Belated Christmas Posting

We did a stay at home Christmas this year. Christmas Eve we had some nice filets for dinner (they were on sale). Who knows, that might become a Christmas tradition. We got up Christmas Day, opened presents and then went to see The Producers (the movie, not the play). It was wonderful. When we got home we had a dinner of roasted chicken. It was wonderful.

While opening presents, we turned on the TV. One local channel was broadcasting christmas carols with the video of a roaring fire.... they called the program Yule Log. Kinda corny if you ask me.

Day after Christmas I had to run some errands. While at Wal-mart, a guy passed me that must have been wearing a whole bottle of cologne. A little tip, if you can smell the cologne more than a foot away from you, you are wearing too much cologne. If you can smell it 60 feet away, your nose must not work.

Tuesday we went up to my niece's 4th birthday party. Dora the Explorer cake was eaten, presents were opened, and then we drove home.

Wednesday we took some friends to a Thrashers hockey game. Come to find out, one of them lives next door to one of my favorite players. I hope she invites us over one night for a cook out or something when the team doesnt have a game.... Grandma was late getting to the game so I called her to make sure she was ok. I may have hockey tickets for this upcoming Monday, which is an afternoon game.

Work has been kinda slow this week and wifey has the week off so Thursday we went up to a Thrashers practice. Since school was out, the place was packed. I have a pennett that I now have signed by every player and the head coach. I have an old Thrashers jersey that is now signed by my 5 favorite players. Also had some photos made with some of the players. What nice guys. Really.

Randomness

Last night I went to a friend's birthday party. He was my roommate in college. His 2 sisters also showed up. One looked like I remembered her. The other had grown up. I know I have seen her more recently but I remember our Freshman year of college we were late getting back to class one weekend because we had to watch his little sister get on the bus for her first day of school. Now she is in her early 20's, studying to be a nurse and has a 2 year old. I kept seeing the little girl in pig tails going to school.

My old roommate pulled out pictures from college. Wow, we looked so young. Lots of memories were relievedlast night.

One of his friends told us about heated mattress pads. He said they are better than electric blankets. I bought one today and will let you know if it is as good as they hype.

Mmmmm.... I love the smell of fresh cut Christmas trees. Usually I am the type that gets the tree up the day after Thanksgiving but just didnt have the time to do it that early this year. Will decorate the tree tonight. It is a pretty tree and it was HALF OFF! and hand been delivered only a day or two before I bought it (at least that is what the guy at Home Depot Landscaping said).

Christmas Lights

A lot of our neighbors have gotten into the holiday spirit and put christmas lights up. The last 2 years in our neighborhood, there was few yards with lights. There was the one we called "The Griswalds" after the Christmas Vacation movie. They have so many lights that I think the FAA has probably asked them to limit the hours they have them on so as not to interfere with the landing lights of a local airport.

This year there are soooo many more decorated yards. We have lots of deer. There are the inflatibles. One house down the street we said their lights around the bushes and tree looked like a dragon; the Christmas Dragon we called it. They have unfortunately redone the lights and the head of the Christmas Dragon has been removed. How sad.

Saying Goodbye

Friday was the Memorial Service and Wake for my other mother. We had the Memorial Service at the State Capitol and the Wake at one of her favorite taverns in town.

200+ people showed up at the Memorial Service. There was people I hadnt seen in years and there were also some people I didnt know existed... Very few of us knew that mama D had an estranged brother and sister. Probably 10 family members showed up.

A former Governor, a somewhat famous actor, a former congressman, an eminent scholar and a state legislator were among the speakers at the service. I was asked to emcee the event and share a few memories. I think the whole service went along smoothly. The Capitol was beautifully decorated for the Christmas holidays, too.

After the Service we had a wake. There was probably around 100 at the wake including several who hadnt been able to make it to Service. We had tons of photos and written memories lying around. I think we did Mama D proud!

Mama D was a great lady. She meant a lot to me and to so many others and will live on in our thoughts and lives for quite some time to come.

Things I have recently learned

I mentioned in my last post about going to the 20th annual Thanksgiving show of Drivin and Cryin. I have been DnC fan for years. A couple of days ago I found a guy that lives on the west coast that has taped lots of DnC and Kevn Kinney shows and if you ask nicely he will send you a DVD of one of the shows he has for free. No postage or shipping costs.

There are several bands/musicians that encourage their fans to tape their shows. The Grateful Dead is probably the first to do this. John Mayer, North Mississippi Allstars, David Ryan Harris, Dave Matthews Band and others are doing this today. Usually if you find somebody that has taped a band you want you have to give them a blank CD and cover the postage costs to get a copy. But like I said for this guy I found he isnt charging for videos of various DnC shows. Reminds you that there are nice people still in this world.

Some of you may wonder about the quality of the taping of shows. Most are just as good as a studio live recording. Digital recording is quite a marvel.

Speaking of nice people. What words would you use to describe people that have never met someone but are interested in possibly donating a kidney to them? Restores your faith in humanity if you have lost it.

The Power of Music

Have you ever listened to a song and be transported to a different time and a different place? You hear a song and remember an event when you were listening to the song or maybe the first time you heard the song.

Bluegrass does that for me. Not the newgrass but old Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs, etc. I hear that stuff and I am 10 again. I am at one of two barber shops. I can smell the shaving cream and that blue stuff they use to disenfect combs. One of the barber shops is where my dad took me for most of my haircuts when I was young. The other is one that he grew up going to. It is in the middle of a field in rural Alabama. Sometimes when I hear Bluegrass I can almost smell the freshly plowed dirt mixed with the shaving cream and blue stuff at that country barber shop.

Last night was another one of those events where music was transporting me. I needed a break away with dealing with all of the logistics of my other mother's death. Several friends and their wives met me and wifey out for dinner and then we caught Drivin and Cryin's annual Thanksgiving show. DnC was huge here in the Atlanta area in the late 80's early 90's. I was in High School and College then and DnC was a huge part of the soundtrack of that era. Last night was their 20th Thanksgiving show. The proceeds went to Toys for Tots. They played at least one song from each of their albums and several cover songs. I could think of most of the times I have seen them and all of the times I have met them. I had flashbacks of good friends and good times over the last 20 years particularly high school and college. My only regret last night was that I started feeling funky around midnight and had to take the pumpkin home.

Their was other people there reliving their past. People in their late 30's early 40's that heard DNC when they were in school. Some were dressed nice but drunk 40 year olds showing they cant dance or play air guitar are funny to watch. There was one girl that poured herself in acid wash jeans she has probably had for 15 years and were about 2 sizes too small. She worked her way to the front and tried to get the attention of one of the guitarists. "Tim!!!" she would scream in between songs. Occasionally it was folloowed by, "remember me?" Tim either a) didnt remember her b) didnt hear her or c) both of the above. She finally left in disgust after about 30 minutes of hoping Tim would see her and remember her.

My Other Mother

About 12 years ago I met an amazing woman. She had been married earlier in her life but they had parted ways and never had any children. She had no family but claimed dozens of people as her own kids including me. She introduced me as her son so many times that there are several people that think we are related.

A little over a year ago she was diagnosed with the later stages of Lupus. This woman that was so full of life suddenly wasnt. She had good days and bad days. If she had bad days, she would sometimes have to go to the hospital and when she got home she would turn her phone off, not wanting to talk to anybody until she felt better.

Three weeks ago we went to lunch. She seemed to be doing very well and had been doing well for quite sometime. I thought that the worst had passed.

Yesterday, a coworker called me. Nobody had talked to her in about 10 days to 2 weeks. I went over to her condo. I knocked and knocked on the door to no avail. I could see through the peephole that the lights were out and I could see her cat sitting on the back of a chair. The cat looked well fed. I checked the parking lot and found her car in her assigned parking space. I came back up and couldnt find any neighbors at home nor could I find a maintenace man. I called her coworker and told her what I had found. The coworker had called the hospital that she went to and they said she wasnt there.

This morning, her office called the police and asked them to perform a welfare check. They forced their way into her condo and found her dead and lying in her bed.

Last year my grandmother died. I can tell you that losing my other mother has been harder on me than losing my grandmother. I'm gonna miss my mama D.

Johnny Cash

I have always been a Johnny Cash fan. Friday night we went to see the Cash movie, Walk the Line. It is a wonderful movie. Script, story line, and acting are all superb. Although it is mostly about the early life of Johnny it is also a love story. If you didnt know, Johnny Cash was always in love with June Carter. Even as a small boy he loved listening to her sing on the radio and looking at pictures of her in magazines. It was only natural that when he started playing music professionally that she would be touring with him. His first marriage ended and June forced him to get clean and sober before finally marrying him.

Whenever I see biographic movies I am always worried that they wont treat the person fairly. Johnny and June's son was a big part of this movie, making sure that the adaptation of Cash's autobiography was true to the original.

Long story short, go see this movie. You wont regret it.

Grandma

So for the few Hockey Games that wifey and I have went to, there is always an older lady (mid to late 60's) there. She sits behind the home bench, talks to the players, yells at the officials, and looks like she is having the time of her life. She also wears a personalized jersey that has the number 1 and "Grandma" across her shoulders.

At last Friday's game, I told wifey that the next game we go to it is my goal to meet Grandma and have my picture made with her. Wifey laughed but knew I was serious so she encouraged me to go on over and introduce myself but I didnt because I didnt have my camera with me.

Saturday night was an away game and we watched it on the telly. Grandma had made the 5 hour drive and had alot of tv time. It was great to see her on television cheering on her Thrashers.

TodayI had some business to take care of on the NE side of town. I looked it up and found out that the Atlanta Thrashers' practice facility was nearby, there was a practice today and that it was open to the public (as all of their practices are). How could I resist?

I show up at the facility and find about a dozen people watching the team doing drills and stretching. I looked in the stands and saw Grandma so of course I had to sit next to her. She is an awesome lady. After the practice was over, the players would stop and sign things on the way to the locker room and the majority of them came over to say hello to Grandma. They all knew she had traveled to see them in Carolina and thanked her for her support.

I cant imagine being able to be that close to professional athletes as often as you can at Thrasher practices (like 3 or 4 a week). Or that they would know one specific fan and feel it neccessary to say hello to her.

I had the pleasure of shaking hands with and getting the autograph of Ilya Kovalchuk who was named the NHL offensive player of the week after scoring 4 goals last Friday and 2 on Saturday. Last season he was the leading scorer in the NHL and I (as well as the other fans that show up at practice) are able to watch him practice and then get his autograph. Not too many professional athletes can you say that about. Not too many professional sports have a "Grandma" either.

Nothing much

Went to a Hockey game last night. Refs didnt call many penalties unless it was very obvious. I liked that refs were making sure the game kept going and didnt nitpick penalties. Atlanta and Tampa (our opponent last night) are both big, quick skating teams. Atlanta player scored 4 goals. When he got the hat trick the ice was filled with hats that people were throwing. When he got his 4th goal the place went nuts. Tampa is the defending NHL champs so it was good for the hometown Thrashers to win.

Took a client last night. He was curious how someone born and raised in the South would like Hockey so much. I told him I just liked the speed and skill.

You Dont See That Every Day

We had a friend in from Seattle the last couple of days. She was in town for a work related conference starting Wednesday and then Friday through today she stayed with us. Yesterday we drove up to the mountains to get some apples and to look at the foliage. Very pretty day.

On the way home our friend asked "was that a parrot on that man's shoulder?" I immediately started looking for a pirate ship with men wearing patches and a peg leg. We slowed down and let a truck catch up with us and sure enough there was a parrot on his left arm while he (the man, not the bird) drove with his right arm. The man was talking to the bird as they rode on down the road. The parrot kept looking at the traffic and scenery they passed.

Trick or Treat

Last night was our first Halloween to be at home since we got married and bought this house. I was surprised at how many trick or treaters came to our house. Tons and tons of kids came by.

The first was probably the cutest. She was barely old enough to walk and was dressed as a candy striper, with a tiara. She was just precious and left with a ton of candy from me.

As the night wore on, we had kids that were not dressed up (mostly in their late teens) who wouldnt say trick or treat but instead demand "give us some candy" and then no thank you for giving them candy. Some of them I asked what they were dressed as but after a while I gave up on that. Of course the teenagers only got one pack of candy. If you were in costume you got multiple candy packs. A thank you got you more candy. I had also bought two different kinds of candy, one kind was for kids in costume and who said thank you, teens in jeans and t-shirts got the other.

Six Degrees of Seperation

There are rumors that you are only seperated from anybody in the world by only 6 people. The most famous version of this little game is that you can connect Kevin Bacon through actors he has worked with to any other actor.

Anyway I have been doing my own version of this game lately. I am helping the Kidney Foundation raise some money. I have called some friends to help find items to use at a silent auction at an upcoming event. I dont wanna go into too much detail yet, but I have been surprised who some of my friends know. Names that I could drop that would definitely get your attention. After I get some items that are promised I will go into a few more details on some of these people.

Today I received a package in the mail. It was from an actor that you may not know the name but you would probably know the face. He is currently on the multi-Emmy winning TV show "The Shield" (which I am a huge fan of). He grew up near where I live and I was able to find a friend that knows him fairly well. The actor got a script of the show signed by the cast and that is what was in the package I received today. The funny part is that the return address is one of those stickers that you get in the mail with a letter asking you to donate to some organization but few people send in a donation. I just find it hillarious that 1) a big celebrity would get those stickers in the mail and 2) would use it on a package he mailed to someone he doesnt really know. I wonder if the Pope gets those stickers in the mail?

More Poker

So I watched part 5 of the WSOP last night. The guy I was discussing a couple of days ago that was playing with no hands is named William Rockwell. They had a feature story on him about 15 to 20 minutes into the show. Check your local listings and see the next time they are showing part 5 of 12 of the World Series of Poker from this year on ESPN or ESPN2. You can read more about him here (a photo of him playing and a press release of his sponsorship by GoldenPalace.com) and I have a link to the foundation he started here.

Dreams

Have you ever had a dream that will coincide with something happening in the real world while you are asleep? Like you are dreaming that a phone rings while in the real world your phone rings?

A couple of nights ago, I was dreaming that I had just had my transplant surgery. I was wheeled back to my room but was still under the anesthesia. I could see me lying on the bed and my family and friends around me. The doctor said he had a new safe way to wake me back up. I could feel something weird and I started to wake up. I woke up in the real world and found my wife's dog licking my fingers.

Another night I dreamed that a truck was bumping me while I was crossing the street. I kept feeling the bumping even after I had awakened. I looked down and found wifey's dog bumping me as she was trying to get comfortable and get back to sleep. Weird.

WSOP

Last night I watched part of the main event of this year's World Series of Poker. ESPN took the 7 days of action from back in July and edited it into 12 - 1 hour episodes that they are now showing. This year over 5600 people plopped down $10,000 a piece to have the chance to win $7.5 million. It was ultimately won by an Australian who if I remember correctly this was his first big tournament.

I watched episode 3 last night and got to do one of my favorite things to do with televised poker; watch Phil Hellmuth lose. Hellmuth is the world's greatest poker player in his own mind but hasnt really won any tournaments in a couple of years (NBC's heads up tourney this year doesnt count) but every year at the WSOP he says he is playing the best poker of his career and guarantees a win, only to lose.

Phil lost the majority of his chips against a guy that probably shouldnt have been involved in the hand but he was and ultimately won against Phil on the river. If you are unfamiliar with No Limit Hold-em look here for the rules. It was great! He gets up and walks away from the table ranting and raving the whole time, goes talks to his psychiatrist wife for a while, and then walks around before finally going back to the table only to lose the rest of his chips the next hand he plays.

The other neat thing they showed last night was a guy in the tourney that was playing with no hands! He had a ramp like device on the table that he would pull his cards up with his toes so that he could see what he had been dealt. It was amazing to watch but they only showed him for 2 quick segments, maybe 30 seconds a piece. He had a guy that would help him stack his chips when he won but otherwise he was on his on. I really wished they had done a feature on him and showed him playing more. I think it would have been very inspirational.

Al Green cant clap

Last night I stayed up to watch Rev Al Green perform on the Dave Letterman show. First of all, I love Al Green. I own at least 4 albums including his last 2. I have seen him live. I had an Al Green song played at our wedding reception. One day, I want to go to Memphis and go to Al's church. But last night, he started to clap... on the offbeat. He got the audience clapping along at the end of the song and then he couldnt clap along with them. It was weird but it was Al Green singing so it was still great.

A few weeks ago I went to see David Ryan Harris, one of my favorites, perform with a band (first time he has toured with a band in several years). His opening act, at least for the Atlanta show, also had rhythm problems. The drummer would lay down the beat and then the singer/guitarist and bass player would play a different groove and then the drummer would have to speed up or slow down so they would be playing together. Throughout each song and throughout the entire show the drummer would have to constantly adjust his tempo to that of the rest of his band.

And the bad part... as white and rhythmless as I am for me to notice these things you know it had to be bad.

Driving Down Memory Lane

Yesterday I decided to go see a football game at the college I graduated from. I had emailed a few friends that still live in the area and before you know it we had a decent group getting together including one classmate who flew in from NYC. My old roommate lives near me so we rode together and talked on the way to the game. We havent really had a good talking in quite some time.

Our first stop (well second if you count the stop for $2.65 gas while it is $2.90 next to my house) was to a little sports bar that opened up I think my Senior year. It was there that I had my first buffalo wings and they were as good yesterday as they were the first time. The rest of the crew had originally planned to grill and tailgate but most joined us for wings instead. We left the group and went driving around. My former roomie wanted a chocolate-bananna milkshake and then we were off to go see his fraternity little brother but he wasnt home. We called another friend who is a high school principal in the area but he and his family already had plans for the day (sorry for the last minute call Shaky). We drove around the campus and stopped to say hello to a couple of former teachers. One has a significant other near my house and he promised to stop by on his way to or from.

The campus has changed. When I was there, the buildings were a hodge podge mix of architectural styles but now they all look the same except for one of the girls' dorms (the one where the sororities reside). The dorm I stayed in my Freshman and Sophmore years has been demolished. That was kinda sad. I guess that is what I get for not coming back to visit that often (I think it is at least 7 years since I was there).

Next stop was the game. We decided to sit in the student section but there wasnt that many students. The band has been moved from the endzone to the 50 yard line so that it looks like people are at the game when the games are televised. Gone are the Fraternity and Sorority seating sections and as a result, gone also are most of their members at the games. And speaking of sororities, when I was in school there was one sorority that all of their members were stick thin blondes with long hair. They definitely are not that sterotype today. The other big change at the game is the pyrotechnics: sparklers and fireworks as the team takes the field and then more explosions when we score (I thought they were going to run out of fireworks yesterday as we kept scoring and scoring and scoring).

After the game, most of the group went to a new restaurant (there are a lot of new places that werent there when I was in college) but me and my former roomie wanted to head home... after a stop at our favorite BBQ place. We asked for a side of Brunswick Stew and the waitress said she didnt know what that was. Can you imagine a BBQ place that doesnt know what Brunswick Stew is? I was dumbfounded.

We ate quick and then drove back home while having lots more conversations. He plans to go back in a couple of weeks for homecoming but I have other plans for that weekend. Who knows, maybe I will change them.

Cojocaru Gets Second Kidney Transplant

Fashion Commentator Steven Cojocaru Receives Second Kidney Transplant, Donated by His Mother

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Oct 12, 2005 — Steven Cojocaru received a second kidney transplant this one donated by his mother after the first one in January had to be removed due to infection.

Cojocaru, a correspondent for the syndicated TV shows "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," had the transplant Tuesday and was resting comfortably, according to a joint statement released by the television shows.

"I'm immensely grateful for the precious gift my mother has given me," said the 40-something fashion commentator. "Thank you to all for your prayers and good wishes it gave me the strength to persevere and warmed my heart."

Cojocaru suffers from polycystic kidney disease, a hereditary disorder that causes the growth of cysts on the kidney. He received a kidney from a friend in January, but it was removed in June after it became infected with a virus that can afflict transplant recipients and lead to eventual loss of the organ.

"Both operations went smoothly and the doctors are very pleased with their progress," said Janet Annino, co-executive producer of "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider." "We are thankful they're both doing well and we look forward to seeing Cojo back on the red carpet soon."

Cojocaru also is the author of "Red Carpet Diaries: Confessions of a Glamour Boy."

Strong Beliefs

Last night, wifey and I went to opening home game for Atlanta Thrashers. The owners of the team believe so strongly that they will have a good year that they are giving away a one year lease on a volvo for EVERY home game that they win! Of course I would assume that the Volvo dealer is paying for most of that but how many teams (or companies for that matter) would stand that strongly behind their product that they would risk giving away around 45 volvos this year?

Also last night they gave away a goodie bag to every fan (even those in the nosebleed seats) that had a tshirt, some "thunder sticks" and other stuff in it. On the way out every fan received a mini Stanley Cup. Usually when teams give away something it is usually to the first 5000 or so fans to show up but last night, all 18000+ (sold out game) received the goodies. I was amazed.

Living Donor Registry Needed

From Reuters

Oct 5, 2005 — CHICAGO (Reuters) - A trading scheme among patients with access to live kidney donors is needed to more readily match recipients and organs because differing blood types are blocking transplants, said the authors of a study published on Tuesday.

A trial program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that used a trading strategy among patients with access to live kidney donors resulted in successful transplants

in 21 out of 22 cases over a three-year period, the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said.

Existing transplant programs match deceased donors with patients on the waiting list for kidneys — which currently numbers more than 63,000 patients in the United States alone.

"A similar system now needs to be in place for living donors," lead author Dr. Robert Montgomery of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, said in a statement.

Between 2,000 and 3,500 U.S. patients suffering from renal failure have willing live donors, but more than one-third are blocked from receiving the organs by incompatible blood types or a condition where the recipient is especially sensitive to foreign tissue and must be matched carefully, he said.

Montgomery estimated a trading system could successfully pair off half the patients with access to live donors.

There are several good reasons for creating such a living donor kidney registry, but ethical dilemmas could arise, an accompanying editorial in the journal said.

"For example, what if one kidney fails early but the other functions well?" wrote Arthur Matas and David Sutherland of the

University of Minnesota.

"Kidney transplantation remains a success story, but its promise and future continue to be threatened by the ongoing lack of suitable organ donors. While new methods to overcome this problem are welcome, the transplant community must face up

to the new ethical issues that surround every advance," the editorial said.

Good Call

Friday wifey and I (along with a couple of friends) went to a hockey game. By the third period I was predicting (quite accurately) who was going to be involved in some fisticuffs. I was like Carnac (who knows if that is spelled correctly).

I like hockey. Growing up in the south I dont understand all of the rules but I still enjoy watching it. We bought tickets to several games so hopefully I can learn more of the details this season. I like the speed and the strategy involved with it.

Last night we went to see the Allman Brothers. Lynard Skynard was supposed to have co-headlined the show but canceled due to pollyps on the singer's vocal cords. The show was winding down and wifey asked what I thought would be the encore. "Well they havent done Sweet Melissa," I said. "But that is kinda slow for an encore. My money is on Whipping Post." Sure enough they came back and played Melissa and then Whipping Post. I wish I had this kind of luck picking lottery numbers...

One thing you see at a lot of shows nowdays is live CD's of the show you are at. Black Crowes had this option when we saw them early this summer and the Brothers had it last night. You pay $25 or so before the show and by the time you are walking out, they are handing you a cd (2 in the case of the Crowes, 3 for last night) to enjoy. How cool is that?

Blog-iversary

Yesterday marked the anniversary of my blog. I journals growing up, sometimes as a requirement for school and sometimes because I felt like it. Now here I am in the 1st century writing my thoughts down for all to see on the internet. It is a good form of release and interesting to say the least to go back and read my past thoughts from time to time. Thanks for being a part of this.

Disappointment

Last week I was supposed to go to Savannah on business but the trip was delayed indefinitely. Savannah is one of my favorite cities. Will have to definitely reschedule the trip.

I am a big fan of BBQ. I have eaten from several Q-joints considered among the best. I make my own sauce and rub. I used to have a smoker, too when I was single. This weekend is the Big Pig Jig down in Vienna, GA. One of the biggest BBQ cookoffs. I have never been and keep saying I am going to go but due to previous committments I am unable to go this weekend. Dang! There is always next year...

Tonight I had some Asian food for dinner. The fortune cookie was "Your mind is like a parachute. It only works when it is open." When did they quit putting fortunes in fortune cookies? I remember years ago I had chinese with a good friend. My fortune said "You will soon travel and come into some money." Two days later, I went to Biloxi for my first time and won some money.

Not all change is good

Sitting here watching some college football. Commercial came on for Burger King. Does anybody else find the new Burger King mascot scary?That large paper mache head. It cant blink. He doesnt talk. Just really creepy.

Somebody told me the other day that the Cookie Monster on Sesame Street no longer eats cookies. Trying to be more politically correct, I guess, Cookie Monster eats fruits and veggies. How can you be the Cookie Monster and not eat cookies? I just dont get it.

From Today's Atlanta Journal

Online campaigns raise funds for transplants

By KAREN HILL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/19/05

Chris Barr of Richmond Hill is an accountant who likes to play poker. He needs $100,000 for a new kidney. Jeffrey Evans, a Duluth chef who likes to hike, hopes to get $75,000 for a heart. Stanley Harris Jr., a 3-year-old from Decatur with large brown eyes and a shy smile, is looking for $55,000 for a kidney.

So it goes, as national charities turn to cyberspace to connect those needing transplants with people willing to help them pay for their surgery and care afterward.

RENEÉ HANNANS HENRY/Staff (ENLARGE)
Nancy Larson, who received a kidney transplant this spring after raising money for it on the Web, lives in Decatur with her daughter Sasha, 7.
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The money they seek is only what they need to get started. After-surgery care alone can sometimes cost more than $100,000 a year, and often, those expenses are not covered — or are only partially covered — by insurance.

It's common among the 247 transplant centers nationwide — including Emory University Hospital and Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta — to keep people off waiting lists for transplants until those people can devise a plan to pay for a lifetime supply of anti-rejection drugs.

The phenomenon sheds light on how medicine is outpacing insurance. Transplant patients are living longer, but it's expensive. Raising money online concerns one of the nation's leading bioethicists, who wonders whether the Web sites redirect resources from those who are sickest.

"Not everybody has a case to tell that's going to be publicly appealing," said Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

"If I don't have three children, haven't got pets, am I less deserving of a shot at a kidney or a piece of a liver?" Caplan asked.

Transplant hopefuls say the sites, which are run by national charities, are saving their lives.

Nancy Larson, an architectural sales representative from Decatur, used one of the Web sites, operated by the National Transplant Assistance Fund, to help raise $33,000 before she received a new kidney this spring at Emory University Hospital. She also received help from the Georgia Transplant Foundation, which raises money online, but does not post pictures of people needing help.

"I was very uncomfortable to think I had to solicit money," said Larson, who is recovering well. Still, "Who doesn't want to keep living?"

Larson said the donations helped her through a dark period of daily, nearly daylong dialysis.

"It's such an affirmation of the kindness of humanity that people will reach out and help," Larson said.

Providing Web pages for individuals is a relatively new function for three nonprofits, the Memphis-based National Foundation for Transplants, www.transplants.org; the Philadelphia-based National Transplant Assistance Fund, www.transplantfund.org; and the Bloomington, Ind.-based Children's Organ Transplant Association, www.cota.org.

The nonprofits post information only about people whose need is hospital-certified. They pay bills directly to hospitals, doctors and pharmacies. Donations are tax-exempt for donors and recipients.

The National Foundation for Transplants and the National Transplant Assistance Fund keep a fraction — 4 percent or 5 percent — of what each person receives in donations. Charity Navigator, which rates charities for effectiveness, gives them good grades.

Visitors to these Web sites can scroll by state, alphabetical order or type of transplant.

The text accompanying each picture can be matter-of-fact and brief. Sometimes there are personal comments, or links to personal Web pages, that provide heart-wrenching glimpses of a fight for life.

There's this, from Leslie Courtney, a radiology student from McDonough who needs $25,000 for a lung transplant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital:

"I was her maid of honor, and because of this unexpected hospital trip I was unable to go to the wedding and be there by her side ... I was devastated."

Courtney's best friend and new husband left their wedding reception early to come to the hospital, where a chaplain performed the marriage ceremony again, with Leslie by their side, in her bridesmaid's gown.

Lisa Williams, a stay-at-home mom from Kennesaw, who needs $100,000 for a heart transplant, shared what happened just before she learned how sick she was:

"My attention was drawn away [by] the sudden chill that filled my body ... I had my first cardiac arrest and died. Ken [Williams' husband] vividly recalls how he walked in the room and found me lifeless. He started performing CPR ... turning between breaths to scream for help."

As moving as the stories are, the Web sites raise concerns for Caplan, the bioethicist.

He questions how closely the nonprofits check the biographical data posted and said a donor may be sending much-needed money to someone who has become too sick to survive a transplant.

Caplan saved his harshest criticism for the hospitals — including the one at his university — that start patients on this money marathon.

"The first test you [have to] pass is the 'wallet biopsy,'" Caplan said.

Dr. Tom Pearson, co-director of the kidney/pancreas transplant program at Emory, said patients must be realistic.

"There's no point in putting you through surgery and hospitalization," Pearson said, "if you don't have a plan for the meds."

Anti-rejection medicine can range from $10,000 to $25,000 a year. Adding doctor visits and lab work to those pharmacy bills means someone with a new kidney will pay, on average, $60,000 each year after surgery, said David Bakelman, executive director of the Georgia Transplant Foundation. Someone with a new heart will pay an average $120,000 a year, Bakelman said.

Pearson said no one has died because Emory wouldn't put him or her on an organ waiting list. The point, he said, is for a transplant hopeful to make a plan, not to actually raise cash.

John Monogue of Decatur said he and his wife, Jodi Monogue, a legal case manager, left a meeting with a hospital financial counselor with a different impression.

They were so convinced they needed to raise cash that it took them just one week to do so.

"We went nuts with a large e-mail campaign" that brought in pledges for $3,000 a month for postoperative medicine, John Monogue said. Jodi received a new liver this summer and is recovering at home.

Bakelman, of the Georgia Transplant Foundation, said Emory's policy reflects the hard fact that there aren't enough donated organs for everyone who needs one.

Caplan, the bioethicist, wasn't buying those arguments.

"I think that the [medical] centers want the money," he said, "and there are enough people who can pay that they can get away with policies that require up-front payment."

TO LEARN MORE

... about each charity, go to charitynavigator.org, an independent charity evaluator.

Charity Navigator gives the National Transplant Assistance Fund four stars, its highest rating. The National Foundation for Transplants gets three stars, the median rating for 260 health charities.

Charity Navigator hasn't rated Children's Organ Transplant Association because, until recently, it was too small.

Blog Updating

So I am not the best at keeping my blog up-to-date. I try to update it frequently but sometimes I am super busy and sometimes I have writers block. I can understand other people that dont keep their blogs up-to-date but it still saddens me when I go to one of the blogs I regularly read and see that it still has the same message from early August. No names mentioned, of course... But surely something has happened blogworthy in the last 6-7 weeks.

One blog I read gets updated several times a day. That is a little bit crazy if you ask me.

So with that said, here is my update for the day. We planted some vegetables in the spring. Tomato, squash and jalapenos. The tomato plants died back and were replaced. Ditto for the peppers. The squash started out strong, had some blooms and then died without producing the first baby squash. The tomatoes are doing well; too well. I dont like raw tomatoes so that makes it even more fun. I like to make and eat salsa and tomato sauce. We planted herbs but they are looking pitiful due to neglect. Soon we will have more peppers than we will know what to do with them. The plant has blooms and babies all over the place for the first time this year.

My parents raise a lot of fruits, berries, and vegetables. Dad grew up on a farm and likes to do that kind of thing. I like getting the fresh stuff when we go to visit or they stop by. You cant beat fresh fruits and vegetables.

Speaking of farms, I have a friend that has chickens. Not in a big chicken house or anything like that. His chickens are in the back yard of his urban house, clucking along and playing with his dogs. I find it hard to believe that his dogs and chickens get along but they do. He had talked about getting rid of the chicks. Maybe I should call him up and go see if they are still there.

Traveling?

I love to travel. Next week I am planning a trip to Savannah for business. The only problem is that it is a pain to take all of my dialysis supplies with me even for one night (as this trip will be). It is worse when traveling for longer periods of time. If I am staying somewhere for a longer period of time, then the company that delivers my supplies delivers them to where ever I am staying. Then you worry about did it get there, did the people at the hotel sign for it, and a hundred other things that pop into your mind that could go wrong. My main regret is that the wife cant go with me next week.

More on the Movie Premiere

Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. A friend of mine had a relative on Flight 93. You may remember that was the flight that was also hijacked but the passengers fought the terrorists and instead of the plane crashing through the Capitol in DC, it hit the ground in a field in Pennsylvania. Last week, the wife and I went to a premiere of a movie called "The Flight that Fought Back" with the friend with the relative on the plane. The movie was made for the Discovery channel and was aired there last night. At the premiere, it was only family and friends of the passengers and crew. I should have blogged about this earlier but have been kinda busy this week. I hope many of you were able to see the movie last night. I liked it a lot.

Idiot of the Day

Last week, the wife and I were coming home from a movie premiere. We were stopped at a light. When the light changed green an SUV heading in the opposite direction decided to swerve across two lanes, directly in front of a police car that had been stopped at the light, too. I guess the driver of the SUV wasnt paying attention but I am when those blue lights came on that got his attention.

Disappointed in Humanity

I have been upbeat about the human race when I see things like people donating organs to people they dont know but yesterday I witnessed something that really disgusts me.

It all began with a story in the local paper yesterday talking about damage done to the pipelines that bring gas into this area. The story, if you read it, said that if the pipelines were to be completely destroyed that we would still have enough gas for at least two weeks of normal use, but this wasnt the case and everything is fine. By the end of the day, people were emailing each other, in a modern adaptation of the old telephone game, that we were out of gas and rationing was coming and stations would be closing early.

So consumers flocked to gas stations and gas station owners greedily decided to stick it to their customers and started raising the prices. I personally saw gas over $4 a gallon. The national news showed stations in the area pushing $6. One station owner on the news said it was his station and he would charge whatever he felt like charging. The sad part to all of this is that it was perfectly legal for them to do this. Luckily the Governor FINALLY acted and made it illegal to do this.

Meanwhile, hotels in Texas where hurricane refugees have fled to are suddenly learning that their hotel rates have doubled and tripled. I thought as Americans that we are supposed to be better than this but I guess I am wrong.

The following story ran in today's Macon Telegraph.

Gas price complaints investigated

By Liz Fabian TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER

After paying more than $4 a gallon for gasoline Wednesday afternoon, irate customers returned to the Express Food Mart at 701 Eisenhower Parkway asking for some of their money back.

The lighted sign read $2.98 when one man demanded a partial refund with two receipts showing he paid $4.29 a gallon earlier in the day.

The customer, who declined to give his name, walked out with a refund of $44.54 and got into his Volvo station wagon that was loaded down with five new 5-gallon gas containers.

Macon police Lt. Marquette King said officers investigated reports the price was more than $4 a gallon, but the responding officer said that wasn't true when he arrived.

Even if officers had found the higher price, they could not have issued a citation because Georgia's price-gouging statute was not enacted until later in the day.

Kent, the co-owner of the convenience store, who would only give The Telegraph his first name, said his staff had a problem changing the computerized sign during the day.

"It was an accident and it won't happen again," he said.

But before the owner arrived, store worker Calvin Denmark blamed the high price on the Citgo gas company, which he said independently sets the price for the store.

"It's been as high as $4.69," Denmark said.

But the owner later said the price never rose above $4.29.

Customers told a different story.

Regina Montgomery of Thomaston said she was in line for gas when the price jumped from $3.59 to $4.99.

"I was like, 'Did you see that?' to the people in line and they said, 'How can they get away with it?' " Montgomery said.

It cost Montgomery more than $50 to fill up her Toyota Camry. A check of her receipt showed the price at $4.29, she said.

At the Eisenhower Parkway Dialysis Center next door, employees said they watched out the window as the price on the sign continued to rise.

Rosalind Hodges, who works at the center, said she saw the sign reach $4.99.

Jerome Villarreal, who said he was the gas station owner's nephew, said his uncle wasn't trying to cheat anyone.

"My uncle's a good, going-to-church man. He's not fixing to take anybody's money," Villarreal said. "It was an honest mistake and he's given people their money back."

Editors note... "Honest mistake"? You call ripping people off an honest mistake? Not "fixing to take anybody's money?" Isnt that exactly what he did? My advice is to remember which stations did this to people and dont go back there ever again.

Cellphones

I use my cellphone a lot. I mean really a lot. Working for myself, my phone is my office. There are a few things I will not do but I see people doing with their cells all of the time.

1) Bathroom talking. A few weeks ago I was at the mall and went in to the bathroom. I had just stepped up to the urinal when I here a voice say "Hey man, how you doing?" I look around and determine that the voice was coming from the stall. The guy kept talking but it was also very clear that he was doing some work in that stall if you know what I mean. Whoever he was talking had to know what he was doing while talking.

2) Taking calls in the middle of meetings. I have to have my phone on at all times in case the hospital calls with a kidney match. I have my phone set to vibrate and if it rings I pull it out, see who it is and send it to voice mail. If it were to be the Hospital, I would excuse myself from the meeting and go return the call.
Last week I was at a meeting. There was about a hundred people there to listen to 3 companies make presentations. One person in the audience kept receiving calls the entire time. Her phone was not on vibrate. She would answer the call and talk in a NORMAL voice to whomever was calling her. People around her had difficulties hearing the presentations when this would happen but yet she kept doing it. And the calls would be whole conversations not "hey I am being extremely rude to talk to you in such a public forum. Let me call you back at a more appropriate time..."
I hate when people talk on their phones during a movie, too.

3) Phone headsets. I have a bluetooth phone and am trying to use the headset when driving. I was at another meeting the other day and somebody was wearing an old headset throughout the entire meeting even though they werent using the phone. Think late 1980's Garth Brooks touring headset and you have an idea what she looked like. Like she was a cyborg or something. My point is that it is ok to use the headsets to talk on but do you really need to leave it on all day?

News Tonight

Was watching the local news tonight. They had a story I tried to find a link to the video but couldnt so I will just have to tell it.

A woman decided two years ago that she should give a kidney to someone but didnt know anybody that needed one (she didnt even know anyone that had EVER had kidney problems). She kept feeling strongly about this but didnt know what to do. Earlier this year, she interviewed a woman to work in her real estate company. She asked if the woman would be available on weekends (kinda important in the real estate industry) but the woman said no because she had to look after her sick husband. "What's wrong if you dont mind my asking?" She learned that the woman's husband had a heriditary kidney disease and needed a transplant. The woman met the man pretty soon and underwent the tests and found out she was a perfect match and 2 months ago the transplant occured. They both are doing well. The donor is even giving 10% of her commissions (I didnt hear for how long) to kidney disease research.

I am glad to know that there are people like this woman and people like my potential donors.


Editor's note... Just found the link here to the video of the story if you are interested

Look what I found

Sunday I went to look at Southern Living's model home. It has a lot of new things to help make the house more environmentally friendly and supposedly cheaper to live in. It is a beautiful craftsman style house with a spectacular view of Atlanta. What they dont readily tell you is that the other houses in this subdivision or running $400-$500k but the super-eco house would cost $1.2 million to build.

But the best part of the day is that I found a gas station that was selling gas for $2.35 a gallon while most stations near us were $2.60 or more. WOW!!!

All I needed to Learn...

One of the most inspirational people in my life was my fourth grade teacher. She was more of an adopted grandmother than a teacher. She taught us some arts and crafts as well as multiplication.

When I was around 12 or 13 she gave me my first job. It was cutting her yard. It was a pretty good size yard and took a couple of hours to do it. Usually she would make me a sandwich when I got through. Turkey with mayo. Sometimes she would make me two. I think about her just about every time I eat a turkey sandwich even to this day.

She is responsible for a couple of other things in my life, too. To go along with the turkey sandwich would be a Coke (usually from a small bottle because she said they were better) over shaved ice. She had this old contraption on her covered porch. "What's that?" I asked. "It's an ice crusher" and then she showed me how it works. You put ice in the top and then crank the handle to crush the ice. I always had to have crushed ice from that time on and even today, I prefer crushed ice to regular ice cubes.

Growing up my parents didnt use many spices. My adopted grandmother/former teacher turned me on to spicy foods via cheese straws. For her cheese straws, she added extra garlic and red pepper. I have never had any cheese straws that I like as much as I liked hers but I have looked. She would make me cheese straws at least once a year. She would give my family two batches, one for everybody else and one extra spicy for me. I wish I had gotten her recipe.

A few years ago she died. I was sorely disappointed with the funeral. The main pastor of her church decided he didnt do funerals so junior minister who had never met her lead the service. Instead of words of comfort and memories of her, we learned how the minister met his wife and what he did before becoming a minister. He spent almost an hour talking about himself like he was the one being honored.

Anyway, she had a great impact on my life and helped to mold me to whom I am. I think about her often.

What did he mean?

As I have posted before, the wife and I like poker. We like to watch it, read about it and play it. Several months ago while in Vegas I got my first autograph of a poker professional. Since then I have built up quite a collection including the living legend of Poker, Doyle Brunson. Yesterday I got an autograph in the mail of Atlanta poker pro (and winner of 2 World Series of Poker bracelets) Josh Arieh. It reads "since I moved away its your job to hold down the SWATS!!" I have spent yesterday and today trying to figure out what that means. 1) He hasnt moved away from where I live (we are probably 15 miles apart) and 2) What is a "SWAT"

Maybe I dont know enough poker lingo and it means Have a Nice Day. Or maybe he was doing multiple autographs and got mine confused somehow with someone else.

Speaking of puzzling writings.... When wifey and I got married 2 years ago, we had at our reception a couple of photo mats for people to sign. An old friend of wifey wrote my wife's name and DONALD and then crossed out Donald and wrote in my name. I keep kidding my wife about Donald. Anytime she says, "you remember the time we..." I always say, "No. That must have been Donald..."

Our dogs

Wifey and I have 2 dogs. Mine is a Australian Sheperd Mix with one blue eye and one brown. He is the most laid back, friendly dog.

Wifey has an Australian Cattle Dog/Terrier mixed. She is really high strung but still a sweety.

Both dogs are Herding Dogs. They are very protective of their herd (the wife and I) and are cautious about letting new people, especially men, into their territory. This is very true of the wife's dog.

A truck goes up the street and the dogs will go crazy. Doorbell gets rung and the go nuts. When door to door sales people ring the bell you should see them react when they hear the dogs barking and growling. The best story is a couple of months after we got wifey's dog, a door to door salesman was at the door. When I opened the door the little dog ran out and then peed on the salesman's shoes. It was way too funny.

The other day, wifey's dog discovered the fireant bed in our back yard. They attacked her nose, cheeks, and back legs. We had to take her to the emergency vet in the middle of the night (wifey actually took her since I was hooked up to the dialysis machine). They gave her a couple of shots and she is all better now.

Oh well, I think I will go play with the dogs for a little while.

Wildlife

We live in an area that is just 15 minutes from a major city but we are in a quiet, wooded subdivision. When we first moved in we had a deer go running through the woods behind out house. He was a big buck.

We have had geese come to visit us, too.

Last week we had a hawk sitting on our fence. He was soooooo beautiful.

Big Update

I am getting closer to the transplant operation. About 5 weeks ago, 2 potential donors and I had blood drawn in the same day to have crossmatching tests ran. They both are matches (technically they both tested negative to antigens in the blood that would cause them to not be matches for me). I have talked with both but have never met either one of them. The next step will be for one of them to go throught the 2 day evaluation I did back in the first part of the year. More details as I know them and can share them.

Tickets Please

Friday, President Bush was in town for a town hall meeting. I was there. I think I have been to 15-20 presidential visits. No matter the person, the respect for the office makes it an enjoyable experience for me to go to. This was my first post 9-11 one to go to and I found the security a whole lot tighter than I remembered.

A couple of years ago, I took my parents down to Plains, GA on Fathers' Day. We went to Maranatha Baptist Church and had Jimmy Carter as our Sunday School teacher. Yes, that Jimmy Carter. That is probably my fondest memory of being somewhere with a President. My parents really enjoyed it, too.

A few weeks a go a friend I have kept up with since college called and asked what I was doing this weekend. Long story short, she had tickets for a show here (she lives out of state) and wanted to give them to me and wifey if we could use them. It was John Fogerty and John Mellencamp. Great show but really hot and I dont do well with heat or humidity. Average age was probably in the 50's. We enjoyed watching the people and listening to the music. We laughed as a roadie was walking the seating sections looking for someone to show the bands some southern hospitality. Did I mention the average age was in the 50's? Now think about the roadie again and laugh.

Snake heads and fish heads

This week wifey was out trimming the shrubbery and stopped when she thought she saw a lizard. It wasnt a lizard but a snake.

Yesterday I was cutting some of our grass which is kinda thick and tall after the overabundance of rain from the hurricane. Long story short, I killed a snake with the mower but didnt know I had until I pulled the mower back and saw it moving around (which they do even when dead). Never did find its head.

Last weekend wifey and I escaped into the mountains. Her mom was in town and watched the dogs for us. Sunday we had lunch at a nice restaurant on the way home. I ordered the pan fried trout. It came out and part of the fish was raised up off the plate. I thought it might be more fries or a lemon wedge that got underneath the fish. It was Mr. Trout's head that had been folded underneath. I have eaten whole fish before but wasnt expecting it this time.


In poker news... I am doing much better at the free site I have been playing at. I am getting a good hang of it I just need to work on the mathematical parts a little more as well as knowing how to play positions better.

You want me to what?

Two stories... real quick

The other day I received a letter from a headhunter. The headhunter was hired by this corporate guy that wants to get into the line of work that I am in (they sent me his resume, too). Anyway, they would like me to volunteer my time to help train this guy to essentially be a competitor. Dont think that I will be doing that.

Today I went to a market research thing on cars. I got to look at trucks and tell them which one I liked best and why. It was obviously paid for by Dodge and we got to preview a new Dodge full-size truck not on the market yet that has some pretty cool features. About all I can say on that subject. They paid $100 for my time (maybe an hour) and some soft drinks on the way out. I wished I could have taken a peek at the SUV's they were doing, too.

What do you mean you are open?

Had lunch today with a friend at one of my favorite restaurants, a little Cuban Restaurant in an out of the way area. A friend of mine had told me he had heard it was closed. We called ahead and then showed up after learning it was indeed open. After lunch we asked about the rumor. It seems that the local paper ran an article saying that the restaurant had closed after 18 years and if you wanted cuban food to try a place that just opened up. The careless reporter claims he received some emails saying the restaurant was closed so he ran the story. He never called to check if it was true or not just ran the story. The paper ran a retraction (probably buried somewhere hard to find) but business has been slower than normal since the story ran. Makes you wonder about the validity of what you read in this paper doesnt it?

Friends and the Fundraiser

Last night was the event I threw for the Kidney Foundation. It raised around $1300 so far (some folks are feeling guilty for saying they would be there and then not showing up so they are writing some checks). I wish it would have raised more money but overall it was a great time. Kevn Kinney was as superb as always. It threatened rain all night and since we were outside (but covered) we were a little nervous. It would not have been a good thing for the talent to get electrocuted...

Kevn really got intothe show as did the crowd and his second set was almost 2 hours instead of the scheduled 1 hour. He shared a lot of background info on a lot of his songs (where and why he wrote them) and mixed in a variety of songs in the middle of his songs (for example, my favorite was when parts of the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" found its way into "Fly me Courageous").

Kevn and I talked a good bit. He remembered playing at my college alma mater in 1991 and said it was one of his favorite DNC shows. He was unaware that I was the reason he played there. He was gracious and signed autographs and took photographs and even played requests from the audience (including one that was rather obscure).

Thanks to everyone that helped make this a success, including Dennis, John and Gardner and ESPECIALLY MCP.

Randomness

Currently I am doing the waiting game. Nothing you can do to speed up time, especially while waiting for tests results to come back. [sigh]

Went to Home Depot Landscaping today. I was looking for some plants for our beds but they didnt have that many to choose from. A child was on the loose. He was about 4 maybe 5 and his parents just watched him turned over flats of plants, signs, displays, and whatever else he wanted to do. They didnt correct him, and dang sure didnt "fix" any of his mistakes. One of my pet peeves if you have to know...

Early May I decided to play around in the stock market. It wasn't a big purchase but I just wanted to see what I could do. I had read up in several business publications on some areas for probably a couple of months and finally made my decision on what to buy. Yesterday my stock closed up 33% from when I bought it maybe 7 or 8 weeks ago! A friend bought the same stock maybe a month earlier (after reading the same things that made me believe it was a good stock) but a few dollars more per share than when I did, so he is up maybe 25% but I would bet he put a lot more into his investment than I did... Still not bad for an "amature"

Yesterday I tried my hand at online poker. Free site that you dont put up any money to play. I did well for the first hour or so. I stupidly left my email running in the background and got distracted when some emails started coming in and quickly lost all I had won and a little more. Wifey does particularly well at this site. Maybe one day I will be good enough to play against her on the internet.... HAHAHAH (she'll be reading this soon).

Last weekend with it being the Fourth and all, a theme park near our house had a huge fireworks display. It seems it was only us and a couple next door out in the yard to enjoy it. I remember the last couple of years when it seems half the neighborhood was having firework viewing parties but not now. Dont know why.

I guess it is real now

Yesterday the overnight delivery guy showed up with a package rather early in the a.m. I had just finished unhooking from the peritonial dialysis machine and was trying to figure out what package was being delivered. Maybe wifey was getting something, I thought as I went down to open the door. Instead it was the package of stuff for the crossmatching tests for Tuesday.

What will happen is that I will have a lot of blood taken because not only do I have to get blood for these tests but it is also time for my monthly labs. And if I am really lucky it will also be time for my quarterly labs, too.

Anyway, the same day that this is happening to me (Tuesday) 2 potential donors will have considerably less blood drawn. We will all send the blood by courier to the labs that day. In about 2 weeks we will know which, if either, is the best match. After that is determined, that person, if they are willing, would schedule the two or 3 day evaluation I had to do early February or late January. They would be tested to make sure that they have no problems that would preclude them from giving a kidney. 3 weeks later they would get the results of those tests and if they are still willing, then the transplant would be scheduled.

Those of you keeping score at home, that means the earliest that I could have the surgery would be the end of August.


In other news, I received some positive information yesterday on "the big news" that I have hinted at in past posts but nothing can be announced for another couple of weeks. Sorry.

Satellite Radio

Yes I know this is the third posting in one day. Count yourself extremely lucky.

I love satellite radio and here are some of the reasons why.

Commerical free music Imagine whatever type of music you like or are in the mood for and being able to listen to it with little interference from a DJ and no interference because of commercials. Just music.

Variety Imagine a channel dedicated to just about everything. Classical music? Check. Reggae? Check. Music from 1940's only? Check. Former NPR great Bob Edwards? Check. Comedy? XM has 3 comedy channels. Country? Do you mean newer country, older country or really old country and western, as they have all of them. Movie Soundtracks? A whole channel for you. Traffic and Weather? They have individual channels for all of the major cities in the US. They also have channels that play unsigned bands, R&B, Rap, New Age, Jazz, and EVERY Major League Baseball Game. The variety is staggering.

Signal Strength Have you ever taken a long road trip somewhere and go through an area with no radio stations or only stations playing music you dont like? Last fall, I drove from Atlanta to Gatlinburg listening to the same station (static free) all of the way there.

Special Shows A few weeks ago I was able to listen to Bonaroo live. Bonaroo is a large music festival in the middle of Tennessee that lasts 3 or 4 days. People camp out and listen to the music all day long. XM broadcast live some of the bigger names playing there and then some of the small stages throughout the day. South by Southwest in Austin was on a few months back. This week they have Live 8 and Sunday they are broadcasting live and commercial free from Willie Nelson's annual July 4th BBQ.



I find it hard to listen to normal, terrestrial radio anymore.

New News

Next Tuesday, I will have blood drawn as will two potential donors. Tests will be done to crossmatch and see who (if either) is the best match.

The Times are a Changin

Just a short little rant. When I was growing up, Arby's was famous for their "Western Roast Beef" Sandwiches. I am not sure the difference between western and eastern roast beef but ok. They even had a cowboy hat on their sign. Now that cowboy hat has morphed into a potholder. I dont get it. Bring back the hat!

Also, Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name to KFC because they thought it would have more appeal and be hipper. Now they are playing Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama" in the background of their commercials. What does "SHA" have to do with fried chicken? Somebody please tell me. I am not complaining about listening to Skynard. I love Skynard but I just dont see the connection. The only Skynard song I could think of that mentions chickens was "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe" but that chicken is actually a rooster getting ready to crow.

Bang your head

Last night the wifey and I decided to go to "Metalsome Monday". So we went to Virginia Highlands to the 10 High Club located in the basement of the Dark Horse Tavern.

Imagine if you will, Karaoke with a live band so that you can live out your rock and roll fantasies. The band's list of 200 songs leans heavily towards big hair bands of the 80's with some punk and grunge thrown in (and.. how did the Go-Gos get on this list?). The band is very good. The singers are like watching Karaoke... some are good (like the chic that looked like Pat Benetar and sang "Heartbreaker") and some are really, really bad (like the girl that was on
her honeymoon and serenaded her new hubby with some Bon Jovi).

Part of the fun is seeing who shows up. In the past, Butch Walker formerly of the Marvelous 3 has shown up and a couple of months ago Mike Mills from REM was present. Members of Velvet Revolver and Skid Row have also made appearances when in town. Last night we had
the pleasure of seeing and hearing Alan Atkins, the original singer of Judas Priest sing Quiet Riot's metal anthem "Bang Your Head."

I knew better than to sing last night. Besides they make DVD's of your performance to sell so you can live out the glory days over and over....

Picture Book

When the family and I were in Charleston for a week, I blogged that we were thinking of doing a picture book. We used Snapfish to upload all of the pictures and then put them in order with captions and stuff. I did this Monday night. Today the books were delivered. I have to say that I am impressed. Hardcover book with around 20 pages of pictures we took. It looks great! Got a couple extras printed, too. One is for mom and dad (part of a Father's Day present) and the other is part of a belated birthday present for my sister.

I looked at some of the other free photo sites (Ofoto, etc.) and they provide the same thing but Snapfish had some options I liked better and cost a little less. I think all 3 books with shipping (I opted for 2 day shipping) came out to around $60. Not bad.

Now we have hard copies of all of those digital photos already arranged in an album. Cant beat it.

Another Delay

Another Delay to what I was hoping to discuss last week and then tomorrow. Aaargh! I am building this up way to much and most of you probably wont care about it when it happens. Oh well. Hopefully I can post about it the middle of July and discuss why this is getting delayed yet again.

In other news... I am helping put together a fundraiser for the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia on July 14 here in the Atlanta area. A friend of mine is donating a venue, another friend hooked me up with Kevn Kinney formerly of Drivin and Cryin and he was kind enough to agree to play, another friend is helping with the sound system, and another is helping with some publicity. Man I am pumped. I have been a DNC/Kevn Kinney fan for a long time. In the early 90's I helped organize a show at the University I graduated from and even got to intro the band in front of around 8500 people.

Congrats

Atlantan Josh Arieh won his second WSOP bracelet late last night in the $2000 Pot-Limit Omaha game last night. A lot of people dont like Josh (not as many as despise Phil Hellmuth) but I kinda like his aggressive, cocky style. Last year at the WSOP at the main event, ESPN did him really wrong by editing some comments together that helped create some conflict around him. If you watch the replays, notice how on one comment as he starts speaking he is shuffling chips at a table, they cut the camera to something else and come back with a shot of him to finish up whatever it is that they have him saying through the magic of tv editing. In the last shot, notice that he is nowhere near a table or near chips. Yet they way they have his comments, they want you to believe it was all said at one time.

Anyway, a big congrats to Josh for his win.

2nd Blog of the Day

And this one is about my kidneys. In the next week or two (not sure of the exact date yet), Me and two potential donors will have blood drawn within the same 24 hour period of time. Tests will be done to crossmatch between me and each potential donor to see if either is a match (or which one is the best match). This is the next big hurdle to getting a transplant. I'll let you know what happens.

Amatuer Hour on TV

If you happened to have seen someone this morning on an Atlanta tv station that looked like me talking on a cell phone, it was indeed yours truly. The place that I go to for haircuts had called and asked if I wanted to help them out. A morning tv show was going to be doing liveshots from there this a.m. and if I came I could get a free haircut. I needed a haircut and agreed.

I have blogged about how I love this place. It is a men only spa/salon/barbershop. It is barely more than the national discount hair cutting chains that are located in every other strip mall in America. For $25 you get a good haircut, a beverage, they wash your hair, massage your shoulders and neck, and wrap a hot towel around your face. They also have massages, manicures, straight edge razor shaves, and shoe shines available.

So they were open early today to have this free advertising as Father's Day gift ideas. They had hired a "PR Expert" to speak on their behalf and help drum up sales I guess. It would have went much better if they had used the owner instead of this idiot "Expert." One of the two longest live shots the roving reporter guy approches the "expert" who is sitting in a barber chair. She stupidly didnt know that they were at that very moment live on the air. He asked her what a woman was doing at a man's salon and she said that she was primping for his "stupid show" and had been waiting on him for an hour and a half to talk to her. He tried to laugh it off and asked if she knew that they were on live TV? She replied she didnt. Again he tried to assist her out by asking what kind of services they offer here as opposed to a neighborhood barbershop and she replied that wasnt the way the reporter was supposed to ask the question. They sent it back to the anchors in the studio who were laughing at this expert idiot. They gave her another chance later on but the damage was already done. The place received a few phone calls from viewers who said that they wouldnt come after that performance.

I hate it for them. To help them out, I'll post a link to their website later this evening. I really love this place and highly recommend it.

A good read

Saved by desire to help
Road to kidney transplant rerouted to save donor

By PAUL KAPLAN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/11/05

Cindy Gough is a 48-year-old mother of three in Roswell, with 20 years as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines. Her kidneys are shot and she needs a transplant.

Pat Cusack is a 54-year old divorcé in Marietta, a low-key deep thinker from New York who manages projects for IBM. He's crazy about kids but never had any of his own.

PHIL SKINNER / AJC (ENLARGE)
PHIL SKINNER / Staff Cindy Gough needs a kidney and Pat Cusack was set to help; testing revealed a heart defect that required emergency surgery.
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Pat read about Cindy's problem a few years ago in The Georgia Bulletin, the newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, and he decided to be tested as an organ donor. The tests showed he was a match for Cindy — and that all four arteries to his heart were blocked. He had emergency open-heart surgery.

So, the woman who needs help to stay alive helped save a life. And the man who tried to save a life, did so, but it was his own.

Both of them were bitterly disappointed.

Cindy's best chance for a kidney had slipped away, and Pat felt terrible about the emotional roller-coaster she'd been put on.

Pat bounced back quickly. He is fit and trim, and that helped. By the first anniversary of his heart surgery, he was back to running 15 miles a week — and Cindy was on kidney dialysis to stay alive.

Pat wrote a letter in March 2004 to Cindy's surgeon, Dr. John Whelchel, the director of organ transplant services at Piedmont Hospital. It said he wanted to try again as a donor.

Whelchel was conflicted. He wanted to help Cindy, but he didn't want to hurt Pat, whose recent heart surgery was a red flag. "Your letter presents an interesting ethical dilemma and I am not sure there is a correct answer," Whelchel wrote back. He said he wanted to bring the matter before the hospital's ethics committee.

It never got that far. Last May, just before he received Whelchel's letter, Pat was training for the Peachtree Road Race. For the first time ever, he couldn't make it up Heartbreak Hill, near Piedmont Hospital.

He went for a checkup, and three of the four new arteries attached to his heart were clogged. That meant more open-heart surgery. He made it through again, but he was finished as an organ donor.

Pat's condition is genetic. No matter how many miles he runs or how healthfully he eats, his arteries will clog. And after two surgeries, his body has run out of arteries to harvest for his heart.

So now Cindy and Pat are both in trouble. Luckily, they have each other.

"She probably looks at the kids each night and wonders if she's going to be around to see them complete high school, go to college, get married."

That's Pat explaining why he was ready to give a kidney to a stranger. He makes it sound like a simple decision, although of course it wasn't.

"He's so selfless," Cindy said. "He's like an angel."

Pat is slight and fair-skinned and he speaks in a monotone of gentleness.

The IBM guy inside him sees complex problems in simple terms: Cindy has a dedicated husband and three children who need her; he's had nobody since his divorce seven years ago. How could he not do the transplant?

"I really don't have anything else," Pat said.

At first, when Pat was set to donate his kidney, Cindy felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation. Now she's just worried about him. "He's in a dire situation, and there's nothing I can do, really. It's frustrating."

Pat is on a personal mission to help Cindy get a kidney. "I would feel totally completed," he said. Cindy, meanwhile, is keeping an eye out for the right woman for Pat. "He'd make a great husband," she said with a sly smile.

Cindy is strong — she was a tennis player before her kidneys gave out — but she's no match for the dialysis machine, which she's hooked up to three times a week.

Dialysis is a lifesaver, but it's a lifestyle killer for Cindy. It makes her nauseated and exhausted, and it gives her headaches.

She slogs through, day after day, by telling herself she's going to get a kidney and her life back.

"I feel like I'm getting closer," she said.

It won't be easy. The archdiocese article and the fliers posted at Delta have drawn a lot of potential donors — more than 100 were tested, according to Cheryl Manley, Piedmont's clinical transplant coordinator — but Cindy is a hard one to match.

She has cysts on her kidneys, like her mother had, and her mother's mother. After she had twins seven years ago, Cindy's blood pressure spiked and her kidneys deteriorated. She had a very high level of antibodies in her system, which the body produces to fight a foreign object, like a baby. Too many antibodies lowers her odds of finding a suitable donor.

"It's not impossible," Manley said, "but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

There have been several near misses, including one in March when she got a frantic 4 a.m. phone call about a cadaver kidney that looked good.

It was on a plane to Atlanta. She threw some things into a bag and raced to the hospital.

It wasn't a match.

One person who tested last year was a match, but backed out. That's not uncommon.

Until recently, kidney transplant surgery was a major ordeal for the donor. The incision often went from the middle of the back to the middle of the stomach. In many cases, the donor's recovery was longer and harder than the recipient's.

Today, the surgery on the donor is often done laparoscopically, which is much less invasive. The recovery takes about a week, instead of six weeks or more under the old procedure.

About 90,000 Americans are awaiting an organ transplant, and two-thirds of them need a kidney, like Cindy.

But she's got her family and Pat and several local churches and Delta in her corner, and that helps her stay positive, which is important.

"Once you have that new kidney in you, they say you feel reborn," Cindy said. "I can't wait."

Pat is on medication, trying to fight off his body's predisposition to clog his arteries.

After they became friends, Pat and Cindy found out they shared some history. Pat's been a member of St. Jude Catholic Church in Sandy Springs for 20 years, and Cindy grew up in that church. She and Jim were married there.

Their faith is important to both of them, especially now, and seems to give them strength. "I don't believe I won't get a kidney," Cindy said. "God will answer my prayers."

Mouths of Babes

I forgot to share this little gem. While doing the family vacation thing in Charleston, my wife asked my 3 year old nice if she had any boyfriends. She replied that she had at least three. We jokingly asked if she was going to get married soon and she said that you do that when you get older. We asked how old she thought she would be when she got married. She thought for a while and answered, " I think maybe by the time I am five." Not sure if she is registered yet or not...

Not Again

Remember a couple of months ago I bragged about getting off of some of my medicines, particularly a shot I was getting once a week? Well my blood counts have dropped a little (which could explain somethings) and now I have to get my lovely once a week shot again, at least for now. Not sure how long this will be. My arm is sore from the shot today. Running some tests to figure out why this happened.

Also, many of you may remember me discussing my friend with Lupus. She is like a second mother to me. Monday her doctor told her that she has even less time to live than she had been previously told. We've talked a couple of times this week. It is hard to find the right words for me to say and she doesnt want to go into the specifics of a timeline with me. Man I hate this.

Back from Vacation

Spent a week with the family just outside of Charleston, SC. It was me and wifey, my parents, and my sister, her husband, and my niece. No blood was shed, no fists were thrown, and all in all it was a good trip. The only real complaint was that someone kept dropping the AC down to 68. I get chilled easily (because of my kidneys) and my mother is cold-natured so we were not happy.

We had a 3 bedroom 3 bath condo on the beach. Of course it rained like every day. I think we ate seafood at least once a day. My brother-in-law said he had reached his limit on seafood. Wifey and I were just getting started. We did the aquarium (not that good), a harbour tour, a horse drawn carriage tour, and lots of walking. Wifey and I went out to Angel Oak one day on our own. It is the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi. They say it is around 1600 years old. Pretty impressive.

Mom wanted to do a family trip with some of her inheritance from my grandmother's death last year. So that is the main reason we went.

Wifey and I ate at some of the restaurants we found when we were there a few years ago for a wedding and one that she found when she was there for business. Mmmmm.

Saw a bunch of dolphins playing a couple of different times. Wanted to go deep sea fishing but the weather was too rough. Also wanted to go see a minor league baseball game (I love minor league games) but I think they were all rained out.

Will let you know how the photo books are when we get them printed.





In other news, the WSOP just started this weekend. Unfortunately it will not be shown on TV until starting in August. I will just have to keep up with the reports on the internet to see how it is going. The big event isnt for a few weeks. I have read accounts of people waiting 4+ hours in line to register for events. Some events are "selling out" which is hard to fathom.

The big announcement I was hoping to make this week has been postponed at least another week. It is probably not anything that most of you are thinking but keep your fingers crossed anyway.

Misc

Leaving Saturday for a family vacation so I wont be posting for about a week. I am sure that when I get back I will have some great posts about my little niece doing something cute (because that is what she does).

Was looking through Frommer's Budget Travel Magazine (one of my favorites) today. They have an article on some of the photo websites (Snapfish, Ofoto, etc). The sites will publish a hard covered book with your photos and captions for like $20 to $30. Each site is a little different but check it out if you are into that kind of thing. I'll probably do one when we get back and let you know how it goes.

Their could be a post here in about 2 weeks of some important news. Not going to jinx it but just stay tuned.

Also, some friends and I were talking the other day about the failure to find Osama. One friend reported that Osama is on dialysis and asked me some questions, seeing as I was the resident expert on dialysis. We googled it and found reports of Osama being on Peritonial Dialysis as I am. Every month I have a big truck come to my house to deliver several boxes (about 35 or so) of my dialysis supplies for the next month. Why cant they find the delivery source for Osama? I dont think a truck goes out to his cave once a month but he has to get the supplies from somewhere...

ZZZZZzzzzzz

We bought a new mattress over the weekend. It was delivered yesterday. It sleeps VERY good. It is thicker than our last mattress so it is higher up than our dogs are use to. My dog thinks it is very comfortable as he stretches out to his full extent. I think he would prefer it to be a King instead of a Queen... Wifey's dog is smaller and has problems jumping all the way to the top but I think she will have it mastered in a few days. I jokingly told wifey that I would buy her a ladder if she needs it to get in bed.

When I was growing up I had a twin size bed. I had it when I graduated college and moved out of the house. I remember when I finally got a bigger bed. I was about to purchase one when my parents got one that had been in storage that my paternal grandfather built. They cleaned it up and purchased me a mattress for my birthday maybe 6 years. We still have it in the guest bedroom and people brag about it when they stay at our house.

I used to travel a lot for a job I used to have and was able to easily sleep on a bed in a hotel that wasnt my own. Now it isnt that easy of a thing for me to do. I have gotten used to having my wife by my side and at least one dog at our feet (with the other dog being a monster under the bed). I miss them whenever I am not here or they arent here (especially wifey). I didnt sleep well in DC at all.

I used to be a stomach sleeper. Sometimes on my side but usually on my stomach. I havent been able to sleep on my stomach since October because of the port that was in my neck/chest. Now on PD I can only sleep on my right side or my back in order for the machine to properly drain and fill. Unfortunately this also means I cant cuddle when I sleep. I used to be the biggest cuddler (and still am when not hooked up to the PD machine).

DC Trip

Last week I was in DC for the launching of the National Kidney Foundation's "People Like Us" initiative. They had over 100 people from around the country with kidney disease, on dialysis (hemo or PD), or have had a transplant (or 2 or 3). They are trying to raise the political awareness of kidney patients inhopes of changing certain policies and laws.

I love DC. I love the restaurants. I love the monuments and all of the history there. I always have tons of fun in DC and look forward to going back.

I ran into a bunch of people I know from here that were there for various reasons. I was surprised at how many people I ran into.

One day while taking a cab from Capitol Hill to where the conference was at, I noticed that my driver was auditioning for the Nextel cup. He was doing 75-80+ mph through the streets of DC. I am serious about this.

One of the great things about this conference was the interaction with people that have been or are going through some of the things that I am going through. I learned some things about PD that I didnt know by talking to people that have been on PD for several years. A group of us went out to celebrate Cinco de Mayo (also the last night of the conference). One woman had just been diagnosed with kidney disease and not yet on any type of dialysis was full of questions and I hope that we were of some help to her.

I met one family that their son was diagnosed with kidney disease about a year ago. His mom organized a "walk-a-thon" and raised over $40,000 for the kidney foundation or kidney research or something like that. I met a transplant recipient in California that started a prom for transplant recipient teenagers. She has some ties in the entertainment community and is able to get A-list Hollywood stars to show up. Lots of great stories of people like this, people like me.




On a side-note... if you know me you know I adore my neice. She is 3 years old and thinks her Uncle is the coolest guy in the world (even if she doesnt see me that often because of the distance we live apart) and who I am to disagree? She and her mom were down about a month ago. She told me that she and her mom had been in a "big walk" the weekend before coming down to help people like me get well.

friend update

Just got an email from my friend... it is not breast cancer. She is very relieved.

Blogging Delay

I was going to talk about my week in DC last week but I am putting that off for a while as I just dont feel like talking about it right now.

Last year, a friend of mine was diagnosed with Lupus. Lupus is usually not terminal if they catch it in time. Unfortunately it wasnt diagnosed in time. Yesterday my friend's Doctor told her that she doesnt have much time left. This has hit me pretty hard.

Today I received an email from another friend that finds out today if she has breast cancer or not. She is in her late 30's and just got married last fall.

Thanks for being understanding if you are reading this. I'll try to update on the DC trip later.