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| Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 | | 8:17 pm |
Gotta Play Fair
Digital_lorax , the guy who got me blogging in the first place (and a friend I have known for more than two decades), out this up, and a bit. So, to be fair, I need to do it too! so... Comment on this and I will... 1. Tell you why I friended you. 2. Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a color, a photo, a word etc. 3. Tell you something I like about you. 4. Tell you a memory I have of you. 5. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you. 6. Tell you my favorite user pic of yours. 7. In return, you must post this in your LJ. | | Saturday, April 12th, 2008 | | 1:20 pm |
Warren Theater Review
Sadly, not everyone reading this can go check out a Warren theater on their own. That's a shame, because it is by far the best movie experience I have had this decade. So much so that my wife and I will no longer be seeing movies anywhere else. Lj and I have tried the Warren twice now, and find it to be universally superior (well worth the extra time driving, and the premiujm tickets for viewing). The core idea behind the Warren theaters is to bring back the golden age of cinema viewing, and it strives toward this goal in a number of laudable ways. First, the theater itself is glorious in its Art Deco styling, with murals, carpets, and even chairs that harken back to a more luxurious time. Ushers in buttoned uniforms and gloves are prominently found at work, and in general seem to be held to a higher level of customer service (though perhaps they just find the uniform gives them some sense of pride in what they're doing.) The popcorn is adorned with real butter, rather than some flavored oil. Even the restrooms are nicer than a typical theater, which helps maintain the illusion of a grander time. There are also touches that are more than just prettier versions of a normal theater's accouterments. A small vestibule by the restrooms includes a fireplace with working fire (and comfortable, padded, benches, making waiting for the rest of your party a more relaxed affair). There is a small café with reasonable food at reasonable "event" prices. (Yes, it pricier than the food deserves, though we liked everything we got except the hamburger, which was not to our tastes. However, as a weekend event, and keeping in mind theater food is no bargain under the best of circumstances, we found the price good for a dinner-and-a-movie budget.) And as a bonus, you can get any food to go into the theaters. Prefer french fries and a shake to popcorn and a soda? Then the Warren is for you. Upstairs is a small 21-and-over lounge that serves alcoholic drinks in a movie-memorabilia atmosphere. We didn't spend much time there, but it is clearly comfortable and relaxed. We did wander around to look at the signed posters and similar items, and might well spend more time there on our next visit. I presume the drinks are priced at the event-bar rate, but again you can take them into the theater (though I believe only the balcony). If anyone needs it, there is an elevator to that level. Lj and I tried both the "normal" theater seating, and the luxury balcony seating. The balcony costs more ($12 matinee, $18 evenings, per ticket), and is, for us, worth every dollar. The seats are wide, genuinely comfortable, and heated. You get your own cup holder, and a small mobile table to put food on. There's a button you can press for more food to be brought, so if you run out of soda in Act Three, you can order more. Those theaters are equipped with cry rooms, so mothers with upset children can still see the movie without all of us being able to hear their children. And, again, the service was exemplary. The all-digital projectors are amazingly crisp, as is the THX-engineered sound. The theaters are even fully carpeted, which both makes them more comfortable for resting your feet on for 2+ hours, and acts as a clear promise to keep the theaters clean. If a movie is playing in one of the two balcony theaters, that's where Lj and I will see it. We also attended a "normal" theater, and found that experience worthwhile as well. The seats are not the luxury, heated affairs of the balconies, but they are big and well-cushioned. I am not a small man, but I found I could relax and use my own cupholder (often I block it with my considerable girth squeezed into a normal theater seat). A small touch I appreciated was the inclusion of a lit clock with the theater, which let me know how much time I had left before the movie began. And, when the movie did begin, there was nothing between the curtain going up and the previews. No rock videos. No ads for Fanta or Scions. There was no advertising at all within the theater. From the pleasant strains of music fron soundtracks, you hear the announcer, then the curtain goes up, then you see previews for a few coming attractions, then the main feature. That's it. Again, Lj and I have no need for any other theater. Even now, I am sure there are touches we appreciated I fail to recall. (For example, there is a game room with real air hockey.) I look forward to my next visit, so I can see what else there is to enjoy. Any movie is going to be better in the Warren, and I am committed to seeing this summer's blockbusters only there, even if that means seeing them on Thursday afternoons rather than weekends. You can check out the theater's web-site at: http://www.warrentheatres.com/ | | Saturday, March 1st, 2008 | | 3:32 pm |
SNL comment
I have a dream that comedy will one day be performed in a nation where it will not be judged by the color of it's make-up but by the content of it's humor. | | Friday, December 28th, 2007 | | 10:44 pm |
Devil's Advocate
Stan! posted a video on his blog. The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF_anaVcCXg&eurl=http://lj-toys.com/?journalid=9358165&moduleid=7&auth_token=sessionless:1198900800:embedcontent:9358165%26So, this is a big nasty political fight for a lot of people, and this video is trying to present a point of view and encourage others to promote it. That's good, and I applaud the creator for taking the effort. My close friends can hear my "but-face" already, I am sure. Watch the video. It's well done for what it is. BUT... I'm going to play my own devil's advocate for his argument. Regardless of what you want to believe about global warming and a reasonable course of action for it, I don't think this guy had a very good devil's advocate, and that is a useful and important role. Here's mine: The better the economy is, the more innovation occurs. This is because a good economy results in additional free capital, which people want to invest. The more investment there is, the more of it goes to research. (Not as a percentage perhaps, though I believe that is the case, but certainly in terms of total dollars, which is what the researchers need after all. More total dollars.) Innovation plays an important part in improving the environment. In fact, it's certainly possible that no change we can make with current technology -can- make a big enough difference. This could be because humanity isn't the largest contributing factor, or it could be because we've already done too much damage, or it could be because not enough nations on Earth are going to take the needed steps to slow or reverse the ecological damage already done. If any of those are the case, then we need as good an economy as we can get, as fast as we can get it, for as long as we can maintain it, so the money created can fuel the needed research to create the future innovation that will fix everything. And of course, necessity is the mother of invention. As things get worse, if they are going to get worse, a larger and larger percentage of the available money will be spent finding new ways to fix the problem. In short, his four simplified possibilities are simplified to the point of being useless. If we present the new potential future, that things are headed for disaster but only an excellent economy can provide the research to build the tools to fix it, his matrix of 4 choices becomes 6 choices. If we assume another potential future he didn't even touch on – that it is our fault but there is nothing we can do to fix it even if we want to and take steps right now, it rises to 8 choices. And, in that case I still want the better economy, to improve the chances we can get off this rock we've ruined (in this scenario) and start again elsewhere. Or change ourselves so we survive in the new world. Or build floating habitations. But I think it's clear that IF we CAN'T fix the global warning problem, NO MATTER WHAT, then whatever we do to fix it is going to take money, and a lot of it. In other words, it is possible to have a consistent, valid, risk management scenario that says even if humanity IS causing global warming, we may NEED to not take any of the steps currently advocated. And that brings us right back to looking at how probable each scenario is. In short, it is reasonable to say we need to know more, because it may be what we have to do to have ANY chance at survival is give up ANY measure of economically harmful policy, and ONLY do things that make more money available for investment and research. Doing otherwise may spell our doom, for exactly the reasons the video outlines. Don't take this as my view of what we should or shouldn't do. But I see it as a huge whole in the "It doesn't matter what you believe if you look at things as risk management" argument, and thus it needs to be addressed. Any debate that doesn't attack individuals is welcome here. I believe smart people can come to different conclusions, and rants that paint the other side as evil never change anyone's mind. So please, if you have something to say, stick to the facts and your opinions, and don't call other people or their ideas bad names. At least, not here. Any such post will be cut. Oh, except me. I'm a big boy, and I have the home court advantage. Noting that the above argument is not presented as my own belief, just a needful rebuttal, feel free to attack it and me in any way you want. Just be prepared for your conduct to influence people's opinion of you. | | Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 | | 9:38 am |
New Job, Week 2
As most of you know, my wife and I are training for our new office jobs in the bank industry. Security is extremely tight, and policy is pretty clear about not talking about coworkers, procedures, the company, or clients in public (basic stuff, really), so I'm not going to be able to write much about the job. In fact, I plan for an overabundance of caution, to make up for bloggers who write anything and are surprised when there are consequences for that. I will say the office was my haven when we had no power. It was a place to get warm, get hot food, and send out messages over the Internet. It's interesting, starting a job with a sense of gratitude just to have access to the building. Training is intense, but they do seem to genuinely want me to know my job before I'm let lose, and even afterward supervisors can be accessed for help with things I've never done, or don't remember how to do. I'm nervous, but everyone assures me in three months I'll be an expert. That'd be March 17th, so come back and see what I think then. The schedule is hard to adjust to, especially since I still have full-time writing commitments from my freelance career. I foresee working 80 hours a week for the next several weeks. On the other hand, that'll mean a nice bump in income early next year, which is one reason I decided I had to take an office job. And at least I'm not asking anyone if they want to super-size anything. No sales marketing, no quotas, no commissioned income. I'm actually a little surprised I managed to parlay my freelance career into a job this high up the starting employee food chain. That's it for now – I have Stormtroopers to knock off in effigy. More later. | | Sunday, December 9th, 2007 | | 7:51 am |
| | Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 | | 11:42 am |
| | Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 | | 2:25 am |
| | Sunday, October 28th, 2007 | | 4:55 pm |
Thanks for the Kind Thoughts
I've gotten a lot of Birthday well-wishes today, which is really nice. For many varied and complex reasons I'm not really celebrating my birthday today, but one of the nice things about being an adult is that you can shuffle the exact day of things like your B-day, and be mature enough not to cry you don't get to unwrap all the pretty packages yet. I didn't say _I_ was that mature, but I understand some adults are. :-) Actually several of my friends have already begun giving me gifts, I suspect exactly because no date for the cake-and-candles event has been set. I am now the proud owner of Soon I Will Be Invincible (a fun read), and many, many Dungeon Tiles (which I am already plotting to use all together, coving a dinner table). Today is actually big writing day for me, but getting notes from mailing lists, forum groups, friends, family and colleagues is a nice reminder that I made it to 37 without any felonies. Thanks, everyone! | | Thursday, October 18th, 2007 | | 5:53 pm |
Customer Beware. And, grab your ankles
My wife and I handle the finances of people other than ourselves, in an effort to help family. On a good month, this takes no more than a few extra hours. On a bad month... Bank Account A has a monthly pension from overseas deposited into it, and several things debited. It has been this way for years. In July, the pension decided to take back its wire-transfer for reasons at the time unknown. As a result, a regular payment to Company X bounced, as the Pension money was no longer there to cover it. The Pension money company claims it can't pay into the account, because the name is not the same as the pensioner on their file. Note that they have been paying into the account for years, and have even done so once since. We complained, and they agreed to call and talk to us about it. And call they did – at 5am! Folks, if you have to dial and international phone number on another continent, THINK ABOUT TIME ZONES. Needless to say they claim none of this is their fault, and while we can theoretically fix it, they still won't pay any of the penalties Account A accrued as a result of money being TAKEN OUT by an international bank. And, note, removing the money with no other notice was the only way they warned us this was going to happen. On other words, no warning before or after the fact. Meanwhile, Company X sends us a letter saying Account A bounced a payment to them, and thus direct debits are no longer an option. We must make a quarterly payment, after which we can set up direct debits from a different account. And, so, we do that. But since the quarterly payments are entered in a different computer, Company X's accounting software doesn't know it can't take money out of Account A anymore. So, even though we've paid for a full quarter in advance, and they told us there was NO WAY they could accept keeping things simply by taking debits out of Account A, Company X does so anyway. The first time they do it we complain, and they say it's the charge for the month that bounced, and the quarterly payment starts the following month. A bullshit way of doing things, but believable. And then, they do it again the next month. Now we call and explain that someone has their wires crossed somewhere, because we are now being charged twice for the same thing, once in a way they carefully said was no longer an option. They type for a bit and admit yeah, they screwed up. They'll fix it. By sending us a check. In a few weeks. If their higher-ups agree it was a mistake. Poor Account A is now suffering from 2 months of missing Pension payments, 2 months of Company X payments it isn't supposed to cover anymore, and some ISF charges related to companies removing money without or permission or any real cause. Of course, the Bank of Account A claims all such transfers are legit, and if we want to complain we have to take it up legally. Ever try to take up a matter with an International Bank based overseas? Yeah, I foresee sucking up the ISF charges. So as I deal with the bank deciding Account A is a deadbeat (because other people keep taking its money), I get phone calls from the bank. Generally these calls occur at 9am. If I'm awake at 9am, it's because I have a lab test or insomnia. Lately, it hasn't been lab tests. (The kidney stones are doing real come-and-go passes at my internal organs this month and last, but I'll be damned if I get a test to tell me what the pain in my side is already proof of. If they stop passing, I'll start getting tests.) These calls always want to talk to the listed owner of Account A, which is reasonable. But the account owner can't manage the account, which is the whole reason Lj and I are pitching in. And my name is on the account, so I'm supposed to be able to deal with these things. But I keep getting told only the account owner can be told anything. This forces me to track someone else down, get them to talk to the bank, ask why I can't deal with it, and then be told "Oh, we're sorry. His name is right here. He can deal with this, if you like." Well, yes, you useless rotlick of a human computer, spewing out only the words your glowing screen tells you. We would like me to deal with it. That's why MY NAME IS ON THE ACCOUNT and I TOLD YOU THAT 30 BLOODY MINUTES AGO. So, yeah. Not the calmest of months for international banking. Unrelated to all this, we get a call telling us our homeowner's insurance has lapsed. Which is quite a surprise, since the payments have gone through and we have the records to prove it. A week of phone calls goes by as we track down who made a mistake (insurance company, broker, bank, or what), and mysteriously our insurance is back. Worse, there's no record of it ever being lapsed. We make copies of proof of payment to the insurance, and move it offsite. Let them -try- to pull this shit if out house burns down. I dare them. Even so, I must conclude that customer service isn't just dead. It's been sewn back together and raised as a Frankenstein's monster in India, animated with electricity stolen by Enron, so Corporate America can fuck the now-twitching corpse in the ass. | | Thursday, October 11th, 2007 | | 8:56 pm |
I am Orc...
...and I have Pie. Breast pumps are Tivo for your nipples. I keep trying to think of cool and/or funny things to put on a T-shirt, and now I'm wondering if this counts? Why do HeroClix still look so much cooler than D&D miniatures? (And cooler than Mage Knight ever did?) If I don't sign the contract or return it, who is at fault when I don't turn anything over? (Don't panic clients, I'm just ruminating.) Obeisity is counterindicative for loss of bone density. My theory is that ice cream has calcium. Why not require all primaries for national office to be on the same day? I don't like green olives. I do like blue cheese. I have never had blue olives. If psychic phone lines are for entertainment purposes only, shouldn't they at least be intertaining? If they had titles Shoot 'Em Up anything else, it would have been false advertising. More later, if I'm not killed by (for example) a falling asteroid with a deadly virus. | | Monday, September 17th, 2007 | | 6:37 pm |
Exciting [CENSORED] News
I recently had a meeting in [CENSORED] with [CENSORED], [CENSORED], and [CENSORED] (who you won't know as well as the other two–nice guy). We caught up, talked everything from politics to cars, and then got down to some business ideas. It looks like I'm going to be [CENSORED] for a way to [CENSORED] for [CENSORED][CENSORED]'s. I'm most excited to be doing [CENSORED] with [CENSORED], which has long be something I wanted an opportunity to [CENSORED] on. I've already put some irons in the fire on this, though it is one of many interesting things I have going at the moment. I'd really love to talk about this more, but everything at the meeting is confidential. Which is why this is here, rather than in my professional news and thoughts blog. Upshot, neat things are happening, and great things may come of it. Oh, and my cat, Cortez, is definitely on the mend now, barring the unforeseen. | | Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 | | 8:34 pm |
Polite-itics
My friends tend to think of me as a conservative, and I must admit that's a fair label if we're tossing one-word labels around. I'm a big proponent of capitalism and letting the market sort itself out, though I also nod happily to child labor laws. I feel the Second Amendment means I get to own a .357 if I choose to. I believe universal socialized medicine will lead to an overall lower level of healthcare for America as a whole, though I wish I were wrong. On the other hand I also believe in admitting gay marriage is a right, I feel pornography is protected free speech (as is flag-burning), and I know minorities don't have a fair chance just because some WASP says they do. I'm hardly rich (though I'm becoming something of a slum lord), but I think inheritance tax is bullshit. I used to say both that I would be a Libertarian if they weren't crazy, and that I was the only member of the Beer, Guns and Porn party. But I think all of that is less important than the fact I don't feel the need to be rude when making a political point. I'm not saying it never happens, but I try to respect everyone else's opinion as well. I don't believe my friends who disagree with me are evil, or lying (or traitors, if you want to touch on what made me write this post to begin with). It saddens me every time some opinion of mine is championed by an asshole. It happens all to often. And every time it does, I take a step back and re-examine my opinion. Because, if it appeals to an asshole, it deserves to be re-thought. I rarely change my mind, but rarely is not never. | | Monday, September 3rd, 2007 | | 7:10 pm |
Back, Better, and Blogging
I haven't posted since Gen Con, so my last update is now very old news indeed. I always mean to write to my personal blog (as opposed to my work-related blog) at least once a week, but I don't always have much of anything to say. And, perversely, the more I have to say the less time I have to spare for blog entries. My cat, Cortez, continues to slowly recover. We don't know that he'll make it, but signs are hopeful. Still, her requires forced-feedings several times each day, which means suddenly sleeping in isn't a question of being lazy, it's putting my pet's health at risk. At least we have now devised a system that gets more food in the cat than on us. Gen Con was good. I got to see a lot of friends from far away and exotic lands, had several work-related conversations, tracked down some potential new opportunities, got a few free D&D flash drives, turned over two signed NDAs for new projects with companies I don't already have a long track record with, and even played a few games. (My gaming catchphrase became "Here's my really bad plan...") I spent more time talking to people like Ken Hite than ever before, and got to meet Scott D. Haring (who had an early influence on my desire to write games). I also did a lot more chatting with freelancers than usual for me, especially Gary Astleford (who shared my room), Ari Marmell, Eytan Bernstein and Brian Cortijo. (So, publishers of the universe, be aware we -do- talk about you from time to time.) I wrote a lot more about Gen Con at my pro blog- http://owen-stephens.livejournal.com/However, just as soon as I got back from Indianapolis, I got sick. Con Crud is an ongoing problem for me, but it's worse any year I fly (as I did this year). That was followed almost immediately with kidney stones, which I get every few years. They aren't exactly incapacitating, but the painkillers I get for them can be. I took it easy and took a week off, and the really rough patch game this past weekend. I'm fine now, except for the feeling that someone kicked me in my back for 10 hours. Since people tend to ask, my weight loss continues at it's glacial pace. I actually lost weight at Gen con, which surprised me because I wasn't making any effort to watch what I ate. All the walking seems to have more than made up for a few trips to Steak & Shake. But slow loss is much, much better than the slow gain I suffered through my whole life, so no complaints here. Labor day reminds me summer doesn't mean free days out of school for me anymore, and hasn't for years, so I need to get back to work. It's time to grit my teeth, but my ear to the ground and nose to the grindstone, and try to get some work done in that silly position. There are follow-ups to Gen Con contacts to write, games to prepare (I'm scheduled to run three rpg sessions this week–an embarrassment of riches), bills to pay, legers to balance, work to produce, and my fiction plans to flesh out and set to a schedule. If I'm going to survive on this freelance treadmill, I need to branch out more. That -may- include more regular blog updates, just to ensure I stay in high-output writing mode. | | Tuesday, August 14th, 2007 | | 1:22 pm |
Updates
First, a note on my cat Cortez. He is finally showing some signs of improvement, though he still requires regualr forced-feedings. He's lost weight, but his liver function is improved. We've given him something to boost his desire to eat, which leads to the odd situation of my wife signing a privacy waver for out cat. Next, I leave in 17 hours to go to Gen Con. Lj's not coming this year, so everyone local feel free to drop her a friendly email while I'm away. I'll post again once I'm back in Norman, on Monday. | | Friday, August 3rd, 2007 | | 12:10 am |
A post to have something to do
My most beloved pet, Cortez, is ill. He stopped eating, and we didn't notice immediately. He's now hospitalized at the vet, but his liver function is bad. Lj and I have been going to feed him ourselves, but even then he won't always eat. Forced feeding is at least getting some nutrition into him. We're not sure what his prognosis is, or what the core problem is, but the vet should know more tomorrow. I am much more of an emotional wreck about this than I'd like to admit. This hasn't been the easiest of weeks without this particular drama. With Cortez's woes added in, it's close to overwhelming. If I haven't gotten back to you about something this week, I apologize. My upcoming plans haven't changed, I'm just fairly scattered right now. | | Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 | | 1:31 pm |
Slytherpuff
I've taken a couple of Harry Potter Sorting Hat tests recently, to see which House I'd end up in. They all basically agree I'm a split between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. In short, I am both evil and laid back. The sad thing is, I'm not sure that's going to surprise anyone who knows me well. | | Monday, July 23rd, 2007 | | 7:54 pm |
Adjustments
Just prior to having surgery, Dr. Keith puts you on a rather severe 10-day diet. This is designed to shrink your liver (so it can be more easily worked around), -and- jump-start your weight loss. About half my total weight loss in the past year is from that diet. The last three days of it are all-liquid, but the first seven are just low-calorie, low-carb, very high protein. Now that I have a proper fill, my eating is less about hunger, and more about stress relief, lifelong bad habits, and emotional eating. Previously, any calorie-restriction diet I had drove me nuts with hunger in a matter or hours, and things like Atikins left me feeling sluggish in a day or two. Now that those don't seem to be nearly as big a set of issues, I can deal with my -other-, admittedly extensive issues. And step one is to establish some control. So, I'm going to take on the first seven days of the pre-op diet again, and have started today. This is nothing crazy, just avoiding large amounts starches and carbs while getting a lot of protein into a low-calorie diet. There are reasonable meals, salads, and protein bars as snacks, and all the calorie-free things I can choke down (along with a minimum 64 oz of water a day). I don't drink with my meals (to make sure I don't wash down my food toop quickly, which makes me hungry earlier), but otherwise its normal stuff. Basically nothing is forbidden but dessert. (Low-carb means not eating a large baked potato or bowlful of pasta just because it's low cal – sandwiches are still on the plan, for example). This plan is much to strict for me to live with long term. It's not -designed- to be long term. But as I face my personal demons of late-night pizza, gaming with chips and snacks, and ending meals with mountains of cakes, chocolate and fatty foods, I need to start by going "cold turkey" as it were. I can't stop eating, but I can give over my eating decisions to this plan, which I know I've done for 10 days before, to prove I do have some control. From there, I can take a look at what I missed and craved most, and what I really didn't mind giving up. Some weight loss won't be bad for my mental well-being either, especially not with the walking-intensive Gen Con coming up. I've decided I'm too close to my own problem to get perspective on it. This should distance me from immediate desires, and help me look back on what my main food-related problems are. So far, today has been much easier than day one of the actual pre-op period, and I attribute that wholly to the band and a good fill, which keep hunger pains smaller and further apart. But I can see I will have hunger, and I know from experience this is going to drive me to distraction. I managed last time, because the consequences of failure could be complications during surgery, even death. Not death in a few years from heart failure, but deal in a week when I was cut open. This time, the immediacy of death won't be motivating me. I hope my new tools will be enough to make up the difference. That, and the sure knowledge I have done this once already. It's within my capacity. And I know, if I'm going to lead a happy life I need to gain some control. That's going to take adjustments. Surgery was the first. This is the second. | | Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 | | 2:42 pm |
LAP-Band, take 5 or so
Well, it's the 11th and that means another attempt to get a fill. I arrived early, and had an appointment with the main doctor, rather than his physician's assistant. My weigh-in shows I'm still struggling with the same 5 lb., though thanks to regular work-outs (and a personal, ongoing ban on sugary drinks) I'm not gaining more than that. My weight just wavers, up and down, on a weekly basis. On the other hand, that beats the hell out of gaining weight slowly but steadily, as I had for the 36 years before my LAP-band. I had a mild concern because my doctor seemed to have forgotten where my port is. He originally put it in on my left side (instead of the right as usual), and even then we moved it to be on my sternum in a "revision" (another surgery). However, it turns out he was checking for other possible complications, like a hernia or mass, because I'm not feeling any restriction at this point. Convinced there wasn't a more serious problem, he proceeded to come at me with the giant, over-sized needles that are used for saline fills. His first try involved a bit of rooting about, and he decided he'd hit the edge of my port. That meant pulling out and trying from a slightly different position. Normally it's also the first step in a half-hour of digging around in my flesh seeking my cybernetic implant. I was resigned to a lot of pain, followed by an X-ray and maybe even disappointment after that. Instead, the doctor nailed my port in one stick on his second try. It had 6cc in it, just like it was supposed to. That means I don't have a leak, which is great news. He was going to take me up to 7.5cc, but the last 0.5cc was resisting. The doctor opted to stop at 7cc total, rather than risk an over-fill. If I don't have good restriction by Monday, he'll top me off with that 0.5cc resistance or not. The doctor called in his PA, to show her the needle sticking straight up from my chest. He confessed he didn't get to show her up that often, but she seemed familiar with his sense of accomplishment. She was also impressed, and the two took careful notes about just exactly where my port was. You can't help but feel a bit like a turkey in need of a flavor injection as people take notes on the syringe you have flagpoling straight out of your sternum, but I honestly didn't mind. This was the easiest fill by far, and whatever they want to do to document and learn from the moment is fine by me. I'm on liquids today, and mushie food tomorrow. I don't know if I have more restriction or not, but I feel like I've been kicked in the chest by a mule. This is apparently rare but not unknown (another patient in the waiting room saw how I was rubbing my chest, and confirmed that she, too, always feels beaten-up after a fill). I can tell my internal balance is different, which is freaky and strange but also encouraging. So far liquids are going down fine, and my hunger is actually lower than it was pre-fill (I didn't eat anything before going in to the doctor's), so these are all good signs. Once I get over the physical trauma, however minor is should be, of having my implant pumped up we'll see if I'm doing better. Although a fill visit now costs $89, and insurance doesn't cover it, my doctor opted not to charge me today. He decided this fill has been hard enough to get without it costing me any more. I did not complain. More in a week or so, once I see how I'm doing. | | Sunday, July 1st, 2007 | | 11:32 am |
How It Went
I realize it's Sunday, but there are good reasons why the "how things went" post was delayed until now. So, to recap this week: *The visit to the doctor did not go well. I don't feel like discussion details, but we have to try again on the 11th. I can only try this on Wednesdays (due to the office's schedule), and obviously the doctor isn't in on the 4th. This ate a chunk of my time with no payoff to date. *The flooding in Oklahoma is beginning to effect my home. The back yard is a swamp filled with mosquitoes that have so far resisted all efforts to get rid of them. *Between thunderstorms, lightning strikes and torrential rain, I've have connectivity less than half of the past week. It seems to have stabilized now. *My wife's new software had proven a huge frustration generator just to get installed. This stuff costs too much, and once you decide to download it off the internet, getting physcial disks is no longer an option. It doesn't play well with Vista (which was her only choice for her new machine – her old machine won't run the new software with enough speed to be of any use). When calling customer support, we always get someone with such a bad accent they're nearly useless. Her first call led to the suggestion she should "visible" her security. When she explained that made no sense, the man insisted it was her only option. Eventually she had him spell the word. "D-I-S-A-B-L..." Things went down hill from there. Hour-long waits to talk to someone, a web-site that carefully explains we can do a return within 30 days that has links that claim nothing we have is eligible for return (3 days after purchase), and in one case when I explained I couldn't understand one customer service rep and repeatedly asked for someone who spoke English fluently, she hung up on me. Thankfully we have many smart, computer-savvy friends. A combination of three of them -seems- to have solved the problem, although we got distracted from checking that everything worked because... *The plumbing backed up and begun to flood our house. We managed to solve that, but broke some plumbing in the meantime. We'll have to get a plumber out here to replace some things. *One of our cars is suddenly falling apart, apparently because the water is coming down so hard its dissolving glue, rusting out bolts and prying off paint. *A room of our house we don't use much is suffering water damage. A big area is soaking wet, with the carpet squelching as you walk across it. Getting water-damage people out to your house is hard in Okla right now, and the one we managed to get hold of has put off getting to us by 24 hours so far. Needless to say, I'm behind on a lot of things. |
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