Monday, January 30, 2006

What's Fair

As you all must know by now ABC reporter, Bob Wooduff, and camera man, Doug Vogt, were hit in a road side attack in Iraq. Not that an attack on US folks is new news, but I guess since it happened to media folks it was worthy of over-coverage and over-indulgence of their work in Iraq.

Now here is where I have a problem...Yea our troops are there because it is their job, but it is the media's job to cover the war just the same. They sign up for the position and they go over to the front line just like the troops. The only difference is that our troops are trying to protect the media as well as themselves and kill the bad guys. Oh yea, not to forget the media guys make a shit load more money than our troops, and if the media are paid like contractors, then they are living large out there.


The pay for Americans to go out to Iraq is huge and you don't pay taxes on anything unless you make over 90K, plus you get hazard pay on top of your regular pay. Your housing, food and transportation is paid for , so everything you make is bank. I guess the only thing you have to worry about is a flying bullet.


But back to what I was saying, I think the media is making a huge thing about the host and camera guy getting injured. All they say about the guys/gals who are risking their asses for us every day is the plug line "2 more solders died today in Iraq". There are no names of the soldiers, nothing about how great they were or how incredible their serviving families are. Just because the victims were not "famous" they do not get the same respect and dignity as these two ABC employees.


I think that is just crap. I am not in any way Military bound, but I support what the troops are doing for us and I wish them all a safe return!


Peace,
DeMo

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Bastard

As most of you know my folks are here helping me through my surgery and they are staying with me in my condo. They help me with my icing, feedings, laundry, cleaning, driving, well most everything. The problem I am having is that we are totally getting on each others last nerve. No matter what we say it ends in a fight. My parents fight over everything and my temper is so short right now, it doesn't take much to set me off.

I know they are here to help and I greatly appreciate it, but I swear, there are not enough drugs in the world to put me into a comatosed daze to deal with them 24/7. The last surgery they were here for 4 weeks and we were ready to kill each other. This time, who knows what will happen.

Peace,
DeMo

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

PT Hell

Yesterday I had my first physical therapy session and let me tell you I thought I knew all the different ways they can inflict pain there. I have been going to PT from Aug to Nov for my last surgery and they put me through the ringer trying to get me back to par. This time, I had to just do a simple knee stretch and I thought I was going to die.

For fifteen minutes I laid on my back with my foot propped up in the air, about a foot high on a tube-like mat. Even though my foot was only a foot off the table it felt like it was about 5 feet off the ground. Gravity was pulling down on my knee and the stress of it was to straighten out my knee. My therapist told me there is a small window to get my leg to straighten out before it will “forget” to go back that way. So as I lay there in about the most pain I have been in, in a few hours, I kept thinking it was for the greater good. But my God, wasn’t there a better way then pulling my knee out from the back of my leg.

Finally, the time expired and I was able to move on to the next torturing position. I had to do some leg lifting and the funniest thing was even though I was thinking of lifting my leg, and my leg was shaking cause my brain was telling it to move up, my leg was just laying there dead to the world. My therapist had to lift my leg for me for all my reps. I have NO control over my leg to lift it up (lying on my back, my foot pointing up and raising my leg up). I was able to do the other lifts, but for some reason, that one I could not do.

Guessing it was my first day back and my therapist had a nice kick running through him, we skipped the usually treatments and he was going to let me play the Gameboy for the rest of my session. I sat on the table and he told me to strengthen my leg. Then he starts to put electrodes on my knee. I was thinking this was odd, but whatever. Then he hands me the Gameboy. But it wasn’t a Gameboy…it was a new age torture devise. I had to flex my leg and if I relaxed at the wrong time I got shocked, well a stream of electricity went into my knee to cause me to flex. I had 40 sessions of flex time with each about 30 seconds long. I was able to relax between each flex session, but not long enough. After that experience, I never want to play with a Gameboy again.

Once the Gameboy was finished it was time for the ice down, but even that was painful. They stuck my leg into a Velcro like cast and then frigid water circulated throughout as well as air compression to help straighten my leg. It was like a blood pressure device on steroids. I thought my eyes were going to pop out the pressure was so strong. I had to sit in that device for 20 minutes. Finally, 20 minutes passed and I was free to go. Free until tomorrow. I have to go twice a week for the next 8 weeks. I better be able to walk by the time this shit is done!!!!


Peace,
DeMo

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Post Op

It is almost 24 hours since my surgery and everything seemed to have gone well. I got an epidural this time instead of having local anesthesia. I would HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who is having an operation and the option is there. Granted it does sound weird because you only hear of an epidural for when women give birth, but there is no tube down your throat, your not pumped full of chemicals, you don't wake up feeling like shit and the best part is that your able to pretty much spend 1/2 the time in recovery.

Back to while I was in the hospital, the doctor said he took out a lot of floating bits from my knee and trimmed up some frayed pieces of cartilage within the area. He also removed some swollen stuff that was still in there from July. Not sure how that was done, but whatever. He showed my parents the pictures he took of the surgery, bout 30 of'm, but I'll see them on Monday when i go for my post op screening.

Tuesday I start my first day of physical therapy and I should continue there for about eight to ten weeks. Then after all that I better be able to walk, jump squat and do whatever I want. The doctor also said since the surgery was a success and with PT, I should not need a transplant or a replacement for many, many years to come…yippee!

Since I have been home for the hospital I have been taking my pain meds every four hours, even through the night. I am pumped with Vicoden, so I shall fell no pain! The only problem is I have the hiccups and I can't stop. If I am lying down and sit up, the hiccups start. That seems to be my only issue right now. Hell, from last time to this time, if that is my only problem, I am doing damn fine.

Keep you posted on my recovery.

Peace,
DeMo

Thursday, January 19, 2006

I Kneed It

Well, tomorrow is my big day. I have my surgery scheduled for the morning, 8:30, and I am now getting everythng in order just incase I am stuck in bed for 3 weeks like last time. I am hoping that I'll be up and about by Monday, but who the hell knows with me.

I plan to be hopping around by next Friday, maybe with a cane. anyways...I am just ready to get all this shit behind me.

Peace,
DeMo

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Middle Earth

My friend had this posted, so i thought I would share her information to you. I thought it was quite interesting...

Giving the finger before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle
finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew" (or "pluck yew"). Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, See, we can still pluck yew! "PLUCK YEW!" Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually hanged to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird.

"IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY!

Peace,
DeMo
Pit Falls of Life

Wondering were my life will be
If my soul can set me free
Feeling what I feel inside
Should I change or run ‘n’ hide

No matter the cost
No matter the pain
Would I change or
Stay the same

People nagging, pulling me
Demands howling, deafening me
Deadlines due, stressing me
Obligations calling, draining me

Where you go there you are
Do your best to be a star
Just remember never stop
Do what you can to reach the top

Words are spoken in a positive way
To make you think, smile and say
I love what I do, I love my position
But that’s not life, it’s all a competition

To be number one, to have it all
But when you get to the top you can have a great fall
Fall to the bottom where nobody wants YOU
It’s lonely, its dark, you’re finished, you’re through.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Side Notes

1) Bought Transporter 2 yesterday and watched it. Guys, this is such a great movie. Action, action everywhere with little dialog and there was even a story to go along with it. This was an awesome must see! Picture a Jackie Chan movie but you can understand the lead character.

2) The saying "masturbating with a cheese grader" always sounded painful, but now I know it has to hurt. The other night I was grading some cheese and my thumb went cross the blade and I ended up shaving some DeMo into the cheese mixture. That shit hurt so bad I can not describe the pain I was in...oh and the blood. My God you would have thought I ripped out a vein. Because of the grader not being a clean cut, but more of jagged sharp cuts, I had flesh just hanging off my thumb, it was gross! I managed to clean my thumb and bandaged it up. Needless to say, the cheese that was already graded was thrown away.

Peace,
DeMo

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Follow Up

I received an Email from the man on my Facilities committee late last night saying he was just heated and over spoke about suing us all. He took it all back and will not sue anyone. He believes there IS someone on the committee out to get him and he will be leaving the committee.

So, I guess the drama has ended. The man who had the issue with the comment dropped out of the committee, and the guy who wrote the comment dropped out of the committee. I told management that I was finished with the committee as well, so that means there is just one person left and she is now the entire committee, by herself.

I swear, some people can act like kids no matter how old they are.

Peace,
DeMo

Monday, January 09, 2006

Chair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I am the chair of the facilities and landscaping committee at my condo and we are in charge of all the building’s issues and plant life that the residents see. We have this plastic plant the builders placed near our mailboxes that is about the most ugly thing I have ever seen. Others agreed with me about the plant being ugly and want to get rid of it. We have a proposal from a florist to replace it and add plants throughout the lobby.

We, the committee members, were kidding about destroying the plant and then said we would give it to a resident, since she mentioned she really, really liked the plant. Then one of the members said if we shred the plant then give it to her she would turn into a Tasmanian devil gone wild. This comment offended one of the other members, and the drama started.

Being the chair of the committee I had to be the middleman for all Emails and had to put out every little fire that came up responding to and from that Email. I tried to explain that the comment was aimed more at the plant and there was no intent to disrespect anyone. The analogy was only to show she would get upset and nothing more. The person who got offended did not back down from his being offended and then took the matter up a notch.

Someone sent the internal Email to the lady and she blew up thinking she was being called the animal and referred and compared herself to the actual animal. The comment in the email was to just express she would be upset and nothing more. I was really shocked it was taken so for, but nonetheless there should have never been the comment made in the first place.

I sent the lady an apology and tried to let her know it was not an intentional dig towards her and I hope she will be able to forgive the man who made it. The person who had such an issue with the comment in the first place dropped out of the committee, after causing all the drama, and to top it off, the guy who made the comment is now saying he is going to sue us all for defamation of character because he feels this is now a personal attack on him. He wants to sue the guy who had the issue with the comment, the lady and everyone on the committee, unless I don’t calm everyone down and put a stop to the drama.

This guy started the problem with his stupid comment, and someone had a problem with it. Now he wants to sue us all because he made fun of someone. I think he needs to go back to law school and read about liable. Defamation of character was is not even an issue since his name is never even mentioned; yet he feels like it is a personal attack on him.

As it is right now, I have not really replied to the guy who wants to sue the world, but the lady he offended, I think, may be OK. I talked to the management office and told them what happened and I will be quitting the committee and leaving the drama behind. I told the guy I sent the lady an apology and that I had nothing more to do with that matter.


Stress over nothing is killing me!

Peace,
DeMo

Sunday, January 08, 2006

MYLC 2006

This weekend I attended a fraternity conference for Pi Kappa Phi. This conference is our yearly leadership event that is held in Charlotte, and since 1995 I have not missed a conference. I have been going to this event for over a decade either as a participant or facilitator.

It really is funny to see students year after year coming to this event and watching them mature as they go through their college experience. I, of course, now becoming one of the old guys who the "kids" have to hide their beer from when trying to sneak it into the hotel, seem to be becoming one of the old alumni.

The weekend was great and I enjoyed seeing all my friends from the National HQ, the students from my home chapter, past chapters I have advised and the current chapter I am advising. Leaving the conference, I am a bit depressed because I remember how much fun I had in college and all the great friends I had back then.

As life moves on I tend to loose touch with the people I knew and it gets harder and harder to stay in touch with the friends I have now, since I have moved to VA. I am constantly asked, "When am I moving back to GA?" and I really don't have an answer to the question. I would need a job to come back to and I would have to wait until next Feb to sell my condo. So I guess until I can get that taken care of, I'll be able to ease minds with a more reasonable answer.

...And it took 6 hours to drive down and 5 hours to drive back from Charlotte. Needless to say, I went a bit faster on the way back. And I HATE driving no matter how fast I drive.

Peace,
DeMo

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Happy Fuckin' New Year

Well it's 2006, whoopiee!

I spent the New Year with my friends at a local bar ringing in '06. We had the typical noisemakers and many drinks to help us say good-bye to 2005. The turning of the calendar wasn't too bad; I was able to find me 4 nice women to kiss. We partied a few more hours and then headed home.

Then the fun started for '06...I had shit happen at work that had my year start off with a bang, in the head. Then the airline I am using to get to a conference on Friday is now bankrupt and not running any more flights. This means I am stuck without a flight. I am now habing to drive 6 hours to get there and with my damn knee problems that should be a grand old time.

Also, my condo committee members are causing sooooo much FUCKING I am so ready to go postal on their asses. You would think I was in grade school. The stress is building in my like a virgin's organism on prom night and I am so ready to blow.

There has only been 5 days in the New Year and I can only guess what the rest of the year has to offer. Oh yea, I am having surgery in 20 days and I can't wait to see what happens then!

Peace,

DeMo