Getting Away with Schmidt

"Warning! Warning!" No, it wasn't the seatbelt sign illuminating. Nor was it any type of beeping alarm coming from the cockpit. It was the unmistakable smell of a freshly soiled diaper, registering in the alarm centers of my brain, as it wafted into the nostrils, of my fellow passengers, and I, at approximately 30,000 feet, just as we had recently settled into our comfortable ride aboard a regional "fun-jet" en route to Salt Lake City. Matter was descending, alright, but it wasn't the plane. The day had started out innocently enough, with the typical, "up-at-3AM" to catch the 6:AM flight routine", complete with the burning eyeballs and the shaky body of a prematurely risen person... where your body already feels so wracked from packing from the day before, that the idea of coffee would almost be an insult upon on the fragile fortress of your flesh. Nonetheless, (and it wasn't the first time I'd assaulted the body with something i...

Here is my story I shared my story with local channel 5, here in Ashland/Medford Oregon, regarding Nykki and I being here, while our poor Lydia was in the path of the most recent, horrific tornado. http://www.kobi5.com/news/ local-news/item/ twist-of-fate-local-family-dodg es-deadly-tornado.html  

Never thought that after nearly 7 months to the day after I got my smart-phone, that I'd picture myself beating it against a desk, as it lay wedged with a letter-opener  jammed into the side of it. (No, I'm not psychotic... But this is what my experience owning this phone (& all its accoutrements) has slowly driven me to.) Lol. Just the day before, I'd decided to go ahead and pay my phone in person. (Usually, I pay online or over the phone.) But this day, I was entitled to a "free accesory" for paying in person! (Ooh! Wonder what I could get?) (Ok, I'm kidding about the enthusiasm.)  Technically, I was eligible for the free accessory 3 months ago, but the price of gas had been the discouraging factor. The store was much like any other Cricket store: It had a variety of patrons fixated on the 'new' & the 'latest', while a few apathetic workers pasted on their obligatory smiles, and muttered hello, as they assessed me from beneath h...