Brrrrrrrrr! March is starting off awfully cold this year. Nearly most of the 12 inches of snow that had been on the ground has finally melted. Sure, there are still a lot of piles sitting around; but at least driving and parking are much easier now. However, dropping down to 0 degrees hasn't made going outside any easier.

It's been a year since one of my close friends nearly passed away (Feb - Mar 2002). After almost a year, Cliff has recovered pretty well. He's a little unstable walking at times, and his eyesight hasn't cleared back up (they thought it might have gone blurry from Cliff receiving too much oxygen while unconscious in the hospital); but besides that, he's gone back to his old normal "cantankerous" manners, that we love so much. It's a shame that his eyesight is still bad, since he just purchased his Cadillac 6 months before being hospitalized.

I've been working with Expert Auto Collision (EAC) for a year now; and it's been a whole lot of fun. Not only have I been teaching them computer skills, and doing monthly updates, but I've built them a website (expertautocollision.com - including webcams! and chat!), designed a yellowpages ad, and have several projects in the works for them (a company information package, branded office forms, and a presentation that will hopefully help them in receiving some government grants).

Of course, I'm grossly undercharging them; but, as icky as it sounds, my payment comes in the enjoyment from tackling these cool and fun projects. Having had my own pet store, I can sure sympathize with the plights of a small business, and realize that if I charged too much, these guys would probably just do without an "extra" like a website. The way it is now works out for all of us - EAC gets a super-duper website for nearly nothing and can be the talk of the industry, while getting a bunch of advertising and graphics spruced up just in time for them to announce a whole new look! (More to come on that later. Shhhh! It's still a secret right now. LOL); and I get to play on my computer (for $$$) making a website, learning LOTS of new stuff (the website chat should be up and running later this month, while setting up the rest of the cams is still a future project), and getting to know a batch of pretty nice people. I'm really glad that I've been able to help them out some.

Along with all those projects with EAC, I'm been running around crazy at Waikem's. The big news was, drum roll please, the Klez virus!! Five infected computers were running amok and emailing out the virus over and over. Of course, I had also just emailed everyone in the company the first official email directory, which of course was promptly installed into the address books of those infected machines. LOL (Have you seen the commercial about the IT guy walking around in the office, and the lady that says she opened the email virus, just like the IT guy said NOT to do? ROFL ROFL) Needless to say, I earned my pay (actually more than what I get paid; but I gotta stay under the limit to keep on the med program) and cleared the viruses out; threw together a couple of Waikem ads; installed 3 printers (argh!); and updated about 20 other PCs. Whew!! Yes, I'm probably wearing myself down some; but things have been going well, and I'm having fun. ("MY" ads are going in the yellowpages and on the side of a radio station's van. WooHoo! How cool!)

Well, I am officially about to move into my 40's as my 41st birthday is almost here. Of course, that also means that it's time to get a haircut and put some color on my gray so I don't look like I'm soooooo old. LOL (I already got the haircut and really have to get the color on soon. Not just because it's actually white instead of "gray"; but because Jim says that he finally realizes who I look like right now -- Robert Blake!! in jail!!!!)

I had a doctor's appointment and the results were mixed. First, everyone in the office is still pleasantly surprised that I am as well as I am. (Like I've mentioned before, the counts I had recently were really, really bad numbers and most people at the same level are very, very terminally ill - but I'm NOT!! WooHoo!!!) However, although my counts dramatically changed for the better at the last count (in Jan, after 3 months on the meds, my viral load went from 375,000 to 12,000 - a 30,000% decrease; and my tcell count went from 12 to 120), this time my viral load went back up a tad (12,000 up to 21,000) and the tcells dropped (from 120 down to 104). The doctor went through my records and pointed out that I usually seemed to have a plateau at this point in my treatment (but not necessarily a dip). Next month, he's going to have me take another genome test to determine what medicines I may have become resistant to, and how much "wild" HIV virus I might have in my system (that might explain why my counts never reach that "zero" viral load level - too many mutated viruses running around not affected by the meds).

And yes, I'm still working too much; but I am staying on the meds. I promise that after next week, I'll slow down for a while. Heaven knows, it's that time of year again (Mar to May) when I seem to get the sickest, and I sure don't want to go to the hospital for anything except blood work.

? ? ? ?

Don't worry! there are a bunch of pictures and fewer words, coming up shortly. Hang on just a little bit longer! This next part is GREAT!

You may have noticed that row of ?'s and 's above. I had to put in something, just in case my Mom came to visit my site. See, nearly all of my family has their birthdays between the middle of February and the end of March. No one had given my Mom a party on her 50th birthday (Mar 9th), so they decided on a Surprise Party here on her 60th birthday. And what better way to surprise her besides a party? Make sure the oldest, out-of-state-living son is there! WooHoo!

Within a two week time, we found a ticket for a trip through Chicago to Charlotte and got me home.
Click below for the pictures from my Surprise Trip home!

But, the week wasn't over yet. I got back in town to find that my boss had been looking for me. It seems his girlfriend (whom may have recently moved in with him) had trashed his laptop that I had just tweaked-up last week. I spent from 9:30 to 6:00 pm working on my first day back in town! After I promised myself, just before the trip, that I would slow down. I've really got to watch this or I'll end up sick by the summer.

Here are where all the big problems arise though. First, I detest the boss' girlfriend. (Don't worry. I don't tell him about this website. LOL So, this next part shouldn't get me in trouble. LOL) This past summer (July, 2002), my boss had asked me to build a website for her company. Within an incredibly short time, I had a demo going; but without much flare yet. Unfortunately, they both couldn't get past that point (as I have found happens with many people). Rather than tell me directly, she lied and blew me off. I haven't been fond of her since, to say the least. Now she's moved here and although I have no intention of helping her again, my boss is beginning to expect it from me.

So, now I find that although I was a busy, mildly-dissatisfied employee before my trip, afterwards I am about to have some sort on confrontation with the boss, and probably quit working for the auto group.

But, it is NOT all gloom and doom. I'm feeling great since the trip (happy, but tired) and have a couple of amazing opportunities in front of me. If you've been following along through this month, you'll know that I've been pretty busy with the body shop. Having talked with the owner (who HAD (as in past tense) been a friend of my boss), I'm nearly assured a position with his company as they began their big "project". (I still can't spill all the beans yet. It's a surprise! and I've been full of those this month. LOL) I think that opportunity is once again knocking at my door, so I'm thinking I better answer.

There's also a little topper to it all. If I do quit working for Waikem Auto Group (they did fire Jim and throw out my newsletter!), not only will I have a good position with Expert Auto Body; but they've been bragging up my performance to the local CarpetTime dealer, who is also interested in some computer check-ups and a website too! WooHoo! Now although my new loyalties belong to Expert Auto, a little cash on the side could just mean another plane trip home!!

Just think - it's not even my birthday yet, in the middle of the month, and a ton of stuff has happened! Oh! Did I forget to mention that the most awesome cell phones (Nokia 7210) have been ordered and just might (cross your fingers for me!) arrive on my birthday Friday!! And when the Auto Body shop gets their new computers (maybe the first of next week), I'll be getting an upgrade too! Can I get a BIG WOOHOO!?!? WooHoo!

Before I tell you about my birthday, I found this picture from the first of the month. At first glance, you can see that it's simply one of my silly puppies (Aries) chomping on some snow (inside the house!). What you don't see is how he got that snowball. Twice now, I have watched while Aries scooped with his paw, while stepping backwards, to roll a lump of snow into an actual snowball!!

Happy 41st Birthday, mIkIE!

The Cake

Scans of this year's B-day cards MouseOver each to see the salutations!!
from Gayle	from Jim	from Ruth and Loretta	from GrandMother
from Mom and Dennis	from the "kidz"	another one from Gayle	from Paula Waikem
		This last card is actually a late Christmas card!

Do got me this very cool fiber optic dragon. The colors swirl across his unfurling wings. It really is beautiful in action.

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Boy, I've felt like I aged more than just one more year. Twice this week, I have been scared and surely lost a couple of more years. LOL First, after I had parked in front of DO's house, I was about to get out of my car. Suddenly, there was a man standing right there staring in at me!!! It turns out that DO's son-in-law had been working on the van that I parked in front of. I hadn't seen him get out and walk over until I looked at the window. Whew!! I know I suddenly turned 43 right then! ROFL

But that wasn't the only scare I had this weekend. I awoke on Sunday morning, and stumbled downstairs to let the dogs out first thing. After a quick sip of water at the kitchen sink, I headed to the bathroom. As I walked in, I lost another couple of years, as a black bird swooped out of my shower and past my head! Now I'm at least 45!! What is it with birds in my house?!? It was just last June (2002), that I had three birds in my house on the same day.

MouseOver to "watch the birdie"

Still no cell phone or computer/laptop yet,
and I haven't quit Waikems yet;
but the month is long
and there's still half of it left. LOL
Stay Tuned for More!!

Of course, things really didn't slow down here at the end of the month. March came in like a lion, and is going out in similar fashion. I've been fighting with several Waikem computers as they crash-n-burn, while trying to get a small network set-up for Expert Auto as they are about to get some new parts/labor management software in preparation for the big move.