Holmium Laser Lithotripsy or (Kidney Stone Blaster!)

Holmium Laser Lithotripsy or (Kidney Stone Blaster!)

This past week, I had my bi-annual kidney stone attack. Only, this attack was a culmination of a bunch of small attacks that have happened over the last few months.

It finally got to the point where I couldn't keep anything down (read: upchuck) and I decided to call my urologist.

It happened Sunday night after I had scheduled my Pork Laxative blog for Monday morning distribution. In fact, it happened ALL Sunday night. I slept about 2 hours because the pain had me up and ambulatory (read: moving around like a Gypsie, no offense intended).

Latin word alert: Ambulare - to walk or move about, which is a reference to early medical care where patients were moved by lifting or wheeling.

---Continue--->>>

Pork, The Natural Laxative

Pork, The Natural Laxative

Yesterday, I made the bestest breakfast in the world. I fried up three sausage patties, six slices of bacon, and two eggs over easy. Then I added two pieces of toast, slathered in enough butter so that it seeped through to the back of the bread.

In an expert's opinion, it's not a real healthy breakfast.

One could even argue that it's worse for me than my usual Pop Tart ensemble .

I'm not sure which way I'd go on that. One breakfast is nothing but sugar while one consists of a week's worth of fat. Calorie-wise, the Pop Tart breakfast wins. Hands down.

---Continue--->>>

Pop Tarts (among other things)

Pop Tarts (among other things)

My normal breakfast consists of scarfing down a Pop Tart on my way to the office in the morning. Usually because I'm too lazy to fix something healthy to eat.

Sometimes, though, I switch to a granola bar. Peanut Butter S'mores or Chocolate Chip Chunk. Good stuff.

But lately, I've been into the Strawberry and Blueberry Pop Tarts. Brown Sugar and Cinnamon too. So that's where this article comes from.

---Continue--->>>

The Patio Project

The Patio Project

For the last 2 Sundays, I've worked on the patio at my new place. Before, it was a dangerous sort of walk from the back door because you had to be careful where you stepped. One could have easily twisted their ankle and since I get hurt enough without help, I couldn't afford for that to happen.

So I undertook what I now dub, "The Patio Project."

What follows is a pictorial essay (with comments) on my latest building project.

---Continue--->>>

Pocketbooks and Fishing Line

Pocketbooks and Fishing Line

Growing up, I was kind of a goody-two-shoes. I really never did anything wrong. I was only grounded once (a story for another time). I lived my mischievousness out vicariously through others. Thus, the story of the pocketbooks and fishing line.

My friends and I lived way out in the country on a road that more or less existed to get people from A to B. Our little community was neither A nor B; we lived in the middle of nowhere.

Entertainment for little boys was scarce in the Summer. Bike riding. Baseball. Basketball. Fishing. You'll notice that none of these activities drain the devilishness that lives inside every of little boy. Boys need an outlet for these urges.

My friends found such an outlet. Pocketbooks and fishing line.

---Continue--->>>

The Super Bowl Party

The Super Bowl Party

I went to a Super Bowl Party this past Sunday and saw a friend I hadn't seen in almost ten years. It was good to catch up on what had happened in our lives and even though we've emailed and stuff since we last saw each other, sometimes it takes that personal meeting to give you that feeling of real connection.

And you know what? The dude is still as goofy as I remember.

This is a good thing. We all have a certain goofiness that we reveal to our close friends and family. Siblings, in particular, never let us forget the brain-headed things we did growing up. And they never hesitate to inform future wives of those times too.

Craig's Super Bowl Party had everything a Super Bowl Party should: hot wings, chili, chicken enchilada soup, beer, soda, banana pudding, plenty of smack talk, a projection TV, etc. It had plenty of different people from all walks of his life and they all mixed well. There were even some hot chicks there (all married as my luck would have it).

There was a single misfit, however, and I guess every Super Bowl Party had one.

---Continue--->>>

Rogaining My Life Away

Rogaining My Life Away

I've done it. I ordered the generic version of Rogaine. Minoxidil is the magic ingredient and it promises to restore my masculinity.

I know the negatives. It'll make my scalp itch. Maybe even dry it out some. It may not work even for me. And if it does, I'll have to use it for the rest of my life.

I paid $55 for a year's supply of the stuff off ebay.

Ask any bald man: Is $55 a year too much to pay for hair?

That's a rhetorical question.

---Continue--->>>

Romancing The Stone

Romancing The Stone

I'm beginning my Life 3.0 and this weekend was one of mile"stones" for me. I bought a car, a 2004 Pontiac Aztek. It's ugly, I know ... it's so ugly I love it. More on that later ...

I also finalized moving to a new house. More on that later ...

What really made this weekend special was yet another kidney "stone."

---Continue--->>>
.

Biltmore on a Budget

Biltmore on a Budget

This past week, I took a vacation to Asheville. I don't live there yet but I've planned on moving there after the New Year. So I figured that I should at least vacation there since I've never actually been. So, to ring in the New Year, I took off for a week.

On Friday, my traveling companion and I decided to visit Biltmore because neither of us had ever been.

We drove in the gate and parked. Went in the visitor's building where you purchased your tickets. Looked at the prices. Not bad. The "Self-Guided Audio Tour" was only $8. The "Behind the Scenes Tour" was $15. The "Rooftop Tour" was $15.

Very reasonable.

---Continue--->>>

.