not out of the woods yet...

So I did the long (7 hour) round trip to Odessa yesterday for a 30 minute consult with my cardiologist.  Nothing too horrible from my stress test results - just a tiny blip that may indicate blockage or may just be nothing.  To be on the safe side, I am going back next week for an angiogram.  Seems all my vacations involve a hospital visit now...

To help take my mind off health issues, I had my first chili head visitors today.  Pat comes by every year during chili cook-off season - always wearing his Benita t shirt.  This time he brought Cathy, Zoe (the bee), and Molly (the lady bug).  These are my first official trick or treaters.  Ben and Chupa approved... 62,69,46,0,B 

a monday matinee

On the road today...can't embed the video from mobile - so click on this Link.

trip scripture...

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

gotta go back...

Got the dreaded call yesterday afternoon that my cardiologist wants to have me back for a followup right away on Monday.  Good news is they didn't suggest I go to the ER immediately.  Bad news is, based on the images from my stress test there might be some blockage to contend with.  I asked if I needed to make immediate plans for a couple of days in the hospital and all they would tell me is that the doctor most likely will want to schedule an angiogram next (the gold standard for detecting blockages in the arterial system).  Best case scenario is that they don't end up finding any blockage.  Second best scenario is that I am only a candidate for balloon angioplasty and/or stent placement - which really isn't so bad considering how common this procedure is.  Worst case scenario would be if I need surgical bypass surgery (which would kind of suck but not really that bad considering how common that procedure is).  Planning on doing the long round trip on Monday (without getting another speeding ticket) for the consult.  Already have my house sitter in place in case I have to stay a couple of days (if they can schedule whatever right away).  59,63,40,0,B 

a friday night film

61,66,50,0,W

my spidey senses are tingling tonight...

Technetium (^99mTc) sestamibi (INN) (commonly sestamibi; USP: technetium Tc 99m sestamibi; trade name Cardiolite) is a pharmaceutical agent used in nuclear medicine imaging. The drug is a coordination complex consisting of the radioisotope technetium-99m bound to six (sesta=6) methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) ligands. The anion is not defined. The generic drug became available late September 2008. A scan of a patient using MIBI is commonly known as a "MIBI scan."

Sestamibi is mainly used to image the myocardium (heart muscle). It is also used in the work-up of primary hyperparathyroidism to identify parathyroid adenomas, for radioguided surgery of the parathyroid and in the work-up of possible breast cancer.  82,90,59,9,W

lovely odessa

foiled...

On final countdown for departure tomorrow for my little overnight-er to Odessa for my stress test.  House sitter (armed) arrives in the morning to look after my herd and my empire while I am gone.  Thought it would be clever to wear a "RADIOACTIVE" t shirt for the procedure.  Unfortunately, Amazon failed me (happens very rarely) and sent a black child size t shirt instead that has "ADORKABLE" on it.  Wouldn't be surprised if my brother had a hand in that.  His kids used to call me "uncle dork".  Oh well...a "BE LIKE CHUPA" t shirt will have to do.  65,71,58,0,W

a monday matinee...

Satan at work...live

Recently I came across this live stream.  It features the 24 hour doings of homeless drug addicts encamped on the streets in Everett, Washington.  Since going live in August, the steam has attracted 1,000's of daily viewers, and usually has a very active chat room.  They even have a Facebook page.

"What this stream is:
This stream is set up to bring awareness to the homeless / druggy encampment on the sidewalk of Smith Ave. A lot of these people do have homes but choose to congregate here and do drugs anyways. The people in this encampment cause thousands of dollars of damage to local businesses every year. Some of the things they do are smash vehicle windows and loot them, harass customers, defecate on the sidewalks and parking lots, thrash the gardens, and break windows on buildings. Recently they smashed out a $2800 window at one of the businesses. They also leave tons of trash everywhere that the city cleans up 3 times a week. It is an absolute mess and has been extremely frustrating to the local business owners. We hope this camera can bring an end to this issue.

FAQ -This stream is located at the intersection of 36th St and Smith Ave in Everett, Washington, USA. -These people do know they're being watched. -Crime and drug deals have cut down since this started. -The stream has been up since the beginning of August and will be up indefinitely.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

dinner stream...

Live streaming bunny dinnertime every night from 6:30 to 7:30 PM CST.   Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you won't miss the excitement.

a friday night film

79,83,57,0,C

signs of civilization...

79,83,57,0,B

morning color

Been a long time since I have had a really good sunrise.  83,88,50,0,C

ECG

Normal ECG  "cannot rule out septal infarct" (due to my age and other risk factors).  As a precautionary measure, I am going in for a nuclear stress test next week - should make for a good YouTube video.  Apparently I will be radioactive for a short time and have been instructed to maintain at least 6 feet of distance between myself and any children or pregnant women for 24 hours following the test.  You have been warned.  83,88,47,0,C

a monday matinee...

context is everything...

the rest of the story...

a pressing issue...

One tool I have found very handy out here is an air compressor.  My 15 year old Porter Cable has been showing its age for the past year.  Finally got to the point where it was blowing the breaker on my generator every time I fired it up.  Trouble shot the issue back to the pressure switch.  Found a replacement online - a no-brainer as far as shopping goes.  Replace the switch for $95 or buy a whole new compressor for $107.  89,94,61,0,C

a friday night film

87,93,64,0,C

OBS

Finally figured out the settings for a decent live stream on YouTube with my slow upload speed using free software.  85,92,55,0,B

tailgate day...

The latch on my tailgate has gotten progressively worse over the past year.  Just replaced it today for $17 (including shipping).  76,82,56,0,B

fall(ish)

54,77,56,0,B

a monday matinee...

83,94,61,0,C

Being in the world but not of the world...

going live...

Working on live streaming video again.  Stay tuned...
81,89,72,0,B

a friday night film

88,95,69,0,B

Harbor Freight...

Just had a burn out last night.  How long do the 12 volt light bulbs last from those Harbor Freight solar panel kits?  Almost 4 years.  84,90,67,0,B

What happens in Vegas...

While what happened in Las Vegas is certainly a horrible tragedy, at least we are done hearing about the NFL now. For about a week I had been commenting on Facebook that I wonder what the next issue will be that will drown out the last.  Interesting how some really important issue grabs the attention of everyone on social media for as long as their attention span will allow - or until something new comes along. How many times has the gun issue come to the forefront only to fade away after people lose interest and move on to the next pressing issue? One might think they could stay on point about gun deaths but it seems that so called "mass shootings" are the only thing that gets their attention...and for only so long. Perhaps it is because overall gun violence is most common in poor urban areas and frequently associated with gang violence, often involving male juveniles or young adult males. I guess poor young bad guys killing each other isn't as bad as a sudden "attack on a large group of innocent victims".  At least 40 people are murdered every day in the US, yet there is no daily outcry.  Although "mass shootings" are slightly on the rise lately, they still account for a small fraction of overall gun-related deaths (yet they always get extensive coverage in the media).  It should be noted that from 1968 - 2017, approximately 1.5 million people have been killed by firearms in the U.S. It that same time period, Americans have asserted their "right to choose" by willfully killing over 50 million babies in abortion clinics at a current rate of over 3,000 per day.  An "attack on a large group of innocent victims" that never gets a whisper in any media.

7 years ago...

Facebook sent me a reminder this morning.  Hard to believe on this day 7 years ago I had just finished putting 72 sheets of tin on the greenhouse roof.  At the time, I was a bit over zealous on my rain catchment calculation.  The roof gives me 1,500 gallons per inch of rain.  BTW - thanks for all the words of encouragement on getting to work on cleaning out the greenhouse.  I am almost convinced.  84,88,70,0,B 

a monday matinee...

84,92,65,0,B

Has he gone to a "better place"?

Hugh Hefner died last night. I'm sorry he's dead. I'm sorry for his family. But mostly I'm sorry for the incredible damage he did to society as one of the pioneers of the sexual revolution and a driving force behind our cultural decay.
It's unfortunate that we must point out the fact that Hefner was a pornographer and a pimp. That his life's work was to amass a collection of desperate women who were willing to be used and exploited. But we must tell this truth in order to combat the untruths that people are now saying about him.
We live in a country where men like Hefner are immediately canonized upon death. I've seen Hefner described as a "hero" and a "role model." These are lies, and we must call them lies. The fact that Hefner is dead does not change the fact that he was a peddler of filth. If a man wishes to be remembered as virtuous and decent, he must live virtuously and decently. We don't become virtuous and decent when we die, as if death itself washes away every bad thing we've done. Quite the opposite, actually. Death is when we reckon with the bad things.
I've been assured that Hefner is "in a better place" now. I realize this is just a thing we say about all dead people, no matter who they are and what they did. And indeed it's possible that Hefner repented before death and has now entered the Better Place. But to confidently state as fact that a pornographer is in Heaven is arrogant and dangerous. Pray that God has mercy on him, but do not run around declaring that a man who spent his life having orgies and taking pictures of naked women must necessarily be reaping eternal rewards.
Let's try to be serious for a change. Let's treat the death of a man like Hefner with somber honesty. It is always sad when someone dies. It is even sadder when a corrupt and decadent man dies. We may have hope that a man of great faith and goodness is in Heaven. We may have the same hope for the corrupt man, but it is a slimmer hope. So, we simply trust in the mercy and justice of God, knowing that He will deliver us all to the destinations we have chosen. And, if we must learn anything from Hefner's life, it's that a life of selfish pleasure seems so pointless once it's over. That is the great lesson he taught us.
May God have mercy on him and all sinners. Amen.
- Matt Walsh