The Chronicles of Ricky: 2012

Work in progress.

2012

I think this is when we bought ice skates, we were going more than a few time a month, plus we wanted to have skates that were more comfortable, and sharp, the skates at the local rinks don't appear to have ever been sharpened. lol

January I signed up for Branford Hall started school, my body was failing me. I didn't tell anyone, I had so much time to time about things as I sat alone at home after work, I felt like my life was slipping away, I felt like people wanted me to do something, and I felt like I needed to find a new direction.

I had way to much free time on my hands and was just sitting around thinking of what I could do and what was wrong with me.

I didn't ask my wife about signing up for school, I just did it and told her about it, I don't think she was happy about it, but she was supportive and bent over backwards to help me whenever I asked. I looking back it was super rude of me, I didn't take her thoughts or feelings into consideration.

I remember sitting in the back bedroom in West Warren looking out the window feeling like my life was going nowhere and I had no idea why. At the time, I didn’t understand that the system was designed to keep people down, I honestly believed that the system was supposed to help us and that we are all supposed to be there for each other. lol

After starting at Branford, just by coincidence, one of my best friends, Eric signed up to start taking classes there as well, but he was a month behind me.

It shows my lack of communication at the time, I didn’t tell anybody anything and no one had a clue what I was doing, and I don't understand why I bother mentioning anything, I didn’t know what they were doing either.

Normally I tell everybody what I've been doing or the things I have planned, but this way I did meet more people, since his new friends mingled with those I met and I still talk to a women from his class Alyssa and it's 2026-03-01 when I'm writing this section.

Medical assisting school was way too easy for me, But when I started getting really sick, I started having horrible anxiety and panic attacks, then these classes weren't as easy. lol

I feel like a piece of shit looking back, but I clearly remember one time in class, this girl I used to call potbelly Kelly. She was super disruptive in class, Probably exactly like I was a child.

Unfortunately, one day I yelled at her in front of the class, I felt like she was being really annoying, and I didn't realize I what was going on, and I couldn't put two and two together, I couldn't tell my feels weren't a result of my surroundings, but because of an internal issue.

I like to take pictures of people and when I get a good one of you making a stupid face, it'll send it to you, and that's usually what I'd use for a contact picture.

Kelly looked on my phone and told another girl in class what was on it, and I yelled or raised my voice for her to mind her own business and told her how annoying she was.

Which looking back now (2026-03-01) I feel like a bigger piece of shit. I think what I did was completely inappropriate, she didn't do anything to justify my response. I should've of just shut up. And I had originally wrote that this was "more of a cut the crap" than yelling at her, But honestly, looking back, I know it was totally embarrassing for her and I'm pretty sure she suffered from social anxiety as well and I just made it worse.

March 16th we went to New York City Laura and I and saw Joel McHale.

Saturday April 21st did the Westfield River Wildwater Races canoes this year I only raced with my wife Laura We came in 6th place. There are no pictures because when I get sick and break up with people I just delete everything I don't know why I do stuff like that I think it's because of my anxiety

Laura and I moved to Springfield, to my moms house l because it was too hard to travel from

It was around this time that Sue moved in with her kids.

Warren to Springfield for a medical assisting job. Honestly I don’t think I asked her opinion. I probably talked to her into moving back to Springfield. I can’t be sure if Laura had any issues with my behavior up until this point, She might’ve been OK. After this, my behavior got much worse

2012-05-19

Picture of Dominic and I at 5 mile pond in May, I love chasing down baby geese petting them and then letting them go lol

2012-06-22 left wrist arthroscopy Dr Adler

I had surgery on my left arm for torn ligaments in my wrist, I had been complaining for years and I was finally able to convince a surgeon to take a look and do and ulna shortening, but my wrist turned out worse than he imagined and it took them over an hour to repair the damage, so they skipped the ulna shortening and my left wrist has been really good since then. When I woke from surgery I was barely awake, but I remember Dr Adler apologizing because the surgery didn't go as he had planned, though I feel like things worked out in the end.

For some reason after surgeries, we always went and did something. I had tons of energy after every one, probably from the pain blockers allowing me to focus of life. lol

Laura Dom and I went to Quabbin Reservoir after I got out.

That’s when we got to see the cutest baby porcupine, just sitting on the path. As soon as we walked over, it bounced around and pointed it's quills at us.

It was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen in the wild. I love baby animals.

I remember waking up from the surgery because my doctor told me he was going to shorten the alma in my left forearm. But he wasn't able to do that because the ligaments in my left wrist were so bad that it took them almost two hours to stitch them back together. I remember him apologizing to me because things were much worse than the scans led him to believe. I'm going to hear this from a couple doctors I mean surgeons

2012-06-24

Planet Fitness

As you can see in the picture below, I did not suffer from a lack of energy or a lack of motivation after having surgery. I was 100% committed to getting better and becoming the best person that I could be at this point, I thought that because doctors had found a couple torn ligaments, that I was all of a sudden these surgeries were going to fix me and I was going to be a new man or at least put all the nonsense behind me. lol

School after surgery.

It's funny that teachers thought they were going to mess with me and make things difficult after having surgery and returning the next week, since I had surgery on a Friday, so I wouldn't miss any classes. lol

Took Dominic to Zot Park in Chicopee. I think all the tanks are fenced up now. We used to be able to climb all over these and take better pictures, as you can see below. Even if people vandalize these things, we could fix it, then they can vandalize it again and we can fix it again. lol

2012-07-05
For anybody that likes to see what it looks like when someone has torn ligaments in their wrist repaired, the picture below shows you they use buttons to hold things together. I took Dominic with when I got my soft cast removed and I let him pick out the color of my hard cast, he picked out a glow in the dark, whitish wrap. I thought he was going to pick pink or something to mess with me, but he didn't. lol

It totally sucked trying to swim after this, I did use some "plastic bag" made for casts, but it was a hunk of junk. I can't remember who bought it, but it didn't work very well, so I just held my arm out of the water when we went in the pool.

The picture below taken July 8th at Mary Lynch Field, I still have one of these foam planes in the rafters in the basement, they don't sell them anymore. I love these things, ever since I was little, I've thought these were the greatest. Even seeing this picture now makes me want to go fly one. My parents used to buy these for my brother and I all the time as kids. I remember using these at The Hill at Mary Lynch school, on more than a few occasions. I wonder if they got to expensive to replace? we didn't use tape on the foam to protect it back then, like hobbyists do now and I was pretty rough with all my toys.

2012-07-29

we went to Monster's trucks at Stafford Springs Motor Speedway With Dominic Laura, my brother Lily and I'm not sure if it was too little to care. Every year at these events would set my imagination on fire I loved going to these pit parties, because we didn't do that as kids, or I don't remember doing it as kids, I remember going to the Springfield Civic Center as kids and maybe with the family one time here as a group with our cousin, but I'll to think about it.

Picture below is Dominic on the Grave Digger motorcycle, the Grave Digger brand was promoted more than any other truck brand at any of these events.

I would always buy little Hot Wheels cars after these events and then we would go home and race them down the hatchway. El Toro Loco was a crowd favorite, Not that claiming a truck actually has a personality, means that it all of a sudden has new abilities, but it's fun to get your imagination going and pretend that these visuals matter.

2012-09

Below is a picture of Dominic in a Cub Scout parade at the Big E in West Springfield.

I don't remember going to this event but I have the picture, so I shared it. We went to a couple spaghetti dinners and the kids acted as waiters during these events, that was fun and interesting.

Laura and I took Dom to Mike's maze in Sunderland up near Mount Sugarloaf. Below is a picture of the two of them shooting the potato guns. I remember sucking at shooting these, I don't remember hitting the target at all. I think I wished my a few feet. lol

Laura took classes at Goodwin College in Connecticut while I was at Branford Hall this year

That fall October or November I was injured at work, even though I had a cast on, jerks gave me a harder job. I never got time off to heal. I should’ve been really pissed at this, We all did specific jobs every day, The only time things would change were at the beginning and ends of rounds, so that’s what they called it. I used to reset fruit snacks, canned vegetables, canned fruits, The types of things you can handle with one hand. And by reset I mean, I would go into different western mass Big Y’s and change the set up for new food items coming in and for old items being discontinued to be removed. We would receive specific blueprints that would need to be followed. The catch with this job was you got paid for your entire shift no matter what, so the faster you worked, the faster you got to go home. Then to be a jerk the manager for my team gave me bulk juice boxes, when you could clearly see that I was only using one hand work and had a full cast on. lol Honestly, I think if I didn’t have the genetic issues that I have I would’ve been fine doing that set. I was that buff at the time. lol

Took Dominic ice skating at Forest Park, that year they are giving out monster trucks to all the kids. I love skating at a few of these local places because we went to them as kids and it just brings back happy memories. Love the fact that I'm sharing my memories with the future generation.