Gels and laserbeams

Went to see my neurologist last week and while nothing like a cure was discussed there was some progress made out in the community since we last left our hero.

The first piece of news was something called duodopa gel which uses a pump to push levodopa in gel form straight into your stomach (our my stomach as the case may be). The idea is they take medication they know works (levodopa) and by changing the form from a pill over to gel. Then it is absorbed quicker into the blood stream and finally into the brain.

Pros: less time of each day stuck in "off cycles" when I get too much levodopa or not enough. This is the primary argument for this device and the gel version of levodopa .

Only have to change the cartridge twice a day to maintain the proper levels.

Cons: You gotta wear this pump device about the size and weight of a Star Trek tricorder around your neck on a strap 24/7. Ohhhh, feel the sexiness extrude from that mental image (although I realize the previous line referencing Star Trek probably accomplished the same thing).

The permanent tube in my stomach - this is tried and true procedure nowadays but that doesn't change the fact I would have a hole in my tummy from here on out. The only hole in my tummy up to this point in my life was tied off at birth to keep me from sticking Legos inside. I worry about things...

Anyway I may be on the list for when the FDA approves the home version of this game in the USA (apparently already done in Canada as I write this). Not sure if I want to be this close to the cutting edge of science. Remember - don't get involved in anything in the alpha or beta stages if you can help it - especially medical "procedures".

The other revalation that was noteworthy was the laser - equipped walker. They are putting frickin' lasers on walkers these days! I knew they existed  for a number of years now and I did try one out a long time ago but Doc wanted to show it off so I tried it again. Wouldn't you know I walked better than I ever could using a standard walker before. Something about having a visual  cue always in front of our feet triggers a different pathway in my brain that causes my feet to lift higher and move forward. Whatever, dude. . . it seemed to work and there are gaps in my mobility stable that walkers fill better than any other device available. So keep your eyes pealed (ewwww) for me and my laser....straighter than masers ......everywhere we go .... everyone knows ....  it's me and my laser...

Sorry about that cheesy attempt at trivia - but since we are there anyways do you know what originally those lyrics are parodies of?

Here is something I did not realize until this morning. While surfing the net (I am an Interweb hodaddy fer sure) I discovered our beloved Bruce Bochy, manager of your San Francisco Giants, currently has the most wins as an active manager - any active manager. He is 20th on the all-time list for wins by a manager active or not just behind ....wait for this ... Tommy Lasorda! They both won 2 World Series each and Lasorda is in the Hall of Fame. I never thought of Bochy as a HOFer until now.  Why not, if Lasorda is in why not Bochy? Go Giants!

Didja know?

I have received a request or two that some of my readers want to know as much as I think I do about miscellaneous trivial subjects. Okay - be careful what you ask for though...

Until I figure out the best to do this I will simply list my marvelous accumulation of interesting tidbits of knowledge like this:

• Do you know why some base runners in baseball will grab a pair of batting gloves out of their back pocket and not put them on? This one is simple - by running the bases with their hands clenched in fists while carrying the gloves they won't expose their fingers as much when sliding head first into the bases.
• Spent some time in the garage today talking to my daughter about music while she painted a chest of drawers - I grew up thinking it was pronounced "chester's drawers". 

Hey - it really is 2010 over here now.

I just sat down at my computer in a state of mild euphoria after the 2010 Giants beat Atlanta 3-2 in an amazing game. Eric Hinske of the Bravos mashed a two-run shot down the right field line in the bottom of the eighth to put Atlanta ahead 2-1 and also put his name into the Giants' all-time list of evil opponents. That list includes (now) Rick Ankiel after his splash hit in the 11th on Friday to steal game 2.

As it turns out however, Hinske is no more than a footnote of what might have been as the Giants rally back in the top of the ninth to tack a pair of runs up to win 3-2. Yee haw...

What happened to September?

So I just completely skipped September. It seems like the days all blend together now and I sometimes have a problem remembering which day of the week it is.

Here is a short list of what has been going on over the past 4 weeks or so...

1. Read a lot of books - the highlights were the Destroyermen series and "One Second After".


2. All three of my fantasy baseball teams made their respective playoffs - a first for me. Of course, two of them lost already and the third team plays tonight.


3. I collected more info on the various military exploits of family members but the flow has subsided. Time to send another round of emails!
   
4. Watched the Giants flame out in their playoff quest.


5. Received a summons for jury duty and submitted yet another letter from my doctor to be excused.

Also, we had to have our cat Elvis put to sleep. He was 15 years old when he stopped eating one day last month and within a week he was gone.

I love the smell of Naugahyde in the morning

I remember being around eight years old and my dad would take me with him when he went shopping for all kinds of cool things he would use around the house and in his work on cars in the garage. We went to flea markets and Army surplus stores back when they really had a lot of used army stuff for sale. I recall walking into a store that had a real air force pilot's used helmet with oxygen mask for sale - boy, did I want that helmet! I had no practical use for a helmet you understand, but when you are an eight year old boy, well, you don't think about that very much. I'm not sure what I really expected to see in the surplus stores but I always was excited to go to one anywhere. I think at that age I half expected one day to walk into one of these places and see a tank for sale. I knew my dad would never pass up the opportunity to buy an army surplus tank - I was sure of that.

One summer back in Oklahoma we found a well stocked surplus store right next to Fort Sill, which is the army base that trains soldiers in the art of artillery. I did manage to talk my dad into buying me a dummy 20mm cannon round. This was complete, not just a shell casing. It was bright silver and while it wasn't live and couldn't explode it was intact as far as I could see. That cannon round became every bomb I needed for my GI JOE to disarm (long before Jack Bauer required 24 hours) or ride like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove.

Dad bought a lot of Naugahyde for upholstery work he did on cars both as a way to make some extra money on the side. I still can smell new rolls of Naugahyde and instantly think of flea markets and driving our car on the way home on a back road from Napa sitting on my dad's lap while steering the car - imagine trying that today! Funny how smells can trigger such strong memories.

Staples removed

On Friday I had 17 staples removed from the incision on my chest. It took the nurse less than a minute to remove them using the handy dandy official staple remover. I believe that with my stutter it actually takes me longer to say 'staples' than it did to have them removed.

I finished a second video using clips from the latest Zombie map in the Call of Duty 5 World at War video game and posted it here on YouTube. This new video is a commercial for a new theme park.

My parents must be proud of me now!