October Already

Wow! Is it October already? I wish I had some exciting news to share, but things are roughly the same since I last posted. The hip pain continues to get worse, range of motion in my left leg is diminishing. But we should have some fun this month.

My dear sister hits the big six-oh later this month. So we're Vegas bound. My sister is flying out from the east coast, my niece (and her boyfriend?) are flying down from San Francisco (did I mention she moved out here?), my friend Lynn is flying out from Ohio, and I am driving down in the Challenger. No real plans of what we are all doing, but my sister did think that heading to the Vegas drag strip to catch some NHRA action is a good idea! Whatever we all do, it's going to be a blast.

Reagan, my daughter, turns 12 November 1st. Still trying to decide what to get her for her birthday. She wants an iPad, but after an iPod Touch and a Kindle Fire, I'm thinking that more pricey electronic gadgets can wait until she learns a little more responsibility. I need to ask her mom for some ideas. Gotta say, I'm glad that after all the drama of the past, we can talk as friends.

After the long weekend in Las Vegas, there's my annual trip to visit dad for Thanksgiving. Looking forward to that as well. I always enjoy spending time with the old man. I am grateful that my family has always been pretty close. I hear horror stories from a few friends and acquaintances about their families and feel sad for them. The good Lord has blessed me and for that I am thankful.

I do have some other things I want to post, and there a few draft posts that I have been meaning to complete. But for now I just wanted to put something out there since it's been a while.

I'm not a Hipster - Part 2

Like I said, I really cannot get into the habit of posting on a regular basis. But while waiting to head out for dinner, I figured I'm long overdue. Besides, there has been something on my mind that I wanted to share.

It was at the beginning of the year when I posted I'm not a Hipster, the story about my 1984 motorcycle accident and my bad left hip. For the most part, I've been more than happy to procrastinate and continue to put off having the hip replacement surgery. But lately, the words of the orthopedic surgeon that repaired my broken femur after the accident and later diagnosed my bad hip are really starting to hit home. It was sometime in the late 1980s when I was first diagnosed with hip problems and at that time Dr. John Calhoun Killian told me this about getting a hip replacement. He said that I would get along just fine for a while, perhaps needing aspirin now and then. As time progresses, I would probably switch to the stronger OTC pain meds (back in the day ibuprofen was recently available without a prescription). He went on to say that at some point I will then start taking prescription, probably narcotic, pain medications. Finally he said, I will finally get fed up with the pain and discomfort and opt for the surgery. A reason for not just getting the surgery when the issue was first discovered is simple. The replacements wear out, and since I was much younger then, I would likely be on my 2nd or 3rd replacement by now. Well, those who know me have heard me say that the time is coming soon for a while now. It's been about 4 years since I filled my first prescription for Hydrocodone. This time, I'm thinking that it may really be that time.

For years, riding my motorcycle didn't bother or aggravate the hip. As a matter of fact, there were times that I felt a little stiff and cramped getting on the bike, but after a nice ride I felt fine when I got off. That is no longer the case. In the last few weeks or months I've noticed a change in that now riding the motorcycle exacerbates any pain or cramps as well as creates pain when it wasn't there before the ride. My sister told me that one time she was discussing my hip issues with my father and she said I would probably not get the surgery until I couldn't ride. She may have been right. The frequency and level of pain I've been suffering from the past few months is really starting to get to me. Hell, just getting on and off the bike is a chore. I even tried to ride my bicycle a couple weeks ago, and could not for the life of me get my leg over the seat! If I didn't know better, I would bet that I've lost more range of motion in the last 3 or 4 months than I have in the 3 or 4 years prior. Tying the shoelaces on my left sneaker is almost impossible. Where the pain and discomfort used to be something that was easily dismissed and dealt with, it is now front and center almost every day. So I guess, the time really is near. Exactly when, still undetermined. But definitely looming on the horizon.

Forced Remodel

Well it seems I am being mandated by the apartment management to have my kitchen and baths remodeled. Which means by Monday morning, May 14th 2012, I have to remove everything from all the cabinets, shelves, counter tops, and move the contents of the fridge to one they placed in my dining room yesterday. Even the hallway linen and misc closets.

A daunting task normally, let alone when a bad hip starts cramping up after just 15/20 minutes of moving and rearranging. Then the question of where to put everything comes to mind. What a PITA! I tried to put a large dent in the task yesterday evening, and then needed 2 Vicodins and 2 TylenolPMs to get to sleep.

I've been trying to get a little done here and there, but it seems I haven't even put a dent in it. Even now I'm still debating with myself on whether or not I should go out and purchase boxes or storage bins. Yes, the boxes or bins will make it easier to store things for the week, but if items are not in boxes they will be easier to access if I find the need for something stowed away.

Living in a semi-displaced mode for the next week should be another joy. No oven, stove, kitchen sink, etc. I really should have planned to be away for the week. So, what do you think the apartment management is offering as a compensation for the week of being displaced, plus the time spent needing to pack and rearrange things? If you guessed absolutely f'ing nothing, you guessed right. Oh, they did offer to have my carpets cleaned afterwards, but then shouldn't that be expected after a week of workers being in and out of the apartment for a week?!

This is not going to be a good week...

Tithe and Retirement

Biblical scholars, believers, and theologians; tax time has made me think of something related to tithes and offerings. I would be interested in other points of view and thoughts about the subject at hand.

From the time I began to faithfully tithe on a regular basis, I decided that I would base my tithe on gross salary and not net. This relieves me of having to worry about additional tithes if I receive a tax refund, or perhaps reducing my tithe if I had to pay additional taxes. Since I pay my tithes according to my gross salary, I have already tithed against any amount of a tax refund. I may choose to offer more with a tax refund, but my conscience is clear if I do not.

That is all fine for now, but I have started thinking about retirement. If most of my retirement is self-funded, is it the same as my tax refunds? I realize I will have to account for interest, dividends, and amounts matched by employers. But will I have clear conscience in not offering a full tithe in my retirement years? Something to ponder as retirement starts getting closer.

I'm not a hipster

Twenty-eight years ago this coming July 22, I had a serious motorcycle accident. The last vehicle in a chain of three or four that collided while avoiding a car that had entered the Northern State Parkway in an unsafe manner. The bike went into a high-slide when I tried to lay it down, and I slammed into the back bumper of a Buick 225. I will admit, I am partially to blame.

I ended up with a compound fracture of my left femur, and some nerve damage that caused 'foot drop' of my left foot. I was hospitalized for just under six weeks. During that time, things got dicey when a fat embolism made its way to one of my lungs. The surgery to repair my leg, inserting a titanium rod (sometimes called a Kushner Rod) in the femur had to wait until the embolism was cleared up. Combined with an external prosthetic brace, the rod allows one to begin putting weight on the leg immediately after being discharged from the hospital. This reduces or eliminates the muscle atrophy that one would get if the leg was in a cast for a few months. I forget how long I ended up wearing the brace as I progressed from using two crutches, to one crutch, and then to a cane. I used cane regularly for quite a few years, perhaps six or seven, maybe a little more.

A couple years later I returned to the hospital to have the titanium rod removed. I was only in the hospital for a day. I had asked to keep the rod, but I never did get it. Around that same time, the 'foot drop' went away quite suddenly. I had been going for testing, and surgery was suggested to correct the nerve damage. But one day while hanging out with a friend at her job, I noticed that I was tapping my foot to music. With the rod removed and the nerve damage gone, it seemed that the ordeal was completely behind me. Or so I thought...

Not too long after I began to suffer from back pain after walking, running, etc. When it got bad enough to visit the doctor, a leg length discrepancy was discovered. My left leg was now about a half inch or so shorter than my right. X-Rays showed that my left hip was starting to develop arthritis. The doctor theorized that it could have been an unnoticed hairline fracture at the time of the accident. I was measured for a prosthesis (a lift that fits inside my left sneaker) and the back pain did go away. But at that time, the orthopedic doctor told me the progression I should expect. He said I'd be fine for a while, perhaps needing an aspirin or two now and then. After that, I will likely switch to the stronger OTC meds for more frequent and severe bouts of pain (at the time Ibuprofen was the drug that you no longer required a prescription for). He said the next phase would be that I would end up taking perhaps twice the listed dosage on a frequent, if not regular, basis to deal with the hip and leg pain as the hip deteriorates further. After that, prescription pain killers. This is the phase I have been at for the last three years. My regular doctor had tried to prescribe anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs like Celebrex, but they barely took the edge off the pain, let alone make it go away. So the last three years, I have been taking Vicodin aka Hydrocodone. Not every day mind you, just when the pain gets past a certain threshold. It gets tricky now and then, deciding whether or not to take the opioid. Some days, I wait too long and end up 'chasing the pain'. When that happens, even taking the max dose of Vicodin does little more than soften the edge of the pain. The last phase as you can guess is that I finally opt for the hip replacement surgery. Why not just get it done years ago you ask? The replacements wear out, and if I were to have had it replaced when first discovered I probably would have had it redone once or twice since then. The doctor years ago suggested I wait until I can't deal with the pain any longer.

And that's almost where I am now. I saw a specialist at Stanford University Hospital a couple times the last two years. The bad news he gave me last time was that my hip is getting near a point where the damage will make the surgery and recovery more difficult. But I am still thinking of the logistics of being out of work for a couple months, getting around immediately following the surgery, and other related issues. Then again, the increased pain has had other effects. I'm less mobile these days, and that's causing a bit of a weight gain issue. Of course the gain in weight makes it more painful to be mobile, which goes back to the beginning of the cycle. When will I get my hip replaced? I'm not sure, but at this point I know that I need to pull the trigger sooner rather than later.

The Holidays

Welcome back readers. As I type this, the last work week before Christmas has started. I'm not exactly sure what I want to write about, but figured that since the holiday season is here that I should post something.

Having spent the week of Thanksgiving visiting my father in Florida, the important part of my holiday season is complete. I didn't visit with my daughter this time around, but I hope to get down there in March around my birthday to spend some time with Reagan. Christmas to me the last few years has been more laid back. And that's even before my mom passed away three years ago. For the second (or is it third) year in a row, I didn't bother putting up a tree. But I did manage to get all my shopping done early enough to have time to personally wrap gifts and ship them out myself. In the past I usually ended up having some shipped directly from where I made online purchases from. In addition to gifts, cards went out a week ago.

This year the holidays arrived with some sad news. Before Thanksgiving I learned that my former employer and boss from my time at National Steel Rule was diagnosed with cancer. This past weekend brought more bad news, as his condition is getting worse. Joe was a great boss, and there are times I regret leaving National Steel Rule when I moved to California with a new job in 2000. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my life here in California. But working at NSR was like working with family.

So what are my plans for the rest of the holiday season? To tell you the truth, not much. I'll spend a nice quiet evening at home Christmas Eve and Christmas. Perhaps enjoying a real wood fire in my fireplace on Christmas Eve. On the day off from work, Monday the 26th, again no real plans. But I am having a buddy over for dinner that evening. The plans for New Years is not much different.

As for you reading this, I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May your holiday season bring joy and happiness.

Isiah 9:6,
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The Profound Prophecy of Arlo Guthrie

Like many people, I've been a long time fan of Arlo Guthrie. Of course that means I have heard "Alice's Restaurant" many times in my life. On records, the radio, CDs, tapes, and of course at live shows. If you've listened to the song that many times, you will know that he has changed it up a bit from time to time, changing a bit of the story line to fit current events. This is about one of those times, and how the story told is eerily prophetic some 20+ years later.

It was sometime in the mid to late 1980s, Ronald Reagan was President, and a small venue in Roslyn, Long Island, NY was a popular place to see live music. If you were on LI back then, My Father's Place is a name that would be very familiar to you. I had the pleasure to see Arlo live at My Father's Place a few times back then. On one night, around Christmas time, he changed part of the "Alice's Restaurant" story and added a bit related to what was being called the "Star Wars Program" being pushed by the current administration. I don't remember the exact words, but the audience was entertained when he spoke of how the US Military was secretly training the youth of the day through video games (mostly played in mall game rooms or video arcades back then). Although back then he joked that the youth were being trained to fight aliens from another world one quarter at a time, he still gave the picture of all the machines feeding scores to computers hidden in the basement of the Pentagon. Of course, when you got a high score, you happily punched in your name, initials, or whatever into the game. This helped the government keep track of the best players.

So how is this prophetic? Well last night I was watching a show on the National Geographic Channel. It was about the use of the unmanned aircraft (Predator and Reaper drones) in the war against terror in the middle east. Okay, not invaders from a distant planet, but in a command center not too far from the nation's capitol, members of the military fly these unmanned aircraft and attack targets thousands of miles away. It's as if they are playing a video game. As I watched the show, my mind flashed back to that one particular rendition of "Alice's Restaurant" that I heard years ago. And I thought to myself, "My God, Arlo predicted this!".