Sunday, May 27, 2007

40 at Forty - one down, thirty-nine to go

It's taken me over four months, but I have finally accomplished one of the items on my 40 at Forty list.

Last night, I completed task #28: see all five best picture nominees
  • “Babel”
  • “The Departed”
  • “Letters from Iwo Jima”
  • “Little Miss Sunshine”
  • “The Queen”
I am not sure what will be next, but at least I am on my way.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Preppin' for the 70's Prom

My friends Julie and Cassie were heading to the 70's Prom held last night at The Tavern at Pacific Beach, so Greg and I agreed to come over and help them get ready. As you can see from the photos and the videos, the prep was as much fun as the prom, itself.

This is Julie and her neighbor, Teresa.


And this is Cassie and Julie, starting their face work.



Now it's time to try on the wigs.



A little more mirror time, to make sure things are perfect.



And some final adjustments on the costumes.



And here I am, playing Tony Orlando to my two beautiful Dawns.


And the tip jar, since Julie is working at the bar during the 70's Prom.


Hot chicks belong with cool cars.


And here they are in front of The Tavern.


And this is my buddy, Greg, always willing to lend a hand to make sure the costumes are just right.


And a couple of fun videos...

Julie, trying to zip herself into that tight outfit...


And Cassie and Julie trying out their dance moves...

Late Post - The Virdell Wedding

So many great photos, but this one is my favorite.

Late Post - Our 10th Anniversary Party

Monday, May 7th, marked the 10 year anniversary for Ric and I. The following Saturday, May 12th, we were joined by a group of friends to celebrate. Thank you, everyone, for making the party so fantastic.

Here we are at Urban Mo's - Grant, Brandy, me and Ric

Late Post - Grant's Birthday SCUBA Party

This year, we wanted to do something different for Grant on his birthday. So with the help of our friends Joe and Katy, we threw Grant a SCUBA Pool Party!

Here is the party room and the birthday cake, both decorated in a fish and ocean theme (of course).


Grant, enjoying the first of several margaritas.


And then it was time to get in the water...






Afterwards, most of the gang went to Chili's for dinner. Turns out it was the last night and the last table for our waitress, who was moving to Los Angeles. Nice to meet ya, Jo!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Back in the saddle again...

And here I am, back at work and once again among the land of the living. I'm swamped right now, as you can imagine, but it feels pretty good to be here at the office with Ric.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Getting better... no, not really... well, yeah... but...

This is so frustrating.

I met with the pulmonologist yesterday. I expected him to say that everything was good and that I was ready to go back to work this week. Nope. Instead, I am home for another two weeks.

There was good news. The lung examination showed no signs of cancer, no polyps, and no indications of anything life-threatening. Yay for me!

Now the bad news. I still have severe bronchitis, and my doctor is worried about a relapse resulting in pneumonia. Yikes. So now I am back on the inhaler and nasal sprays for the next 14 days, to see if the bronchial inflammation will go down.

Most of the time, I feel better. I know I am sounding better, too. But then I get a wave of coughing and I struggle to breathe. And of course, all the damn medications make me sleepy. I've begun to nap each day like a child or an old man.

*sigh*

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Off to the Hospital...

... but not to worry. I'm heading to the hospital this morning for testing, that's all.

It's a bronchoscopy, which allows a doctor to examine inside a patient's airway for any abnormality such as foreign bodies, bleeding, a tumor, or inflammation (Thank you, Wikipedia, for the definition.)

I have no concern at all that there is anything to be worried about today. The CT scan already showed that my lungs are clear of any masses or tumors, so I'm not worried about any really bad news.

So why do it? My doctor just wants to make sure that my airways are clear and my breathing is not restricted. It should be a quick test wth no surprises.

The test itself involves the standard hospital visit routine. No eating or drinking after midnight, an IV with some drug to knock me out (or at least make me way calm), then a quick peek down the throat to the opening of the lungs. Sounds easy, right?

I think I am finally beating this thing. I still tire easy, and am enjoying afternoon naps, but the coughing is nowhere near as bad as it was. And not a moment too soon. Ugh, I thought I was going to go crazy with that endless hacking. For the most part, I am only really coughing now when I laugh or when I exert myself. I expect that to lessen in the days to come, too, and I will finally be back at full strength.

Knock on wood, folks. I could be over this and back to work as early as next week.