Music Mondaze -- Gotye

A song I heard the other day on the radio.
I just like the music and its presentation.

I hope you enjoy.




I hope you have a good day and a great week.

Danny

Driving Lesson #1

I don't know who was scared the most, her or me.

Our oldest is 15 1/2 and starting to study for her Drivers License, so Dad (me, if you didn't guess already) had to take her out for her first Driving Lesson.
I have been hoping for and dreading this day from the day she was born.  Hoping for because it would show she is growing up and almost ready for life and its many challenges.  Dreading it because it would mean she was that much closer to growing up and no longer "Dad's little girl".

The challenge of a lifetime has reared its head.
I drive a standard and that means clutch and grinding gears.  I don't know if I was more afraid of her driving or her possibly ruining my clutch.  It started off with her grinding the gears to find reverse.  I was a bit worried at that point.  If she is grinding to find reverse would she be grinding the gears to find the other gears?

I kept it simple for both her and myself.  I had her drive a small little trek that was about 1/4 to half a mile long.  It had a few turns and two places she would have to reverse and turn around.
I was worried to say the least but proud that she was willing to attempt the challenge at hand.

She found it the most difficult to put it in reverse and turn around, which is understandable as she has never attempted anything like this before.  I found it the most difficult sitting there beside her and not saying something every two seconds and not getting frustrated at her attempts to shift gears.  Staying away from cars parked on the side of the road was another adventure.  The last thing either of us needed was for her to hit a car on the side of the road.

It was a first try behind the wheel of a car for her and she did rather well for the first time out.  She did the "grind'em and find em" only when she put the car in reverse and had no difficulty shifting to first and second gears.  The short stretch I had her on was only long enough to be in first or second gear.  Going beyond second gear will be after I have her driving that little bit with me not saying anything to her at all, then we will look at going further and shifting to third and fourth gears respectively.

Anyway, as I said, she did good for a first time.
The car is still running,
she didn't wreck,
and Dad's nerves are still intact.
So all in all it went well and there will be a Driving Lesson #2 sometime in the near future.

It is hard to believe but 15 1/2 years ago I was holding her in the crook of my arm and now I am teaching her to drive.  Where have the years gone and what challenges will we face together as I teach her to drive?

God only knows.

All I know is that she and I both survived Driving Lesson #1.

I hope you all have a good day
Danny

My Wife

I wrote this awhile back but never posted it and as of this morning things haven't changed from my writing it so I am posting it today.

My Wife woke me with a cup of coffee at 7 am this morning.  Nothing new, nothing special, just because.

One of these days I would like to beat her to the punch.  That isn't going to happen anytime soon as she has a sixth sense.  She has something like a motion detector built in.  The moment I move to sit up or get out of bed she is wide awake.
Her motion detector has an automatic timer too.  If I get out of bed between 11 pm and 3:30 am - nothing, she is still out like a light but make it 3:31 am and "BANG" eyes wide open and alert.

I used to be like that when I was in the service.
Anyway, this is about my wife not me, about her always beating me up in the mornings and what she does with her days.

She has to be either "Wonder Woman" or "Super Girl" in disguise.

I Swear! Thing about these things

1. She never worries about herself, only others
2. She has an internal motion detector
3. an internal alarm clock - she is up and running before the alarm at 4 am every day
4. She appears to have an endless supply of energy
5. Her timing is perfect, when she does something it is always at "Just the right time" exactly when it is needed.
6. without being told she knows when one of us needs something, or anything.

Those are just a few of the many reasons I look at her that way.  I have not seen a "cape" or "lasso", but does she need them?  She would probably laugh and ask "What did she need them for?"

She is everywhere at a moments notice:

with me,

the girls,

her students,

her parents (both hers and the parents of her students),

relatives, 

and

friends,

and yet, I have never heard her say "What about me?".

Now, I have heard "I need a break".  After all of what she does..... I say she has earned it a 100 times over and then some.  With all that she does she could easily go with a title such as "Super Girl" or "Wonder Woman" or any of those other comic book heroines.  

But she doesn't, She chooses Three titles more than any others:

Daughter,

Mom,

and my Wife.

All of that and I didn't even mention how she handles my being sick all the time.  

I am lucky to have someone like that in my life!

I hope you all have a good day and that your week has gone well

Danny

Music Mondaze -- 30 Seconds to Mars

Hope you enjoy today's music from 30 Seconds to Mars.





I hope you all have a good day and an even greater week.

Danny

I Won!!... with a small catch

On the 12th of March (see Nervous and Worried), I had my hearing with Social Security.  It was 45 minutes to an hour long and it felt like forever.  The judge was difficult to "read" up until the decision was rendered.

She wanted to know everything about both my Emphysema and Bipolar disorders.  She was difficult, asking some of the same questions 2 and 3 times.  I guess she was trying to see if my responses changed from one question to the next.

I can understand to a degree what she was doing but it felt as if I was on the verge of denial of my benefits and was surprised when the judgement went in my favor.  So I won.

The only drawback to the entire trial was that she ordered my case to be re-evaluated in 12 months.  Which means I will go back to fighting for my benefits again in 12 months but at least I won for now and that has helped relieve some of the stress both Jackie and myself have been under for the last (almost) 4 years now.

But I Won is all that matters right now.

I will approach the bridge of re-evaluation when it gets here and not worry about it until then.

But I Won.
Thank God for small miracles.

Anyway, Thank you all to those who had me in their prayers and those that crossed their fingers and toes for me.

Just wanted to let you all know that it went well for me.

I hope you all have a good day and that your week is going well for you.

Danny

Music Mondaze -- Queen

This weeks Music Mondaze is from Queen.

One of their best songs in my opinion.

I hope you all enjoyed it and

that you all have a good day and a great week.

Danny

Nervous and Worried

On March 12th I have a hearing before a judge for my Social Security Disability.  Everything hinges on my testimony.  I am Nervous as HELL!

My testimony must convince the judge that I am disabled and deserve my Social Security benefits.

I do have a lawyer or advocate, but I am still nervous.  There is so much to tell and yet I am worried I won't have the words to tell it all.  It is like my writing, the words are difficult to grasp.  I hope the more I write (type) that it will help me find the words and allow me to express myself and tell my side of things.  Enough so that it will convince the Judge that I do deserve my Social Security benefits.

So, if you would, please wish me luck, cross your fingers (and toes), or say a Prayer that all goes well for me next Tuesday the 12th of March.


I hope your day is good and your week has gone well.
Danny


P.S.  Mynx and Beth, if you are reading this please leave me a link to your sites so that I can visit them and see what is new with you both.  Mynx - I have tried to go to Dribble but you have made it an invitation only site and so it will not allow me in.

Lost and Found.... Maybe

Some readers have wondered what has been going on for the last year and a half.  Wondered why I have rarely written anything and what has been happening in my life.  It is hard to get into the telling, part of it is depression, some of it is due to the fact my medications have robbed me of my creativity, and another part is I lost interest.

I have talked about depression before in the distant past.  I have even written a bit about my medications taking away that which made some of my writings varied and interesting (at least to me).  The lost interest is due to a combination of both the depression and the missing creativity.  How do you maintain an interest in something when you feel down and out, and can't think of a thing to write?  That is why I haven't written, I was and at times am LOST.  

I want to get the old me back.  The me that had two mini-series going, Letters from Thomas and Dime Store Detective.  Both series were/are some of my best writing.  The thing that made them happen was just sitting at the computer and typing.  They were spur of the moment things, nothing that was written down before hand. Not being able to do that because of being in a dark place in my life and not being able to create or have a coherent thought made it near impossible to keep an interest in doing the thing that I was loving. 

I know as I sit here and put this all into a form of writing, it sounds disjointed and rambling but I have to try.  It is the only way I know to help me get back to the old me and open the door for more interesting things.  

So I ask you, my readers (what few of you there are now), to just stick it out with me as I find myself, the creativity, and the interest I lost.  I will endeavor to write on a regular basis, even if it is just to get out a short bit of what is going on in the Winfield household.  Believe me when I say even that could get interesting, I just have to find the words.  

Any suggestions or ideas that you would be interested in reading about, please feel free to ask.  It might help get the juices flowing so to speak.

I hope you all have a good day and that your week is going well.

Danny

New Dragons

Since I am getting used to the new Windows (Windows 8), I figured I would try to put some new Dragons in here for others to see.

If you all don't remember I am a big Dragon fan that is why I have a page here on the blog dedicated to them.

So here are some new Dragons:

and I hope you all have a good day.

Music Mondaze - New player

I may have found a new player for the Music Mondaze so I am trying it to see if it works.

If it does I hope you enjoy the song.



and again I hope you have a good day

Things have Changed

Well, I was going to start off with Music Mondaze today but Mixpod (the site I was using for music) has shut down.
Now I have to find another site that will allow me to set up a music play list that works on blogger.  What a bummer.  If any of you have any ideas please let me know where I can find a site that lets you build a play list of music and works on blogger, I would greatly appreciate it.

Things have Changed

Mixpod closing down is not the only thing that has changed.

Blogger in the background has changed as well.  I don't know if I like that change, only time will tell.

I also had to get a new computer and Windows has changed completely to Windows 8.  The Jury is out on if it is any good.  At first glance it appears to have lots of things going on with the Apps screen.  Since the computer is so new it will take me awhile to get used to it and see how it all "Flows".  I wonder if it will make things easier or if it will just be another bunch of hog wash to deal with.

I know this isn't the best post I have made here but forgive me as I am just now getting back into the blogging life style and I have to work on new material.  At least I am giving it a go again.

Seriously, I would like to get Music Mondaze going again but need a site that I can use to build play lists on. So again any ideas would be nice if anyone out there knows of a good site.

Hope you all have a good day and a Great start to a new week.

Starting..... Again!

I haven't been on here in a long, long, LONG time and it took me forever to figure out my old password and sign in information, but I did and now I can start blogging again.  I will start off slowly and hopefully pick up steam - so to speak - and get back to my old blogging habits and come up with something fresh and new on a regular basis.

Things are finally coming to completion with Social Security and I have a hearing to find out if they will give me my benefits on March 12th.  So if you are into Prayers please say one for me to get my SS benefits.  If your not into Prayers at least cross your fingers and toes for me if you would.  Once this is all done with SS I should be getting back to a regular posting schedule here on the blog.

Thanks for stopping in to see what is new and I will do my best to come up with one of my short stories in the near future.

I truly hope all is well with you and yours and am looking forward to doing this again.

So I am "Starting........ Again!"