So … where was I?  Oh, yes.  Saturday morning comes, and we’re up pretty early.  The parade starts at 10 a.m., so I’ve got to get up and get into my outfit.

We walk toward Woodruff Park to meet everyone, and all along the way are people pointing and smiling, “Oh, look!  A Ghostbuster!”  Pretty cool walking around town like that, people asking how I got the proton pack, taking pictures …

We get to the parade lineup, and there had to be close to 3,000 people all around.  I found my group, which wound up being about 47 ‘Busters in all.  The parade started, and I’d have to say we were easily the crowd favorites.  We had an Ectomobile that was converted from a Dodge Magnum, and we all walked around it yelling things like “Ghostbusters! Ghostbusters!” and “He-Man! He-Man!”  If you didn’t catch that reference, go back and watch GB 2.  Shame on you for not knowing it.

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It’s Monday night, and that means my extended weekend is over.  I took last Friday off so we could head to Dragon*Con in Atlanta.  That’s two four-day work weeks with a four-day weekend thrown in for good measure.

We left Friday morning after David’s doctor appointment.  We had three celebrity photo-ops scheduled for the weekend, and the first was at 1:15 that afternoon.  We made our way to our hotel, dropped off the car and proceeded to speed walk for about four blocks to the Sheraton to pick up our convention badges.  With Amy’s heart condition, that probably wasn’t very smart.

We picked up our badges and walked two more blocks to the Marriott, where the photos were being taken.  After a couple of wrong turns, we finally made it in time for a photo/meet-and-greet with John Schneider and Catherine Bach from “The Dukes of Hazzard.”  They were both extremely nice, and it made Amy’s day to meet John.  She’s always liked him and Tom Wopat, but I think only John will show up for this type of event.

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A miracle has occurred.  I have slept more than seven hours each of the last three nights!  I’m usually get six hours or less, so this is awesome.  I’ve felt a little better because of it, so I may work on keeping this up. 

Today should be interesting.  Alyssa was supposed to go to a birthday party, but David is running a slight fever, and she had a bad upset tummy last night.  We’re going to keep her away from the other kids for awhile to be safe.

She feels and acts normal, so I am going to run with her to Columbus this morning.  We’re going to Ranger Joe’s so she can try on a kid’s flight suit.  Heck, maybe we’ll get lucky, and they’ll have the suit we actually need.  It’s for her Halloween costume.

We’ve got a prayer request for you this morning.  Our friends Kyle and Stephanie are dealing with H1N1 flu with their son.  Poor little guy.  Please keep them in your prayers.

I’m slowly gathering my thoughts for the 1981 version of “Life by the numbers.”  I’m trying to remember lots of things from kindergarten, plus I haven’t had much time to devote to this lately.

That’s it for now.  Got to get ready to run to Columbus.  I avoid that city as much as possible, but it’s a great place to go whenever you need anything military-related.

I had a great time yesterday with the guys from Birmingham GB (soon to be, if not already Alabama GB).  It’s a group of dedicated “Ghostbusters” fans that are working on props, costumes, etc.  We are planning some events right now for some local fairs, the Birmingham Zoo and others.

Why do I do it?  It’s a release from the stress of everyday life.  It gives me a chance to hang out with some nice guys who share the same love I have for this franchise.  It’s a chance to show our appreciation to the people who made something so culturally significant.  It’s also a chance for us to go out and do things for local communities.

If you know me, you know I’m into quite a few things entertainment-related: “Star Trek,” “Ghostbusters,” “Batman,” “The Office,” horror movies.  I’m not hung up on celebrity news, or anything of that sort.  I just have these few things that give me pleasure and time away from work and the daily grind at home.

I don’t have costumes or props from these other things (save a lot of toys and some screen-used props from a couple of the “Batman” movies and “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). But the props I’ve put together from “Ghostbusters” are instantly recognizable anywhere.  That, and they’re fun to put together.

It’s late, and I’m tired.  I don’t think I made a good effort to glue these thoughts together.  If you have an interest in “Ghostbusters,” why not join us?  It’s a pretty fun hobby with some great folks.

“We’re ready to believe you.”

I’ll take a step away from the “Life by the Numbers” series for a moment.  Heck, it seems like I’ve done that for many moments.    I’m trying to remember a lot, on top of finding the time to write them out.

It’s quiet in the house.  Our little princess is with Granny this week.  I miss her a lot, even though she only left this morning.  However, I really missed not getting a running hug this evening when I got home.  She’s my little girl, and I love her so much.

I celebrated my 33rd birthday Sunday.  I’m 1/3 of the way to 100.  Ouch.  I also celebrated it with Amy and Mom Saturday at the Drum Corps International (DCI) show in Atlanta.  That was a lot of fun, and I got to see quite a few of my old friends I marched with in Southwind.

I’m trying to finish a freelance Web project on top of the major-pain-in-the-rear site at work.  Because I’ve been so busy in front of the computer at work, I haven’t been too motivated to work on my freelance site.  I will, though.  That payday will be nice.

I’m also debating whether or not to officiate football again this fall.  I went to our association’s meeting tonight, but I’ll be honest.  I lost all interest halfway through.  I worked more games than anyone last year, and it did burn me out a bit.  The thought of being away from the house even one or two nights a week, on top of everything else, doesn’t appeal to me this year.  I hate to let Mike down, but I’m just not feeling it right now.

I’m getting ready for next weekend!  We have another Birmingham Ghostbusters meeting and workshop.  I had such a good time with the guys last month.  We’re getting closer to Dragon*Con, and I’m getting more excited.  I just have to figure out what the heck to do about parking in Atlanta that weekend.  Do we take a cab from the hotel, or do we get up super early and find a nearby parking deck?

I guess I’d better to get to bed.  I apologize this blog has been sort of inactive, but I promise I’ve got memories ready to go now that I’m thinking about my school years.  Have a great night!