I'm not a huge basketball fan. However, in the February edition of Forbe's magazine they had a quote by Michael Jordan, which I really love:
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Thanks, Mike!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
My Girlfriend has Balls
This past Friday evening my g/f picked up a brand new Subaru Impreza WRX. She got the limited version that has most of the bells and whistles. It’s a very sweet ride!!! We kept telling her that we were jealous. It was funny because after she picked it up we were having dinner and she asked me “you aren’t really jealous, are you?” “Um. Yes. Yes I am.”
BTW – the picture is not actually her car, but it’s very close. Same color, but she has window tint, etc. Also, she got the car from Sewell Subaru in Dallas, TX from Brad Jolly. So far, she’s had a great experience and would recommend them to anyone.
So why does she have balls? Well, she didn’t know how to drive a stick (manual transmission). The WRX only comes in a stick. You can’t order it as an automatic. Not letting this deter her, she ordered one anyway after we (dealer and I) drove her around in one. The dealer even took her out into the parking lot and we gave her the 15-minute lesson on how to drive a stick on a brand new WRX STI. I think that sold her on the car.
While we were waiting for her car to come in we took out a friend’s car and she got to drive it for a couple of hours, but other than that she was still very new to driving a stick. When her new WRX came in I drove it off the lot and down to a parking lot so she could get the feel of the car. Other than driving home from dinner a couple of times she has pretty much been driving it ever since.
Now, being that she is still a beginner she has stalled it a few times and is more comfortable overreving the engine for first gear starts – especially in precarious situations like trying to make a yielded left-turn in oncoming traffic.
But she also hasn’t taken the easy road when getting used to her car and learning to drive it. The first places we drive? Downtown Dallas and Uptown (also in Dallas). These are not nice country roads with calm drivers. These are in-your-face driving situations with heavy traffic, lots of stop-and-go, and lots of people with itchy car horns. I even told her, it’s probably not how I would have wanted to learn how to drive a stick.
So, for not only buying a car that she knowing couldn’t drive very well right off the bat, and then further torturing herself by driving in a busy city my compliments – even if it means she has balls.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend
I’m not a hoarder, but I do tend to hang onto things that I like or think that I might need in the future. I’ve had a 1991 Ibanez RG560 that I purchased brand new. Over the years I played the heck out of this guitar and it was with me for many gigs and jams. But, tonight I sold it.
In some ways, I was a little sad to see it go. It was a part of my life for a long time, but ultimately it’s “just a guitar” and the guitar serves as a reminder to the sentiment, it’s not the sentiment itself.
Since I bought my JP6 last year I had pretty not touched my Ibanez since. Even before that I tended to play my Les Paul more often for a bunch of different reasons. When I bought my JP6 I intentionally bought it as a bit of a replacement to the Ibanez. I also realized that I was up to seven guitars – two of which never get played. It was time to consolidate and get rid of one or two.
I put an ad up and got a hit on it right away. I put some new strings on it, adjusted the tremolo one last time since the springs were old, gave it a good polish and played it one last time for good measure. I met the guy in a parking lot and he was a bit older like me. He said he one just like it. It had been his first guitar, but that it was stolen out of his truck years ago. He’d been looking for another one for thirteen years!! He was very happy that it was in such good shape and that it had the case.
In the end, I felt really good that it was going to a good home and someone that would appreciate it.
Friday, February 03, 2012
To Sag or Not To Sag
Ever since sagging became a fashion trend I pretty much thought it was stupid. I’ve heard that the origins come from prison. One theory is that inmates that are initially put into prison are automatically on suicide watch and therefore cannot have a belt because they might hang themselves. Since they have no belt, their pants would sag as the prisons have fairly universally sized clothing. Another theory is that the gay men in prison would sag their pants to show the other inmates that they are willing and able. Regardless of which one is true, or even if neither of them are true, I’ve always thought it to be a retarded way to wear your clothes. Why anyone would intentionally wear clothes that were so big on them that the clothes would get in the way of simple things, such as walking, is beyond me. I was once told that I was a fashion victim. I disagree – if you are slave to your clothes YOU are the fashion victim.
But now, I have become the sagger. Or a sagger. I’m not quite sure how you say that. I’ve lost so much weight that my jeans often won’t stay on my body even with my belt taken in four or five notches. Since I conceal carry this is a good thing and often it takes my belt and a loaded gun to keep my pants somewhat in place. No gun and you can rest assured that my pants will pretty much fall off of me and I have trouble keeping them on.
I don’t mean to sag, and I am constantly pulling my pants up. It’s driving me crazy, but I’m also a cheap bastard and hate buying new clothes when my jeans are still (somewhat) wearable. Also, what happens if I become a fat bastard again?
But now, I have become the sagger. Or a sagger. I’m not quite sure how you say that. I’ve lost so much weight that my jeans often won’t stay on my body even with my belt taken in four or five notches. Since I conceal carry this is a good thing and often it takes my belt and a loaded gun to keep my pants somewhat in place. No gun and you can rest assured that my pants will pretty much fall off of me and I have trouble keeping them on.
I don’t mean to sag, and I am constantly pulling my pants up. It’s driving me crazy, but I’m also a cheap bastard and hate buying new clothes when my jeans are still (somewhat) wearable. Also, what happens if I become a fat bastard again?
Atheist War on Religion?
I’ve always considered myself a bit more of an agnostic rather than an atheist. I’d even go so far as to say I’m spiritual, but I don’t follow any organized religion. I’m also a fan of Reddit (click for link). Since I started checking the Reddit pages fairly regularly I’ve noticed that there is a rather large contingent of atheists on the site. I don’t have a problem with that, but I also notice that they (the atheists) really seem to have it out for Christians and their beliefs. I don’t particularly see them attacking other religions, just Christianity.
With some exception, I really don’t care what someone else believes so I’m a bit unclear as to why the atheists feel a need to constantly attack Christians….. They might argue that Christians constantly attack non-Christians, and while there is some validity to this it doesn’t necessarily mean retaliation is necessary.
Then again, it does make for some rather humorous content…..
With some exception, I really don’t care what someone else believes so I’m a bit unclear as to why the atheists feel a need to constantly attack Christians….. They might argue that Christians constantly attack non-Christians, and while there is some validity to this it doesn’t necessarily mean retaliation is necessary.
Then again, it does make for some rather humorous content…..
I Hear Voices
I was driving into work the other morning. I was in WY on the highway into the plant. It was still dark out and about 19 degrees (F). I had a decent rental car and like most newer rental cars it had XM radio. I have to admit, I love it. I won’t buy it for myself because I absolutely refuse to pay another $20 / month to some other subscription service. Besides, I’m hardly ever home, which means I wouldn’t get to use it much, and I don’t want to have to drag another electronic doohickey around with me.
But I was jamming away and right before I changed stations to something else a new song came on that made me stay with the current station. No, it wasn’t a *great* song, but I really dig the vocalist for the group.
It was Tom Keifer from Cinderella. ok ok ok …I know. Hair Band or “chicks with dicks.” Whatever. Something in that immature part of my brain that has refused to grow up still likes them. More importantly, I like Tom Keifer’s voice.
No. He’s not a great vocalist. He doesn’t have a huge range, isn’t spectacular, and doesn’t do anything really that exciting. It’s just his raw gravelly voice that I like. There are a handful of guys that I’d put in the same category. Something about the voice that sounds like they’ve been drinking Jack Daniels and smoking Camel unfiltered cigarettes since they were three. It’s a category that Rod Stewart could probably be put in if he actually grew a pair and sang some good old fashioned rock and roll!
Tom Keifer – Cinderella
Brian Johnson – AC/DC
Blackie Lawless – WASP
But I was jamming away and right before I changed stations to something else a new song came on that made me stay with the current station. No, it wasn’t a *great* song, but I really dig the vocalist for the group.
It was Tom Keifer from Cinderella. ok ok ok …I know. Hair Band or “chicks with dicks.” Whatever. Something in that immature part of my brain that has refused to grow up still likes them. More importantly, I like Tom Keifer’s voice.
No. He’s not a great vocalist. He doesn’t have a huge range, isn’t spectacular, and doesn’t do anything really that exciting. It’s just his raw gravelly voice that I like. There are a handful of guys that I’d put in the same category. Something about the voice that sounds like they’ve been drinking Jack Daniels and smoking Camel unfiltered cigarettes since they were three. It’s a category that Rod Stewart could probably be put in if he actually grew a pair and sang some good old fashioned rock and roll!
Tom Keifer – Cinderella
Brian Johnson – AC/DC
Blackie Lawless – WASP
Friday, January 20, 2012
Are You Ready for the Zombie Apocalypse?
Earlier this year some friends and I were driving through the canyon on MT 191 to head up to Big Sky. My g/f was sacked out in the front seat as we had to get up super early to make our flights and we’d already been traveling all day.
While winding through the canyon I made a comment about if something ever happened and things went south really fast Montana is one of the places I’d probably head to. This led one of my friends and I into a conversation about shooting and hunting. I was surprised to learn that he knew how to hunt and skin a deer – I just didn’t picture him as someone that would have ever done that.
I figured MT is a good place to go because there aren’t that many people, you can hide out in the woods, there is plenty to hunt, and while it’s cold this can actually be an advantage. Think about it. Have you ever seen a zombie movie in a really cold place? I think it’s because zombies don’t like cold weather. Besides, with the reduced population in MT you wouldn’t have to take as many of them out as you would in some heavily populated area, like L.A.
Naturally you need to have some weapons. This is a picture of one of my friend’s weapons cache (or as he says a picture of part of his weapons cache):
Note the two shotguns – everyone knows these are good for killing zombies, but there is also a carbine, a sniper rifle, and various other knives, swords, etc. All good for hunting and killing your food, zombies, or disillusioned people.
I’m covered on shotguns, rifles, and pistols, but I apparently lack a plethora of swords and knives. I always figure that they shouldn’t ever get that close anyway.
But another friend of mine had a different strategy. His strategy is to hijack a semi full of Hostes Twinkies and live off of that for the rest of his life. I asked him how he would defend his Twinkies and while I was never sure, it seemed that he was either going to hide them, or use a gun. I’m not sure this is the greatest strategy for survival, but it’s interesting. I later found out that the shelf life of a Twinkie is really only a few days (25 seems to be max) and that this wouldn’t work at all.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Where Have All my Friends Gone?
I guess it’s inevitable that as we grow older and become more involved with our own lives, family and careers that we tend to distance ourselves from those not immediately involved within the nucleus of those pursuits.
I don’t drink much anymore so on the weekend I try to go out and treat myself to a few beers and some bad food. Actually, I like good food, but it may not be good for me. Last night I went up to have a little Mexican food and a beer or two. I was sitting there by myself and thought that while I am used to this due to all of my traveling why am I sitting here by myself when I am home? Where have all my friends gone?
Now, I have friend and acquaintances all over the country. I obviously can’t go hang out with them unless one of us is willing to hop a plane and spend some scratch traveling. That isn’t going to happen on short notice, and certainly not just to go have a beer or two on Friday night.
So what about the others?
One of my friends and I get together for lunch about once a month. He’s married, has kids, and runs his own business. That pretty much means he’s off the grid and can’t just go hang out.
Another friend of mine has recently gone off the deep end. He thinks I am sleeping with his wife and am conspiring with her to hack his computers, have him followed, and am otherwise generally out to get him. You can imagine that he probably doesn’t want to go hang out and have a beer with me.
Another guy I know has moved further away, bought a house, gotten married, and started a good career for himself. He also has to work odd and mostly late hours, so he’s pretty much unavailable for a weekend beer and due to the distance it makes it even harder to get together.
One of my former drinking buddies is so pussy whipped and entangled in a bad and abusive marriage that his wife won’t let him out of her site long enough to go have a beer anywhere. She and I don’t get along so I pretty much don’t see him anymore.
One of my friends and his wife have gotten really busy with their careers and with other extracurricular activities that take up a lot of their time. Also, due to their hobby I suspect that they are more likely to focus on hanging out with folks that are into the same hobby, which I am not. I am not upset by this, but I do miss seeing them.
Another friend and his wife don’t go out on the weekends, but we do manage to get together on most Thursdays for dinner. I do enjoy that when I can make it, but we can’t always put it together. Of course, I don’t drink during the week so…..
Then there is a guy that is married, has kids, etc. As with most people that have a family he just can’t get together that often. He also moved a little further away and we just haven’t been speaking as much.
I have a friend that lives fairly far away and has a pretty hectic schedule. It’s very difficult to get his time for anything. We’ve been trying to get together with his wife and my g/f for months. Hasn’t happened.
And my g/f lives about 40 miles away. This has its advantages and disadvantages. When you want to hang out and have a beer or get a bite to eat it’s a disadvantage, especially when either of you have worked all day or you are tired. The last thing you want to do is kill yourself driving a couple of hours in traffic. I usually see her on the weekend, but that doesn’t mean that we spend all of our time together.
As for the others? There are people whom I would go have a beer with, and I would consider friends, but it’s not like we would normally hang out all the time anyway.
So, I enjoyed my two beers and my paella by myself while watching the usual bar-scene folks.
I don’t drink much anymore so on the weekend I try to go out and treat myself to a few beers and some bad food. Actually, I like good food, but it may not be good for me. Last night I went up to have a little Mexican food and a beer or two. I was sitting there by myself and thought that while I am used to this due to all of my traveling why am I sitting here by myself when I am home? Where have all my friends gone?
Now, I have friend and acquaintances all over the country. I obviously can’t go hang out with them unless one of us is willing to hop a plane and spend some scratch traveling. That isn’t going to happen on short notice, and certainly not just to go have a beer or two on Friday night.
So what about the others?
One of my friends and I get together for lunch about once a month. He’s married, has kids, and runs his own business. That pretty much means he’s off the grid and can’t just go hang out.
Another friend of mine has recently gone off the deep end. He thinks I am sleeping with his wife and am conspiring with her to hack his computers, have him followed, and am otherwise generally out to get him. You can imagine that he probably doesn’t want to go hang out and have a beer with me.
Another guy I know has moved further away, bought a house, gotten married, and started a good career for himself. He also has to work odd and mostly late hours, so he’s pretty much unavailable for a weekend beer and due to the distance it makes it even harder to get together.
One of my former drinking buddies is so pussy whipped and entangled in a bad and abusive marriage that his wife won’t let him out of her site long enough to go have a beer anywhere. She and I don’t get along so I pretty much don’t see him anymore.
One of my friends and his wife have gotten really busy with their careers and with other extracurricular activities that take up a lot of their time. Also, due to their hobby I suspect that they are more likely to focus on hanging out with folks that are into the same hobby, which I am not. I am not upset by this, but I do miss seeing them.
Another friend and his wife don’t go out on the weekends, but we do manage to get together on most Thursdays for dinner. I do enjoy that when I can make it, but we can’t always put it together. Of course, I don’t drink during the week so…..
Then there is a guy that is married, has kids, etc. As with most people that have a family he just can’t get together that often. He also moved a little further away and we just haven’t been speaking as much.
I have a friend that lives fairly far away and has a pretty hectic schedule. It’s very difficult to get his time for anything. We’ve been trying to get together with his wife and my g/f for months. Hasn’t happened.
And my g/f lives about 40 miles away. This has its advantages and disadvantages. When you want to hang out and have a beer or get a bite to eat it’s a disadvantage, especially when either of you have worked all day or you are tired. The last thing you want to do is kill yourself driving a couple of hours in traffic. I usually see her on the weekend, but that doesn’t mean that we spend all of our time together.
As for the others? There are people whom I would go have a beer with, and I would consider friends, but it’s not like we would normally hang out all the time anyway.
So, I enjoyed my two beers and my paella by myself while watching the usual bar-scene folks.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Small Home Project
Here are a couple of picture of a recent home project in which I mounted two guitar wall hangers to the wall. They are Hercules Hangers and you can pick them up for around $20 ea.
The hangers weren’t hard to install, but I suggest that if you can’t get a stud on the wall that you put in molly bolts, which I did. They seem to hold my guitars nicely and free up some floor space. I’ll probably buy a third one and also put it on the wall.
I needed a new stand to accommodate a new bass which I just got. I had wanted a bass for a while, but had just never gotten around to buying one. It wasn’t something I needed. I just wanted to be able to fill in some parts here and there when doing recordings.
As it turns out I had a TON of rewards points on my credit card. Surprisingly enough, they had a lot of musical equipment on there and when I was surfing around I found this bass. It’s a Schecter Omen Extreme 5-String Bass. I burned about ½ of my points, but it didn’t cost me a dime otherwise!!
I’m also glad I got the 5-string. I’m not a bass player and that is painfully evident when I play it, but I have really been making a lot of use out of the low B string. My fingers are mad at me right now as they are pretty sore from jamming on it for the last 2 days straight in a row. They’ll toughen up, but it will take a while.
Tooth Owie – I’m a Stud!
Or rather, I now have a stud. I finally got my implant put in this morning. While we didn’t plan on it my father, me, and my sister all had surgery this morning. I had my implant put in. My sister had a bone graft done on her jaw – so she could later get an implant, and my dad outdid us all by having a defibrillator & pacemaker combination put in.
I think I had the easiest time as it only took my surgeon about 30 minutes to do the procedure. It wasn’t painful, but there was a lot of pressure. I could actually feel the pressure difference in my skull when he put the implant in, and hearing them drill into my skull was a bit odd. You could “hear” it everywhere at once.
The doc offered to either put a temporary screw into the implant, in which case my gums would grow over it and they’d have to numb me up and cut me open again to get to it…..or I could have the little stud put in and they wouldn’t have to numb me up again. I’m not that vain so I went with option 2.
My sister apparently doesn’t do quite as well with dentists and what-not so they put her out for her ordeal, but I also understand that it’s a lot more invasive. Last I heard she was doing OK and resting up.
My dad also did just fine. When I went to see him at the hospital he was alert and seemed to be in a good mood. Other than him wearing a gown and having an incision just under his left collar bone you might not realize he just had surgery.
If you read the blog, you might recall that this started back in July!! Now I just have to wait about three months before I can get a new crown.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Giving Back to the Kiddies!
I’ve had a pretty good year financially. Sure, I’ve had some other issues this year, such as being diagnosed with diabetes, but I can’t complain financially. I’ve had a little extra money come in from natural gas revenue, and I’ve made a lot of money working my ass off all over the place.
If you are kid, stop reading this right now or you are going to be sorely disappointed…..
Now it’s that time of year to give back. I was recently reading an article on the post office secret Santa’s. When little kids write to Santa Clause the post office intercepts the mail and goes through it. The ones that are the obvious, standard, write to Santa letters are more or less discarded, but the ones that are clearly hard luck cases in need of help are pulled out and set aside. You can then volunteer to pick up a few of the letters and get the stuff for the kiddies. I wasn’t really aware of this program, but I typically do an Angel Tree, and participate in a toy run. Some years, I am unable to participate due to my schedule and I always feel terrible. But I was reading that article and it just killed me. It always kills me. I just can’t stand hearing about kids that need clothes and food and stuff.
When you are a little kid you are supposed to be asking Santa for a new bike, or Barbie, or baseball glove, or a bb gun or something. You’re not supposed to be asking for a new pair of jeans or some shoes because your parents can’t afford them this year. No kid should have to go through that. Think about it. You can ask for anything in the world, it’s Santa after all, and you are going through such hard times that you don’t even ask for toys. I can’t take it…seriously, practically tearing up just writing this.
So I go down to the Angel Tree and pick a few kids off the tree and try to get them what they need, plus a little extra so they can have some semblance of a Christmas. This year I grabbed a couple of kids off the tree – well not really the kids. They don’t stick the kids on a Christmas tree, that would be uncomfortable for the little bastards – and went off to do some shopping for them.
One of the kids is named Jose. He’s 12 and needs some jeans and stuff. I was at Target trying to find jeans in his size – a size 18, and I got really confused. Kids clothes are like chick clothes. They have sizes, not true measurements, and I couldn’t find anything that was a size 18. Everything at Target went up to a size 16 “husky” – why they don’t call it “chunky” I don’t know. I went around to the Adult isle just to make sure I wasn’t smoking crack, but think about how tiny someone would have to be to have an 18” waist. Nope, that wasn’t it. Apparently Jose is a fat bastard.
Being the resourceful person that I am I call my g/f up since she is near a computer and ask her if she can find some translation of kids size 18 to an adult size. I was thinking I just wasn’t getting it. But apparently there isn’t a translation. I guess one day you just stop buying kids clothes and start buying adult clothes. I’m not really sure how that works.
Anyway, so I explain my dilemma and ask her to help out. Naturally I tell her I luck out, and got a fat bastard, am having problems, and can she help? While she is looking the stuff up she says something to the effect of “why do they call them husky and not fat?” and I reply back “because it’s politically correct to say ‘my kid is husky’ and it’s not politically correct to say ‘my kid’s a fat bastard.’” Little did I know I was speaking more loudly than I should have and some mom overheard this. She was not pleased. I think she would have stabbed me to death or caused some other bodily harm if she could have gotten away with it. She turned around and huffed and puffed her way out of the department. I told my g/f this as I was laughing. We both agreed that her kid must also be a fat bastard.
I have to go to Old Navy tomorrow, because apparently they carry fat bastard clothes for little kids and Target only carry’s semi-fat bastard clothes for little kids. At least Jose will have some clothes he can wear and I got him an MP3 player and stuff, too.
The Salvation Army is doing the Angel Tree through Dec. 12th. Last day to “adopt” is the 11th and you have to have your stuff in on the 12th. If you can find the time, and a few extra bucks, please go down and help out. Some kid, fat or not, will really appreciate it and you’ll make their day!
If you are kid, stop reading this right now or you are going to be sorely disappointed…..
Now it’s that time of year to give back. I was recently reading an article on the post office secret Santa’s. When little kids write to Santa Clause the post office intercepts the mail and goes through it. The ones that are the obvious, standard, write to Santa letters are more or less discarded, but the ones that are clearly hard luck cases in need of help are pulled out and set aside. You can then volunteer to pick up a few of the letters and get the stuff for the kiddies. I wasn’t really aware of this program, but I typically do an Angel Tree, and participate in a toy run. Some years, I am unable to participate due to my schedule and I always feel terrible. But I was reading that article and it just killed me. It always kills me. I just can’t stand hearing about kids that need clothes and food and stuff.
When you are a little kid you are supposed to be asking Santa for a new bike, or Barbie, or baseball glove, or a bb gun or something. You’re not supposed to be asking for a new pair of jeans or some shoes because your parents can’t afford them this year. No kid should have to go through that. Think about it. You can ask for anything in the world, it’s Santa after all, and you are going through such hard times that you don’t even ask for toys. I can’t take it…seriously, practically tearing up just writing this.
So I go down to the Angel Tree and pick a few kids off the tree and try to get them what they need, plus a little extra so they can have some semblance of a Christmas. This year I grabbed a couple of kids off the tree – well not really the kids. They don’t stick the kids on a Christmas tree, that would be uncomfortable for the little bastards – and went off to do some shopping for them.
One of the kids is named Jose. He’s 12 and needs some jeans and stuff. I was at Target trying to find jeans in his size – a size 18, and I got really confused. Kids clothes are like chick clothes. They have sizes, not true measurements, and I couldn’t find anything that was a size 18. Everything at Target went up to a size 16 “husky” – why they don’t call it “chunky” I don’t know. I went around to the Adult isle just to make sure I wasn’t smoking crack, but think about how tiny someone would have to be to have an 18” waist. Nope, that wasn’t it. Apparently Jose is a fat bastard.
Being the resourceful person that I am I call my g/f up since she is near a computer and ask her if she can find some translation of kids size 18 to an adult size. I was thinking I just wasn’t getting it. But apparently there isn’t a translation. I guess one day you just stop buying kids clothes and start buying adult clothes. I’m not really sure how that works.
Anyway, so I explain my dilemma and ask her to help out. Naturally I tell her I luck out, and got a fat bastard, am having problems, and can she help? While she is looking the stuff up she says something to the effect of “why do they call them husky and not fat?” and I reply back “because it’s politically correct to say ‘my kid is husky’ and it’s not politically correct to say ‘my kid’s a fat bastard.’” Little did I know I was speaking more loudly than I should have and some mom overheard this. She was not pleased. I think she would have stabbed me to death or caused some other bodily harm if she could have gotten away with it. She turned around and huffed and puffed her way out of the department. I told my g/f this as I was laughing. We both agreed that her kid must also be a fat bastard.
I have to go to Old Navy tomorrow, because apparently they carry fat bastard clothes for little kids and Target only carry’s semi-fat bastard clothes for little kids. At least Jose will have some clothes he can wear and I got him an MP3 player and stuff, too.
The Salvation Army is doing the Angel Tree through Dec. 12th. Last day to “adopt” is the 11th and you have to have your stuff in on the 12th. If you can find the time, and a few extra bucks, please go down and help out. Some kid, fat or not, will really appreciate it and you’ll make their day!
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Dean Markley Customer Service
Nope…this is not a rant about Dean Markley. Rather the opposite. I’ve played guitar longer than I care to admit. – over 20 years. I should be a lot better than I am, but I suck. I still play, but I think it’s some kind of self-torture at this point. I keep thinking I’ll get better, but I still suck.
Anyway, throughout the years I’ve tried a various types of strings, but my favorite and the one I always buy when I need new strings for my electric is Dean Markley Blue Steel. They carry a premium over the other strings, but I really like the way they play and sound.
The last two times I changed strings on my guitars I had at least one string that was bad. How can you tell that a string is bad? Well, if it’s not obvious when you pull it out of the package your intonation will be way off. Basically, intonation is the ability of the guitar to stay in tune anywhere on the neck. This is not a big deal, you just have to identify the bad string and replace it. However, when you are paying a slight premium for strings and have to open another set just to get one string it can be frustrating.
I wrote Dean Markley, explained what happened, and basically asked how this happens and wanted to let them know it was frustrating me. Not only did they write back and explain what might be causing it (defective batch), but offered to send me a few free sets. Now that is how customer service should be! Thanks Dean Markley!!
Assholes Get the Chicks
Anyone that has known me for any length of time has heard this before. I’d say it’s a long standing belief of mine, but it’s not a belief, it’s a fact. I recently picked up a Kindle Touch – the $99 one that comes with the ads. I’m too much of a cheap bastard to spring for the extra $30 and get the one without ads. I’m on the road (again) and using it to read my second e-book with it. The first thing I read was a novella by Stephen King. I keep meaning to do a quick write up on it, but I am not home and I am also still getting used to it, but so far I really like it.
But all of that is not the point. The second book I bought, and am about to finish, is called “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” by Tucker Max. I think they may have even made a movie about it. I wanted to read the book for a while, but it’s still in the $20 range at the book store, and I’m a cheap bastard. E-book version? $5.00… hey! This e-book thing isn’t so bad after all!! But, I digress… Anyway, so I pick the book up and start reading it. I didn’t realize this guy had a web site (still not sure of the name, but I am sure a Google will bring it up). He’s pretty intelligent, obtained a law degree, and comes from a wealthy family…and he’s a complete dick to women. And, he gets more pussy than just about anyone I’ve ever heard of except for major celebrities. Assuming that everything he writes is true I can’t believe he gets away with it, but reading the book just drives home the point that nice guys finish last. Let that be a lesson to you. Now, though, I think he is beyond the Tipping Point, and chicks sleep with him because he’s the “thing to do.” If you don’t know what the Tipping Point is, go read about it. It’s a book by Malcom Gladwell. Also an excellent book.
But seriously, the book is great. He writes well, it’s an easy read, and it’s highly entertaining. I found myself practically choking on the airplane as I was trying to keep myself from laughing out loud. It’s also mostly excerpts from his blog so the stories are fairly short and broken down into quick chapters – you can pick it up, read for just a few minutes, and put it back down without forgetting where you were in the book.
If you like reading about wild, crazy, drunken debauchery then this is the book for you…..
But all of that is not the point. The second book I bought, and am about to finish, is called “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” by Tucker Max. I think they may have even made a movie about it. I wanted to read the book for a while, but it’s still in the $20 range at the book store, and I’m a cheap bastard. E-book version? $5.00… hey! This e-book thing isn’t so bad after all!! But, I digress… Anyway, so I pick the book up and start reading it. I didn’t realize this guy had a web site (still not sure of the name, but I am sure a Google will bring it up). He’s pretty intelligent, obtained a law degree, and comes from a wealthy family…and he’s a complete dick to women. And, he gets more pussy than just about anyone I’ve ever heard of except for major celebrities. Assuming that everything he writes is true I can’t believe he gets away with it, but reading the book just drives home the point that nice guys finish last. Let that be a lesson to you. Now, though, I think he is beyond the Tipping Point, and chicks sleep with him because he’s the “thing to do.” If you don’t know what the Tipping Point is, go read about it. It’s a book by Malcom Gladwell. Also an excellent book.
But seriously, the book is great. He writes well, it’s an easy read, and it’s highly entertaining. I found myself practically choking on the airplane as I was trying to keep myself from laughing out loud. It’s also mostly excerpts from his blog so the stories are fairly short and broken down into quick chapters – you can pick it up, read for just a few minutes, and put it back down without forgetting where you were in the book.
If you like reading about wild, crazy, drunken debauchery then this is the book for you…..
Monday, November 28, 2011
Working on the Axe…
It’s funny, sometimes, how little things that we plan on
doing completely change as the day progresses. Take, for instance, playing my
guitar. I’ve hardly touched my guitars in two months. Not hard to do when you
are away for so long. Sure, I’ve thought about getting one of those really cool
“backpacker” guitars to take with me on road trips, but I really don’t need
that one extra item to take on a plane and have to lug around.
But, since I was home for a nice, long, holiday weekend I
thought I’d get some guitar time in. A few times during the week I pulled out
my newer JP6 and played it a bit, but found it difficult to get right into it.
I think that is mostly due to my fingers and hands not quite being in shape.
Also, the strings were shot and needed to be replaced.
I replaced my strings a couple of days ago, but nobody
wanted to come and jam. No biggie. I had planned on getting in some practice
time today and throughout the course of the day found all kinds of other chores
that needed taking care of. As it turns out, I finally sat down at my computer
to jam a bit (yes, I use my computer since I have a Line 6 UX8) and ended up
downloading all kinds of driver updates and software updates for the UX8. While
that was going on I also updated the drivers on my Harmony One remote (a very
kick-ass remote).
It also didn’t help that my secondary monitor went on the
fritz and I had to order a new one to replace it. It’s not here, yet, so I have
one monitor with an HDMI connected to my laptop, and the VGA connected to my
media computer and I have to manually switch it back and forth. Big PITA.
This was killing my motivation to jam, but it needed to be
done.
Then I decided to go get some plastic plates so that I could
bring my plants in from the colder weather. I figured I needed to get to the
hardware store before it closed. On the way there I stopped by Best Buy to
check out the e-readers. Specifically, I wanted to get my hands on a Kindle
Touch and a Nook. After checking them both out for quite a while I ended up
picking up a Kindle Touch. I’ll try to write a review on it a bit later….
And then I made it to the hardware store. On the way home I had to get some
food. Done. Back to the house, but now I had food to eat…. So I fire up NetFlix
to watch a flick while I eat, and I plugged my new kindle in to charge up.
So here it is, 8:00ish or so at night and I still haven’t
jammed. No problem. I come in to the computer and fire everything up and cross
connect it to my iPod so I can play along with some stuff. Before I get the
iPod fired up I start dicking around with my intonation. Don’t ask me why, but
for some reason I noticed it was just slightly off and before you know it I
spent about an hour and a half tweaking my intonation and string height setup.
If you don’t play guitar that won’t make much sense to you,
but believe it or not there is a really interesting balance of the string
height to the neck, the tension on the strings, the placement of the bridge,
etc. etc. On an electric with a floating tremolo system, such as my JP6 it’s a
delicate balance of all the working parts. Tweak one little thing, and it
throws the whole guitar out of whack.
It probably took me a solid year to get my Les Paul tweaked
so that it is “just right” for me, and it’s a significantly less complicated
guitar from a mechanical perspective. This is my second or third go-around on
this one, but it already plays even better than it did when it was brand new –
and that’s not an easy feat considering that it was set up great from the
factory.
But, finally, I jammed on it….and jammed, and jammed, and jammed…. Until my
hands are tired, I couldn’t pick properly anymore and my fingertips are already
sore. It was good, though! I got back to some of my older metal roots, almost
learned a new song, and warmed up my chops.
The point was to emphasize how you can start off intending
to do one thing, and end up doing a bunch of different things. I still got the
things I wanted to get done completed, and then some, but there were a bunch of
other things that gone done in between….
Now, what was I saying?
doing completely change as the day progresses. Take, for instance, playing my
guitar. I’ve hardly touched my guitars in two months. Not hard to do when you
are away for so long. Sure, I’ve thought about getting one of those really cool
“backpacker” guitars to take with me on road trips, but I really don’t need
that one extra item to take on a plane and have to lug around.
But, since I was home for a nice, long, holiday weekend I
thought I’d get some guitar time in. A few times during the week I pulled out
my newer JP6 and played it a bit, but found it difficult to get right into it.
I think that is mostly due to my fingers and hands not quite being in shape.
Also, the strings were shot and needed to be replaced.
I replaced my strings a couple of days ago, but nobody
wanted to come and jam. No biggie. I had planned on getting in some practice
time today and throughout the course of the day found all kinds of other chores
that needed taking care of. As it turns out, I finally sat down at my computer
to jam a bit (yes, I use my computer since I have a Line 6 UX8) and ended up
downloading all kinds of driver updates and software updates for the UX8. While
that was going on I also updated the drivers on my Harmony One remote (a very
kick-ass remote).
It also didn’t help that my secondary monitor went on the
fritz and I had to order a new one to replace it. It’s not here, yet, so I have
one monitor with an HDMI connected to my laptop, and the VGA connected to my
media computer and I have to manually switch it back and forth. Big PITA.
This was killing my motivation to jam, but it needed to be
done.
Then I decided to go get some plastic plates so that I could
bring my plants in from the colder weather. I figured I needed to get to the
hardware store before it closed. On the way there I stopped by Best Buy to
check out the e-readers. Specifically, I wanted to get my hands on a Kindle
Touch and a Nook. After checking them both out for quite a while I ended up
picking up a Kindle Touch. I’ll try to write a review on it a bit later….
And then I made it to the hardware store. On the way home I had to get some
food. Done. Back to the house, but now I had food to eat…. So I fire up NetFlix
to watch a flick while I eat, and I plugged my new kindle in to charge up.
So here it is, 8:00ish or so at night and I still haven’t
jammed. No problem. I come in to the computer and fire everything up and cross
connect it to my iPod so I can play along with some stuff. Before I get the
iPod fired up I start dicking around with my intonation. Don’t ask me why, but
for some reason I noticed it was just slightly off and before you know it I
spent about an hour and a half tweaking my intonation and string height setup.
If you don’t play guitar that won’t make much sense to you,
but believe it or not there is a really interesting balance of the string
height to the neck, the tension on the strings, the placement of the bridge,
etc. etc. On an electric with a floating tremolo system, such as my JP6 it’s a
delicate balance of all the working parts. Tweak one little thing, and it
throws the whole guitar out of whack.
It probably took me a solid year to get my Les Paul tweaked
so that it is “just right” for me, and it’s a significantly less complicated
guitar from a mechanical perspective. This is my second or third go-around on
this one, but it already plays even better than it did when it was brand new –
and that’s not an easy feat considering that it was set up great from the
factory.
But, finally, I jammed on it….and jammed, and jammed, and jammed…. Until my
hands are tired, I couldn’t pick properly anymore and my fingertips are already
sore. It was good, though! I got back to some of my older metal roots, almost
learned a new song, and warmed up my chops.
The point was to emphasize how you can start off intending
to do one thing, and end up doing a bunch of different things. I still got the
things I wanted to get done completed, and then some, but there were a bunch of
other things that gone done in between….
Now, what was I saying?
Thanksgiving Gluttony!
I’ve often heard of people gaining weight over the holidays.
Apparently it’s not that unusual when you consider that an average Thanksgiving
Day meal packs a whopping 5000 – 6000 calories!!!! Add that to a little extra
snacking, a few extra beverages, and an entire weekend of eating “hearty” and
it’s not surprising that people put on a few pounds.
This weekend, I also splurged a bit. My morning started off
normal enough with a slice of PB&J toast. About 11:00am I split a protein
shake (with banana and peanut butter in it) with my g/f to tide me over until
our feast.
For my feast I had no appetizers, despite my niece begging
me to try this or that. All of the munchies were some kind of bready
something-or-another. She has a hard time understanding why I won’t eat stuff
like that, but my mom, who is also diabetic, will. I tried to explain that if I
was going to eat something with a lot of bread in it, I would rather have
stuffing than some crackers or something.
But, for my feast I had a salad, some ham, some green beans,
and a little home-made macaroni and cheese. I even split a piece of pumpkin pie
and whip cream with my g/f. I also had a two glasses of wine, about three rum
balls, and when we started playing cards I had a glass of good whiskey.
Aside from normal eating I also allowed myself to have a
beer and a glass of whiskey on Friday, and Saturday. Saturday night I even went
down to a good Mexican place and ate a plate full of nachos (with the beer),
which I am really not supposed to do.
All in all, a little excess for me, but nothing too crazy.
And then I weighed myself on the scale this morning…. Surprisingly, I still
lost weight!!!
I’m now down to 130.2 pounds. All my friends keep telling me
I am getting really skinny. A few people have commented that I am “wasting away”
and one friend has actually asked if I am OK. I can’t say that the thought hasn’t
crossed my mind about not being OK, but I also figure with all the blood work I’ve
done I would hope that they would be checking markers for cancer.
I still think most of it is attributed to diet, though I
also hit a workout program pretty hard for the first month or so. Not so much
the last two months – I find it particularly difficult to work out on the road
when I am working 14 hour days and stuff, and I’m just not a morning person.
No, I think it’s mostly diet. I’ve made a huge effort to cut
out all the sugar in my diet, and that is not easy to do. Even before being
diagnosed with diabetes I was aware of how much sugar we consume as Americans.
Trust me, it’s in pretty much everything, and if you don’t believe me try
reading some labels. Still, knowing that it’s there and trying to eliminate it
are two totally different things. But I do a pretty good job and I don’t
consume a whole lot of sugar or simple carbohydrates.
So how much have I lost? Well, I keep a chart going back to
early 2005 of my weight. In 2005 I weighed 158 pounds. In 2007 I was up to
about 167 pounds. Somewhere in there I was also hitting the gym a lot and there
is no doubt that some of the weight was attributed to muscle mass. Then,
somewhere around 2008 I started to lose weight again. I think it’s because I
stopped lifting weights and started losing muscle mass, but I was also a bit
more conscientious about the spare tire around my middle.
In march of this year I was surprised to be under 160 again –
and didn’t realize it until we went skydiving for my 40th and I
thought their scale was weighing in light. By July I was down to 153 lbs. In
august, under 150, and by September I was under 140. Now it’s almost December and
I am about to be under 130!!!! Heck, if I take a good crap I can be under 130 before the day is out!
I honestly can’t remember the last time I weighed under 130.
I think it was somewhere around high school or college. A long time ago…..
Is there a point to all this? I’m not sure. Just that I
thought I would have gained a few pounds over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, but
I didn’t. I think I managed to enjoy myself, without denying myself everything,
and still ate reasonable.
Unless there really is something wrong with me, and I
suppose it’s possible, just about anyone should be able to lose a few pounds by
controlling their diet better. Mind you, I don’t starve myself at all. I eat
three to four times a day, maybe more, and I have some snacks. If I can do it,
you can too!
Apparently it’s not that unusual when you consider that an average Thanksgiving
Day meal packs a whopping 5000 – 6000 calories!!!! Add that to a little extra
snacking, a few extra beverages, and an entire weekend of eating “hearty” and
it’s not surprising that people put on a few pounds.
This weekend, I also splurged a bit. My morning started off
normal enough with a slice of PB&J toast. About 11:00am I split a protein
shake (with banana and peanut butter in it) with my g/f to tide me over until
our feast.
For my feast I had no appetizers, despite my niece begging
me to try this or that. All of the munchies were some kind of bready
something-or-another. She has a hard time understanding why I won’t eat stuff
like that, but my mom, who is also diabetic, will. I tried to explain that if I
was going to eat something with a lot of bread in it, I would rather have
stuffing than some crackers or something.
But, for my feast I had a salad, some ham, some green beans,
and a little home-made macaroni and cheese. I even split a piece of pumpkin pie
and whip cream with my g/f. I also had a two glasses of wine, about three rum
balls, and when we started playing cards I had a glass of good whiskey.
Aside from normal eating I also allowed myself to have a
beer and a glass of whiskey on Friday, and Saturday. Saturday night I even went
down to a good Mexican place and ate a plate full of nachos (with the beer),
which I am really not supposed to do.
All in all, a little excess for me, but nothing too crazy.
And then I weighed myself on the scale this morning…. Surprisingly, I still
lost weight!!!
I’m now down to 130.2 pounds. All my friends keep telling me
I am getting really skinny. A few people have commented that I am “wasting away”
and one friend has actually asked if I am OK. I can’t say that the thought hasn’t
crossed my mind about not being OK, but I also figure with all the blood work I’ve
done I would hope that they would be checking markers for cancer.
I still think most of it is attributed to diet, though I
also hit a workout program pretty hard for the first month or so. Not so much
the last two months – I find it particularly difficult to work out on the road
when I am working 14 hour days and stuff, and I’m just not a morning person.
No, I think it’s mostly diet. I’ve made a huge effort to cut
out all the sugar in my diet, and that is not easy to do. Even before being
diagnosed with diabetes I was aware of how much sugar we consume as Americans.
Trust me, it’s in pretty much everything, and if you don’t believe me try
reading some labels. Still, knowing that it’s there and trying to eliminate it
are two totally different things. But I do a pretty good job and I don’t
consume a whole lot of sugar or simple carbohydrates.
So how much have I lost? Well, I keep a chart going back to
early 2005 of my weight. In 2005 I weighed 158 pounds. In 2007 I was up to
about 167 pounds. Somewhere in there I was also hitting the gym a lot and there
is no doubt that some of the weight was attributed to muscle mass. Then,
somewhere around 2008 I started to lose weight again. I think it’s because I
stopped lifting weights and started losing muscle mass, but I was also a bit
more conscientious about the spare tire around my middle.
In march of this year I was surprised to be under 160 again –
and didn’t realize it until we went skydiving for my 40th and I
thought their scale was weighing in light. By July I was down to 153 lbs. In
august, under 150, and by September I was under 140. Now it’s almost December and
I am about to be under 130!!!! Heck, if I take a good crap I can be under 130 before the day is out!
I honestly can’t remember the last time I weighed under 130.
I think it was somewhere around high school or college. A long time ago…..
Is there a point to all this? I’m not sure. Just that I
thought I would have gained a few pounds over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, but
I didn’t. I think I managed to enjoy myself, without denying myself everything,
and still ate reasonable.
Unless there really is something wrong with me, and I
suppose it’s possible, just about anyone should be able to lose a few pounds by
controlling their diet better. Mind you, I don’t starve myself at all. I eat
three to four times a day, maybe more, and I have some snacks. If I can do it,
you can too!
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Job Offers and Work
The other day a good friend of mine sent me an email he received regarding a possible position in Fort Worth, TX. In his email he said that it would mean that I probably wouldn’t have to travel anymore. Good point. On the other hand, I kind of like to travel. That doesn’t mean I like being stuck on the road for weeks on end like I am doing, now. But, I do enjoy traveling around a bit. I get to see some pretty interesting places and meet all kinds of people. I go skiing in the winter, and when it’s 108 back home in the summer I get to go to cooler places. It also makes for a cheap vacation when I take my g/f and aside from her flights and meals everything else is paid for. Nice.
But the big reasons I have to think real hard about those jobs?
Well, first off, I have a TON of flexibility in my work. When I am home my commute is about 120 feet. I don’t fight rush-hour traffic and I don’t spend my life listening to talk radio while stuck in traffic. I work in my boxers during the summer, or my fuzzy PJ’s during the winter. If I need to go to the mall during the day I do it. If I want to go have lunch with a friend of mine? No problem. Go play golf with my old man because I’ve been too busy to see him much lately? Again, usually not a problem. I just have to make sure I am getting my work done and I am otherwise left alone. Try that at Corporate X.
Secondly, I don’t do the same thing every day. None of the:
Get up at the same time
Sit in traffic
Go to the same office
With the same boss (I’ve seen my boss 2 or 3 times in the last five years).
And the same employees
And the same problems
And the same network
Work my 60 hours without overtime.
Go home
Eat dinner
Go to bed
Get up at the same time
Etc., etc. etc.
Every week to me is something new. It’s new people, it’s a new project, it’s a new opportunity to fail or succeed, a new opportunity to learn and better myself. Mostly, it’s not the same 9-to-5 grind bullshit day in and day out and I love it. I’m not even sure I can go back to a 9-to-5 grind job right now. That would be very difficult.
And last, but not least, when you read into the job descriptions you will always see something that reads very similar to “…. maintain the network 24x7 ….” What you should be reading is that they are going to strap a pager or smart phone to your ass and that you will be on call 24 x 7 and get woke up at all hours of the night and have to work weekends. Fuck that. I’ve done it. I’ve put my time in and I have no desire to go back to doing it again.
My boss says that the reality is that I am already on call 24 x 7, and that is true to an extent. I would never turn a client down that called me in the middle of the night. But, they don’t call me. They call the poor sap that is the network administrator and wake his ass up in the middle of the night because if they call me it’s going to cost them out the waazoo. The number of times I have been woken up in the middle of the night to help a customer? I can count them on one hand. So it’s really not the same and someone would have to pay me buckets of cash to take on that role and responsibility again.
But the big reasons I have to think real hard about those jobs?
Well, first off, I have a TON of flexibility in my work. When I am home my commute is about 120 feet. I don’t fight rush-hour traffic and I don’t spend my life listening to talk radio while stuck in traffic. I work in my boxers during the summer, or my fuzzy PJ’s during the winter. If I need to go to the mall during the day I do it. If I want to go have lunch with a friend of mine? No problem. Go play golf with my old man because I’ve been too busy to see him much lately? Again, usually not a problem. I just have to make sure I am getting my work done and I am otherwise left alone. Try that at Corporate X.
Secondly, I don’t do the same thing every day. None of the:
Get up at the same time
Sit in traffic
Go to the same office
With the same boss (I’ve seen my boss 2 or 3 times in the last five years).
And the same employees
And the same problems
And the same network
Work my 60 hours without overtime.
Go home
Eat dinner
Go to bed
Get up at the same time
Etc., etc. etc.
Every week to me is something new. It’s new people, it’s a new project, it’s a new opportunity to fail or succeed, a new opportunity to learn and better myself. Mostly, it’s not the same 9-to-5 grind bullshit day in and day out and I love it. I’m not even sure I can go back to a 9-to-5 grind job right now. That would be very difficult.
And last, but not least, when you read into the job descriptions you will always see something that reads very similar to “…. maintain the network 24x7 ….” What you should be reading is that they are going to strap a pager or smart phone to your ass and that you will be on call 24 x 7 and get woke up at all hours of the night and have to work weekends. Fuck that. I’ve done it. I’ve put my time in and I have no desire to go back to doing it again.
My boss says that the reality is that I am already on call 24 x 7, and that is true to an extent. I would never turn a client down that called me in the middle of the night. But, they don’t call me. They call the poor sap that is the network administrator and wake his ass up in the middle of the night because if they call me it’s going to cost them out the waazoo. The number of times I have been woken up in the middle of the night to help a customer? I can count them on one hand. So it’s really not the same and someone would have to pay me buckets of cash to take on that role and responsibility again.
SPAM and Telemarketers
The other day I was in a bar and these two chicks were talking about how much spam they are getting. They also talked about how every time they get spam they always click on unsubscribe, etc. They are also on Facebook and several other social networking sites. Then, about a week ago I overheard one of the IT guys talking to another guy about one of their users. The user had a smart-phone and had two pages of social networking apps loaded onto it…and they were having all kinds of problems, including being inundated with SPAM.
So here is bRad’s handy tip of the day:
If you are subscribed to Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, MySpace, or any number of other social networking sites, and you are getting a lot of SPAM then shut the fuck up! All of those sites are notorious for selling and distributing your information. Heck – YOU are notorious for posting everything you do in your life on all of them so that it gets plastered all over the internet. Secondly, if you are one of those people that subscribe to those sites and you also complain about your privacy and rights – again, shut the fuck up. They are all also notorious for having terrible privacy policies and it’s well-known. So don’t whine to me about it.
Now here is my other tip with regards to SPAM – if it’s a legitimate business site, such as Target, and you recently placed an order and suddenly you are getting offers from them it’s probably OK to click on the unsubscribe link. Most of the time, that works. But, if it’s Bob’s House of Sex Toys and they are trying to sell you some Viagra, a tube of Sex Lube, a cattle prod, and a coupon for two hours of time with Belinda the Dominatrix Midget then don’t click on the unsubscribe link. In fact, don’t click on anything! They aren’t going to unsubscribe you and by clicking on the link you just verified they have a good email address.
Now about those telemarketers – there are some federal laws and guidelines that telemarketers have to abide by. Go look them up and read them. Don’t pass around the latest bullshit anti-telemarketing email that some goofball wrote at 2:38 am in their mom’s basement.
For the most part, you can politely, but sternly, tell these people to not call you and take you off their list. If they do it again, they are subject to a fine and a lawsuit, but if you don’t follow up on it it’s your fault.
Next – don’t answer the phone. If the phone rings while you are about to stuff those peas into your face and you see “unlisted” or a number you don’t recognize don’t freaking answer the phone. Let it go to VM or your answering machine if you haven’t been lucky enough to get out from under your rock.
Stop signing up for those stupid “You can Win this Corvette” things at the mall. You can’t win so forget it. Yes, they have to give one away by law, but they also just got ALL of your information along with a million other people and what do you think they do with it? They sell it. That’s how they make their money. So if it’s worth it to have a 1-in-a-100-million chance at the Chrysler Minivan, and be subject to 500 calls a day by someone in another country by all means, sign up.
Last? Change your phone number. It’s not that hard. And it’s not that hard to give it out to those people you want to have it. I love my parents, but I go over to their house and their phone rings no less than 5 times an hour while I am over there – all of it is telemarketers. They’ve had the same number since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and the entire world has it. You probably have it and don’t even know it. So what do they do? They use their cell phones and just let the phone ring and ring and ring. Not sure how they do it because it would drive me crazy.
So here is bRad’s handy tip of the day:
If you are subscribed to Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, MySpace, or any number of other social networking sites, and you are getting a lot of SPAM then shut the fuck up! All of those sites are notorious for selling and distributing your information. Heck – YOU are notorious for posting everything you do in your life on all of them so that it gets plastered all over the internet. Secondly, if you are one of those people that subscribe to those sites and you also complain about your privacy and rights – again, shut the fuck up. They are all also notorious for having terrible privacy policies and it’s well-known. So don’t whine to me about it.
Now here is my other tip with regards to SPAM – if it’s a legitimate business site, such as Target, and you recently placed an order and suddenly you are getting offers from them it’s probably OK to click on the unsubscribe link. Most of the time, that works. But, if it’s Bob’s House of Sex Toys and they are trying to sell you some Viagra, a tube of Sex Lube, a cattle prod, and a coupon for two hours of time with Belinda the Dominatrix Midget then don’t click on the unsubscribe link. In fact, don’t click on anything! They aren’t going to unsubscribe you and by clicking on the link you just verified they have a good email address.
Now about those telemarketers – there are some federal laws and guidelines that telemarketers have to abide by. Go look them up and read them. Don’t pass around the latest bullshit anti-telemarketing email that some goofball wrote at 2:38 am in their mom’s basement.
For the most part, you can politely, but sternly, tell these people to not call you and take you off their list. If they do it again, they are subject to a fine and a lawsuit, but if you don’t follow up on it it’s your fault.
Next – don’t answer the phone. If the phone rings while you are about to stuff those peas into your face and you see “unlisted” or a number you don’t recognize don’t freaking answer the phone. Let it go to VM or your answering machine if you haven’t been lucky enough to get out from under your rock.
Stop signing up for those stupid “You can Win this Corvette” things at the mall. You can’t win so forget it. Yes, they have to give one away by law, but they also just got ALL of your information along with a million other people and what do you think they do with it? They sell it. That’s how they make their money. So if it’s worth it to have a 1-in-a-100-million chance at the Chrysler Minivan, and be subject to 500 calls a day by someone in another country by all means, sign up.
Last? Change your phone number. It’s not that hard. And it’s not that hard to give it out to those people you want to have it. I love my parents, but I go over to their house and their phone rings no less than 5 times an hour while I am over there – all of it is telemarketers. They’ve had the same number since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and the entire world has it. You probably have it and don’t even know it. So what do they do? They use their cell phones and just let the phone ring and ring and ring. Not sure how they do it because it would drive me crazy.
Meh…
I received a few emails and comments that I need to update my blog. One of my friends specifically referred to me as a “loser.” For not updating it, I suppose, but then again I have several friends that call me a loser from time to time. Why are they my friends? Sometimes I wonder…..
But lately, I just haven’t much in the way of drive or motivation. I thought I might be slightly depressed, and I suppose it is still possible. I asked my doc if the meds I am now taking cause any depression and he said it wasn’t a known side effect. However, he did say that if my blood sugar was too low that could cause me to not feel like doing a whole lot.
I don’t believe I updated my blog, but the last time I had my blood work done my A1C and non-fasting glucose test were below normal….even for someone that is not diabetic. That’s good, but we needed to tweak my meds again.
But, back to not being motivated. It’s kind of hard to explain because, as I said, I don’t feel particularly depressed. In my head, I am still writing on the blog, still writing music, etc., but I just don’t have the motivation to actually get up and do anything about it. Hence, why the blog hasn’t been getting updated very often.
I haven’t hardly touched my guitars in the last month or so….and it doesn’t help that I have spent most of that time on the road for work, which is exactly where I am right now. I’m in a little town called Sandy, Utah. It’s about 12 miles south of Salt Lake City and we just got a good dusting of snow. Perhaps I should rephrase that. It’s a “dusting” for areas that get snow. Back home in Texas it would probably shut the state down. Ahh….soon it will be time to break out the snowboard, get it waxed, and pack up for some snowboarding!!!
I’m sure I’ll overcome this lack of motivation, but it could take some time. It doesn’t appear to be going away quickly and perhaps I am just freaking tired – I was on the road for I don’t know how long, and am now on a four-week-straight road trip. I get home for Thanksgiving, and then leave again for another trip. That’s too much. The other night I literally was disoriented when I woke up in the middle of the night. I didn’t know where I was, the layout of the room, or even what town I was in. Sad.
But lately, I just haven’t much in the way of drive or motivation. I thought I might be slightly depressed, and I suppose it is still possible. I asked my doc if the meds I am now taking cause any depression and he said it wasn’t a known side effect. However, he did say that if my blood sugar was too low that could cause me to not feel like doing a whole lot.
I don’t believe I updated my blog, but the last time I had my blood work done my A1C and non-fasting glucose test were below normal….even for someone that is not diabetic. That’s good, but we needed to tweak my meds again.
But, back to not being motivated. It’s kind of hard to explain because, as I said, I don’t feel particularly depressed. In my head, I am still writing on the blog, still writing music, etc., but I just don’t have the motivation to actually get up and do anything about it. Hence, why the blog hasn’t been getting updated very often.
I haven’t hardly touched my guitars in the last month or so….and it doesn’t help that I have spent most of that time on the road for work, which is exactly where I am right now. I’m in a little town called Sandy, Utah. It’s about 12 miles south of Salt Lake City and we just got a good dusting of snow. Perhaps I should rephrase that. It’s a “dusting” for areas that get snow. Back home in Texas it would probably shut the state down. Ahh….soon it will be time to break out the snowboard, get it waxed, and pack up for some snowboarding!!!
I’m sure I’ll overcome this lack of motivation, but it could take some time. It doesn’t appear to be going away quickly and perhaps I am just freaking tired – I was on the road for I don’t know how long, and am now on a four-week-straight road trip. I get home for Thanksgiving, and then leave again for another trip. That’s too much. The other night I literally was disoriented when I woke up in the middle of the night. I didn’t know where I was, the layout of the room, or even what town I was in. Sad.
Tooth Owie – Still Cont.
My gums and everything feel like they are all healed up, but I need to have an x-ray taken to see if the bone has healed up enough. I was supposed to go about a week or so back, but I’ve been on the road and have had to push it off until the week of Thanksgiving. Hopefully the x-ray will look good and I can get my implant in, soon!!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Tooth Owie - Cont.
Today I went to have my tooth pulled out and an implant put in. Like most people, I really don’t like dentists and having needles and things stuck in my mouth. Today was no different and I told the surgeon that I was pretty nervous. I have to say, though, he was great. I can’t speak for his surgical ability, but his bedside manner, personality, and willingness to talk to me and keep me up to speed on what was going on was awesome!
He got my tooth out in about 20 minutes. Unfortunately the root on my tooth is slightly large and it left a larger hole in my skull than he would like to have seen so he couldn’t put the implant in today. Instead he did a bone graft and stitched me up. Now I have to wait about 8 weeks for that to heal up before he goes back in and puts the implant in. Then, I’m looking at another three months before I get a crown put on. Not happy, but at least I made some progress on it. On the positive side, I’ll probably be able to put together a good “crack addict” Halloween costume or something.
The photos show the progression of healing. The first photo was the day after it was done. The second one is about 5 days later. You can see my stitches are starting to dissolve and come out.
Vacation – Costa Rica
I just got home from a second trip to Costa Rica. We had a great time and for once we didn’t get too caught up in trying to do a ton of things. I think I slept and dozed most of the first day. We spent a lot of time hanging out by the pool or on the beach. Our house was kind of odd, but the main level of the house was open, like a tree house, which was really cool. Since it was built up on the side of a hill we got a great view and breeze off the ocean and monkeys would routinely come into the house looking for food or just to steal our stuff.
I also tried to learn to surf. I did OK, but it’s far more difficult than it looks when you are just learning. Mostly it’s exhausting fighting the waves to get out there and then trying to time the wave just right so that you catch it. I was pretty wiped out, but had fun and even caught a couple of waves here and there.
It Ain’t Cancer – Part 5
On August 29th I went in to talk to the doc and have some blood work done. We had a good conversation, and I told the doc that my stomach was still pretty upset from the medications. I also told him that at some point I’d like to be able to have an occasional cola, slice of cake, etc. He said that he thought that might be a possibility, but we would have to get things under control first. That is certainly understandable.
My labs came back and I was pretty disappointed with them. My blood glucose level was 143 (down from 229) and my A1C was 8 (down from 11.4). The good news is that they were both down, but it was disheartening that they were not better. In some ways, I felt like everything I was doing wasn’t good enough. The reality is that it’s a little bit of everything and it takes some time to get everything tweaked right. We decided to change my meds to something that wouldn’t upset my stomach so much and to add a new medication to help improve my insulin production.
I started my new meds the day before I went on vacation to Costa Rica. I could immediately tell a difference in my body chemistry and sure enough I had a mild hypoglycemic condition that day as I waited too long to have lunch.
I can’t help but be mildly depressed over the whole situation. It could be worse and in some cases I feel like a big pussy. Still, I want to get it under control. I want to be able to have seemingly “normal’ life without having to constantly be on extreme guard with regards to what I eat. When I was in Costa Rica it was a little difficult to find foods to eat. Remember that while I can eat some fruit, I can’t just scarf down on it like everyone else. I also can’t drink as much or snack on things like chips and cookies. A staple of Costa Rican diet is rice – which is also not that good for me. Combine all that together while you are on vacation and it’s a little depressing. We even went on some cruises and to bars where they had free rum-based drinks with fruit juice and I couldn’t have any of it. Rats. At least I had my first solid poo in over a couple of months. I know that may not sound like much, and is probably too much information, but it was a big deal to me.
So I am on my new meds, and I’m still paying attention to my diet. My workout routine has been interrupted by a number of things – got sick, went on vacation, had dental surgery, etc. – but I’m still working on that as well. My current weight hovers around 141lbs, give or take a pound or two on a day-to-day basis.
My labs came back and I was pretty disappointed with them. My blood glucose level was 143 (down from 229) and my A1C was 8 (down from 11.4). The good news is that they were both down, but it was disheartening that they were not better. In some ways, I felt like everything I was doing wasn’t good enough. The reality is that it’s a little bit of everything and it takes some time to get everything tweaked right. We decided to change my meds to something that wouldn’t upset my stomach so much and to add a new medication to help improve my insulin production.
I started my new meds the day before I went on vacation to Costa Rica. I could immediately tell a difference in my body chemistry and sure enough I had a mild hypoglycemic condition that day as I waited too long to have lunch.
I can’t help but be mildly depressed over the whole situation. It could be worse and in some cases I feel like a big pussy. Still, I want to get it under control. I want to be able to have seemingly “normal’ life without having to constantly be on extreme guard with regards to what I eat. When I was in Costa Rica it was a little difficult to find foods to eat. Remember that while I can eat some fruit, I can’t just scarf down on it like everyone else. I also can’t drink as much or snack on things like chips and cookies. A staple of Costa Rican diet is rice – which is also not that good for me. Combine all that together while you are on vacation and it’s a little depressing. We even went on some cruises and to bars where they had free rum-based drinks with fruit juice and I couldn’t have any of it. Rats. At least I had my first solid poo in over a couple of months. I know that may not sound like much, and is probably too much information, but it was a big deal to me.
So I am on my new meds, and I’m still paying attention to my diet. My workout routine has been interrupted by a number of things – got sick, went on vacation, had dental surgery, etc. – but I’m still working on that as well. My current weight hovers around 141lbs, give or take a pound or two on a day-to-day basis.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
It Ain’t Cancer – Part 4
I’ve been struggling with my recent diagnosis of diabetes. I never ate too poorly, but I loved my Dr. Pepper in the morning. I don’t drink coffee or tea, so my morning DP is how I get my caffeine and get going. It’s also an enormous amount of sugar so I had to cut them out. Unfortunately that was my caffeine source and I have just never been able to stomach diet drinks. Lately I’ve tried Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Diet A&W Root Beer. I’m not sure that I understand the point of diet A&W as it doesn’t have any caffeine in it anyway and it doesn’t taste good enough to drink otherwise. Ick.
This pretty much made the first full-on week of meds, diet and no caffeine hell. I had absolutely NO energy, which is counter-intuitive to what I thought I should be feeling. That is, if my glucose levels are elevated because my cells can’t burn the energy and I start taking meds to allow my cells to take in the glucose and burn it, I would have thought that I’d have had a little more energy. It was so bad I couldn’t concentrate and I could literally have laid down in the isle at Home Depot and napped and I wouldn’t have cared that people were walking by me. I had trouble driving home one evening.
From Energy Fiend:
Top 10 Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
1. Headache- A caffeine headache usually starts behind the eyes and then moves up the front of the head.
2. Sleepiness- This just isn’t your normal tiredness, this is sitting up straight but still can’t keep your eyes open tiredness.
3. Irritability- Everyone and everything gets on your last nerve. It’s best just to lock yourself in your room during this stage.
4. Lethargy- Forget about productivity at this stage because you’ll be unmotivated to do anything.
5. Constipation- Caffeine stimulates the bowel, so without its daily does the colon gets a little cranky too.
6. Depression- Caffeine withdrawal can take away all hope for living. Temporary blues are one thing, but if you already struggle with depression this could be a big issue.
7. Muscle Pain/Stiffness- If you normally have some caffeine prior to exercise then during caffeine withdrawal you could feel as though your muscles have weights strapped to them.
8. Lack of Concentration- Forget school, studying, brain surgery, or jet engine repair during this stage of withdrawal.
9. Flu-like symptoms- Stuffy nose, blocked sinuses and even vomiting have been reported by people withdrawing from caffeine.
10. Insomnia- Some people are strange and actually can’t sleep when going through caffeine withdrawal.
I pretty much exhibited all of these, except for the headache and constipation. If anything, my bowels are irritated by the medication and I have to go more than I’d like.
Things seem to be getting better, which makes me think that I am getting over the caffeine withdrawals. However, today was a bit difficult as I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep. I’ve been drowsy and tired all day. It’s also harder for me to get out of bed in the morning. I used to wake up and just be ready to go – even before I’d grab my morning DP. Now it’s a struggle to get moving and make myself breakfast sans caffeine.
I keep telling myself things will get better as my meds and body get more dialed in. As one of my friends told me “it took a while to get it out of whack, it will take a while to straighten it out.”
This pretty much made the first full-on week of meds, diet and no caffeine hell. I had absolutely NO energy, which is counter-intuitive to what I thought I should be feeling. That is, if my glucose levels are elevated because my cells can’t burn the energy and I start taking meds to allow my cells to take in the glucose and burn it, I would have thought that I’d have had a little more energy. It was so bad I couldn’t concentrate and I could literally have laid down in the isle at Home Depot and napped and I wouldn’t have cared that people were walking by me. I had trouble driving home one evening.
From Energy Fiend:
Top 10 Caffeine Withdrawal Symptoms
1. Headache- A caffeine headache usually starts behind the eyes and then moves up the front of the head.
2. Sleepiness- This just isn’t your normal tiredness, this is sitting up straight but still can’t keep your eyes open tiredness.
3. Irritability- Everyone and everything gets on your last nerve. It’s best just to lock yourself in your room during this stage.
4. Lethargy- Forget about productivity at this stage because you’ll be unmotivated to do anything.
5. Constipation- Caffeine stimulates the bowel, so without its daily does the colon gets a little cranky too.
6. Depression- Caffeine withdrawal can take away all hope for living. Temporary blues are one thing, but if you already struggle with depression this could be a big issue.
7. Muscle Pain/Stiffness- If you normally have some caffeine prior to exercise then during caffeine withdrawal you could feel as though your muscles have weights strapped to them.
8. Lack of Concentration- Forget school, studying, brain surgery, or jet engine repair during this stage of withdrawal.
9. Flu-like symptoms- Stuffy nose, blocked sinuses and even vomiting have been reported by people withdrawing from caffeine.
10. Insomnia- Some people are strange and actually can’t sleep when going through caffeine withdrawal.
I pretty much exhibited all of these, except for the headache and constipation. If anything, my bowels are irritated by the medication and I have to go more than I’d like.
Things seem to be getting better, which makes me think that I am getting over the caffeine withdrawals. However, today was a bit difficult as I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep. I’ve been drowsy and tired all day. It’s also harder for me to get out of bed in the morning. I used to wake up and just be ready to go – even before I’d grab my morning DP. Now it’s a struggle to get moving and make myself breakfast sans caffeine.
I keep telling myself things will get better as my meds and body get more dialed in. As one of my friends told me “it took a while to get it out of whack, it will take a while to straighten it out.”
Friday, July 22, 2011
It Ain't Cancer - Part 3
I saw my doc yesterday and we had a pretty good conversation. When I had gone in for my physical my blood pressure was up a bit, but yesterday it was back to normal – 120 over 80. Almost textbook perfect.
I asked the nurse for a copy of my lab results from the previous test as I still didn’t know what my readings were for glucose, etc. She got me a copy of them and I had plenty of time to review them before the doc came in. It was not a good sign.
For starters, they had run an A1C test. I didn’t know they ran that one, and I was going to request it. An A1C test is a measurement of your hemoglobin and it’s relation to blood sugar (glucose). It’s not a direct measurement of your glucose but of your bloods ability to carry glucose. A normal reading is less than 5.7. Anything between 5.7 and 6.4 is increased risk of diabetes and anything over 7 is diabetes. Mine was 11.4!!!!
Also, my glucose level was 213 – it’s supposed to be under 105. And, they had found glucose in my urine. There isn’t supposed to be any in your urine.
The doc was real nice, but the bottom line is that even with a severe infection it shouldn’t elevate your glucose numbers to that extent and the A1C test wouldn’t have been affected by it. I still asked for another round of tests just to be sure, and prior to starting treatment. The doc agreed, but unless there is some bizarre fluke it certainly looks like I have diabetes.
So….the good news. The doc said I’m not as bad off as it seems, though I will need to start treatment as soon as the next round of tests are confirmed. As he put it, he has fat-bastards coming in with glucose levels well above 300 or 400. He said he even had guy that ran marathons that developed diabetes. That guy got lucky because he came in because he was urinating all the time (sign of diabetes). They tested his glucose level and it was almost 700!! He had a race to run in a week. Doc said if he had ran the race he probably would have died due to dehydration. Lucky guy.
The doc also thinks I am producing insulin – which means that my cell receptors are probably having problems. This is controllable via oral medication, diet and exercise. Unless my body is unresponsive to all the types of oral medication I shouldn’t have to take insulin. At least I don’t have to lose 200lbs or something and the doc is putting me in his handful of “skinny diabetics” category. I wouldn’t say I am skinny, but I’m not huge – I weighed in at 153.4lbs fully dressed @ 5’6”.
So what does all that mean? Well, it means I am going to have to watch my diet, exercise, take pills, and get stuck by needles every 3~6 mos. for the rest of my life. As long as I respond positively to the medication it shouldn’t be that bad.
As for diet - I don’t eat huge gluttonous meals too often, but I will have to curb starches and carbohydrates a little bit, which will be a bit difficult for me since I love pasta, rice, Asian and Italian foods, etc. I’ll have to stop eating chips for a snack and switch over to low-fat popcorn. I eat popcorn as a snack, but now I’ll have to eat more of it. Less on the fruit, more on the veggies, and anything with fiber is good. The Dr. Pepper is going to be really hard for me, though. I don’t drink coffee, but I like my morning DP to get me going. I need to try diet again, but I’ve never liked diet drinks – can’t stand the artificial sweeteners, but maybe I’ll grow to like one of them. And I can still have a drink with my friends, but I can’t get hammered.
It’s still a bit frightening because diabetes increases your risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular issues as well as an increased risk for all kinds of other health problems. Fortunately, and again, if you can get it under control those risks all drop to the same levels as people without the disease. Right now, I am in the paranoid stage (and perhaps still shock and denial) and every minor feeling of numbness or twitching muscle puts me on edge (all signs of nerve damage, or no problem at all!).
It also profoundly reminds me of my mortality. I never liked the idea of taking pills or medication to fix things. I always see “old” people as people having to take a bunch of pills every day, and that in itself can be problematic. Some people get to taking so many pills they actually cause more problems that they fix. Despite trying to take care of myself and staying in some semblance of shape I get to join that club.
It makes me wonder, though, if even 50 years ago a lot of people probably died from complications related to diabetes, but were often diagnosed with something else.
Right now, the first step is to confirm the diagnosis and then get things under control. We’ll see what happens after that.
I asked the nurse for a copy of my lab results from the previous test as I still didn’t know what my readings were for glucose, etc. She got me a copy of them and I had plenty of time to review them before the doc came in. It was not a good sign.
For starters, they had run an A1C test. I didn’t know they ran that one, and I was going to request it. An A1C test is a measurement of your hemoglobin and it’s relation to blood sugar (glucose). It’s not a direct measurement of your glucose but of your bloods ability to carry glucose. A normal reading is less than 5.7. Anything between 5.7 and 6.4 is increased risk of diabetes and anything over 7 is diabetes. Mine was 11.4!!!!
Also, my glucose level was 213 – it’s supposed to be under 105. And, they had found glucose in my urine. There isn’t supposed to be any in your urine.
The doc was real nice, but the bottom line is that even with a severe infection it shouldn’t elevate your glucose numbers to that extent and the A1C test wouldn’t have been affected by it. I still asked for another round of tests just to be sure, and prior to starting treatment. The doc agreed, but unless there is some bizarre fluke it certainly looks like I have diabetes.
So….the good news. The doc said I’m not as bad off as it seems, though I will need to start treatment as soon as the next round of tests are confirmed. As he put it, he has fat-bastards coming in with glucose levels well above 300 or 400. He said he even had guy that ran marathons that developed diabetes. That guy got lucky because he came in because he was urinating all the time (sign of diabetes). They tested his glucose level and it was almost 700!! He had a race to run in a week. Doc said if he had ran the race he probably would have died due to dehydration. Lucky guy.
The doc also thinks I am producing insulin – which means that my cell receptors are probably having problems. This is controllable via oral medication, diet and exercise. Unless my body is unresponsive to all the types of oral medication I shouldn’t have to take insulin. At least I don’t have to lose 200lbs or something and the doc is putting me in his handful of “skinny diabetics” category. I wouldn’t say I am skinny, but I’m not huge – I weighed in at 153.4lbs fully dressed @ 5’6”.
So what does all that mean? Well, it means I am going to have to watch my diet, exercise, take pills, and get stuck by needles every 3~6 mos. for the rest of my life. As long as I respond positively to the medication it shouldn’t be that bad.
As for diet - I don’t eat huge gluttonous meals too often, but I will have to curb starches and carbohydrates a little bit, which will be a bit difficult for me since I love pasta, rice, Asian and Italian foods, etc. I’ll have to stop eating chips for a snack and switch over to low-fat popcorn. I eat popcorn as a snack, but now I’ll have to eat more of it. Less on the fruit, more on the veggies, and anything with fiber is good. The Dr. Pepper is going to be really hard for me, though. I don’t drink coffee, but I like my morning DP to get me going. I need to try diet again, but I’ve never liked diet drinks – can’t stand the artificial sweeteners, but maybe I’ll grow to like one of them. And I can still have a drink with my friends, but I can’t get hammered.
It’s still a bit frightening because diabetes increases your risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular issues as well as an increased risk for all kinds of other health problems. Fortunately, and again, if you can get it under control those risks all drop to the same levels as people without the disease. Right now, I am in the paranoid stage (and perhaps still shock and denial) and every minor feeling of numbness or twitching muscle puts me on edge (all signs of nerve damage, or no problem at all!).
It also profoundly reminds me of my mortality. I never liked the idea of taking pills or medication to fix things. I always see “old” people as people having to take a bunch of pills every day, and that in itself can be problematic. Some people get to taking so many pills they actually cause more problems that they fix. Despite trying to take care of myself and staying in some semblance of shape I get to join that club.
It makes me wonder, though, if even 50 years ago a lot of people probably died from complications related to diabetes, but were often diagnosed with something else.
Right now, the first step is to confirm the diagnosis and then get things under control. We’ll see what happens after that.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
It Ain't Cancer - Part 2
I’ve been doing a lot of research on diabetes. Last weekend, I relaxed a bit and did some more research on the internet. I discovered a few things that I thought were pretty important:
First, I learned that that elevated glucose levels were typically a sign of infection. I read multiple articles indicating that events such as stress, infection, and dental problems in particular will cause you to have elevated glucose levels. I also read there was some correlation of antibiotics and glucose levels, but since you typically are fighting an infection it is not unusual to be on antibiotics. In other words, there may be some correlation, but it isn’t a direct correlation. Well, I had just started treatment for an abscess (dental AND infection). I also had just had a root canal and was pretty stressed out about the whole ordeal (I hate dentists). Even after my tooth broke almost a week after my physical the x-rays showed that the abscess was almost gone, which means I still had it to some extent.
I also read up on things that cause elevated liver enzymes. While it’s true that diabetes and other problems cause elevated liver enzymes so does acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and narcotics. I was taking all three, including triple doses of ibuprofen within 24-48 hours of the test. I still couldn’t find out how long it takes your body to recover and expel all of that from your system, but I would suspect that 48 hours would be the starting point.
And everything I have read up on testing for diabetes indicates you need to have at least two tests with similar results before confirming a diagnosis. I only had one, and now I seriously question the validity of that particular test. I know I said it earlier, but I am now even more convinced that the test needs to be re-done as well as some additional testing, such as the A1C test (thanks mom!).
None of this means that I don’t have diabetes, but it does mean that we (the doc and I) need to re-evaluate the diagnosis before moving forward.
First, I learned that that elevated glucose levels were typically a sign of infection. I read multiple articles indicating that events such as stress, infection, and dental problems in particular will cause you to have elevated glucose levels. I also read there was some correlation of antibiotics and glucose levels, but since you typically are fighting an infection it is not unusual to be on antibiotics. In other words, there may be some correlation, but it isn’t a direct correlation. Well, I had just started treatment for an abscess (dental AND infection). I also had just had a root canal and was pretty stressed out about the whole ordeal (I hate dentists). Even after my tooth broke almost a week after my physical the x-rays showed that the abscess was almost gone, which means I still had it to some extent.
I also read up on things that cause elevated liver enzymes. While it’s true that diabetes and other problems cause elevated liver enzymes so does acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and narcotics. I was taking all three, including triple doses of ibuprofen within 24-48 hours of the test. I still couldn’t find out how long it takes your body to recover and expel all of that from your system, but I would suspect that 48 hours would be the starting point.
And everything I have read up on testing for diabetes indicates you need to have at least two tests with similar results before confirming a diagnosis. I only had one, and now I seriously question the validity of that particular test. I know I said it earlier, but I am now even more convinced that the test needs to be re-done as well as some additional testing, such as the A1C test (thanks mom!).
None of this means that I don’t have diabetes, but it does mean that we (the doc and I) need to re-evaluate the diagnosis before moving forward.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)