Tuesday, August 30, 2005

To those who might want to know

This subject may not be of interest to most of you but I thought I would express it for those whom may have wondered where I stand on certain issues.  First off I stand well to the right politically but not all the way. I am certainly a conservative when it comes time to vote but I don’t agree with all the things the Republican (conservatives) say. It is a matter of the lesser of two evils as sad as that may be. We live in a less than perfect world and one must do as much as he can to make it better. I am not for standing by and doing nothing. I use my vote even if I am not totally happy with the platform of the candidates.


I am not looking for political conversations but rather simply offering you my position so that you know where I stand. Obviously I could go on but that is not the purpose of this post. I am a staunch believer in our system of government. If I could change anything about our system it would be to take out of it those things that do not pertain to a limited government machine. Our government machine has a long way to go.

Watsup

Well the hurricane didn’t even send a little wind our way. It sure did do a lot of damage in the states it did hit. We will probably not know the full extent of the damage for weeks. The pictures don’t look good.

I am bored. Need something to do that’s different. Can’t read another book so don’t suggest that. TV is played out also. I have watched all the reruns and caught shows I didn’t see the first time around. I have come to really enjoy CSI. Love to see the way they solve for the evidence. Exciting stuff, I’ll have to admit I like Marge and Jorja on Vegas CSI.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Category 5 = Complete Destruction

Hurricane Katrina was supposed to be a mid-level storm, but things have changed for the worse. Living in Florida sure has it's ups and downs, and during hurricane season we get to experience the downside up close and personal.

Category 5 means winds in excess of 155 mph. Katrina seems to be directing her wrath at the Louisiana coast, but who knows if she will continue on this path or turn towards the Tampa Bay area. If we ever get a direct hit of a Category 5 storm our area will be destroyed almost completely.

Last year was the worst year for hurricanes since I came to Florida over 20 years ago. Four hurricanes in a matter of a single month was more than anyone could have expected. I remember being outside during one struggling to stay on my feet when the gusts got up to 90 mph. I can only imagine 160 mph winds. Most of the smaller aircraft I've flown in keep aloft at much lower speeds.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out over the next day or so. I'm happy to see we're being spared, but have to worry for those sitting in Katrina's direct path. "Katrina" - what a sweet name...

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Chris has joined me

Wow! How about that first post by Chris? He says he is always right but that can’t be true. I am the one who is always right. Oh well this should prove to be interesting.  I am using my oxygen as much as possible but I can’t notice any difference.  

Chris O'Connor checking in....

Howdy folks! This is Chris O'Connor speaking. My father has authorized me to make posts directly to his Blog so you'll hear from me now and then. Feel free to make comments, but please understand that I'm always right and you're wrong by default. LOL

Saturday, August 20, 2005

One and all

Howdy one and all. Well they are home and they had a wonderful time. It will take days to learn all about the trip. I went over for a wonderful meal on Friday night and Ilena was there also. Tina is a great cook. Chris is loving that. They havn't printed the pictures yet but they got me a hand painted pictures of the Parthenon. I love it.

Today I am taking my grand-daughters to see the movie Valiant. Heard good things about it. Emily is doing girl scouts till 2pm so we will have to wait for the 4:45pm showing.

I am using the oxygen generator as my doctor advised me to do. I only use the one at home. I hate using it but the doctor suggested I start right away and use it every day. She said it is for all my organs because they need oxygen and I am not suppling enough without the machine I don't breath to pretty good. lololo to say the least. Just didn't want to admit that I needed it.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Chris and Tina get home today

I can't wait to hear all about their trip and I sure have missed Chris. I took care of the cat (Mangelini). Of course he had many others taking care of him also. Tin's sister Lena and one of her girl friends, Rachael and her husband John. That cat received lots of lovin this weeks. I am about to go to the airport to pick them up. Can't wait........ I have to wait...........

Tim and I went to dinner several times this week and the girls are back in school and doing well. Emily is reading like a 3 grader not a 1st grader. She certainly must get that from me......LOLOLOL

Her mom is an ardent reader and they both encourage her. She also like to imitate her big sister with everything. What a joy watching them grow up.

I hope all of you are well.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Some Bad Luck this past week

The electrical power in my building was hit by lightning and I have been without power since Monday. Power just came back on as of 2:45pm today. Everything in the freezer and refrigerator was lost. I checked on my birds each day and gave them fresh food and of course water. They did very well. I was able to stay at Chris and Tina's place as I took them to the airport tuesday morning for their trip to Greece. They have called and emailed and they are having a great time. Tina speaks fluent Greek and they are getting along very well.

It will take a couple of days for me to settle back in and I will have to go to the store for all new food.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Rehab is going well

My rehabilitation is going well. Takes about an hour 3 times a week and I'll have to admit I needed it. What horrible shape I am in.

Chris and Tina are leaving for Greece tomorrow and how I do envy them. That is going to be a great trip. They are also going to Santarini and they are staying at a hotel just above the caldera that makes up the center of the island. Scientist have been looking into this caldera these past few years and there may be interesting breaking news about what's at the bottom of it. We'll just have to wait and see.

Have a great day!

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Too early to tell

Well it’s way too early to tell if the rehabilitation is working but I can tell you this. I am sore all over and if that’s any sign….it’s working. This is not a complaint…..I am so out of shape that any exercise will be meaningful. I believe the, incidents of falling these past 3 years has been more as a result of the atrophy of my muscles than anything else. I am very hopeful this forced exercise is going to improve that a lot.

By the way, I want to re-emphasize the reading of the recommended book “The World is flat” by T. L. Friedman. What a great book. Read it and you will at once understand the real need for the US to be doing business with the many companies around the world. This is truly an in-depth, well researched and enlightening book. Please someone read it so that we can exchange ideas on what you have read.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Good results

One of my many doctors called today to tell me the results of the 3 test I took about a week and a half ago. They all showed good results. No spreading of the cancer and the spot on the lung has gone down and we will check it again in another month or so. The spot on the PONS in my brain seems to be as a result of high per tension or could have been caused by a fall and it is not cancer. I can’t tell you how elated I am. One of my doctors has said if the lesion on my lung doesn’t go away completely, he will go in and remove it. The incision would be through a couple of my ribs and not very intrusive.

Yesterday was the beginning of my rehabilitation and I can feel it today, a good feeling though. I will go every other day and maybe I’ll start feeling better physical soon.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Another day

Today I began a twelve week rehabilitation program at the VA. They use a heart monitor during the workout to make sure all is okay. Looks like a good program to me. I will let you know later.

Monday, August 01, 2005

Long time no see!

Where have all of you been? I have missed you. I have only one excuse and it's not much of one at that. I am sometimes very lazy. I seem to lose my energy and I don't want to talk about the same old things.

Everything with me is good. Of course it is changing everyday but for now that is all I know.

Weather here is atrocious. Hotter than hell and muggggggeeeeeeei. I don't breath to pretty good when it's muggy so I stay in air conditioned buildings, mainly my housa. The sun shines a lot but this is the season for afternoon rains, and of course we are the lightning capital of the world. Adds a little extra excitment to each day.

I now have XM radio on my computer and I love it. Over 100 stations to chose from, it's great. I can listen while I compute, not bad ehhh?

It's the selections that I enjoy. No mater what your preferences are you can find it on XM. What ever mood you will find the music you like. I have started reading in the office where the computer is so that I can play the background music on XM while I read. It's great. Let me know how you are doing. Make a comment. sign your comment and send it anonymous. Strange as that sounds it is the easiest way. Otherwise if you don't scroll down and sign it, it won't record the comment. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Friday, July 22, 2005

"The World is Flat"

This is a book by Thomas L. Friedman and is very, very good. It should be read by all young people and the parents of young people. There is a wealth of knowledge in this book and it centers around how the work forces in the world will be affected by the new Globalization, (Flattening of the world). It is a must read.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Could Happen

Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia formally known as California.
White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.
Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.
Baby conceived naturally, scientists stumped.
Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.
Last remaining Fundamentalist Muslim dies in the American Territory of theMiddle East (formerly known as Iran, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon).
Iraq still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.
France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica.
Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally,but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.
George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.
Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.
85-year, $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise is the key to weight loss.
Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.
Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed, they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut.
Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.
Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.
Average height of NBA players now nine feet, seven inches.
New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swattersand rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.
Congress authorizes direct deposit of formerly illegal political-contributions to campaign accounts.
Capitol Hill intern indicted for refusing to have sex with congressman.
IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.
Florida voters still having trouble with voting machines.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Just another perfect day in Paradise

Well the shuttle never went and they are not sure when it will go, raining every day, and it’s hot and muggy as hell.

Cable went out for a couple of hours yesterday and I was forced to get up and do something. Can you believe it? I am currently reading a couple of books but I won’t bother telling you much about them as no one has even commented on the suggestions I made before i.e., these books are trash, or why do you read such crap? Not a word I tell you. Maybe all my friends and family don’t read, you can never tell. Or, maybe my choices are so bad they don’t want to tell me because they are being nice to me. I know that’s it, boy that’s such a load off my mind.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Shuttle today

Things are going well and I feel great. Hope the same for all of you. Space shuttle looks like it will be going today and so I will watch it on TV but if I go outside I can also see the flames as it goes up. It is pretty amazing to watch. A friend suggested we go over and watch it up close but I had too many things going on for that.

The weather here is rainy everyday. Now we have a new Hurricane to watch named “Emily”. That’s my grand daughter’s name and I know I will love it. (Is that sick or what)?

Monday, July 11, 2005

The FIRST hurrican of the season.

To all my friends and family still living in the north, the hurricane did little or no damage to our neck of the woods. We had lots of rain and some heavy winds but it didn’t effect us much at all.

For those of you interested in my health and how it is going I will say I feel great but I am concerned about the total picture. They have found a small dark spot on my brain and between January and June it got larger but not by much. They are going to look at it again. It could be the results of a mild stroke in the past that went unnoticed or even a fall or accident of some kind. I will let you know in a few weeks.

One of my doctors has told me that if the cancer on my lung is not entirely gone he can go in through my rib cage and cut out whatever may be left. He is ordering tests to look at that in a week.
That’s about all there is going on down here. I hope all of you are doing great. Let me know

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Happy fourth of July

Is everybody Happy? I sure hope so. Yesterday we had a birthday party for my youngest grand daughter Emily and she had a ball. She said she got all the things she wanted. I wonder how that happened?

Chris has finished his moving and it seemed to never end. Well I am sure he'll be putting things away for awhile.

I don't believe we'll be coming north this month. I don't feel ready for a trip like that just yet.

Chris and Tina are going to Greece so maybe in a month or so.

I couldn't feel better and I am getting out and doing things more and I have even started working out on my treadmill. I am going to try to get back to normal. (for me that is) for those of you who would have commented about that remark, I beat you to it.. haha.

Tim and Angela have bought new furniture and a big HD TV. Looks great. His lawn is a little less than green but he is working hard to fix that. Angela got a new car. (a Toyota) I believe it is too small for her to carry her Kayak around, this may prove interesting because she is ardent about her Kayaking and she likes fishing too. Chris has gone with her once and I believe I heard him tell her yesterday maybe he would go again. She likes to go in the water near the dolphins and also into Tampa Bay. I believe I will take the girls for a day and give her a break. Maybe we'll go see a movie and stop for pizza.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Delay in Plans

I have decided not to travel north for a couple of months as there are other things I must do at this time.

I will try to make the trip around Labor day.

All is well here except it's been raining every day. All the retention ponds are full and the summer has just started.

Chris has moved all but his bike and birds. He will do that tomorrow. He hired a couple of guys out of the local labor pool and ended up getting a couple of homeless guys who work day labor. His comment on my previous post will fill you in about that experience.

Thanks again for those great emails that you all send me. My friend Kelly in New York City just returned from Europe (the dog) and I do envy her. Wish I could make a trip like that myself one of these days. I am going to try. I feel good enough but I want to get through this summer and then I will decide where I want to go. It's hot as hell here and with the rain it's is more than humid. I am staying inside somewhere all the time. I don't enjoy outdoors in the summer months.

It's Emily's birthday today and we are getting together tomorrow to celebrate. I'll talk with all of you again soon.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Some people are simply mean spirited

Today is a great day. I feel better than I have for a long time.

I guess I am boring one of you because I am still getting comments to that effect. Well this may not be a place you want to continue visiting.. I created this site for the purpose of letting my family and friends know how I am doing and also to learn how to create a site. If you have a site I would like to visit it so that I am free to comment on it’s contents.

Thanks for all the personal emails I enjoy them.

Today is overcast and we have had some serious rain today. I feel trapped here in the house as I am not supposed to drive for 2 weeks. They placed a plug in my artery and they fear I could pop it out. Chris has been helpful taking me places and Tim visits also.

I have started on my treadmill again and I will continue doing that each day. The doctor said it would be good for me and that I could extend the time a little each week. I have really gotten week and need to strengthen up some.

Chris is moving this weekend and I will surely miss seeing him and his car everyday. We have lived across from each other for 10 years so this will be new for me.

Hope all of you are well.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Another issue dealt with!

Monday they placed 3 stints in my heart and I was home tuesday morning as though nothing had happened. I feel great and they have told me they may want to go back in and place some stints on the othe side of my heart. Thats Okay with me.
I hope all of you are doing well and don't mind my telling you about all of my issues.

Please don't hesitate to let me know how you are doing. I don't expect anyone other than my closest friends and family to be reading this blog. However, on occasion I get a comment from someone I don't know. I am sure the strangers must think I am an arrogant person to be writing of myself all the time and never dealing with any other topics.

Well for now that has been my whole life and I hope all of you haven't thought I was arrogant to talk of myself so much.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Radiation Treatments are over!

Finished Radiation and I feel no side effects so far. Next will be the stints in my heart on Monday the 20th. I will spend the night at the hospital but it is not supposed to be much of an ordeal.

Chris and I are looking at the possibility of taking a short trip up north. He is going to Greece for 10 days in October with his girlfriend Tina and he doesn't want to take too much more time off from work. I think we'll go to Ohio and visit with you folks up there, prepare yourselves. I may still make another trip on my own later in the summer or early fall. We'll just have to wait and see how everything goes.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Last week in treatment

Well I have 3 treatments to go and looks like no real side effects as of yet. I understand the radiation has residual affects for several weeks beyond the treatment period and they will be watching the treatment progress during that additional time frame. Next Monday they are going to use Angioplasty to place a couple of stints in my heart. I sure have a lot of things wrong with me. It seems like as one treatment ends another will begin.

Would like to take a trip this summer but I will wait for awhile before making that decision.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Monday, June 06, 2005

A week and a half to go

Yes just a week and a half to go on my treatments. I still have no symptoms or discomfort of any kind. I am very glad about that. I didn’t lose any weight to talk about, either.

Birds are still trying to build a nest but haven’t made much progress. They would rather just argue. I have never heard canaries chatter at each other so much. They must be suffering from a newlywed issue. You know, like who sleeps on which side of the bed and who does dishes and takes out the garbage or something like that. They seem to be arguing all the time.
The way things are going I believe I can go away for a little vacation this summer but I don’t know where, any ideas out there? I just replaced the intake manifold on my car because it cracked and I have new brakes and new tires. Of course the car is getting old and I have lots of mileage on it, so maybe I shouldn’t go far in it. I do feel like getting a way though so who knows I may just show up one day

Friday, June 03, 2005

Another Egg today

Yes one of the birds laid another egg and again it was on the perch so you know what happened. Which bird builds the nest? The female or the male? the spotted one has been trying but now the yellow one is also trying to build a nest. Neither one is very skilled though so the nest isn't finished yet.

Talk with you again later.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Looking Good

Finished my 22nd treatment and things are still looking good. There has been continued reduction in the size of my tumor and I am happy about that. The doctor says I will receive a total of 33 treatments which means I have 11 treatments to go. thanks for your many emails and kind thoughts.

I have a couple of canary birds and today I discovered an egg in the bottom of the cage. A little blue egg. So I put a nest with some nesting materials into the cage and the one canary is busy tearing the materials apart but I am not sure making a nest is ever going to happen. The material is all over the cage and very little is in the nest. I am not even sure which canary is the female and which is the male. I have one which I purchased (bright yellow) that I was told was a male. The other is a spotted canary and thats the one which is so busy throwing the nesting material all over the place. I was told the spotted one was a female but it is very aggressive and the 2 of them are howlering at each other all the time. The bright yellow one is always running away from the spotted one. What could that mean? Has any of you ever had canaries? Any advise?

Friday, May 27, 2005

Things are good

I have completed 20 treatments and continue to feel good. Tim and Chris are taking me out to dinner for my birthday this weekend and I plan on eating a 2 pound lobster. We are going to the Salt Rock cafe on Reddington Beach. That should be fun.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Hello!

This blog is going to undergo some changes soon. I have not enjoyed the current features and have talked with Chris about making some changes. All is well here. I have completed 18 treatments now and I still feel fine. It is going along pretty well.

Monday, May 23, 2005

16 down and 16 to go

Today I completed the halfway mark in my treatments. Still no side effects that I can notice. I have lost 8 pounds and maybe I'll lose another 8 pounds. Thanks for all the good will.