Nose Bleeds

One thing you will find from reading this blog, especially if you have been following along over these few months, my life is somewhat complicated. A lot of stuff have happened to me, and hopefully more is to come. One thing that I have to deal with is nose bleeds. When I was a kid, my next door neighbor was Phil Savitz. He was swinging a golf club and caught me along the side of the nose. I think it broke my nose. My nose bled. I also inherited thin membranes from my Mother's side of the family. So, if the air is dry enough, my nose will bleed. This situation manifested itself, when I was a student at Anderson. I woke up one morning in the dorm to find my sheets full of blood. It looked like the dead horse scene in "The Godfather". I suppose that I could have choked on my blood, but thankfully didn't. I was a little weak, but otherwise okay. Then, a couple of years ago on the day after Thanksgiving, I had a bad episode. I was at work. It was the busiest day of the year. My supervisor told me to take a break from being at the register non-stop. I went into the stockroom to sit down and get something to drink, and it happened again. I was bleeding and couldn't get it to stop. I used the phone in the stockroom to call my supervisor and told her that I was in trouble. She called the asst. store manager Sylvia, who came to try and help me. She called Joni, who was our security manager and she worked on me for about an hour. They finally got it stopped, but I had lost a lot of blood. My clothes were bloody. Walking out of the store without many people seeing me was tough. I had gauze up my nose and blood on my clothes. Yes, I am a poet. I went home and rested. I wasn't able to go to work the next day, because I was pretty weak. The next day was Sunday. I went to the doctor about an ear problem, and my nose started bleeding badly in the waiting room. My doctor told me how to control the nose bleeds. If I am going to be in a dry air situation, such as the store, put Vaseline up my nose with a tissue, and it will lubricate the inside of my nose. That worked. I still have nose bleeds, but not so often. So, get some Vaseline. It is good for all that ails you.

Golf Tournament

There is a golf tournament today in Columbia to benefit the Richland County Sheriff's Foundation. My friend Joni is president of the foundation, and thus in charge of the tournament. Another friend named Jonathon (wink, wink) is on the board. Joni has just started a new job. She is a very busy person. She works in the community on projects. She cares for her father. She also cares for her ailing dog. She goes to all the USC football games, and she loves to travel. She has a very full life, and I am glad to call her a dear friend. Last year, Joni came in to Macy's very stressed. She had to get some prizes for the golfers, and I helped her choose the right gifts. I was telling her to take deep breaths and try to chill. I knew that wasn't going to work for her, but it was good to say. I hope that sometime today she will be able to just sit for a minute. But, if she is anything like me, she will want to have everything to go perfectly. We are both perfectionists. It is hard to live upto that expectation. But then, after all is said and done, you can look back on your work and know you did a good job. So Joni? Enjoy your day. I wish I was there with you today. Say a prayer. Take a deep breath. You'll be okay.

Actor Bows

When an actor dies, especially one from films, you can miss the person but visit them in their work. Paul Newman died on Friday. There is a lot one can say about his work and his life, and many people have already done so. I liked Paul's movies. Many of them are my favorites, which is a monumental statement, since I have seen so many movies. I counted them once, and estimated that it was over 3000. Some were really good, while others were really bad. But, I love movies. Newman understood the number one rule of a great actor--never take yourself too seriously. He had an understated talent. He also cared about the world around him without wanting to take the credit. I wish I could have worked with him. He just seemed to be cool but not overbearing. I am not going to name names, but I have worked with actors who were so full of themselves that it affected their work. They were personalities. Some even assumed their roles in real life. They were fake people. Newman was a real person. I have written here before how much I gravitate to real people. People who do not put on a front. People who are comfortable in their own skin, or at least pretend that they are. One thing that I really liked about Paul Newman was that he used his celebrity name to help others but not wanting credit. He also was not consumed by his fame. He wanted to make the world a better place. So, Butch? You did some good thinking. That is what you were good at. We will miss you.

Political Landscape

The political landscape in this country is heating up. It won't be long before we vote for a new President. In South Carolina, you can vote for a Governor and Lieutenant Governor separately. The Governor hates the idea, because he wants somebody that he likes. The Lieutenant Governor likes it, because he can be in office and do stuff without necessarily liking the Governor. It makes for a fun time in state government. But, in the Federal government, the Presidential nominee chooses who they want to be their running mate, and thus their Vice President. What if a candidate chooses someone who just doesn't quite cut it? Such is the situation this year. I wish I could vote for individuals rather than tickets. Usually, I have decided by now who I am going to vote for. It usually comes down as to who I trust. Someone who will make a good leader. Someone who will make the right decisions. But, let's face it. A President cannot do all that they promise they can do. They can make suggestions, but it is the Congress that gets things done. The President can help get more things done, if his party runs Congress. If not, then he just sits in the White House and complains. That is kind of what is happening now, because Bush is in the White House, and Democrats control Congress. A President is kind of like the country's PR guy. He wants to make us all feel good. If we aren't feeling good, he tries to put on a good face. Reagan was a master at making us feel good. So, if the election was held today, and if we could vote on the individual rather than the ticket, I would probably vote for McCain and Biden. I could be comfortable with that. But, I won't be able to vote that way, so I may just have to close my eyes; take a deep breath; and pick a ticket that will be the best for our country. Don't vote for someone just because you think he or she is cute. Don't vote for someone because you think SNL will have someone that can imitate them. Don't vote for someone because you think he or she is a good speaker. It is time to vote for someone that you think speaks to your lot in life. Someone who will make the decisions to keep you safe at night. Because here is something for you to think about. There are people out there who want you dead. Some of them live outside the country, and some live right here in the good old U. S of A. We call them terrorists. So, my friends, vote for someone who will fight to keep us safe from harm. And for goodness sake--VOTE! The next month will be fun to watch. Let's keep it clean, and no punching below the belt.

Dallas Cowboys

As I have stated before, I love football. Mainly college football. But, there is one pro team that is on my radar, and that is (drum roll) The Dallas Cowboys!!! When I lived out there in the mid to late 1970's, the Cowboys ruled. We had a baseball team, but football was king. It was an obsession. Everything in the stores concerned the Cowboys. They were a class act. Tom Landry was the coach. The players included Roger Staubach, Danny White, Tony Dorsett, Too Tall Jones, Hollywood Henderson, and so many more. When they went to the Super Bowl, churches would bring in TV's, and the members could watch the game rather than having a service. My Mother also loved the Cowboys. I wrote to Tom Landry, after she had her stroke, and he sent her an autographed picture, and he sent me some Cowboys memorabilia. The team went through some changes. America's team had a series of coaches. Some of the players got into trouble, but they were still my team. Now, they are flying high once again. One of the serious rivalries is the Cowboys versus the Washington Redskins which comes up this weekend. I know there is a lot of history there. But, the Skins better get ready for the Boys. It won't be pretty. Maybe those fans should think about where they are going to go to drown their sorrows after the game. The Cowboys fans will be gloating once again. Let the game begin.

Losing Consciousness

There are some people out there who think that I lost consciousness a long time ago. I would be standing in a store, just sort of staring off into space, when somebody would come by and say, "Wake up Walter". I would be sitting in class and somebody would say, "Wake up Walter". My mind is constantly working. That is what creative people do. We are thinking. But to some, we are just off there somewhere. This bit is not about being creative. It is about fainting. There have been four times in my life that I have fainted. The first was when I was a child. My father took me to North Greenville Baptist College for something he was doing. We were waiting for lunch and standing outside in the heat, and I was very hungry. I just sat down on the sidewalk and fainted. They got something for me to eat, and I was okay. The second was when I was playing football. There was a group of us from church who were playing at Hand Middle School one Sunday afternoon. I went out for a pass, and suddenly I couldn't see. The quarterback threw it to me, and the ball hit me in the head, because I couldn't see. I just sat down and waited until my vision came back. I think I was dehydrated. The third time was at work at JB White's. I had a bad cold, and I took 3 Co-Tylenol pills. I got sick while working at the register and felt I needed to get to the stockroom. My legs stopped working and things went black. I remember the women saying that I just left them and went away. But, I couldn't walk. I crawled back to the stockroom, as I knew where it was. They sent me home that night, and I never got hours again to work, but I was never let go. The fourth time was when I was judging a speech contest at a school in Dalzell, SC. It was a rainy and cold day, and I had the flu. I wanted to do the judging, because I had committed to do it. I took some Robitussin and rode in a car with a woman named Mrs. Baille. She had the heat turned up, and it was very hot in her car. I got overheated. Just before our first judging was to start, I turned to the other judge and told her that I needed to get to the restroom. I got up and took two steps, and I fell backwards, hitting my head on the floor. I think I was out cold for just a few seconds, but when I woke up, there were people around me. They got me up and to the teacher's lounge. I didn't do any judging that day. They gave me orange juice and doughnuts, which was about all they had. While I was sitting in the lounge, I heard some kids talking about me fainting in their room. They thought it was cool. I just had a big bump on my head. At the end of the day, Mrs. Baille drove me back to Columbia. She was so scared that she drove all over the road. I was okay, but she thought I was dying. I guess that is what losing consciousness does to people. The doctor said that it was a reaction to the medicine. My advice to all is to take the dose that they say to do. Don't take more, if you think your symptoms are severe. So, that is the message today from the Doctor.

Mary Jennings

I spent about 9 hours yesterday with an old friend of mine from college named Mary. When I knew her, her last name was DuPuy, but she got married to a guy we knew in college named Bill. After a lot of years of marriage, they went their separate ways. Mary was hurt in a lot of ways, but now she seems to be in a better place in her life. It was really good to catch up on old times with Mary. We just talked and talked and talked, and then we talked some more. I must admit that I don't have much voice this morning, but it was well worth it. As I have said many times in this blog that friends mean the world to me. I would have been dead long ago without them. It does my sould good to know that there are people out there who care about me. No strings attached. With some folks in my life who don't speak to me anymore, it means way more to me that others care enough about me to keep me going. I don't know what the future holds. It bothers me that psychics are out there who claim they can tell the future. If they can, why aren't they playing the lottery and getting wealthy? But, I digress. All I know is that there is still a reason to stick around, and there are people out there to help me continue my journey. Have a good day everyone, and don't get your hand too close to the snake's mouth.