Tag Archives: Life

Eleven Years Mine or: Falling Every Day

21 Wednesday Jul 2021

Posted by in Honeymoon, Life as We Know It, Travel, Video

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

Salutations™!!

Today is the 11th anniversary of The BCPF’s and my first date. Mind you, she was The BCPF before we were officially dating. She got her name before this. Which, by the way, if you’re new or have forgotten what BCPF stands for… it’s Beautiful Close Personal Friend. But, I took her to Charlotte to see Cowboy Junkies, a band that I had heard of but knew nothing about, but she was certainly a fan of.

But, before we went to Charlotte, when I picked her up from her mother’s house, I had written a song for her. I told her about it two days before, when I held her hand for the first time and told her that I loved her. “Oh, and I should warn you, I wrote you a song.” Yeah, before we ever started dating, I wrote her a song about how I felt. It was no secret but I felt the song told the story. So, there I was at her mom’s doorstep, guitar in hand and she opens the door. I handed her the lyric sheet (I suppose she still has that somewhere) and commenced playing and singing.

It must have worked because here we are, 11 years later, almost 7 of them married, and I still love her and she still loves me. We go through ups and downs, but not because of each other. In this 11 years, I can count on about three fingers where we had a row, and a couple of those fingers’ tally would be suspect. We’ve been to foreign lands, magical lands, mountainous lands, beachfront lands, windy lands, beany lands, and I can’t wait to see what land we land in next. I love you, Stephanie, more than anything other than my son in this world. Here’s to another 50 or so (yeah, I’d be 100 but so what?). And, here’s the song for you guys to enjoy and hear my confession which turned to profession. Enjoy!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I heard what you said. Tried my best not to get my hopes up. I know what I said. Should have known somehow I would mess up. I tried to warn myself this would happen. I can’t even listen to my own advice. I think I’m falling, it’s a long way down without a net. Don’t let me hit the ground. I feel I’m crawling. I think I’m falling.” – “Fallen” (Beeman)

Fifty-Three or: Thirty-Five?

21 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Salutations™!!

Today is my parents’ 53rd wedding anniversary. On the flipside, today is also the 35th anniversary of us moving from WV to WSNC. So, today is my “Tarheel” day. I hate that term, “Tarheel.” But, whatever. Happy happy to my ‘Rents and to all of us former “hillbillies.”

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Winston-Salem, which locals refer to as Winston, is a region on an upward trajectory that still maintains its Southern roots.” – Brent Patterson

Daddy’s Day or: Happy Pappy!

20 Sunday Jun 2021

Posted by in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Salutations™!!

Happy father’s day to all my readers, whether you’re a dad, stepdad, adoptive dad, fur baby dad and so on!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Mothers play an important role as the heart of the home, but this in no way lessens the equally important role fathers should play, as head of the home, in nurturing, training, and loving their children.” – Ezra Taft Benson

The 20th Year or: My Man

15 Saturday May 2021

Posted by in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Salutations™!!

Today is my son’s 19th birthday… I love that guy.

I remember getting up at 4am 19 years ago and getting his mother and myself ready to relieve her discomfort and welcome our child into this world. He didn’t want to come out, either.

We were there by 530a and got settled in. The doctor came in and they started the “induction” process. When he did that, her “water” burst and we went through all the towels, sheets and pillowcases in the birthing room. Seriously, it was like someone turned on a water hose and left it laying in the yard. It wouldn’t stop coming.

The baby, however, did stop coming. He didn’t want to leave the comfort of the womb. In fact, he went backward. Instead of coming down toward the birth canal (yeah, I hate that term, too), he went further up in the womb. On top of that, as they had started inducing the birth, contractions had already started. But, the baby’s heart rate started going down each time a contraction happened. We started to get worried. The doctor, Doctor V as we called him, seemed only moderately concerned. He waited around for a bit and then went and did some “rounds.” It was like we had cut off the baby’s jacuzzi and he was mad!

We stared at the heart monitor and sure enough, every time a contraction happened, the heart rate diminished. The nurses came in and checked. My mother and her mother kept us company, but it really didn’t help much. Dr. V called a few times and around noon — remember we had been in this holding pattern since around 6a — he told us that he thinks it would be best to have a Caesarean Section since this heart rate issue was starting to concern him, too. We spent around two minutes weighing the pros and very few cons. We told Dr. V that the C-Section was a go.

We rolled into the operating room around 230p and they had her split open and the doctor and nurse were tugging hard and pulling her apart. I sat down by her head and she was numb but mostly lucid. She was being jostled and wanted to know what was going on. I sat up straight and realized that I was over the curtain divider. I could see everything that was going on. I told her I was going to watch. I have a hard time with blood and entrails and things but this was different. I watched as they pulled my child into the world. I had a camera and was taking pictures of this happening. The first thing I took a picture of? His scrotum. I had a son and dang it! I was excited!

Trey after winning the Golden Cutting Board

We named him after my father (which is who I’m named after) and set on watching him grow. And grow he has.

He’s a very intelligent kid, almost a genius, and seems to plan to use that power for good. Like many his age, he’s content with putting his nose in a phone or computer and whiling away his life. Well, he finally found something that he’s into and luckily is very good at, cooking. He was in the culinary program in the local trade school and went on to bigger things.

He had a job. Before the Covipocalypse happened. It’s not often that our first job is actually in the field we want to pursue, right? He was working in a restaurant and as far as I can tell, he was doing great there. I know the owner, the GM and the chef and they were happy with what he was doing.

The pandemic happened and all but robbed him of his senior year. The first semester was good and he did the state cooking competition (he led his team to a silver medal). But, afterward, he lost his prom, finishing the culinary program, and the graduation ceremony and all other things that seniors do and look forward to.

He joined the Providence Culinary Training program at Providence Restaurant and continued to hone his skills. There are a few restaurants that have shown interest in helping him advance his career. He has told me that he wants to get some experience and then possibly explore other places around the country or world to get more of that knowledge. I support his decision as such. He won the Golden Cutting Board, which is the brightest star in all the class. He got a job at a local pizza place, which he really liked but Providence came a-calling again and offered him a full time position there. I mean, the school and business he had just finished saw his skills and potential and wanted him to work with them. I talked to Chef Jeff Bacon who oversees PCT and was the one that started, just yesterday and he said and I quote: “Your son has become a rock star for us.” He has the skills. He has the ambition (all he talks about is food and cooking). He has the passion. I am in total awe of this kid and not just because he’s mine. He had to work today, on his birthday, and I told him it was only the first of many. Welcome to Adulting. He’s okay with it. He loves it.

He has grown into a fine young man and I love this “boy” with all my heart. 19, 5’11”-6′ and into food, video games and his girlfriend. He’s smart, asks a lot of questions, loves football, and is all-around a great kid. I got lucky, really.

So, happy birthday, son. I love you and cannot wait to see the impact you make on the world.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Don’t just count your years, make your years count.” – George Meredith

Second Birthdays or: The Longest Day

18 Sunday Apr 2021

Posted by in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

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

Posted by in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

Posted by in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

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

Posted by in Food, Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

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

Posted by in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

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