I'm home!

I'm home and feeling very well (and not because of pain medication). I arrived at the hospital around 2 and they had me in the operating room at 4:15. 35 minutes later they told my wife and my mom that the procedure was over. I was able to come home last night and didn't have to stay. That's a big relief, for all of us.

But they did things differently this time. After getting into the annoying gown that everyone is familiar with, they put "hose" on my legs. The nurse claimed it was to help prevent blood clots, but I think they were just having fun at my expense. Next, they put inflatible pads on my legs, which would inflate and deflate every 30 seconds. These were to keep the blood flowing, also to prevent clots.

Next...the nurse said she was going to give me a shot in my stomache, to thin my blood. The expression on my face must have given away my true feelings. She said don't worry, it's just a tiny needle. I was very skeptical but really didn't feel a thing when they administered the shot.

Recovery went well, but I do remember nurses saying they had to put restraints on one man. He was probably a little out of it still. When they wheeled me back to where my wife and mom could sit with me, we could hear this poor elderly woman moaning. I'm sure she was very uncomfortable, and may not have known what she was doing, but she kept moaning. And moaning. I'll say one thing for her, she has a healthy set of lungs! I never heard her draw a breath, just moan. I hope she's feeling better this morning.

I don't think I'll go out and party for New Years. I'm up and around just fine, but I should still take it easy. At least I'm not spending it in the hospital.


-- C.

It's that time again

More surgery today. If I'm lucky, it will be out-patient only. Otherwise the doctor will be performing an addition procedure which will require me to stay for 48 hours. I'm all packed and ready for the worst.

Yesterday I started my pre-surgery medication, including a clear liquid diet. It'd 12:30 on Thursday and I haven't had a bite to eat since well before midnight. They prescribed 4 laxatives (the recommended dosage is 1 to 3 tablets daily). I then had to mix something call Miralax with 64 oz of GatorAide Ice. I had to drink 8 oz every 15-30 minutes. The recommended dosage on that bottle said 17 grams a day. What did the doc presrcibe? The full 255 grams (spread out through the night). Bleck. I was so sick of that stuff before even half of it was gone. Don't anyone ever buy me Watermelon-flavored GatorAide Ice.

Alrighty, I'm going to leave in about 20 minutes. I'm due at the hospital at 2 and the procedure is scheduled for 4. I'm starving and thirsty already. Hopefully they'll be on time today, or maybe even early! The last couple times I've been in they've been running late.

Happy New Year!
-- C.

I'm finally done!

I finally got my grade yesterday for my final project! I'm so relieved. I was pretty sure I was going to pass, but I wasn't happy until I saw the grade for myself. I'm done with classes, after two years of working on it. I was single when I started and got married during the process. I'm just glad I got it done before I started a family; I can't image how some of my classmates managed. One guy had his second child just a couple weeks after we started and had his third just a few months before we finished.

Also, I didn't get selected for jury duty. I showed up, checked in, and waited a while (they showed us a video about the process, too). There were two trials that morning. One bailiff started naming off numbers for the first trial. After announcing 12 juror numbers, he said they were the first ones to be seated. He continued announcing numbers, but I wasn't in his group. The second bailiff started announcing numbers and I was the second one called. "Great," I thought, "I'll be one of the first 12 seated for this trial." He continued stating numbers then said, "Okay, these last twelve will be the first ones seated." Heehee! I didn't get seated at all. I should be done for the year, and I believe they said we won't be eligible again for two years.


-- C.

Caption Contest!

I forgot my friend Marcus took this picture at our wedding (not that he and I got married, I mean me and my wife....)



Add your own caption!


-- C.

Las Vegas!!!

I get to go to a conference in Las Vegas in two months. It's at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa. They sure like to show off scantily-clad women.

On the last night they are having a "Super-Charged Night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway!" where I will get the "opportunity to experience the thrill of a 175 MPH ride around the track with an experienced NASCAR driver at the wheel."

Weeheehee! I can't wait.


-- C.

What I want for Christmas

It doesn't exist yet, but I'm holding out. It should be available in a few years.

You see, I have a cell phone with a 1.3 megapixel ditigal camera in it. It takes photos and videos, neither of which are great quality, but hey, what do you expect. I can even browse the Internet with it, to a limited degree. I can record whatever audio sound effects I want and assign it as a ring tone. It has a nice display screen, full color. I can play games on it, too, but I haven't tried it yet (it costs extra). I can flip it open and talk to anyone else who has one of these communicators -- er, cell phones; sorry, Star Trek flashback. I can just speak their name and the phone dials for me (some setup required). Seriously: Just. Like. Star Trek. Even better, because they weren't sending photos and videos back and forth to each other!

I also have a 5 megapixel digital camera that is about the size of a deck of cards (Sony DSC-T1). With a high-speed memory card I can take video at 640x480 at 32(?) FPS, which is pretty good quality. I could set various camera settings, too, if I understood photography better. It has a nice big screen, and even a microphone and speaker for recording and playback.

I don't have one at this point, but I'm sure you're all familiar with iPods and other MP3 players. The newest iPods support photos and video, though they don't record. I don't think they even record audio. They have nice big full-color screens and good audio output. They are also smaller than a deck of cards. Some MP3 players receive AM and FM signals.

What I want, and I'm sure it's coming, is a small device that handles all of these functions. There's a lot of similarity between these devices: big full-color screen, microphone, speaker, and storage space. The phone has a keypad that doubles as a keyboard when needed.

I want one device that can take good quality photos and videos, allow me to call my friends and family with a clear connection, and can play audio files in high fidelity. If I can browse the Internet, check email, play games, and view streaming video, that'd be even better. (Verizon has VCAST streaming video, but not in my city.) Preferably, it will have an AM /FM radio and can record from there, too.

I didn't say I wanted it this Christmas...just some Christmas.
-- C.

Actually, it may be closer than I thought. I co-worker was just showing me his PDA that has removable memory cards. He has two or three movies on one card and can watch them on this device. It is a cell phone, but I don't think it can take pictures or record video.

Maybe next year.

Minnesota trip

I still have a couple things I want to mention from our Minnesotta trip in October. We passed some interesteing places along the way, including a street named Oink Joint Road. (I feel sorry for the man it was named after.)

Then as we're driving along, my wife turns to me and says, "Nimrod." She claims it was a nearby city and she just saw the sign for it.

I don't believe her.
--C.

Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker

A couple weeks ago we saw an ad that the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker was going to come to town. My wife commented on it and said she'd really like to see that some day. I figured this was "A Hint" and made a mental note.

Last week I got online and looked up ticket prices and seat availability. I found a couple balcony seats which were reasonably priced and told them to save 'em for me.

Last night I got home and was looking forward to the evening. After a brief let down (see previous post re: papercut & lemon juice), I grabbed the tickets and we went out to dinner. We went to Biaggi's, a nice Italian place. (It's where we had our first date and also where we had dinner on the night I proposed.) She had one of their special items, butternut squash ravioli with almond sauce. It was very good; the almond sauce was very sweet and tasted more like a glaze. She also had "sherry tomato soup." I ordered the clam chowder and "shrimp and scallop spiendito(?)." I forget the exact name, but it had a skewer of scallops and a skewer of shrimp, over couscous. For dessert we ordered her favorite: white chocolate bread pudding.

With full and satisfied bellies, we drove to the theater and found our seats. They were in the balcony, eight rows up, along the center aisle. They would provide a great view of the performance.

I wasn't sure what to expect. I mean, ballet? Guys at work had given me a hard time. They stated they would draw the line at ballet if their wife/girlfriend wanted to go. ("Sure you can go. Then you can tell me all about it when you get back.") Though their wife/girlfriend wasn't within hearing distance at the time.

I thought it would be fun. It's the Moscow Ballet after all! The Nutcracker is a classic! And it was fun. I recognized some of the music and some of the dancers had amazing moves. The one doing the Russian dance did a move I've never seen before, and I really don't know how to describe it. But it was very impressive; something you'd expect from a gymnast rather than a dancer.

They included kids from a local dance studio: little girls dressed as mice, butterflies, snowflakes, and in other costumes. What a treat for them to dance with professionals like this. Overall, they did a great job, but there were one or two false starts.

I was expecting more from the Russian dancers. They weren't in sync as well as I though they'd be. Maybe I was expecting too much. Still, it was well done and a lot of fun. Sometimes the dancers would show off a little and give the audience a chuckle.

My wife thoroughly enjoyed the evening.


And that's all that matters, isn't it?
-- C.

Papercut with lemon juice

As if the month of December isn't busy enough as it is...

First off, there is of course Christmas -- the decorating, the shopping, the planning and organizing, and then the bill-paying. My side of the family has three birthdays and my in-laws have two birthdays this month.

In addition, I have a 40+ page business plan due on the 6th as my final project for my MBA, and I'm currently a little short on content (yeah, yeah, it's my own fault). The commencement ceremony is the 17th and my wife insists on a party to celebrate.

Friends of ours are also planning their own birthday parties and Christmas parties.

On top of all that (as I mentioned previously) I need to schedule surgery (nothing serious).

Yesterday I got home from work and was in a pretty good mood. I was looking forward to unwinding and spending a "night on the town" with my lovely new wife (see next post re: ballet). On the way up to the appartment, I stopped and got the mail.

Bad move....

Bill.
Bill.
Junk mail.
Jury summons.
Junk mail.

Wait, what was that? Jury. Summons?


Ah crap.
-- C.