Stories - FD Thornton

In my 52 years on earth it's very rare that I sleep more than 5 or 6 hours at a time. That's not to say I don't sleep 8 to 10 hours a day, just not at the same time. Now my wife mind you, you could set a watch by her sleep habits, down at 10, up by 7, everyday. My grandmother used to say, it was my guilty mind that kept me up. That may have been true in 1983, but I'm sure there's more to the story since then.  At the moment I'm just waiting for the sunrise. Me and the morning sun have a bit of a relationship, we usually greet each other everyday. I remember my dad getting up two or three times a night. I know this to be true because I was up as well. Over the years, I can honestly say I am my father's son. I certainly couldn't deny his linage, he practically spit me out of his month. Any family member can tell you, when they named me FD Thornton, Jr. they hit the nail on the head. Which begs me to  wonder, what other bad habits did I inherit?  I su...

It's Labor Day morning and I debated posting this story. I mean some things are best left to yourself. But after reading it again, I said "what the hell". If it works as a teaching moment or it just gives you a good laugh at my expense, then my job is done. I was typing away when everything I typed disappeared? Oh well, like my grandma used to say, "if it ain't one thing it's ten." Anyway as I was typing, I woke up with some really bad heartburn yesterday morning. Since I was up, I checked my class email. In it I found my grade from the previous weeks assignment. Mind you, I have to maintain a 3.0 average to graduate. Needless to say the assignment dropped my GPA to 2.89, with one week left.  My heart dropped and a major panic attack came on, along with my raging heartburn. To make this long sad story shorter, I ended up calling an ambulance. The good news is, two more emergency workers know I have panic disorder. Plus I found out I wasn't havi...

Believe it or not, I'm always looking for the next big thing. Rather it's a more challenging job or simply an interesting book to stimulate my mind, I thrive on that stimulation. Recently, I read about a challenging position in Dublin so I applied. Usually it's going to be at least a few weeks before you hear back, if at all. But to my surprise it was over the course of a weekend when I got the Dear John email from the company. I wished I had old girlfriends and ex's that broke it off that politely.  What happened to me than was a feeling of "being robbed". For whatever reason I take these things personally, but if I'm really honest, I know why I'm mad. It's because I'm aware of my skills and know what I can and can't do. Although I'm pretty sure my resume just didn't make it past the company's resume screener, it doesn't make me any less pissed.  I suppose I could harp on back in the "good old days" when a h...

I usually think of myself as being fairly adventurous and loving a challenge. But honestly I’ve been questioning that idea simply because of how complacent I’ve gotten. Used to it wasn’t anything to hop into my car and go where ever. Now I avoid leaving home or just going to be going. While for me isolation can be quite suffocating, the friends I once had are now few and far between. I’m sure it’s a side effect of my panic and anxiety but truthfully it’s not how I want to be. Inside while I still feel terror when going to new places. I long for new places and new challenges. It’s sort of twisted Jekyll & Hyde my mind plays with me. Some may ask, why don’t you just bite the bullet and go? While that may seem like the simple solution, in reality it’s a bit more complicated. Anxiety can cause some powerful triggers to go into motion. It can cause confusion, disorientation, and make you believe far worse is happening then it really is. The first thing you want to do is run a...

You ever have one of those mornings when you get up, the sun is shining and it’s not too hot. You go into the kitchen make your first cup of coffee that's just right and you can even hear the birds are signing outside your window. So you take in a deep breath and just know it’s gonna be a perfect day. Know what I mean? After a warm morning shower you get dressed in your favorite outfit and head to the office. All your favorite tunes from the 80’s are playing on the radio as you to hit all the green lights on the way to work. Then as you pull into the parking lot and see your favorite spot isn’t taken and you pull in. Wow, how good a day is this going to be, right? As you walk into the office you notice Bob in the cube next to yours decided not to shower in Old Spice this morning, instead he may have actually taken a shower. In the break room the crew left two untouched donuts in the box and an actual pot of fresh coffee on the burner. You wonder if for a minute you are ...

While the dog days passed over a week ago according to the calendar. You wouldn’t know from where I’m standing with the temperature hitting only 92 degrees, the heat index put it at over 100 degrees. Needless to say I’m sweating like a pig even after a cold shower. At this point I wonder why I’m telling anyone this. I guess my need to write and tell a story trumps my fatigue from sweating and working on yet another research paper. But hell, isn’t that why we do what we do? It’s not like I make any real money creating reports it’s the fact I love what I do. For a person who’s not into puzzles, I do love discovering things and part of my job is discovering things. Things that need a clearer focus or just need to be straightening out. That’s my passion. So as uncomfortable and broke as I am, I hone my craft every day. Looking for the right customer or business that appreciates what I bring to the table. A curiosity to find the problem, a methodical determination to solve the proble...

Over the past three days I’ve typed and posted so much on my class site, am seriously thinking of having a turn off that damn phone and computer day. Leaving myself with just my thoughts and giving my old brain a rest. That would be nice, but considering that my smartphone’s been blinking every few minutes with a new question or most answer email. All I can really do is sit quietly in my dark office and listen to some light classical music, till this damn phone blinks again.   I sometimes wonder if we a surpassed ourselves when it comes to technology. By that I mean, has technology become too taxing for our minds to handle it? It doesn’t seem to be the case for this current generation. Maybe it’s not so much about age as it has to do with environment. By that I mean, for me living with a wiring problem that doesn’t tolerate a lot of stress already. Maybe I’m conditioned to the slow-paced environment I am in, so when stress does come I have a place to escape. It kinda sou...