Ouch! My Aching Back!!

It has been a year since my last flair-up and that episode was much worse than this as I ended up face down on the floor in the bathroom at 3 in the morning unable to move without spasming. This time I simply pulled something on a chip shot to the green and ended up listing to the left and waiting for treatment. I have a session with my Bowen therapist and missed work today. The chip where I hurt my back was a great one from about sixty feet and over a sandtrap. I dropped the ball about eight feet from the hole and cozied it up to about three feet and made the putt. I played two more holes and went par, bogey and finally gave in to the mounting pain when I was trying to stretch and my back spasmed.

It was a tough start to the day on Saturday as I was told that one of my board members, Randy, had died from heart failure the night before. Randy was one of those big, big men, about 6'4" and 280 pounds. He had shaved his head and often wore a doo rag on his head and was fond of leather vests. He looked like a biker, but was the softest hearted guy you'll ever want to meet. I was just getting to know Randy better this year and had plans to play in his thirtieth annual golf tournament in June, where he cooks tri-tip every night and makes bloody marys every morning. I will miss him dearly and had to console his friend of forty years, Jim, who was a basket case on Saturday. I had our head pro get on the PA system and announce to the group of 95 golfers waiting for the modified scramble start at 9 AM that Randy had passed away and that we would all play with heavy hearts, but play the round and the tournament in Randy's honor. I really was affected and wanted to just quit and go home and as it turned out, I would have been better off following my heart instead of my head.

I had to miss one of my main company underwriters visiting the office at 10 AM today and had to cancel an interview that I'd set up with a candidate for our personal lines underwriting department. I have rescheduled the interview for Wednesday as I have a lunch with another company marketing person tomorrow. I think my boss Harvey will be in Wednesday and I will meet a candidate for his office who will work out of my office if they hire her. She is a big broker with another firm in Sacramento and Harvey is looking for a new broker for his office. I've offered to have her work out of my branch to save Harvey the cost of another office for her. Partly it is a selfish move on my part as we use the SF branch to broker some of our business and having her domiciled in my office will make that process easier for us. I also hope to use her influence with retailers to write more contract business for Sacramento.

I ended up going over to the video store on Saturday after I left the golf course to get a movie for us to watch Saturday night. As I wandered the store, limping as I went, I saw a movie of interest on the bottom shelf and idiot that I am, I reached down to get the box and had a HUGE spasm that sent the box flying one way, my keys and wallet the other and me flopping like a fish in the middle of the aisle. I had three people move away from me quickly and one come over to help me up. The spasm finally passed and I gathered my things, grabbed a copy of the Bourne Ultimatum that was my first choice and got out of there. This back problem is one of the major problems of my life, but again, I made it through 2007 largely unscathed, so was getting a little comfortable with my body and not stretching as much as I should before playing golf. My treatment is at 2 PM today and I can't wait. I am sitting on a pillow in the office of my house with a heating pad on my back.

I will have my car washed at a car wash for the first time since I bought it today. I wanted to get out yesterday and wash it as the rains that we have been having have finally left us. Darla offered to divorce me if I did go out and wash my car as I couldn't even stand up straight. She said that vanity is a sin and that I needed to get over myself. I just hate driving a dirty car and it's been three weeks since I have washed the car. It's filthy.

I talked to Darryl last night and he is in Denver at his new job in Longmont, Colorado with McLane Food Service. He now expects to be in Colorado for about four years and will return to Texas after that. He will be in Austin next weekend as the company is having a Vice presidents meeting at their Tyler Texas site next week. I asked Darryl if he would buy on a golf course in Colorado and he said no. He's been spoiled living where you can golf year round. Colorado is lucky to have six months of golfing weather. Darryl's prior company made him a nice offer to stay, but this is a great opportunity and was his first choice for a new job.

Well, I need to get on with my day and will add more to this later in the week. Ciao.