Tag Archives: Life

Second Birthdays or: The Longest Day

18 Sunday Apr 2021

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Salutations™!!

Today, Dear Reader, is my ninth birthday. My ninth second birthday that is. Nine years ago today, I was shorn of every hair on my body that wasn’t on my head. Every single hair, from my chest, to my back, my armpits, my legs, there all the way down to the hairs on my toes. Why, you ask? Well, because I was a mere hour or so from being wheeled into an operating room to have my chest sawed open, my shoulders pulled back toward each other, my ribcage separated and my body basically put on a machine while my heart was disconnected. There was a couple of holes in my abdomen for drainage tubes. Then, a vein was removed from my leg slightly to the left of my right knee cap and snipped about halfway down my shin. That was used to create a bypass of three arteries, therefore constituting a triple bypass.

A CABG (pronounced cabbage), which means Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

They put a wire or two around my sternum to help it heal, did internal stitches on me that dissolved on their own, wheeled my on to recovery where I spent a whole day asleep, basically. My lungs were still collapsed and weren’t inflating so I had to stay on a respirator with tubes in my stomach, down my throat and on a lot of sedatives. My mother tried to be funny and tell me that I really do have a heart, to which, I motioned for the nurse to bring me a pen and paper. I wrote, “leave the comedy to me.” Everyone told The BCPF that I was going to look bad and be in a bad mood and all that stuff when I finally woke up. They prepared my son to see me like that. To everyone’s surprise, I was not bloated and didn’t look bad, considering the circumstances. And, I was in a good mood, again, all things considered.

This picture, that I use every year was taken 24 hours after my surgery. All I wanted to do was post a selfie showing that I was still alive. That was immediately after being wheeled into my room.

And there you have it. It’s my ninth second birthday today. I’m glad to be here.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Open-heart surgery is now part of a typical life experience for many people. Folks talk casually about ‘having a stent put in,’ as if they had their tires rotated.” – Roger Ebert

Miracle Miles or: I Just Started Walkin’

09 Tuesday Feb 2021

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Salutations™!!

I come to you tonight, Dear Reader, with some incredible news. I also come to you with tired feet, legs, back and a slight bit of chaffing. Today, specifically this morning, I got up after not walking at all (with intent, that is) yesterday, and also to make up for the burger and fries I had the night before (I was on The Man Who Ate the Town duty), I decided I was going to do a little extra walking. I walked to Ma ‘Rents’ place (which is about 200 yards mostly uphill), around the upper- to lower- driveways and zigzagged my way back down the hill toward my house. When I got to my driveway, I walked the circle an extra five to six times until I reached .6 of a mile, which is .1 more than usual. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but every bit counts.

It’s actually at 10843 right now…

I came in and immediately took a shower. I had a client to publish a podcast for and a session for another coming at 9a. So, I got my Podcast Recording Gear together and went on to the studio. I was there about 810a. I set everything up and decided to myself, heck, I feel good, let me get some steps in. The parking lot at my studio is pretty large so I just walked the perimeter until I felt I had “done enough.” I checked my watch and it said I was at 1.4 miles so I said let’s go for two miles. I hit two miles at 856a. I felt really good about his. The kicker was, my session at 9a was Kristen Norton of Well Balanced Nutrition. I shared that with her, she was excited, as was her session partner, Eleanor Russell, a health advisor with Shaklee. We did their podcasts (three) with a stand-and-stretch session between them. After I walked them outside, I was like wow! It feels great out here today, let’s get some steps in!

My daily goal, as set by my watch, is 6000 steps. I haven’t hit that since I started this (and really haven’t hit that goal in a really long time). Well, waiting on the cleaning crew to come do my office, I went until I hit 6000 steps. I hit that at around 1127a. So, a text went out to The BCPF, Kristen, Eleanor, ma Mère and ma Père. Excitement abounds.

I started on my annual “Big Project” with DTWS Partnership and decided I was going to do something different with the videos this year. I was going to get real footage. So, I went to one of the winners, which happened to be in the same area as three of the other winners and shot actual video footage with my camcorder. I walked many a step, up steps, down steps, on hilly terrain, back-and-forth, and man… those steps wracked up.

Think back a few years, Dear Reader. Those of you who have been with me for a while know that in addition to The Man Who Ate the Town, I also did The Man Who Walked the Town and had a 10k (steps) by 10a (10am) goal on Saturdays. That was crazy but I did it. Since I got a new phone and smart watch my step count has gone down to 6000 steps which is still a lot. Well, after a long day of walking, filming, podcasting, walking, and walking… I decided I needed to grab some food and since I’m eating healthier, I went to Yamas Mediterranean Street Food because, well, they’re Yamas. Also, they have lots of good complex carbs like grains and lots of veggies. I purposely parked down the street and walked up to Yamas. Once I got inside the door, I looked at my watch. I was over 10k steps!!! I felt good!

In the session, Kristen asked me how I felt about walking this morning. I told her I felt f*****g phenomenal! I feel alive! I still did. I actually have a thing I do when I hit a walking goal that dates back to TMWWTT days and I do my Rocky Balboa pose (arms raised in a “Y”). I did that at 9a, 1130a and now at 615p hitting that goal. I am sore. I will feel it tonight and tomorrow, especially. But, I did it. Yo, The BCPF, I did it! (bad Sylvester Stallone imitation).

Until tomorrow, I’m going to bed…
Scorp out!

—
“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is.” – Ellen DeGeneres

And Now For the News… or: Favor

29 Friday Jan 2021

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Salutations™!!

Well, Dear Reader, today was the doctor’s appointment. The one I have obsessed over this week, on this blog. I braced myself for the diagnosis of pre-diabetes. And, what I said earlier this week was true: there are other factors and I’m no doctor and all that. It turns out that my glucose reading could have been something I had eaten or drunk the day or even days before my bloodwork was done. They weren’t at all concerned with that. My A1Cs were perfectly fine and that’s what counts toward diabetes. So, whew! on that, right?

©Tim Liedtke / Verywell 

But, I’m not out of the woods, just yet. There were two factors that we had to talk about. My triglycerides are at 238. The standard range is 0-149. So, I’m well over that. The other thing is my weight. I am the heaviest I’ve ever been right now. I weighed in at 321. Three. Hundred. Twenty. One. Pounds. Jeez o’Pete. So, these are the focus, now. I don’t think my regiment will change.

When I told my doctor of the plan that Kristen Norton of Well Balanced Nutrition and I had agreed upon, the same schedule I talked about earlier this week, here, he was very excited and happy with it. A couple of things specifically. He loved the idea of limiting the majority of the simple carbs (the white bread, pizza crust, french fries, etc.) and introducing more complex carbs (brown rice, potatoes with skins, beans, etc.) and a cupped handful of veggies. He was also very high on the 12-hour fast and increasing it over time. I have been able to work with that this week. It’s not bad at all. Pretty easy. Yesterday alone I was over 14 hours, which I broke the fast with a small cobb salad and a cup of chili (with black beans!). Dinner last night had seafood, corn and potatoes with skins. Sure, I stole a couple of bites of The BCPF’s lobster tater tots but it wasn’t a whole meal.

The last thing the doc was happy about was how much I’ve walked already this week. Not necessarily the distance but the intensity and frequency. I promised him and the nurse that I was going to be under 300lbs the next time I stepped on that scale. So, I need to promise myself that too and somehow work in a streak. Streaks somehow keep me accountable and I guess that’s what I will have to do.

So, there you have it, Dear Reader. I just wanted to update you on how relieved I was to not be diabetic but also that I’m not out of the woods and I am working to a healthier me. Oh! And I was up at 645a and went for my walk before I did anything else. My watch didn’t record jack so I don’t know how many steps I got, but the graph shows me more than the day before. It was cold, y’all.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“From a health standpoint, I have metabolic syndrome, I have high triglycerides, low HDL, body fat centrally located, high blood pressure. Running really helps control my weight and that problem a lot. So if I am not running three days a week, I really miss it.” – Drew Pinsky

The Verdict Is In or: Well-Balanced

26 Tuesday Jan 2021

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Salutations™!!

So, I had my meeting with my friend Kristen Norton today. Kristen, as I told you yesterday, is with Well Balanced Nutrition and from my health things that I either am reading too much into, not enough into, or just because I need to, I think we have a plan that I can live with! Below is what we came up with for me, and remember this is just for me, what I can do (mentally/work-related) and what I’m willing to take up. Here we go:

©Kristen/Well Balanced Nutrition

1. Include veggies with my meals 3-4 times a week. Doable. As I’ve grown older, I have found a love, or at least a tolerance, for things I wouldn’t eat as a kid, even into young adulthood.

2. Minimize poor quality carbs (white bread, white rice, french fries, crackers, pizza crust, etc) when possible. Again, doable. I don’t care if I have white bread (I can get other buns for my burgers), fries, crackers, etc. The pizza crust will be harder. But, it’s up to me to adapt. I won’t do cauliflower crusts and stuff like that. I don’t want imitation food, even when made from other food.

3. Choose a cupped handful (or 2) of fiber-rich carbohydrates like potatoes w/ skin, beans, corn, peas, or whole grains. Now we’re talking. I like potatoes with skin. We had baked potatoes last week, twice, and I eat it all, skins and everything. Another long ramp to where I started, I now like beans. I will find beans. I never thought I’d say that. I like corn and peas and I love whole grain things.

4. Start small cause you’ll eat it all. On the Hunger Scale: aim to stop eating when you still feel a bit neutral 5-6, so you end up at a 6-7. I’m not going to share what all the numbers mean because that’s Kristen’s thing. But, let’s just say that I stop before I’m miserable. I have to allow my body to adjust to just eating. I can’t do much about how fast I eat, but I can stop and let my brain catch up with my stomach. In the past, it’s always been “all I see” and not “all I need.” Just because it’s in front of me, just because I paid for it, doesn’t mean I have to eat all of it. If possible, I will get a to go container, although that’s a whole other phobia I have to work on internally.  

5. Consider at least a 12-hour fast overnight and see if you can stretch it to 13, 14 then 15… Going gradual can ensure you don’t get so hungry you want to overeat for your first meal. I am pretty okay with this one. I mean, some nights, according to my work load/schedule, I may not get to eat until 8p. That’s not great because your metabolism slows down once the sun goes down. But, sometimes it can’t be helped. So, if I don’t get to eat until 8p, then I don’t eat until after 8a. That’s okay, though, I don’t usually eat before 1030a or so, so at 12 hours, that’s easy. I am not a big midnight snack person, other than peanut butter. I will eat that, so I have to train not to have that spoonful at midnight. That’s okay, though. I can do it.

That’s my “plan.” Kristen is amazing and had a lot of questions and listened to my excuses and reasons why I can’t. Which, not that I think about it, I didn’t have a lot of reasons as to “can’t.” I had more why I “hadn’ts” if that’s a word. I am totally into being here and doing what I can to make it better. I am into addition, not subtraction. It’s not what I have to do without, it’s about what I can add. She was awesome walking me through that. She wasn’t scary. She didn’t take my favorite things away. She tried to steer me to better choices. So far, I’m okay with all of that. Thank you, Kristen!

If you’d like your own consultation with Kristen, or just want to know more about what she and her company, Well Balanced Nutrition are about, visit this page. Tell her that The Podfather sent you!

Oh, and I walked good bit today. I walked over to my mother’s house which is about a ¼ mile and then back, so ½ mile. Then, I walked in my circular driveway until I was well over 2000 steps. I ended up around 4700 or so for the day. I was proud of it. I have to work my way up.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Even if you do understand nutrition, knowing what to eat is only part of the equation.” – Well Balanced Nutrition

A New Day or: The First of Firsts

20 Wednesday Jan 2021

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Salutations™!!

I want this clear up front, this is not a political post. It’s a personal post.

©Alex Wong/Getty Images

I just want to say that is a great day today. We as a 244 year old country finally inaugurated our first 1) woman vice president 2) woman of color vice president 3) woman of south-Asian descent vice president into the executive branch. Also, it was a breath of fresh air to hear someone that sounds presidential speaking to the country, without yelling, spreading vitriol and deception as a man of power. It feels as if a shroud has at least moved a few extra miles or so over the country. We were awed by the youngest Poet Laureate in our country’s history (and she also happened to be a person of color). We just woke up to a new day.

Again, none of this is meant as political. It’s not about politics. It’s just about my personal feelings about the people that either are occupying an office or were occupying that office. This speaks nothing on policy, only on character. And while I am usually a fan of characters, the one we just pushed out of the way was the wrong kind of character for me.

All I can say is, wrap up folks, it’s minus 45 out there…

(ps… any political crap thrown at me for this will be deleted… thanks)

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“When day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We’ve braved the belly of the beast.” – “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman

Happy Solar… or: My Pops

08 Friday Jan 2021

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Salutations™!!

Happy Solar Circumnavigational Anniversary Day to my father! He’s a good man. He has taught me a lot about business, life and just about everything else important in my life. We don’t agree on a lot of things, but he and my mother always let me be me, no matter how much it pained them. Happy birthday, Pop!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland

Back to Computin’ or: It’ll Have to Do

07 Thursday Jan 2021

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Salutations™!!

Well, I got a new laptop today. It’s not exactly what I wanted but it will have to do me for now. My other one died and there was no fixing it. That’s sad because it was everything I ever wanted in a laptop. It was a two-in-one (laptop/tablet combo), made by HP, touchscreen, all the keys were where they needed to be, the 10-key numeric pad and all that jazz. This one is made by Lenovo (formerly IBM)15.6″ and has the touchscreen, 10-key pad. That’s good. I love the color of it, too. Kind of a brushed cobalt blue or something. But, the keys are weird and the screen seems a little confined.

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 (©Lenovo)

I think my other one was 17″ because I didn’t have to pull my arms so close together to type and seemed wider. Nothing fits in this screen. There’s a lot of scrolling in all directions just to see anything. It’s kind of annoying. But, it was affordable and I spent more than I could probably afford at that, but I had to have something. I was getting nothing done and while I love the power and the big screens of my two studio computers, I don’t want to sit in those chairs and feel like I’m working 24 hours a day. I can put my feet up and watch tv whilst I work or doing puzzles or writing this blog. Now, granted, I am writing all this on Sunday and posting it for the Thursday just prior, meaning that I haven’t done a post since last Sunday, but I’m catching up.

One cool thing, while Lenovo’s global headquarters are in China, their operational headquarters are here in Morrisville, NC. So, I guess I’m buying “local.”

Anywhat! I’m glad to have something. I will say that the keyboard feels really good. I’ll let that shine above the things I don’t like.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I have used Lenovo since I wrote my first novel. My old laptop broke, so I bought a new one, but still a Lenovo. It is one of my most essential devices. Okky Madasari
Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/search_results?q=new+laptop

A Life Well-Lived or: A Day that Lived in Musical Infamy

08 Tuesday Dec 2020

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Salutations™!!

40 years ago today, the musical world stood, sat, watched and listened as a terrible travesty was announced to the entire world. I was 10 years old and like the rest of the world, I found out that John Lennon had died while watching Monday Night Football. Howard Cosell delivered the news at the end of the game between the Dolphins and Patriots.

I’m not at all proud of what I’m about to say, and I probably have talked about this before, this is the sixth December 8 in a row I have been through on this blog. When I was young, 7-13 or so, I was so deeply entrenched in “KISSWorld” that all other things were awful to me. When I thought of The Beatles or other things that my parents may have listened to, it was all “old people music.” I remember going up to my mother and telling her, “one of your people died,” in a smug and mocking way. Turns out, she nor my father were Beatles fans. She listened to Leslie Gore, Peter, Paul & Mary and gospel stuff. My dad listened to nothing but country & western (shudders). None of that mattered. The fact that I was making fun of someone at John Lennon’s expense, nay, the GREAT John Lennon’s expense, haunts me to this day. I grew to be a huge Beatles fan. I call them my second favorite band. I am a Paul McCartney fan first, but I love John’s stuff, too.

Mark David Chapman remains incarcerated at 65 years old. I’m pretty sure if his parole is granted, he wouldn’t be long for this world. He ripped a lot of people’s world out from under them. I mean imagine if someone had murdered Kurt Cobain… oh, wait…

“Imagine” indeed.

Here’s the moments remembered.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“We have to say it: remember, this is just a football game, no matter who wins or loses. An unspeakable tragedy, confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City …” – Howard Cosell

The Next Day or: Still Going Strong

21 Saturday Nov 2020

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Salutations™!!

Yesterday was my big birthday. Today was the big celebration. We had The Beer Dads Family (the Joneses, the Lowders) and our extended friends family (The Davids, Our Jim Young) come over around 2pm. We set up a fire pit in our yard, our Alexa Dot, a Bluetooth speaker and had a fantastic time day drinking before The Beer Dads went to Mojito to have some delicious Cuban-inspired Latin Soul Food.

My friends know how much I love alcohol, too. The Davids brought me a Crown Royal set with glasses. The Joneses brought two bombers of high-gravity brews. Jim brought me Templeton Rye. The Lowders brought me Ragged Branch Double Oaked Whiskey, which was part of Jon’s barrel that he went in with friends to invest in. I love it!

Birthday Fire (©S Jones)

We had a great time sitting around the fire, listening to Simply Sinatra and Yacht Rock Radio on SiriusXM and just talking and having a time. We all smelled like a campfire afterward and were a little tipsy but we did alright. The BCPF was the most inebriated and that’s okay! You go girl! I forgot to mention yesterday that we stopped by Top Leaf Cigar Lounge and one of my work wives, Bethany of The Less Desirables (and owner of Top Leaf) bought me two cigars. I had about 2/3 of one last night with my Ardbeg Scotch and the Ragged Branch.

I’ve had big parties and I’ve had small gatherings but I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed having everyone around celebrating with me. We missed the Verners, Bethany and my sister and BIL but we’ll make it up with them all soon!

Again, BEST! BIRTHDAY! EVER!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years.” – Ausonius

Now ABNormal Chronicles or: The Make Up

16 Monday Nov 2020

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Salutations™!!

So, I’m going to be 100% honest with you right now, Dear Reader. This is dated for 11/16. I wrote it on 11/22. I have been without my laptop (where I do most of my posting) for over a week. I am writing this on my home studio computer. I have access to it all the time but I don’t write the same way on it. So, whilst my laptop is either being repaired, refurbished, retired or whatever other “re” we can think of I’ll have to do what I can as I can.

The biggest part for me is that this is “updated every day.” Now, that doesn’t mean I post every day, obviously. There are days that I miss, of course. However, I promised myself (and therein you) that I would write for every day. So, I just go through and backdate stuff.

Writing everyday takes a lot of time and I’ll be honest (again), sometimes my creative juices just aren’t there. That’s why I do a lot of music posts. Music is one of the most important aspects of my life. It always has been. It always will be. Even though I have been interacting with the real world more in the last bit, I still have to be very careful as I am “high risk.” That’s one reason why I haven’t done a lot outside of the music posts, too. I have always used this blog as an “experience” blog. I also consider it a “lifestyle” blog. Not a lot of that happening right now. So, I fill it with the music part. I know this sounds like I’m making excuses or “apologizing” for the music aspect. I’m not. Just explaining.

So, that’s what I have right now, and see? There wasn’t a music post here.

Until tomorrow, probably back to the music posts…
Scorp out!

—
“A lifestyle is what you pay for; a life is what pays you.”– Thomas Leonard