Sick for a month

I’ve been sick for over a month now. It started off with a cough and it developed into pneumonia and a visit to the hospital. This probably goes back even further then one month; since the beginning of this year I’ve had numerous allergy attacks coupled with mild asthma (which I didn’t even know I had). I’m fairly certain my immune system has taken a beating this year. Which probably explains why something as simple as not putting on a sweater on a cold night (which I’ve done thousands of times) will now, take its tow on me.

It’s been a humbling experience…

My doctor has more tests he wants run on me; specifically one that will measure the amount of acid my stomach produces. Apparently acid not only travels back up the esophagus, but it can end up inside your lungs which causes all sorts of problems like that ones I’m experiencing.

Hopefully everything turns out fine and he gets to the bottom of it all. Either way, this will require a life change for me. Everything from being aware that I can’t be close to certain grasses to putting on a sweater at night.

Death Week

What a week this has been! A friend and co-worker died this Tuesday from a hard fight with pancreatic cancer. He was 39 and left behind his wife and 5 kids.

Kai will be sorely missed. It was an absolute pleasure to have developed a relationship with him in areas we both were passionate about……sports, our family, and just the usual trash talk. He had the heart and competitive nature of a warrior. He was so unselfish and would always seek fairness even if it meant a loss for him. It always meant so much more when he did it, simply because he was so competitive. It warmed my heart to have seen the people in production love and respect Kai. That speaks volumes of Kai.

May he rest in peace.

On another note, two actors have died today and one died yesterday. It’s death week!

The first was Ed Mcmahon who was best known as Johnny Carson's sidekick on The Tonight Show. Never really watched any of his material but he seems to have been well known. He died at 86. I’m a happy man if I make to that age.

The second was Farrah Fawcett who was best known for “Charlie’s Angels” and consumer product commercials. She died at the age of 62 of anal cancer.

Lastly, the legendary Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 at 12:29pm today. No need to expound on his resume. He will go down as the best pop star ever.

All this death really brings to light just how fragile human life is. A small clutter of molecules can bring down a species that invented airplanes, rockets, and nuclear weapons.

More importantly it reminds me just how much one needs to invest in the relationships you have with the people you love. In the end, that’s the only thing you’ll care about in your death bed.

Rough Week

It was a rough week. With Jojo breaking his arm in two and Sonia getting an abscess on her gums causing her to get her tooth removed; we didn’t get much sleep.

Jojo fell from grandpa’s Toyota Tundra and his whole weight landed on his left arm. He cried for hours. He did well in the emergency room though. They put a temporary cast on until the swelling would subdue. The days that followed were full of cries because he either moved and it caused pain or it would itch like crazy. A week later it was followed by a clinic visit and he was happy to get a blue cast.

Sonia’s dilemma was a bit more frustrating only because we didn’t know what was wrong with her. Whenever she did manage to stop crying because of the pain, she would simply say her teeth hurt. Evelyn figured it was a cavity but I was really doubtful that her constant pain was a cavity. Cavity pain comes and goes and I just wasn’t convinced a 3 year olds teeth had gotten so bad so quickly as to cause such pain. The motrin we would give her seemed to do little to stop the pain.

A couple days later, we took her to the dentist and they found an abscess on her gums. You could see it as clear as day but we both hadn’t seen it the previous day; so it must have grown over night. They took the tooth out that day. They might have to take more out but they don’t know yet.

Hopefully, next week goes better.

Old Friend

I was listening to sports radio today and the famous motivational speaker, Tony Robbins, came on to talk about his ability to impact top notch athletes come back to greatness. The immediate image that popped to mind was an old friend of mine that past away a couple years ago.

Marc Jones was his name. He was the one that made me aware of Tony Robbins by letting me borrow his tapes. I ended up purchasing a whole set of Tony Robbins tapes months after and I still have them to this day.

I miss my conversations with him. I miss him altogether.

You are missed Marc Jones…

Bought a Journal

So I bought my first journal yesterday. No......it's not to write down my feelings; I've got sports for that. I'm just using it as a planner. I really don't like the usual planners with all the clutter. Just simple lines work for me.

Seeing 911

For a couple months now, I've been seeing the numbers "911". I've never been one to see too much into such things; in fact, I usually try to explain it away. I felt that if I gave it any credence, it would lean itself to an occult/astrological type of tampering.

Not that I don't believe in such things, I just figured I didn't have the know-how to really tamper with such things. And even if I did, my faith draws lines in the sand on what is taking it too far.

At any rate, it's getting to the point where I'm sub-consciously seeing it everywhere. I'm not looking for it or dwelling on it, it's just there. It's sort of a double wammy in this scenerio because I'm ignoring it due tomy spiritual skepticism (sounds like an oxymoron don't it?) and also because of meaning behind the number. Thoughts like "maybe something bad is coming?" pops into my mind.

Whether real or perceived, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do with it. Run to the mountains? Buy life insurance? Pray more?....I don't know.

Either way, may your will be done Holy Father.

Ferry Corsten

This guy is the bomb! Ferry Corsten is ranked in the top ten DJ's in the world, but he's no.1 as far as I'm concerned. He used the lead singer of Duran Duran (Simon Le Bon) in this mix. Enjoy!

Grand Opening!

Animated - having much high-spirited energy and movement……marked by much life. Mesina – my new last name; well sort of new, I’ve had it for almost 6 years now. I was like a woman in a mall trying to decide what fits. I couldn’t decide what to name this blog.

So, I thought long and hard about what I wanted this blog to be about. I knew I wanted it to be about my family, my life, my spiritual walk, and just about anything else my mind happens to wander on. I wanted to make sure that no thought of mine, no matter how stupid, would ever go unpublished. It can be a learning experience and quite entertaining to learn from past views and mistakes. They need not be mistakes either; people develop and expand on previous held ideas all the time. At any rate, I hope this will be a fruitful experience.

As to why I named it what I did, well it describes me, first and foremost (although the “movement” part is debatable). Second, it describes the direction my wife and I want to take our family. A family “marked by much life”, both physically and spiritually. Third, “Animated” and “Mesina” both describe a new beginning, a new chapter full of high-spirited energy, movement, and of course marked by much life. As I mentioned above, Mesina is a new last name for me, and it also happens to be my wife’s last name. Yes, that’s right; I took on my wife’s last name. There is a story behind it, but let’s just say that it was best for me and my family.

There is a history behind changes names; particularly males. In the Old Testament, God changes Abram’s name to Abraham and Simon into Peter. Now, I certainly wasn’t called by God to change my name to Mesina, but it was an unintentional meaning I came to embrace years after having changed my last name.

So, with that said, I launch my blog only to have me be the only one read it…lol.

*brakes bottle*

~Victor