...and Bob's Your Uncle

West Coast Parking Lots

2011-02-10T15:35:00.002-05:00

During our last trip to California, we visited Santa Monica, which is a great place to visit. You can walk on the beach, you can eat on the pier, and there's plenty of shopping on the Third Street Promenade. The cool part is the public parking near the promenade. I noticed that there were signs on the outside, letting you know how many open parking spots were left, which I thought was a nice idea. As I went in, I also noticed that each floor also had electronic signs posted, letting you know how many specific parking spaces were available on that level. And if that wasn't enough, there are lights positioned down the middle of the isle, that turn red or green, so that you would know at a glance where the next available spot was. I was going nuts..."Why can't we have this back home?", I wondered.

Just when we were ready to start shopping, I noticed a touch screen near the exit. The monitors are there to help you find your car in the parking lot. All you need to do is start typing your license plate, and it shows you a picture of your car, and a map to its location. Those lights I mentioned before also have cameras in them. I had to try it, and the image that came back showed Judy and Amy getting out of the car. Unbelievable.

Hey, where have you been?

2011-01-02T17:48:00.002-05:00

Ok, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. Darn that Facebook, it's ruined by blog and my website (where I used to keep my pictures). But I'm going to get back into this...I've already started updating my web site, and now I'll be updating my blog. All you John fans out there...stay tuned!

Beauty-less

2009-01-26T12:35:00.006-05:00

Our oldest cat, Beauty, died this morning. Of course, I've known this day was going to happen...it's what we tell ourselves and our children to prepare them for facing the obvious, that all things die. I've always attempted to soften this eventual reality by trying not to get too attached to Beauty while she was alive. This way, I thought, if I keep a perspective on the fact that Beauty was only a cat, that she's not a person, that she and other cats are basically replaceable, I would be there to console my family. They, of course, would be deeply affected by Beauty's loss, and I would be there as a pillar of strength.

It doesn't work that way. Watching her struggle the last few days, and seeing her this morning, peacefully wrapped in a blanket, all life removed, made me realize how much I failed at distancing myself from her. She was very much a part of me and I feel a great loss. It has also made me realize that I don't need to be an unfeeling monolith when it comes to our pets. Our pets are part of the family, and they deserve our respect and love.

Thank you, Beauty, for allowing me to be part of your family.

Here Be Dragons

2008-06-13T08:17:00.003-05:00

If you want to see the world as it really is, get an introduction to critical thinking from Brian Dunning at www.herebedragonsmovie.com. This is a 40 minute video that I highly recommend.

For the lazy among us, I've embedded it below. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

JREF DVD library on YouTube

2008-04-18T12:30:00.004-05:00

The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) now has an official YouTube channel, which you can visit here. My favorite video by far is "The Power of Belief" with John Stossel and James Randi. Watch this and join the skeptics of the world:

The decision

2008-03-05T11:19:00.005-05:00

I finally decided to go through with the fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy. When the machine finally made it to St. Peter's, it appeared that I was going to be one of the first (if not the first) patient to use it. The first few visits were interesting -- the people from Novalis were there, looking over the shoulder of St. Peter's staff. I went for a mask fitting, which consisted of having strips of hot plastic applied to my face until it cooled. I had a trial run of the daily procedure:

Have mask lowered onto my face --which was very similar to Darth Vader in Episode III.
Have the mask clamped down on all sides -- for the machine to work properly, I must be in exactly the same position for each treatment.
Finally, lay there while the machine repositions itself for each "dose". Picture the machine that Dr. David Banner used in the Hulk TV show, and you'll know what I mean.

And so it began. Everyday at around 10:30am, I would leave my office and take the 15 minute ride over to St. Peter's. My appointments were at 11:00am, and I would go through the procedure, and be done by around 11:30. I would meet with Dr. Savage each Monday, and he would ask how I was doing, and check for side effects. Basically, the only one I noticed was that I felt tired -- not immediately after the procedure, but around 6pm that night. In most cases it was more of a feeling like I had that night's sleep interrupted, which made me feel tired with a slight headache. I was *warned* by my friends that I would need to take some time off, especially after several weeks of treatment -- and I never needed to.

The treatments were made enjoyable (if that word can be used here) by two of the staff at St. Peter's. Lisa and Brenda spent the most amount of time with me and they were always upbeat and cheerful. We learned a lot of the procedure together, and I have the greatest respect for the time and effort that must have gone into learning this new procedure. For most of the treatment, I was basically sitting in the dark with the mask on, which is so tight-fitting that you must close your eyes while wearing it. Lisa and Brenda usually had a cd playing, and having music in the background helped a great deal. Since the majority of the treatments were going to take place over the Christmas season, I decided to make them a Christmas cd, which they greatly appreciated, and we listened to it from then on. I can't imagine what it would have been like to go through this procedure without their support and friendship. To Lisa and Brenda, thank you. I am forever in your debt.

That was basically it. From November 18th to January 2nd, that was my day, every weekday. Except for the holidays, I was there. No matter what the weather, I was there. Finally, on the day of my last treatment, I was "awarded" a Certificate of Completion that was signed by all the staff of St. Peter's Cancer Care Center. After a hug from Lisa and Brenda, we said goodbye. It was time to get back to my life.

So, what's been the result of 30 radiation treatments? Well, not much. I haven't noticed an improvement in my hearing, and I have had several small dizzy spells -- nothing major, just a short moment of "unfocusedness" -- which I did mention to Dr. Savage. I'm not surprised that the results are so minimal, and this is the important part that most of my friends and relatives seem to forget. For this treatment, success was defined as "no further growth". I didn't expect my hearing to suddenly improve when it was over, and I'm not going to second-guess my decision. I'm scheduled for a MRI in six months, and we'll compare the size of the tumor to the original MRI I had last year.

The final chapter of this story is a phone call I received from St. Peter's yesterday. They want to know if I want to be the "poster boy" for some St. Peter's/Novalis advertising. Perhaps I should wait for the MRI results first...

But let's be real. I can't even compare what I went through to someone going through real cancer treatments -- like my nephew Dave. He's been undergoing treatments for osteogenic sarcoma for several years, which has led to amputation of his right hand and the lower part of his arm. Through all the disruption of their lives, Dave and his wife Leilani have remained cheerful and full of hope for the future. My best wishes to both of them.

Acoustic neuroma

2007-11-05T09:15:00.001-05:00

Before February 2007, I had never heard of an acoustic neuroma, but now it's part of my everyday life. About five years or so, I started having a ringing in my right ear, along with some noticeable hearing loss. Initially, I figured I had just attended too many loud concerts (especially that David Lee Roth show in Glens Falls in the mid-80's), but eventually I had it checked. My doctor recommended seeing an audiologist, and she tested my hearing. The hearing in my right ear was poor enough for her to recommend a hearing aid -- which I did, but I was never satisfied with the results. After several months of that, I decided that I would live with my hearing loss, and the ringing.

Fast-forward a few years, and another checkup -- this time, my doctor recommended seeing an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) specialist. This doctor ordered a series of hearing tests, and a MRI. Lo and behold, the MRI showed a mass (acoustic neuroma) that was causing the problem. This led to meeting with a radiation specialist, Dr. Savage (no, not The Man Of Bronze). He explained to me that the mass compresses the hearing nerve, which causing the ringing and the hearing loss. It's not uncommon, and it's not malignant, but at my young age, it needs to be taken care of before it grows larger and causes other problems.

I basically had four options. The first three were: (1) Do nothing, (2) Have it surgically removed, (3) Endure a one-day blast of radiation. Option #1 was not an option, since letting it continue to grow (no matter how slowly) was dangerous. Option #2 was very dangerous - surgeries like these require expert skill, it would require several days in the hospital, and there's a chance that it could cause nerve damage. Option #3 was much less dangerous than #2, but it involves a whole day, it would require me to wear a helmet, and the high dose of radiation could easily affect the surrounding area -- again, I could damage that same hearing nerve, which means the growth would be stopped, but I would be deaf. Great choice.

The fourth option was to have "fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy". Basically, it's a much lower dose of radiation spread out over thirty treatments. The "target" is generated from using 3-D images from a CAT scan, which allows for a more precise beam, which results in minimal damage to the surrounding area. It would be every weekday (not including holidays) for about 10-15 minutes. It would require that I sit for a "mask" fitting, which is used to make sure that my head is in the same position for each treatment. The problem with this treatment is that St. Peter's Hospital did not have the machine that offered this solution. It's new technology, and they planned on having it in six months.

Next: My decision.

Michael Gambon

2007-04-26T10:21:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know, Michael Gambon is the actor who currently portrays Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. I realize that someone had to take over the part after Richard Harris died, but Gambon was a terrible choice. His interpretation of Dumbledore is completely wrong; he plays the character with aggression, impatience and he's boring -- no charm, no warmth, and certainly not "the greatest wizard of our time." Gambon admits that he hasn't read the Harry Potter books. How not surprising.

What's worse, Dumbledore is usually described as tall, thin, with long fingers and a crooked nose. In an incredible feat of poor casting, Gambon has none of these features. They might have well used CGI (as long as they didn't use Andy Serkis, but that's for a future post) and used Jim Dale as his voice.

I realize some people argue that "it's a problem with the director more than the actor"... and I'll agree up to a point. Yes, Prisoner of Azkaban was a bad movie thanks to Alfonso Cuarón, but it could have been saved by an on-target Dumbledore performance. It's gotten to the point where no matter how good the rest of the movie is (and a lot of Order of the Phoenix doesn't look bad), Gambon's Dumbledore will drag it down. Let's face it -- after Harry, Dumbledore is probably the most important character in the story.

For those of us who have read Half-Blood Prince, I guess our only satisfaction will be that Deathly Hallows should be a pretty good movie.

Life Lesson #2

2007-03-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

2. Your Time is Money

So many times I hear people complain that they don't like to spend money on hiring professionals (mechanics, carpenters, Lawn Dawg), with the thought that they can do the job themselves for free. My years as a consultant has taught me that my time is worth something. If I actually went as far as to try to work on my car by myself, I don't think of that as doing it for free -- again, my time is worth something, and that "money" is better spent somewhere else.

The same can be said for hotel reservations. I'd rather spend the extra $$ and stay in a hotel that's closer to the action. I know people who would rather stay in a hotel that's miles from the city they're visiting in the first place, just to save money. If my hotel is so far away that I have to spend time getting to and from the place I'm want to see, that's wasting money, because (all together) my time is money.

So take my advice and the next time you're planning a Walt Disney World vacation, stay here and save some money. You can thank me later, when you have time.

This is Jim Dale

2007-03-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

For those Harry Potter fans out there, the only way to enjoy the book series is to purchase the audio books (here's a link to purchase the cd's for book 6 from Amazon). Personally, I've actually only read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but I've enjoyed listening to all six audio books several times. What makes them so special is the narrator, Jim Dale. Mr. Dale not only reads the text, he actually does the voice for each character and his portrayals have improved with each book. His voice characterizations for Dumbledore, Hagrid and Snape are especially on target. What's best is that the audio books have been made available the same day the corresponding book was released, so that you can get started right away. You won't be able to keep up with those actually reading the book, but you'll enjoy it more. Don't let them spoil the end for you.

03/27/2007: It's just been announced that Jim Dale will return for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and it will be released on July 21, 2007.

The Amazing Randi

2007-03-02T12:34:00.002-05:00

My Friday is not complete unless I check out the James Randi Educational Foundation, or JREF website. The Amazing Randi has a new commentary every Friday (with an RSS feed for you technically endowed) which has converted me to be a born-again skeptic. Before you believe in what you read (my blog included), check out Randi's site.

Chapter One: The Beginning

2007-03-01T15:37:00.000-05:00

I just like to thank everyone who made this blog possible. Here's some of my thoughts to live by, which I'll be adding to from time to time:

Always check Google -- someone's probably already solved the problem you have now.