Feeling Sad

Dear kind people who care about me. In the past few weeks, I have lost both my fuzzy best friends and companions. Riley, my happy shiny black kitty, my best buddy for the past seven years developed stomach cancer. The vet was able to give him steroid shots that helped reduce cancer enough for him to eat a little at a time. Feeding him small amounts several times a day kept him active and allowed me to prepare to let him go. That day was Saturday. He had not eaten in two days and when I asked him Saturday morning if he was okay, he said clearly, no. Jake was twelve and by all signs doing just fine, until he was not. It appears that Jake had diabetes and this led to kidney failure. He suddenly became very weak and unable to stand or walk. There were no signs he was in distress and as you can expect was devastating and there was nothing I could do to help him. I can only hope that I gave these two wonderful companions a full and comfortable life. They gave me so much love and comfort. Thank you, Riley, thank you, Jake. My heart breaks at the thought of living without you.

Lee McAliley: Voting

Lee McAliley: Voting: Voting should be a simple process.  I am lucky that I live in a small town in California where the process only involved picking up a p...

Voting

Voting should be a simple process. 

I am lucky that I live in a small town in California where the process only involved picking up a postcard from the mailbox instructing me to go to a voting place on the same road I live on. I showed the card to the very helpful folks at this location and was politely given instructions on how to record my vote. 

Being in a small town, people where strolling in and out every few minutes but there was no line and the wonderful folks working there were able to easily assist with any questions. 

I have seen and experienced the horrible conditions and confusion many people dealt with just to vote in many parts of this country. The long lines, countless questions and general disregard from those entrusted to assist them. 

I feel thankful for these people, I greatly appreciate the effort and time they commit to offer their voice to important decisions, may they be local, state or national elections. 

These kind folks are the bulk of our voters, not like myself where the local voting place serves a few hundred voters but those who live in places where thousands or more must stand for hours in line hoping to cast their vote before the polling place closes. These are the people we need to vote and it should not be so difficult or time consuming. Someone please fix this. It should be first on the to do list of our next President, every Senator and Congressman. 

I hope you agree with my thoughts, but this is just my opinion. Express yours as is your right and express them to those who can change things for the better. Choose your elected representatives wisely. Insist they represent you properly. 

Who set the clock on my stove?

So on Thursday we had in Las Vegas terms, a heavy thunderstorm. Holy cow, almost 0.25 inches of rain? How did we survive (much sarcasm intended).

The important part of this story is that on Wednesday, the battery on my uninterrupted power supply for my computer died after many years of faithful service. That almost requires in the life of a geek that you lose power or have some sort of power related incident. It is almost required.

So on Thursday during the scary thunderstorm, (again much sarcasm intended) the power went out for a few minutes. This required me to restart my primary computer once the electricity returned and be slightly annoyed at the few things in my house that do not reset themselves and their clocks. The stove, microwave and coffee maker were blinking at me in a we are too low tech to fix ourselves kind of way.

I am pretty lazy and don't really depend on the stove, microwave or coffee maker to tell me what time it is so I was in no rush to set the clocks on these devices. No big deal, I would fix the blinking light issue later when I felt like it. Saturday evening is when I felt like fixing this if only to rid my home of blinking lights.

I looked at the clock on the stove and tried to remember how you go about setting the clock. I checked at my watch and realized that the stove was displaying the same time and was no longer blinking. Odd. Not sure how that happened. I turned to the coffee maker to correct it's blinking issue only to see that it too was displaying the correct time and no longer blinking. Only the microwave seemed to be in the I don't know what time it is blinking stage.

Now I am starting to be a little concerned. I did not set the clock on the stove or coffee maker. When did they magically fix themselves and why is the microwave not playing along with this freak me out moment?

So the question is, who or what set the clock on my stove? There was no one in the house but Huggy Bear and me. Unless my goofy Pomeranian has suddenly learned how to jump up on the counter and adjust the clock settings on kitchen appliances, something odd is going on in my house. Again, why was the microwave not playing along? I am pretty sure something is messing with me. I am starting to suspect the microwave. It knows I don't really care for what it does to my food or plastic containers. I think it is retaliating in the only way a microwave can fight. Convincing the other kitchen appliances to make me think I am losing my mind. I'm on to you Mr. Microwave, this fight is just getting started!

You may want to check in on me every few days, worried that kitchen appliances are conspiring against you has got to me some kind of warning sign. May just be the result of too much time alone with a Pomeranian.

Home

Those who know me, or are foolish enough to ask, I am proud to tell you I was born in Auburn, Alabama, or technically, Opelika since that was where the hospital was during the time my parents attended Auburn University. Because of this, I gladly list this response for who knows how many Internet sites that ask me my hometown, regardless of the fact that in the grand scope of things, my time in that place was just a brief starting point.

I could list LA (that would be Lower Alabama) or Birmingham as my hometown. I do have many ties to those areas. I could even refer to my hometown as places I have spent an important part of my life. But that would not be true.

My home has always been and will continue to be, whatever house my Mom lives in. Not whatever goofy place I need to live for career or family reasons. It does not matter what city, state or even country. My Mom’s house is Home to me even if I have never lived there. That is how my folks have always offered it to me. Their house is home.

That being said, I am lucky enough to be going “Home” to St. Petersburg, Florida for a few weeks in August to spend a little time with those nice folks who raised me and visit my wonderful Grandma. Officially, my trip home will be to cat sit and house sit while my folks enjoy a much-deserved vacation they have wanted to experience for some time. As much fun as it is to hang out with the cat (she is pretty goofy and entertaining), the chance to have a little one-on-one time with my Grandma (my second favorite lady in the world, after Mom of course) is what I am looking forward to the most.

That is right. I am going to Florida and am not at all interested in going to the beach, fishing or working on my tan. I am just so happy I get to visit, and hopefully, dine with, my Grandma and for at least a small part of the trip, my Mom. Life is good and I am so happy to be going “home”. Not the place where I was born, but the place where my Mom & Dad live and so does my heart.

Home

Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz

Today I was having a little difficulty with the tiny aliens who live in my tummy. They were fighting in a manner that was causing me some discomfort. They are pretty mean little dudes and regardless of my diet seem to find the need to do battle with my digestive system on a regular basis. So when the old lady who lives with me (otherwise known as the wife) suggested that she had to go to the store and could pick up something for me. I thought Alka Seltzer would be a good solution to this particular problem.

So when she returned from the store and as I was opening the box I commented (revealing my age to anyone reading this) that I remembered when Alka Seltzer was sold in glass tubes. She asked if I was going take one or two tablets. I explained that only she would take one tablet. That the advertisement was not plop fizz but plop plop fizz fizz for a reason. That was the recommended dose.

Lucky for me she understood this and did not further this conversation.

Score one for me.

May never happen again.

Learning to live again

For most of my adult life I was more interested in my career than what I ate or drank. I lived on coffee, coke, cigarettes and maybe one meal a day. If you asked any of my co-workers what I did for lunch, it would get you the same answer every time. A Coke and a smoke.

I lived for my passion, my career, broadcast television. I started as a late night master control operator and camera man. I worked my way up over the years to General Manager of a television station I helped put on air. Total bliss for someone of my mentality.

I had reached all of my goals. Lucky me. Yes, I am very lucky man.

I then left that world at the request of my daughter to become something I never planned for. Dedicated grandfather to my new reason for living.

None of this was supposed to happen.

I was born with heart problems that only due the efforts of my parents and the American Heart Association (please donate) was I able to recover from. Still I had only a limited life expectancy. At some point I would simply wear out my heart and it would be over. No one mentioned that future developments might change this outcome. I lived my life expecting the end would come at anytime. My focus on career showed my disregard for any other outcome. I was doing what I wanted, expecting it to end at any time. Selfish, I know this but not knowing how else to proceed, what could I do?

Then the end came. In August 2008 I suffered congestive heart failure. Organs failed and shut down. Energy went away. Life as I knew it stopped. The efforts of some talented doctors and support of family and a couple amazing friends extended my life beyond where I had planned. Now I had to rebuild my daily routine to follow their desires for me to live beyond my expectations.

Again I am a very lucky man and I know this.

IMG_1852

IMG_1852, originally uploaded by leemcaliley.

Dang, how did they know what I had planned for the day? I think anyone who gets a hang glider up this trail should be allowed to use it.

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IMG_2020, originally uploaded by leemcaliley.

Bees working this flower on the Fletcher Canyon trail on Mt. Charleston.