A Brief Hiatus

My girlfriend is flying into town tonight and will be here through Tuesday.

I've decided that, all things considered, it would probably be better for me to focus my attention on her instead of the blog, so I'll be taking a small break.

New posts will resume on Wednesday.

Unstructured Poems and the Way of the Dodo

I have decided that this is going to be the last week that Unstructured Musing's sister site, Unstructured Poems, is going to be online.

The reasons for this are two fold:

1) I created Unstructured Poems at a time when I honestly thought that I could maintain two blogs. As it happens, even keeping one blog running can be an exhausting chore and two blogs, even when the second blog is half a blog, has simply been too much for me.

2) The main reason that I created it was to have a single place where all of my online poems could be read. With the addition of post labels, that's really no longer an issue since you can always just click on the Poem tag to see the whole list.

To be sure, I could leave the site up but I really hate the notion of perpetuating it as a mausoleum; I think that it's better to give it a dignified burial.

I'll leave it up until next Saturday just in case you'd like to visit the patient one last time before I pull the plug.

A White F#@$king Christmas!

As you may have heard, a nasty blizzard is blowing through Colorado. For me this means two things:

1) Losing two days of work due to a snow closure (which is unpaid, since I'm a contractor).
2) Not being able to fly out of here to see my girlfriend over the Christmas weekend because Denver International Airport has been shut down.

So Mr. Lias is not having a very merry Xmas at the moment, although I suppose it could be worse. I have a friend who not only wasn't able to fly out to see her family, but she also learned, just a few days ago, that she's going to be losing her job.

As soon as the roads clear, I think I'll be going out and getting an extra large carton of eggnog and some spiced rum. I can at least drown my sorrows in a seasonally appropriate manner.

Whiskey Tango FoxTrot

Some of the very best newspaper comics are geek comics. The first time I ever saw Bloom County was as a clipping posted up in a computer lab. The Far Side found much of its sensibility in the very geeky world of science humor. Dilbert gained its initial impetus from its audience in the I.T. world. Even Calvin and Hobbes found popularity in geek circles well before it became established as a timeless family classic.

It is thus that I was sad to learn that the very geekiest of newspaper comic, FoxTrot, will be going to a Sunday-only format as of the start of the year. According to the sources I've read, the move is entirely the decision of Bill Amend, the strip's author, who simply does not want to spend the majority of time creating daily strips anymore.

I certainly respect his decision and I am also relieved that it's not going away entirely, as too many great comics already have (which is frustrating given the sort of dreck that never seems to go away). Never the less, I will miss my daily dose of uber-geek Jason and the rest of the family. At least we still have Get Fuzzy and Pearls Before Swine.

A Quick Health Update

I know that some of you are interested in knowing whether I'm about to keel over or not, so here's a quick update on what's going on. I still have a 6mm stone but the doctor's have decided to let it sit. In another 6 months I'm to get another round of x-rays. In the meanwhile, we're just going to let it sit and (I hope) stay put.

I did get an insurance scare. I got a bill for around $7,400 with a note that Kaiser would pay $3,400 of it. The thought that I was suddenly responsible for $4,000 made me seriously wonder if I would need a second job. It turns out that it was a misprint. The actual bill was only $74.00. I suppose that if it had to be off two orders of magnitude, it's better that it was in my favor. I can just imagine how I'd feel if the corrected amount was $740,000. That would be the point where, ironically, I'd be selling my own organs on the black market.

Yet Another Health Update

There are certain phrases that one should never hear in one's lifetime. Among those are, "I need to put this anasthetic in your penis. It's going to burn."

The good news is that I got my stent out. A stent, for those fortunate enough to have never needed one, is a plasic tube that's inserted up into ones kidneys through the urethra and bladder. It's function is to dilate the ureter so as to make it easier for large stones to pass.

It's also as uncomfortable as hell. I've had mine in for six weeks now and I don't regret getting it out, regardless of how painful and undignified the process was.

That's the good news. The bad news is that they only managed to reduce the size of the stone to about 6 milimeters. At this point, they're going to wait ten days in hopes that it will descend far enough for them to insert catheter so that they can hit it with a laser.

I must confess, as much as I'm not looking forward to that, it will be pretty darned cool to be one of the few people who have ever had a laser fired inside of them. I should charge admission.

Recovery Update

Well, I went through a second round of lithotripsy and am happy to report that there were no post-operative complications aside from the expected sensation of feeling bruised and battered (as in the way that tempura must feel).

Two days later, with a little help from my friends (and some percocet), I'm feeling much better than I have been.

There won't be many blog updates for awhile. I'll be leaving for a week-long vacation this Friday. I also have a birthday coming up on the 14th, although I think that I'll hold off the celebrations until I get back.

Hopefully by April I'll be feeling much better. Better enough that, with luck, I'll be able to start putting more time into this little blog. In the meanwhile, I want to wish everyone well as well as thanking everyone for the well wishings you've given to me.

Take care.

Curses

Well, here's the latest update on my life:

I went to see the doctor for a follow-up. Although all the stones in the left kidney have been successfully evacuated (says the captain of the Titanic), the big stone in the right kidney is still there, so I'm going to have to go through another round of lithotripsy. Given that, in addition to this, the Dish that supposed to be installed today was, once again, delayed, and that a game I bought for the sake of relaxation isn't compatible with my computer, and that my toothbrush broke in half while I was brushing my teeth, there's only one logical course of action: I really need to find out which gypsy I managed to piss off so badly and offer her my profoundest apologies for whatever I did to her.

While we're on the subjecting of pissing, I have been put on medications that have the interesting effect of turning my urine a neat tidy-bowl shade of blue. This is a nice change of pace from the fluorescent orange shade that my previous medications gave me. It also reveals unto me my life's purpose, which is to piss the rainbow. Indeed, I want to go beyond the visible spectrum. First I'll work my way through the infrared and ultraviolet, then into the deeper realms of microwave and radio until, finally, I'm able to produce a pure stream of gamma and x-rays.

Once I reach that point I will, of course, be a superhero. Suggestions for a name and a logo are welcome.

Take care and wish me luck. Clearly I've had a dearth of it this year and could use whatever spare luck you might have hanging around.

A Quick Update

As Natalie has reported, I've returned from the hospital. What was supposed to be outpatient surgery ended up as a very unpleasant two day stay. Fortunately, it looks like the worst is past (and I will spare everyone the unpleasant details -- suffice it to say that bladder and kidney issues can be rather messy and undignified).

I'm going to be staying mainly in bed until I feel better; however, there's only so much of that a body can take so I might be online now and again. If I do, I'll try to spare the time to keep everyone updated on my condition.

Sweet Relief

Natalie here -- I just spoke with Andrew and got his approval to put up a note, so that (a) no one will worry and (b) he won't personally have to do it...

His procedure on Friday had some unexpected complications. He was admitted to the hospital, and was discharged just now. He said he feels "like I just went five rounds with a bunch of angry bikers," and apparently he's been prescribed a veritable cornucopia of medications, but at least he'll be able to be home.

Get well soon, friend.

Health Update

Some of you have been expressing an interest (and concern) for my health, so I thought I'd offer a quick update.

The bad news is that I still have stones that need to be passed. According to the latest imaging, some of them are over a centimeter in length. My urologist has made it very clear that I do not want to attempt to pass those unassisted. Towards that end I'm scheduled for lithotripsy this Friday.

Lithotripsy is a technique where they use sound waves to break up the stones while the patient is submerged in water. I was somewhat hopeful that this would involve a hot tub and some Enya but it is, apparently, a rather intense experience, which is why I shall be going under general anesthetic (as opposed to being generally unaesthetic) during the process. The good news is that it is an outpatient procedure so I will be able to limp home to recover. Because I'm working for the government, I'll get a three-day weekend to recover (although I may go in to work a few hours to make up for lost time).

Do wish me luck.

That Wet Carpet Smell

Well, folks, it has not been a fun month as Casa Lias. This last thursday I went home early with a major migrane headache. This, as it turns out, was the good part of the day. When I took off my shoes to go to bed I noticed that the carpet was damp. My first thought was to wonder if I had spilled something but the area of dampness was huge. I checked around and found that the water was seeping in through the wall.

I called maintenance who determined that a pipe had broken in the vacant unit next door. They shut it off and called in flood specialists who arrived at eleven that night. They determined that they would have to take all the furniture out of the room and rip up the carpet to get to the padding. Afterwards they'd need to dry it out. This was not going to happen overnight, so I was put up in a hotel.

I am typing this on Saturday and am still in a hotel. They weren't able to get the carpets dried yesterday and I haven't heard whether they will be done today.

I am attempting to cultivate a sense of serenity. Considering I haven't kicked anything yet, I think I'm doing a good job.

Of Mice and Kidney Stones

Well, I thought that a long weekend would be the perfect respite for the writing of an essay. Alas, Santa's evil brother, Nackles, decided to deliver me an early present in the form of a kidney stone which means that my weekend is consisting of interludes of pain interspersed with interludes of Percocet-induced sleep.

At least I was able to enjoy a good Thanksgiving dinner before it struck.

I do want to clarify that I have no immediate plans to finish up part two of the Intelligent Design essay. Frankly, I've lost my train of thought on it and would rather not deliver a substandard conclusion simply for the sake of concluding it.

Status

In spite of the fact that I plainly said that I wouldn't be writing anything until November, I can see that some of you have been peeking in anyway, so I may as well let everyone know that I have made the move to my new place and that I've settled in quite comfortably.

This is the first time in my life that I've had a place entirely to myself and I'm finding that I rather like the solitude of living alone. I think that I have a bit of a hermetic streak in me.

This is not to say that the move has been without complications. I only now have managed to get my broadband in and, even then, only at the compromise of having a long cable snaking from the living room to where my computer actually resides. Adelphia has gotten very stubborn about installing additional outlets in apartments (and my apartment management hasn't been as helpful as I'd like in communicating the fact that yes, I have authorization, dammit!). In like manner, I've been patiently waiting for the complex to install a dish so that I can watch TV... although being without for the last sixteen days has proven that it's not as invaluable a service as I might have supposed (and thank goodness for Netflix).

So, in summary, all is well and good and I look forward to returning to our regularly scheduled blog early next month. Please do stay tuned.

An Announcement

If my work load wasn't enough (although levened by a recent raise), it would seem that my relationship with my girlfriend is now at an end. Please be assured that this is an amicable breakup and it is, I believe, truly for the best for both of us. Never the less, it does put me in the situation of finding a new place to live (followed by the inevitable nuisance of moving and getting settled in).

The bottom line is that I'm not going to have any time to blog for quite some time. I feel bad because last week's essay left on a cliffhanging note. Never the less, I'm not going to try to compromise with a half-assed effort to write when I have neither the time nor the focus to do so. Sorry.

The blog will be on hiatus until November. I suspect that a lot of my semi-occasional readers will be saying their final parting, and I can't blame you if you do. Never the less, I do hope that you'll be checking back in when I return. In the meanwhile, take care.

Head's Up!

My DBA group, at work, has recently lost a member. This means that, for the foreseeable future, I'll be working a lot of overtime.

This is a good thing and a bad thing. The good part is that I'll be making a lot of extra income (thank Sophia that I'm hourly); the down side is that I'll have less time to work on essays.

This does not mean that I'm going to stop producing essays; however, it does mean that I can't promise them on a regular basis. I'll try to fill the gaps with more off-site essays but part of that processes is that I need time to read those essays to make sure that they live up to my standards for the site. It's a catch-22. Unfortunately, it is possible that there will be Sundays with no new content.

I would like to extend an invitation to my readers: if any of you would be interested in contributing a guest essay, please contact me with the topic you'd like to write about. If I think that the topic would be of general interest, I would be delighted to host your contributions.

In the meanwhile, I must be your indulgence and patience. Hopefully we'll hire a new DBA before too long and things can return to normal.

Peter Jennings, RIP

Peter Jennings succumbed to lung cancer yesterday.

Jennings may well have been the last of the Great Anchormen; a final gasp of a legacy exemplified by such men as Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. In today's world of unceasing news coverage, the news has been explicitly redefined to be a type of entertainment. Indeed, the CNN website's story on Jennings death, gruesomely enough, is found in that very section of the site. Jennings, however, was from an older school of thought that considered journalism to be a kind of civic duty with an associated list of responsibilities that journalists had with respect to the public.

Jennings own journalistic career had a number of remarkable highlights, including coverage of the slaying of Jewish athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. What I will remember, however, is his coverage of 9/11. During the four days that followed the attack, Jennings worked what was, essentially, a 96 hour work shift, taking a handful of catnaps between segments and shaving during his rare moments off camera. As much as the sheer dedication to reporting the event, what was just as remarkable was the tone of his coverage. He didn't pander to sensationalism or panic and he refused to engage in wild acts of speculation. He simply reported what was happening in a calm (and calming), rational tone of voice.

I will miss him. Televised news coverage has reached a nadir. These days, most people get the bulk of their news from the internet with some supplementation from radio and the (fairly unreliable) blogs that are trying to become the "new journalism". I do believe that there are still principled journalists out there, but I doubt that we'll be seeing another of that breed in the anchor seat anytime soon. Those days are gone I mourn their passing even as I mourn the passing of one such man.