Under the weather (or bus)

I'm into the third day of some sort of cold/flu that my beloved Only Child has decided to pass onto me. The joy of being the part of the working-class poor, is that I still must continue to drag my ass to work for fear of not making it from one paycheck to the next.

I was tagged by a friend on Facebook to list 25 random things about myself. I do not usually play internet tag, unless the subject piques my interest. So here is the list.


1. I graduated in the top 10 percent of my high school class.

2. And, yet, never finished college.

3. I love comic books and cartoons.

4. I still bite my finger nails.

5. I'm a dog person that occasionally wishes he had a cat.

6. I could not be prouder of the person my child is becoming.

7. Some of my favorite books are This Boy's Life, Ghost Story, Snow in August, Prince of Tides , Good Omens, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix and A Game of Thrones. This is the list today; tomorrow's might be different.

8. Billy Joel is my favorite singer/songwriter.

9. I love show tunes.

10. I can't swim.

11. I spend way too much time watching TV.

12. I love my wife...that's why I haven't killed her.

13. My left arm is crooked because it was set wrong after being broke when I was a wee lad.

14. I know the words to nearly song in every Disney animated musical.

15. Ninjas will kick pirate-ass every time.

16. Some people think I am an ass.

17. Others find me amusing.

18. I could eat my weight in tacos...if only I could afford that many.

19. I like toys! Action figures rock!

20. As you can tell from this list, I am do not act my age...46. Maybe 4+6.

21. I believe that religion is fine but organized religion is horrible; where individuals become mobs.

22. I love the internet.

23. I hate the internet.

24. I could use a new job.

25. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Bonus!!

26. I realize that I am not interesting enough for this meme.

If you've read this blog for any length of time, most of this is old news.

If anyone wants to participate, tag yourselves.

Arlene improving!!

This update just in...

I just called the hospital and they are very optimistic that Arlene will move out of ICU today! YIPPEEEE! It's been a long time coming.

She is down to just having the tracheotomy now. The nurse said she was very alert and comfortable.

Great news! Still a long road ahead, but the going looks a little better every day.

Keep those good thoughts coming.

Checking In

Just wanted to publicly thank my generous friend BK for sending the family a box of books to help pass the winter hours... THANKS!!! Any box that contains John D. MacDonald and Edgar Rice Burroughs is truly a gift to be treasured! Only Child was thrilled with the copy of Ghost Story!

Winter is definitely at the top of my thoughts...we got about a foot of snow yesterday and thru the night. The drive home was a treat and then shoveling all that snow to get the car in the drive and the porch cleared was real fun (also had to clear a spot for small dogs to potty).

Had to get my cholesterol and blood pressure checked for my insurance discount. The cholesterol was higher than it should be and I should really make an effort to bring it down. The blood pressure...that's another story. The guy taking it did a poor job of it and they reported it as 150/90 and suggested I see a doctor ASAP. I used the machine in the store pharmacy and got a reading of 114/76 on one check and another of 114/73 on another; getting that sorted out with the insurance company will probably be fun. I reported my reading to the website given and am sure they will accuse me of covering up a health problem... an annoyance that will probably make my blood pressure rise.

Going to bed now. More later.

Arlene Update

Here's the latest email I received regarding Arlene'current condition...

I spoke to a nurse last evening who said Arlene was doing a little better holding her own......today, however...see update below from her Dad.


We called the hosptial, in turn, Dr. Shultz returned our call. He wanted permission to do a trachea-otomy and insert a feeding tube into her stomach, which they will do via a long needle. She will not be able to eat real food for a while. At present, she can't get off the ventilator. This will make it easier for her to breathe, and for them to clean out her lungs. They will be doing this proceedure tomorrow(Wed.). We will let you know more whenever we find out more. Please keep praying for her. We all love her so much. God Bless you all, H & M


Let's keep a positive outlook and hope this procedure will aid in hastening her recovery.

Good morning, America. How are you?

The Constitution is sleeping in today; it's so warm snuggled up in the flag. It will finally begin to stir around noon and brush the sleep from its eyes and hope that the nightmares it has suffered the last eight years are finally at end. No more Dubya lurking in the closet or Cheney coiled beneath the bed.

And what better way to start that new day than with a historic inauguration!!

Wake up little Constitution!!! It's morning in America!

Let's hope that liberals and conservatives can join together and help our new president start to clean up the train wreck of the last 8 years and get the country back on the track to peace, prosperity and freedom for all.

The above flag/photo is by artist Terry Why and can be purchased at AllPosters.com. Check out Why's work; I'd hang any of 'em on my walls. 

Hot Damn!

The hot water thawed out yesterday and it pleases me! What could be more pleasing is Arlene's current update...

Alrene is retaining fluid which affects her breathing/lungs. She is on a C-Pac (or is it C-Pap?) machine to assist in her breathing. (It is the same machine used for sleep apnea patients)...forces breathing. They are trying some med changes to assist in both ridding her body of this fluid and to try to get her heart rate more stable(still high).

She will remain in ICU until these problems are remedied.

She is aware, but very sleepy. Can still speak yes or no. She is not on solid food because of the breathing problems, she is getting ice chips.

Keep those positive thoughts coming... GO ARLENE!

Still not in hot water

Today will be day 3 without hot water. I did manage to fill the tub with enough hot water to take a shallow bath and remain semi fresh and clean. I'm hoping that warmer temps today will hopefully help thaw the damn thing.

On another topic... Since I seem to be secure/stuck in my present employment for the foreseeable future, I am seriously thinking of training for management. It will pay a lot better and put more meat on the bones of my resume. It certainly will be a challenge. I am talking to my supervisor about it this weekend.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAN....Is gone.

It is sad news indeed that the man I will always remember as Khan Noonien Singh has died. Ricardo Montalban had many memorable roles, but I will always think of him as James T. Kirk's greatest nemesis and Trek's best villain.



Rest in peace, Mr. Montalban.

My condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Patrick McGoohan, R.I.P.

Damn. Another great actor gone. At least we can always watch his most memorable role as the titular character in The Prisoner currently available for viewing on the AMC website. The Prisoner is a classic that will be remembered by TV fans forever; as will McGoohan.

This is a sad time for genre fans.

My condolences to family, friends and fans.

Winter Wonder Whine

Well, the subzero temps just hit us and I woke up with no hot water. The cold water works fine but nothing from the hot tap. I hope it is just froze up rather than a busted line; I have no money.

Speaking of no money and whining...

I am a major fan of Billy Joel and have attended all of his Indy concerts except for his last one; it sold out while my then inferior ISP was loading the web page for ordering tickets. Only Child has become a fan as well and we were both hoping he would return one more time so that we could both attend a live concert.

We heard that Joel and Elton John would be touring again and hoped Indy would be on the tour. Unfortunately, the date was announced Monday and tickets go on sale on Saturday.... There is no way in hell that we can get the $110 (give or take) to get a pair of tickets on Sat. Not that we would have much of a chance anyway; the Ohio stop sold out in 32 minutes.

SHIT.

Excuse me, I am going to get some cheese to go with my whine.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

ThisnThat

Arlene update ....

Her heart rate went up today........trying to figure out why.........she'll be having another CT scan........move to regular room temporarily suspended.
She's talking and eating......

A mix of good/bad news, but certainly an improvement. Keep up the progress, Arlene!

Going to be bitterly cold for the next 36 hours or so... wind chills of 20 below. Living in a mobile home is always a challenge in those kinds of temps. I'm not sure the pipes won't freeze up and am thinking about leaving a trickle of water running thru the night. It is wasteful, but not as much as a broken pipe would be.

Trying to juggle the post-holiday budget but thankful that I have a job...even this one. Only Child's D.C. trip is looming and I am trying to find the cash to get her a Tracfone camera phone so that she can keep in touch and get some pics at the same time but not sure if it will be possible. It is still almost a month away so that gives me some time to work on it.

Will try to get back into a more regular blogging schedule if I can work up the energy.

Wishing Arlene All The Best

Just before Christmas, friend and fellow blogger Arlene Franks started feeling under the weather and thought she might have the flue; she was taken to the immediate care center and her blood sugar was really high so they treated that and sent her home. A few days later, her friend called an ambulance and she was admitted to the hospital. They weren't sure what the problem was and performed all sorts of tests; finally deciding she had an infection of some sort. On December 26th, she had heart surgery to replace a heart valve and perform a double bypass. On Jan 5th, her sister posted this on Arlene's Facebook page...

Arlene is speaking a very little bit, showing signs of improvement. Our prayers make a difference. Let us all be hopeful for her. Arlene is strong inside. There is a big mountain for her to climb, but as the song sings, "ain't no mountain high enough."

On the 6th, her friend Beth sent me this email...

Hi. I spoke with Arlene's nurse this evening and she's come back 'round quite well. She is breathing on her own once again and her CAT scan showed no changes (a good thing!). She is quite tired but doing well. They are once again hopeful that she will move out of ICU tomorrow. She will also continue to be the anti-seizure meds. A possible contributing factor to her seizure was low blood sugar.

That is my current knowledge of the situation. With Arlene recovering in D.C. and all info coming via 3rd parties my grasp of the details is at best sketchy.

What I do know is that Arlene is a great friend and one of those people that the world needs a whole lot more of. So, let's harness the power of the internet to send her good thoughts and best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery!

GET WELL SOON, ARLENE!!!!