji Film processed on Kodak paper. Now don't I sound just like a race car driver? I had only 10 seconds to take the photo of the Daytona tunnel, because other cars were waiting to get in. It didn't dawn on me until the last second that this would make a great picture, and I had to hurry to get it snapped. That roll of film wasn't used up, so I still had a few more photos to take. The next day I got the film developed. I knew that photo was on this roll, and I was anxious to see. Thumbing through freshly processed pictures is a roller coaster ride. The bad ones are down low, but those great ones are up high. I finally got to that tunnel picture and it wasn't down in the ground, but up high in the sky. Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SExsuRIGAlg

That photo was taken five years ago, and the Daytona 500 is next month. Anybody up for a road trip?

Blue, Blue Christmas

I hope everyone had a peaceful Christmas. Any Christmas without a blizzard in North Dakota is a great one. There was no blizzard, so I had a great Christmas. A loss by the Green Bay Packers would have made the day even better. Unfortunately they won. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20111225_CHI@GB

Stores start closing early on Christmas Eve, and are closed all day on Christmas. The holiday this year was celebrated on a saturday and a sunday, and that got me to thinking back to when I was kid. Back then all stores in North Dakota had those type hours on the weekend. The state had a law called a Blue Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_law, which stated that all stores be closed on sunday.
The grocery store would close at 2 o'clock on saturday, and be closed all day sunday. I remember my mother worrying about not making it in time to buy groceries for something she was making on sunday.

Back in 1991 the blue law was modified so that stores could open at noon on sunday's. I like that stores can be open on sundays. It gives a person an extra day to get things they need. Some people would rather have the stores closed all day, so that they can spend more time with their families. The family dynamic has changed a lot in the past 20 years. Most families are busy with activities all week and maybe going shopping with their children is their quality time. Stores should be closed on sunday, everybody needs a day off from work, to rest. Not every person works monday thru friday, maybe they get days off during the week and work on the weekends. Stores should be closed, you got to go to church on sunday. Most churches have services all week, you don't always have to go to church on sunday. Here is another forum which talks about the Blue Law. http://www.city-data.com/forum/north-dakota/566342-do-you-miss-blue-laws.html

The only time I agree that stores should be closed all day is on Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are the only two days of the year where a person should spend time with family and friends and not have to work. I am appalled of what Thanksgiving is turning into. The unofficial first day of the holiday shopping season. Can't people wait one day. The next day will start early enough, like midnight.

Every person should have choices. You will make time for rest and time with your family. It should be up to you on what day and time that is. It doesn't have to be on a sunday, but you should make time for those things. You don't have to fill every second of everyday doing something, REST.

On saturday I was talking to one of my friend's when we had to stop our conversation short. He was running out of beer and needed to get some before the stores closed for the holiday. I bought mine on friday, so I was good.

Coffee Break for Dad

Have you had a parent die? My father passed away on 18 Nov 2003 of pancreatic cancer. He would have been 71 years old today, Feb 22nd. My dad was a farmer and cattle rancher from DeLamere ND. His favorite thing to do was going to town for a coffee break, and shooting the breeze with whoever was there.

When a person dies life doesn't stop, it keeps going. It might slow down, but it never stops. December 2003 I got my Commercial Drivers License (CDL) and become an Over The Road (OTR) truck driver. In march of 2004, my brother's high school basketball team made it to the state championship game. He could have left the team, and nobody would have questioned it. But he did not, he kept playing. When he died, my two brothers took over the family farm. They expanded it and now it's 4 times bigger. My dad didn't get to see his youngest daughter graduate from college, or see his daughter's two little girls. He didn't get to see me in my first stock car race. That reminds me, I got to write about that yet. He missed his youngest son's wedding, and the birth of his grandson. As you can see a lot has happened in 7 years to his family.

Sunday Feb 20th was the Daytona 500. It was 10 years ago that Nascar racer Dale Earnhardt died at Daytona. When Dale died Nascar didn't cancel the next race, No they raced. I remember that race. It was held in Rockingham NC, and only a couple laps into it Dale Earnhardt Jr crashed. He was out of the race. If that wasn't enough, it started raining and the finish was moved to Monday. Dale Earnhardt's driver Steve Park won the race.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kajZ6VENnXo   A couple of weeks later at Atlanta GA, the man who was replacing Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, won.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJujUxwthkM   The best therapy was to keep racing.

Life doesn't stop for any one person, life continues on.

Next month is my mom's birthday. So God willing, I should be able to celebrate that with her. Now if you excuse me it's time for a coffee break.

  

Who You Are

When people find out that I was in the US Navy, some ask me, what was the best and worst things about the military? My answer, the best is the people you meet, and the worst is the people you meet. Some things in the military can turn you bitter and mad at the world, but you will also meet some amazing people that make it tolerable.

I also spent three years as an over the road truck driver, and the same principle applies. The best is the people and the worst is the people that you meet. Meet one person, remember there is always another load that has to go down the road, to where the next person is waiting.

Everybody you meet put a little something into a person's being. All the good and all the bad go in and it's up to you to decide how you want to be.

Best Super Bowl Ever

I want to congratulate the Green Bay Packer's and their fans for winning Super Bowl XLV. The game was a pretty good game, but I never could get into it. If neither the Packers nor the Pittsburgh Steelers had never won a Super Bowl, maybe I would had been a little more excited. The Packers had the lead the whole game, and the closest the Steelers got was three points. Pittsburgh had a chance to win the game at the end, but when Ben Rothlisberger's last pass fell incomplete the game was over, Green Bay had won. After that last play, the TV showed Ben laughing with one of the referees.
That summed up my feeling to the game. This game wasn't do or die for the Steelers like it was for the Packers. The score 31-25 makes it look like it was a close game, but it wasn't.

When I was in kindergarten, my mom was going to buy me a NFL football helmet out of the Sears catalog. I was only six years old and didn't know anything about football. So I picked what I thought was the best looking one. It was the helmet for the Washington Redskins. Little did I know how great a choice that was.

The first Super Bowl I have any memories of was Super Bowl XVI between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The two memories I have of that game is One; the over the head catch by a Bengals wide receiver (Chris Collinsworth), and Two; the goal line stand by the 49ers defense (running back Pete Johnson getting stopped by Hacksaw Reynolds.) The 49ers won the game 26 to 21.

That super bowl was played when I was in 2nd grade, which was the year of my awakening of watching sports on tv. Sorry ladies, it's too late, you can't change me, I like sports. That year I also start following the NBA, where my favorite basketball team was the Los Angeles Lakers. What a great time to start with Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and the LA Lakers, Boston Celtics rivlaly. Remember how I said what a great choice I made about the helmet I picked. Well my favorite NFL team ended up being the Washington Redskins. I'm not lying, when I picked out that helmet I had never watched any sports on tv. The year was 1982, and today in 2011, my teams are the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Minnesota Vikings. How I ended up with those teams is a story I will tell in different blog post. Please put me out of my misery, I beg you.

What was it that made the Washington Redskins my team? For starters you need a quaterback, and Joe Theisman was my guy. I loved that he had that one bar helmet facemask. Then there was John Riggins and the Hogs. Do you remember what the wide receivers were called? The Fun Bunch    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLiKbVV288k  That touchdown dance they had was killer. Too bad you can't do that in the No Fun League anymore. The next season the Redskins make it to the NFC championship game, where they would have to beat their rival, the Dallas Cowboys, for the right to go to Super Bowl XVII.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUtfX2IMetY&feature=related  The team Washington would play in the Super Bowl would be the Miami Dolphins.

The day of the game arrives and I have my friend Ernie come over to watch it with me. The game was about to start when Ernie realizes that we are forgetting the Redskins helmet. I race back to my room and get it.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbzdH7BLHgw&feature=related   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_XVII 

This game had it all. Both teams had the lead, big plays and my team coming out on top, 27-17. That was the BEST SUPER BOWL EVER.