Sat Aug 1 = Today's big project was to resize and crop the pictures I picked yesterday. Then I added HTML code to my blog web page which added 12 of the videos and images you see above. This was an involved process and took most of the day. At least the images will be ready to add to my TRIPS web page when the time comes.
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I DID find time to jog up to Punta Popi and visit with the Kite Life guys . I figured the exercise would be good for me and the blood circulation good for my hand.
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While fixing and eating supper I listen to an Ellen DeGeneres stand-up comedy show. According to the credits, it took 60 people for Ellen to get up on stage and talk for an hour. I'm surely glad I'm not famous (little chance, eh?).
Sun Aug 2 = This morning I added a couple of Boca River images to my blog for July 17. A little after noon Alex came over to help me pack my big kite bags, as I only have one usable hand. I had things pretty well organized and it only took us about Lou 15 minutes. Thanks Alex!
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Around 2:00 I headed to the beach in my swim trunks. Instead of going directly to Punta Popi to the east as usual, I walked west about 15 minutes then turned around and headed toward Punta Popi, jogging, for the same reasons as yesterday. Just before I reached the point I got a severe cramping my left calf. It didn't really get better in the 45 minutes I was at the point.
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I WAS able to walk along the beach back to the hotel without too much of an obvious limp. At 9:00 PM, 7 hours later, my left calf was still painful which makes me think of possible DVT (deep vein thrombosis). I'll mention it to the Dr. tomorrow when he looks at my hand. I hope they have Doppler ultrasound.
Mon Aug 3 = Today I went to the hospital - day seven since the accident. Dr Agular said my fingers were doing OK, except my right ring finger, which is reddish and a little swollen, so he put me on blood thinners, which should also help my possible DVT, and I should be okay to fly home to phoenix tomorrow.
This afternoon and evening was spent packing up.
- About bedtime I ate a ham sandwich for tomorrow's launch, deciding it would be easier if I did not have to worry about my meals so much tomorrow. I also fixed up the dry part of my cereal breakfast and made a sandwich for tomorrow with my remaining five slices of cheese and two pieces of bread.
Tue Aug 4 = Things went like clockwork today. Tony, the taxi driver, arrived right on time and we headed out, stopping by the hospital emergency room for my second and final blood thinner injection and the bank, because I had underestimated my need for Dominican pesos by $700. At the Puerto Plata Airport there was a BIG crowd. The plane was overbooked and I was one of about 20 who agreed to be bumped. So now I have a $1000 travel voucher (I later learned that I should have requested $1200 CASH) for my next kiteboarding trip. Where should should I go? American Airlines put us up at the Barceló Hotel in Puerto Plata, including all our transportation and meals.
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The hotel has a big variety show every night, so I went around back through the the stage door and Talked to Franklin Vicioso, the producer, and ended up doing 5 minutes of stand-up comedy for the crowd of 700, my largest yet. Franklin was VERY concerned that my routine would be family friendly, mentioning that multiple times. Daniel, the host, gave me my first bilingual introduction. After my set Franklin congratulated me on doing a good job and said that the the crowd enjoyed it. I didn't think they responded all that much. He said that I was now part of the family and welcome back any time. All the performers that I met seemed to be congenial and to get along well. Next time, if there is a next time, I'll try to help the crowd feel more comfortable laughing... out loud.
Wed Aug 5 = This morning after the breakfast buffet, I spent about 20 minutes writing (with my bad right hand) a note thanking Franklin for letting me be a small part of last night's show, then packed up, checked out of the Barceló Hotel and took a taxi to the airport (again, courtesy of American Airlines).
- The American Airlines staff was very accommodating. Maybe they felt sorry for me because of my hurt hand, because I'm so old, because they bumped me yesterday or because I'm so ugly. At any rate they booked me on a non-stop flight from Miami to Phoenix, saving me hours and a stop in Houston. To Miami, they stuck me, for my first time ever, in business class. I had three trays an all sorts of goodies to pay with including my own 110v outlet... and a personable seat mate. To Phoenix I was demoted to being one of the peons back in row 17.
- Miami was the first time I used my Trusted Traveler /
Pre-Check status, and it was slick. I was able to bypass several long lines and breeze through immigration / customs.
- 10:30pm: It's good to be home...even with a dead van battery (measured at zero vots), which wouldn't even accept a charge with my high-tech Granite charger until I hit the battery with a charge about 15 minutes of 10 Amps from my old-fashion anaog charger. My Van's LiFeMnPO house battery was good at 13.12v
Thu Aug 6 = Doctor Day, straining my logistics brain: All day I was running on adrenaline after only 4.5 hour of sleep last night, but this had to be done... today.
- First thing I saw Dr Rosa Banuelos who arranged a doppler ultrasound this afternoon due to swelling and possible DVT in my left leg (turned out negative) and a late afternoon appointment with Dr Andrew Blount, hand specialist.
Fri Aug 7 = This afternoon I took my van in to C&R Tire for the AC which had lost all its R134a when I was in the DR. They found massive leaks in the deteriorated rear AC evaporator. They expect to finish the job tomorrow.
Sat Aug 8 = This afternoon Brian brought over a Ford F-150 pickup from C&R Tire for me to drive until they have my van AC fixed on Monday.
- At Dickey's BBQ in Scottsdale was this evening's hamfeast.
Sun Aug 9 = At noon I met
George & Cindy
younger brother and his wife who live in Mesa, Arizona
for lunch. We had nice visit.
The rest of the day I prepared my new Hurt Hand routine for tonight's comedy appearance at the Third Street Theater. It was good to see my friends after four months. My set went well with Kevin Stevens adding accents on the drums.
Mon Aug 10 = I'm getting more scientific with my COMEDY. Instead of just trying to get all the punch lines I can into a routine, I am boldfacing the punch words, counting them, timing the routine and predicting the laughs per minute for the routine. I'll compare that with the audience's actual responses.
- This afternoon I saw Dr Dwivedi (My PCP) about the swelling in my L leg. As a result I started taking Naproxen Sodium (generic for Aleve) twice a day with food and using my Mueller wrap (ACE-type elastic) when I'm out of bed.
- Today was the first time that Google Calendar synced between my phone and computer since DR.
Tue Aug 11 = Two monsoons today: A rare and huge morning dust storm from about 9-11 mostly petered out by the time it reached my neighborhood. Evening thunderstorms.
- I spent way too long getting names and addresses and writing a Thank-you note to SuperShuttle's Margarita Gonzalez who helped unite me with my Panasonic camera. This afternoon I drove down to the SuperShuttle headquarters to pick up my camera from their Lost and found. Thanks Margarita!
Wed Aug 12 = A little before noon I lay out in the sun for 20 minutes, ate lunch, took a quick bath and then went to see my dermatologist, Dr Travis Lam, for my semi-annual skin check. Everything was fine!
- This evening I Moon Juiced my four remaining myoporums.
Thu Aug 13 = Finger milestone first time: this morning Dr Andrew Blount, hand specialist, instructed me to quit using the splint on my right index finger. He also said that he is more optimistic about my ring finger after looking at it today. I should be able to stop using the splint on it in two weeks. The fingernail probably will eventually fall off but may grow back. I will need to keep my center inger splinted for another six weeks to give its fracture time to heal.
- This afternoon I changed my drip system from 1 hour every 2 days to 1:40 every 3 days. Maybe this will help two of the myoporum to go from a yellowish green to a dark green.
- It was good to see my friends at Chop and Wok this evening. My comedy set went quite well and I didn't look at my notes even once. I did a version of my DR Hand Emergency routine.
- As a last ditch effort with my dead Garmin Fretrex 402 GPS, with the battery door off, I immersed it in distilled water which I hope, in the next few days, will dissolve all the salt in it that entered when sea water entered into the supposedly waterproof unit my second week in the Dominica Republic. Drying out the GPS, sealed in a bag of rice for three weeks did nothing.
Fri Aug 14 = Finger milestone first time: Starting to type on my computer using my right index finger. It is very sensitive and hurts a little, but I've got to toughen it up.
- This evening I checked out various airlines and prices to Wichita, Kansas.
Sat Aug 15 = Today a big project was buying tickets to fly to my HS class' 55-year reunion in Kansas on United. While I'm there, I'll plan on doing some comedy at the Loony Bin Comedy Club in Wichita.
- This afternoon I tweaked my DR Hand Emergency comedy routine and went through it on video.
- This evening went to the hamfeast and met John Moore, an interesting guy who recently retired. Finger milestone first time: Starting my van and turning the key using my right index finger.
Sun Aug 16 = My house AC has been running a lot (16 hours yesterday). Of course it has been very hot, day and night, here. I recorded various vent temperatures with my FLIR camera,in case my next electric bill is too high.
- Tonight I went to the new Laugh Factory in Scottsdale. The host was Black, low key, Steve Clyde with 6 and 2 minute routines. Bob Dubac was the feature with 31 minutes of word stuff and some audience interaction & control. Darren Carter, the headliner, was in control, using cell phones, Harley and other sound effects and I like my women like I like my... for 58 minutes. It was interesting to see how Darren handled the audience of 41, which was not particularly enthusiastic, even after paying $20 and buying the two-drink minimum ($10+). Essentially, he had fun doing what he was doing and the audience mostly bought it.
Mon Aug 17 = My website: During the past 30 days, 339 people from 43 countries visited 562 times, viewed 1,215 pages and stayed on an average of a little more than four minutes. Eighty-three found my website via referrals (links) from other websites.
- I'm getting more disgusted with my HP OfficeJet 100 Bluetooth printer. For no apparent reason, every few days it quits working. Getting it repaired and working is so involved, convoluted and time consuming that I am never sure what fixes it. HP's instructions and help screens are even contradictory! >:(
- After going to LA Fitness after supper, I registered for next month's
AOPA FIRC
Aircraft Owners And Pilots Association's Flight Instructor Refresher Course
here in Phoenix.
Tue Aug 18 = I started taking 1 tablespoon of raw psyllium husks with water in the mornings because recently my stools have been relatively slow, hard and large. I know that is more than you want to know, but I put it here in my blog for my own future reference.
- Firefox updated to version 40.02.
- While working around the house this afternoon I listened to a bunch of Health Futures radio shows at 150% speed, skipping the commercials, on my C. Crane Witness+ which recorded them while I was in the Dominican Republic. These shows are about health and ageing.
- I never did get in a gym today but DID do 5:43 minutes of COMEDY at Dos Gringos this evening. I got more laughs than most of the rest of the comedians.
Wed Aug 19 = This morning I wasted some time by watching two 30-year-old videos of comedy from the 1980's of Joe Piscopo (Saturday Night Live) and Jay Leno with David Letterman. How polished, smooth and creative! For me it was a combination of inspiration and awe, wondering if I'll ever get close to that level of comedy.
- In preparation for tomorrow's House Call, I got all my kite equipment from my trip stowed and the kitchen floor swept and mopped.
Thu Aug 20 = Because the swelling has decreased, I reduced the use of my
Mueller wrap
waterproof ACE-type elastic bandage with a Velcro closure
on my left ankle & leg from all day to only afternoons from about 3:00 until bedtime.
- Bright and early at 8:30 Awaal Hamda arrived as part of my medical insurance's House Calls program. She gave me a cursory physical, checked my shots, medications etc. I think this, along with their Silver Sneakers program, is a good thing: helping senior citizens be healthier.
Fri Aug 21 = I received an email reply from Barry Neal of Entertainment Max after he watched some of my online video materials. He said:
I am happy to hear you are getting out and performing. You are likable onstage, but still not ready to be working feature spots for our venues. I would suggest coming out to the Laughlin Comedy Festival this October 2-4...
- I sort of pigged out today. I got a free nutrition shake at One Stop Nutrition. That should have counted as my Friday treat, but I forgot to take my Aleve (naproxen anti-inflammatory medication) at supper time so ended up taking it at bedtime. Now I had to follow my doctor's orders. She said to take it with food, although she didn't say the food should necessarily be a mint-chocolate ice cream sandwich. Just to make sure I was following doctor's orders , I ate a second one.
Sat Aug 22 = I didn't use elastic wrap on my ankles or legs today and they were somewhat swollen by bedtime, so tomorrow I'll start wrapping them again.
Sun Aug 23 = I'm getting more disgusted with my HP OfficeJet 100 Bluetooth printer. For no apparent reason, it quit working tody - again. Getting it repaired and working is so involved, convoluted and time consuming that I am never sure what makes it work. HP's instructions and help screens are even contradictory! I may have it figured it out and identified the 16 steps needed to get it working again. I printed out the sequence for my reference next time.
- At the invitation of Paul, one of the owners, at 5:30 I went to the new Scottsdale Laugh Factory where I observed the last part of an improv class. Rick Overton was the guest instructor for this introductory class. Tony Vicich, of Comedy Schools, is helping to organize it. I stayed for the evening's show. Jimmy Earl was the host, starting off the show with a 15-minute set. Kathleen Dunbar was the feature with a 30-minute set and Rick Overton was the headliner with about 50 minutes. Rick was good, but a little dirtier than I care for. Probably Jimmy was the funniest. They all did well with the small crowd of 20 with audience work targeted to specific audience members.
Mon Aug 24 - This morning I took blind Jim to his retina specialist appointment under the auspices of
.
On the way home I bought a pair of Futuro brand elastic ankle supports from CVS to help with my leg compressions.
Tue Aug 25 = Last night, after I got in bed with the lights out, I went through my entire DR Hand comedy routine out loud. Good practice with no distractions. I did it again in the middle of the night after I peed.
- This afternoon I did my final revision of the DR Hand comedy routine, bought some grapes, bananas and mushrooms at Winco and did a medium torso workout at LA Fitness.
- Tonight I drove over to do comedy at The Hideaway and found that it is every other week; not this one, so I attempted comedy at The Rec Room Sports Grill, by the same producer, Garry Brockway. Good show; bad audience except for one table of comedians. The people at the bar would not stop their loud talking.
Wed Aug 26 = I couldn't print out more ticket tabs for my Stand-up Live appearance from my computer because my Dymo LabelManager 280 kept giving errors. After hours of futile troubleshooting, I found that the 280 does not get its label width from the computer. The label width selected on the unit had to match that selected on the computer software.
Around noon I lay in the sun for 20 minutes and raked the gravel in my back to knock down some of the dead weeds from my last Roundup session.
Thu Aug 27 = Today I got the dreaded phone call from Property AZ that the AC went out at
Dahlia
my Phoenix rental house located on Dahlia Drive
, witha high today of 107° F. Fortunately PropertyAZ knew who to get to recharge the unit. All it took was a little over $400. The charge did not hold, so my tenants spent the night at a friend's.
- This evening's monthly
ARA
Arizona Repeater Association (ham radio operators)
program was presented by the ham/postmaster of Kearny, AZ about his most interesting day with the Kearny River Fire
Fri Aug 28 = This morning's project was to research the two AC contractors and the units they proposed to install. I went with Goetz Home Services who installed an American Standard gas pack, which brand got some top reviews. It was installed and the house was cool by evening. A lot of logistics was involved, including the scheduling of equipment and a crane. Thanks for doing a good job, Czar! Thank goodness for my emergency fund. I hardly flinched.
- On the way home I stopped by the Rainbow Cactus bar to say, "Hi," and backed into a post in their parking lot with the drivers end of my bumper. Thank goodness the impact distorted only the bumper and only a little bit. What were they doing putting a lamp post in the middle of a regular parking slot?!
- I measured the Wattages for my post fans at various speeds. The older one takes about 24% more power. (A wee later I found that the old fan puts out 21% more air).
Sat Aus 29 = Today's big project was to reserve motels for my October trip to Kansas: Wichita to do comedy, Hutchinson to visit
Stan
Stanley, my older brother who is a machinist for Eaton Corporation in Hutchinson, KS
and Newton for my 55 yr high school class reunion.
Sun Aug 30 = Today I took my latest dead myoporum to Moon Valley Nursery With the help of Jim's ideas, here is what I have concluded. Generally I was watering it too often and not deeply enough.
Wait until the heat breaks before putting in new plants - last of Sep or early Oct.
New Plants first week: water every day 2 gallons
New plants second week: water 2-3 gallons every 2nd day
As the plants become more established, water them more, but less frequently, depending on the season - maybe 6 gallons once every week or two.
Mon Aug 31 = This morning I watched Mariana Trench The Deepest Place On Earth, a 45-minute Discovery Channel Documentary in HD. I felt like I was wasting time, but it was interesting and educational.
