Thursday, January 28, 2010

Hit the BENCH!!

Where is time going? Did we not just say HAPPY NEW YEAR!?!?!? Now we are staring down the barrel of Valentine’s Day.
Work has been going okay I guess. I have started working on the realignment of the Science TEKS that go into effect next year with our Scope and Sequence…..easy everyone…….I know that is exciting stuff.
Just to cover my bases for next year I did get my resume together and got my application in to two larger school districts that are around my home. If I do get a job at either place CHA CHING!!!
I realize I am going to sound REAL bad here BUT….I am tired of hearing about Haiti. There….I said it. It’s out there. I feel horrible for feeling that way but come on! Does it have to lead off every news cast? Yesterday afternoon I flipped through 4 networks in about an hour’s time of watching TV. One network did not say something about Haiti….guesses? That would be the FOOD NETWORK.
Jack has been testing it a bit lately….The boy just turned 9….with luck he will live to see 10. Seriously though it is starting to bleed into other areas. Last night at BB practice he just decided to ignore what I was telling him to do and do what he wanted to do. PROBLEM!! I am the coach. So I called time called his name and pointed to the bench. Well we were scrimmaging and Tracey was in there with the boys and I was on the outside perimeter barking orders. Well Jack sat there for a couple of minutes and then he got up to stand by me. I asked him what he was doing and his response was…”I am ready to go back in now.” I told him I thought that was nice but that it was not about HIM it was about the team. As long as he was going to ignore me and do what he wanted to do I could not put HIM in the game. I told him I would rather have a less talented team that LISTENED than a talented individual who blew me off. So you see Jack…It does not matter what YOU are ready for…..have seat on the bench.
OH THAT WAS PAINFUL FOR HIM…..

Friday, January 22, 2010

FASCINATING!

There has been a ton of things going on and I have been slipping in my obligation to blog so that you are in the know about what is going on in my life! Because let’s face it people. My life is that interesting…..as a matter of fact it’s darn right fascinating!
Well what all has been going on?
Well we started off the week with Tracey’s car being put in the shop. Why? Because it had a cracked (Now Broke) sub frame. That’s right…the frame of the car is broke. How? Not real sure….for something of that nature to happen usually the car has to have been in some type of accident. At this time we don’t remember being in an accident. The history report does not show any accidents on the car. But frames to cars do not just BREAK as you are backing out of the garage.
ALL STATE INSURANCE! Thank goodness for them. They have been taking care of us so far. Nice car replacement! I did not know that we pay for premium service but since we do my deductable was only $200. Beats the $2500.00 tab I would have to pay.
In the HAPPY NEW YEAR department- Opened up an envelope from UT Southwestern this week (always exciting) to find a bill for $1,000 that we owe for an experimental treatment (that did not work) to control my graph vs. host issues. As much as this stinks at least I don’t have to pay the entire $250,000. They want to try another one sometime soon. My “excitement meter” is pegged in the red zone.
This weekend is all about Jack! He turns 9 on Monday!
Friday Night- Pine Wood Derby with the boy scouts- The whole family goes to this. In addition to us my parents and my sister always show up for this event. Some people take this WAY TOO seriously so that is always fun to watch. Jack and my dad (PA) built his car. It should be a lot of fun. Jack designed it and my dad cut the wood for him. The car looks great!
Saturday- Basketball Game and Birthday Party at Main Event- Jack can hardly wait. Bowling and Laser Tag! Two of his most favorite things to do in this world.
Sunday- Family party- Everyone coming over to the house to adore Jack! Always fun.

Caroline NEWS! I had my first parent conference with Caroline’s teacher yesterday. She did awesome. She got perfect scores across the board. She is the model little student. She basically is the teacher’s aide. She takes papers to the copy lady in the front office. She escorts children to the front office for clinic visits. She gets supplies for the teacher when needed. Her teacher told me that she just LOVES Caroline and she is such a huge help. She is truly wise beyond her years….teachers words..not mine.
Jack is doing MUCH BETTER in school. Grades and behavior marks are much improved. Math continues to be our area of focus. He LOVES math but Jack speeds through his work and often makes errors because of his haste. The other night we spent about an hour redoing work that he declared “finished”. Every question where he did not show his work he missed it. He started to get frustrated with me but I put back on him. He understood and took it quite well. He told me as we were finishing that he would start to show his work.
Monday of this week marked the two year anniversary of my transplant. To celebrate Tracey and I took the family (us, my sister, Tracey’s sister, my parents, and Tracey’s mom and stepdad) to dinner. We went to Dunston’s Steakhouse on Inwood….right across from the Inwood Theater. It was a wonderful evening with wonderful (and very affordable) food.
Tracey’s birthday is in a couple of weeks. I want to take her and the kids somewhere special for dinner…perhaps a return trip to Dunstons? This place is awesome!
Finally got my scanner set up. Think I will upload some pictures for Facebook. I was looking at some pictures the other night that I want to upload. What a wonderful time in life (high school and college) you have the freedom to do and for the most part no major responsibility.
Good Times!
See what I mean….FASCINATING PEOPLE!!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Writing My Obituary Before I Die

That is what it feels like I am doing. You see my current position with the school district runs out at the end of my current contract. At the moment there are no promises as to what I will be doing with the district next year. So I have to update the resume and start applying in other districts to cover my basis. In many ways I feel like I am writing my obituary before I die. I really don’t want to leave my district. I love it here and I love who I work with on a daily basis. At the same time my family likes to eat as well so I have to be prepared to leave.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR



Well all good things come to an end I suppose. At least I know we are on the up swing. Once Farve retires....again....what is Minnisota going to do?

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Friday, January 8, 2010

Are We Too Accessible?

I think we as a society have become accustomed to someone we know being too accessible. I am guilty of it and I hate it. You call someone at home and they are not there. You leave a message. You then try to reach them on their cell phone. They don’t pick up. You leave message there too. Then you think….where the heck are they?
I think I get a bit miffed when I am on the other side of this argument as well. I hate it when I call my dad and he says…I have been trying to reach you but you don’t pick up your home phone or your cell.
Unlike my dad I don’t carry my cell phone EVERYWHERE! I have called him on his cell only to find out he is sitting in his recliner.
I think it is stupid to be in your home with your cell phone on sitting right beside you….yet I am guilty.
Yesterday I was laying in bed reading and I had the land line and my cell phone sitting right by me….guilty
I think if you call me on my cell or at the house and I don’t pick it up leave a message. I will return the call.
I think if you call and don’t leave a message don’t expect a call back.
Over the Christmas break I broke free from my cell phone so to speak. Rarely had it with me or had it on period. It was very nice.
AND TO THINK I REMEMBER WHEN THERE WAS NO ANSWERING SERVICE. IF THE PERSON DID NOT PICK UP IT JUST RANG AND RANG!!!!

Monday, January 4, 2010

News From My Doctor

Morning Everyone! Last week I went to the doctor for my monthly check up. As many of you have known I have been battling different ailments that have to deal with graf vs. host. Things your body deals with after having a transplant from a non-related donor.


Most notably I have been dealing with extreme pain in my feet and extremely dry skin. Well I have been on medication for about three weeks and my feet feel GREAT! As for the skin...well I am the poster boy for vaseline intensive care....I have it at all times.


Oh...and my eyes....I developed cataracts in both eyes due to the steroid I have been on for three years. I had my second surgery over the break and I am now seeing 20-25 overall.......It's like seeing in high def! AWESOME!!


I tell you all of this that brings me to this. January 18th marks YEAR NUMBER 2 from my transplant date. I have heard my doctors say anywhere from 3 to 5 years being cancer free and you are in the clear. So I asked Dr. Collins...WHICH IS IT? 3 years or 5 years?!?!


Dr. Collins is very non committal....as they have to be I understand...nothing is guaranteed....but here is what he had to say.


Mr. Huffman your counts have looked great for quite some time. If you had any cancer cells in your body the graf vs. host that you have going on would literally eat it. I am convinced that the cancer is COMPLETELY GONE! All we are going to do is control your graf vs. host and make sure you are comfortable. If you did not have any graf vs. host we would give you medication that would create graf vs. host. Studies have shown Mr. Huffman that if the patient with your type of cancer makes it to the 3rd year the cancer RARELY comes back...and 5 years it is almost nonexistent.


It did not hit me until I was in the car on the way home that for the first time EVER Dr. Collins told me what he was really thinking. He has NEVER committed one way or the other (which again I understand) on the possibilities of survival because I am a rare case. There are not a lot of statistics for him to research. Usually the patients are much older or are children and the patients cannot handle the treatment therefore they fall to the treatment before the disease. Therefore I am a lab rat! I am providing all kinds of information for their studies.


I just wanted you to know because all of you have been on this very long journey that started on May 25, 2006 and for the FIRST TIME the docter said..."CANCER COMPLETELY GONE" While it is not a guarantee if Dr. Collins is saying it I like the odds.....maybe I should hit the poker tables in Oklahoma while I am on a roll....

Saturday, January 2, 2010

I AM CALLING "BS" ON THIS ADVERTISEMENT

Have you seen the taco bell commercial where the girl lost a ton of weight while eating taco bell fresh items?

The before and after shots are amazing....but I have a few questions.

I wanted to lose weight but did not want to give up my fast food.......

Ummmm...then how did you think you could lose the weight? Cutting back only gets you so far.

These results are not typical........... no kidding....you either had surgery or did something drastic and throwing some pico on your taco aint it.

What does that mean?

My wife said the other day..."Like it makes a sh%ts bit of difference?"

What does that mean? No matter what bit you have it's still sh%t?

INPUT PLEASE