Tickets Please

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

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

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

Snake heads and fish heads

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

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

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


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

You want me to what?

Two stories... real quick

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

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

What do you mean you are open?

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

Friends and the Fundraiser

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

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

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

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

Randomness

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

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

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

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

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

I guess it is real now

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

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

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

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


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

Satellite Radio

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

New News

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

The Times are a Changin

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

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

Bang your head

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

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

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

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

Picture Book

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

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

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

Another Delay

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

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

Congrats

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

Anyway, a big congrats to Josh for his win.

2nd Blog of the Day

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

Amatuer Hour on TV

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

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

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

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

A good read

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

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

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

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

PHIL SKINNER / AJC (ENLARGE)
PHIL SKINNER / Staff Cindy Gough needs a kidney and Pat Cusack was set to help; testing revealed a heart defect that required emergency surgery.
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR

Pat read about Cindy's problem a few years ago in The Georgia Bulletin, the newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, and he decided to be tested as an organ donor. The tests showed he was a match for Cindy — and that all four arteries to his heart were blocked. He had emergency open-heart surgery.

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

Both of them were bitterly disappointed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It wasn't a match.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mouths of Babes

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

Not Again

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

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

Back from Vacation

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

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

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

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

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

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





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

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