Archive for June, 2006
Last month I mentioned how I was diagnosed with a deviated septum. Well, on Wednesday I underwent surgery to correct this.
Nothing exciting about before the surgery–it is an out-patient procedure that takes less than an hour. No eating or drinking after midnight prior to surgery. A little general anesthesia, and then you wake up thinking you were just in a bar fight. You are groggy from the drugs, your nose burns, and a hammock of gauze is strung up between your ears to catch the drips of blood that seem to never stop. Whose idea was this again?
I was sent home with antibiotics to ward off any infection and Tylenol with codeine to deal with the pain from what was described as “chiseling”. No one used this word prior to surgery. I did not opt for any cosmetic enhancement of my schnoz, so there was not much external change except a bit of swelling. No black eyes or bandages — just a bloody gob of gauze strung up under my dripping nostrils.
I was anxious to try out my new nose–breathing wise, but alas some “packing” is kept in for a day to control the bleeding. It was hard to sleep propped up, in pain, and only able to suck air in through my mouth.
The next day, the dripping blood had nearly stopped. Time to go back to the doctor so he could remove the packing and restart the dripping of blood. At this point the pain was diminishing, but my ears were hurting from having the gauze harness strung between them.
The second night brought no better sleep, but much less pain. I ditched the gauze and now just walk around with a tissue stuck up my nose. And evidently there are still splints stuck up in my nose to be taken out six days after surgery. I can already feel that my breathing will be better, but there is still some healing to do before I think about trying too hard.
(Nasal Splints)
Other restrictions I need to worry about:
- No blowing my nose for two weeks
- No swimming for a month
- No vigorous activity for two weeks
All-in-all, it is a painful and bloody procedure. However, if my breathing is improved it will be well worth it… and I would recommend it for a friend.
June 30th, 2006
I haven’t forgotten about North Korea and their sneaky missile fueling. This past Sunday, it was reported that North Korea was preparing for a missile “test” and the world has been waiting. If it is true that a missile has been fueled, then they are most likely going to launch it with a few weeks. Evidently, the rocket fuel is highly corrosive and not really meant to be de-fueled.
There is speculation as to what type of missile, its range, and what it is carrying, but no one knows for sure. Perhaps they are just bluffing, but I am using satellite imagery from Google Maps to keep watch. (Although these images are not live or necessarily current).
In case I am needed to defend against a missile attack, I have been training using an unofficial Missle Defense Simulator.
Just doing my part.
June 27th, 2006
Over the weekend, I was interviewed by Big Bob over at the EZHelp, You & More Internet Radio Show. Bob was mostly interested in the creation and operation of MIStupid.com. The telephone interview is about 12 minutes long and can be heard here.
June 26th, 2006
What do American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee and former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein have in common? They both starve themselves in attempt to control their lives.
Katharine McPhee has revealed that she had been struggling with bulimia, and sought help after her successful audition for American Idol and before the show started. She had struggled for years eating and “purging” up to seven times a day because of a poor self-image.
Saddam, on the other hand, went on a hunger strike in protest after the killing of his third lawyer. He ended his hunger strike ubruptly on Thursday, however, after missing a total of one meal.
June 23rd, 2006
Today I saw a guy selling 5th Avenue candy bars on Madison Ave.
June 21st, 2006
I think that most of the time when we read about superstar athletes, we are both in awe of their great skill and perhaps jealous of their fame and wealth. Some of these super humans seem to be fine-tuned machines of bone and flesh. Golf however, does not conjure up these images. When I look at these guys, they look like regular “Joes” you might work with or be related to.
Now don’t get me wrong, golf is a difficult sport. I would call it a finesse game. Speed and strength don’t seem to be much a part of control and accuracy. Although like any other sport, there is also a mental component. Perhaps the allure of golf as a spectator sport is that so many people relate to it because anyone can play. Old or young, big or small, guy or gal, in-shape or barely able to walk — they are all out there hitting a ball and following it around. Certainly soccer is a more exciting game to watch, but alas, we Americans still cannot relate to the game the world calls “football.”
In most sports, it seems the athletes were bred to play the game. Others attempt to get even more of an edge using performance altering substances. Except for Tiger Woods who seems to have been born with a club in his hand, I simply don’t get this impression from other golfers. This “regular guy” impression was reinforced this past weekend when Phil Mickelson declared himself “an idiot” for his U.S. Open loss.
It seems all Mickelson needed to do is make some very basic shots to win the tournament, but a series of “chokes” cost him the victory. The humility of the situation can best be visualized in the photo of Mickelson searching for his ball in and around a garbage bag just off the fairway.
It’s nice to know that, like us, Phil is just a fallible human susceptible to the agony of defeat.
See more Men’s Golf Champions.
June 20th, 2006
It seems that eating well and exercising might not be enough to thwart some health issues. Just like Sergio Valenti and Gloria Vanderbilt, some people just have bad genes (bad pun). I just read a story of a family where a hereditary stomach cancer has taken many of their elders. To prevent such a fate, 11 cousins have voluntarily had their stomachs removed.
This certainly seems drastic but beats the alternative. It seems you can live without a stomach by eating many small meals as your small intestines still continue to digest your food normally. A big side-effect seems to be weight loss which seems like an understatement.
I have heard about similar steps people have taken avoid breast cancer and uterine cancer. I suppose living with the dread of wondering when you will be diagnosed would be very depressing, if not paralyzing.
Having relinquished myself of my own gallbladder not too long ago, I often wonder just how many “extra parts” we have that we could actually live without and still maintain quality of life. Hundreds of years ago, many misunderstood “Vestigial Organs” were considered useless. I think all of our parts have a purpose, certainly the stomach does, but it appears we can do without it.
I suppose any one of a pair (kidney, lung, eye, etc.) might be considered an extra and perhaps part of nature’s design. So here is a partial list of what might be considered “optional equipment”:
- Gallbladder
- Tonsils
- Appendix
- Spleen
It seems the stomach can now be added to the list.
Are you living happily along without some other part?
June 19th, 2006
The question “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” has always seemed to be an unanswerable question or at least rhetorical. It is often used as a metaphor for dismissing a cause vs. effect of something. However, looking at the question very literally can raise some interesting discussions.
I believe that the root of the “chicken or egg” question may actually be a creation versus evolution question. Creationism would suggest that a chicken was created and, of course, lays eggs. Evolution suggests an egg-laying animal gave birth to slightly mutated offspring that continued to become more chicken-like because these new chicken-like traits provided an advantage to survival.
I believe that the root of the “chicken or egg” question may actually be a creation versus evolution question. Creationism would suggest that a chicken was created and, of course, lays eggs. Evolution suggests an egg-laying animal gave birth to slightly mutated offspring that continued to become more chicken-like because these new chicken-like traits provided an advantage to survival.
It seems that many scientists now agree.
What are your thoughts?
June 15th, 2006
It seems that the risk of death is not working to get people to quit smoking. This alone speaks to the addictive nature of cigarettes and the obsessive personalities of the people addicted. I don’t think those “Truth” commercials help anyone except for non-smokers to get angrier at tobacco companies by exposing their practices.
One radio campaign I have heard speaks to the economic aspect of smoking. People explain how they have stopped smoking and have saved X thousands of dollars a year — an interesting spin on a materialist society. Don’t care that you are shortening your life and ruining your lungs — think of the money you would save! I don’t think this is going to work either.
People have been wondering how much gas prices would have to go up before people change their buying habits. I don’t think any price would be too high. Every time I go to fill up, there is always a huge line to buy gas. Don’t these people know how much gas costs? — Probably not. Give them your already over-extended credit card and you never even realize how much you are spending. How much does a pack of cigarettes cost? Does it matter?
The newest campaign against smoking has been a television commercial which features a man who has had throat cancer and now breathes through a little hole in his neck. He speaks using one of those electronic voice boxes, which interestingly retains his Spanish accent.
I have seen two commercials featuring this gentleman. One of them shows him getting ready in the morning, using a cotton swab to clean the hole in his throat and covering it with a neckerchief and speaking with his voice box. The tagline, “nothing will every be the same.” The other version shows a swimming pool as the gentleman explains how he used to love swimming and now cannot because he would drown from water entering his breathing hole. Again the tagline, “nothing will ever be the same.”
I guess this one is trying to paint the smoking related consequences as less dramatic and fatal, but more practical and certainly less than glamorous. I hope they help.
I have always heard that the only thing that happens when you talk to smokers about what has happened to other smokers is that they just smoke more. Part of the reason they smoke is to overcome anxiety.
A new study suggests that a snap decision to stop smoking is two to three times more effective than planning for it. Have the desire to quit and then one day just act on it.
Whatever works for you — stop smoking.
June 13th, 2006
Walking in New York City is hard. Some people are afraid to drive in the city, but they should really be afraid to walk. Now don’t get me wrong — I have been walking to and from work and Grand Central Terminal for over ten years. I often describe NYC as the only place where you can walk on the street thinking all of the drivers are idiots, then get in your car and think all of the pedestrians are idiots.
Dealing with Traffic Lights
The traffic lights are designed to control the flow of traffic and as a result, pedestrians. When at a corner with a red light, a big red hand appears signaling walkers to STOP. However, in NYC this is only a suggestion. If traffic in your path is at a stop, then you simply wiggle through the cars and proceed. Or if a driver lags and allows even a car length to form, the more daring walkers will sprint across risking the spilling of their Starbucks coffee. No worries, there’s a Starbucks at the next corner. If you do decide to heed the “Don’t Walk” sign, only the meek actually wait on the sidewalk. Most people step into the street, slowly clogging the artery with this human cholesterol.
I have visited many cities and always notice how people react to the pedestrian signals. In San Diego, I stood among a dozen people waiting for the “Walk” signal on a street where no cars passed for the duration of the light. At the next corner, needless to say, I left these obedient pedestrians as I continued down the trafficless streets. I always expect that if ever presented with a “jay walking” ticket, I would just use the excuse that I was from New York, and perhaps they would “fuhget about it.”
I can always tell the out-of-towners — there the ones that freeze in their tracks when they first see a hint of the flashing red hand. Let me explain how this works. When that hand starts flashing, it’s just a warning. The traffic is still stopped. When it stops flashing, the traffic signal turns amber warning the cars of the pending red light and the stopped traffic will soon get a green light and start driving. This is your last change to begin you crossing attempt. If the stopped traffic is at your corner, this needs to be a quick dash perhaps holding out a hand. Depending on the reaction time of the drivers, you will either be honked at or unnoticed. If the traffic is on the opposite corner, you may walk at a calm pace across the street. By the time the opposing traffic, trying to squeeze through the light, gets out of their way, you will nearly be across, and like a bullfighter, the car will brush past you leaving you unharmed. (no cape required).
Recently however, there has been a change in some of the light patterns. When pedestrians get the green light to walk, cars wishing to turn onto the street you are crossing also have a green light. The rule is to yield to the pedestrians, so these cars have to slowly inch in letting people know their intention of proceeding but not running anyone down. Out of town drivers are sometime too aggressive here and think that the people are in their way. The traffic light people have tried to alleviate this scenario by having a green light for drivers going straight without conflict to pedestrians, but turning traffic has a red light for about a minute. Then they give the pedestrians a Don’t Walk and allow the cars to turn. However, with every cause, there is an effect. Crossing the opposite street, people are waiting for a Walk signal. All of the cars that were going straight have passed. The cars that should be turning are just sitting there with a red light. We all know the sign says Don’t Walk, but the cars are just sitting there, so people decide to walk. Now without ANY warning, the turning cars light turns green and there are people crossing in front of them not understanding what just happened.
It’s not easy. Remember to look both ways and be careful.
June 9th, 2006
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