87 degrees today and a nice breeze. Aaahhh.
Since we have several gift cards from friends for many restaurants, for which I am very grateful, I am going to give my opinion about each of them, what to order, and the value for the money. I am a fan of French Onion Soup so I have rated the soup at each restaurant.
McDonald's, Burger King: Still the bottom of the barrel. The new chicken sandwiches from McD's with guac and other stuff look good but really aren't. Their salad was essentially a pile of wilting brown lettuce. They said they improved the salad. I will have to see it to believe it. Just watch "Super Size Me" again, and think about the possibility that Burger King uses horse meat.
TGI Friday's: You may be ordering from a table, but you are still being served fast food. The endless apps might be a death sentence for someone like me.
Perkins: Overpriced, processed food. Look at the nutrition facts (or lack thereof).
IHOP, Denny's: Not as overpriced, but still nothing but carb bombs.
Wendy's, Chick-Fil-A: A significant step up from other fast food joints, because they use more natural ingredients, and who doesn't like a Chick-Fil-A sandwich? The price goes up too. We can spend close to $30 at Chick-Fil-A for the four of us.
Panera: They famously claim to have clean food. Having worked there part-time, this claim is true. A lot of their bread, like honey wheat, is full of fiber, and many of their salads are zero- or low-carb. You can modify recipes as well. They definitely follow all the rules when it comes to food safety, and I feel safe feeding my kids there, but you pay for what you get. We can spend $50 for the 4 of us.
Red Robin: The tavern burgers start at $6.99 which is somewhat reasonable. No burger is a good burger for a diabetic, but you can eat it with a fork and knife and avoid the bun. Many of their burgers are way overpriced, their onion soup is the saltiest I have ever had, and you need a megaphone if you want to refill the "bottomless" fries.
Five Guys: Again, no burger is a good burger, but these guys use fresh beef and potatoes, and homemade food does make a difference.
Ruby Tuesday: Their garden bar has a lot of ingredients to make a carb-free or low-carb salad, just watch the type and amount of dressing. I use oil and red wine vinegar. Some of their burgers aren't too expensive, just see above.
"Fast" Mexican: These places seem to have exploded. I prefer Chipotle and Moe's which allow you to get bowls and avoid the carb-loaded tortilla. Chipotle's slow-cooked Barbacoa is great, and Moe's offers several different fresh salsas. I am told to limit the tortilla chips to about 10 or so. Priced about right.
Applebee's: Some of their lunch combos and 2 for $20 menu items are reasonably priced and the calorie count isn't outrageous, but their onion soup and food overall tastes processed and salty.
Olive Garden: Most entrees, especially the non-pasta ones, are overpriced. Still most good servers will let you eat all of the soup, salad and breadsticks you want, so that may be part of the price. I prefer the Zuppa Toscana.
Outback: The bloomin' onion is one of the most awful things anyone, diabetic or otherwise, can eat, but you still have to get it. The combo of the app, steak and dessert for $14.99 isn't bad, but I save the dessert for later or give it to my wife. The Outback makes the best French Onion Soup of any chain restaurant. The local Outback in State College has screwed up our orders lately, and made us wait 25 minutes for a messed up kids' order, so we may not visit them again for a little while.
Chili's: The 2 for $20 menu is reasonable, and the lunch menu can be pretty cheap. The southwest Chicken Soup is very good for 230 calories. Their chips and salsa are really, really, good, and, at dinner you can combine the pork and chicken fajitas for tons of flavor. Use just one tortilla to save carbs and cut out the optional rice and beans. They say to limit the tortilla chips to 10, but it is really hard. Their 1,500-2,000 calorie chicken crispers now claim to use natural white meat, begging Jim Gaffigan to ask the question, "What were they using before? Iguana meat?"
Cracker Barrel: I am OK here because everything on their menu is made from scratch, as long as you avoid blatantly high-carb foods like fried food and lumberjack breakfasts. Look for daily specials, which are priced well.
Pizza: Homemade pizza with organic dough and freshly shredded cheese is preferable, but sometimes you just have to indulge and visit the local pizzeria.
As I mentioned, home-cooked, non-processed food makes a difference. Most small-town places that make their own food are better, like the famous Original Waffle Shop in State College, Their home fries are amazing, but usually don't harm me too much. Local diners can be hit-and-miss.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
What to eat... Cracking the carb code
Finally, shorts weather! 76 today, 89 tomorrow.
With my condition, I do have to be careful about what I eat as a diabetic keeping my blood sugar level. Aside from the standard 2000-calorie nutritional guidelines, I wasn't given any specific rules or diet, nor I was not told I could not eat red meat.
My wife wanted to try a probiotic diet, which basically is a bunch of dairy-type foods like kefir and kombucha that essentially taste like different kinds of puke. Not happening. I am told there are pills for this, so I will take them instead.
Next is the ketogenic diet. I am incorporating some foods from this diet, like guacamole and nuts. Sadly, most of us are not seafood and fish eaters here, and a lot of seafood is full of polluted ocean water.
First of all, it's important to stay hydrated. I was told 64 oz. per day minimum. I have my water bottle by my side at all times. I am told caffienated drinks don't hydrate. An added benefit is that many restaurants don't charge you for ice water.
Soda, pop, Coke depending where you are located: I miss it, but avoid it like the plague. It is full of sugar and chemicals, and no one, diabetic or not, should drink it. Diet soda takes away the sugar, but is still full of artificial sweetener and other chemicals, and just doesn't taste that good.
What I am thinking the secret is to get foods with zero carbs, and foods with moderate carbs and high fiber. Fiber slows down the digestion process, delaying the delivery of blood sugar. Organic and natural ingredients make a huge difference. Target has a decent selection of organic items, but the best place to shop is Trader Joe's. Any product with the Trader Joe's name on it has all-natural ingredients. Their salsas, bean dips, guilt-reduced guacamole made with Greek yogurt are all delicious and reasonably priced. I am trying to avoid processed foods altogether. If the ingredient list reads like a chemistry set, I don't buy it. Also, any homemade food is preferable to a processed or frozen food, but even Trader Joe's frozen foods have no preservatives or crap in them.
Wegmans has some good stuff, but too many rude, entitled people crowd the store, cut you off and give you dirty looks.
What still kills me the most is limiting my pasta consumption, although Liam doesn't like pasta much either. At least a reasonable amount of whole wheat pasta is edible for me.
At Weis, I literally did what health coaches told me to do and walk around the outside of the store. I got a lot of healthy food. Also, we sampled a lot of local businesses' foods at our local grocery store, and ended up buying them, specifically nitrite- and nitrate-free uncured sausage and bacon.
Also, as much as I loved everyone's food, it is nice to have control of my kitchen again.
With my condition, I do have to be careful about what I eat as a diabetic keeping my blood sugar level. Aside from the standard 2000-calorie nutritional guidelines, I wasn't given any specific rules or diet, nor I was not told I could not eat red meat.
My wife wanted to try a probiotic diet, which basically is a bunch of dairy-type foods like kefir and kombucha that essentially taste like different kinds of puke. Not happening. I am told there are pills for this, so I will take them instead.
Next is the ketogenic diet. I am incorporating some foods from this diet, like guacamole and nuts. Sadly, most of us are not seafood and fish eaters here, and a lot of seafood is full of polluted ocean water.
First of all, it's important to stay hydrated. I was told 64 oz. per day minimum. I have my water bottle by my side at all times. I am told caffienated drinks don't hydrate. An added benefit is that many restaurants don't charge you for ice water.
Soda, pop, Coke depending where you are located: I miss it, but avoid it like the plague. It is full of sugar and chemicals, and no one, diabetic or not, should drink it. Diet soda takes away the sugar, but is still full of artificial sweetener and other chemicals, and just doesn't taste that good.
What I am thinking the secret is to get foods with zero carbs, and foods with moderate carbs and high fiber. Fiber slows down the digestion process, delaying the delivery of blood sugar. Organic and natural ingredients make a huge difference. Target has a decent selection of organic items, but the best place to shop is Trader Joe's. Any product with the Trader Joe's name on it has all-natural ingredients. Their salsas, bean dips, guilt-reduced guacamole made with Greek yogurt are all delicious and reasonably priced. I am trying to avoid processed foods altogether. If the ingredient list reads like a chemistry set, I don't buy it. Also, any homemade food is preferable to a processed or frozen food, but even Trader Joe's frozen foods have no preservatives or crap in them.
Wegmans has some good stuff, but too many rude, entitled people crowd the store, cut you off and give you dirty looks.
What still kills me the most is limiting my pasta consumption, although Liam doesn't like pasta much either. At least a reasonable amount of whole wheat pasta is edible for me.
At Weis, I literally did what health coaches told me to do and walk around the outside of the store. I got a lot of healthy food. Also, we sampled a lot of local businesses' foods at our local grocery store, and ended up buying them, specifically nitrite- and nitrate-free uncured sausage and bacon.
Also, as much as I loved everyone's food, it is nice to have control of my kitchen again.
Losing and Finding my Religion
First of all, thanks to everyone for reading. I only expected a few readers, but it's nice to hear feedback from people I know and don't know.
Also, with things finally calming down (slightly), we will start getting visitors from out of town. I am looking forward to seeing all of you.
Religion has played an interesting role in my life. Obviously, right now, it is stronger than ever. Let's start from the beginning. I grew up in Suburban Philadelphia and was raised Catholic. Weekly mass was the same silly ritual every week. You celebrated your first communion and confirmation and had a huge party. My parents put me in a pricey private Catholic school, and it was an absolute nightmare that I am still to unsuccessfully repress. Advice for parents: No matter how well your child is doing academically, never, ever skip them a grade. Supposedly schools don't do this anymore. Since I ended up in public school, we had to attend some godawful boring class called CCD every week. Everyone just did it because we are Catholics, and it's what Catholics do. Some people enjoy this, and that's all well and good. I got absolutely nothing from it, other than the fact that organized religion does nothing but pit people against each other and is a waste of time.
It was hard to find a pastor for our wedding because we weren't members of a church. Thanks to Terri Housel and their family pastor, we were married at Trinity Lutheran in Lansdale.
Jaci grew up in rural Pennsylvania, which is where we are now. It's safe to say there isn't quite as much to do up here. Going to church is an important part of life for many rural communities. She frequently brought up going to church, and taking the kids. I was very hesitant, but she made a good point when she insisted the kids have at least a starting point.
Our first church was a large church near Lancaster. We stopped attending. The pastor e-mailed to see what was going on. I responded my father had died and I needed some time to reflect. I received no response from the pastor, even though they continued to autodraft our donation every week. Bye.
Church number two. A smaller church, also in the Lancaster area. The pastor was a nice guy but kind of a ham. The church holds a picnic which we signed up for on a paper. We showed up and, despite sunny weather, there was no one there. Apparently, the picnic was cancelled and no one bothered to tell us. Strike two.
We then move to Centre County. At first, Jaci looked into churches that had a good kids' program. This brought us to Grace United Methodist in Centre Hall. I guess it is safe to say I was finally home. The congregation was younger on average than other churches we have been to, and many people came up to us and introduced themselves to us right away. Pastor Mark seemed really nice and down to earth. The only thing I don't like is the contemporary service because there is too much singing. But, if you go to the post on helpers, you will see how important the church and Pastor Mark have been on this journey.
Following this illness, I have discovered the healing power of faith and prayer. In addition to God, I have communicated with my father, who said he was proud of me, and my grandparents, who said they will protect me, because I need to be with my own grandchildren and watch them grow.
We have been to church once since the surgery. It was honestly one of the most emotional days of my life. I was so happy to see everyone, and the feeling seemed mutual. Also, God did communicate with me that day, and said I needed to live and pay it forward. That is the reason I am typing this right now.
Also, with things finally calming down (slightly), we will start getting visitors from out of town. I am looking forward to seeing all of you.
Religion has played an interesting role in my life. Obviously, right now, it is stronger than ever. Let's start from the beginning. I grew up in Suburban Philadelphia and was raised Catholic. Weekly mass was the same silly ritual every week. You celebrated your first communion and confirmation and had a huge party. My parents put me in a pricey private Catholic school, and it was an absolute nightmare that I am still to unsuccessfully repress. Advice for parents: No matter how well your child is doing academically, never, ever skip them a grade. Supposedly schools don't do this anymore. Since I ended up in public school, we had to attend some godawful boring class called CCD every week. Everyone just did it because we are Catholics, and it's what Catholics do. Some people enjoy this, and that's all well and good. I got absolutely nothing from it, other than the fact that organized religion does nothing but pit people against each other and is a waste of time.
It was hard to find a pastor for our wedding because we weren't members of a church. Thanks to Terri Housel and their family pastor, we were married at Trinity Lutheran in Lansdale.
Jaci grew up in rural Pennsylvania, which is where we are now. It's safe to say there isn't quite as much to do up here. Going to church is an important part of life for many rural communities. She frequently brought up going to church, and taking the kids. I was very hesitant, but she made a good point when she insisted the kids have at least a starting point.
Our first church was a large church near Lancaster. We stopped attending. The pastor e-mailed to see what was going on. I responded my father had died and I needed some time to reflect. I received no response from the pastor, even though they continued to autodraft our donation every week. Bye.
Church number two. A smaller church, also in the Lancaster area. The pastor was a nice guy but kind of a ham. The church holds a picnic which we signed up for on a paper. We showed up and, despite sunny weather, there was no one there. Apparently, the picnic was cancelled and no one bothered to tell us. Strike two.
We then move to Centre County. At first, Jaci looked into churches that had a good kids' program. This brought us to Grace United Methodist in Centre Hall. I guess it is safe to say I was finally home. The congregation was younger on average than other churches we have been to, and many people came up to us and introduced themselves to us right away. Pastor Mark seemed really nice and down to earth. The only thing I don't like is the contemporary service because there is too much singing. But, if you go to the post on helpers, you will see how important the church and Pastor Mark have been on this journey.
Following this illness, I have discovered the healing power of faith and prayer. In addition to God, I have communicated with my father, who said he was proud of me, and my grandparents, who said they will protect me, because I need to be with my own grandchildren and watch them grow.
We have been to church once since the surgery. It was honestly one of the most emotional days of my life. I was so happy to see everyone, and the feeling seemed mutual. Also, God did communicate with me that day, and said I needed to live and pay it forward. That is the reason I am typing this right now.
Monday, May 15, 2017
What steroids do to your body
This post uses information from Duke University Hospital's Patient Binder.
Sorry, back to the negative. I had to take the steroid Decadron to keep my brain from swelling. I hope I never have to take it again. The worst was that, as a diabetic, it jacked up my blood sugar, and made me dependent on insulin. In other words, I can't eat a bite of food at a meal until I check my sugar, and get an insulin injection. Few things annoy me more than having food withheld from me, so I will be glad to go back to managing diabetes with just the Metformin pill.
Next was roid rage! Although I wasn't violent, I was constantly irritated, especially at the boys. Jaci thought I was demanding but not loving, and I walked away from a lot of arguments saying things like, "I don't care what you do, I am going to bed." Also, it's probably a good thing I wasn't driving, because drivers around here are either hot rodding jerks with a death wish or oldheads who go 10 mph below the speed limit. Also, to make a right turn, they begin to slow down 1/2 mile before the intersection and turn the corner at about 5 miles per hour. If you pass them while you are turning, you are guaranteed to get a dirty look. Getting the real brunt are the telemarketers selling credit cards and security systems. I would cut them off and say something like "I just had a major surgery, and I am waiting for important calls from doctors and nurses. DO NOT CLOG UP MY PHONE LINES WITH YOUR F-------- B-----S----! Do not call me again and take me off your list!" Finally, I am obsessive-compulsive about wasting food, so I completely freaked out when Jaci, who honestly didn't know any better, left a plastic lid on a tray of food and we lost the whole dish.
Sleeplessness: Spent many nights staring at my feet or at the clock. The fact that the oxygen concentrator is a bit loud doesn't help. I am sleeping better with the CPAP, but still get up in the middle of the night.
Insiatable appetite: When I first got home, I had nearly constant snack cravings. I still crave tomato and vegetable juice with Sriracha Sauce. I constantly crave salt, spicy stuff, and now I have even developed Sandy's sweet tooth.
Blurred vision: Check. I had to use reading glasses to see my phone and some books. That's also improving. I despise opthamologist appointments, and hate getting liquid dropped into my eyes.
Muscle weakness: Steroids weaken your thighs, so it was very hard to get up and move. Since the weaning began, I have had more energy to get up and move, wash dishes, do laundry, and panic during power outages.
My wife insisted to the medical team that I wean off the steroid as soon as possible.
Supposedly, the weaning is going well, because some people coming down off steroids get violent and angry, and I am taking it at least in stride.
Sorry, back to the negative. I had to take the steroid Decadron to keep my brain from swelling. I hope I never have to take it again. The worst was that, as a diabetic, it jacked up my blood sugar, and made me dependent on insulin. In other words, I can't eat a bite of food at a meal until I check my sugar, and get an insulin injection. Few things annoy me more than having food withheld from me, so I will be glad to go back to managing diabetes with just the Metformin pill.
Next was roid rage! Although I wasn't violent, I was constantly irritated, especially at the boys. Jaci thought I was demanding but not loving, and I walked away from a lot of arguments saying things like, "I don't care what you do, I am going to bed." Also, it's probably a good thing I wasn't driving, because drivers around here are either hot rodding jerks with a death wish or oldheads who go 10 mph below the speed limit. Also, to make a right turn, they begin to slow down 1/2 mile before the intersection and turn the corner at about 5 miles per hour. If you pass them while you are turning, you are guaranteed to get a dirty look. Getting the real brunt are the telemarketers selling credit cards and security systems. I would cut them off and say something like "I just had a major surgery, and I am waiting for important calls from doctors and nurses. DO NOT CLOG UP MY PHONE LINES WITH YOUR F-------- B-----S----! Do not call me again and take me off your list!" Finally, I am obsessive-compulsive about wasting food, so I completely freaked out when Jaci, who honestly didn't know any better, left a plastic lid on a tray of food and we lost the whole dish.
Sleeplessness: Spent many nights staring at my feet or at the clock. The fact that the oxygen concentrator is a bit loud doesn't help. I am sleeping better with the CPAP, but still get up in the middle of the night.
Insiatable appetite: When I first got home, I had nearly constant snack cravings. I still crave tomato and vegetable juice with Sriracha Sauce. I constantly crave salt, spicy stuff, and now I have even developed Sandy's sweet tooth.
Blurred vision: Check. I had to use reading glasses to see my phone and some books. That's also improving. I despise opthamologist appointments, and hate getting liquid dropped into my eyes.
Muscle weakness: Steroids weaken your thighs, so it was very hard to get up and move. Since the weaning began, I have had more energy to get up and move, wash dishes, do laundry, and panic during power outages.
My wife insisted to the medical team that I wean off the steroid as soon as possible.
Supposedly, the weaning is going well, because some people coming down off steroids get violent and angry, and I am taking it at least in stride.
Helpers
Following Fred Rogers' advice after 9/11 to look for and thank the helpers, this next post is dedicated to the people who help me and the people I am depending on through this.
Jaci: She is in the middle of this and she now has many roles. In addition to being a wife, she is now a caretaker and patient advocate. This is a lot to put on her, as you will see from a future post on steroids.
Our babies: They are getting the worst of this. Again, we basically had to abandon them twice during my surgeries. We decided that when we travel to Duke in July they are coming with us, and will attend a child education class on what I am going through. They are encountering lots of stress. Elijah (6) best expresses it by acting out and getting attention, and Liam (8) goes into what I call "squirrel mode" by keeping himself engaged by running back and forth around the house and spewing out random facts.
Medical personnel:
Boyd: Nurse who works for Dr. Jiang. Has been indispensable as a communication hub between here, Forbes and Duke.
Dr. Jiang: My primary care physician. Basically the center of the team. He is very thorough, knows what I am going through, and cares about me.
Dr. Snedeker: Head of the Forbes ER. It seemed like few things were harder for him than delivering horrible news to me and my family. He visited me several times before and after the surgery, which I won't forget.
Dr. Julian: The neurosurgeon who performed the first surgery. There are 4,400 neurosurgeons in the United States, and supposedly 125 who know how to complete a successful surgery. Like a lot of surgeons, he had a tendecy to be arrogant, but that usually means he knows what he is doing. I think he was one of the 125, because he was the head of Allegheny's neuro department, and was a fellow at Sloane Kettering hospital. Needless to say, he was happy when I told him that Dr. Friedman at Duke told him I had a good, clean surgery. Also. Jaci told him that he literally saved my life.
Maureen: Dr. Julian's PA. Even though she caused me unspeakable pain, I am still grateful for her help and prayers.
Mary: One of the few good nurses I had following the surgery. She kept telling me I would live forever because Jaci would keep fighting for me.
Dr. Lieb: The local oncologist in State College. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and is up on his research. Is more than willing to work with Duke. Since my treatment will be here, he will be taking more of an active role. As far as I am concerned, that's a good thing.
Dr. Patel: Radiation oncologist in State College. Young, friendly and thorough. Hopefully radiation treatment will be bearable with him.
Dr. Vlanovic: Neuro oncologist at Duke. Our consultation was literally her last day. However, she was able to tell me I had an IDH1 mutation, meaning the tumor may have developed over several years. IDH1 patients have a significantly longer life than most glioblastoma patients. This news alone made it worth the trip, as did the fact that they will monitor me after the initial treatment, and suggest trials and other possible life-prolonging measures.
Others:
Pastor Mark: Has been unbelievably helpful. (see a future post on my religious journey). Traveled to Pittsburgh to see us and prayed with us the night before the surgery.
Fred and Sandy: Jaci's parents. I think of them as parents, and they think of me as a son. They end up with the kids more than they should. Most of the burden falls on them. We really can't repay them.
Other family: Jaci's family thinks of me as family, and have taken me in. My aunt spent the week with Jaci while I was in the hospital. Others have done us huge favors, ranging from assembling furniture and heavy lifting. Our cousin dropped me a bunch of DVDs to watch while sitting around. I really wanted to watch Die Hard With a Vengeance, and, lo and behold, he gave us the special edition. It was a rare copy that even had the alternate ending, which the studio tried to hide.
Aunt Val and Uncle Biff: Thanks for the company and the love. We are looking forward to hopefully seeing you in November!
Graham and Robin: It is always fun to geek out with Graham as we watched Star Wars and other stuff. It was also great to talk to Robin, a teacher, about the "Marzano Research Institute," which promotes a 67-point research based plan based on common-sense concepts like grading, putting learning objectives on the wall, using a point system of 1-3 to assess the mastery of the objectives (separate from the letter grade), collecting needless data, and celebrating success. It turns out all this "research" is internal. So, the conclusion I came to is that I agree with Mark Twain that there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.
Makayla and Emma: We love you and are proud of you. Sorry you are caught up in this whole mess.
Other friends: Countless friends from high school, college, former co-workers and others have reached out with gift cards and dinners.
The congregation at Grace United Methodist: The church sent us many love offerings, too many. Also lots of sympathy cards.
The Hope Fund: Thanks to amazing co-workers donating holidays, I am still getting paid, but Jaci isn't. The fund is covering rent and car insurance.
TJ and Kathy: TJ is another warrior. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer 14 years ago. He was given a year to live, but is still very much here. Always a good person to talk to about my feelings and other issues. TJ's wife Kathy is still a patient advocate for TJ and relates to Jaci very well.
Mandy: A natural-born leader who has rallied several people in the community. Organized a raffle that will literally raise thousands of dollars for us, as well as a food drive. Also went to Hershey with us, and has spent lots of quality time with Jaci. I hope someone recognizes her talents.
Erik Weber: A friend since high school, and another warrior kicking cancer's butt. Sadly, his non-Hodgkins Lymphoma came out of remission and he has a difficult course of treatment coming up. He is in all of our prayers.
Sara: Our chauffeur and babysitter during our latest trip to Duke. I can't thank her enough for the ride and support.
Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg: The former vice president lost his son, Beau, to brain cancer a few years ago. He and the former New York mayor donated $1.25 billion to the Duke brain cancer center, hoping for a brain cancer "moonshot." Unlike some other problems, throwing money at cancer research will do some good.
Our babies: They are getting the worst of this. Again, we basically had to abandon them twice during my surgeries. We decided that when we travel to Duke in July they are coming with us, and will attend a child education class on what I am going through. They are encountering lots of stress. Elijah (6) best expresses it by acting out and getting attention, and Liam (8) goes into what I call "squirrel mode" by keeping himself engaged by running back and forth around the house and spewing out random facts.
Medical personnel:
Boyd: Nurse who works for Dr. Jiang. Has been indispensable as a communication hub between here, Forbes and Duke.
Dr. Jiang: My primary care physician. Basically the center of the team. He is very thorough, knows what I am going through, and cares about me.
Dr. Snedeker: Head of the Forbes ER. It seemed like few things were harder for him than delivering horrible news to me and my family. He visited me several times before and after the surgery, which I won't forget.
Dr. Julian: The neurosurgeon who performed the first surgery. There are 4,400 neurosurgeons in the United States, and supposedly 125 who know how to complete a successful surgery. Like a lot of surgeons, he had a tendecy to be arrogant, but that usually means he knows what he is doing. I think he was one of the 125, because he was the head of Allegheny's neuro department, and was a fellow at Sloane Kettering hospital. Needless to say, he was happy when I told him that Dr. Friedman at Duke told him I had a good, clean surgery. Also. Jaci told him that he literally saved my life.
Maureen: Dr. Julian's PA. Even though she caused me unspeakable pain, I am still grateful for her help and prayers.
Mary: One of the few good nurses I had following the surgery. She kept telling me I would live forever because Jaci would keep fighting for me.
Dr. Lieb: The local oncologist in State College. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and is up on his research. Is more than willing to work with Duke. Since my treatment will be here, he will be taking more of an active role. As far as I am concerned, that's a good thing.
Dr. Patel: Radiation oncologist in State College. Young, friendly and thorough. Hopefully radiation treatment will be bearable with him.
Dr. Vlanovic: Neuro oncologist at Duke. Our consultation was literally her last day. However, she was able to tell me I had an IDH1 mutation, meaning the tumor may have developed over several years. IDH1 patients have a significantly longer life than most glioblastoma patients. This news alone made it worth the trip, as did the fact that they will monitor me after the initial treatment, and suggest trials and other possible life-prolonging measures.
Others:
Pastor Mark: Has been unbelievably helpful. (see a future post on my religious journey). Traveled to Pittsburgh to see us and prayed with us the night before the surgery.
Fred and Sandy: Jaci's parents. I think of them as parents, and they think of me as a son. They end up with the kids more than they should. Most of the burden falls on them. We really can't repay them.
Other family: Jaci's family thinks of me as family, and have taken me in. My aunt spent the week with Jaci while I was in the hospital. Others have done us huge favors, ranging from assembling furniture and heavy lifting. Our cousin dropped me a bunch of DVDs to watch while sitting around. I really wanted to watch Die Hard With a Vengeance, and, lo and behold, he gave us the special edition. It was a rare copy that even had the alternate ending, which the studio tried to hide.
Aunt Val and Uncle Biff: Thanks for the company and the love. We are looking forward to hopefully seeing you in November!
Graham and Robin: It is always fun to geek out with Graham as we watched Star Wars and other stuff. It was also great to talk to Robin, a teacher, about the "Marzano Research Institute," which promotes a 67-point research based plan based on common-sense concepts like grading, putting learning objectives on the wall, using a point system of 1-3 to assess the mastery of the objectives (separate from the letter grade), collecting needless data, and celebrating success. It turns out all this "research" is internal. So, the conclusion I came to is that I agree with Mark Twain that there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.
Makayla and Emma: We love you and are proud of you. Sorry you are caught up in this whole mess.
Other friends: Countless friends from high school, college, former co-workers and others have reached out with gift cards and dinners.
The congregation at Grace United Methodist: The church sent us many love offerings, too many. Also lots of sympathy cards.
The Hope Fund: Thanks to amazing co-workers donating holidays, I am still getting paid, but Jaci isn't. The fund is covering rent and car insurance.
TJ and Kathy: TJ is another warrior. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer 14 years ago. He was given a year to live, but is still very much here. Always a good person to talk to about my feelings and other issues. TJ's wife Kathy is still a patient advocate for TJ and relates to Jaci very well.
Mandy: A natural-born leader who has rallied several people in the community. Organized a raffle that will literally raise thousands of dollars for us, as well as a food drive. Also went to Hershey with us, and has spent lots of quality time with Jaci. I hope someone recognizes her talents.
Erik Weber: A friend since high school, and another warrior kicking cancer's butt. Sadly, his non-Hodgkins Lymphoma came out of remission and he has a difficult course of treatment coming up. He is in all of our prayers.
Sara: Our chauffeur and babysitter during our latest trip to Duke. I can't thank her enough for the ride and support.
Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg: The former vice president lost his son, Beau, to brain cancer a few years ago. He and the former New York mayor donated $1.25 billion to the Duke brain cancer center, hoping for a brain cancer "moonshot." Unlike some other problems, throwing money at cancer research will do some good.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
I am not someone who is narcissistic and posts all my problems on social media, no matter how minor, because, honestly, it's annoying and most people don't care. I have sleep apnea, but so do 1 in 5 Americans. I am a Type 2 diabetic, but there are 30 million other Americans who also suffer from diabetes. However, I am going to talk about my brain tumor, because this is a much more serious, life-threatening, life-changing illness. I don't plan on going anywhere, and I don't go by statistics. God has also communicated (see upcoming posts) and he told me I wasn't going anywhere, because I need to raise my kids, and pass on what I am learning. That is what I am going to do here. Also, writing is an outlet for me, and this will keep me from bothering the wife and kids. Like most people, I will give the bad news first and focus on what has happened to me over the past several months. This all started about the beginning of 2017 (or so I thought). I apologize for the amount of detail.
January: I begin to get headaches won't go away without Advil. I have to take it constantly. I sometimes get dizzy walking around work and usually sit down when I visit people's offices. I jogged during my lunch/exercise break, and vomited when I returned to my office. I thought I overexerted my 260-pound body, and the headaches/dizziness were diabetes symptoms. I visited my primary care physician, and had blood work done. His diagnosis was a Vitamin D deficiency. The one test rejected by insurance was a head CT scan (this is important) and I was told that it would get done if I was in an emergency room, even though it costs the insurance company more (also important).
February: We are moving. It seems a lot harder to lift and move boxes. On move day (2/24), we send our treadmill to Jaci's parents, Fred and Sandy. Both of them see me looking disoriented in the truck and called Jaci. They thought it was my diabetes. I urinate frequently and have had many accidents in the car, especially on snowy days when traffic is slow.
March: Jaci trains for a new job in Pittsburgh, about 3 hours from our home in Centre County, PA. I decide to take a week off from my job at Penn State, go along and sightsee in Pennsylvania's second-largest city.
Thursday 3/16: During the trip, Jaci hands me a pair of pants, and I am motionless, holding the pants. Medical professionals called this a seizure. The boys and I had fun on Mt. Washington looking down on the city, exploring the Carnegie Science Museum (a place as nice as the Franklin Institute for half-price and half the crowds). On Thursday, we venture out to the now-completed Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, about a 90-minute drive. It is a bit snowy and cold out. The visitor center is well-presented but nonetheless depressing. You can walk to the crash site, but I decided to drive because of the biting wind and cold. Despite my older son's protests, I drive past a sign that says road closed because I wanted to see the place these heroes died. My son keeps yelling as I keep driving, telling me I am trespassing. I park in the lot as it is being plowed and no one seems to care. We walk over to view the rock marking the impact point of the plane. We then walk back to the car and restrooms. I have another accident, even though the restroom is visible from where I am standing. We drive to return to the hotel in Cranberry Township west of Pittsbutgh. On the PA Turnpike, we get off at the New Stanton service plaza. We use the restroom, get coffee, drinks and snacks. I walk out to the car, and I get dizzy, stumble, and have to brace myself on my car. Two women approach me. I would have taken their picture if I have thought of it. They saw me and the kids in the car. They asked if I was drinking. I said no. They asked me how long my drive was. I said about an hour. They said I would endanger my children by driving. Normally I would tell most people to go away and mind their own business, but I did not argue or protest, and I am not sure why. I then call Jaci. I drive five miles down the road to the next exit, and Jaci's future boss just happens to live in New Stanton. We meet at a Sheetz store. We go to an emergency room. We avoid UPMC because they supposedly had a fight with Highmark, who is my provider, use Allegheny Health Network, and end up at the emergency room at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, which is the Pittsburgh equivalent to Plymouth Meeting or Conshohocken near Philadelphia. We are guessing we are here for diabetes complications, and nothing more.
In the ER, they take me for a head CT (remember this?). After the CT, the doctor in charge of the ER visits me, and says to all of us, "We found something. It concerns us. We are admitting you to the hospital." At this point, everything becomes a blur to me. We are then admitted to the neurology unit. A neurology PA told us I would need surgery on my brain.
Friday 3/17: Jaci wants to get me to State College or Hershey to get my surgery done closer to home. Some hospitalists at Forbes don't disagree. However, the neurologist performing the surgery strongly advises against leaving Forbes because of the possibility of a grand mal seizure during transport, which could be fatal. Brain resection surgery is scheduled for early Monday morning.
Monday 3/20: My surgery takes place. It is at least a 6-hour procedure. The doctor tells my wife and several people waiting with her that he took out 85-90 percent of the tumor.
Friday 3/24: After a few days of recovery in the ICU and 5th floor, We head home. I remember everything, but I am a little foggy. I thought it was because I was they had me high on morphine in the ICU. We decide to shoot for the Brain Cancer Center at Duke University Hospital because they are the best place in the country to treat this kind of cancer. We hear from Dr. Friedman at Duke, who told us that I had a good, clean surgery, and were willing to consult with me. The consult was scheduled for April 18 (right after Easter). We are very excited to get down there.
March, April, May: Central Pennsylvania is in a seemingly endless pattern of unseasonably cold weather and rain, with highs in the 40s to 60s, and lows in the 20s and 30s. My sutured head had to stay covered. Not a good time to go outside and get fresh air, which is what I need. This should finally break in the middle of May. However, Uncle Biff will be here Memorial Day weekend, and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a foot of snow when he shows up.
Monday 3/27: The neurosurgeon called, and told Jaci that it was a grade-4 glioblastoma (that's as bad as it gets), and most people live 12-18 months after this surgery. My wife told him I am an individual and not a statistic. He agreed and encouraged us to look for clinical trials.
Monday 4/3: We go to our first consultation at Penn State Cancer Center in Hershey, about a 1 1/2 hour drive. The doctor we meet with suggests standard radiation and chemotherapy, and mentions nothing about clinical trials until Jaci mentioned it, and it seemed like an afterthought. It seemed like he knew very little about me or my situation beforehand, and was not prepared. He entered the room with two young, female PAs who had to also examine my eyes and look at my sutures because he couldn't see them and did not have glasses. The PAs removed my sutures. Later on in the visit, a disheveled-looking man almost wanders into the consultation room. My wife thought he was a disoriented patient, and right before she asked him what he was doing, he identified himself as another PA. He then said something about everyone saying how great Johns Hopkins was but was overrated, and left the room. We mentioned Duke to the BSN, and she claimed to agree, but Jaci said her body language was practically shock. The neuro oncologist studied at Duke, but did not want to recommend it. We left there with no intention of coming back because of the doctor's lack of preparation, his suggestion of standard treatment and nothing more.
March, April: I sleep with my CPAP in the hospital and at home. The mask is on the incision, and the parts are not clean. This is my own fault, and I will pay the ultimate price very soon.
Saturday 4/15: The day before Easter, and two days before we leave for North Carolina. We all take a walk so the boys can play at a playground. My wife noticed greenish pus coming from part of my incision, something not seen so far. Despite my loud protests, Jaci and her former supervisor, an RN, decided that we needed to go to the ER at Mount Nittany. The ER doctor popped some more lesions, leaking more pus. As gross as it was, the doctor thought it was superficial and would not be a problem. He called Forbes Hospital, and even though he thought otherwise, the neurosurgery team at Forbes insisted that we go back to Pittsburgh immediately. We weren't even allowed to stop for food, and we haven't eaten since lunch. On the night before Easter, we basically dumped our kids with Jaci's parents and took off. We arrived at Forbes at 11:00 pm, and Jaci understandably wanted to talk to a doctor immediately. She spoke to one on the phone who told her that we are out here because the incision is infected, and a second surgery would be needed to irrigate and disinfect the entire incision, and we would miss our consultation appointment at Duke.
Easter Sunday: Surgery #2. The procedure took about 2 hours. The entire incision from one side to another was irrigated, disinfected and re-stiched. My head was killing me when I came to, but the fog was lifting and I already felt more like myself. We were told that the timetable was pushed back, and radiation and chemo could not start for another 4 weeks.
Monday 4/17 - Thursday 4/20: Hospital stay is, for the most part, horrible. As Jim Gaffigan said, why do they have all these expensive machines that go beep and they can't even get the food right? I am on the ADA recommended 1800 Calorie diet. The worst of the worst is the "Herb Baked Chicken" which was somehow under-cooked and dry at the same time. If I wasn't on a crap-ton of antibiotics and ready to die from hunger, I probably wouldn't have eaten it.
We were in contact with Duke. Our consultation was pushed ahead 10 days to Thursday 4/27. What upset us the most is that we could not participate in a trial concurrent with radiation and chemo at Duke. This devastated us at first until we discovered the upshot. We were going to spend 6 weeks at Duke, and bring the kids with us. Instead, this would enable me to receive chemo and radiation at home. Not only would this save us a bunch of money, but it would allow me to undergo treatment and recover around family and friends.
Back to the hospital recovery. I was hooked up to an IV which pumped antibiotics into me, and could not move without help. I had to use bottles to urinate, making a mess on me and the bed. Despite the fact that a PT and OT insisted that I get out of bed to walk, lazy daytime nurses were not willing to help with anything, leaving my wife to clean, bathe me and make the bed. I barely walked that entire week, making me feel that much worse when I got home.
Friday 4/21: Discharge day. Could not possibly be worse. I underwent a sleep study using an oxygen canula during the week which helped the sleep apnea and was documented. One of the case managers, who was downright rude to my wife, said the oxygen was denied before even sending an appeal to the insurance company. This was not an option, so we contacted our DME provider ourselves and got it done with them directly. Also, I had two blood drains in my head. I felt a new definition of the word agony as a very nice PA (no sarcasm this time) yanked the two sutured drains out of my head and then put four staples into my head when I was fully awake and alert. Finally left mid-afternoon and stumbled in the door early evening. Thanks to not moving and steroids (see upcoming post) I felt like death warmed over. Because the fog had lifted, I remember all this a lot better.
Monday 5/2: The weather fun continues as a severe line of thunderstorms passes through the area. This knocks the power out for more than 24 hours. The kids are home from school, and they are antsy because they can't charge their Kindle Fires. I have to use the car to charge our phones because we are making and receiving many phone calls. We lost everything in the fridge, including several meals prepared by other people, a few pounds of lunchmeat and cheese, two gallons of milk, and a bunch of groceries we bought that day. Rebersburg, where Jaci's parents live and the kids go to school, was hit by an EF1 tornado. Also, because it is cold outside, it gets cold in the house.
Thursday 5/11: My friend Dave is over so we can eat dinner and watch Jeopardy as I prepare for an online test. Once again, the power goes out. This time it's a fire in the area. Still, I go into panic mode and toss all perishables into the outside freezer. I also freeze my insulin, rendering it useless. It should be noted that insulin pens are not cheap. Dave proves yet again to be a great friend as he stays with me until Jaci and the kids get home to make sure I am safe.
Finally, to cap it all off, I can't drive, meaning it is illegal for me to drive because of a seizure risk.
Things have finally been improving over the past few days as I am weening off the steroid, I am better able to move under my own power, and the weather is finally normalizing. I have been fitted for a mask, and should start radiation and chemo within the next couple of weeks.
January: I begin to get headaches won't go away without Advil. I have to take it constantly. I sometimes get dizzy walking around work and usually sit down when I visit people's offices. I jogged during my lunch/exercise break, and vomited when I returned to my office. I thought I overexerted my 260-pound body, and the headaches/dizziness were diabetes symptoms. I visited my primary care physician, and had blood work done. His diagnosis was a Vitamin D deficiency. The one test rejected by insurance was a head CT scan (this is important) and I was told that it would get done if I was in an emergency room, even though it costs the insurance company more (also important).
February: We are moving. It seems a lot harder to lift and move boxes. On move day (2/24), we send our treadmill to Jaci's parents, Fred and Sandy. Both of them see me looking disoriented in the truck and called Jaci. They thought it was my diabetes. I urinate frequently and have had many accidents in the car, especially on snowy days when traffic is slow.
March: Jaci trains for a new job in Pittsburgh, about 3 hours from our home in Centre County, PA. I decide to take a week off from my job at Penn State, go along and sightsee in Pennsylvania's second-largest city.
Thursday 3/16: During the trip, Jaci hands me a pair of pants, and I am motionless, holding the pants. Medical professionals called this a seizure. The boys and I had fun on Mt. Washington looking down on the city, exploring the Carnegie Science Museum (a place as nice as the Franklin Institute for half-price and half the crowds). On Thursday, we venture out to the now-completed Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, about a 90-minute drive. It is a bit snowy and cold out. The visitor center is well-presented but nonetheless depressing. You can walk to the crash site, but I decided to drive because of the biting wind and cold. Despite my older son's protests, I drive past a sign that says road closed because I wanted to see the place these heroes died. My son keeps yelling as I keep driving, telling me I am trespassing. I park in the lot as it is being plowed and no one seems to care. We walk over to view the rock marking the impact point of the plane. We then walk back to the car and restrooms. I have another accident, even though the restroom is visible from where I am standing. We drive to return to the hotel in Cranberry Township west of Pittsbutgh. On the PA Turnpike, we get off at the New Stanton service plaza. We use the restroom, get coffee, drinks and snacks. I walk out to the car, and I get dizzy, stumble, and have to brace myself on my car. Two women approach me. I would have taken their picture if I have thought of it. They saw me and the kids in the car. They asked if I was drinking. I said no. They asked me how long my drive was. I said about an hour. They said I would endanger my children by driving. Normally I would tell most people to go away and mind their own business, but I did not argue or protest, and I am not sure why. I then call Jaci. I drive five miles down the road to the next exit, and Jaci's future boss just happens to live in New Stanton. We meet at a Sheetz store. We go to an emergency room. We avoid UPMC because they supposedly had a fight with Highmark, who is my provider, use Allegheny Health Network, and end up at the emergency room at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, which is the Pittsburgh equivalent to Plymouth Meeting or Conshohocken near Philadelphia. We are guessing we are here for diabetes complications, and nothing more.
In the ER, they take me for a head CT (remember this?). After the CT, the doctor in charge of the ER visits me, and says to all of us, "We found something. It concerns us. We are admitting you to the hospital." At this point, everything becomes a blur to me. We are then admitted to the neurology unit. A neurology PA told us I would need surgery on my brain.
Friday 3/17: Jaci wants to get me to State College or Hershey to get my surgery done closer to home. Some hospitalists at Forbes don't disagree. However, the neurologist performing the surgery strongly advises against leaving Forbes because of the possibility of a grand mal seizure during transport, which could be fatal. Brain resection surgery is scheduled for early Monday morning.
Monday 3/20: My surgery takes place. It is at least a 6-hour procedure. The doctor tells my wife and several people waiting with her that he took out 85-90 percent of the tumor.
Friday 3/24: After a few days of recovery in the ICU and 5th floor, We head home. I remember everything, but I am a little foggy. I thought it was because I was they had me high on morphine in the ICU. We decide to shoot for the Brain Cancer Center at Duke University Hospital because they are the best place in the country to treat this kind of cancer. We hear from Dr. Friedman at Duke, who told us that I had a good, clean surgery, and were willing to consult with me. The consult was scheduled for April 18 (right after Easter). We are very excited to get down there.
March, April, May: Central Pennsylvania is in a seemingly endless pattern of unseasonably cold weather and rain, with highs in the 40s to 60s, and lows in the 20s and 30s. My sutured head had to stay covered. Not a good time to go outside and get fresh air, which is what I need. This should finally break in the middle of May. However, Uncle Biff will be here Memorial Day weekend, and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a foot of snow when he shows up.
Monday 3/27: The neurosurgeon called, and told Jaci that it was a grade-4 glioblastoma (that's as bad as it gets), and most people live 12-18 months after this surgery. My wife told him I am an individual and not a statistic. He agreed and encouraged us to look for clinical trials.
Monday 4/3: We go to our first consultation at Penn State Cancer Center in Hershey, about a 1 1/2 hour drive. The doctor we meet with suggests standard radiation and chemotherapy, and mentions nothing about clinical trials until Jaci mentioned it, and it seemed like an afterthought. It seemed like he knew very little about me or my situation beforehand, and was not prepared. He entered the room with two young, female PAs who had to also examine my eyes and look at my sutures because he couldn't see them and did not have glasses. The PAs removed my sutures. Later on in the visit, a disheveled-looking man almost wanders into the consultation room. My wife thought he was a disoriented patient, and right before she asked him what he was doing, he identified himself as another PA. He then said something about everyone saying how great Johns Hopkins was but was overrated, and left the room. We mentioned Duke to the BSN, and she claimed to agree, but Jaci said her body language was practically shock. The neuro oncologist studied at Duke, but did not want to recommend it. We left there with no intention of coming back because of the doctor's lack of preparation, his suggestion of standard treatment and nothing more.
March, April: I sleep with my CPAP in the hospital and at home. The mask is on the incision, and the parts are not clean. This is my own fault, and I will pay the ultimate price very soon.
Saturday 4/15: The day before Easter, and two days before we leave for North Carolina. We all take a walk so the boys can play at a playground. My wife noticed greenish pus coming from part of my incision, something not seen so far. Despite my loud protests, Jaci and her former supervisor, an RN, decided that we needed to go to the ER at Mount Nittany. The ER doctor popped some more lesions, leaking more pus. As gross as it was, the doctor thought it was superficial and would not be a problem. He called Forbes Hospital, and even though he thought otherwise, the neurosurgery team at Forbes insisted that we go back to Pittsburgh immediately. We weren't even allowed to stop for food, and we haven't eaten since lunch. On the night before Easter, we basically dumped our kids with Jaci's parents and took off. We arrived at Forbes at 11:00 pm, and Jaci understandably wanted to talk to a doctor immediately. She spoke to one on the phone who told her that we are out here because the incision is infected, and a second surgery would be needed to irrigate and disinfect the entire incision, and we would miss our consultation appointment at Duke.
Easter Sunday: Surgery #2. The procedure took about 2 hours. The entire incision from one side to another was irrigated, disinfected and re-stiched. My head was killing me when I came to, but the fog was lifting and I already felt more like myself. We were told that the timetable was pushed back, and radiation and chemo could not start for another 4 weeks.
Monday 4/17 - Thursday 4/20: Hospital stay is, for the most part, horrible. As Jim Gaffigan said, why do they have all these expensive machines that go beep and they can't even get the food right? I am on the ADA recommended 1800 Calorie diet. The worst of the worst is the "Herb Baked Chicken" which was somehow under-cooked and dry at the same time. If I wasn't on a crap-ton of antibiotics and ready to die from hunger, I probably wouldn't have eaten it.
We were in contact with Duke. Our consultation was pushed ahead 10 days to Thursday 4/27. What upset us the most is that we could not participate in a trial concurrent with radiation and chemo at Duke. This devastated us at first until we discovered the upshot. We were going to spend 6 weeks at Duke, and bring the kids with us. Instead, this would enable me to receive chemo and radiation at home. Not only would this save us a bunch of money, but it would allow me to undergo treatment and recover around family and friends.
Back to the hospital recovery. I was hooked up to an IV which pumped antibiotics into me, and could not move without help. I had to use bottles to urinate, making a mess on me and the bed. Despite the fact that a PT and OT insisted that I get out of bed to walk, lazy daytime nurses were not willing to help with anything, leaving my wife to clean, bathe me and make the bed. I barely walked that entire week, making me feel that much worse when I got home.
Friday 4/21: Discharge day. Could not possibly be worse. I underwent a sleep study using an oxygen canula during the week which helped the sleep apnea and was documented. One of the case managers, who was downright rude to my wife, said the oxygen was denied before even sending an appeal to the insurance company. This was not an option, so we contacted our DME provider ourselves and got it done with them directly. Also, I had two blood drains in my head. I felt a new definition of the word agony as a very nice PA (no sarcasm this time) yanked the two sutured drains out of my head and then put four staples into my head when I was fully awake and alert. Finally left mid-afternoon and stumbled in the door early evening. Thanks to not moving and steroids (see upcoming post) I felt like death warmed over. Because the fog had lifted, I remember all this a lot better.
Monday 5/2: The weather fun continues as a severe line of thunderstorms passes through the area. This knocks the power out for more than 24 hours. The kids are home from school, and they are antsy because they can't charge their Kindle Fires. I have to use the car to charge our phones because we are making and receiving many phone calls. We lost everything in the fridge, including several meals prepared by other people, a few pounds of lunchmeat and cheese, two gallons of milk, and a bunch of groceries we bought that day. Rebersburg, where Jaci's parents live and the kids go to school, was hit by an EF1 tornado. Also, because it is cold outside, it gets cold in the house.
Thursday 5/11: My friend Dave is over so we can eat dinner and watch Jeopardy as I prepare for an online test. Once again, the power goes out. This time it's a fire in the area. Still, I go into panic mode and toss all perishables into the outside freezer. I also freeze my insulin, rendering it useless. It should be noted that insulin pens are not cheap. Dave proves yet again to be a great friend as he stays with me until Jaci and the kids get home to make sure I am safe.
Finally, to cap it all off, I can't drive, meaning it is illegal for me to drive because of a seizure risk.
Things have finally been improving over the past few days as I am weening off the steroid, I am better able to move under my own power, and the weather is finally normalizing. I have been fitted for a mask, and should start radiation and chemo within the next couple of weeks.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
The 2017 Oscar nominations
The Oscars are upon us now. It is nice to think about trivial and meaningless stuff in light of the mess going on in our country and our planet. I won't be able to say to much since I have seen precisely zero of the 9 Best Picture nominees. As a huge fan of "Whiplash," I am going to check out "La La Land" as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will give some general insight and conjecture.
Snubs: We will start with the one that annoyed me the most: Deadpool. This entertaining, hilarious, raunchy film was a blast to watch from beginning to end. I kind of knew that this was going to happen, but I was still disappointed. This deserved nominations for screenplay, picture, and acting (Ryan Reynolds was born to play the Merc with a Mouth). It didn't get a single nomination. Once again, the Academy's snobbery prevents them from honoring a comic book/superhero movie, let alone one as blatantly R-rated as Deadpool. To add insult to injury, "Suicide Squad," another comic book-themed movie, received a nomination for hair and makeup, and several critics and friends said it was a total shitshow. As a friend pointed out, the only time one of these movies got an honor it deserved is when Heath Ledger died (He won posthumously for his spot-on performance as The Joker). I agree that he earned the nomination and win by dying. "Rogue One" was better than "The Force Awakens," and may have deserved nods for Picture, score (Giacchino nailed it!) and screenplay. I was surprised to see that Denzel Washington was not nominated for directing, because the Academy seems to love actors who direct. Mel Gibson received a nod for "Hacksaw Ridge," and he is anti-Semitic. This is all moot, because the great Damien Chazelle takes the trophy this year. Finally, "10 Cloverfield Lane" may very well be the best movie no one saw this year. The psychological thriller, which is very loosely connected to "Cloverfield," is tense, suspenseful and well-acted. The screenplay (co-written by "La La Land" writer/director Chazelle) and John Goodman both deserve nominations.
God hates Amy Adams: I stand by my statement that Amy Adams is the new Leo DiCaprio, since Leo broke the curse by pulling off a win last year by playing outside in cold weather, and getting accosted by a bear. Poor Amy has five nominations, no wins, and no nomination this year for what was supposedly a great performance in "Arrival." Best Actress was a controversial category this year, because Meryl Streep received her 20th nomination for "Florence Foster Jenkins," and she supposedly wasn't all that great. Many believe she was nominated because of her reputation and pedigree, as well as her incendiary anti-Trump speech at the Golden Globes, after which noted Twitter film critic D.J. Trump referred to the legendary actress as "overrated" in 140 characters.
Not a snub: Some people were kvetching about "Finding Dory" missing the cut for Best Animated Film. It just wasn't that good. It was engaging and entertaining, but lacked the characterization or emotional depth of "Finding Nemo." Thanks to comfortable reclining seats, my wife was fast asleep for the majority of this movie. I do wish "Sing," an entertaining family film about the pure joy that comes from performing for an audience, was nominated in this category.
#Oscarsnotsowhite: Finally, there is some diversity in the Oscar nominations. 6 African Americans, and 7 nonwhites, if you count the talented Dev Patel, are nominated this year. Anything is an improvement over the past two years. As I said last year, this all starts with the writing and casting process, and many good screenplays were written that focused on diversity. Keep up the good work.
Other surprises (pleasant and not-so-pleasant): "Can't Stop the Feeling," the Justin Timberlake song from "Trolls," is catchy and makes you want to dance. This deserves to be here. I just hope the don't go over the top at the show with a big choreographed number and a bunch of people in silly costumes. "O.J.: Made In America" was a top-notch documentary about the legendary football player and acquitted murderer that was comprehensive and well-researched.
Prognostications: "La La Land," which received a whopping 14 nominations and swept at the Golden Globes, is the obvious early favorite, and it is essentially a love letter to Hollywood and the movies, which the Academy will eat up. But a surprising win by "Hidden Figures" for ensemble cast at the SAG Awards may change the tide. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone will ride the "La La Land" train to acting awards, as will Damien Chazelle, who will become one of the most sought-after young directors in Hollywood. I wonder which Marvel movie he ends up directing. I would have to see the movies to predict the supporting actor and actress winners.
But none of this matters: Why? Because the part of this show most people will be paying attention to is the "In Memoriam" montage after the carnage of 2016. I wonder who they will forget that will have people moaning and groaning for weeks. Last year it was Abe Vigoda and Joan Rivers. By the way, the recent SAG Awards honored Vigoda.
Looking forward to another plodding, self-important evening of patting each other on the back and insulting the President of the United States.
Snubs: We will start with the one that annoyed me the most: Deadpool. This entertaining, hilarious, raunchy film was a blast to watch from beginning to end. I kind of knew that this was going to happen, but I was still disappointed. This deserved nominations for screenplay, picture, and acting (Ryan Reynolds was born to play the Merc with a Mouth). It didn't get a single nomination. Once again, the Academy's snobbery prevents them from honoring a comic book/superhero movie, let alone one as blatantly R-rated as Deadpool. To add insult to injury, "Suicide Squad," another comic book-themed movie, received a nomination for hair and makeup, and several critics and friends said it was a total shitshow. As a friend pointed out, the only time one of these movies got an honor it deserved is when Heath Ledger died (He won posthumously for his spot-on performance as The Joker). I agree that he earned the nomination and win by dying. "Rogue One" was better than "The Force Awakens," and may have deserved nods for Picture, score (Giacchino nailed it!) and screenplay. I was surprised to see that Denzel Washington was not nominated for directing, because the Academy seems to love actors who direct. Mel Gibson received a nod for "Hacksaw Ridge," and he is anti-Semitic. This is all moot, because the great Damien Chazelle takes the trophy this year. Finally, "10 Cloverfield Lane" may very well be the best movie no one saw this year. The psychological thriller, which is very loosely connected to "Cloverfield," is tense, suspenseful and well-acted. The screenplay (co-written by "La La Land" writer/director Chazelle) and John Goodman both deserve nominations.
God hates Amy Adams: I stand by my statement that Amy Adams is the new Leo DiCaprio, since Leo broke the curse by pulling off a win last year by playing outside in cold weather, and getting accosted by a bear. Poor Amy has five nominations, no wins, and no nomination this year for what was supposedly a great performance in "Arrival." Best Actress was a controversial category this year, because Meryl Streep received her 20th nomination for "Florence Foster Jenkins," and she supposedly wasn't all that great. Many believe she was nominated because of her reputation and pedigree, as well as her incendiary anti-Trump speech at the Golden Globes, after which noted Twitter film critic D.J. Trump referred to the legendary actress as "overrated" in 140 characters.
Not a snub: Some people were kvetching about "Finding Dory" missing the cut for Best Animated Film. It just wasn't that good. It was engaging and entertaining, but lacked the characterization or emotional depth of "Finding Nemo." Thanks to comfortable reclining seats, my wife was fast asleep for the majority of this movie. I do wish "Sing," an entertaining family film about the pure joy that comes from performing for an audience, was nominated in this category.
#Oscarsnotsowhite: Finally, there is some diversity in the Oscar nominations. 6 African Americans, and 7 nonwhites, if you count the talented Dev Patel, are nominated this year. Anything is an improvement over the past two years. As I said last year, this all starts with the writing and casting process, and many good screenplays were written that focused on diversity. Keep up the good work.
Other surprises (pleasant and not-so-pleasant): "Can't Stop the Feeling," the Justin Timberlake song from "Trolls," is catchy and makes you want to dance. This deserves to be here. I just hope the don't go over the top at the show with a big choreographed number and a bunch of people in silly costumes. "O.J.: Made In America" was a top-notch documentary about the legendary football player and acquitted murderer that was comprehensive and well-researched.
Prognostications: "La La Land," which received a whopping 14 nominations and swept at the Golden Globes, is the obvious early favorite, and it is essentially a love letter to Hollywood and the movies, which the Academy will eat up. But a surprising win by "Hidden Figures" for ensemble cast at the SAG Awards may change the tide. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone will ride the "La La Land" train to acting awards, as will Damien Chazelle, who will become one of the most sought-after young directors in Hollywood. I wonder which Marvel movie he ends up directing. I would have to see the movies to predict the supporting actor and actress winners.
But none of this matters: Why? Because the part of this show most people will be paying attention to is the "In Memoriam" montage after the carnage of 2016. I wonder who they will forget that will have people moaning and groaning for weeks. Last year it was Abe Vigoda and Joan Rivers. By the way, the recent SAG Awards honored Vigoda.
Looking forward to another plodding, self-important evening of patting each other on the back and insulting the President of the United States.
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