The Essential MCF: 2K9-2K10: Part 3

The early Cloakfest 2K10 continues! Last time we reviewed the highlights from December 2009 and January 2010, and now we'll take a look at the essential posts from February and March 2010::


FEBRUARY, 2010

Circles in the Dark
My mom's blind cat will spend the rest of his life walking in circles, while I begin to recognize the circles my own fears and emotions lead me in before, like Cubby, I pick a direction.

The Greatest Comebacks
I love a good comeback, love that it's always darkest before the dawn in some of my favorite movies and television shows. The contrast of some genuinely tragic times make the eventual comebacks even greater. It's a fantastic archetype.

Perspective.
Reminders that I'm not a kid anymore are never easy, but things like being called “Mr.” are probably important if I'm ever going to move forward.

80 Years and Out of Ideas
As my father's 80th birthday approaches, I wrestle with the problem of shopping for a man who already has everything he wants, doesn't want a party, and as I'd soon, realize, probably isn't healthy enough for a trip to a baseball stadium.

Snow Blind
It was good that I had this blog, so I could remember HOW MUCH SNOW WE GOT THIS YEAR. A snow day off from work swiftly results in a day of shoveling, and ultimately isn't much of a day off AT ALL, especially when I find myself in a third round of digging after my dad goes to sleep.

My Future Commercial Star Five
Sure, they're all celebrities now, but where might they land in the future in advertising?

PBW: A Snow Day's Night
Hey, did I mention it SNOWED a lot this year? I had the pictures to prove it....

Turn Turn Turnaround
Sometimes, the universe balances out, and those of us who were down are up, while those of us who knocked us down finally fall themselves.

Up Fate's Sleeve
When a raccoon saves me from a speeding ticket, I ponder recent positive changes in my luck, and wonder if missing a casino weekend due to a sick friend is also part of a larger design of fate.

MCF's Old School 100
It's the first 20 in a very awesome list of memories from the decades of my youth.

Crazy/Lucky
When an ex-college crush targets one of my friends on a social network, sharing her life's crazy problems(which include dating a crackhead), I realize how much of a bullet I dodged when she rejected me years ago. Maybe life does work out the way it's supposed to, but it takes years to recognize the pattern.


MARCH, 2010

MCF's Old School 100: Part II
It's items 21-40 in a very awesome list of memories from the decades of my youth.

Stenty Birthday
Against all odds, my dad makes it to his 80th birthday, and his cardiologist advises an angioplasty with the possible introduction of a stent to keep his clogged arteries open. And in the ultimate jinxing sentence in hindsight, I wrote, “At 80 years old, I don't think he has to worry about bypass surgery anymore because now it would be too risky.” Oops....

While My Black Car Gently Weeps
With my dad facing a surgical procedure, and me facing dental work, the “check engine” light on my dashboard is among the last things I want to see. A truck with “MEDIEVAL WEAPONS” written on the side of it is a different, and mysterious, story....

MCF's Old School 100: Part III
It's items 41-60 in a very awesome list of memories from the decades of my youth.

Never Tell Me the Odds.
Bad news: not only are doctors unable to put a stent in my dad's artery due to the location of the blockage near a branch, but they advise bypass surgery ASAP, to keep him alive longer than their estimate of five months WITHOUT the operation. The old man doesn't take the news well, and is ready to die. I don't take the news well, but I'm not ready for him to die, so I keep my fears to myself and encourage him.

Every Day is a New Day
At my age, every day means another meeting or assignment at work. At my parents' age, every day means a visit to a different doctor, as the list of procedures my dad may need grows....

MCF's Old School 100: Part IV
It's items 61-80 in a very awesome list of memories from the decades of my youth.

Heart Strung
My dad's heart bypass surgery is postponed for a month due to insurance requiring an office visit with the surgeon first, and the surgeon's schedule which includes a vacation. Giving someone five months to live then delaying an operation is strong psychological torture.

Lot in Life
Adding to March's growing list of problems, the fence between my dad's vacant lot and a neighboring warehouse begins falling apart. The new owner refuses to take responsibility for the fence(which is on his side and was put up by his predecessor), so it's up to me to check things out when a coworker who lives nearby notices not only the fence, but that someone opened the gate to our driveway and left it open....

MCF's Old School 100: Part V
It's the final 20 items in a very awesome list of memories from the decades of my youth.

Two Men on an Island
Years from now, I may remember my obsession with a little show called LOST, and the theories I'd formulate as I tried to piece it all together, especially in 2010 during the final season. Also, a new reader shows up and tells me to “get a life”, fitting in with my old readers right away.

POST #2000!!!!!
On my landmark 2,000th consecutive post, I reveal the one horrific secret some readers waited over five years to see: my face. It's all downhill after that....

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And that's what I wrote about in February and March 2010 in my sixth year of doing this.

The Essential MCF 2K9-2K10 will continue....