Friday, August 29, 2008

Rant: Palin vs. Obama

Dems can't complain about Sarah Palin's experience because Barack Obama has less time in office than she does, and she actually has executive experience.

Dems can't complain about her gender because he's playing the race card with only half a deck.

Dems can't complain about her debating skills (as some are claiming Biden will trounce her) because he can't function without a script.

Dems can't complain about her staunch views because his VP is a hardcore long-term DC insider.

Dems can't complain about her hotness because his charisma is about all he's got.

Dems can't complain about her position on guns & abortion because he doesn't have any position (meaningless waffling & "that's above my pay grade").

Dems can't complain about her getting the single-issue female vote because his biggest appeal is the single-issue black vote.

Dems can't complain about her coming from an obscure state because he doesn't seem to think there's life outside Chicago.

Dems can't complain about her coming from an obscure state (twice over) because it's not even clear he's from this country.

Dems can't complain she's too weak to be VP because every complaint squarely reflects back on Obama running for POTUS.

Sarah Palin: McCain's knockout Judo move.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

News: Home

They finally kicked me out of the hospital! Everything is progressing very well. Karen brought me home this afternoon. So good to be home...

You don't realize how much effort it takes just to be a passenger in a car. Trying to stay centered in that seat takes a surprising amount of muscle activity!

We are amazingly blessed to live in a society where someone can literally put a hand through my chest and stop my heart, and just a week later I'm casually having dinner with my wife at home. Thank God!

In a twist, you might want to look at Labor Day's copy of the AJC newspaper. In a confluence of events:
- one of my nurses had quad-bypass surgery in the same facility 8 years ago, and the experience so moved him he changed careers from journalism to nursing and is now working at the same floor
- the AJC is doing a story on his heartwarming tale
- the AJC wanted a picture of him with a patient, and happened to arrive when it was time for him to do my discharge processing
- baby Kirsten had arrived, and was sitting on my lap while all this came together.
Ergo, the pictures must have been wonderful, and may very well accompany a section lead story in the area paper! (And quite possibly the only picture ever of me with a beard.)

Monday, August 11, 2008

News: The cyborg is in

My pacemaker was installed around noon today. Having just completed a walk around the recovery room block, my heart rate is about 100 - a wonderful sign. The natural pacemaker had been running the upper part of the heart, but the lower half was not getting the signal and was making things up to continue (usually running about 45bpm). Now the artificial pacemaker takes the natural signal from the upper part, delays it slightly, and tells the lower half to pump.

Between properly-coordinated beats, and functional one-way valve, I can tell things have improved greatly. For now, though, that energy is being sapped by great efforts of healing, draining, and pain management.

At some point when all this has largely passed, I will have write at length about the incredible process of waking up from various kinds of sedation and anesthesia.

It's so good to see people visit. Karen and Bonnie are at dinner now. Karen is good to me for having been here so much despite many difficulties.

I miss my little girl! Hopefully she can come here tomorrow, and then I will go home. I don't know how long I will be in recovery. Kirsten needs her daddy...

Awright, that's enough activity (walk, dinner, writing, visits, medical tasks, relocating). Time to distract myself with a movie and then go to bed. Sleeping is hard here; maybe they won't wake me up every hour now. Good night ... call me!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

News: ICU

Surgery went well. I went in, talked, blinked, and then woke up (which I won't describe right now -

yeech). I now have an artificial valve implanted in my heart. I can hear it ticking! And I think I can

already feel the increased energy; it's just hiding being chest pain.

I am scheduled to have the pacemaker installed on Monday. They could have implanted it on Friday; I'm

glad they're giving me the weekend to recover first. Normally I would be in the Intensive Care Unit for

one or two days, but since I now have an external pacemaker hanging on a pole next to me, it's better

that greater care be taken. I am breaking records as the healtiest person ever in the ICU.

There is pain, but it is usually managed pretty well. Morphine is lousy; it works fast, but has really

boring hallucinations. Percocet takes a little longer, but works well with no wierd effects.

Thank you all for your support, visits, and prayers.

More later...

- Carl