TECHNOLOGICAL FAUX PAS

I've just read that some fashion designer has come up with a dress that will "light up" when the wearer's cell phone rings.

Geez!

As if those damn phones weren't already a pain in a movie theater.

Of course, I can see one advantage. If your daughter is late coming home from "studying with her girlfriends", you can always drive out to the local "Lover's Lane", call her number and see which car's interior suddenly lights up.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

COULD WE BE THE FIRST?

Not withstanding all the UFO crap that has been published over the last 61 years, the fact still remains that there has never been any undeniable proof that this backwater planet of ours has ever been visited by non-terrestrial entities.

So lets consider this. The Universe is about 14.7 billion years old. Our sun is a third generation star and is about 4.5 billion years old. It took the chemicals and elements created in the first and second generation stars to achieve life on Earth, Except for the artificially created heavy elements on the Periodic Table, all the rest were necessary for the creation of life. The fact that life evolved into an intelligent form (Check your "Beam me up, Scotty" jokes at the door) is, in all likelihood, a very, very rare event.

Yes, I do believe that other "thinking" critters exist in the Cosmos but someone (something?) has to be the first to take that tentative step away from its home planet and I believe that we could, as easily as any others, be the "FIRST". We are the ET's of our Solar System and possibly our Galaxy and even possibly the entire Universe.

I mean, lets face it, some has to be first and why not us?


Just something to ponder this weekend.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

ITS BEEN AWHILE...

HASN'T IT?
Chemo-therapy continues (and will until early October), with the mormal associated side-effects. lUCKILY, i STILL HAVE MY HAIR.. No nausea but a lot of activity at the southern end of my body.. My spirit varys from day-to-day but I would say I am "up" about 75% of the time.

Tonight was a great night. My #2 grandson graduated from highschool this evening. As I write this, he and the vast majority of his classmates are boarding a dinner/dance cruise on San Francisco Bay. Part of the "Sober Graduation" program. It will, obviously, last all night and then they will be returned to their school, by charter bus, sometime tomorrow. He starts Fresno State University this fall with plans to become a dentist.

Anyway, I just wanted to let y'all know that "eyes still kick'n"

Catch ya on the flip side.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

HI, EVERYBODY!!

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have updated here.

My first Chemo session went pretty good. Didn't have any of the major side-effects that they had alerted me to. In fact, I can only think of two reactions. First, my right wrist was touch sensitive for about 48 hours after they did the IV session. Second was a strong bout of lethargy. I was exhausted. And that one still continues. I go back in for my second IV session on this coming Tuesday. Hopefully, everything will maintain.

My surgery wound is healing nicely. . The binder (think wrap-around girdle) came off yesterday and I should be able to quit bandaging the lower part of the wound later next week.. I stopped doing the top part two weeks ago..

Good news on the home front is that today is grandson #3's 16th birthday. We are having a small family party tonight and he will have his big "friends" party later this month. Budgetary restrictions and Mom's work schedule are the reason for the delay. You understand.

I really appreciate all the well-wishes,, friendly comments and blessed donations.

Had another eye exam last week. Cataracts, as I've mentioned before, but now they've added something called cornea dystrophy. Whatever in the hell that is.

Geez! If I would have known that I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself. LOL :)

Did any of you ever see the TV show "Kath & Kim"? It was a very poor rip-off of a great Aussie production by the same name. Well, this week, while at the surgeon's office, "Kim" was my nurse. Okay, not the actual "Kim" from the TV show but a young lady that could have been her double. She wore her hair in the exact same manner but was a lot smarter than the character she resembled. Have you ever thought about how hard it must be to play a really "dumb" character?

Oh, well. More later. My love to all.

p.s. -
Alissa, I miss you.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

THE DRUGS WILL KILL YOU

That was the opening statement during my first meeting with the oncologist.

Okay?!

So, chemo-therapy begins this coming 28th. Mu;tiple pills everyday and IV treatment every 2 weeks.. Many side-effects, including an advertion to cold. Cold temps. Cold drink. Cold food.

There will be 12 treatments over 24 weeks.. Nausea loss of appitite, etc. are also part of what I can expect.

Internet searches say I have an 83% chance of recovery. The doctor says maybe 60%, if lucky, but probably closer to 50%.

Boy, thats encouraging.

Looks like I have a lot to look forward to over the next 6 months. Yippee!?

On a sidebar, the incision is healing nicely but I have contracted a yeast infection in that area. Hopefully the powder I've been given will do the job. I didn't know guys could get a yeast infection, LOL.

Social Security still continues to deny my disability claim. That fight continues.

So, the odds are that I will get to see this Christmas but I shouldn't really make any long term plans beyond that.

SIGH.

Please bear with me as I relate whats happening. I know it will be boring to some and upsetting to others but I am going to try and keep it real.

I am still working on my review of television and should have that posted tomorrow or Monday.

Any assistance you can provide is greatly appreciated.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

TOO FUNNY TO IGNORE

Later today I will write an update about what is going on with my health issues. Some good news, some not so. Oh, well. Life marches on.

I am also working on a critique of the current state of television, and some shows in particular. Hope you can come back by and leave a comment as to whether you agree with me, or not.

Love to all and a big MAHALO for your generous donations.


"Let's all be careful out there!"

HI, EVERYBODY!!

I have been home from the hospital for a week now. In some respects it seems longer and with the Vicodin, a good portion of the past 168 hours is lost in a purple haze.

To summarize what occurred:
I started feeling bad about the middle of February, pain in the lower abdomin, etc. Thought I had somehow incurred a hernia. Being the stuberon bloke that I am, I thought I would just endure the discomfort. Bad move. The pain kept increasing until I could barely walk in my house, let alone anywhere else. Finally, on Friday, March 6th, the pain becazme unbearable and I called 9-1-1 to get to the hospital. At this point, the details begin to fade. What I thought was a hernia was actually an appendicitus attack. The appendix had perforated the abdominal wall and developed a cyst around it. When they opened my up, it was discovered that I had colon cancer also, I wasn't aware of this until a week later, and a large potion of my large and part of the small intestine were removed.

After surgery, I was taken to surgical ICU at the hospital. Of this I remember very, very little. Just some very vague incidents. After the weekend, I was transferred upstairs to a regular hospital room. Naturally I was attached to pumps to suck poisons from my surgical wound plus multiple IV connections. I had almost as much external plumbing as I do internal (LOL!!).

Recovery has been slow but is in progress with normally associated complication of a post surgical nature. The abdomin was opened by a cut from just below the diaphram on my right side and that extended down to my groin. I would guss about 7-8 inches long (14-16cm).

I am working on getting an appointment for chemo-therapy but the surgeon thinks she exorcised all the malignant crap and could not find any evidence that it had spread any firther or to any other organs.

This unexpected detour really screwed up the money making plans that I was developing. I have only half of this months rent.. Ain't life a bitch? The doctor told me today that the wound is not healing as nicely as she had hoped for and there will be one huge ugly scar left behind. I'll take her word, since I can barely see the damn thing. But it is definitely deep. At the bottom end, it is almost two knuckles deep.

I'll write more in a couple of days. The Vicodin really screws up my mental ability.

I'm putting the donate button back up and if anyone can assist, I'll be truly grateful and thanks to everyone who assisted earlier.. I am literally existing on a hand to mouth basis. Still waiting for disability to be approved, and waiting and waiting, etc.

Anyway, I have missed all of you.

And a big special thanks to my love, Alissa, for keeping everyone aware of what was going on this past month. I love you, my Angel.

"Let's all be careful out there!"

I am finally home.

I am under a lot of medication but will be giving y'all more info shortly.

Thanks to every one for the wonderful comments and offers of assistaance

I am in a large amount of pain at the moments but will try to give you all the dirt this weekend.



"Let's all be careful out there!"

Wil's link

Thanks to gnightgirl and chefann, I am able to get Wil's donation link back up (It is at the end of this post). For those of you who want to make a donation, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom of the posting. Keep the kind words of encouragement coming in! I will let him know what each and everyone of you is saying. It will brighten his day.

Thanks,

Alissa


P.S. If it is not showing up as a link, just copy and paste it. I have never been a blogger before so I am a little confused as into what I am doing.


"Let's all be careful out there!"

Update

Some people have been wondering about the donation link. For some reason is has disappeared, but I will be getting in touch with Wil soon to see if he can help me set it up again. Wil is still in the hospital and is expected to be there another week. The cancer was in his colon, and out of 20 some lymph nodes, half of them were cancerous. The doctor believes she got all the cancerous ones removed, so please pray that this is so. There are some things that happened inside of his body that caused holes in certain areas that are having to be filled in with a foam type substance daily. That is why the stay in the hospital is taking so long. Once he gets access to a computer he will inform you of exactly what went on inside his body. Overall, he is doing well. He is able to get up and walk around and is taking food down. When I talked to him last night, he sounded a lot better than he had in previous conversations. He has been very drugged up so he could not remember a lot of things, but now that he is not on so much medication he is starting to remember more of what is going on on a day to day basis.

He feels so blessed to have all of his friends on here thinking about him and praying for him. Please continue to do so. Please check in soon to see if the donation link is up and for more updates. I will do my best to get it up in the next few days. I hope all is well with everyone. Have a great week!

-Alissa


"Let's all be careful out there!"
Hi Everyone,

An update on our friend Wil

Hello All,

This is Wil's friend Alissa, also sometimes referred to as "Whiskers" on Wil's blog. I spoke with Wil for an hour last night and got the scoop on his condition. He asked that I share what is going on with everyone since he has not had access to the internet. He values each and every one of you who come on his blog to check in on him and wanted to make sure all of you knew what was going on so you don't have to worry.

Throughtout the last few weeks Wil had been experiencing a great deal of pain in his stomach. At first he though it was maybe a hernia due to stress but the pain continued to get worse and worse. It eventually got so bad that he could not even move out of his bed and could not eat. Finally, last Friday, he could not take the pain any longer. He was going to call a cab to bring him to the hospital but realized he was not even capable of doing that. He called 911, was picked up, and thats when all the craziness began. He had to have emergency surgery that was very risky. He is still in some pain but it is better. Sadly, Wil has been diagnosed with cancer. The type of cancer is still unknown but the doctor said things look more in his favor for now. The future is unknown until the type of cancer is diagnosed. We will keep you posted. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers and if you can help him out in any way, it would be greatly appreciated.

He also mentioned yesterday how grateful he is to each and everyone of you who helped him out last month. He feels your love and support. A BIG thank you from Wil goes to you.

More info to come as I get it.

Thanks,

Alissa aka Wiskers

Wil has been moved

Well good news my father has been moved to a regular room. That is a good sign. The doctor and nurses said he is doing very well. I think he will go home next week and finish recovering there.
Doctors Hospital
209-578-1211
Room 408
Thanks again
Rob

Wils status

I believe in the next couple days my father will be moved out of icu into a regular room. When that happens I will post the info so he can be reached by phone. Thanks again to all of you out there for helping my father.

Rob

Williams condition

To let you all know out there that my father had to have surgery on friday 3/6/09. As of today 3/8/09 he is doing better. When he gets into a regular room I'm sure he will fill you in on all the details. And thank you to everyone that has helped him out. Keep him in your prayers, and lets hope he has a speedy recovery.

THANK YOU:
WILS SON
ROB

We all need a good laugh right about now...

Subject: Farm Kid in Marines
To:


Perspective, perspective, perspective!
(read thru to the punchline ending!)


FARM KID in Marines
(NOW AT San Diego MARINE CORPS RECRUIT TRAINING)



Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you get to stay in bed
till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late.
Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth
your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to
pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically
nothing.

>> Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm
water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice,
cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops,
potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular
food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two
city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours,
holds you until noon when you get fed again. It's no
wonder these city boys can't walk much.

>> We go on 'route marches,' which the platoon
sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so,
it's not my place to tell him different. A 'route
march' is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then
the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

>> The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot.
The Captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels
just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.

>> This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep
getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The
bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't
move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys
at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and
hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges They
come in boxes.

>> Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training.
You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real
careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like
fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best
they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in
Silver Lake . I only beat him once.. He joined up the same
time as me, but I'm only 5'6' and 130 pounds and
he's 6'8' and near 300 pounds dry.

>> Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before
other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter,
Alice



To each and every one of you who has sent me a donation. THANK YOU

I am about 3/4s of the way to covering March's rent. Without your kindness, I wouldn't even be thinking of the possibility of actually being able to do that.




"Let's all be careful out there!"

BEGGING ON BENDED KNEE....

WITH HAT IN HAND.

Can any of you help me out.? Following up on Lori and Roy's suggestion, I am adding a donate button to this blog. I still await a response from the Federal Court system about my appeal of my denial of disability. Everyone has told me that I will be denied at least twice befor I finally win. My attorney says that I could get a response in the next day, or six months from now..

So what I am shamefully doing is asking each of you if you can help me by making a donation. My hope is that 30 of you can find the means to send me $20.

Some might be able to donate more and others less, but each donation will be greatly appreciated. If you can help, just click the button below and follow the instructions.

And thanks to each and every one of you.




"Let's all be careful out there!"

ALOHA

In the Hawaiian language "Aloha" means "Hello", "Goodbye" and "I love you."

This post covers all three definitions.

2008 was a pretty lousy year for me. My failing eyesight has made the creation of this blog an exercise in futility..

My sources of income are dried up and I will become homeless on March 1st, to survive on the streets until I can start receiving Social Security at the beginning of 2010. Life is a crapshoot and I have rolled "snake-eyes."

This blog has been fun and I appreciate all the web friends I have made over the years. With a bit of luck I hope to be back in about a year. Maybe along the way I can find a free wifi "hotspot" and write about life on the streets.

I will miss each and every one of you. If things go really bad, just remember that you are all in my thoughts.

Aloha,
Wil


"Let's all be careful out there!"

JANUARY 31ST

Today is Saturday, Jan. 31, the 31st day of 2009.
There are 334 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

• On Jan. 31, 1958, the United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite into orbit, Explorer I.

On this date:

• In 1606, Guy Fawkes, convicted of treason for his part in the "Gunpowder Plot" against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed.
• In 1865, Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of all the Confederate armies.
• In 1917, during World War I, Germany served notice it was beginning a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
• In 1919, baseball Hall-of-Famer Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Ga.
• In 1929, revolutionary Leon Trotsky and his family were expelled from the Soviet Union.
• In 1944, during World War II, U.S. forces began a successful invasion of Kwajalein Atoll and other parts of the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
• In 1945, Pvt. Eddie Slovik, 24, became the first U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion as he was shot by an American firing squad in France.
• In 1949, the first TV daytime soap opera, "These Are My Children," began broadcasting from the NBC station in Chicago. (It lasted all of four weeks.)
• In 1971, astronauts Alan Shepard Jr., Edgar Mitchell and Stuart Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the moon.
• In 2000, an Alaska Airlines jet plummeted into the Pacific Ocean, killing all 88 people aboard.

Ten years ago:

• The Denver Broncos repeated as NFL champions, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl 33.
• Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham presented what they called convincing proof that the AIDS virus originated in chimpanzees and spread to people in Africa.

Five years ago:

• Six U.S.-bound flights from England, Scotland and France were canceled because of security concerns.
• Justine Henin-Hardenne won her third Grand Slam title, defeating Kim Clijsters 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open.
• John Elway and Barry Sanders were elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on their first attempt; they were joined by Bob Brown and Carl Eller.

One year ago:

• President George W. Bush, speaking at the Nevada Policy Research Institute, said he would not jeopardize security gains in Iraq by withdrawing U.S. forces too quickly.
• A drifter pleaded guilty to murdering a young woman who'd gone missing while hiking in the north Georgia mountains; Gary Michael Hilton was swiftly sentenced to life in prison in the death of Meredith Emerson.

Today's Birthdays:

• Actress Carol Channing is 88.
• Actress Jean Simmons is 80.
• Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks is 78.
• Composer Philip Glass is 72.
• Actor Stuart Margolin is 69.
• Actress Jessica Walter is 68.
• Former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., is 68.
• Blues singer-musician Charlie Musselwhite is 65.
• Actor Glynn Turman is 63.
• Baseball Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan is 62.
• Singer-musician KC (KC and the Sunshine Band) is 58.
• Rock singer Johnny Rotten is 53.
• Actress Kelly Lynch is 50.
• Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 50.
• Singer-musician Lloyd Cole is 48.
• Actor John Dye is 46.
• Rock musician Jeff Hanneman (Slayer) is 45.
• Rock musician Al Jaworski (Jesus Jones) is 43.
• Actress Minnie Driver is 39.
• Actress Portia de Rossi is 36.
• Actor-comedian Bobby Moynihan is 32.
• Actress Kerry Washington is 32.
• Singer Justin Timberlake is 28.

Thought for Today:

"Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have."
Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel, American theologian, author and educator (1907-1990).

"Let's all be careful out there!"

JANUARY 31ST

"Let's all be careful out there!"

JANUARY 30TH

Today is Friday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2009.
There are 335 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

• On Jan. 30, 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals; although the Communists were beaten back, the offensive was seen as a major setback for the U.S. and its allies.

On this date:

• In 1649, England's King Charles I was beheaded.
• In 1882, the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born in Hyde Park, N.Y.
• In 1909, community organizer and social activist Saul Alinsky was born in Chicago.
• In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The first episode of the "Lone Ranger" radio program was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit.
• In 1939, the Supreme Court, in Tennessee Electric Power Co. v. Tennessee Valley Authority, upheld the right of the federally owned TVA to compete with private utilities.
• In 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi was shot and killed by a Hindu extremist.
• In 1962, two members of "The Flying Wallendas" high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit.
• In 1972, 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."
• In 1979, the civilian government of Iran announced it had decided to allow Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who'd been living in exile in France, to return.
• In 2003, Richard Reid, the British citizen and al-Qaida follower who'd tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes, was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Boston.

Ten years ago:

• NATO authorized its secretary-general to launch military action in Yugoslavia if the warring parties failed to negotiate an agreement for autonomy in Kosovo.

Five years ago:

• Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe was found guilty in connection with a party financing scandal and declared ineligible for public office for 10 years.
• NASA's Mars rover Opportunity spied hints of a mineral that typically forms in water — a finding that could mean the dry and dusty Red Planet was once wetter and more hospitable to life.

One year ago:

• John Edwards bowed out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
• Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the Republican presidential contest and endorsed front-runner and longtime friend John McCain.
• The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate for the second time in just over a week, reducing the federal funds rate by a half point to 3 percent.

Today's Birthdays:

• Actress Dorothy Malone is 84.
• Producer-director Harold Prince is 81.
• Actor Gene Hackman is 79.
• Actress Tammy Grimes is 75.
• Actress Vanessa Redgrave is 72.
• Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 72.
• Country singer Norma Jean is 71.
• Vice President Dick Cheney is 68.
• Rock singer Marty Balin is 67.
• Rhythm-and-blues musician William King (The Commodores) is 60.
• Singer Phil Collins is 58.
• Actor Charles S. Dutton is 58.
• Actress-comedian Brett Butler is 51.
• Singer Jody Watley is 50.
• Actor Norbert Leo Butz is 42.
• Country singer Tammy Cochran is 37.
• Actor Christian Bale is 35.
• Pop-rock singer-songwriter Josh Kelley is 29.
• Actor Wilmer Valderrama is 29.
• Actor Jake Thomas is 19.

Thought for Today:

"The excellent becomes the permanent."
Jane Addams, social worker and Nobel Peace laureate (1860-1935).

"Let's all be careful out there!"