We have some exciting news that we've been mostly keeping quiet about. We're going to be grandparents! Rachel and Drew are anticipating a March 2nd arrival but Rachel is hoping for a February 29th birthday—a leap year baby! We're happy and excited for them.
I had Photodynamic therapy done on my face to attack precancerous cells and prevent them from gaining a foothold and becoming a bigger problem if not addressed. I've had the treatment in the past but it's been 6+ years. My dermatologist highly recommended that I have it done again. The procedure takes about 90 minutes and involves having a chemical/drug solution applied to my face and allowing it to absorb into my skin for an hour before exposing my face to a specific spectrum of blue light for 16 minutes. It leaves a burn that requires I avoid direct sunlight for 2-3 days afterward. I'm scheduled to go back in a month for another follow-up treatment.
I thought our hummingbirds had flown south for the winter because of a lack of activity at our feeders but I was wrong. They're still here. My understanding is that the males have already flown south as of 2-3 weeks ago. I took some video of them earlier in the week.
I won an instructional round of golf with PGA pro Bryan Skavnak through the PCC golf program I'm a member of. We met with 3 other winners at New Hope Village, an executive (par 3) course in New Hope. I nearly carded my 2nd ace on the 130-yard 6th hole with a 9 iron. The ball hit just beyond the flagstick and spun back past the hole stopping about 16" under the cup. Bryan was trying to figure out which side of the hole the ball slid by to avoid going in. As I'm fond of saying on the course: lucky shot! And speaking of PCC; it's been such a good value for me. I'm in my 6th year in the program.
I've written in the past about the cluster headaches that occasionally make a mess of my life. It's been nearly 4 years since I've had to contend with them—the longest break I've had since I first experienced them as a senior in high school. They're back. I was getting signs (upset stomach and mini cluster headaches) as of last week that they were about to return so I scheduled an appointment with my neurologist to get the tools in place that I'll need to get me through this phase of headaches. Over the years, one of the main meds in my arsenal for dealing with the headaches is a heavy reliance on prednisone; a very effective steroid but also a drug with serious downsides if used in large quantities for extended periods. That would be me. I believe it was my dependence on prednisone that led to my osteoporosis condition. I won't be using it ever again. So, I'm in a difficult place. One of the best abortive tools I have is pure oxygen from an O2 tank at a rate of 15 liters per minute. The only downside is the need to have quick access to an O2 tank when I'm away from home. I'll be keeping a smaller portable cylinder of O2 with me in my car just as soon as the order for oxygen is filled but it won't be until Monday. I'm lying low until then.
One other tool that I'll be using (and have already used) will be psilocybin derived from specific mushrooms, aka magic mushrooms. I wrote about it here back in March. Honestly, I'm willing to try anything when it comes to managing these. People are free to judge all they want. I really don't care. I was telling Tammy last night how grateful I am for her and all she does to help me through these headache phases and for the fact that I'm no longer employed and worrying about how I'll manage at work without enough off-time available to remain home until I'm back to normal.
I've been watching a fascinating YouTube channel lately about aviation incidents. Petter Hörnfeldt does such a good job of detailing what went into each incident he talks about. For my aviation friends, if you aren't subscribed to Peter's channel, do check it out.
Another YouTube channel I subscribed to a while back is Dead Malls. The channel looks at dying and dead shopping malls around the country and goes into the history of their rise and fall. I noticed last night that they had done a recent video about Burnsville Center, a mall just a few minutes from home. It was such a vibrant mall a dozen years ago but now it's mostly a ghost town.
Heather Cox Richardson is a historian who began writing daily letters and sharing them on her Facebook page early on in Trump's presidency due to her concern for the direction in which she saw Trump taking our country. I've been a follower of hers since I first stumbled onto her page early on in her writings. Her recent letter from two days ago is a very poignant summary of what has become of the Republican Party over the past several years as they turn their back on our constitution and our democracy. Please take the time to read it.
I rode the St. Paul Classic with Rachel, Kevin, and Ann last Sunday morning on a beautiful fall day. Rachel and I have ridden this ride together several times, but this was the first time in a few years. It's always a well-organized and fun event.
I got up from laying down after the all-night shift Thursday morning and figured I'd better get a ride in while I could because the forecast wasn't looking so good. The temp was just above 40 with a northeast wind steady at 15 mph under overcast skies. 40 degrees is very reasonable cycling weather but the key is to be somewhat chilled when you start out. Being warm and toasty at the beginning leads to being sweaty, cold and clammy before the ride is over. While putting air in my tires before leaving I could tell that I needed a lighter top layer. I'm glad I made the switch. I loved the ride ( Strava link ) and would like to have gone further but David Crowder was playing at our church and I didn't want to be late getting in line for some good seats as it was general admission. I considered a quick detour by Hosanna on the way home to get a pic of their tour bus but I figured I should really act my age. The concert was worth every penny and better than any of the o...
I skipped out of work a couple hours early today to take advantage of some mild weather. I took the pups for a walk then headed west on my bike putting my heart, lungs, and quads through some paces. It felt so nice to be out there. I'd have stayed out longer but I had to be back to take Rachel to dance class for 5:00. It's possible that today will be the last time I'll have to take her to class if she passes her road test this Thursday. I'd like to have taken some time to hose down my bike. It's full of road salt and that can't be a good thing. Every large vehicle that went past me had a cloud of salt dust trailing in its wake and settling on me. I'll spend some time cleaning it tomorrow and have it ready for a ride on Wednesday after work. Speaking of work—I've been kicking around the idea of bidding on a staff job. Believe me, it's not something I want to do. It's about self-preservation. I want to work another five years to get Rachel thr...
Wow, what a trip. In planning for this ride, I figured I’d have only two weekends this summer when our schedules could come together to give it a go. The first of those two times came and went two weeks ago when a steady north wind kept me grounded. There’s no way I could have gone the distance into the wind, and what I was really hoping for was a stiff southwesterly breeze, but that wasn’t in the cards either. After looking at the wind forecast on Wednesday, I told Tammy that it looked as though we were looking at another no-go. I’d been watching the forecast the previous 5 days, and they consistently said to expect a light wind from the southeast. It wouldn’t be a headwind but wouldn’t be much help either. I came home from work on Thursday morning and looked at the forecast again, but it hadn’t changed. I got a couple hours of sleep, then woke up to work in the yard. Then, I decided I wouldn’t let the lack of a tailwind keep me from going…just so long as it wasn’t a headwind. I tol...
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