Another Year Older...

"I'm a runaway train on broken track;
I'm a ticker on a bomb,
You can't turn back this time…
That's right…

I got away with it all and I'm still alive.
Let the end of the world come tumbling down,

I'll be the last man standing on the ground…
As long as I got blood rush trough my veins…
I'm still alive.
--Meatloaf, “I’m Still Alive” from Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster’s Loose, 2006.

I wish you and yours a Happy Saint Nicholas Day.

Oh, yeah, it’s my birthday as well. From the web I found it to be a day of Celebration in Europe:

Traditional celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day in Northern Europe included gifts left in children's shoes (the origin of our American Christmas stockings). Good children receive treats - candies, cookies, apples and nuts, while naughty children receive switches or lumps of coal. Sometimes coins were left in the shoes, reminiscent of the the life-saving doweries the saint provided. Today - especially in families of German extraction - children still put a shoe outside their bedroom doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and expect to find candy and coins or small gifts in their shoe on December 6th.

It is also the day that Samichlaus beer is bottled and then re-distributed a year later as a never-ending cycle of enjoying an 18 proof beer. Sadly, there cannot be a Samichlaus (like Santa Claus) for me to imbibe this year.

Quite a year has past since I last took up my traditional Birthday Blog. Here are some highlights:

December 12, 2008, I proposed to Jen and she said yes. I am very fortunate.

Christmas, 2009: Jen and I travel to see both families, visiting Anna and Joe in St. Louis where Zack is given his “Bat-friends” gifts and visiting Karen and Bud; Angela and Fred in Ottawa where Kaleb is given his Superman and Krypto.

January Through March, Jen and I enjoy the Hockey of the Bloomington Prairie Thunder. Great fun and fantastic action. The team is weak, but the fun exists.

Early April, Jen and I head out to Starved Rock. She enjoys it and the dinner we had at Lou Grottos Pizza.

April 22, 2009: I suffer a major stroke in Medici’s Restaurant, that my uncle, Dan Kuglich, catches. He insists I have an ambulance take me to the hospital; next thing I know I am in a hospital moving down a hall; then I am in a machine as I have a head ct, then I am in surgery with a pain behind my eye as a 100 CC clot is removed, then I am making jokes with Karen and Jen and the nurses about my medical condition, then I start the road to nearly perfect and complete recovery (in my world a 95% with some minor residual affects in my left hand). In the hospital stay, Karen, Mark, Mary, Angela, Dan, Dar, and friends visit and I begin to understand what is important in life.

Late April through May: no work as I recover. In the recovery I learn to accept that life is a gift and my faith grows. Strange, one might suspect the opposite, but not so. My weight loss begins as Jen, Mark, and Mary de-carb my house. May sees me return to action at PTHS by giving the Social Sciences Award and Baccalaureate, where I am allowed to address the Seniors. Also, one of my favorite institutions/past times is gone, as I decide that I should no longer drink beer. German Wheat Beer stock drops fourteen percentage points (or something like that).

June—final OK’s from Doctors. Bears sign Cutler. My hopes of seeing another Super Bowl (and sooner, not later) are rising. I attend a bridal show with Jen and her sister Sarah.


July—Family reunion at Aunt Cathy’s. Lots of fun and great food for all.
August—my boredom ceases as I begin a new school year. Great kids, great classes, and everyone is very welcoming. Hopes are continuing on the Bears. Jen and I begin serious wedding planning. Jen and I pick out wedding bands.

September—Jen and I go to the U of I, ISU game. My alma mater is slaughtered and we find out it is only one of three games U of I will win this year: Go Illini, Go Redbirds. Bears look OK in the Pre-season and start out well. Bear fans lose some hope as Urlacher goes down. Jen watches the games with me, as proudly wears the Calib Hanie jersey I bought her. Don’t ask…

October: Highlight is we see Mark and Mary in Ohio, as Jen saves our lives after we hit an errant hunk of wood on the road while she is driving at 9:00 PM. Car damaged, but we are fine and we still are able to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (the band formerly known as the Heavy/Epic Metal band Savatage--a personal favorite of mine) in Youngstown for a terrific show. Car fixed, to a degree, and now I fight with State Farm Auto Insurance. Weight down around 40 pounds.

November: By the week before Thanksgiving, State Farm finally pays me for my car damage. It is only been 21 days, but who am I to complain, right? Jen prepares a lovely Thanksgiving Turkey breast with great flair. She is an excellent cook. A nice, quiet, and loving Thanksgiving is had by us both.

Late November: Bears are now realistically out of contention for post-Season play. Cutler has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns, especially in the Red Zone, and my faith in my sports teams has been rocked, as even the Prairie Thunder lose two games Jen and I witnessed, but played well.

Early December: My faith in Chicago Sports teams was restored when the Blackhawks signed Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

In Summary: I learned that life is a gift this year. In many ways, even with the stroke, it was one of my best years ever. I learned that Jen is perfect for me and our relationship gives me a chance to love life. I learned that family is more important than I ever knew and I love them all. I also think the stroke was a wake-up call to restore faith and promote a healthier lifestyle. I also have been more intelligent and more compassionate to others since it happened, so maybe God was letting me know that some corrections were needed.

Same time next year…