9/19/08

Part 4 - Recovery

Just a quick update.

I got out of the hospital today. Typing is tough with the right hand.

Doing well, though. Thanks to all of you who kept me in your thoughts & prayers.

Part 3.5

For all of you who are keeping tabs on Hap's progress.. I got word Wednesday that 'He's out and doing fine.'
He has not made an appearance on HapkidoCrunchTime yet but I anticipate that is to come shortly.

9/15/08

Part 3 - Update

Quite a few calls today, many not at all pleasant.

First, the ones that mean something:
There's a pre-op scheduled for tomorrow, 9/16, at 0700. Just getting things ready at this point.

The actual "opening" is 9/17 after a 0630 MRI.

Updates will come as soon as possible.

Now, the crap I could have done without...
1) Hospital called asking for deductible payment. Nice, jerks. You'll get your freaking money.

2) Work called to inform me I'm on disability - no surprise there - AND that I won't be paid for the 1st 5 days I'm off unless I burn vacation. I have 1 day left & 1 floating holiday. Really, morons, don't you think I have more pressing issues on my mind (sorry)?

On the above 2, you'd think both parties would show some tact & wait until things were settled down a bit. At least there's no rush getting back to work - I have 5 weeks of disability & should only have to use 3 at the most.

9/13/08

Part 2 - Diagnosis

The last 2 days were spent in the hospital, undergoing various tests...drawing blood (ouch), taking temperature & blood pressure (all good) & undergoing an MRI.

Now, the MRI is the big news here, so let me put the results out there: Yes, there is a benign growth (non-cancerous, thankfully) on the membrane surrounding the brain that is pressing in between the frontal & parietal lobes on the left side. This is what caused the seizure & it's removal should pretty well fix everything.

Fortunately, this growth is not "inside" the brain, instead it's pressing on it & as such will require no intrusion into those sensitive parts. The neurosurgeon has informed me the surgery (this Wednesday, 9/17) will take about 3-4 hours, will be sealed with staples & has less than 2% chance of complications. Given the nature of things, I'll take those odds any day. The staples should come out 10 days later & I guess all that's left is finding out how long I'll be on meds.

On the lighter side of things, any of you out there who think I need to have my head examined, you're about to get your wish... (hey, it's scary, I've got to get my humor in where I can).

Thanks again to all of my friends & family who are with me in body & soul. Your thoughts mean the world to me & you all have my promise that Hap is a fighter - he's sticking around for another 50 or 60 years...

9/12/08

Part 1 - Seizure

I was having a great time on my 2-week vacation in SC. We just got home from the store (I was driving) & walked up the steps to the house.

Something felt a little weird for a moment...I couldn't release the keys from my right hand & when I reached over with my left hand to grab them, I realized there was no feeling on the right arm.

That's when everything went tense & I managed to get the words out: "Something isn't right here!" before falling down in a really bad fit. This was definitely a first for me...

I woke up 5-minutes later to paramedics over me with an oxygen mask asking me questions. All I could do was ask myself if i had been driving. Thankfully, I remembered I wasn't & everyone was OK.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the hospital for a C/T scan & an x-ray. Nothing of note on the x-ray and the C/T showed a "significant mass" on the left hemisphere of my brain. I was left that evening being told I needed an MRI to determine the nature of the mass.

9/5/08

Ronny Engrish For Pres. 08

Ladies and Gentlemen ...my three readers. Because you have been so loyal to the Hapkido-Crunch site I am stating it here first ...uhm..er. second actually. Since the mid-eighties there have been interesting characters that have taken up the Independent Party Mantel and have made their best run at that Wall of Domination that is the Right Wing and the Left Wing Political Machines. Thus far no one has succeeded.

Today is time for Change. I am letting you all know that I, Ronny Engrish, am sending a message to the Real World that we in the Virtual World have a voice and we demand to be noticed. I am entering the 'Race' on a New Fourth Party known as:
The Bloggers United Liberty Legion of the Super Humble Independant Totalitarianists. It is long but the short version gets lost in translation ...or does it?

Here is a the news that most of you probably missed due to the huge coverage of the last two Presidential Conventions.

http://www.inews3.com/topstory.php?id=526f6e6e797c456e6772697368

Vote a few times if you feel like it. We need to get some change in Washington and I don't mean the change you have left from a Kid's meal at your local fast-food establishment. They have enough of that.


Well to my Three Readers: Good Night and Good Luck.

9/2/08

DL also stands for David Letterman.

Good Evening to my Three Readers - you know who you are. Don't worry, Your identities will not be revealed.

I should have known better but what was I thinking? Did you all know that the talking head of Tonight's Top Ten List fame is a flaming dumb liberal? I just cruised the channels tonight and stopped on David Letterman. I had not really appreciated Jay Leno's taking the great Johnny Carson's seat on the Tonight Show (kinda like my difficulty seeing another QB running the Pack. Not as good as the Legendary Brett Favre now Jett Favre.) So I skipped Jaws and I stopped and watched Letterman. Tonight must have been the humor writer's day off and Howard Dean was filling in. All he did was rip on everything GOP but none of it was humorous in the least. He poked crap at about McCain's Age after a mild admission of McCain's survival of 5 years in the dreaded Hanoi Hilton. It was 5 and a half years. I think the half was well worth mentioning but what could we expect from a DL. Then he had the gall to say (paraphrasing) "What would happen if while President McCain was sleeping ... after living a long fulfilling life....he does not wake up? Look who we got for President now????" Then proceeded to bash Sarah’s experience. I know there will be age jokes about McCain and if that is all they have...geez they are desperate.
And am I the only one who finds this DL Dumb Logic...confusing? This week nObama was just quoted as saying that he had more experience than the GOP-Veep-To-Be because nObama has run a campaign for president. He even had all (yes ALL) his facts wrong from the number of employees to the size of the budget.
I ask my Three Readers...Since when did running a campaign garner more experience than governing the Union's LARGEST STATE??? AND....Why is this not funny stuff?!? Shoot I could have written a ton of jokes about this. What I find even more disturbing is that the Dem. Pres. Nominee actually saw that it was necessary to defend himself from not only the GOP Presidential Nom. but ALSO the VEEP from the other ticket. Holy crud they are running scared. And why is THAT not funny?
DL even took the low road, and ripped on Palin's Daughter's situation. Why was starting a family at 17 such a freaking scandal over nObama's Alcoholic Drug using Teenage years any less a scandal? And….Say it with me ….WHY IS THAT NOT FUNNY?
Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Night Show (I couldn't sleep) actually had a joke about Palin's Daughter being pregnant too. He said it "is not news and should not be news, UNLESS John Edwards is the father." Now THAT is funny. His political jokes were well balanced and he stayed away from 'low class' themes. Well lemme rephrase that...(thinking)... okay Craig plays with gutter humor not gutter politics.

Well it is late I am tired of watching the crap that the seriously delusional dope smoking censors have somehow found fit for public access television. I am going to bed. I can’t wait to hear Sarah Palin rip it up Wednesday night at the GOP convention.

Good Night to all (three of you).

9/1/08

500!!!

Crunch Time has finally reached the 500 post milestone!

Congratulations to Ronny Engrish who agonizingly ran the anchor leg of this blog & gave us a DL list for # 500.

Here's to another 500 posts!

Fly AirTran

I flew from Moline, IL to Atlanta,GA today. It's the start of a 16-day vacation for me & despite the early hour (530 AM), I was pretty jazzed about getting to SC.

Once we boarded the aircraft, I noticed a soldier boarded the plane & walked to his seat towards the back. I remember thinking to myself, "This guy should be in First class".

No sooner did that cross my mind than one of the flight attendants walked back to the uniformed gentleman & invited him up to First class. The attendant didn't make big deal out of it, no show or flash - he just invited the soldier to the front & proceeded to see to his every comfort.

It's beautiful to see an airline (or, in this case, a representative) do the right thing with only the intention of recognizing a brave man who gives more to his country than most of us ever will.

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