A Retrospective of 2012

What a year this turned out to be for me, it started and ended in ways I could have never predicted.

January began with me separating from my wife that eventually lead to our divorce that we filed on Valentine’s Day, way to mess the meaning of that day up!  I’m not going to get into the details, because the people that I want to know about what transpired know and that’s that. 

I will say that I couldn’t have gotten through it all without the support of my best friend John.  He was there for me from major counseling sessions to just letting me sit at his place watching television laughing.  I will never be able to thank him enough! 

Through it all I will say I feel the kids handled the divorce, me moving out, and the introduction of new people in their lives quite well.  I did have the, are you and mommy going to get married again, from time to time at first, but all in all, remarkably well. 

The other major change that I went through this year was leaving the City of Augusta after 10.5 years of service.  It was a decision that was both easy and difficult to make.  I had a plan though when I left to go to State Police as they were hiring, and I knew the hiring process would take long enough for me to get my payout from Maine State Retirement to pay off my debt so I could afford to live.  What I didn’t realize was the hiring process would be so excessively long!  I applied in early June, it closed June 29^th and my test and interview were the first week in August and eventually after my polygraph my start date was October 3^rd!

I’m at DPS in Augusta were we dispatch for Gardiner Police, Fire, & Rescue, Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, Windsor, Litchfield, Chelsea, & Vassalboro Fire Departments, and The Maine State Police Troops C & D call sharing & covering 7 counties.  We are also the answering point and dispatch Warden Services, Marine Patrol, Fire Marshal’s Office, Forestry and more.  Whew!

I love it, it’s fun going to work again and I enjoy the people I work with, for the most part!  I’m back on midnights, which I expect, and there’s plenty of overtime, which I expected.  My tour on nights will be less than a year, which is nothing to complain about.  Besides my good pal Rood get a job here as well and my best lady is very understanding of my schedule knowing that it’s not forever, it’s just for right now!

So I dated this year for the first time since I was 17, and I don’t have a whole lot of positive stuff to say about that.  It was interesting because it was something new that I hadn’t experienced in a long time, but I learned fast that taking people to dinner on a first date was an expensive way to find out that I’m not interested in going one date number 2.  So I started suggesting walks on the Rail trail as a good way to meet and get to know each other.  Then if things went well date number two would materialize.  There was only 3 people that I went on a second date with so I think it worked.

I tried the on-line dating with OK Cupid and Plenty of Fish because I wasn’t sure where to go and meet someone otherwise.  None of my single friends were any help which is probably why they are still single. I met a few interesting people, and a few that were completely different in person and a few that I didn’t care to meet at all.   I did meet one special person, most of you know who that is, but I’m going to save that for part 2 of the year in review! 

Later Readers!!

Michael

Let Me Tell You About My New Place!

It’s been a long time between blogs, and a there are several reasons for it, the biggest one being I didn’t have internet for a couple weeks after I moved into my apartment.  My plan was to wait a couple months and see what my finances looked like.  That lasted all of 4 days.  I can handle no TV, but no internet, no way!

After weighing my options I went with Fair point DSL as they offered the same speed at a cheaper rate then Time Warner Cable, plus a free Wi-Fi Modem, whereas TWC charges $13.95 a month for theirs. 1 year minimum commitment, but that’s cool because I have a 1 year lease on my apartment.

I need to thank my parents for putting up with my for so many months in their home, John Spier for helping me move, both times.  Tanya Allen for finding me an affordable couch, Ryan Karagiannes for helping me movie said couch and selling me his table, and Sue Bonsant for the bunk beds. 

I have basically have what I need, still need a microwave, good frying pans, big kettle, crockpot, toaster, and a coffee table.   Plus a few things here and there.

I’ve got 99% of my stuff unpacked and have hung a few things on the walls.  It’s nice to be able to hang all my wrestling stuff again!!  I have a wall I want to hang movie posters on.  But I can’t decide if I want to get full size posters or the small ones.   I guess I could get one or two big and the rest all small.

The more I unpack or hang on the wall and ect the homier it feels! 

What do I like about my apartment, the living room is big with views, it’s only 2 miles from the kids and Kate. It’s right 2/10ths of a mile from Reny’s so it’s essentially right downtown.   I like sitting on my couch or at my kitchen table when it’s dark and watch the traffic on the Gardiner/Randolph bridge.  I love my shower!!! Excellent water pressure, a seemingly endless supply of hot water, and it’s spacious.

The downsides are minimal but big at the same time.  There was a heating issue, heat is included and it was HOT in there, but it’s getting worked out now.  It’s heated by a central heating system in the building and I cannot adjust the temperature control in my apartment.  I can adjust the knobs on the radiators that it supposed to increase/decrease the water flow to them, but it doesn’t make a difference.  I’m currently working on this with the landlords and it’s working itself out.  The other issue is that it’s only a 1 bedroom.  But it’s all I can afford for the time being and it’s not for a lifetime, it just for now…..well at least a year because that’s the lease.

All in all I am VERY happy to have my own place again.   Very please indeed! 

Later Readers!! 

 

Mike

Thanksgiving Blog, yeah I know it's December!

I actually wrote this November 25th....

So I am officially all moved into my new pad! 

I actually signed my lease on Wednesday morning after getting out of work at 7am.  I had loaded up my blazer with a bunch of stuff so I brought that to the apartment which is on the River Rd in Gardiner.  After a 25 year hiatus I’m back living in Gardiner.   I looked at a lot of places and I got what the best I could get based on what I could afford. 

I ended up with a 1 bedroom, but’s it’s got a full bath, dine in kitchen, and a really big living room.  So I’ll share a room with my kids for a bit. It’s not for a lifetime, it’s just for now.  So be it.

Move in day was Friday, but before that was Thanksgiving!!  YEAH!

I got out of work a 7am and went to Kate’s for a brief nap, then we went to her family’s dinner at the Lutheran Church in Newcastle.  It was a very nice meal with Kate’s family and a few fellow church worshippers, about 30 people in all.  It was reminiscent of the old community meal’s that don’t happen often enough today.  We went around the room and everyone said what we were thankful for. 

We went and pick up the kids and then went to my Dad’s for Thanksgiving dinner.  It was Dad & Linda, the kids, Kate & Myself.  We had a nice meal and the kids were good.  The chocolate cream pie was fantastic!!  I can’t remember the last time I spent Thanksgiving with my Dad.

After a quick feed of the animals at the barn I dropped off Kate and took the kids for my last night in Litchfield.  I was up late, and was exhausted, packing up almost everything to get it ready by the door to load up and move.  Irving was helping me and need to be at Aunt Audrey’s graveside service by 2pm.   Aunt Audrey passed away Tuesday night due to failing health from multiple medical issues.

Friday was an early start.  Irving and I got the truck, my blazer, and trailer loaded up and were on the road around 915.  I stopped and picked up John and we got to the apt and everything unloaded by 11am!  I don’t have a lot of stuff, but have more than I thought I did.

I took the kids to the park while we still had daylight.  They had been good all day and were bored.  Got some great photos!!!

Still have some more unpacking to do, but almost done.  The more I put away the more homey the place becomes!

Thanks all for tonight,

Later readers!!

Mike  

Searching For My Humble Abode

So it's 1:42 in the morning and I can't sleep.  It's actually the second 1:42am that I have experienced today and I couldn't sleep during that one either!  

I find that I have been quite cranky these last few days and I feel that I have been complaining a lot. Complaining about and not accepting things that I have no control over and can't change.  Partly because I am on the midnight shift and it's really been messing with my sleep schedule and possibly it's because I've had quite a bumpy year, and perhaps because I expect to much of others and myself.

These things that I have been complaining about, the situation that I am in, I know that it's a temporary issue and that in time I will be where I want to be. The things that I want though, I want them now.  I want to complete that circle that I started and it's it like I can't quite reach the other end. It seems that I've run out of patience.

Earlier this year I adopted the mantra "It is what it is" and it has truly helped me get through some rough patches. 

Then I read a Marilyn Monroe quote "Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."  Which really resonated with me and made me realize that there is someone better out there and I want to find that person.  I did find that person. 

Recently I read in a fortune cookie of all places, "Every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking and believing."  I even saved the fortune and put it in my wallet to help remind me that only I can control my disposition in life, not the people around me.  Apparently though, I forgot that already.  


All year long I've taken the steps that were needed to get me to where I want to be in life.  Back at the beginning of October I took another huge step forward, and then it's like I stopped walking and I guess I  expected those last few things would just come to me.  I now realize they never have before why would they start now?

Which brings me to the title of this post, I need to find my own place to live.  I'm grateful to my parents for allowing me to crash here but it's time for me to move on.  The problem that I'm facing is that it's so expensive trying to find a rent. 

I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a two bedroom place in the Gardiner area.  It's not looking real promising at the moment, but I'm going to stay positive and keep looking until I get what I want.

So that's it.  I've had these thoughts running through my brain all night long, and now that I've put them out there hopefully I can get some sleep.

later