After a fairly normal January things quickly started heading south in February. My staffing level at the 911 center dropped to a critical level..... then....... I had one go on workers comp for 4 1/2 months. How does one wind up on workers comp from a 911 center you ask? All it takes is a little ingenuity and shitty work ethic. So overtime began to flow like wine with me trying to do my part to cover shifts as well. Then people started getting worn out. Me included. Then people started copping attitudes about everything from pats on the back to co-workers work ethics to you name it. Trying to keep things afloat while training new telecommunicators was probably the most difficult task I have encountered since my post Wal-Mart days.
This was the spring that I was going to make a concerted effort to attend more of Raissa's ball games. I think I saw 2 all season.
Behind the scenes my mother-in-law's health was steadily deteriorating. This meant that Rita was spending copious amounts of time trying to attend to her mother while still working full-time. As the summer progressed the pressures on her and her general state of exhaustion became a more prominent staple of our day to day living. Every free moment she had was spent with her mother, every free moment I had seemed to be not all that free.
Then about midway in November her mother fell at home which culminated in her passing on 12/14. I am sure I don't need to tell anyone what the last month has been like.
So now with 13 days left in 2012 I guess things have finally reached a point where they can smooth out. I am fully staffed at the 911 center with everyone back on a regular schedule and back to a generally good attitude. Rita can finally begin to relax and get back to a more normal routine. We have had to have her sister move in with us as she is not able to fully take care of herself but overall it could help as she is able to watch Robbie while we are at work.
But of course 2012 was also momentous on a personal level as I finally won a league championship and I can not tell you how therapeutic Hardball Heaven was so many times this year. When everything around me seemed to have a storm cloud around it, Hardball Heaven was the beautiful rainbow that allowed me to escape if only for a couple of hours a day.
I know others of you have expressed from time that the league proved to be "good medicine" when things weren't going so well on the outside. The league is not a league without the people in it and I will affirm once again that I think our league is a wonderful collection of super individuals.
2013 has to be a better year even if only in relative terms. At least from a real life perspective. But I think I am beginning to experience the "curse of winning the championship" in fantasy terms. Simply put, winning once only intensifies the desire to win again. I have already begun to prepare for the next baseball season. Last season is going to be hard to top, 2 leagues, 2 regular season 1st place finishes, 2 league championships.
I did it once..... there is no reason why I can't do it again............... or is there?
For those of you who read the blog, Thanks for indulging me as I begin to purge myself of the less enjoyable aspects of this last year.
Randy
