Tales From My Crypt...

[Mr. Dead]

I've held off on doing this, for a while... Why...? Perhaps, insecurities... Indifference... Too busy... *L* But, this also gives me a venue for my own introspection, and my give others, and especially myself a glimpse into my mind and what makes it tick or clunk...

I guess I should start with my screen name... Why Mr. Dead...? Why not...? But here goes... In my line of work (nurse) there's the unpleasantness of dealing with the deceased... Most people I work with and have worked with are a bit squeamish when it comes to that... And, part of that is making sure that the body is clean and presentable (Either for the family to come say goodbye, before they're taken to the morgue, or for the mortician to pick up...) I feel that even though there is only the lifeless husk that remains, it still should be treated with the respect and dignity it had in life... So... When it came time to deal with this issue... Many people grabbed me to take care of it... There was a Charge Nurse that remembered a line from Mel Gibson's Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, "I'm the one that keeps Mr. Dead in his pocket..." And, she started calling me Mr. Dead... (She also remembered my fondness for horror movies... *L*) The name stuck, and there it is...

A bit about my past... (For anybody that cares...) I was born in Wichita, Kansas... Parents split when I was 5... I lived with my Dad, and my mother had me for visits on occasion... Went to Catholic school from grade school to high school graduation... Yes, I was an altar boy, and no, I wasn't touched by the priests... *L* I played the usual sports... I wrestled, played football, basketball, baseball... Joined the Army 3 days after graduating high school... I got out after 5 years, as I was not adapting to the new "Kinder/Gentler" Army... But during high school and my time in the service, was when I found a passion... The iron... It always called to me... And, this was during the '80s and the heyday of the action flicks that had muscles everywhere... I watched the A-Team and the Incredible Hulk on TV... (Yes, I have a huge selection of comic books... *L*) But the iron was always there... After I got out of the service, I learned quickly and harshly, that I had no skills of living in the outside world... Either my parents or the Army always made sure I had food and a roof over my head... I'd always had a job, since the age of 13... That wasn't the problem... The problem was these things called bills... And I would rather spend my money on booze and fun... Within 2 years I was homeless... Living under an abandoned semi-trailer... I'd been evicted from my apartment... I was dating the woman that became my wife, over time... And, I moved heaven and earth to keep her from finding out... My pride got in the way of getting back on my feet sooner... But she did indeed find out... After learning this harsh lesson, I decided it was time to get my act together... Within 2 years of that, I was married to dd2inxs (Best life choice I ever made...) owned a double-wide, and got a gym membership... But the booze was still there... We eventually got the chance to buy our "dream home", (where we currently reside...) And I started getting my head completely straight... I found a site called bodybuilding.com... Through that site I met a great group of people that led me here to the FORVM... From here, I finally found my passion, again... I feel like I've truly found a home, and a family...

[Hoomgar]

Of course ;)

About time you fired one of these up d-man...

Hg

[Firedrake]

That's quite a tale. Congratulations on get yourself straightened out and on track. That's not a trick that everyone manages, and you should be proud of it. Congrats on the dream home. That's something my ex-wife got . . . [sigh]

Your vocation, nurse, is a profession that's noble beyond the telling -- I've known my share of them over the years and surgeries, and unfortunately the paycheck-rats outnumber the caring nurses in most hospitals. In a clinical situation, there've been many times I'd rather see the Nurse Practitioner than the doctor -- they're almost always more responsive and listen to the patient better.

I have to wonder, though, what it's like getting scrubs in your size. <grin>

[Mr. Dead]

Of course ;)

About time you fired one of these up d-man...

Hg

Wasn't sure if I wanted to take that close of a look at myself... The good and the bad...

[Mr. Dead]

That's quite a tale. Congratulations on get yourself straightened out and on track. That's not a trick that everyone manages, and you should be proud of it. Congrats on the dream home. That's something my ex-wife got . . . [sigh]

Your vocation, nurse, is a profession that's noble beyond the telling -- I've known my share of them over the years and surgeries, and unfortunately the paycheck-rats outnumber the caring nurses in most hospitals. In a clinical situation, there've been many times I'd rather see the Nurse Practitioner than the doctor -- they're almost always more responsive and listen to the patient better.

I have to wonder, though, what it's like getting scrubs in your size. <grin>

There's quite a bit more to it, but I stuck with the Cliff Notes... I look at things from this perspective, as far as my job goes... How would I want myself or my family treated...? And, without patients... I don't have a job... And, as far as the scrubs... I can rip the sleeves off an XXL top, by putting my arms out in front of me... *L* My mother-in-law makes my tops, now...

[Hoomgar]

Good on ya for finding your path bro. Just got to read that now. It takes a man of action and purpose to turn things around and make them happen.

[Mr. Dead]

Good on ya for finding your path bro. Just got to read that now. It take a man of action and purpose to turn things around and make them happen.

Just looked in the mirror, and despised what I saw... Before I got back into it, I let my self sink pretty low... Physically, mentally, and spiritually...

[LittleMan55]

Now I know why it's Mr. Dead...

Good start to one of these.

[Aggression]

Damn, way to come back from all that. Very admirable.

[Mr. Dead]

Now I know why it's Mr. Dead...

Good start to one of these.

Thanks... Just mostly jumbled history and random thoughts...

Damn, way to come back from all that. Very admirable.

Thanks... It was sink or swim... And I've got too much to do, yet...

[B Con]

Down for the ride...

[firsthorseman97]

Consider me subbed. After reading that one word sticks out in my head... OVERCOME.

[Mr. Dead]

Down for the ride...

Consider me subbed. After reading that one word sticks out in my head... OVERCOME.

Thanks, fellas... A lot happens to us in life... I feel that it's what we do or don't do about it, that defines us...

[Hollow]

Thanks for sharing part of your life Mr. Dead!

I'm subbed in.

[Mr. Dead]

Thanks for sharing part of your life Mr. Dead!

I'm subbed in.

Thank you, for taking the time to check it out...

[Themostocles]

I ain't much for words, but definitely here to listen(read). -T.

[Mr. Dead]

We all do it... In the gym, at our jobs, home, and our relationships... But... I prefer to think of it as effort... It doesn't have that bitter taste when it rolls off the tongue... In the gym, it's effort and passion... (I guess the same could be said of certain relationships, too... *L*) I started "work" at an early age... By the time I was 8, I had started mowing the lawn... Neighbors noticed, and began paying me to mow theirs... By the time I was 12, I had a 2 block radius... This allowed me to buy my first video gaming system... The second generation of Atari... At 13, I had my first job that involved a W-2... I was a dishwasher at Angelo's Italian restaurant... One of the perks was a free meal each shift... I almost single-handedly ended that benefit... *L* One day Mr. Angelo came in, and saw me eating my meal... I had a steaming plate of Mostaccioli and meatballs, a dish of rigatoni, a small pizza and a 2 foot long steak sub... (I ate it all... *L*) I still remember him and his beet red face screaming at me... "God damn you... What's a matta wit chu...? Eating all my profits!!! You should drink milk, instead!!!" Being the smart-ass that I am, I raised my glass of milk...

After 2 years of working there, I got another job... Working at Tom and Sonny's... Tommy De Nunzio and Walter "Sonny" O'Brennan were 2 guys that new business... The "Family" business... *L* I had gotten the job because my step-mother had went to school with Tommy... They paid well... Now, during this time, I had gotten a plastic and cement barbell set and a bench... I was going to be HUUGE like the heroes I had at the time... (Arnold, Louie, and even Sly...) But at Tom and Sonny's... There was a gym next door... I had someone co-sign for me, and I got my first taste of being able to lift more than 110 lbs... At this time, also I was hitting the weights at the High School gym, but only during football and wrestling season..

At 16, I got a job that at 16, I had only dreamed about... My step-mom talked to Tommy, and I was moved over to valet parking... Wages, plus tips!!! I got to uhm... "Test drive" all of the latest sports cars... I met some high profile people... The best tip I ever had gotten was a Jack Daniels bottle, autographed by the group Ratt... (It was the '80s okay...) That and there was a $100 tip from some guy driving a Bentley that was trying to impress a girl that was half his age... *L* I held this job, until I graduated high school... Then came the Army...

[Mr. Dead]

I wrote that work segment to show myself, that the "work" ethic and the iron have always been there for me, even in my youth... During those jobs I never called in sick... Not even once... And I always got my workouts in, and still went to school... (I had to pay my own tuition for the private Catholic high school I went to...)

[Hollow]

Just from the short time I’ve come to know you Mr. Dead and seeing the work ethic you put into your workouts I am not surprised to see it was merely carried over from your everyday work ethic.

[firsthorseman97]

Can't wait to read about your experience with the Army. Keep 'em coming.

So instead of saying 'do work' we should say 'do effort'? LOL!