Organ Donation

The last week or so have found me thinking about and talking about organ donation. A friend that is also a lobbyist is about to have his transplant (that will make 3 of us in 3 years... maybe we should start our own caucus). Last Friday I learned about an FBI agent in Chicago that gave a kidney to someone he didnt know (drop me a message and I will send you a link to his excellent blog). Saturday I was asked to speak at my old dialysis clinic about PD and transplant. While I was there I met a friend of a friend that is waiting on his transplant. We had emailed each other a few times but actually met for the first time last Saturday.

Yesterday I went to Organ Donor recognition day at the State Capitol. I have been the last 3 or 4 years and this year's event was the largest yet (and my first post transplant). Several donor families spoke about their experience, some living donors spoke, and a couple of recipiants also spoke.

One woman is a foster parent. Her foster son needed a transplant and she ended up being a perfect match. He is the cutest four year old you have ever met. The odds of the two of them being a match is so rare (kinda like being a match with someone you meet through a hockey message board) that it makes you really believe in fate/destiny.

Another woman lost one of her sons 2 years ago and 7 people were able to be helped through his death by receiving organs. I cant imagine the grief that this mother had to go through with the death of her young son but the fact that she was adament about helping others is something truly special. Last fall her older son learned that a friend of his needed a kidney and so he gave one of his. What an incredible story of an incredible family.

I remember being in 6th or 7th grade and somehow we began discussing being an organ donor. Most of my peers were adamantly opposed to it (at 12 or 13) but for some reason me and a couple of others were not. When I got my drivers license I also signed up to officially be an organ donor. I never knew that I would need an organ but I felt strongly about being a donor.

As National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness month winds down, please take time out to seriously think about being an organ donor and signing the back of your drivers license (or downloading a card off the internet) and letting your family know your wishes. Almost 100,000 Americans need a transplant. Every 12 minutes, someone else is added to the transplant waiting list. 18 people die every day while waiting for a transplant. Please help them out.






Oh, thank you Brandi for helping me.

Good Day

Today was a good day. Not going to post many details other than saying that somethings are in play for 2 clients that are good for them and by extension, me.

Oh, and playoff hockey starts tonight in Atlanta. That is a good thing.

I have a couple of long blogs that I have been mentally writing and will try to get up soon. One is on music and memories, and the other is why would a good southern boy have like me have an interest in hockey (since I have been asked that hundreds of times).

Green Fog

The pollen count is ridiculously high. Everything is a nasty yellowish green. Monday I did a drive thru car wash after buying gas on my way to a meeting. Yesterday, my vehicle was back to being yellow-green in color. I could use the ice scraper to get the pollen off of the windows of my car.

How bad is the pollen? Yesterday I had to come home around lunchtime to get some things I had left here. Heading back downtown I decide to stop at a burger joint. The main exit with the most fastfood places between my house and downtown is also home to people selling drugs or their bodies. As I am waiting for my order, I notice a group of women working their particular area of sidewalk. One had on her booty shorts and a bare midriff top. As she was attempting to wave down cars with one hand, the other hand was holding up a surgical mask. I wish I had a camera on me to take a photo.

I assume that the surgical mask was to lessen the effects of the pollen but I could be wrong. Would it hinder her normal clientele to see her with a mask on? Would the johns even think that maybe she has some kind of communicable disease? I guess if they thought that they wouldnt be stopping to pick her or her coworkers up anyway.

Swimming

This past weekend the wife and I took a little trip. We went to south Florida. Although we did go to a hockey game, the trip was also a chance for us to get away for a while.

The Florida Panthers' arena is in the middle of nowhere which means there are no hotels close by (but it does mean free parking at the arena). We ended up staying about 10-15 minutes away at a nice hotel with a heated, rooftop pool. We checked into the hotel, ate lunch, and I got to swim for the first time in over two and a half years.

While I was on hemodialysis I had to be careful about getting my port wet (no showers and no swimming). When I was on peritonial dialysis I was told to avoid swimming, too. So the hotel having a heated pool meant swimming for me in early March. It was great.

And for those that may ask, yes anti-rejection drugs do raise your chances of getting skin cancer (of course having a fair complexion helps raise the chances too) and yes I was wearing waterproof sunscreen with an SPF of 5 million.

The Thrashers lost the game but swimming almost made up for that.

Who You Effect

About a month after my transplant my donor's husband's employer did a story on us and the transplant on their website. For some reason I printed out a handful of copies and left them at the transplant center's waiting area.

A couple of weeks go by and someone saw a copy, read it and contacted my donor's husband (since his email was listed in the story). This person was at the transplant clinic to find out if they were able to donate a kidney to a distant family member that they didnt know too well. This person had reservations about going through with it since they didnt know each other too well but after reading of the selflessness of my donor in giving to someone she didnt know, this person decided to go through with it.

Several days ago, my donor's husband was cleaning out his email inbox and found the original email that he and his wife had responded to. He wondered whatever happened to this person and sent them an email. He heard back from this person's spouse over the weekend. Last Friday, this person gave their distant relative a kidney. Both donor and recipient were doing fine.

Sleep

Everybody sleeps differently. Some stay in one position all night, while others toss and turn all night. Some prefer to sleep on their back while others like their side or stomach. Up until I learned of my kidney failure, I preferred to sleep on my stomach. After starting hemodialysis I had to sleep on my side. Didnt matter which side, but with a port in my neck/chest area I couldnt sleep on my stomach at all. Sure I could have slept on my back but I have never been able to do that unless on a hammoc with a gentle breeze blowing me.

After I started Peritoneal Dialysis I could only sleep on my left side. Somehow on my right side it would interfere with my dialysis machine and all kinds of alarms would go off. I would then have to wake up, reset the machine, and then make sure I fell asleep on my left side. Sometimes I would hook up to the machine early and read or watch tv for a while. I would then go to sleep on my left side but would wake up when the dialysis was complete, unhook from the machine, and then go back to sleep on my right side.

Post transplant I cant go to sleep on my stomach as it feels weird. What is weirder is after sleeping mostly on my left side for almost 2 years, I now can only fall to sleep on my right side. Now that it is getting colder, my wife's dog likes to snuggle up behind the bend of my leg to stay warm. Of course I have also had to learn not to roll over in the middle of the night without waking the dog first.

Houses

Wifey and I like to go look at new houses. Model homes are good places to get ideas of how to decorate and what works and what doesnt work. Sometimes we go to open houses that charge for a tour with the proceeds going to charity. Last year we went to a house that was decorated by several art galleries. Some of the art was crap but it was still neat to look at.

Yesterday we went to look at a house with the proceeds going to a camp that is ran for kids with special needs. The house was a monster. It had over 10,000 square feet. Every other room was decorated by a different interior designer so there was little flow going from room to room. I think our favorite rooms were in the basement. They had a home theater (you could pause a movie in there and then finish watching it in another room of the house) that seated 10. They had a gentleman's lounge complete with pool table, poker table, bar, and 4 flat screen tvs. They also had a spa suite (sauna, steam shower, masage area, etc.). Our least favorite room was the kitchen. It was huge but decorated horribly. Anyway, the house was ok but the charity was worthwhile so we are glad we went.

Naked Boy

We moved into our subdivision about 3 and a half years ago. Not long after moving in, we were greeted by a naked boy running around in his front yard. I am guessing that at that time he was around 2. Although it is not a daily occurance, it is a frequent occurance to see him in the yard. Sometimes he has shoes on (and nothing else) but usually he is completely naked.

A few weeks ago, we were heading out. As we were getting ready to pass naked boy's home, we slowed down to see if he would be in the yard and sure enough there he was. But since it was starting to get a little chilly out, he was wearing a shirt but nothing else as he rode his bicycle with its training wheels.

My main thought about this is in a time when Dateline NBC is showing a sting that happened about 75 miles from here, when John Mark Karr (although not found guilty of any crime but yet he admitted to things) was staying 20 miles away for a couple of weeks, and when Congressman Foley is sending explicit emails to minors you would think that Naked boy's parents would keep their child's nakedness indoors.

Internet

I think most of you know that I met my kidney donor through a website for local hockey fans. Obviously I am happy about that.

Six years ago today, the internet played another important part in my life. Six years ago I met my wife in person for the first time. We had met via the internet and talked on the phone and then finally met in person. I knew from the first time I met her that there was something special about her and I am glad she is in my life.

I love you honey!

Changes

So last week I shipped my dialysis machine back. Friday the company picked up all of the supplies. Saturday we went out of town for a quick overnight trip. It was weird but good to check into a hotel or go somewhere without having to plan about worrying about where to plug in the machine, packing up all of the supplies, etc. I am enjoying this.

Hockey Season Again

Two home pre-season games already. Man have I missed hockey season. Wednesday night there was nobody at the game so we sat next to the ice. You can really see things like the way the puck bounces on the ice. Unfortunately sitting that close you do miss some stuff and cant see the whole rink.

Yesterday's game we brought some friends as we had extra tickets (they have a hard time filling the seats to pre-season games so they give freebies away). We sat in our new regular seats. Like them a lot.

My mom will soon be going with us to her first hockey game. That will be interesting I am sure.

Hockey Season Again

Two home pre-season games already. Man have I missed hockey season. Wednesday night there was nobody at the game so we sat next to the ice. You can really see things like the way the puck bounces on the ice. Unfortunately sitting that close you do miss some stuff and cant see the whole rink.

Yesterday's game we brought some friends as we had extra tickets (they have a hard time filling the seats to pre-season games so they give freebies away). We sat in our new regular seats. Like them a lot.

My mom will soon be going with us to her first hockey game. That will be interesting I am sure.

Hockey and Kidney

Thrashers Hockey Saves A Life What would you be willing to do to save the life of a family member? A friend? An acquaintance? How about a complete stranger? By Ben Wright Two years ago Thrashers fan Andy Freeman got some startling news: his kidneys were failing and he was in need of a kidney transplant. He immediately began going to a clinic three times a week for hemodialysis, a three-to-four hour process that involved having his blood removed from his body, cleaned, and filtered back into his system. Time consuming and tiring - not to mention inconvenient for someone who works - hemodialysis was a temporary solution. After five months of it Andy switched to peritoneal dialysis, a procedure which could be done at home while he slept. Most importantly, as he put it with a laugh, it allowed him to eat and drink almost anything he wanted, as long as he watched his sodium intake. At the same time he was placed on the transplant list to receive a kidney. Each year in Georgia approximately 300 kidney transplants are performed, but there are more than 1500 people on the waiting list and the list keeps growing. Faced with a lengthy wait Andy got to work looking for a donor on his own. Andy Freeman and Brandi Shaw the day before transplant surgery One by one family, friends, and acquaintances went and got tested, but for one reason or another none of them made it through a rigorous organ donor screening process that involves a whole lot more than medical exams. Some came close, but none of them were approved as suitable donors for Andy. As he continued his search for a donor Andy went on with his life, working as a government lobbyist and keeping up with the Thrashers. As long-time casual fans Andy and his wife had been to many games with friends and co-workers, but when it came time for the 2005-06 Thrashers season they opted to get a ticket package of their own. Little did they know that immersing themselves in Thrashers hockey would be a life-saving experience. As he geared up for the season Andy searched the Internet for a Thrashers message board that suited his taste where he could talk hockey and get to know some fellow fans. As a result he became friends with many members of the Nasty Nest fan site. Known for being loud and rambunctious, the group shared Andy's passion for the Thrashers, even though the Freeman's seats weren't with the rest of the group. Through his interaction with his new-found friends it became known that Andy was looking for a kidney donor. On a whim he set his message board signature to say "Does anyone have an extra kidney they can give me?" That's where Brandi Shaw comes in. The Ohio native and mother of two girls had been in Atlanta for the better part of 13 years, and was becoming a first-time ticket plan holder. Brandi's husband Doug met Andy while watching a Thrashers road game with some other Nasty Nest members at a local sports restaurant. They spoke on a few occasions and Doug became familiar with Andy's plight. A short time later Brandi saw Andy's signature on the message boards and asked her husband if Andy really needed a kidney. When she found out that he was indeed looking for a donor she casually asked her husband to find out what Andy's blood type was. Lo and behold, they were a match. After meeting Andy at a Thrashers game, Brandi talked to him about his situation and asked about the process for finding out if she was a suitable donor. Surprised that someone he barely knew would be willing to make such a sacrifice, Andy explained how it worked, all the while telling Brandi she was under no pressure to go through with anything. Determined to help, Brandi went through the screening process even though conventional wisdom said the odds of being a perfect match for a non-relative were astronomical. At each stage Andy reconciled himself to the possibility Brandi would be ruled out, much like the more than 20 people who had been screened before her. Amazingly, Brandi cleared each hurdle, passed each test, and in early July she was declared a suitable transplant candidate. On August 16, with the full support of their spouses and families, Andy Freeman and Brandi Shaw checked into Piedmont Hospital's transplant wing. The next day Brandi gave Andy, a complete stranger just ten months before, an absolutely priceless gift. "For somebody that you don't even know, for them to be willing to do that - it's absolutely phenomenal," said Andy a week after the surgery. "There are a lot of people that offer to be a donor but most of them never go through with it. We'd only met once, so I didn't really think she was going to go through with it. But the more I got to know her, the more I thought it could happen." Not one to get his hopes up after so many disappointments, Andy didn't let himself really believe that he was finally going to receive the life-saving gift of Brandi's kidney until the entire screening process was completed in early July. At each step Andy and the doctors reminded Brandi that she was under no obligation to go through with the surgery. As she recalled, "Even as I was being wheeled off to surgery one of the nurses said I could still call it off. I told her it was too late. I was too prepped to not go ahead with it." Buoyed by the support of their families, friends, and fellow Thrashers fans, Brandi and Andy are well on their way to full recoveries and the transplanted kidney is fully functional inside its new host. Brandi beat Andy out of the hospital by a few hours on August 21 and returned to work as a teacher after Labor Day. Andy's recovery will take a little while longer as his body adjusts to being able to clean its own blood rather than depend on dialysis as it has for the last two years. As luck would have it, Andy was cleared to resume driving and other normal activities on September 14 - just in time for the beginning of Thrashers training camp, which he took in on September 15. Garnet Exelby poses with Brandi and Andy. On September 17 The Shaw and Freeman families were special guests of Garnet Exelby at the practice facility in Duluth. Exelby had heard about Andy and Brandi's incredible story and called them shortly after their surgeries to invite them up to training camp. After practice on Sunday the big defenseman gave the Freemans and Shaws a behind-the-scenes tour of the practice facility, giving them a glimpse of the day-to-day operations of the Thrashers, and stopping to pose for occasional pictures. The group also had a chance to meet Coach Bob Hartley and forward Jimmy Slater, both of whom had heard about the transplant and were excited to see Andy and Brandi back in action and ready for the 2006-07 Thrashers season. L-R: Coach Bob Hartley, Jimmy Slater, Emily Freeman, Brandi Shaw, Emma Shaw, Andy Freeman, Garnet Exelby, Mary Shaw, Doug Shaw While the surgery marked what everyone hopes is the end of a long and arduous process for Andy and Brandi, it's also the beginning of an exciting period for both of their families. Before being diagnosed with kidney failure Andy had done some work with the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia. Now he is on their board of directors and working to raise awareness and funds for the group. As a fortuitous side effect, the screening process that eliminated several potential donors helped them discover that they had health issues of their own they needed to deal with, including hypertension and diabetes. Had it not been for the screening process those conditions may have gone undetected for a longer period. Brandi's incredible act of compassion has opened the door for her and her husband Doug to spread the word about being a living organ donor. It has also led to people approaching them to inquire about ways that they can get involved with the National Kidney Foundation. As Doug put it, "So many incredible things have come out of this experience. After seeing the whole process and the impact it has had on us and on Andy and his family, I want to do everything I can to help other people. If I was medically able to give an organ, I'd do it." For more information about being a kidney donor please consult the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia website. Photos provided by Mary Jane Crewe Garnet Exelby signs Mary Shaw's jersey as her father and sister look on. Exelby shows his guests around the Duluth training facility. Exelby answers a question from Mary Shaw in the thrashers training room. The Freemans, Shaws and Garnet Exelby joke with Jimmy Slater about his video game rating. Ben Wright is the Web site Assistant for the Atlanta Thrashers.

Thanks

This is my last couple of days before I get back out in public and before I drive. Everything is going great post-transplant and I have many people to thank for that. I feel like I just won an Oscar, so before the music starts because I am rambling too long let me get these thank you's out.

First, my donor. Unless you have been through this, you cant imagine the gratitude that I have for this person. A year ago, we had never met and now I have a part of her in me, working to keep my alive. She and her family are special people. I know I have said this before, but I am glad we have gotten to know each other, even if it hadnt worked out for me to get a kidney.

The Hospital. Although you never really enjoy a hospital stay, I can say that my stay during my transplant was probably the best stay I have ever had in a hospital. They are truly centered around the patient and their needs. Mad props also to the doctors, nurses and staff that oversaw my transplant and are working to keep me healthy post transplant.

Friends, family and people I dont know. From my hospital stay through now, I have had more calls, cards, emails and visits than I can count. One friend from college drove a couple of hours from a neighboring state just to visit me while I was in the hospital. Letters from people I dont know have made their way to me including my sister's county commissioner 4 hours and another state away. He has never met me but somehow he knew to send me a card (now if he would just return a constituent's call from my sister...). I even got an email from the doctor that performed the first kidney transplant in GA 40 years ago. My parents have spent a couple of days a week with me for the last couple of weeks to help around the house and to take me to the Doctor. All of these have meant a lot to me and my wife.

The Atlanta Thrashers. I met my donor through hockey and the local NHL team found out about our story and have been good to us. One of their players called when we got out of the hospital to check in on us. More stuff is coming but I will wait to give details...

My wife. Obviously when we married 3 years ago, my wife didnt envision that any of this would be part of our daily lives. Even though our lives have been changed and certain plans put on hold, she has been a source of strength to me throughout this entire process. I know it hasnt been easy on her, but I am forever grateful for the strength and love she has shown me.

Randomness

So the surgery went well and things are looking great.

Watched a lot of the Little League World Series while in the hospital and since I have been home. Mostly been a defensive series since they moved the outfield fence back this year. I watched a no-hitter pitched by a 12 year old the other night. Wow!!! This is what baseball should be about. I like minor league ball cause the players are trying to make it to the majors and giving it their all (as are the little leaguers) but I dont always feel that major leaguers are giving it their all and are more interested in making their millions but that is just me. One kid playing in the Little League series was 6'8" at 13 years old, who played for the Saudi Arabian team. I think his dad is an American working in the oil fields.

Speaking of series, I also got to watch some of the World Series of Poker main event this week. I was excited to see my least favorite pro, Phil Hellmuth, lose early on the first day. Hellmuth likes to say that he is the best no limit player ever so to watch him have to have a big heaping helping of crowe early on was awesome. He would get a pair of 10's and someone at the table would have a pair of Jacks. Queens for Phil and somebody at the table would have pocket rockets. The winner of the main event this year took home around $12 million.

My dogs were excited to see me when I got home from the hospital. They missed their daddy. The little girl likes to jump up on me but she hasnt this week. It is weird, but the dogs sense that something is wrong and are protecting me.

Getting kinda tired of chicken. It seems that everybody that has brought something over to the house has brought some kind of chicken dish. My donor is experiencing the same thing. It's not that we are ungrateful for people thinking of us, it's just that we getting kinda tired of chicken.

Today I received a phone call from a player from the Atlanta Thrashers, Garnett Exelby. X is ranked as the #2 defenseman in the NHL and just wanted to call and wish me well. I will give more details later after my donor gets her call. Seems she didnt recognize the phone number when he called and so she didnt answer it. Instead she got a great voicemail promising a return phone call this week.

Like the Week Before Christmas

So, if you know me you know that this is a BIG week for me. Thursday I am set for a kidney transplant. You have no idea how excited I am. And just like when you are a little tyke and Christmas is getting near, I am finding it hard to sleep at night.

I am not worried or nervous about the surgery. I have talked to people that have had the operation so I know what to expect. The hospital that I am having the surgery has a better than normal record for surgical success and my surgeon is one of the tops in the country for kidney transplants.

As the surgery gets closer I keep thinking about some of the changes that will soon be happening. Today I had what I hope is one of the last shots of epogin that I will have to have for sometime (I have had to take a shot a week for almost 2 years as a part of being a dialysis patient). I only have 2 more times to do dialysis (even though I do PD and it is far better than Hemo, I hate having to have my life revolve around my machine).

I am amazed at the kindness of strangers. I have gotten a lot of prayers and well wishes from people that I barely know but that pales in comparsion to my donor; I mean we had only met once or maybe twice before she expressed an interest in seeing if she was a match or not. Now, they are like a second family. They are great people that I am glad I have gotten to know, even if there wasnt a kidney involved.

Soon my life is going to change in a big way. Soon I will be able to lead an almost normal life for the first time in almost two years. I know I will have to take a ton of pills for the rest of my life and that there will be things I cant do that I have enjoyed in my past, but to be able to live an almost normal life is a great thing that I am looking forward to.

I know that the odds are that I will have to have at least one more transplant in my lifetime but I am thankful for the life I have had and the life I have yet to live.

Sidewalks

When the wife and I bought our house, one of the big selling points was the sidewalks that connect the entire subdivision. Too bad most of the residents dont use them.

It doesnt matter what time of day or day of the week people will walk in the middle of the road. Young or old, male or female it doesnt matter. The other day I was coming home and a father was busy teaching his toddler how to ride a tricycle. Were they on the sidewalk? No. Were they in their driveway? No. Sidestreet? No. They were in the middle of the main road of our subdivision and the father look perturbed that I was interrupting them.

I dont get it. I really dont. Unfortunately it is likely that one day someone in our subdivision is going to be injured because of the volume of people that never use the sidewalks.

Happy Camper

Today I went out with some folks from the Kidney Foundation to Camp Twin Lakes. The camp is a camp exclusively for kids with special needs. It is about an hour east of Atlanta. Various groups use the camp for a weekend or a week for camp. This week was the Kidney Foundation's Camp Independence for kids on dialysis, with chronic kidney disease, or have had a kidney or other kind of transplant.

The camp has everything that kids would want. It has horses, a ropes course, fishing, arts and crafts, swimming pool with water slide, archery, mini-golf, tennis, boats, and many other things. Everything is wheelchair accessible. There is also an infirmary where the kids go for hemodialysis if they are on it.

It was great watching over 100 kids be kids. They didnt have to worry about being different. They didnt have to worry about what they can and cant eat. They boys could take off their shirts and swim without having to worry what the other kids would think about their scars or if they were a little puffy from taking steroids.

Overall, I really enjoyed going out to the camp and the whole experience.

Where Were You When...

In all of our lives there are events that sears itself in our memories. I vividly remember when I first learned of the first space shuttle disaster. I can tell you where I was, who I was with and what I was doing. Our parents remember when Kennedy was shot in the same way.

I also remember the first time I saw my niece, the first time I met my wife and when I proposed to her. I remember vividly the way my wife looked at our wedding. I remember just staring at her throughout the ceremony.

Yesterday I had an event happen to me that I will forever remember the details surrounding it. As most of you know, about 2 years ago I ound out that my kidneys had shut down. Yesterday I received a call from someone that matched as a donor and now we are trying to set up a date for the surgery to occur.

It's a small world

When I was growing up, it seemed whenever we would go on a vacation of some kind we would run into someone we knew. Usually it was my dad that would run into a former student of his or someone he went to college with. One time at Disneyworld we were waiting in line for something and dad started talking to the couplein front of us. Dad kept saying that the husband looked familiar. Long story short, the husband was the child of a couple of people he had taught when he was doing his student teaching and somehow dad could see the family resemblence.

When my wife and I started dating we went to a baseball game. We had a little wager on who would run into people they knew first. She thought she would run into some of her students or other fellow teachers. The game hadn't even started and I had ran into like 4 or 5 people I knew including a security guard and one of the beer guys.

Last weekend we took a long weekend away. Saturday we were walking down the street in Gatlinburg and I look up and see a wife of a cousin. We talked for a while and my cousin came up while we were talking. Monday we were checking into a hotel in Cherokee, NC and we ran into a woman that just retired from where my wife teaches. It was too surreal.

It's your fault

The other night wifey and I went out to grab a bite to eat. The first place was closed (unfotunately they have weird hours). We ended up going to an Asian themed restuarant. It is an all you can eat buffett place with a twist.

You pick up a bowl at what looks like a salad bar. You decide on type of noodles or rice. Next you pick out your vegetables and sauces. They had probably 15 sauces to choose from and even tell you what they are made from in case you have allergies or dietary concerns. Next you grab a small bowl and pick out your meat (or tofu) and then what you want to season the meat. Finally you drop it off at the grill where the cooks stir fry it and then your waiter brings it to your table when it is done.

If you arent good at picking out what would taste good together then it is your fault that your meal isnt tasty. Then again, it is all you can eat so you can keep experimenting until you find what you like.

Of course there are ice cream places that are similar to this. You pick out a flavor and then select various toppings to be combined with your ice cream. Unfortunately the ice cream places that do this arent all you can eat so pick carefully...

Long Blog

This blog may be a little longer than most of mine and it wont be just one train of thought.

Memorial Day weekend my sister and her family came down to my parents, and more importantly this gave me a chance to see my niece. She is almost 4 and a half. After we had eaten dinner, we were picking at her asking her about her boyfriends (she once told us that she would be married by the time she was 5 so we were checking to see if we needed to start planning...). She listed off several boys but then she declared that I was her mostest favorite boyfriend. I am a lucky man.

Memorial Day, wifey and I went to see some minor league hockey. A local team was in the championships of their league. While waiting in line to buy tickets, a friend spotted us. He had extra tickets to a suite that a client had given him. So we went into the suite and enjoyed the free refreshments. I enjoy minor league baseball and I used to enjoy the minor league hockey team that Atlanta had (the Knights) but this wasnt fun to watch. The skating and the passing was horrible and these were the top 2 teams in the league. The officiating was horrible, too. They had ads on the loud speakers it seemed almost every 30 seconds. The funniest thing was that the majority of the adds were for dentists...

Last night, I went with a friend and his wife to see 38 Special. It was at a small outdoor venue near my house. Edgar Winters was the opening act. I worked radio while in college. I remember Edgar but I couldnt place any songs and after last night I still dont remember any of his songs. 38 is made up of most of the original members; Donnie Van Zandt is still the lead singer but Don Barnes is still the guy that sings most of the songs. I know that is confusing but that is how it is. The show was great. After the show I got to meet Edgar Winters... During the show, my friend and I came up with a list of things you have to have if your last name is Van Zandt and you sing for a band:
1) Your last name has to end with "NNIE" as in Johnnie, Donnie, and Ronnie. Somewhere out there is probably a Bonnie, Connie or Lonnie Van Zandt...
2) You have to have long, stringy, dirty blonde hair
3) You have to have a beard. (This maybe difficult if there is a Connie or Bonnie...)
4) You have to wear a dark colored, long sleeve shirt untucked. The shirt also needs to be unbuttoned to the navel.
5) You have to wear a black cowboy hat.
6) If you dont have a guitar strapped around you, you have to pace the stage while holding the mic stand at all times.
You may not find the humor or truth in the above statements but if you have ever seen 38 Special or Lynard Skynard, you will understand.

Who thought that up?

I have participated in focus groups before. Last year while in Vegas, the wife and I participated in a focus group on tv shows. We had been walking around and were approached to come into the ac, drink some soft drinks, watch some tv and get paid. We watched several shows that were supposedly coming soon to tv (I have yet to see any of them since then).

I remember when I was a kid I got paid at a mall to look at movie posters for some upcoming movies and determine which was the best poster for each film.

Lots of companies (and even would be politicians) use focus groups to determine if an idea is a good one or not. I bring this up because of something I have seen that I find hard to believe that any real thought was put into it or the public's approval was even sought.

KFC is advertising a lot on the Stanley Cup playoffs. They have a new menu item that they are pushing. Whenever this ad is on, I have to turn the channel. They take mashed potatoes, add a layer of corn and then some chicken nuggets. That is topped with gravy and then a layer of cheese. Are they serious? WHO EATS THIS STUFF? It looks sooooo disgusting.

Helping Out

I have found an easy way to help out charities and hope that you will help out, too. It is with GoodSearch. You use GoodSearch.com like any other search engine - the site is powered by Yahoo! - but each time you do, money is generated for charities. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to www.goodsearch.com

2. Type NKF GA into the “I support” box and click on “verify”

3. Search the Internet just like you would with any search engine

4. Since GoodSearch shares its advertising revenue with charities and schools, everytime you search the Internet at GoodSearch, you’ll be earning money for the National Kidney Foundation of Georgia.

GoodSearch also has a toolbar you can download from the homepage so that you can search right from the top of your browser, whether you use Internet Explorer or Firefox. This is how I do it as it makes it so much easier.

You can keep track of our estimated earnings by clicking on “amount raised” once you designate Kidney Foundation as your organization of choice. The more people who use the site, the more money the National Kidney Foundation will earn to find ways to prevent or maybe one day cure kidney failure, so please spread the word!!

Tea

I love tea. I was raised in the south so of course I love tea. It has to be sweet and over ice. When drinking regular or table tea, I like it with a lemon but prefer a lime.

Several years ago(about 12 or 13) I went to England for about 8 or 9 days with my sister. There was a mad cow scare going on at the time so we ate a lot of lamb. Now I like lamb but after eating it for 2 meals a day for a week, I got tired of it.

While in England I had a lot of tea. I really developed an appreciation for tea. I came home from that trip and bought all of the things needed to make a proper glass of tea. After a while, good tea was something I only made for special occasions because it took way too long to make it the correct way. I would enjoy it at Starbucks (since I dont drink coffee) on occasion.

Recently my wife and I were out shopping. We stopped in a tea store so I could buy a glass of good tea. They had a tea maker for sale that after seeing in action, I had to buy. It made making a proper glass of tea easy and quick. So I purchased one and some loose leaf tea. Last week I bought some more loose leaf tea to enjoy.

I am glad to rediscover the joys of a good glass of tea.

Television

I have been watching the NHL Stanley cup playoffs for the last couple of weeks. I wish that my team had made the playoffs but I still like watching the games. I have Center Ice on our cable which allows me to watch the games that are not on NBC and OLN. These games are also broadcast by one of the teams playing so you get to watch tv and ads from other parts of the US and Canada. The commercials ran elsewhere are different than the ones ran here.

KFC doesnt use "Sweet Home Alabama" as the music in their ads they run in Canada. Which reminds me, why would they use that song here? Sweet Home Alabama doesnt mention chicken or Kentucky (the K in KFC).

Wendy's has a special Carolina Classic burger that they sell in North Carolina that they dont sell here or probably anywhere else. It has coleslaw and BBQ sauce on it. The picture they show on the ad does not look too appetizing either.

Give Life Month

April is organ donation awareness month sometimes reffered to as Give Life month. Last week I attended an event at the state capitol. They use this gathering to honor donors and families of donors here in Georgia. It was a very moving and emotional ceremony. The following poem was read at the event.

To Remember Me - I will live forever Robert N. Test The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital; busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed. Let it be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman.

Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.

Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.

Give my kidneys to the one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.

Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

Explore every corner of my brain.

Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain agianst her window.

Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.

If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weakness and all prejudice against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil.

Give my soul to God.

If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

Robert N. Test

Q

I love good BBQ. I love the smokey flavor. I love tomato and mustard based sauces. Every now and then I even like the Carolina vinegar style. I have even had white BBQ sauce and found it ok.

A few years ago, I learned that there is another style of sauce. I have only found it near where we live and that is the Worstershire based sauce. I dont mean using just a little worstershire for flavor (not that I like that either) but I am talking where it is the dominant ingredient of the sauce. Easily over 50+% of the sauce. I dont understand this nor do I really like it.

There used to be a BBQ place near our house but it is not there anymore. I went a few times but wasnt a big fan of it (despite the raves of locals) because of their Worstershire sauce. After I realized that they had other sauces but you just had to specify what you wanted (otherwise you got the worst sauce.... literally), I decided that it was decent que and went several times until it closed.

Last week I made ribs. I made my own rub and my own sauce. It was tomato based. Initially it was sweet to the taste but after you swallowed you had a nice little bite of spice and heat, but not too much. It was one of my favorite sauces I have ever made. MMmmmm. I am getting hungry now.

Lifelong Dream

Charlie Brown said it best: "There are three things in life that people like to
stare at: a flowing stream, a crackling fire, and a Zamboni clearing the ice."  

Last night I fullfilled a lifelong dream; I got to ride a Zamboni. You know,
the machine that resurfaces the ice at hockey games in between periods.
As a kid I would see Snoopy riding the Zamboni in the comics and I would
think "How coolwould that be?" Years later I was working at a record store
when one of the Mighty Ducks movies came out and I was given a
soundtrack to the movie. On that cassette was a song by the Gear Daddies
 entitled, "I want to drive the Zamboni." I loved that song and still know
all of the words.

I learned a few things 1) no drink holders on the Zamboni 2) You have to
 sign a 2 page release to ride 3)the front  part of the Zamboni holds the ice
that has been scraped up. When the Zamboni has done its job, it goes to
the back and hydraulics lift the "hood" so that the ice falls out into a bin
where it melts 4) they dont think it is a good idea to have a snowball fight
with the shaved ice.

The fact that the Thrashers won last night putting the playoffs within reach
 was just the icing on the cake. 

The Kids, Traveling, and the Captain

Several weeks ago the wife was out of town. Our two dogs normally follow her around whenever she is here but after that weekend, her dog is now officially a daddy's girl. When we are watching tv she hops up into my lap. When we go to bed she snuggles up to me for the night. And whenever we have thunder, it is her daddy that is able to protect her. I like having a little girl.

Last week the wife and I took a little vacation. We flew to Miami and rented a car to drive to Key West. Other than booking a place to stay, we made no plans. It was great to unwind and relax with no real schedule. We ate a lot of seafood and some cuban food. I had some key lime pie (wifey doesnt care for key lime) that was incredible. We found a great little place that makes a lot of different crepes and it became our breakfast place for the trip. On the way home we stopped in Key Largo for lunch with an old friend of mine and her fiancee (whom I had never met). The restaurant we met them at had tables set up on a beautiful beach overlooking the ocean while a guy played some steel drums. It was easy to see why some people go to the keys every year, or as my friend did, go for a vacation and never leave.

One of the things we did while in Key West was to go meet Captain Tony. Who is he you might ask. He is the imbodiment of every Jimmy Buffett song you have ever heard. As a matter of fact, go look at the lyrics for Last Mango in Paris and you will see that this particular song is all about him. Captain Tony is pushing 90. He has 13 kids ranging in age from 11 to 54. He was Mayor of Key West at one time. He allegedly made a living as a smuggler for a while. He also owns a bar that was the original location for Sloppy Joes for most of the time that Ernest Hemingway was drinking there while in Key West. We were just walking by and saw him in his bar and stopped by to take photos with him. My picture is kinda plain. The one with wifey he has a big smile.

While we were gone, we left the dogs with their usual sitter. They must have played hard while they were there as they slept all day Sunday after we picked them up.

Old Friend About to Move Across the Pond

Sunday I went to a goodbye party for a friend. I hadnt seen her in forever and it was good to see her and meet her husband before they move to England.

She hired me years ago and became like an older sister to me. She decided she wanted something new and packed up and moved to DC a couple of years after I had worked for her. She had no job lined up but it didnt take her long to find something. I always admired her for doing that. We have always stayed in touch and I used to see her when I was traveling to DC a lot.

I was always a little upset at my fellow males of the world since she was single for so long. Not that she needed a man to make her life complete or anything but you see a smart, beautiful, funny woman that isnt in a long term relationship and you wonder what is wrong with the men of this world. After meeting her husband, I know that he is the right man for her and was worth the wait.

He was born and raised in England. They met in Miami where they both were on business. He flew from London to DC to date her on weekends. Wow!!! He took a job transfer to Connencticut so that he could be a lot closer to her and see if it would work out and it did. Now they are moving to London for a few years. Bad news is I wont see her for a while but the good news is the wife and I have a reason to go to England and a place to stay. Maybe after I get a transplant we might go see them.

At her going away party, I also got to see someone else I had worked with. She is a stay at home mom with two beautiful daughters (5 and 2). Always great to catch up with old friends.

Dinner and Idol

Last night a friend was in town and we decided to get up a group and go eat dinner. A friend suggested a new place and we all met up. What our friend didnt share is that this new place (the restaurant has 2 other locations that have been around for awhile) was having a VIP grand opening last night. We get there and we are seated in a crowded dining room with local celebs and elected officials. I wont mention any specific names but it was quite a gathering. Our waitier had the distinct pleasure of telling us our meal was comped. WOW!!! A great time was had by all including some phone calls and ribbing to those that were too busy to make it out last night...

We get home and the end of American Idol was on. They were singing Stevie Wonder songs. I love Stevie. He is a musical genius you know. One of the rocker guys was singing "Higher Ground" and the judges went wild. "You took that and made it your own!" was the universal sentiment of the judges. Evidentially the judges have never heard the 1989 release of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers version of this song. In other words, he didnt really "make it his own"... I still enjoyed it, but was shocked that they seemed to not know what he was doing.

Tunes

Whenever I am down, stressed or just need a pick me up I like to buy some new cds. Tonight after dinner wifey and I went to pick up some new music, as well as a copy of Walk the Line. Boy were we in for a surprise.

Normally when you go to a record store (unless it is a small, independent store) the staff is not very knowledgable about music. You could ask where to find the most popular artist and they will stare blankly at you like they have never heard of the singer. God help you if you ask for something obscure. This was not the case tonight. We had a guy that knew his music. He knew when stuff was coming out. He could look at the variety of stuff I had selected and suggest some others that work out. We will definitely be going back to this store...

When I was a kid (and even now) I like to watch Austin City Limits on PBS. They have had a virtual who's who in music appear on their program over the years. Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ray Charles, Robert Randolph, Johnny Cash, B.B. King, and lots of others. After years, they have finally gotten smart and started releasing some of the show's performances on DVD and CD. This is something I always thought they should do and now they are doing it. They have release 5 or 6 artists right now with plans to release another 15 or so in the near future.

I also picked up Matisyahu's live album tonight. I heard about him a few months ago but finally broke down and got his album tonight (he has a studio album coming out this Tuesday). WOW!!! Matisyah is reggae album with a hasidic jew spitting out the rhymes, chanting, rapping, or whatever you want to call it. The lyrics are very positive and spiritual. Man, this has got to be one of my favorite albums of the year. You have really got to check it out.



Editor's Note: The link above for Austin City Limits is the site for the show and music festival. This link will take you to the CDs and DVDs that are currently released. There are more released than the 5 or 6 I was told. They have a neat feature that allows you to watch some of the DVDs that have been released.

Top Jimmy

I like to do unusual things. If I am buying a gift for somebody, I want it to be something unique.

A couple of years ago I was trying to think of something unique to do for my parents and ended up with a good idea. On a Father's day, my parents and I got up early and drove to Plains, Georgia. We went to Maranatha Baptist Church and sat in a sunday school class taught by former President Jimmy Carter.

It was truly a memorable event! What was weird is that there was several friends of mine that were there to without knowing that they were coming. After Sunday School and then the worship service, we waited in line with everybody else to have our picture made with President and Mrs. Carter.

I think it was Walter Cronkite that said it best, "Jimmy Carter is the only man to use the office of the Presidency to go on to greater things." It seems, sadly, that most former Presidents are more concerned with seeing how much money they can make than to continue with their public service.

The trip with my parents to Plains has been on my mind as I am currently reading Carter's new book, Our Endangered Values. It is taking me longer to read than it should as I have a lot of work related items to read right now but I am enjoying stealing a few minutes here and there to read Values. I highly recommend it.

Dinner Guest

There is a group of us that try to get together to eat and share stories at least once a year. Last night we got together with some special guests. Significant others were invited for the first time in a long time and wifey showed up after night class. We also had a celebrity join us with his wife; Ben Jones best known for his portrayel of Cooter on the Dukes of Hazzard in the late 70's and early 80's.

I have known Ben for several years. I met him first in 1994 when he was running for Congress against Newt Gingrich. He lost that year but he had been in Congress for 2 terms before that, which was the subject of a lot of his stories last night. Ben and his wife were in town for a car show, which I plan to be at tomorrow.

I cant remember all of the stories told last night but I do remember the laughter, the bonding, and finally the solving of some of the world's problems. The manager kept going by our table trying to figure out who was the person sitting in the middle. I dont know if he ever figured it out or not.

As we were leaving, we had to wait for the valet to bring our cars up. When he was bringing mine he asked what it was like to know Cooter. "The same as knowing anybody else I guess." Turns out this young black man is a big Cooter fan. He had recognized Ben when he got out of the car at the start of the dinner and had called his girlfriend to come bring a camera. As I was getting in the car to drive away, he was stammering through asking Ben if it was alright to have his picture made with him. Of course Ben was delighted.

Olympic break

Yesterday we watched some of the women's hockey games. WOW!! After a Thrashers game several weeks ago there was a lady's hockey game that we stayed for. It was boring. Most of the girls couldnt skate. Most couldnt handle the puck. There was some that could play pretty well but the majority of the players looked like I probably would on the ice (lots of falling down). This was not the case with the Olympics women hockey. They were quick. They were handling the puck very well. Team USA won 6-0 yesterday. Team Canada 16-0 over Italy. I cant wait for the gold medal match between these two teams.

Olympic men's hockey doesnt start for another couple of days. We watched the Thrashers last night at a sports bar since the game was only on satellite and not on local tv. I am looking forward to watching Team Russia during the Olympics. They will have the NHL's top scorer and the NHL's top rookie which should make for a fun to watch team.

Also yesterday, we went to the Atlanta Art House. Around 20+ galleries in Atlanta overly decorated a new, huge mansion. Probably over 5000 sq ft. The house was pretty and set up well for entertaining. The art was for the most part incredible (I dont get "art" that is a stack of paint can lids painted and glued together). Good day spent doing nothing with the wife.

In 1996, Atlanta hosted the Olympics. I regret that I was unable to go to any of the events due to a chaotic work schedule at that time. I hope one day to be able to go to an Olympics. I dont care if it is Summer or Winter but I would want to go to events that are indoors. I dont do too well with extreme hot or extreme cold...

Satellites

Tuesday I has to have my car serviced. I ended up with a loaner car that I returned Wednesday a.m. No satellite radio. I had to listen to commercial radio. I had forgotten how many commercials you have to listen to. 6 minutes of songs followed by 15 minutes of commercials. I was miserable and very glad to get my vehicle back.

Today XM radio announced that Oprah is going to have her own channel with some of her friends. That is huge... and yet some people say satellite radio wont last. HAHHAHAHAHA

Lucky Me

So I may not be lucky with my health but the rest of my life seems to know lady luck pretty well.

Last night we went with some newly engaged friends to a hockey game. The Thrashers Foundation was selling signed pucks for charity. Every puck was signed by a Thrasher. If it was signed in gold, you got to meet that player and have your picture made with him after that night's game. I asked if there was any gold signed pucks left at the table I was at and was told that there was still one left. I bought two pucks and of course, the first one I chose was signed in gold. It was the team's enforcer, Eric Boulton. He had also been one of my dealers at Thrasher's casino night and has a wicked sense of humor.

Our friends show up for the game and we asked if they were doing anything after the game. We filled them in on what I had won and they were pretty excited. After the game (which we won) we went to a waiting area. About 8 players came up after they had showered and put on street clothes (all suits). We had our picture made and talked to Eric for a while (complimenting his fight from Tuesday, how the team has been doing lately, etc.). He was quick to praise a teammate that had gotten into a fight Friday night.

We hung out and our friends collected autographs from all of the players that showed up (I didnt get any autographs as I already have the whole team on a pennet and some of my favorites on a jersey or on some trading cards). What a great time!

Long Weekend

Yesterday was a holiday for a lot of people which made it a long weekend.

Friday was hockey with friends. Saturday was a charity casino night for the Atlanta Thrashers Foundation. Sunday was get up early and go to the aquarium with my niece. Yesterday was a day to run errands and do a little dreaming.

The hockey was fun as always but the Thrashers barely beat the worst team in the NHL. That doesnt make you feel to good, but hey, a win is a win, right? One step closer to the playoffs... At every game, the Thrashers have a raffle. A winner is drawn and they get half of the money raised. The other half is split between the Thrashers Foundation and another charity. The chairty Friday is a group that takes dogs to hospitals in the Atlanta area. They brought some of the dogs with them which meant lots of people petting dogs. It also meant my dogs were jealous when we got home as they could smell that we had pet another doggie.

Casino night was a blast. Wifey and I bought mystery bags when we first got there, choosing bag numbers to correspond with 2 of our favorite players. We won: Thrasher tickets, Hawks tickets, signed 8x10 pics of a couple hockey players, signed Illya Kovalchuk puck in a display case, restaurant gift certificates, weekend stay at an upscale hotel, a nice cd player, a wooden case with Thrasher logo poker cards, and some other stuff. We had pictures made with several of the players who were also dealers that night. You started off with 1500 play chips (but you could reload throughout the night). I ended the night with around 60k chips. You got a raffle ticket for every thousand chips you had at the end of the night. They raffled off a big screen tv and other prizes. A silent auction with tons of stuff and a live auction with several big items (including a trip to an away game with the team on their airplane). We didnt bid on any of those items. Food was good. And the new Thrasher ice cream (blue cream de menthe with white chocolate chips) was delish!

My niece is 4 and we gave her a trip to aquarium for Christmas. She has been excited about it for weeks. She had a good time

Yesterday, after running some errands we went and looked at new houses. No we are not planning to move anytime soon. We just like to go look at houses and get ieas from them. One we went in had a closet that is bigger than our current bedroom.

Hockey, a Road Trip, and Satellites

Friday night was Hockey night. We went to the game and the Thrashers won. The Penguins rallied in the third period but still came up short, especially after #17 Illya Kovalchuk became the leading scorer in the NHL with his hattrick.

Atlanta has gotten some attention in the hockey world recently. They are on a great win streak and playing incredible. Last Monday they destroyed the best team in the NHL, the Ottawa Senators 8-3. Ottawa's main scorer is a former Thrasher (Danny Heatley) and he was booed everytime he touched the puck. I wasnt at this game but I am not happy the way Heatley was treated.

Fridays game we gained attention for how Sid "the Kid" Crosby was supposedly treated. First, let me say the kid is a crybaby. Anytime he took a little check (which is legal) he would go cry to the officials. He couldnt handle the puck with out someone stealing it from him. He got checked by Kovalchuk and responded by using his stick as a weapon for which he got a penalty (called slashing). He slashed one of our Defensemen, breaking his stick in the process, and went into the penalty box again. 30 seconds later Kovalchuk scored and pointed at the penalty box where Crosby was sitting. Pittsburgh players and fans weren't too happy about that.

Saturday we went to Alabama. A coworker of wifey had a bad car wreck 10 days or so ago. He was in the passenger seat, the car hit a tree, he went through the seatbelt and out of the car. He is lucky to be alive and looks good but with 2 broken legs.

On the way to and from Alabama we listened to a couple of hockey games. I dont know why I am getting addicted to it, but I really love watching hockey but will tolerate listening to it. We got home and went to a sports bar to watch the Thrashers play the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Crybaby Crosby had 8 penalty minutes for slashing, tripping, diving, and an unsportsmanlike conduct. Pittsburgh fans booed Kovalchuk every time he touched the puck but two goals shut them up pretty quickly. Atlanta won again and are now 7th in the NHL East.

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.