Up at 3:47. It's a little more reasonable time. But, it meant that if I'm going to have one cup of coffee before my 10:45 PET Scan and do that six hour fasting period, I'd better get hot. I had one cup, without sugar, or anything with the suffix "trose" or "dose" in it, straight black, and the deed was done.
It's turning out that, in spite of a previous post that I said I was regimented to a particular blend of coffee, we may like this unauthorized blend (how fine it was ground) we bought. Well, "I" didn't buy it. I'm just using "we" to suggest that I'm probably part of the problem, here.
But, the question now is: Just what blend did we buy? Apparently, that's not known. It is definitely a finer grind, very close to the consistency of powder. That could mean some Espresso blend, a much higher notch on the grinder. So, if we're going to buy the same blend again, we now go into trial and error mode. Hell, that could take all year!
I see the Odorous Ants are back. A little line leads to our sink this morning. Now, I can use sugar on them in my special mix of Ant Killer: Two cups of hot water, ten teaspoons of pure sugar and one teaspoon of Borax. Dab a napkin in it, and sit it on the trail. They'll disappear soon and be gone for a good long time. I don't think their Queen likes the stuff her workers bring her. Makes her sick, or die.
I'm glad I talked to Dan about the PET. He gave me a few good ideas. First, I need a scan from the top of my head to my thighs or so, because I have brain masses they need to see. Good idea. Apparently a typical scan doesn't start at the top, but about the eyes.
Next is the no sugars. Those little devil masses love sugar, apparently, and they soak it up. So, if I starve them for six or more hours, that radioactive-sugar-solution they put in my veins gravitates to them and lights them up so the scanner can see them better. Makes sense to me.
The PET itself will last 45 minutes to one hour during which I need to lay still. I can manage that. I just have to make sure that I don't have a bony elbow laying on cold metal or something that annoys me. So, I'm going to get as comfortable as possible and fall asleep. After the PET, I'm going to eat a juicy hamburger.
Tomorrow night Mo and Geo are paying us a visit and we're going to have steamed Tiger Prawns, soup and salad, a butter-garlic-lemon dip and perhaps a baked potato. Simple meal with plenty of companionship. What more is there?
I have to say that I've received so much encouragement and uplifting comments, that I'm beginning to think that it is those things that cures the soul. If you want depression medication, let friends give you a big dose of that. It's what we humans love most. I've even carried the thought to the point where I'm positive that I personally know two powerful Angels on Earth and, what's more, I can pose an undeniable argument that proves it. Ha! We were using the wrong definition of them, looking in all of the wrong places and using the wrong detection tools. You can't find them by trying to look directly at them, because like any invisible celestial body, you won't see them with the naked eye. Instead, look for the effect of their power, like we look for the gravitational pull of an invisible planet on a star. They're there. Thanks a bunch, friends.
I'll let you think about that for a day or two...
Dave
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
November 8th, 2011 The Biopsy
Well! That went very well! I had no idea, really.
After I finished that last blog, I awoke Chris at 5am, made her coffee and took a short nap while she got ready and by 7am we were on our way. She in a hurry, me wanting to take our time. I'm a nervous wreck when anyone else drives. We arrived in under thirty minutes. It usually takes me forty-five.
By 8:30am I was dozing off in the OR bed, waiting, while they began a drip of some kind in my veins. Putting those IV needles in my veins were the only pin-pricks I felt the whole time. At around 9:45, Dr. Jung briefed me on what was going to happen. They planned to go in with a needle through my back to get a bite of the top-most mass, high up in the right lung. The risk? Possible lung deflation, partially, about 40% chance, or total deflation, 5% to 10%. My cobwebs worried me at that point. I signed the form.
They wheeled me into the CAT Scan/Surgery room around 10am and rolled me onto my stomach on the CAT Scan table.
"Safety check," someone said, and they read off a list.
"Charles," someone said to me. "What's you're understanding of what we're going to do?"
"You're going to take a biopsy from one of the two masses in my right lung..."
"The largest," Dr. Jung said.
"...in that case," I continued, "you're going to take it from the top-most mass. I'm going to assist you by breathing and holding my breath so you can get a stable scan and hold the mass stable while you extract the biopsy. No general anesthetics are involved, just a sedative like solution to calm me. You're using a local anesthetic at the puncture site."
"Perfect," Dr. Jung said, "We're ready..."
I remember breathing, exhaling and holding for two test CAT runs and one real scan. He marked my back with a marker, just under my scapula. The last thing I saw was vitals: BP 112/73, pulse 54. I dozed off. I woke up about fifteen minutes later and it was over. I felt nothing.
Abdullah, from Fiji, wheeled me back to recovery and I dozed on and off until about 12pm. He then wheeled me for a lung X-ray to check for air leaks; there were none. I impatiently waited another hour and a half, to 1:30pm, for discharge. I finally signed all the warnings, dos and don'ts, and other regimen and rules I was supposed to follow and told them I was going to get a really nice big juicy hamburger in about fifteen minutes. They suggested soup. Awk!
We went to a Vietnamese restaurant across the street and I ate a large bowl of Won Ton soup with Egg Noddles with a touch of Vietnamese chili sauce to spice it up.
I don't usually drink coffee during the day, but we made a pot when we got home and I ate two pieces of M's best Baklava, dunked and ate three Biscotti (w/fruit and nuts) cookies and drank two cups of Chris' special unauthorized grind coffee. Best stuff I've had all day. Damn! I'm really not much for regimen and rules.
After it was all done, I'm still perplexed about all of the fasting fuss. I could have eaten a horse and not had one iota effect on the procedure.
Well, there was one little thing. Dr. Jung said that I seemed to have had an over abundance of gas in surgery. I'm glad there were no sparks in that room; it would have exploded.
Back on the pill. Pam is on her way. Maybe we'll reheat the pizza... I'm still hungry.
Dave
After I finished that last blog, I awoke Chris at 5am, made her coffee and took a short nap while she got ready and by 7am we were on our way. She in a hurry, me wanting to take our time. I'm a nervous wreck when anyone else drives. We arrived in under thirty minutes. It usually takes me forty-five.
By 8:30am I was dozing off in the OR bed, waiting, while they began a drip of some kind in my veins. Putting those IV needles in my veins were the only pin-pricks I felt the whole time. At around 9:45, Dr. Jung briefed me on what was going to happen. They planned to go in with a needle through my back to get a bite of the top-most mass, high up in the right lung. The risk? Possible lung deflation, partially, about 40% chance, or total deflation, 5% to 10%. My cobwebs worried me at that point. I signed the form.
They wheeled me into the CAT Scan/Surgery room around 10am and rolled me onto my stomach on the CAT Scan table.
"Safety check," someone said, and they read off a list.
"Charles," someone said to me. "What's you're understanding of what we're going to do?"
"You're going to take a biopsy from one of the two masses in my right lung..."
"The largest," Dr. Jung said.
"...in that case," I continued, "you're going to take it from the top-most mass. I'm going to assist you by breathing and holding my breath so you can get a stable scan and hold the mass stable while you extract the biopsy. No general anesthetics are involved, just a sedative like solution to calm me. You're using a local anesthetic at the puncture site."
"Perfect," Dr. Jung said, "We're ready..."
I remember breathing, exhaling and holding for two test CAT runs and one real scan. He marked my back with a marker, just under my scapula. The last thing I saw was vitals: BP 112/73, pulse 54. I dozed off. I woke up about fifteen minutes later and it was over. I felt nothing.
Abdullah, from Fiji, wheeled me back to recovery and I dozed on and off until about 12pm. He then wheeled me for a lung X-ray to check for air leaks; there were none. I impatiently waited another hour and a half, to 1:30pm, for discharge. I finally signed all the warnings, dos and don'ts, and other regimen and rules I was supposed to follow and told them I was going to get a really nice big juicy hamburger in about fifteen minutes. They suggested soup. Awk!
We went to a Vietnamese restaurant across the street and I ate a large bowl of Won Ton soup with Egg Noddles with a touch of Vietnamese chili sauce to spice it up.
I don't usually drink coffee during the day, but we made a pot when we got home and I ate two pieces of M's best Baklava, dunked and ate three Biscotti (w/fruit and nuts) cookies and drank two cups of Chris' special unauthorized grind coffee. Best stuff I've had all day. Damn! I'm really not much for regimen and rules.
After it was all done, I'm still perplexed about all of the fasting fuss. I could have eaten a horse and not had one iota effect on the procedure.
Well, there was one little thing. Dr. Jung said that I seemed to have had an over abundance of gas in surgery. I'm glad there were no sparks in that room; it would have exploded.
Back on the pill. Pam is on her way. Maybe we'll reheat the pizza... I'm still hungry.
Dave
November 8th, 2011 Random Thoughts
Up way too early with nothing to do from 2:00 AM until biopsy time except think about important stuff.
I don't delegate important stuff. I wash my own clothes, fold my own jeans, grind my own coffee, pour my own milk, among a few...
1. I like my boot-cut jeans folded fore and aft, not flat with the folds to the side. If my jeans are flopping in the wind on the side when I walk, I'll put them back in the wash and start again clean or not.
2. If you come to my house for a cup of coffee, you'll drink my coffee "Drip Ground" fine. When I go to your house, I'll drink your coffee anyway you like it, and I will never complain.
3. I don't understand the question: "Now, what is the setting am I supposed to grind the coffee on?" Surely, we've established that by now!
4. I wash my own clothes. I see too many people jam the wash tub full with soap and clothes to use less water. Did you know that the most unique cleaning solution in the world is water? It will clean anything given the quantity and time to do it. So, I like more water in the tub than sticky soap and I set the dial to the full time allowed. It's all in the water.
5. Some people think that because I love milk that I love my glass filled to the brim. I don't! I love milk "ice cold," as cold as I can get it. So, if you fill a glass to the brim, the milk gets warmer faster than it will if I can drink it faster when there's less of it to drink. Whoala!
6. My brother likes ice cold milk too, but it is my impression that he allows others to wield too much power. I think he let's others control the temperature of his refrigerator and he compensates by using ice in his milk. I wouldn't have a frig that can't be controlled and I wouldn't allow anyone else to control it. It's 34-36 degrees, or it's out'a here... or maybe you are.
I'm a stickler for regimen and rules when it suits me, depending entirely on whose regimen it is. For example, if you tell me that I can't eat or drink anything but water after a given time, say for a medical procedure, blah, blah, blah, I'll likely use a clock that is slightly off... and squeeze in one cup of coffee early. Oh. Would you look at that clock? Now, I'll obediently drink water.
I'm sorry you caught me a little too ripe. It's all a matter of timing. You caught me at the end of my day before my next shower. Next time, perhaps we can meet a little earlier after my last one.
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that woman are the ultimate power in the universe. Old Socrates is credited with starting all of the hoopla with a claim to "Know Thyself." Ha! But, he was told to do that by the Oracle of Delphi. They were women. So, who in hell told them?!! Bwhahahaha!
Have to get ready to go... Talk later.
Dave
I don't delegate important stuff. I wash my own clothes, fold my own jeans, grind my own coffee, pour my own milk, among a few...
1. I like my boot-cut jeans folded fore and aft, not flat with the folds to the side. If my jeans are flopping in the wind on the side when I walk, I'll put them back in the wash and start again clean or not.
2. If you come to my house for a cup of coffee, you'll drink my coffee "Drip Ground" fine. When I go to your house, I'll drink your coffee anyway you like it, and I will never complain.
3. I don't understand the question: "Now, what is the setting am I supposed to grind the coffee on?" Surely, we've established that by now!
4. I wash my own clothes. I see too many people jam the wash tub full with soap and clothes to use less water. Did you know that the most unique cleaning solution in the world is water? It will clean anything given the quantity and time to do it. So, I like more water in the tub than sticky soap and I set the dial to the full time allowed. It's all in the water.
5. Some people think that because I love milk that I love my glass filled to the brim. I don't! I love milk "ice cold," as cold as I can get it. So, if you fill a glass to the brim, the milk gets warmer faster than it will if I can drink it faster when there's less of it to drink. Whoala!
6. My brother likes ice cold milk too, but it is my impression that he allows others to wield too much power. I think he let's others control the temperature of his refrigerator and he compensates by using ice in his milk. I wouldn't have a frig that can't be controlled and I wouldn't allow anyone else to control it. It's 34-36 degrees, or it's out'a here... or maybe you are.
I'm a stickler for regimen and rules when it suits me, depending entirely on whose regimen it is. For example, if you tell me that I can't eat or drink anything but water after a given time, say for a medical procedure, blah, blah, blah, I'll likely use a clock that is slightly off... and squeeze in one cup of coffee early. Oh. Would you look at that clock? Now, I'll obediently drink water.
I'm sorry you caught me a little too ripe. It's all a matter of timing. You caught me at the end of my day before my next shower. Next time, perhaps we can meet a little earlier after my last one.
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that woman are the ultimate power in the universe. Old Socrates is credited with starting all of the hoopla with a claim to "Know Thyself." Ha! But, he was told to do that by the Oracle of Delphi. They were women. So, who in hell told them?!! Bwhahahaha!
Have to get ready to go... Talk later.
Dave
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011 - God Talk
Awoke too early, 2:40am, after the clocks turned back. I was trying to gradually adjust my pill-time around that six hour fasting period I've got to go through for the Nov 10th PET Scan and the time change set it all back to the beginning. Darn. If my math is right, I'm back to taking it every six hours on a 10am/pm - 4am/pm schedule instead of the 11am/pm - 5am/pm schedule I was working toward. Did I mess that up? Is a simple math problem messing with my mind?
MRI went well, as expected, just noisy. I fell asleep in it anyway. I've slept in noisier places, like next to screaming turbine engines. No biggie. I just can't hear some frequencies anymore.
"The Times, They Are A Changing"... Bob Dylan. "I Ain't gonna' work on Maggie's Farm no mo..." Bob Dylan. Man, are you right! The talk is about Occupy. I agree with Pat Thurston, KGO Radio Host, this morning. It isn't just a movement. It's a REVOLUTION! Good! And, "The Right" is on the wrong side of it. Good! And those wavering on the fence, get on board; you're being left behind. This thing is steamrolling over The Right and you.
Oh, I'm hearing all the complaints and accusations; hurting innocent businesses, associated with all sorts, Communists, Nazis, KKK, you name it, "No Job low lifes!", "Dope smokers," "Hoodlums," and on and on. Perhaps some are, but that doesn't seem to be the focus, main purpose or intent. These people want justice, so whatever you say about it will not matter. I pray that Occupy will have its way.
Brent Walters, host of KGO's God Talk, was next. He is a Professor of Antiquities at San Jose University of California in the Greco-Roman-Judeo-Christian era. He's a joy. Today's three hours was on translations of the New Testament. It is so interesting and those who call in are too, some extremely well educated in the same time period and discipline from all over the world. A summary:
1. The "Written Word" is nearly useless in conveying understanding. You really need "Oral Teaching" to get the best understanding. So, toss the Bible on the shelf and go find a good oral teacher, preferably a person who spends a career studying antiquities, like Walters. You probably won't find too many preachers doing that.
2. The only useful purpose the King Jame's Bible serves is as a study of English Literature in the days of King James. It isn't good for anything else.
I had to laugh. Everyone knows about the "Left Behind" series of books, by Tim LaHaye, right? It turned into a giant, money making niche enterprise for the Christian Right. There are all kinds of stuff sold around the series. In the series, the "Taken" are those chosen and taken to Heaven, and the "Left Behind" are those who didn't cut the mustard and are left behind to suffer the trials and tribulations on a wicked Earth.
Bwahahahaha! Do you want to know what these terms, "Taken," and "Left Behind" meant on the steps of those Synagogues when those Rabbis discussed the coming of the Messiah in the time of Jesus? The term "Taken" meant taken to jail. The term "Left Behind" meant set free.
I have to confess to a great expectation of impish pleasure. I just can't wait to see the shocked look on the "taken's" faces when they are led off to jail! I know. I'm a rascal.
It will be okay...
Dave
MRI went well, as expected, just noisy. I fell asleep in it anyway. I've slept in noisier places, like next to screaming turbine engines. No biggie. I just can't hear some frequencies anymore.
"The Times, They Are A Changing"... Bob Dylan. "I Ain't gonna' work on Maggie's Farm no mo..." Bob Dylan. Man, are you right! The talk is about Occupy. I agree with Pat Thurston, KGO Radio Host, this morning. It isn't just a movement. It's a REVOLUTION! Good! And, "The Right" is on the wrong side of it. Good! And those wavering on the fence, get on board; you're being left behind. This thing is steamrolling over The Right and you.
Oh, I'm hearing all the complaints and accusations; hurting innocent businesses, associated with all sorts, Communists, Nazis, KKK, you name it, "No Job low lifes!", "Dope smokers," "Hoodlums," and on and on. Perhaps some are, but that doesn't seem to be the focus, main purpose or intent. These people want justice, so whatever you say about it will not matter. I pray that Occupy will have its way.
Brent Walters, host of KGO's God Talk, was next. He is a Professor of Antiquities at San Jose University of California in the Greco-Roman-Judeo-Christian era. He's a joy. Today's three hours was on translations of the New Testament. It is so interesting and those who call in are too, some extremely well educated in the same time period and discipline from all over the world. A summary:
1. The "Written Word" is nearly useless in conveying understanding. You really need "Oral Teaching" to get the best understanding. So, toss the Bible on the shelf and go find a good oral teacher, preferably a person who spends a career studying antiquities, like Walters. You probably won't find too many preachers doing that.
2. The only useful purpose the King Jame's Bible serves is as a study of English Literature in the days of King James. It isn't good for anything else.
I had to laugh. Everyone knows about the "Left Behind" series of books, by Tim LaHaye, right? It turned into a giant, money making niche enterprise for the Christian Right. There are all kinds of stuff sold around the series. In the series, the "Taken" are those chosen and taken to Heaven, and the "Left Behind" are those who didn't cut the mustard and are left behind to suffer the trials and tribulations on a wicked Earth.
Bwahahahaha! Do you want to know what these terms, "Taken," and "Left Behind" meant on the steps of those Synagogues when those Rabbis discussed the coming of the Messiah in the time of Jesus? The term "Taken" meant taken to jail. The term "Left Behind" meant set free.
I have to confess to a great expectation of impish pleasure. I just can't wait to see the shocked look on the "taken's" faces when they are led off to jail! I know. I'm a rascal.
It will be okay...
Dave
Friday, November 4, 2011
November 4th, 2011
Re: The comment problem: I see that Google is working on the comment issue, focusing on the Microsoft IE browser. Google suggests that, in the meantime, I change some settings to make it easier. Well, I'll try, but to be honest, I've forgotten so many of my previous programming skills that cryptic web page instructions have become a mystery to me. I'll give it a shot as soon as I can.
Up at 3:57 again, time for The Pill. It's odd that I'm waking up on time without an alarm clock. Tried to go back to bed, but that's out. Got up and stayed up.
New appointments/To-Dos: (Had to retrogress to old technology; a common hand-written calendar. Can't keep track with on a computer! Although, I may use Windows Calendar just so I have a pop-up reminder four or five hours before the appointment. Got to have a damn button to click!)
- Tues. Nov 8, 8:00AM - Biopsy with Interventional Radiology (did I already mention this one?)
- Thur. Nov 10, 10:45 - Nuclear Med PET Scan, 2 hr procedure, fasting 6 hrs before - sked pill around the fasting period
- Fri. Nov 11, call to check that biopsy and PET results are in Oncology
- Mon, Nov 14, 8:50AM - Oncology, go over biopsy and PET (if possible). Plan the attack. May expect Thoracic Surgery. Shit! No telling what they'll see in there; probably a haunted house of stringy cobwebs of abuse.
The calendar is filling up. Steam is picking up...
Looked in the mirror this morning. So, it's YOU who are coming: Marsh Mellow Man. Not a caveman at all. At least I don't see any sign of overhanging, heavy brows yet! Look at you! Well, I can see wrinkles are disappearing and a slight puffiness. And, look at that! Laugh wrinkles! They're back! Well, we'll see how long this sticks, or whether it continues on into a moon face; another disguise. Chris said, "I want one of those pills!" Ha! She wants her wrinkles to disappear too. Well, let's think a while on that one! I love my Chris exactly like she is! No tinkering! Funny thing about women. I thought long ago that those young, beautiful women I knew in my youth would get old and unattractive. I'll be damned if they're not just as beautiful as they always were! Anyone know how that works, exactly?
Also checked my peripheral vision: is it still there? I don't want that creeping glaucoma-driven darkening circle to sneak around, slowly closing off my scope of sight. Got to read that book first! I'm increasing the frequency of eye exams to three months instead of six. Note to self: Gotta make one for January. And, what is with that zigzag line in my left eye vision from that cataract? That's an annoying little bastard that comes and goes!
I turned the heat on. The thermostat automatically set to 70, but I notched it down to 67. No need for 70 just yet. But, 62 is a bit chilly, so on it is! It rained last night, too. The first in a month, and likely the onset of winter rains from now until March or April or so. So, I'll turn the sprinklers off soon. Back to a reasonable water bill. Wonder if Monica is doing that too? I'll bet she is. Now there's a pair if there ever was one, M and G! Such good people that I've been so lucky to know.
They are honest to God intellectuals, both M and G. G seems to have the astonishing capability of remembering every damn thing he reads, and he reads everything as far as I can tell. In fact, his problem is that he can't read fast enough. I sympathize. And, M has a life-time of experience in analyzing human behavior, human motivation and the devious ways and paths in the mind yet with apt credit to good thinking. Man, can they do battle in a discussion! Most of the time way over my head! I've got to think about what they say and comeback later to finish a conversation, long after the relevance has already passed. It's almost meaningless by then! Way too late! But, it is invigorating. It tickles me when they go head to head with each other. I see a hint of stubborn chin from both when they do that. I'm not uncomfortable anymore, either, when they do their self battle. "There you go again, G," she'll say. "Changing the subject in the middle of our conversation! Awk! It never ends..." Ha-ha-ha. Hilarious! But, she's got a point, even though I sometimes agree with G - silently of course - protecting my own ass of course. I'll save my politicizing and philosophizing to farther below so M won't have to suffer through it. You're welcome, M! (Actually, as I return to finish this blog, I may have to save the pontificating for another blog. Don't have time to write it tonight to get this one out there.)
I see that Adam and Chris have found a way to dig the brownies out of that dish I forgot to butter before baking them. Ha! That was a chore, I'll bet. I baked two dishes, one with and one without pecans. I love the pecans, and they prefer them without. I notice, though, that most of the ones with pecans are gone! So much for that claim! Adam isn't working today. He doesn't work when it rains. He said he was thinking of going fishing, but he went back to bed. I'll swear, he can catch fish in a mud puddle. I started him on that route. So glad I did. I remember the day when all three boys, Damon, Adam and Marcus were at Kennedy Meadows and caught their first trout. Their eyes were as big as silver dollars! Grins from ear to ear, laughing with their mother and I. And, we cooked the trout right there at camp, a whole stringer full. Good eatin'!
Decided to stay home and cook a sliced Spam and Egg sandwich for Chris and I, with a little mayonnaise and Greek Feta cheese. An ice cold glass of milk topped it off!
Chris said she's "Freezing!" Now that's a kicker. She's usually complaining of being hot and I have to insist she go outside to cool off because I refuse to turn the heat down. If this keeps up, we may be able to spend winter in a normal temperature controlled environment!
It'll be fine...
Dave
Up at 3:57 again, time for The Pill. It's odd that I'm waking up on time without an alarm clock. Tried to go back to bed, but that's out. Got up and stayed up.
New appointments/To-Dos: (Had to retrogress to old technology; a common hand-written calendar. Can't keep track with on a computer! Although, I may use Windows Calendar just so I have a pop-up reminder four or five hours before the appointment. Got to have a damn button to click!)
- Tues. Nov 8, 8:00AM - Biopsy with Interventional Radiology (did I already mention this one?)
- Thur. Nov 10, 10:45 - Nuclear Med PET Scan, 2 hr procedure, fasting 6 hrs before - sked pill around the fasting period
- Fri. Nov 11, call to check that biopsy and PET results are in Oncology
- Mon, Nov 14, 8:50AM - Oncology, go over biopsy and PET (if possible). Plan the attack. May expect Thoracic Surgery. Shit! No telling what they'll see in there; probably a haunted house of stringy cobwebs of abuse.
The calendar is filling up. Steam is picking up...
Looked in the mirror this morning. So, it's YOU who are coming: Marsh Mellow Man. Not a caveman at all. At least I don't see any sign of overhanging, heavy brows yet! Look at you! Well, I can see wrinkles are disappearing and a slight puffiness. And, look at that! Laugh wrinkles! They're back! Well, we'll see how long this sticks, or whether it continues on into a moon face; another disguise. Chris said, "I want one of those pills!" Ha! She wants her wrinkles to disappear too. Well, let's think a while on that one! I love my Chris exactly like she is! No tinkering! Funny thing about women. I thought long ago that those young, beautiful women I knew in my youth would get old and unattractive. I'll be damned if they're not just as beautiful as they always were! Anyone know how that works, exactly?
Also checked my peripheral vision: is it still there? I don't want that creeping glaucoma-driven darkening circle to sneak around, slowly closing off my scope of sight. Got to read that book first! I'm increasing the frequency of eye exams to three months instead of six. Note to self: Gotta make one for January. And, what is with that zigzag line in my left eye vision from that cataract? That's an annoying little bastard that comes and goes!
I turned the heat on. The thermostat automatically set to 70, but I notched it down to 67. No need for 70 just yet. But, 62 is a bit chilly, so on it is! It rained last night, too. The first in a month, and likely the onset of winter rains from now until March or April or so. So, I'll turn the sprinklers off soon. Back to a reasonable water bill. Wonder if Monica is doing that too? I'll bet she is. Now there's a pair if there ever was one, M and G! Such good people that I've been so lucky to know.
They are honest to God intellectuals, both M and G. G seems to have the astonishing capability of remembering every damn thing he reads, and he reads everything as far as I can tell. In fact, his problem is that he can't read fast enough. I sympathize. And, M has a life-time of experience in analyzing human behavior, human motivation and the devious ways and paths in the mind yet with apt credit to good thinking. Man, can they do battle in a discussion! Most of the time way over my head! I've got to think about what they say and comeback later to finish a conversation, long after the relevance has already passed. It's almost meaningless by then! Way too late! But, it is invigorating. It tickles me when they go head to head with each other. I see a hint of stubborn chin from both when they do that. I'm not uncomfortable anymore, either, when they do their self battle. "There you go again, G," she'll say. "Changing the subject in the middle of our conversation! Awk! It never ends..." Ha-ha-ha. Hilarious! But, she's got a point, even though I sometimes agree with G - silently of course - protecting my own ass of course. I'll save my politicizing and philosophizing to farther below so M won't have to suffer through it. You're welcome, M! (Actually, as I return to finish this blog, I may have to save the pontificating for another blog. Don't have time to write it tonight to get this one out there.)
I see that Adam and Chris have found a way to dig the brownies out of that dish I forgot to butter before baking them. Ha! That was a chore, I'll bet. I baked two dishes, one with and one without pecans. I love the pecans, and they prefer them without. I notice, though, that most of the ones with pecans are gone! So much for that claim! Adam isn't working today. He doesn't work when it rains. He said he was thinking of going fishing, but he went back to bed. I'll swear, he can catch fish in a mud puddle. I started him on that route. So glad I did. I remember the day when all three boys, Damon, Adam and Marcus were at Kennedy Meadows and caught their first trout. Their eyes were as big as silver dollars! Grins from ear to ear, laughing with their mother and I. And, we cooked the trout right there at camp, a whole stringer full. Good eatin'!
Decided to stay home and cook a sliced Spam and Egg sandwich for Chris and I, with a little mayonnaise and Greek Feta cheese. An ice cold glass of milk topped it off!
Chris said she's "Freezing!" Now that's a kicker. She's usually complaining of being hot and I have to insist she go outside to cool off because I refuse to turn the heat down. If this keeps up, we may be able to spend winter in a normal temperature controlled environment!
It'll be fine...
Dave
Thursday, November 3, 2011
November 3rd, 2011 Small Update
Appointment set for lung biopsy, Tuesday, November 8, 8:00 AM, second floor surgery, Walnut Creek Kaiser. Don't eat or drink anything after midnight. Expect to spend six to eight hours. Need a ride.
Here we go...
Dave
P.S. Some people are telling me that comments are difficult to make on this blog. It seems to be a Google blogger problem. Just keep pushing that damn comment button until it accepts your comment. It'll come around, I think.
Here we go...
Dave
P.S. Some people are telling me that comments are difficult to make on this blog. It seems to be a Google blogger problem. Just keep pushing that damn comment button until it accepts your comment. It'll come around, I think.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
November 2nd, 2011
Up and down all night long, nearly on the hour. 3:57am, time for the pill. Finally got up around 6:30 and made coffee. Adam is already leaving, too quick to take a cup with him.
Hummer is out and flying. Man, that little bird can fly! He zooms to the top of that pine tree in no time. He has a buddy he flies with sometimes, another male I think. They do aerial acrobatics that are hard to believe; shooting straight up, one chasing the other, then a power dive straight down and leveling out above the yard and over the fence they go, streaking away. I saw a Jay one day go from the apricot to that other tree 60 feet away, and those two Hummingbirds passed him like he was standing still. It startled the Jay. Reminded me of the Roadrunner-Wylie Coyote cartoons where the Roadrunner passes so fast that Wylie twirls in mid air and falls flat on his face. Ha!
What do you want, Jay? Why aren't you squawking for bread crumbs? You're looking at me, head cocked to the side. There's your buddy. Oh, he's brighter. He's the male and your the female. I'll check the bird baths for water today.
Chris is going to water the tomato plants today. I don't trust myself to climb the hill. It's all I need to have an instant of off-balance, catch myself only to make it worse and fall off that damn thing. Finally grew tomatoes and had more from six plants than I imagined. Still coming too. Makes me think of Pudge and Phyllis. Wonder how he's doing and how she's managing. Fine, I suspect. Strong people. So glad we made contact again.
Got another email from Mike. Man, those are a joy! Little tete-a-tete tests and jokes, bodacious sometimes, derisively political sometimes, but ever full of wit and impish intent. Ha! As always, Mike isn't fooling anyone, however much he tries! His heart is as big as ever! My challenge is to keep up, and I'm thankful for emails from other friends that I can share with him just to show him "I get some too!" His email today was typical. It showed a series of beautiful female golfers in various poses around the golf course. The heading was "I was just wondering..." Then the series of pictures. And before the last picture, "I know some of you are serious committed golfers, so I thought you could help with this one," an even more exaggerated busty and butty pose of a golfer with her club stretched behind her back. "Is that, or is it not, a graphite shaft?" Ha-ha-ha! Love you, Mike!
Now, Brenda has become a sophisticated and gracious lady, hasn't she? Still with that touch of country that'll get in your face if you task her. And, successful. I'm so proud of her. And, her husband Paul seems a good man. Wish I knew him better.
In fact, I can't think of a single classmate that I'd give up or want to do without. I'm honored to know them.
"Are your lab tests in?" Chris asks, impatient.
"Yes."
"What do they say?"
"I haven't looked." She looks at me, hand shading her eyes and a worried look.
"Why not? I'd rather not worry about it."
I laugh. "Well, if the results are in, it's a little late to worry! Hell, I wouldn't know a Hemoglobin from a Hob Goblin. What's the difference if I don't know what I'm looking at?"
But, we come inside and I log on to the Kaiser system and we read the results; that number is in range, this one is too, then that, and that... all are okay. Heart rate 66 and BP 112/64. Just about perfect!
"What was that?" she asks.
"What?"
"That note?"
"What note?"
"The one I just saw before you clicked? What was it?"
"Where?"
"I don't know," she says. "Click back..." and I do. She reads the note to "... check with your doctor for better interpretation..."
Finally, we click all the way out of the browser back to Kaiser's email that tells me that the results are available. She reads it all, every line. I set up a notepad doc to give her the login and password so she can read it anytime she wants... so she won't worry.
"Did you call Kaiser for your appointment?" she asks.
"No. I will tomorrow if I don't hear today." She looks at me with that worried look again. Well, it's only been two days since the last scan. Sheesh. I'll give them another day. Chris will not give up, so I'll be happy rather than right. I'll give up.
Pam is coming over later and I'll fix us a hamburger. She's one who could break my heart if something were to happen to her. And, it wouldn't heal. I didn't give her enough toughness, I think. But, she's grown into a good woman. Love her so much.
I think my dilemma over what book to read next has been decided for me. Two weeks ago I was wondering whether to read "To Big to Fail" or "All Things Shining." I already know what the first is all about; the banks, the crash and I can see it playing out as the Occupiers march on the Port of Oakland at this very moment, and a general strike in Oakland, teachers on strike, businesses closing for the day and the banks backing down. "Bring down the banks!" they yell. Well, they won't be brought completely down, but a few notches would be just fine with me. The marchers are fed up with how the country is being run. And, at least in Oakland, they're got a list of complaints. Let it spread!
So, All Things Shining it is and reading the western classics to find meaning in a secular age. Just what will it have to say? Should be interesting. It seems appropriate to my mood, more answers coming to hand magically.
As I leave my last book, Examined Lives, the notes refer to St. Augustine's quotes, probably not in proper order here: "a perversity of will...", "My God, I was caught up to you." "...a desire for that of which I had the aroma...", "...looked back on the religion implanted in us..." He read again Paul's letters. See Augustine, Confessions, VII and VIII, and Contra Academicos, 2,2,5. Cool.
It'll be okay.
Dave
Hummer is out and flying. Man, that little bird can fly! He zooms to the top of that pine tree in no time. He has a buddy he flies with sometimes, another male I think. They do aerial acrobatics that are hard to believe; shooting straight up, one chasing the other, then a power dive straight down and leveling out above the yard and over the fence they go, streaking away. I saw a Jay one day go from the apricot to that other tree 60 feet away, and those two Hummingbirds passed him like he was standing still. It startled the Jay. Reminded me of the Roadrunner-Wylie Coyote cartoons where the Roadrunner passes so fast that Wylie twirls in mid air and falls flat on his face. Ha!
What do you want, Jay? Why aren't you squawking for bread crumbs? You're looking at me, head cocked to the side. There's your buddy. Oh, he's brighter. He's the male and your the female. I'll check the bird baths for water today.
Chris is going to water the tomato plants today. I don't trust myself to climb the hill. It's all I need to have an instant of off-balance, catch myself only to make it worse and fall off that damn thing. Finally grew tomatoes and had more from six plants than I imagined. Still coming too. Makes me think of Pudge and Phyllis. Wonder how he's doing and how she's managing. Fine, I suspect. Strong people. So glad we made contact again.
Got another email from Mike. Man, those are a joy! Little tete-a-tete tests and jokes, bodacious sometimes, derisively political sometimes, but ever full of wit and impish intent. Ha! As always, Mike isn't fooling anyone, however much he tries! His heart is as big as ever! My challenge is to keep up, and I'm thankful for emails from other friends that I can share with him just to show him "I get some too!" His email today was typical. It showed a series of beautiful female golfers in various poses around the golf course. The heading was "I was just wondering..." Then the series of pictures. And before the last picture, "I know some of you are serious committed golfers, so I thought you could help with this one," an even more exaggerated busty and butty pose of a golfer with her club stretched behind her back. "Is that, or is it not, a graphite shaft?" Ha-ha-ha! Love you, Mike!
Now, Brenda has become a sophisticated and gracious lady, hasn't she? Still with that touch of country that'll get in your face if you task her. And, successful. I'm so proud of her. And, her husband Paul seems a good man. Wish I knew him better.
In fact, I can't think of a single classmate that I'd give up or want to do without. I'm honored to know them.
"Are your lab tests in?" Chris asks, impatient.
"Yes."
"What do they say?"
"I haven't looked." She looks at me, hand shading her eyes and a worried look.
"Why not? I'd rather not worry about it."
I laugh. "Well, if the results are in, it's a little late to worry! Hell, I wouldn't know a Hemoglobin from a Hob Goblin. What's the difference if I don't know what I'm looking at?"
But, we come inside and I log on to the Kaiser system and we read the results; that number is in range, this one is too, then that, and that... all are okay. Heart rate 66 and BP 112/64. Just about perfect!
"What was that?" she asks.
"What?"
"That note?"
"What note?"
"The one I just saw before you clicked? What was it?"
"Where?"
"I don't know," she says. "Click back..." and I do. She reads the note to "... check with your doctor for better interpretation..."
Finally, we click all the way out of the browser back to Kaiser's email that tells me that the results are available. She reads it all, every line. I set up a notepad doc to give her the login and password so she can read it anytime she wants... so she won't worry.
"Did you call Kaiser for your appointment?" she asks.
"No. I will tomorrow if I don't hear today." She looks at me with that worried look again. Well, it's only been two days since the last scan. Sheesh. I'll give them another day. Chris will not give up, so I'll be happy rather than right. I'll give up.
Pam is coming over later and I'll fix us a hamburger. She's one who could break my heart if something were to happen to her. And, it wouldn't heal. I didn't give her enough toughness, I think. But, she's grown into a good woman. Love her so much.
I think my dilemma over what book to read next has been decided for me. Two weeks ago I was wondering whether to read "To Big to Fail" or "All Things Shining." I already know what the first is all about; the banks, the crash and I can see it playing out as the Occupiers march on the Port of Oakland at this very moment, and a general strike in Oakland, teachers on strike, businesses closing for the day and the banks backing down. "Bring down the banks!" they yell. Well, they won't be brought completely down, but a few notches would be just fine with me. The marchers are fed up with how the country is being run. And, at least in Oakland, they're got a list of complaints. Let it spread!
So, All Things Shining it is and reading the western classics to find meaning in a secular age. Just what will it have to say? Should be interesting. It seems appropriate to my mood, more answers coming to hand magically.
As I leave my last book, Examined Lives, the notes refer to St. Augustine's quotes, probably not in proper order here: "a perversity of will...", "My God, I was caught up to you." "...a desire for that of which I had the aroma...", "...looked back on the religion implanted in us..." He read again Paul's letters. See Augustine, Confessions, VII and VIII, and Contra Academicos, 2,2,5. Cool.
It'll be okay.
Dave
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