May 14, 2023
I am a huge fan of the 1960s/1970s rock band The Mothers of Invention, led by Frank Zappa. "Motherly Love" is a song from the group's first album "Freak Out!," released on June 27, 1966.May 13, 2023
PHOTO
1. after my first surgery
2. after my third surgery
3. healed externally
(To see this photo, tap/click "learn more," then tap/click "see photo.")
On this date last year was the start (or continuation) of a severely painful and medically challenging period of my life. I entered the emergency room of the hospital on May 13, 2022, and I would not return home until July 21, 2022, spending a total of seventy (70) days in the hospital and at a physical rehabilitation facility.
It started on March 9, 2022, when I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery. When I arrived home from the hospital, I engaged in physical therapy and occupational therapy (at home), followed by cardiac rehabilitation at a nearby facility.
On May 13, 2022, I would enter the hospital with severe chest pains. It was determined that the screws in the sternal plates holding my broken breastbone together had come loose, and I had developed a staph infection within my chest.
On May 19, 2022, a surgeon removed the sternal plates from within my chest and cleaned out much of the infection. A wound vacuum was attached to my chest, sucking out the remaining infection and discharge, running 24 hours per day. My chest remained open for about a week.
On May 25, 2022, another surgeon closed my chest by attaching seven sutures, leaving me with eight holes from my lower neck to my upper belly, plus two drains in my belly.
On June 3, 2022, I was transferred to a rehabilitation facility, where I engaged in daily physical therapy and occupational therapy. The wound vacuum was still attached, still running 24 hours per day, to aid in my healing.
I arrived home on July, 21, 2022, a day before my wife's birthday.
While I still continue to heal, I am (obviously) much better now than I was then. My cardiologist told me that I am doing well.
I am extremely grateful, lucky, fortunate, and blessed to be still alive, thanks to many medical people, and, of course, to my wife and to my mother. Also, thank you so much for your prayers, well-wishes, and support. They truly helped me get through this rough period of my life. Be well.
May 13, 2023
I continue to drink these to help with my healing and to help control my diabetes.
May 12, 2023
Here's something I posted in a Beatles Facebook group:
Did you ever have a dream about The Beatles?
When I was a teenager in the 1970s, I dreamed that I was going to play golf with The Beatles. We all met at the local diner for breakfast. We then realized that golf courses only allow foursomes, not fivesomes, so we decided that Ringo would not be able to play golf with us. I woke up before we played.
May 10, 2023
My Medical Boot
Why?: cellulitis in my right foot, my right ankle, and my right leg from a diabetic ulcer; hairline fractures of both of my right ankle bones (tibia and fibula) from two recent falls; and avascular necrosis, I think in my right ankle ... luckily, no osteomyelitis in my right foot or my right ankle, as I have dealt with in my left foot ... in the early midst of a six-week-long regimen of daily infusions of intravenous antibiotic for cellulitis through a 49 centimeter (19 19/64 inch)-long PICC line in my upper left arm
May 8, 2023
I do occasionally like coconut cream pie.
May 8, 2023
I like regular Coca-Cola because it is orange based, but I also like regular Pepsi-Cola because it is lemon based.
Sunday, May 7, 2023 (posted early)
It's 3:30 p.m. here in southeastern Florida, and I am watching a live broadcast of the Miami Grand Prix on Sky Sports F1 (on ESPN on WABC). This is the fifth race of the 23-race Formula 1 auto racing season for 2023. Today's circuit (track) is the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida. This season hosts THREE grand prix races in the United States: the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, and the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first four races were in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Azerbaijan. I unfortunately missed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last Sunday because I was in the hospital and didn't have access to a television. Formula 1 racing is the only sport that I actively follow. There are 20 drivers on 10 teams (constructors). Logan Sargeant is the only driver from the United States.
Today (May 7, 2023) is National Paste Up Day. I was a journalist from September 1982 to April 2017, so I am quite intimate with the construction of pages of print publications by hand.
The outdated, yet traditional process is, basically: Just print out paper strips of stories, photos, captions, and headlines, (and advertisements), and then run them through a hot-wax machine, and then affix everything on pages of thin, gridded cardboard. Then, take a small, handheld roller to secure everything. Stick the pages in a printer, and there you have your print publication. Basically.
I must admit that I do miss constructing print publications using paste up, but I certainly do not miss burning my hands on the hot-wax machines and also often stabbing myself in the fingers with those X-ACTO (Exacto) Knives. Both: Ouch !!!
The first time I did paste up was in 1982, when I started as a writer and paste-up guy with The Villanovan, the student newspaper of Villanova University. After graduating in December 1984 with a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in the French language, I then earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia in May 1988. I then did paste up as part of my first salaried job for a newspaper in 1989 to 1990, along with writing, editing, page designing, and taking photographs.
Then, three jobs later, from 1992 to 1996, I was back in part doing paste up. For this new job, I was a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher for an international, weekly magazine on the financial and technical aspects of the chemical industry. During the first year or so of that gig, we constructed pages manually, using paste up.
On a rotating basis of our editorial staff, every other Friday, I would take the train with a few of my co-workers from New York City (Manhattan), where our office was located, to Westport, Connecticut, to put together the magazine in the old-fashioned way.
We would meet with a few composing-room people in an old, brick building and spend the day cranking out the pages. Luckily, we soon switched to a process where the pages were designed on computer screens in our New York City office, so we didn't have to take that long, round-trip journey anymore. Still, it was nice getting out of "The City" to work in a different locale.
(Later in my journalistic career, I would have jobs that would afford me the opportunity to become again involved with paste up.)
May 7, 2023
I occasionally enjoy eating lamb.
May 7, 2023
I have been disabled since April 2017. When we go out, my wonderful wife pushes me in a transport chair similar to the chair shown below. I use a metal walker at home. I have used a cane, but these days, I require more support.
A Day Late
Yesterday (May 6, 2023) was National Free Comic Book Day. (first Saturday in May every year)
I became a big fan of Jughead comic books (digests) in the early 1990s, when I was in my early 30s. During that time, I was a reporter, writer, editor, and researcher for a weekly, international magazine on the financial and technical aspects of the chemical industry, and I needed to read something simplistic for a change, so I chose Jughead.
Jughead Jones and I are very much alike. He's lazy, awkward, clumsy, and a free spirit, plus he likes to eat, especially hamburgers, and is not popular with the ladies. He is just kind of ... "there," being somewhat superfluous.
I have been a fan of Jughead since I was a kid in the 1960s. I enjoyed the comic strips, which I still do, and The Archies Show cartoon TV series that aired for one season in 1968, when I was seven years old.
May 5, 2023
I celebrated Cinco de Mayo in my traditional way: by eating Chinese food. (no joke)
May 5, 2023
My favorite hoagie is turkey and provolone cheese with mustard and mayonnaise with a dusting of ground black pepper. I will sometimes add pickled jalapeño peppers or pickled banana peppers.
May 5, 2023
My paternal grandfather grew up in Porto, Portugal.
May 4, 2023
One of my favorite candies is chocolate-covered orange peels. I also like chocolate-covered marzipan.
May 4, 2023
I enjoy orange juice with Campari over ice.
May 4, 2023
I wonder why I never rode my bicycle to school when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s. To and from school, I either took the bus or I walked with Andy Flowers, the neighbor kid who constantly talked about the weather in semi-technical terms. He was so proud to have been born in the 1950s: December 31, 1959. LOL
May 4, 2023
Since I was quite young, my favorite bird has been the puffin.
May 3, 2023
Today, I started a six-week-long regimen of daily intravenous antibiotics at home for yet another cellulitis infection, as per my podiatrist.May 3, 2023
When I worked as a salesman at Macy's fairly recently, I mostly sold textiles (towels, bed sheets) and men's clothes. I even sold maternity clothes and kids toys for about a week or two.
May 2, 2023, evening
After 12 days at Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca Raton, Florida, I am finally home.
May 2, 2023, afternoon, Day 12, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Boca Raton, Florida
My father owned and operated an insurance agency for decades. He specialized in automobile insurance and "property and casualty" insurance. I studied insurance between my two university degrees. My dad employed a guy who just did life insurance. I went to a Paul McCartney concert with him at Madison Square Garden in December 1989. (My father also owned and operated a real estate agency and a travel agency. My mother operated the latter.)
May 1, 2023, evening, Day 11, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Boca Raton, Florida
😀👍 ... 👋👋👋 ... 😆😆😆
May 1, 2023, afternoon, Day 11, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Boca Raton, Florida
I am as loyal as an old hound dog. Actually, today is more about citizens being loyal to the United States.
