Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Has Google’s march towards world domination stalled?
Google’s attempts at world domination through the subversion of the efficacy and productivity of the individual user will never have even the limited success that Apple has enjoyed because the Google organization does not have a charismatic front man like Steve Jobs who can convince the individual that by placing their trust in Apple and allowing Apple to control their user experience they will be better off and enjoy something that no other organization can offer. Google just doesn’t have the talent to make that presentation a convincing one. And the marketing of Google’s capabilities, how the individual user benefits from surrendering completely to the Google environment and how Google is more than a search engine is woefully inadequate. Time for Google to find a new pitch man…
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
I’ve lost a bit of the joy…
As we celebrate Christmas I find that I’m not feeling anywhere near as joyous as I have in past years. Sure, we’ve done the same things with variations, but the same things nevertheless. I can’t quite figure out why I don’t feel the joy. Is it because of the sword that hangs over me? the dramatic change in how things go forward from here weighs so very heavily on me. I can no longer travel with impunity; I must now carry huge amounts of medical insurance. What do I do about retirement? Is it the the question of when my life will return to normal? Or is it the overriding need to see my wife back to normal? Her depression, her trying to be all things to all people, and especially her having to take on the role of chauffeur and driver when the weather is bad? My greatest fear is that she will give up and not fight for the future we were planning for…
I’ seem to have become an unhappy person. This is silly. I have so very little to be unhappy about, and so much to be thrilled about. Time to find some joy...
I’ seem to have become an unhappy person. This is silly. I have so very little to be unhappy about, and so much to be thrilled about. Time to find some joy...
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Be an active participant in your own life
There are few things so demeaning, debilitating or soul numbing as not participating in your own life, whether it be because of choice, personal neglect or being actively prevented...
Get in there and take an active role in what is happening to you and your world. Check out my entries on the 'short list'. Maybe it will help.
Stop sleepwalking through life.
Get in there and take an active role in what is happening to you and your world. Check out my entries on the 'short list'. Maybe it will help.
Stop sleepwalking through life.
Monday, December 09, 2013
We are diminished as a species with the passing of each luminary…
Nelson Mandela was such a luminary, and we are diminished as a species with his passing on December 5, 2013.
The timeline of a Stroke
I am assured that everyone is different, so here’s a draft and definitely incomplete narrative of the timeline that tracks my stroke and treatment to date;
Tuesday, November 5, 2013, 4:00 AM. A severe headache woke me and got me out of bed. My wife found me in the kitchen at 4:30 AM, clutching my head. The pain was on the right side of my head. My wife convinced me to take a couple of Tylenol and try to go back to sleep. By the time I felt comfortable enough to get up, my darling was dressed on pretty much ready to begin her commute and her day. I got up, got dressed, took my synthroid, made a cup of coffee then showered and dressed. I left the hose just prior to 8:00 AM to head to work…It was at this point that I realized something wasn’t right….and I recall saying it out loud to myself as I tried to start the Jeep. Things just didn’t feel ‘right’…On one level, it almost felt like I had had a drink or two. I described it to myself, and then to the doctors later as ‘cognitive dissonance’.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 10:30 AM ish. After briefly chatting with staff members, I excused myself to go home to take a nap so that I could be fresh for a 1:00 PM meeting. the headache was not abating, nor was the sense of disorientation. I nearly walked into one of the client support team members. So as I was leaving the building and walking to my Jeep, I decided that a quick trip to the Emergency department was more in order, than just going home for a nap.
The initial visit to Emergency was very unsatisfactory. I got tucked into the back of a largish holding area, was hooked up to a heart monitor and left alone for over an hour. I got cold. I got hungry… no one came when I pressed the call button…so I dressed, put on my very distinctive hat and long leather coat and walked past the nurses station which had three or four nurses hanging about, and left the emergency area without being challenged.
I went back to work, ate my packed lunch and acquitted myself reasonably well during the meeting. Apparently I looked terrible, and my direct supervisor was mortified to discover that I had been at the hospital, but had come back to work. She insisted that I go home immediately after the meeting…I didn’t. I waited another couple of hours… I also talked with my wife who was equally upset that I had gone to the hospital and left. I arrived home at about 5:00 PM; she immediately put me back into the Jeep and took me to Emergency. Once in Emerg, we saw a doctor this time within 20 minutes. I had a CT scan within half an hour of that…. and the doctor, Dr. Wong confirmed that the CT showed a bleed. I was in a transfer ambulance within minutes headed to the University of Alberta Hospital Emergency room… the CTs follow.
I've had to remove the CT scans because their labelling contains a bit too much personal information. I am working on editting the images to remove the personal info and will re-post soon. Hopefully later today or early tomorrow.
Thursday, November 6, 2013 an angiogram and angioplasty was performed to map the vascular structure and bleed in my brain.
Friday, November 8, 2013 what can only be described as brain surgery was performed to ensure the bleed was closed off and to do some preventative work to ensure it didn't happen again. there seems to be some confusion on the date and what actually happened. What they did was perform an arteriovenous fistula embolization. Huh? It means they squirted a type of glue into the compromised vascular structure and sealed the leaks.
I’ll post this incomplete narrative now…but I will come back and edit it and complete it in the next day or so.
Wednesday, Novmber 13, 2013... they let me go home...
December 2, 2013... first meeting and assessment with the Stroke Rehabilitation team at the Glenrose Hospital in Edmonton Alberta.
December 6, 2013.... meeting with Dr. Michael Chow, the neuro surgeon who worked his magic on the plumbing in my brain.
December 2013... referral to Dr. Michael Johnson, NeuroOpthomologist. Still haven't heard a word...
Tuesday, January 7, 2014... first full sessions with therapists at the Glenrose.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013, 4:00 AM. A severe headache woke me and got me out of bed. My wife found me in the kitchen at 4:30 AM, clutching my head. The pain was on the right side of my head. My wife convinced me to take a couple of Tylenol and try to go back to sleep. By the time I felt comfortable enough to get up, my darling was dressed on pretty much ready to begin her commute and her day. I got up, got dressed, took my synthroid, made a cup of coffee then showered and dressed. I left the hose just prior to 8:00 AM to head to work…It was at this point that I realized something wasn’t right….and I recall saying it out loud to myself as I tried to start the Jeep. Things just didn’t feel ‘right’…On one level, it almost felt like I had had a drink or two. I described it to myself, and then to the doctors later as ‘cognitive dissonance’.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 10:30 AM ish. After briefly chatting with staff members, I excused myself to go home to take a nap so that I could be fresh for a 1:00 PM meeting. the headache was not abating, nor was the sense of disorientation. I nearly walked into one of the client support team members. So as I was leaving the building and walking to my Jeep, I decided that a quick trip to the Emergency department was more in order, than just going home for a nap.
The initial visit to Emergency was very unsatisfactory. I got tucked into the back of a largish holding area, was hooked up to a heart monitor and left alone for over an hour. I got cold. I got hungry… no one came when I pressed the call button…so I dressed, put on my very distinctive hat and long leather coat and walked past the nurses station which had three or four nurses hanging about, and left the emergency area without being challenged.
I went back to work, ate my packed lunch and acquitted myself reasonably well during the meeting. Apparently I looked terrible, and my direct supervisor was mortified to discover that I had been at the hospital, but had come back to work. She insisted that I go home immediately after the meeting…I didn’t. I waited another couple of hours… I also talked with my wife who was equally upset that I had gone to the hospital and left. I arrived home at about 5:00 PM; she immediately put me back into the Jeep and took me to Emergency. Once in Emerg, we saw a doctor this time within 20 minutes. I had a CT scan within half an hour of that…. and the doctor, Dr. Wong confirmed that the CT showed a bleed. I was in a transfer ambulance within minutes headed to the University of Alberta Hospital Emergency room… the CTs follow.
I've had to remove the CT scans because their labelling contains a bit too much personal information. I am working on editting the images to remove the personal info and will re-post soon. Hopefully later today or early tomorrow.
Thursday, November 6, 2013 an angiogram and angioplasty was performed to map the vascular structure and bleed in my brain.
Friday, November 8, 2013 what can only be described as brain surgery was performed to ensure the bleed was closed off and to do some preventative work to ensure it didn't happen again. there seems to be some confusion on the date and what actually happened. What they did was perform an arteriovenous fistula embolization. Huh? It means they squirted a type of glue into the compromised vascular structure and sealed the leaks.
I’ll post this incomplete narrative now…but I will come back and edit it and complete it in the next day or so.
Wednesday, Novmber 13, 2013... they let me go home...
December 2, 2013... first meeting and assessment with the Stroke Rehabilitation team at the Glenrose Hospital in Edmonton Alberta.
December 6, 2013.... meeting with Dr. Michael Chow, the neuro surgeon who worked his magic on the plumbing in my brain.
December 2013... referral to Dr. Michael Johnson, NeuroOpthomologist. Still haven't heard a word...
Tuesday, January 7, 2014... first full sessions with therapists at the Glenrose.
Sunday, December 08, 2013
Changing focus…
While the original purpose of this blog was to present my somewhat self indulgent views, it changed when I was ambushed by oral cancer a little over seven years ago. This past November (2013) was the six anniversary of the beginnings of the treatments to rid me of that particular foul demon. November is the month that marks the anniversary of the surgical intervention. May is the month that marks the my return to work, and that I use as the beginning of 'my new normal'.
I had tried to get back to discussing the goings on in the world with this blog, but haven’t been having much success…. probably more about interest and whether or not anyone actually cared, especially given the number of fabulous blogs and bloggers out there… but now I’ve been encouraged to resume….I need to build my ‘brand’ again, and develop it so much further because of my personal long range plans.
When I developed the cancer my mantra was 'I'M NOT DONE YET!" This attitude carried me through the surgery and the treatments... it still carries me forward... I'm not done by a long shot.
And we also now have a new milestone that requires a ‘marker’. In November of 2013 I was ambushed by a haemorrhagic stroke which was in part a result of the cancer surgeries and the radiation treatments.
I’m also adopting a new bit of technology…so let’s see what we can do with this. If it fails miserably from a technology/format point of view, I will invesitigate and potentially move to WordPress.
I’m also starting to dabble with Twitter. And I need to find a more user friendly replacement for Google Drive that a small group of writer friends can use without fear…
And I probably should rename his blog, especially if I am going to move on building a new blog and a new brand. Maybe I will break it out into three different blogs. Maybe that will help give focus to my writing. Got any suggestions for the name of these blogs? Some of the thoughts I've had:
Well, my move to change up this blog and to envigorate other existing blogs I started years ago in the Blogger universe have been reduced to a series of investigations and a planning exercise, rather than an effort at effecting significant change quickly. I am now starting to question the platform to be used. I have been seriously looking through the Blogger tool kits, and have been fascinated by the thought of monetizing my blogging efforts. The challenge is that without a commitment from Google AdSense to place ads in these blogs there isn't a lot of point in pursuing the redesign and content development on this platform, is there?. If only they'd say 'yes'...and then I would attack the redesign, content development and redeployment with hammer and tongs. But in the meantime I find myself checking out competitive platforms such as WordPress and Tumblr, trying to determine where will I be happiest going forward.
To be fair, I should point out that I am not just spinning my wheels here waiting for Google AdSense to make up their minds. I have developed a publishing plan for each of three blogs, and have taken a stab at trying to define a structure for a fourth. Content dev comes next.
I had tried to get back to discussing the goings on in the world with this blog, but haven’t been having much success…. probably more about interest and whether or not anyone actually cared, especially given the number of fabulous blogs and bloggers out there… but now I’ve been encouraged to resume….I need to build my ‘brand’ again, and develop it so much further because of my personal long range plans.
And yes, I do have long range plans. How could I not? I have survived two major health issues. I've got things to do. I am reminded of the funny little saying that floated around a number of years ago; "God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I'm so far behind I don't think I'll ever die."
When I developed the cancer my mantra was 'I'M NOT DONE YET!" This attitude carried me through the surgery and the treatments... it still carries me forward... I'm not done by a long shot.
And we also now have a new milestone that requires a ‘marker’. In November of 2013 I was ambushed by a haemorrhagic stroke which was in part a result of the cancer surgeries and the radiation treatments.
I’m also adopting a new bit of technology…so let’s see what we can do with this. If it fails miserably from a technology/format point of view, I will invesitigate and potentially move to WordPress.
I’m also starting to dabble with Twitter. And I need to find a more user friendly replacement for Google Drive that a small group of writer friends can use without fear…
And I probably should rename his blog, especially if I am going to move on building a new blog and a new brand. Maybe I will break it out into three different blogs. Maybe that will help give focus to my writing. Got any suggestions for the name of these blogs? Some of the thoughts I've had:
- Not Done Yet; for the blog about my medical trials and tribulations
- Dodging Bullets; also for the blog about my medical stuff. I've had numerous people, including two doctors, use the phrase for how I've managed to survive that which should have/could have killed me. there are a couple of blogs out there that use a variation on the name... I need to examine them more closely to see how I can differentiate mine from theirs.
- My New Normal; or a variation on a the theme for discussions about the cancer, the stroke and how I live my life. I kinda like this one... the challenge is that so do a lot of blog writers. We'll have to stay away from it as it is becoming a bit of a clicne.
- FOAMing. this is based on the acronym Frustrated Older Adult Male...the inference is, of course, foaming at the mouth in a rabid sort of way. This blog would be where I'd tuck away all my rants and complaints about politics, consumerization, and generally the things that that
- I think the rest of the world should be paying attention to. I need to work on the acronym, because I don't want it to be completely negative in nature. I want to be able to put up product, book, restaurant reviews and have them taken seriously. How about; 'From the Outlook of an Older Adult Male? Needs work, doesnt' it? The frustrated old man angle has been used over and over, and for the most part not very well. I don't think we'll be using this one... ;) Gotta come up with a more positive way to present these topics and this view point.
- backstories; this will be my writing, editing blog that I will use to build my brand for my efforts at being a writer and editor.
Well, my move to change up this blog and to envigorate other existing blogs I started years ago in the Blogger universe have been reduced to a series of investigations and a planning exercise, rather than an effort at effecting significant change quickly. I am now starting to question the platform to be used. I have been seriously looking through the Blogger tool kits, and have been fascinated by the thought of monetizing my blogging efforts. The challenge is that without a commitment from Google AdSense to place ads in these blogs there isn't a lot of point in pursuing the redesign and content development on this platform, is there?. If only they'd say 'yes'...and then I would attack the redesign, content development and redeployment with hammer and tongs. But in the meantime I find myself checking out competitive platforms such as WordPress and Tumblr, trying to determine where will I be happiest going forward.
To be fair, I should point out that I am not just spinning my wheels here waiting for Google AdSense to make up their minds. I have developed a publishing plan for each of three blogs, and have taken a stab at trying to define a structure for a fourth. Content dev comes next.
Long term Memory is fine...
Yes, what has happened recently is classed as a form of stroke; hemorrhagic. This was a 'bleed' rather than a clot... so what happened was that blood pooled in my brain and caused a bit of bruising. As of this past Friday's CT scan, the blood has been absorbed, most of the swelling has gone down, and there is some minimal residual bruising (edema).
But let me just assure my friends and acquaintances that my memory is functioning nearly perfectly. I still remember where all the bodies are buried, and what shoes you were wearing at the time....
;)
But let me just assure my friends and acquaintances that my memory is functioning nearly perfectly. I still remember where all the bodies are buried, and what shoes you were wearing at the time....
;)
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