All Things Rowdy

My last lap top originally had a lot sharpie tags and graffiti on the cover. But taking it in and out of my backpack wore that off and made it look uneven. So then I just plastered it with various stickers included with things I bought. This time I'm feeling a little more ambitious. I brainstormed using paint pens, making a custom vinyl sticker, applying bondo forming, sanding and then painting a texture to it. Then I thought about giving the edge small teeth, or covering it in faux animal fur. Or cutting up a gi and covering it with that kind of material. And since I can't leave well enough alone sometimes and I have a bit of free time right now, I have hit upon the perfect idea. This is going to be funny, cute and totally original. Check back on Friday to see the finished product!!

Oh yeah! RaaaRRR! Follow that up with a bowl of this cereal and I'm set!

New lap top. New operating system. New browswer. New software. All these new things are causing me to go a little slower with computery type junk. So please, be patient. Thank you.

10-28!! Oh yeah!!

10 Things A Young Male Needs to Know or Do to Become a Man. 1. Fix a toilet. Or install a garbage disposer. Or garage door opener. 2. Shoot a gun. Bonus points if you kill it and eat it. Fishing can possibly substitute. 3. Have a serious girl friend. 4. Change the brake pads on your car. Or change a flat tire for someone who can't. 5. Get in a fight. Win or loos, but stand up for yourself or your friends. 6. Have a job that makes you sweat. 7. Learn to cook at least one dinner well enough to impress anyone. Bonus points if using coals or fire. 8. Know how to drive a manual transmission car. Or motorcycle. Anything with a clutch. 9. Make a trip to the ER as the result of an 'adventure'. 10.Develop the habit of always opening the door for women.

Rowdy* 123 Awesome Ave Sun Diego, Kali 1-800-AWINNER Skills -To detect and exceed the limits of tire adhesion in both main vehicle types, automobiles and motorcycles. I also specialize in the non-motorized class of mountain bikes. -Drinking a 2 quart pitcher of Kool-Aide in one try. I can also augment this with a greater than human ability to consume other forms of refined sugar in both liquid and solid state i.e.: licorice, Hot Tamales, marshmallows, sour Gummy anything, Rice Krispy Treats, angel food cake. -Experience in hiking, camping, wilderness survival, fire starting, hunting, map reading, compass and GPS usage, water purification. -An extensive knowledge of rap music from 1984 to 1990. This is allied with ownership of the soundtrack for Beat Street in album form and viewings of Breakin' and Breakin' Two Electric Boogaloo in theaters. -Three years study of chokes, joint submissions and throws as related to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and its practical application in competition ...

Meeting with surgeon today. Couple of quotes from that meeting. None of this was said smilingly or with a joking tone. #1 Rowdy-"When will my surgery be to fix all this? Dr-"April" R-"You better be kidding, or else you aren't leaving this room." Dr-"How long do you think it would be before people came into the room if that happened?" R-"About 25 seconds, but I can do what I need to in that time." Dr-"Hmmmm. All I can think is maybe pulling your jacket over your head" R-"That's ok, I can still do what I want" Dr-"Ok, December." #2 Rowdy-"So what sort of complications could happen from this next surgery. No one told what could happen this last time and look what I woke up with. What are the chances of me waking up with something screwed up again?" Dr-"If it's any consolation I looked at the numbers and you are the only patient this has ever happened to with me." Rowdy-"So what ...

I don't care what anyone says, a sponge bath is not fun. Nor relaxing. Nor sexy. It is an annoying, pitiful substitute to the real glory of a shower. A long, hot, steam filled, high water pressure shower. Sponge baths are the Gizmo, Scrappy Do, Ogee, Gleek, Orco crappy sidekicks to the super heroes of cleaning Hot Shower, Hot Bath and Epsom Salt Bath. Whose real sidekicks are wash cloth, scrub brush, soap, shampoo. You get the picture. I'd take a picture. You know I will/would.....

ways i've needed a new cell phone: -i had my first cell phone in 1999. i kept it until almost 2001. i changed it simply because of the advances in that time. i didn't want 2nd tier technology. -dropping it in toilet -spilling chocolate milk all over it -falling out of the storage under the seat or out of my pocket while riding motorcycles. one of each. -crappy phone that just stopped working. 3 different times. -dropping it 33 too many times. -battery failure in an old model that no longer had parts or support. so in the past 10 years i've had at least 12 phones. that's how they get ya..... maybe i should start buying the insurance..... Sporty cars I have driven: Porsche Cayman S Porsche 911 in 996 and 997 versions Lotus Elise Subaru WRX in normal and STI versions Toyota MR2, the first gen. Honda CRX Acura RSX Doge Viper, 3rd gen BMW M3 Porsche Boxster S Nissan 300ZX Mazda Miata highest fever i've had: 103.4 F longest plane flights i've been on: Kuwait City to W...

So I feel like I have been ignored by my surgeon in this stage of my care. Since it seems he is unwilling to make an office visit appointment I email him weekly updates that are actually ignored by him and responded to by one of his nurses. Whom I did not email. The other physicians of mine I email answer me directly, personally. Not this guy, ever. In my email today a little bit of hyperbole about how I felt caused me to receive 3 calls from his nurses. Not him. I'm writing him, not some freaking nurse I've never met. I want the person who has actually had their hands inside me talking to me, not some low level office functionary. Which is frankly how I do view an office nurse. This, having to change my bag today, not having showered for almost a week, not being able to do a single damn thing I enjoy have all just built up inside me. And I am not even half way through this step of the process........ The level of capital A Anger, frustration, loathing and inability to make an...

I remember when I used to be the one who was the medical professional giving the care. On the other side of the bed as we say. I hate being the patient. I may hate it but I am doing it. And I am going to make it out the other side better!!

Last night I left the house! Can you believe it!!! I had to go out with my TPN backpack and such, but I still did it. I'm not comfortable really driving any distance how I am right now, so Super D drove me. Where do you think I wanted to go? HA! You're right!!! So I woke up with a new kind of energy. I shaved, made the bed (sorta), washed my hair, changed clothes, gave myself all my meds, started laundry, did some silly exercises since I can't lift or do anything I just basically moved my arms through the air doing the motions a bunch. I have been spending 11 hours a day in front of the computer, tv or playstation ever single day. In one spot on the couch. I do get up and get the mail, eat and other stuff so it's not like I'm immobile the whole day, but it is spent entirely staring at a screen. I blame it on the weather. When it was sunny I would go out and paint and such. Bring back the sun dang it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today I am going to watch jiu jitsu instructional dvds...

Yesterday I wrote a quick note about two tough choices. Sell my bike and go to Brazil or not sell my bike and maybe go to Brazil. Argh. A very good reason to use the title I did from classical mythology. That got me thinking, what about if you had to choose between two good things? Remember back to the 90's when you would be in Blockbuster holding a VHS tape in each hand and trying to decide which one to pick? Classic example of what I mean. (Though I think most of us ended up picking a 3rd movie to get a "buy two get one free" sort of promotion. So often you never had to make the decision.) In my semi-lucid sleep state last night I decided to think of how many win-win types of choices I could and then pick what for me is the winner of both winners. As part of the mental exercise, since they are both winners and if you pick one, the other one is NEVER an option for you again, because you're picking a winner no matter what it shouldn't matter. Right? WINNER VS WINN...

I really really want to go to Brazil next year, but I don't have much of a spare income for this sort of thing. So................ I'm thinking about selling my motorcycle to fund this trip. It seems I do love jiu jitsu more than motorcyling at this stage. Or I at least spend more time doing JJ than I do riding. Torn torn torn. What do you think?

I need a new mattress!! It is as if where I sleep has become a dugout canoe. I try to sleep anywhere else on my bed and I roll into the canyon I seem to have created over the past 5 years. This is not good, this is not right. (One fish, two fish. Red fish, blue fish.) So, I want a firm mattress. I want it to not wear out. I want queen size. I want ZERO sag. And no memory foam. I had one before and it felt like sleeping on bundled rags. Any suggestions?? Money really no object.

This is why I can't : take a shower but once or twice a week sleep on my stomach practice jiu jitsu ride my motorcycle go to church go for a mountain bike ride swim leave the house have sex eat fruits or vegetables exercise at all/lift anything over 5lbs stay hydrated wear the clothes I want eat anything with a high sugar or potassium content have a job drive. ** I have a fancy IV that goes from my left arm to almost my heart. It is my life line and nothing bad can happen to it. I am hooked up to it in someway or another for up to 18 hours in a day. I also have an ileostomy. So that is where everything I eat or drink ends up. I have to change that bag and everything twice a week. It is not fun. I also have that big open scar down the middle of my belly. My abdominal muscles have been cut through 7 times now. You should have seen this wound a month ago, this is beautiful in comparison. ** This is why I can : nap during the day take pain pills play video games read whatever I want be...

I love racing games. I'm getting a steering wheel next!!

One of my favorite authors is Joseph Conrad. While I enjoy almost all of his novels it seems most people are only familiar with Heart of Darkness, from which the above quote originates. And is appropriate for what I'll write next.... If I did not have family I don't think I would have chose to live through this. Now don't get alarmed. It is just a statement. Not a plan or a cry for help. While I talk about all the things I want to do when I get better those things are just stuff I enjoy. They make life fun. But to have a reason to live I need more than that. And that "that" is my family. My life has been amazing. I have experienced more than 90% of the people I know. It really is just amazing. But I have also experienced many horrible things as well. Illness, unemployment, disease, divorces (yes, that's a plural), loss, injury, rejection, bankruptcy, depression. Right now, I think how I felt during my divorces is the only thing equal to these past few months....

All guts.....

Thanks to Jive Monkey Baby for the new blog header!! Oh yeah, Rowdy Style!!

Yep, the above title is a direct quote from one of my nurses a few weeks ago. And since she singled me out on appearance I will do the same and say she was Chinese. What caused her to say this? The fact that I have red hair and a cleft chin. Evidently two rare, less than 1.0% of the world's population for either and I am sure much less in combination. Doing a quick bit of searching I find she is somewhat correct. Geneticists are saying there is going to be a massive reduction in the number of redheads by 2060 to 2100. I guess I really am unique. A dying breed. Her manner of speaking lead me to infer that she thought having red hair and a cleft chin were positive things. And that rarely seems to be the case. Heck, even I find 80% of most redheads totally unattractive. I think I've only ever even kissed one. Are there specific groups that have a thing for redheads???? My neighbors that are gay used to tease me when I worked at the UCSD in North Park to watch out as there is a lar...

Let's just get this out in the open. I'm vain. To a point I really just like to dress casually and simply but I am concerned about what I look like. I want to look young, healthy and fit. So normally I just do my thing in jeans and a t-shirt, very So-Cal style. But where soo many guys are content to rock the scruff unkempt look I have to get my hair cut "just so." That is why I cut it myself for years. And would go to the same person over and over no matter what if I found someone I like. And here in San Diego I have found someone I like. Her name is Morgan and she currently is at Rinse Salon near North Park. As I am homebound for months and since I can't engage in guilty pleasure #1, long hot showers, but once a week I really really needed GP#12!! I texted her from the hospital and we set up an appointment for just a few days after I got home. We set everything up in the garage and she cut my hair exactly as I wanted. I love her! Much of our enjoyment of life is ...

i just won a two day hospital battle with dehydration. the war will continue till december when the next scheduled action, surgery, is to take place. i'm sure the enemy will try to attack me again before then, he has many weapons. but i also plan on winning, so will always fight back. in fact i'm secretly introducing some new tactics now. this battle may be over......... let's be vigilant and ready for whatever may come next!

I have talked about how onerous my day is in my home medical treatment but never really broke it down exactly. I'm going to now. I wish I was wealthy enough to pay someone to do ALL of this, so that I didn't have to do ANY of it to myself at all. Other than actually swallow the pills. 6am: injection. pills. powder. 7am: dressing change. 9am: disconnect from TPN. 10am: pills. check blood sugar. 12pm: home health nurse visit Mon and Thurs. 2pm: injection. pills. powder. 4pm: check blood sugar. prepare TPN. change ostomy bag Mon and Fri. 5pm: connect to TPN. 6pm: pills. 7pm: dressing change. 10pm: injection. pills. powder. I also am emptying my ostomy bag of its contents at least once an hour, 24/7. So I have a few hour breaks here and there but yeah.... You can see why this is an ordeal and I didn't even list what it actually takes to perform some of these steps. I can't wait till my next surgery and this is over! ****************************************** Today's Jeo...

right now here are the odd things for me...... "food" goes in my arm "poop" comes out of my stomach fruits and veggies are bad to eat any exercise more than walking is too much showering is not good, but keeping my healing wound wet is ideal on the face of it, all of these things seem very odd. i feel like one big joke is being played on me. i know this isn't really an example of things that are good being made to appear bad and vice-versa. it does intrigue as what can be taken for a "rule" one day is totally wrong the next but then only to be followed down the road later. so it makes me very thankful for the things that are unchanging and eternal. while being a rowdy kind of guy part of me really enjoys change and spontaneity. but when things are bad, tough, hurtful and so forth i really like constants. for me, this is mainly found in my religious beliefs and practices. Hebrews 13:6 "...The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do...

the bad: it rained today. both lab tech and home health nurse are hours late. i'm glad they called. my ostomy bag came loose this morning and i had to change it by myself and i did a poor job. sadly it is not as easy as just press and seal. my iv pump is still having issues. i have to make 3 phone calls to different health places to get stuff set up. i hate the phone. i can't shower everyday. i can only wear shorts and tank tops. good thing i live in san diego. i worry my family will tire of caring for me. the good: it is a pleasant temperature inside the house. i slept well. i organized and put away all my medical supplies. i did 3 loads of laundry. i'm getting my hair cut this week. i'm no longer loosing weight. tuesday and thursday are designated video game playing days. many people pray and think and are concerned for me. i feel and appreciate it.

If C Bale ever needs an understudy for a sequel to The Machinist I think I could qualify...

Sept 12: Remicade as an outpatient in the hospital for 4 hours. Sept 13: Scheduled surgery to resect bad part of intestine. Sept 18: Taken to the Emergency Room with severe pain, fever, chills. Sept 19: With a white count of over 30 and my CT scan results it was of to the operating room for emergency surgery. My surgery inside had came apart and leaked into my gut. Inflammation and infection on an amazing level. Sept 20: Learn I am going to be on TPN, have a PICC line, have an ileostomy bag, test my blood sugar, have an open wound with my mucus fistula in the middle of it and be on a crap load of pills and injections. Until December when hopefully I get another surgery to reverse all of this. Sept 28: Acquire 3 fungal infections on top of it as well. Oct 1: I'm released home with the above mentioned stuff and many ups and downs. Like down to 124llbs. That is where I have been, that is all the worst case scenario stuff that has happened. I'm at home now though, under virtual hou...