2013/08/27 20:00

Dad! Take a picture of that!

Adison out of the chute and off to the three mile run.

Warhorse Brewing Company.

The Genesee Brewhouse.

Tristan got a medal for finishing the 1 mile race. He did the mile in just under 9 1/2 minutes. Impressive for no training and he did the run in boat shoes.

Apple picking and a whole lot of fun can sure tire you out.

Matron of Honor Jen Dellamorte.

I let Alice use my camera to take a picture. From her perspective apparently I look enormous. I put the picture she took of me next to one I took of her and it looks like a Lilliputian and Gulliver the giant.

Breakfast this morning at Dunkin Donuts.

2013/08/23 18:00 Robert came home yesterday.

2013/08/31 12:00 We got up at six in the morning and traveled to Skaneateles to watch Adison compete in her first triathlon. The skinny man is an 800 yard open water swim, an eleven mile bike ride, and a three mile run. There were about 600 participants. The swim was done in ‘waves’. Adison was in the third wave, wearing a pink cap, which was the women, aged 15 to 39.

2013/08/29 14:00 Ice cream for dessert after lunch. Life lesson learned: It is NOT acceptable to lick spilled ice cream off the table in a restaurant. Am I being hypocritical? I mean that I would probably find it acceptable for me to slurp a spilled Mai Tai off the bar in the Molokai Lounge at the Mai Kai.

Alice found a caterpillar.

Adison feeding some deer.

For those of you that were concerned my Tiki gods protection has been re-instated, re-affirmed, re-invigorated, re-established, returned... however you want to say it. Sleeping soundly once again.

2013/08/08 16:00 When I took an early retirement I had planned on creating some ‘artwork’ in the hopes of becoming an ‘artist’. Sadly, my first year of retirement produced very little of anything that could be considered art. I have resolved to be more productive this second year of retirement. I feel my best hopes lie with carving. I think that maybe I don’t completely suck in that genre. I am still going to try other mediums in addition to carving. I am making a piece to go outside in my garden. It is painted and in a PNG (Papua New Guinea) style. It is not original but is taken from the Trader Vic’s logo, which was in turn taken from an actual PNG piece. As a painter I think I suck but I do enjoy it. This piece, which is still in progress, will be outside and I think it will probably look better once it is ravaged by the elements.

The Wild Wild West - complete first season - 40th anniversary.

Tristan at Boldt castle. He is holding his camera in this picture. I am going to have to post some of the pictures that Tristan has taken. He got a very nice digital camera for his birthday from Aunt Adison. He has a unique perspective in his photos. He has quite a few trash can pictures and he seems to like light fixtures. He has also taken the most unflattering photos of me that make me cringe.

Alice got a little tired and bored by the miniature golf.

Tristan got a chance to pilot the tour boat we were on. The kids lined up for a chance to take the wheel and get a junior captains license. We were in line and Bamma said to Tristan, "Don't crash the boat". Tristan is very serious and he is very sensitive and he took the admonition to heart instead of as the joke intended. He said to me, "Pop, this is a bad idea. I don't know how to steer the boat". I assured him that everything would be all right. I told him that they would explain everything he needed to do. He said, "Pop, this is a really bad idea. I don't know my left from my right". Tristan took the wheel, we didn't crash, and he got his junior captains license and he was quite proud.

2013/09/29 23:00 Robert and I took the kids to Webster's Pond today to feed the ducks and the geese. Karen still hadn't gotten back from her girls weekend when we went. She is home now. I miss Karen when she's not here, even when it's just for the weekend.

Had a fire in the Tiki fire bowl tonight. Marshmallows were roasted. 

Bride and groom make their entrance at the reception which was held at Traditions by the golf course.

Poor Alice couldn't run without her pants falling down.
After the ducks and geese had been properly fed we left Webster's Pond. We went home and had Raccoon's birthday party.

The pink caps are off and swimming.

2013/10/02 10:00

2013/09/28 23:00 We went apple picking at Abbott's Farm today.

Alice's souvenir from Alexandria Bay was this little pirate ship. Tristan is wearing the Captains hat we got him. One of two hats he scored this trip.

The 'Great Pumpkin'.

Tristan had fun with Otto the Orange while waiting for his race to start. I can't see Otto without being reminded of the time I took Robert to an SU football game. He was maybe ten years old or so and he asked, "Dad, how come the other team gets a cool pirate and we have a squishy fruit?"

The rains didn't last that long. I had ducked under the overhang by the restrooms to avoid getting soaked by the deluge. So did quite a few other people. We were huddled together and there was a collective cheer when the sun came out. When we had taken refuge by the restrooms the pavement around us was wet but there was no standing water. Now after the few minutes of intense precipitation we were surrounded by a moat that was about four inches deep. The first people to venture forth got their feet soaked. A couple of guys carried their girlfriends piggyback through the water. There was a woman in the crowd with us that was using a walker. She appeared to be in her mid 30's and it was not readily apparent what medical condition was causing her to have to use a walker. She was slender and was wearing a long dress that went from neck to ankle. The walker she was using was exactly like the one my Dad uses. It has a seat that you can sit on if you get tired. The guy she was with offered to carry her. "No", she said, "I've got this". She pushed the walker up to the edge of the water and then pushed off hard as she kneeled on the seat. She got about halfway into the water before the whole thing went over and she face-planted. Her legs were on the walker and with the long dress she couldn't move and laid in the water. Many people came to her aid and got her untangled and upright. I bit my lip very hard to keep from laughing. Am I a bad person? I just waited a few minutes more and the waters receded and I walked out and kept my feet dry. 

2013/09/14 16:00 We went to play miniature golf today. It was chilly and overcast. It wasn’t raining but it had rained the last two days. Not great weather for miniature golf and so it wasn’t surprising that when we got to the place of miniature business it appeared deserted. The sign on the front said open and we went in. The lights weren’t on and the place seemed abandoned. It did kind of feel like something from one of those horror movies and Tristan said, “I think this place is haunted”. No one was coming and Robert suggested calling the place to make sure they were open. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the place and the phone behind the counter next to us started to ring. It was kind of eerie and Tristan said, “Yeah, this place is definitely haunted”. There was a gumball machine and Tristan nervously played with the handle and a gumball appeared. Robert said to Tristan, look, you’ve got a free gumball, eat it. Tristan said, “No way! It’s a haunted gumball”. We wandered outside and eventually the caretaker appeared. He apologized for not hearing us arrive and we were able to play a round of miniature golf. We were the only ones on the course.

It has been suggested that the Tiki gods didn't do a very good job of protecting me. Some have suggested that maybe they were off surfing or something. The truth is they can't protect me from myself. I am a somewhat intelligent guy but from time to time I do really stupid things. This one that got my window broken didn't even involve any rum.

2013/09/15 23:30 I went to SubCat Studios tonight for a concert and recording session. There were two bands; Thrifter, and Meghan Yates and the Reverie Machine. The sessions are called the Sub Rosa Sessions and this was number three. Had a great time, enjoyed the music, and the meet and greet after. When I left SubCat Studios I walked over to Awful Al's and taught the bartender, Liz, how to make a proper Dark N Stormy. It was a very nice evening indeed.

I love the sand sculpture even if it is sponsored by the Evil Empire.

We ended the road trip with a stop in Skaneateles at Doug's Fish Fry. It was a very nice trip.

Adison nearing the finish line.

What have I done?!

Mural on the wall inside Fee Brothers.

2013/08/25 12:00 My friend Danielle, who lives in Australia, sent me pictures today of her wearing my Patron of the Tiki Arts T-shirt that she had taken on an excursion to Melbourne, Victoria.

When I retired I took my retirement in a lump sum. I have been managing my own investment portfolio. I have been doing okay. The government and their inability to actually govern is getting very scary. The irresponsible jackals in the tea party that are threatening to collapse the economy are basically economic terrorists and should be arrested and charged with treason. That simple.

Alice on the playground in her Tiki shirt.

2013/08/16 23:00 We took a trip to Fort Rickey Game Farm today. We went with Adison and her friend from college Amanda. Amanda has two sons Hunter and Colton.

Today was our anniversary. Karen and I were married thirty years ago today. Doesn't seem possible that so much time has passed. I still love my wife and I hope to have another thirty years plus with her. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and went with our two sons; Michael and Robert. Our daughter Adison wasn't able to make it; it was a last minute plan for us and she already had plans that included a grilled pineapple. I would like to take Karen to Toronto where we honeymooned but it just didn't work out this year. Maybe next year.

Thrifter.

2013/08/31 16:00 Alice is at the age where she has to do anything and everything that big brother Tristan does. Tristan put on one of his superhero costumes, The Thing, and asked me to take his picture. He did the classic ‘muscle-man’ pose. Not to be outdone Alice put on one of her faerie costumes and asked me to take her picture and there it was – the ‘muscle-man’ pose.

2013/10/05 22:00 The kids had so much fun last weekend feeding the ducks and geese at Webster's pond that they wanted to do it again this weekend.

2013/09/08 10:00 Alice always wakes up so happy.

2013/10/19 23:30 We went to our second wedding in as many weeks. Karen's good friend from work, Deb, got married. The service and reception were at Borio's on Oneida Lake. It was a nice service and we had a good time.

Pop! Take a picture of that!

Aunt Adison gave Tristan a big squeeze hello when we got to the Inner Harbor.

The third group waiting in the water for the start. This group in the pink caps is the women aged 15 to 39.

Tristan and Alice in the pumpkin patch. We were at the 'Hollow'. 

After the race picture.

Tristan loves playing games. Friday night he and his Dad were playing “Guess Who”. The game has pictures of different people; an assortment of male and female, all different ethnicities, and wearing different hats, glasses, etc. You have to guess your opponents person by asking yes or no questions like, does your person have a mustache? Does your person have braids? Tristan was struggling a little and asked his Uncle Michael for help. Uncle Michael is always a wise-ass and so he asks, “Would your person be ‘randomly’ selected by the TSA for an enhanced pat-down?”

Alice enjoying the boat ride.

The goat whisperers.

After The Old Toad we went to the Tap and Mallet. The Tap and Mallet is one of the best places in Rochester to get a beer. That's what the award on the wall said. The bar has about 30 draft lines and one cask ale available. The menu looked very interesting but we had just had lunch and so we didn't order any food.

2013/08/29 16:00 All worn out. Nap time.

2013/10/20 14:00 We got up very early in the morning to go see Adison's run. It was her second time running a half marathon. Tristan was to run in a kids fun run as well.

The goat whisperer.

Adison is out of the water and completing the first transition – T1 – and is off for the eleven miles on the bike.

Chillin' with my peeps; Amanda and Adison.

2013/08/20 20:00 My wife is in a book club that she recently joined. The women in the club take turns hosting at their houses. It was my wife’s turn. The club had read the book “The Astronaut’s Wives Club” by Lily Koppel. Karen asked me to make some of the food dishes from the book. I made a ham loaf from Annie Glenn’s recipe with no modifications. It was historically accurate. During the days of the space race I think a good deal of America had households where the wives stayed home and were asked to entertain for their husbands and their clients or business associates. My wife works now and I stay home and she asked me to help entertain her friends. I think that’s interesting. The ham loaf was pretty good but I really messed up the deviled eggs. Not like me to make such a disaster of food I am preparing. Chef Ramsey would have called me a donkey.

2013/10/06 20:00 It was a dismal day today as far as weather was concerned. It rained heavily off and on. Lots of wetness and mud everywhere. There was a small break in the afternoon, the rains stopped for awhile, and we ventured out to go pumpkin picking.

Tristan loved picking apples.

After the race, Adison and her family who love her, and support her, and are so proud of her accomplishments. She worked so hard and what an amazing person she is…

Ham loaf.

Alice holding a baby goat. Very Heidiesque.

When we left Webster's Pond we went and stopped at a playground nearby.

There were four swings at the playground and there were four children. Unfortunately one of the swings had been thrown up over the top bar and it passed inside itself and was firmly knotted at the top. There weren't enough usable swings for the four children; Tristan, Alice, and two cousins who came to play after we got there. Tristan asked me if I could fix it and I said not without a ladder. Robert jumped up and used some of his gymnastic moves to get to the top of the swing set where he was able to untangle the swing. Tristan looked at his Dad on top of the swing set as he repaired the swing and he said, "My Dad is like a superhero"

Before the race photo.

2013/09/07 23:30 I traveled to Rochester today for Tikipalooza. Tikipalooza was a party at Bob's Tiki Bar. It was also Bob's 50th birthday. I met Bob and Bev at Hot Rod Hula Hop in Columbus. I had a great time hanging out with them at HRHH5 and they were kind enough to invite me to their party. Blair and Kim were there and I had a nice time catching up with them. All in all it was a nice party and I had a nice time.

My job when Adison runs a half marathon or does a triathlon is to take pictures of her. I was a complete failure for this outing. The only picture I got was Adison sprinting from the porta-potty to the start line. I couldn't get her at the start of the race. We went to the halfway point at Long Branch Park and missed her. We got stuck in a traffic snarl because the I690 ramp was closed and then missed her finishing. I am sorry.

2013/08/13 23:00 We took the kids on a little excursion today. We went to Alexandria Bay. We took them on an Uncle Sam's boat tour of the Thousand Islands and for a visit to Boldt Castle.

I lifted this graphic off of Kreepy Tiki's Facebook page. I think he lifted it off of someone else. Too funny.

Alice painted.

I have always enjoyed the butter sculpture and it is always one of the first things I check out. Now of course I can't see the butter sculpture without thinking of the movie "Butter" with Jennifer Garner. I loved that movie.

The crew at the Tap and Mallet; Bob, me, and Sean.

Yummy.

Webster's pond.

After breakfast we stopped at Fee Brothers. If you are into mixing super delicious craft cocktails you have heard of Fee Brothers. A family business since 1864 Fee Brothers makes and sells bitters, cordial syrups, botanical waters, and brines. I picked up a few bottles of assorted bitters, orgeat syrup, falernum, and passion fruit syrup. "Don't squeeze, use Fees".

2013/10/04 10:00

Shrimps at Harpoon Eddie's.

Meghan Yates and the Reverie Machine.

The Genesee Brewery.

2013/10/04 23:00 We celebrated Adison's birthday tonight. We went to the the Outback Steakhouse. Tristan brought his Raccoon. Coincidentally it is Raccoon's birthday too.

Before anyone calls child protective services - just to be clear - the kids were drinking lemonade. And they did spill several of them. I had a couple of Syracuse Pale Ales. They sell Coronitas by the bucket there at Harpoon Eddies. Many years ago I would go to Casa di Pizza where they sold OV splits in buckets. Sadly the OV split is no more. But, those little Coronitas are so cute. And they are so cold in their little ice buckets.... Any one interested in joining me some afternoon to put away some buckets?

The end of a fun day pumpkin picking at the 'hollow'.

2013/09/02 09:00 I do not love Alice more than Adison. I have enough room in my heart for both my little girls.

Good morning Happy Alice!

Yes, Alice woke up with a case of the sillies. Today is September 1st. Summer is over. Tomorrow is Labor Day and the summer is over. It went by so fast. There were 283 page views for August.

Alice and Robert take a nap.

Danielle is a Patron of the Tiki Arts and is totally rockin' the shirt at Hell's Kitchen in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

This latest iteration of my rants and rambles will be much like past versions. The key components will be unchanged. There still may be too much information shared and I am still most definitely weird as all get out. Probably the best way to enjoy my rants and rambles would be with a nice cocktail in hand. Of course, lots of unpleasant situations could be improved with a nice cocktail in hand. If you don’t have a super delicious rum based cocktail in hand then read on at your own peril.

Good friends Kathy and Phil.

2013/09/08 22:00 It was a busy day today. Karen and Theresa hosted a baby shower for Jen at Theresa's house. I had made meatballs for the party Thursday night. I had to have the meatballs done so that Karen would let me go to Tikipalooza at Bob's Tiki Bar on Saturday. This morning I made a spinach artichoke dip, went to Kinkos and made copies for a shower game, got the kids ready, stopped and picked up balloons, oh, and yeah, the dog got out, I had to chase down the dog and get her back. I drove to Central Square with Robert and the kids. Alice stayed with the womenfolk for the baby shower and Robert, Tristan, and I went to Beaver Lake Nature Center for the Golden Harvest Festival.

While we were in Boldt Castle it absolutely poured. It rained very hard with thunder and lightning and then as quickly as the storm came it passed. Everything dried quickly in the hot sun and we were able to walk around the grounds and visit the out buildings.

2013/08/05 20:00 At the last minute I decided to take the kids to Sylvan Beach today. I didn’t realize that the amusement park there is only open Wednesday through Sunday. My bad. But it does make for a cheaper days outing. We went to Harpoon Eddie’s and sat on the patio outside. Had some cold brews and some chilled shrimps. My new drinking buddies are a little annoying. They kept spilling their drinks and I think they were annoying the waitresses and then I realized they’re just like my old drinking buddies.

There is very little to say at this point about these rants and rambles that hasn’t been said already. Are these rants, rambles, and ravings just the boring waste of time they seem, or, if you dig deep and open your mind and your heart, are they something of lasting value and importance? Most likely a waste of your time.

The bar inside the Genesee Brewhouse.

Alice thought eating the apples was better than picking the apples.

This week Karen was able to go with us to Webster's Pond.

Petting the bunny.

2013/10/01 09:00 I have been retired for over a year now. I hated my job and I hated the company I worked for. The stress of the job caused me sleepless nights and nightmares when I did sleep. The day I left that all behind I truly left it behind. I hadn’t had a nightmare about the old job for over a year. But, I had a terrifying nightmare last night. In the dream I was out shopping or running errands or something. A non-descript van pulled up and several guys jumped out and dragged me into the van. They put a bag over my head. When they took the bag off I was in one of those black ops rendition spaces like you see in the movies. It was dark and damp. I was tied to a chair and there was a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. I was beaten. Nothing was asked of me. I was just beaten. I was guessing that the beating was to soften me up. Finally I was approached by someone in charge. They wanted me to go back to work. They wanted me to make more EXCEL spreadsheets. I woke in a cold sweat and I felt unnerved and very unsettled for hours. There were 313 page views of the website in September.

Sitting by the fire with a cocktail and enjoying Tikipalooza at Bob's Tiki Bar.

There was a lot of delicious meat at Tikipalooza.

2013/10/19 14:00 There was time today for some arts and crafts.

"Hey, I thought that was my baby goat". Hunter gets a turn.

2013/08/28 23:30

Tiki shirt!

2013/08/18 09:00 I can't let today pass without a comment. Seven years ago today I had a heart attack. I was very fortunate and I am still here and able to talk about it. From the NBCNews.com coverage of the death of James Gandolfini. “If a 50-something man dies, heart disease is the No. 1 suspect…’A quarter million Americans experience sudden cardiac death each year,’ says Dr. Michael Miller, director of the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Center for Preventive Cardiology. ‘Half of them experience sudden death as the initial symptom.’ In other words – there were no symptoms, no warning. ‘In many patients who have a heart attack, the first symptom is sudden death and they don’t even make it to a hospital,’ [Dr. John]Harold says…[There is the] artery known as the “widow maker”, Harold says: the left anterior descending coronary artery.”

 

I wrote the following seven years ago:

 

2006/08/19 04:30 I am writing this at 4:30 AM on the second floor of St. Joseph's Hospital cardiac wing. To tell this story properly I need to go back a year and a half or two years ago. At that time I had two friends, about my age that had died from heart attacks. I was particularly sensitive to the fact that it was very important to report any symptoms of heart disease as early as possible. Waiting, or toughing it out, I knew could be fatal. So, about two years ago I had some chest pains at work. It was more a discomfort than pains but it was a feeling I didn't recognize so I went to my primary care physician. He referred me to a cardiologist and I went and had an echocardiogram stress test done. I ran on the treadmill and then a sonogram of my heart was done. At this point I was given a clean bill of health as far as my heart went. I next went to a gastroenterologist and was diagnosed with an ulcer. Recently it has been determined that a majority of ulcers are caused by a bacteria. Of course I had the stress induced variety. I was prescribed HCTZ for borderline high blood pressure, a statin for high cholesterol, and Prevacid for the ulcer. I also had an endoscopy done to fix a stricture in my esophagus and a colonoscopy. I was good to go. Over the next year and a half the stress in my life just kept increasing. It came on two fronts; both from work and at home from my oldest son Robert. This brings me up to Thursday morning August 17th at 6:30 AM. I woke up and was feeling fine. I was feeling a bit anxious about work perhaps but I was feeling fine. I started moving around, getting ready for work, when I felt a pain in the center of my chest. It lasted about ten minutes and then went away. I decided it was my ulcer acting up. About ten minutes later the pain came back. My wife Karen gave me four Tums antacid chewables and the pain went away. I told Karen I was fine and told her to go to work. She left for work and I got ready to take a shower. Before I could get in the shower the chest pains came back and this time I was having a hard time breathing. Also, I now had a pain in my left hand. This bothered me because I knew that one of the symptoms of a heart attack is a pain that radiates down your left arm. I called Karen, got her voicemeail, and left a message for her to come home and take me to the emergency room. As soon as I was done leaving the message the pain went away. I decided it was the ulcer but took an aspirin just in case. I figured it couldn't hurt. I got in the shower and felt fine. I figured when I got out of the shower I would call Karen and tell her to disregard the voicemail I had left. I got out of the shower and that's when the pain came back with a vengeance. Now, in addition to the chest pain, the pain in my hand, and the shortness of breath, I felt like I was going to throw up. I called Karen again and this time she answered the phone. I told her to come home and take me to the emergency room. I was waiting for Karen and now for the first time I started to think that I might die. The pain wasn't subsiding. I tried sitting. I tried lying down. I couldn't find any position that brought any kind of relief. For some reason that I don't recall I decided to start walking. I walked out to the end of our street and that's where Karen picked me up. She said, "Where do you want to go?" I was thinking St. Joe's, but at this point I wasn't sure I'd make it there. Karen suggested urgent care at the Dewitt North Medical Center and I said okay. So, that's where we went. Karen dropped me at the emergency room door and then went to park the car. Right from the start the nurses and the doctor at urgent care seemed the most concerned by how much I was sweating. I told the nurse I had just gotten out of the shower and that's probably why I was damp. "Oh honey," she said, " you don't look good." They laid me on a bed there and the pains went away. The chest pains I had then have never come back. I felt fine. They insisted I be transported to St. Joseph's Hospital and an ambulance was called. They did an EKG while we were waiting for the ambulance and everything looked fine. At this point I thought it was a false alarm. The doctor said better safe than sorry. He told me that a higher percentage of heart attacks are fatal at my age, late forties, because your body hasn't had time to develop "work arounds". When you are in your 70s or 80s and you've had blockages build up your body has had time to compensate with other vessels. When you are 49 you just die. They tried to start an IV but were having a lot of trouble. After sticking me 4 times with no luck the ambulance had arrived. They decided to let the EMT start the IV in the ambulance. The two people from the Fayetteville Fire Department ambulance put me in the back of the ambulance. They started the IV, first time, and put me on oxygen. I felt really stupid riding in the ambulance because at this point I felt completely fine. There was nothing wrong with me and I was wasting everybody’s time. That's what I thought. At the St. Joseph's emergency room they did another EKG and they wanted to start a second IV. The nurse had a terrible time trying to start the second IV and after sticking me another three times she called an IV specialist. The specialist was able to get the second IV site established. The cardiologist came in to see me. He said I was not presenting as a heart attack. My EKG looked fine. The first blood test had come back fine. He said it was probably my ulcer but that they were going to keep me overnight for observation. He said on Friday they would give me a stress test and then depending on how that looked they might take me in for a heart catheterization. I told Karen to go back to work. She was missing lunch at Red Lobster with her co-workers. Karen decided to hang around a little longer. The doctor came back in and at that point everything changed. I guess something was now showing in my latest blood work. It was definite that I had had a heart attack. We were skipping the stress test and going directly to the heart catheterization and it was to be ASAP. Dr. Alfaro-Franco, who was going to do the the heart catheterization, came in to give me the odds and to get the consent forms signed. I didn't have much time to think about any of it. One in a thousand dies during the procedure. Three of every thousand lose a limb. I signed a consent form that said if they couldn't fix things with the heart catheterization they could crack me open and go to open heart surgery. On two occasions I've had lunch at Trappers Pizza Pub, played quick draw, and won enough to cover lunch and then some. The odds for that are more than a thousand to one. As I lie in the emergency room waiting for the procedure what kept popping into my mind was a scene from "Taladega Nights". I had just recently seen the movie. The character Ricky Bobby, played by Will Farrell, is in the hospital after a car crash. He's lying in the bed and his wife and the doctor are standing at the foot of the bed. His wife says, "I know it's a hard decision to make but I've decided I want to pull the plug." The doctor says, "He's sleeping." The wife insists, "I want to pull the plug." "No," says the doctor, "He's just sleeping. He's not in a coma. There is no plug" I had to tell that to all the nurses. They wheeled me up to the catheterization lab. There were at least 7 people working on me and that's before the doctors got there. They were going into the femoral artery through the groin. A couple of the nurses were arguing over who was going to shave me. Apparently shaving my groin was one of the good jobs?? That's about the last thing I really remember from the cath lab. I wasn't under general anesthesia but I wasn't feeling too much. Afterwards the doctor explained that I had definitely had a heart attack. There was damage to my heart. I had a 99% blockage in my front artery. She said the blockage I had is called the "widow maker". They were able to insert a stent and open up the blocked artery. The hardest part of the whole thing was the next six hours. For the heart catheterization they had gone in through my groin and the femoral artery. They plugged the site with collagen and a suture. You have to lie still, flat on your back, for six hours or risk popping open the wound site. Karen fed me that night like a little bird while I lay flat on my back. It must still be true love. Friday morning two undertakers came to my room. You could tell just by looking at them and the way they were dressed that they were morticians. I thought, "Gee, maybe the doctor didn't tell me everything." But, they were there to visit my roommate and not to measure me for a new wooden wardrobe. Apparently my roommate was buying a vintage car from these guys and they were up to make sure the deal was going to close. After they left my roommate called his wife and started screaming at her, "What the "F" is the matter with you sending "F'in" undertakers to the "F'in" cardiac wing." His wife had called 911 when he had chest pains against his will. It had turned out that he didn't have a heart attack or heart problems but had separated one of his ribs from his sternum while shoveling. His wife had spent ten hours sobbing hysterically and had called every possible person she could think of to tell them her husband had had a heart attack. Well, she and this motley crew came to visit him. Officially it wasn't visiting hours, this was around noon, and there were four of them. They were drinking, and they had brought beer, wine, and liquor to the hospital. They were getting pretty rowdy. It was entertaining listening to them discuss the various felonies they had committed including dressing up a 15 year old girl to look like her mother, feeding her valiums, and then sending her into the bank to forge her mother’s signature and clean out her bank account. Part of a divorce settlement I assumed. His big concern was getting out of the hospital in time to make the bank in order to get the vintage car from the undertakers. Once they were gone several people from the hospital, of increasing rank, came to my room to apologize for the boorish behavior of my roommate. Apparently the hospital frowns on drinking and partying in the cardiac wing. I figured them to be some real lowlifes and so I was amused when one of the nurses told me that my roommate was the chief of police for a local municipality. The nurses told me once the IV was out I could get up and move around. They pulled the IV and so I decided to get up. I had electronic leads attached to my chest because I was on constant heart monitoring. I expected to be tethered to something but found out I was wireless. I could walk anywhere on the floor and I was still being monitored by a wireless connection. I bet they didn't have that a few years ago. That brings me up to early in the morning on Saturday the 19th. I couldn't sleep and I've walked down to the lounge where I am writing this. The moral of this tale is that there are really some marvels of modern medicine out there. But all of the wonderful medical technology we have is of no use if you don't go to the doctor. I am extremely lucky. Looking back on this I should have called 911 right from the start. I feel like I have a second lease on life and I plan to take full advantage of it. Everyone at St. Josephs has been absolutely wonderful. The nursing staff here is top notch.

I broke the back window of the van with my lawnmower in a stupid accident. My car insurance will cover it. I went online and ordered replacement stickers so that once the window is replaced I can make the van look as good as it did before the accident.

Tristan and his Dad crossing the finish line.

2013/08/06 16:00 I recently acquired the complete first season of the television show “The Wild Wild West” on DVD. I loved the show as a kid. The show aired on CBS for four seasons beginning in 1965 and then in syndication. I’m sure I saw it later when it was in syndication. Westerns used to be the staple on TV but were being replaced by spy stories. “The Wild Wild West” was pitched to the network as kind of a James Bond on horseback. The show is credited by some as giving birth to the steam punk subculture. Each episode featured espionage, action, beautiful women, wild gadgets, and megalomaniacal villains. What’s funny for me watching the show now is that I definitely remembered the beautiful women (I was an adolescent boy) but what surprised me re-watching these shows now is that in almost every episode the main character, James West, played by Robert Conrad, ends up shirtless. The cheesecake I remember but not the beefcake. Too funny.

Alice helped Raccoon blow out the candles.

2013/08/31 14:00

2013/08/03 11:00

Alice feeding deer.

2013/09/09 17:00 There are days that I wish I had not gotten out of bed. Today is one of those days.

We spent some time walking around Destiny USA.

Robert gave Tristan some advice and encouragement before the start of the one mile kids fun run.

Tristan takes off at the start.

2013/08/09 19:00 At the Feast of the Tiki gods at the Grass Skirt Tiki Room in Columbus , Ohio.

2013/09/15 16:30 Robert and I took the kids to the zoo today. It was an absolutely perfect day for it. It was not too hot and not too cool.

Blair and Khan Tiki Mon.

Tristan painted two skeleton faces on his pumpkin; one on each side with bat wings in between.

With Brego waiting patiently for someone to drop something.

2013/08/01 09:00 Today is August the first. It is the one year anniversary of my retirement. It was one year ago today that I slipped the shackles of the Evil Empire. While I can’t say that everything has gone as planned I don’t have any major complaints. I certainly have no regrets. Looking back on that first year I wish that I had created more art. That would have been easy to do since I only completed one carving for the entire year. So, that’s something that will be easy to improve on this second year. There were 324 site visits for July.

The 'muscle-man' pose.

Tristan with a parrot pirate hat that he got as a souvenir.

2013/09/22 12:00 It is Sunday afternoon. It rained a lot yesterday and it is damp and cool outside. We had some hot weather Wednesday and Thursday but I think that Autumn is upon us at this point. The summer went by so fast. I got the replacement stickers for my van and once again I am under the protection of the Tiki gods. I need to close the pool up this week. I have been working diligently on the retaining wall that I am putting in the front of the house. The retaining wall is going by the new driveway that I had installed last September. I need to finish the retaining wall and finish the railings on the front porch. More importantly I need to finish the back patio. Once the back patio is done I can have Comfort Windows come and cut in the new door to the back yard. I want to be ready for Winter this year. I never have been ready for Winter but I’d like this year to be different. I want to get my bird feeders going soon. I have a lot of stuff to do. I have a lot of stuff that I want to accomplish. I am somewhat encouraged because I really seemed to be able to get a fair amount of stuff done last week. I need to build on that and keep some positive momentum going. I had to go to traffic court again Thursday night. The last time I went the judge said he was going to fine me one hundred and fifty dollars for being late to renew my registration. I said I would talk to my attorney and he gave me this last Thursday as a date to return to court. I spoke with my attorney and he basically said you might as well just pay the fine. Of course that just bothers me. This isn’t a public safety issue but rather is just about revenue for the state. I went to court for the second time. The first time I went on this matter I sat in court for three hours and I was the very last one called. This time I waited over four hours and once again I was the very last one called. The judge remarked that this was my second time in court and you must have been here for about eight hours total, am I right? I said, yes, that’s about right. He said he was taking that into consideration and he reduced the fine to twenty five dollars. So, I paid the reduced fine and the exorbitant surcharge that goes to NY State. I feel worn out sometimes.

Raccoon had cupcakes for his birthday. We sang 'Happy Birthday' and blew noisemakers.

Tristan and Raccoon chillin' at the bar in the Outback Steakhouse with Adison and Mark. Just waiting for the table to be ready.

Karen and I in our spiffy new clothes. The wedding today was a different crowd than the wedding last weekend so we wore the same outfits that we wore last week. Marty remarked that I looked pretty good and that I was rockin' the argyle. I told him that Karen had requested that I try to look nicer when I went out with her. Marty said forget that and that I should just go out the way I used to. That bad, huh?

More pictures and stories of this weekend will be on the Hot Rod Hula Hop 5 page on the site here.

Posing at the zoo.

Khan tiki mon's rants and rambles v.7.58

2013/09/05 20:00 I was in court tonight. I was the very last one called. I had to sit through two hours as everyone else was called before me. The judge called a young man up. The judge said, “You had a simple traffic infraction, you were given a court date, and you didn’t bother to show up. Your license was suspended, and now a year later you’re trying to make it right. I hope you have a good excuse.” He says, “I don’t know how good it is, sir. I was deployed and I’ve been fighting in Afghanistan for the last year.” “Oh, well, yes, I see. Well, are you employed?” “Yes sir, United States Marine Corp.” It is so messed up that a large part of our criminal justice system is not about the safety of the citizens but about revenue collection. The police officer in many cases is not a public safety figure but a tax collector.

View from the Genesee Brewhouse. It was a lovely Autumn day.

2013/08/25 11:00 We got up and moving early today for races at the Syracuse Inner Harbor. Tristan ran a one mile kids fun run and Adison ran a 5K.

Garden decor.

Mark and Adison after the triathlon. Mark was only a spectator but he did get up at five in the morning.

Tristan and Adison had a big day and crashed on the way home from Fort Rickey.

A happy couple looking good in their spiffy new clothes. The bartender at Traditions for the reception was Hannah Redmond. Haven't seen her since she's been all grown up. It was a nice evening.

2013/09/13 10:00 Today is Friday the 13th.

I have been living with a tempest named Karen everyday of my life for the last thirty years.

A picture of the wedding photographer taking a picture of the wedding party with Oneida Lake as the backdrop.

2013/10/13 11:00 We had a wonderful time yesterday at Jen Cima's wedding. We sat with Theresa and Jason Beardsley. Jen Dellamorte, who was 9 months pregnant, was Matron of Honor and her husband Tony was at our table. Jen Dellamorte's parents were also at our table.

2013/09/01 09:00 Alice woke up with a case of the sillies this morning.

It was an absolutely beautiful Autumn day.

While we were on the boat ride we could see the storm coming. The storm held off until we had landed at Boldt Castle and we were safely inside. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

2013/09/06 23:00

2013/09/03 23:30 Tonight Robert, Michael, and I went to see the movie "Elysium" at the new Imax theater in the Destiny mall. The movie was very good and I enjoyed it but I think I would have enjoyed it just as much in a regular theater. Tickets for the Imax were $17.50 each. Ouch! The movie was good because of the story and not because of the giant Imax screen or the enhanced sound. The movie was directed and written by Neill Blomkamp who also directed and wrote "District 9". "District 9" was also a very good movie. Sometimes directors get a boatload of cash for a movie and then it sucks. Not here. "Elysium" was a nice follow up to "District 9". I don't think I will be in any hurry to go to the Imax at Destiny again.

Alice at Boldt Castle.

2013/09/12 10:00 Last night Robert, Michael, and I went to see the movie “Riddick” starring Vin Diesel. Vin Diesel got his big break with the film “Pitch Black” which came out in 2000. I saw the movie on Netflix and thought it was awesome. It was a lower budget sci-fi film that had a great story, characters, action, and suspense. Vin Diesel played the character Riddick. There was a big budget sequel to “Pitch Black” called “The Chronicles of Riddick”. The movie was okay but not anywhere near as good as its predecessor. Riddick is back and this new movie was much closer to Riddick’s first outing in “Pitch Black”. I enjoyed this one a lot. Also in the movie was Katee Sackhoff. The TV series “Battlestar Gallactica” is an all-time favorite of mine and Katee Sackhoff was good in the role of Starbuck. I don’t think I was a serious fan of hers though until she did the TV series “Longmire”. I think she is a very good actress. I liked her a lot in “Riddick” and not just because I got to see her boobies.

Tristan loves games.

We missed stopping at Naked Dove and ended up at Warhorse Brewery instead. Warhorse Brewery is part of the Three Brothers Wineries and Estates. Three Brothers is in fact owned by three brothers. Their father was a Corsair mechanic during World War II. The brewery tasting room is decorated with military memorabilia and looks like a WWII aircraft hangar. Their most interesting beer is a beer blended with riesling juice. That was actually quite good and definitely something a little different.

Another favorite of mine at the fair is the aquariums in the DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) building. The aquariums have native New York fish and turtles.

Tristan has lost two teeth now. He has collected ten dollars from the tooth fairy. Nice work if you can get it.

2013/09/02 23:00 It is still on my bucket list that one year I want to go to the NY State Fair everyday that it is open. I only got to go once this year. I went the last day on Labor Day. The forecast was for some really bad weather but I went anyways. At one point on the Midway they were announcing that winds could gust up to sixty miles an hour and they were recommending that people get inside for safety.

Poor little Alice was chilly and still sleepy. She clung to her Daddy.

Playing in the corn.

There was an updated model of what the Syracuse Inner Harbor is supposed to look like after the massive construction project is done. I think the scale on the model was a little off in some places and I know some of the angles were wrong. I have walked around the inner harbor a lot. All that has been done so far is some site preparation. I haven't seen any construction started.

The Old Toad is a traditional English pub. The bar was in fact itself brought over from Great Britain and the employees are English. The bar boasts over 80 different scotch whiskeys and single malts. There is a wide variety of beers and ales on tap.

2013/10/17 11:00 Sean and I went on a little road trip. We went overnight to Rochester. We met my friend Bob at the Genesee Brewery where we had lunch in the Brewhouse. From there Bob took us to the Old Toad and then to Tap and Mallet. On Bob's recommendation Sean and I went to Shamrock Jack's for dinner. We spent the night at Meg and Matt's house and got to visit with Everleigh and Eli. In the morning we had breakfast and then went to Fee Brothers before leaving Rochester. We were going to stop at Naked Dove brewery on the way back to Syracuse but we overshot it and so we went to Warhorse brewery instead. Last stop on the way home we had a late lunch at Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles.

Alice had a donut for breakfast.

Raccoon's birthday party was a lot of fun.

2013/09/14 10:00

The rains were heavy.

2013/08/24 13:00 Time for a backyard picnic.

Nooooooo!!!!!!!!

Some of the seating areas at The Old Toad reminded me of Awful Al's in Syracuse's Armory Square.

Fun on the hayride.

It was a nice night. My Mom and Dad were there. Adison and her friend Mark were there. Karen, Michael, Robert, Tristan, and Alice were there. Also, Raccoon was in attendance.

Fun with cut-outs.

The tube slides were a blast!

Robert was a very good coach.

The storm came as predicted. There were high winds and heavy rains. Before the storm hit many vendors had taken to selling trash bags to be used as makeshift ponchos at five dollars a pop. I bought a meatball sub and sat at a picnic table under a tent. The winds were fierce and threatened to tear the tent down. The rains were heavy and blew through the open tent as I ate my meatball sub. There was a break in the rains and I made my way down the Midway. When the rains returned, and they returned with a vengeance, I ducked for cover under an overhang by the restrooms. 

Hosts with the mosts; Bev and Bob.

Tristan ready for the race to start.

Tristan really enjoyed the wagon ride. The first half anyways. The second half he said it got a little boring.

2013/09/11 16:00 The window on my van has been replaced. I am however feeling a bit naked and vulnerable without my Tiki god protections. Hopefully this will be resolved soon.

2013/09/09 10:00 Today I am trying not to feel defeated, disappointed, lost, uninspired, and hopeless. Sometimes it gets difficult. Life gets difficult and complicated. I get in a funk and then I need to do something to get back on track. I don’t always know what that something is that’s going to set things right. I know things could be worse but that’s not a comfort. As John Wayne might say, were he here to offer sage advice, “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do”. Time to ‘cowboy up’ I guess. I think I am going to start feeding the birds again. I used to keep the feeders full and I haven’t done that in a long time. I always liked having my coffee in the morning and seeing what birds had made their way to my feeders. I didn’t even mind that the squirrels helped themselves to the seed. Thinking about feeding the birds again makes me feel bad. Why? Because I think about the birds that were used to eating at my feeders and then I wonder what did they do when I stopped putting the seed out? I wish I was more effective than I am. I wish I wasn’t so sad right now. Not really. Life is all about ups and downs. You can’t appreciate the ups if you haven’t lived through the downs. 

Within the valley of shadowless death
They pray for thunderclouds and rain
But to the multitude who stand in the rain
Heaven is where the sun shines
The grass will be greener till the stems turn to brown
And thoughts will fly higher till the Earth brings them down
Forever caught in desert lands one has to learn
To disbelieve the sea 

Mad Man Moon by Genesis

We took a horse drawn wagon ride. They called it a hayride but there wasn't any hay.