Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Your Mission Should You Choose To Accept It...

So, I'm sitting in the hospital, cruising through the net as I've been prone to do now, and I found a recently de-classified video file. It looks like the IMF are getting back in the game, with some serious issues to resolve. Check it out:





I have to say, it looks good! It's nice to see Simon Pegg in the M:I movies. It's also cool to see Jeremy Renner in this as well. Ever since I saw him in that one Angel episode he did, I've kept an eye on his career. He's done very well. I'm also glad to see J.J. Abrams is behind the camera again. He did an amazing job with M:I 3, even if it took me a little while to get used to the changes. This is going to be a great birthday present for myself.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

A Medical Farce...

In a previous post, I laid out my current medical situation. When last I wrote, I was expecting to go into surgery on Monday to get my gall bladder removed. Well, I was moved down to the OR and then spent 4 hours waiting. I even fell asleep several times while waiting for my turn to go under the knife. After the four hours, my doctor/surgeon comes in and tells me that he's not comfortable with going through with the surgery because it was late in the day, and he didn't want to be rushed during the procedure. So the surgery was rescheduled for today, Tuesday. In the meantime, my privilege of actually INGESTING food, as opposed to having it fed intra-venously into my system, was restored. I was treated to a dinner of 3 servings of Jello (lime, orange, and cherry), some chicken broth, apple juice & some tea. It was DELICIOUS!!

And that brings us up to today. I was told this morning that I would get surgery today around 1:30pm. By 2pm, I started to have doubts if the surgery was going to happen. I got moved down to the OR and several members of the anesthesia team started talking to me. So, I'm like "Okay, this is it." Then my surgeon walks up and tells me that most likely the surgery wasn't going to happen. At least, not today and most definitely NOT in this hospital. And there are solid reasons why.

There are some of you out there reading this that think you are fat. Guess what? You're not fat, but I AM. I weigh 500 pounds (I was weighed the first night I was here.) and I'm shaped like a small moon with arms, legs, and a head. The point of this is that while the surgical table can handle my weight, but it might not be wide enough for me. Normally, the procedure requires a breathing tube to be placed down my throat while I'm knocked out. Given my size, there's a risk that once the tube is removed, I might not be able to start breathing right away, which would lead to my death. My surgeon decided to contact the most badass surgical team with expertise in morbidly obese people: the crack staff of Lahey Clinic.

It turns out that the peeps at Lahey had just encountered a similar situation with one of their patients. Their solution was elegant in its simplicity. Since the patient's weight is what makes the surgery high-risk, have the patient lose weight.  So the plan, in its broad strokes, is that I need to lose 50lbs in order to drastically increase the safety factor of the surgery. In order to accomplish this, the Lahey peeps recommended a specialized diet to my surgeon and I'm waiting to hear the details of it.

The thing that pisses me off is that the people here KNEW my weight & size as I came in this past Thursday. Why did it take 5.5 days to figure out that they couldn't do the surgery here?? I've been stabbed with enough needles to make even the most prolific pin cushion crazy with jealousy. I've been attached to an IV with a machine that NEVER STOPPED beeping and gurgling. I haven't slept right for over a week (since before my hospital stay when I was sick). All of this for a surgery that now isn't going to happen for at least a month according to the new plan. If I wasn't so damned tired, I would be royally PISSED!!!

I'm going to be in the hospital for a couple more days, so they can monitor the diet. Then in two weeks, I have an appointment with a Doc at the Lahey clinic. I guess the question now is: how long will it take for me to lose 50lbs?

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Weird Al's Latest...

This is one of the many reasons I hate being sick. Aside from the pain and personal issues, I'm not able to keep up with current events. On June 20th, Weird Al finally released the video to his parody of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" called "Perform This Way". I think Al has completely out done himself this time! Check it out:





Absolutely hilarious!! Although, I would like to see the making of for this video, if for no other reason than to see who was Al's "stand-in" for the video. I can't wait to get this album.

Current Events

This past Friday, I got sick. It felt like a stomach bug or possibly food poisoning. There was a lot of stomach pains and some throwing up. It lasted through Sat & Sun. By Monday, things were calming down but I still felt like hammered crap. I took Tues off of work and things started looking up. Tues night and Wednesday, I was feeling better.

Then on Thursday, things got worse.. I threw up twice at work. Then I took the rest of the day off and went to an Immediate Care Facility. They did some testing, and I got insanely worse. The pain got worse and worse and the throwing up got more frequent. I was then shipped via ambulance to St. Joseph's hospital, where they gave me some excellent medication (a.k.a. drugs) and took the pain away. You know, they say that the lack of pain can have a narcotic effect, and I'm here to say, that is ABSOLUTELY true.

The downside to staying out of pain: not eating anything. AT ALL. Since Thursday morning, I have not eaten a single thing. I'm on IV fluids. Which is good, given how dehydrated I was after all the throwing up. For those of you out there trying to lose weight, I would NOT recommend this type of diet. Being tethered to a steadily beeping machine that prevents you from sleeping properly and follows you everywhere is NOT a good way to live. And it's especially torturous given how many food commercials there are on tv. Honestly, I've never really noticed how many until this weekend. Although, IHOP's beef & bacon burgers look REALLY GOOD!!!

 The other key thing that happened at St. Joseph's is that I found out the cause of my troubles: gall stones. Yep, I got gall stones and they started getting uppity and pissing off my pancreas and liver (which release enzymes to help digestion). Not eating gives my system a chance to clear out the gall stones in my system now. But that's only a temporary fix.

Apparently, to clear this up, I have to have my gall bladder removed since this is the source of the gall stones. So, to be safe, the doc put me up in a nice room at St. J's. I found this out on Thursday night, after which my cell phone died. So I was off the grid for Fri & Sat. I used the room phone to reach out to some family and Sat night, I got my cell charger and some other necessities. So, I'm back online and putting the word out on my current situation. At the moment, I'm waiting to hear on the results of the MRI exam I took in this machine that looked like a combination of a Cryo-Sleep chamber and a Photon Torpedo tube (with radio, no less!) on Sat.

Honestly, I'm nervous about the gall bladder removal on Monday. The part that I find surprising is that I'm not as scared as I think I should be. I think it's because I got through all that ten years ago when I had my appendix removed. Given my weight, there are some concerns with anesthesia, but nothing too alarming. I hope it goes well. I'll let you know how it goes.   

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Torchwood: Miracle Day....


It's getting closer!! Soon the "miracle" will be upon us. But is it really a blessing? Or is there something more sinister behind it?? I have found people speaking out about the miracle. Despite serious threats to my self, I have compiled their stories here! See for yourself, and listen to what they have to say:



Capt. Jack Harkness

Gwen Cooper

Oswald Danes

Esther Drummond

Rex Matheson

And Jilly Kitzinger:




You will remember where you were when the miracle arrives...

Lara Croft Reborn...

I have to admit I never actually played any of the original Tomb Raider games. The concept came across too much like Indiana Jones only with a hot chick packing twin handguns. I watched as the series got worse and worse, and when the movies came out, I figured they were the final nail in the coffin of Lara Croft. It looked like it was over. And I honestly, didn't give it a second thought.

I first heard about this reboot of the Tomb Raider series  when Game Informer did a feature article on the series. What made it interesting was that the people behind this reboot, decided to revamp everything from the ground up including Lara herself. The magazine with the feature revealed Lara's new look and I was amazed and encouraged. Gone was the teenage boy's wet dream of big boobs, tight shorts, and pistols, and in her place was a very realistic, beautiful woman facing some serious stakes. From what the article said, this Tomb Raider game was going to be not only the beginning of a new more realistic Lara Croft, but also the beginning of her story. This game is going to play out her first adventure and show the world why her story is so captivating.

The article talked a good game, and it did gain my interest, but I still had my doubts. Today, I got a look at the first trailer for the new Tomb Raider game, and I am encouraged. Check it out:





It really looks interesting, doesn't it? For the first time ever, I'm actually interested in Lara Croft, and don't see her as a female Indiana Jones. For that alone, the producers of the game (Crystal Dynamics & Square Enix) should be lauded! When the game comes out, playing it will be an interesting experience.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Internet Meme-O-Rama Returns!!!

And here I thought that there couldn't be any more questions to answer on the CyberWeb NetSpace. But here's another one, courtesy of that ingenious time waster: Facebook!! Feel free to copy and paste on your pages, blogs, journals, etc...  Just remember to come up with YOUR OWN ANSWERS!!!

01. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
Coke

02. Where was your profile picture taken?
Cedar Crest in Lawrence, MA

03. Can you play Guitar Hero?  
Yes. We won't discuss my skill level 

04. Name someone who made you laugh today?  
Joanie at work.

05. How late did you stay up last night and why?  
11pm, I was watching TV!! Do you know who River Song is?

06. If you could move somewhere else, would you?  
Yes, I would.

07. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
Nope.

08. Which of your friends lives closest to you?
I don't really know. I think Jenn lives closest.  

09. Do you believe ex's can be friends?  
Yes, I'm friends with all of my exes. It might take awhile, but it happens. 

10. How do you feel about moutain dew?
It makes my feet damp in the morning. It's why I don't like going camping.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?
A few days ago. I was watching a comedy special and I was laughing so hard, tears were streaming out my eyes...

12. Who took your profile picture?  
My youngest sister

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
I don't actually remember.

14. Was yesterday better than today?  
Not really...

15. Can you live a day without TV?  
Yes, it's called reading! And there's something about it being fun & mental... or something..

16. Are you upset about anything?  
Not at the moment, but give it time..

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it??  
Always...

18. Are you a bad influence? Me? Really?  
Nah.. I don't influence anyone, people make their own decisions.. Honestly!

19. Night out or night in?  
Depends on the activity.. 

20. What items could you not go without during the day?  
I can go without pretty much everything.

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?  
My Mom a long time ago...

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
It's my little sister asking for help with Zelda.

23. How do you feel about your life right now?
As my other sister says.... Meh..

24. Do you hate anyone right now?  
I hate the Lannisters! Those sodding, bastard screwing asswipes!!!

25. If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find?  
A bunch of messages.. Seriously, who's coming up with these questions?? 

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
Of course, I'm strange enough as is, I don't need drugs.

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?  
Yes, a perfect pain in the ass!!!

28. What song is stuck in your head?
Bailamos by Enrique Iglesias.. 

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be?  
A beautiful woman wanting to have wild sex with me! Of course, I sleep like a corpse so she'd have to be knocking for a LONG, LONG time.

30.Wanna have grand kids by the time you're 50?   
Nah... 50 is the new 30!

31. What do you have to do tomorrow?
Work, laundry... work...

32. Do you think too much or too little?  
There is NO SUCH THING as thinking too little!! How dare you suggest such a thing!!

New Info on Batman Arkham City...

See, this is why I love E3. So much awesome information comes out in such a short period of time. And I've been really looking forward to what is coming up next for all my interests!!! And so far, I haven't been disappointed at all!!

For all my fellow Bat fans, we get a new look at the gameplay for Batman: Arkham City. This includes some in game cinematic footage of the man (or men?) himself (themselves?): Two-Face!!  They show off a little more of what you can do as Batman, including interrogating a Riddler informant!! And they start it off with a surprise reveal!!! Check it out:





Talk about awesome, right? I can't wait till this game comes out!! It is SO going to rock! And with 25+ hours of gameplay, it's going to allow for a longer trip into the world of Batman!

Playstation brings new life with the PS Vita!

Well, it's official! Sony's Next-Gen portable gaming system has just been announced!! It's called the PS Vita (the latin term for life!)


Looks sleek and sexy! Here's the quick specs:

-- Dual analog sticks
-- Front & Rear mounted cameras
-- 5 inch OLED touchscreen
-- Multi-Touch Pad (on the back)
-- Sixaxis motion sensor
-- Wi-Fi capable
-- 3G enabled (through AT&T)

The wi-fi only version retails for $249. If you want 3G, the price goes up to $299. Check out this demo video:




Wanna trade in your PSP for this one, don't cha?? Hmm?? Admit it, you know you want one!! Me? I'm going to wait and see how this baby handles before I start drooling for it. Sony has a bit of a bad track record with their V1 machines. But it's still exciting to see!