9.30.2008

I Don't See Any Any Key!


Some 1,400 chief information officers from companies across the United States to come up with the most baffling questions their help desks or technical support teams had ever received. (AFP/Illustration)

Why do I find this funny? Well, if you go back to a blog I wrote in July 2007, you'll see why.

Get Rid of Them All

I believe I have come to the conclusion that in this election I will vote for only non-incumbents at all levels of government, and will encourage everyone else to do the same. We need to start with a clean slate.

And in terms of the President, vote for whoever you want. If there was a third party candidate that I could tolerate I would vote for them...but there is no such thing.

9.25.2008

Another Notch

It seems like there is always a time where the pain I'm in steps up a notch. No reason, activity or logic to it, it just happens.

Unfortunately I think it just climbed up yet another notch.

I thought that maybe I was just going through an "inflammatory" phase these last couple of weeks due to the change in weather, but have come to the conclusion that it's not a short-term thing. Unfortunately it's here to stay.

With each "notch" it eats away more at my mental strength, and this most recent increase is no exception. It's a harsh reality, but if the doctors continue to sit around and do nothing I would be shocked if I'm still able to work in a year. And for me, the person whose life once revolved around work and career, it's a tough thing to swallow.

I hope one day I can look back at all of this and know that there was a purpose behind all of the suffering. I feel that after all I've been through that I should be able to do "something" with it. Granted, things are not over yet, but...why was I meant to go through all of this if there was not a greater purpose?

9.15.2008

Hello, Ike

While the Texans got to see Ike at full blast, we Ohioans were in for a shock yesterday afternoon when 65-80 mph winds started blowing. Ike was here, but we didn't know it then. Brad and I were both upstairs, in separate rooms, when I heard the large, long crackle of wood breaking, and then a large bang that shook the house. I sat in our office in silence, with the words "Did a tree just fall?" going through my mind. Within seconds Brad's voice boomed down the hall, "We lost a tree. Didn't hit a house, but we're blocked in."

A 40-50 ft tree in a tree lawn on the south side of the property had a big, old tree come tumbling down in the wind. It looks like it was decaying from the inside, and the winds snapped it at the base. We were lucky no one was hurt, and that there was no property damage. Yes, we were blocked in since the tree was over our only road out of the development, and there was some landscaping damage, but after hearing other people's stories we were immensely lucky.

After calling a few tree removal companies and getting turned down due to the volume they had already accumulated, we finally found a guy close by to do the job, and for $900. Not bad, considering the high demand. We now have a path clear in our road to drive through, and within the next few days the company will clean up the rest.

My parents, 10 minutes down the road, also got hit hard. Wires down, trees down...complete mess. Neither of us had power, along with over 300,000 residents in the Cleveland/Akron area. What we always find amusing is that typically when we lose power, the houses on the other side of our southern tree lawn typically have it. So we went to a neighbors, had some screwdrivers (and yes, I mean vodka & orange juice) in the driveway, watching the winds and envying the people in the houses that were in their comfortable homes, with their electricity, air conditioning and television. Considering the circumstances, it was not a bad night.

The one thing most people around here agree on is the lack of a warning before the winds came. We certainly knew nothing about it, and we had been watching the Bears/Panthers game on a Cleveland network. I'm not sure what the weather people were up to, but I think they were slacking just a bit. Probably out at the Browns Stadium tailgating and drinking until they felt no pain (in anticipation of their major loss to the Steelers).

What was to happen Sunday evening was our association board meeting, which was going to probably be one big stressful shouting match. Instead, we gathered together as a community (for the most part - a few people decided to play their typical games) and made the best of a bad situation. You can actually say that the tree brought us together, at least for an evening. I'm sure in a week everyone will be back to their political games. But for now I'm going to enjoy the peace while it lasts.

9.11.2008

A Moment of Silence

I certainly hope people can stop talking/commenting about who called who a pig in lipstick, get over themselves, grow up, and refocus on what is really important in life.

It's a sad statement that the 25th anniversary of the VMA's received more press than the 7 year anniversary of 9/11. Pathetic. As a country, where did we go wrong? Where did we lose our way here? Is it too late to change course, or like the mighty Roman empire are we destined to fail?

9.04.2008

Results

About a month ago I had blood drawn, which was then sent to Rush in Chicago for testing. The purpose was to see if I had a high level of various metals in my bloodstream, which could be a sign that my body was allergic to, or rejecting, the artificial disc I had put in place back in May 2005. My dad initiated the conversation with my original surgeon at my desperate request (they work together), so the testing was done. I had not heard anything, so I asked my dad to check with the surgeon to see when the results would be available. As it turns out, the surgeon had received them this week.

The results show that there is an "elevated level of nickel reactivity". The surgeon was quick to point out that nickel is not a component of the disc. However, after a few minutes of web research, I was able to confirm that one of the main components, cobalt, is a byproduct of nickel. Basically the two go hand-in-hand. Also several of the other metals used for the disc often contain some nickel in their makeup.

I don't know what all of this will lead to, but it's something. Out of all of the test results I've had, only two things have come back positive - the level of nickel in my bloodstream, and my anti-nuclear antibody level. Both items are signs of an allergic reaction based on what I've read.

I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but it's tough not to feel consumed with emotion right now. It's good news - great news, actually - but there is also a part of me that is furious for the hell I've gone through and the complete lack of support from the medical community. I've asked every doctor I've seen these past 3 years (over 11 of them) if I could be allergic to the implant, and I was blown off. In fact, most of the docs gave a laugh and told me "If you can wear a watch, you don't have a metal allergy." Right...because wearing a watch on my wrist is completely the same as having a large metal implant inside your body reacting with various tissues and such. Because my watch is made out of the exact metals - and plastics - as an implant. Completely the same.

Idiots.

If I actually get a diagnosis for whatever it is I have and it's related to the disc, I will certainly make it my mission to share my story as much as I can so others who may be suffering from the same thing can get treated. In the meantime these results have given me a much needed boost of fighting power. It gives me something to work with, which is all I've been wanting for a few years now. Something to let me know that I'm not crazy, that it's not all in my imagination and that what I'm suffering from is real. It may not have been real to the medical community up until this point because it's not one of the main "top 50" diseases they are aware of, but it's definitely real to me. And I think this most recent test reinforces the fact that there is something there.

Mission Accomplished

After months of planning and several weeks of work, my mom's 60th birthday weekend went well. Only one small hiccup - I had to tell my mom over the phone on Friday that Grandma was in the car, and I was driving her to Ohio as a surprise.

What can I say. Mom started panicking when she called Grandma three times on Friday morning and got no answer, so she assumed the worst; that she was injured, dead, or possibly kidnapped. Ok, I made up the kidnapping part.

So I received the dreaded call from Mom at 2pm, just as I crossed into Indiana. She started out asking me where I was, how was traffic, and whether I had a headache. Considering she did not know where I was, I had to make up stuff. I could tell something was bothering her, so I asked her straight out and then I got the panic about Grandma. She was about to call Grandma again for a fourth time...so there was nothing I could do. I admitted I had her mom in the car, and after stating three or four times that I wasn't joking, I finally handed the phone to Grandma so she could prove that what I was saying was true.

I was pretty devastated for about two minutes. All the effort, all the stress with keeping it a secret, and the fact there would be no joyful moment with the whole family once Grandma arrived...it was a severe kick to the stomach. But then I realized that I had accomplished the mission - giving my mom time with her mom, and making it a surprise - so all was good. I got over myself and the situation.

Thursday through Monday was a hectic, time-consuming, exhausting, physically painful blur. Actually, that really describes the last few weeks. But in the end, I think everyone had a lot of fun, and I managed to get everything done that I had planned. I got about 4 hours of sleep a night at most, but I made it through.

I have some good pictures and good stories, but that will probably have to wait another week or two. Technically, the birthday gift/work is not officially over. I still have Grandma to take back to Iowa this weekend, and then next weekend I have several things to take back to various stores that I did not end up using for the cake. Since I have a few days of "down time" (excluding my work-related hours of 5am to 6:30pm this week), the goal is to try and get as much sleep as possible these next few days. To say I'm exhausted from the past few weeks is an understatement.

Paid Sick Leave Issue Pulled From Ohio Ballot

Great news today from the State of Ohio - the Ohio Healthy Families Act has been pulled from the ballot this November. It appears the group who started this is going to focus their efforts on a similar Federal bill.

It is wonderful news, as now I don't have to spend weeks of my work life coming up with a new sick/vacation/holiday policy and tracking system. I can now spend my "down time" in between end-of-quarter work to do things that I want to do, such as create an all-encompassing database to track employee information, benefits, and EEO information.

And in the end, the best part about this news is that we can keep the generous package we currently have for our employees.

9.03.2008

St. Paul, Minnesota

St. Paul - especially downtown St. Paul - was where I called home for three years, and where I worked for five years. As I was plugging away on my computer tonight, I saw on the news more video of protesters vandalizing storefronts and taking over the streets. I just couldn't take it anymore.

I know where these people are, and what they are destroying in their path. Where the dumpster fire broke out Monday and the first confrontation between police and protesters occurred, I (and Brad at one point) worked next door. I see the familiar sights of stores, banks, restaurants and streets that were my home, being torn to shreds. I worry for my former co-workers who are still downtown (though luckily they moved a few years ago to a place a little further from the convention center), and for everyone who calls St. Paul home. We obviously left Minnesota for a reason, but we did enjoy our time in St. Paul. It was a clean, safe city, with beautiful sights and culture, and friendly people. To see what these protesters are doing is horribly wrong, immoral, and disgusting. The people and businesses of St. Paul do not deserve this.

I'm all for peaceful protests, but these people completely infuriate me and disgust me right now. These people, who obviously have high opinions of themselves and what they are allowed to do to others without any explanation or care, deserve to be taken down off their little pedestals and put through hell. Kudos to the Twin Cities cops who have had to put up with their childish, pathetic behavior, and a "hang in there" to those St. Paul folks who will hopefully be able to reclaim their city once this mess is over. May the protesters rightfully get what is coming to them. Pathetic...disgusting and pathetic.