It is bad enough being out of work. Being sick is only worse. Over the weekend, I had major breathing problems. It felt like my chest was in a vice. Fortunately, I am feeling much better. At least I did not have to take off any sick days.

I go in to work today like normal. But, it was taking an awful long time to log into the network. I got down on my hands and knees to trace my cable back to the switch. Everything was connected as it should be and I was getting activity lights, but my network connection was still down.

I need a break. A few Fridays ago, Rachel started feeling sick. A few days later, I was also sick. I was out of work from Monday through Wednesday of last week. As I spent the majority of my time either sleeping or only marginally coherent, I did not accomplish a lot. Both my work and schoolwork suffered.

I was starting to get back to normal when my mother-in-law called Friday night. She was suffering from bad indigestion and was having a panic attack. Her indigestion medication only made problems worse. We ended up calling the rescue squad and going to the hospital.

Recently, Rachel asked if I would like to volunteer for the 15th Annual Komen Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure. Other coworkers of Target were going to help and she wanted to help too. Having friends and family members that have dealt with cancer, I thought it was a worthy cause. All we were supposed to do is to stand at the midpoint and hand out water. How hard could that be?

A few days ago, my mom called to say I received some official-looking notice via the mail. She forwarded over to me. It was a form to determine my eligibility for jury duty. While I would not mind serving again, I cannot afford to fly from Ohio to California to do so. I am sure they will accept my "excuse" for not being eligible.

After a few months of being without my treadmill, it is finally up and running again. My mishap a few months ago fried the main circuit board. Last week a replacement board arrived. I think it took about an hour to swap out the boards, re-lubricate the running deck, and put all the covers in place. I am looking forward to jogging again.

There was not a lot of snow on Friday. The drive home was so nice that I suggested that Rachel and I go out to dinner. We went to a place called Five & Diner. The place is based on a 50's style diner. The food was both wonderful and inexpensive. I had the Teriyaki Pineapple Burger and Rachel had the Bacon & Pepperjack Burger. We split a plate of Chili Cheese Fries. They had desserts too, but we were too full.

This weekend, Rachel and I went to Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery to place some flowers on her dad's grave. Since we might not make it out around Thanksgiving, we (she) picked out flowers that would be appropriate through the fall.

The drive was quiet, but the weather was not. We had high winds, rain, and even some hail. Fortunately, the weather cleared up as we arrived at the cemetery and did not start raining until we started to leave. I think that we timed the trip well.

Tagline for today: "This isn't all true." - Steven Wright

In the past few days, I visited The Cleveland Clinic a few times. Earlier in the month, Rachel felt a lump near her left ankle. Her doctor's initial though was that it was a cyst, but needed MRIs to be sure. The MRIs showed what appeared to be a torn tendon. Instead of a perpendicular tear, the tear was parallel. But, without surgery, it was difficult to tell.

Recently, my mom Ellen, step dad Fred, and nephew Cody, flew out to California to pay Rachel and I a visit. While they were only here for a few short days, we did manage to have some fun. We visited the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Museum, the Great Lakes Science Center, and, of course, Cold Stone Creamery. In addition, we visited several different shops and areas of town.