The Solemn Disapproving Stare

J. Dogg is behind my chair trying to make it spin around with me in it. He likes to do this but I wont let him actually make it spin as it makes me dizzy and the centrifugal force makes me bump into the computer desk and bounces the keyboard and trackball all around.

I've been working on one of his pictures to try to make it look better (You know a good "Head Shot") but all I can seem to achieve is a very stern looking dog. I never seem to get him when he is laughing or even smiling, he doesn’t mind having his picture taken, but he wants to control the attitude he portrays. I think he wants to be an actor but what he really wants is to direct.

J. Edgar wants the "Head Shot" because he says he has an agent lined up and they asked for it. Of course he hasn’t told me who the agent is, or where he/she is or to what end they are representing him. I mean, is it "Acting" or "Modeling" or voice overs (He has perfected a very empressive VERY DEEP voice since his parts developed) or maybe he wants to be a solider of fortune. I don’t know. I’m just the father, obviously the last to learn of the wondrous design of the great "J.Dogg."

Anyway, here’s the picture.

Uncle Dave

Good news

I had a doctor’s appointment today at the VA in Birmingham. It was with my Primary Care Physician Dr Moates. I like him. We end up talking about everything under the sun and he never tries to get me out as quick as possible like some of the other doctors. Today’s off the subject discussion was his truly twisted and unnatural love of paisley ties. Of course I did feel a little uppity, sitting there in a pair of Carhartt overalls and a Mensa tee shirt dispensing fashion advice.

He went over the results of the stress test that I took a month ago that I got the bits and pieces of information about at my last appointment. I feel much better now. I’m not sure why, nothing has changed from what I was told last time, but he tried to evaluate the information revealed by the test and give me some idea of what it all meant and what I can really expect to have happen health wise in the near future. Basically, I am not in any immediate danger of dying. There is damage to my heart and it will effect my ability to do things. OK, It will slow me down, or has slowed me down, but the damage is not as bad as it sounded and the results are not as life altering as I thought. One side of my heart has lost 40% of its pumping power not 75% as I thought and the other side is only slightly enlarged.

What it really means is that I should not, invest in any lifetime memberships or multiyear subscriptions to magazines.

I got that it is very important that I do better at controlling my blood pressure and blood sugar, and that I try to stay away from stress. So you guys should try not to stress me out. I’ve scheduled a talk with J. Edgar Dogg for tomorrow morning on just this subject. When he went to bed he was mumbling something under his breath about life insurance not being as good an investment as he thought it was.

The doctor even thinks I may be able to get the sinus surgery I need, after-all.

So the big plans for travel are back on, just with a new stretched/out laid back time line.

I feel much better now.

Uncle Dave

Religion Alert!!!

The following is for the most part an answer I sent to my niece who sent me a prayer by e-mail.

Hi Jaime,

It's great to hear from you.

Honey, I love you very much and there is not much you could do to change that, In Fact, there is nothing you could do to change that. I would however appreciate it if you would not try to change my opinions on religious matters.

I have the luxury that few people get of knowing pretty much when I will die. When that happens I will find out about if there is or is not an "After Life." I’m not able to make a determination at this time due to total lack of evidence so I have to work from logic, the only system that has not failed me over the years.

Logic says that due to the total lack of evidence of an "After Life" that either it does not exist or that it is totally separated from the life we know on this plane of existence. I will admit that I am hoping for the totally separated, New Beginning sort of "After Life" that most religions preach. Logic says if it does exist, in all probability what we are and what we do after death will not for the most part be based on what we do in this life. I don’t mean that what kind of life you lead here won’t be reflected in what kind of life you will lead there. I’m pretty sure that an earthly jerk will be a heavenly Jerk and that while Hitler, Stalin and Attila may be forgiven there past sins, they won’t be put in charge of the heavenly day-care-center. You know, Ken Lay won't be the Treasurer, that sort of thing.

My point here is that living a good life and developing an honorable character is a lot more important than adherence to a set of beliefs that says that your way of thinking makes you better than a person with another way of thinking.

The bottom line is that in the global game of "My Imaginary Friend (Jesus, Buddha) is better than Your Imaginary Friend (Mohammed, Krishna)" I choose to not believe in Imaginary Friends. I also believe that this will not adversely affect my chances of getting into "Heaven." Should there be a "Heaven."

What this also means is that I love to hear from you and send lots of pictures of Sammi but please don’t send me prayers.

Uncle David (Sammi's Great Uncle)

I Like Comments

I like Comments! They are how I can tell if anyone is reading what I put up here, But please try to be civil. It’s important to me that communication comes from a basic respect for other people. What I mean is that if you disagree with me, that’s good but don’t denigrate me because I have an opinion that differs from yours. If you can’t find a way to say something with civility, please find another forum. If you have no idea what I am talking about, it’s probably because I remove the more obnoxious comments before most viewers can see them. And that is as close as I will be getting to censorship…ever.

Back to my stuff now.

I wrote a while ago that I was planning to go on the road. That is still the plan, but a somewhat long term plan not something I will be doing in the next month or so. I have to wait until the government makes a determination on my status as a "Service Connected Disabled Veteran." The simple fact is that if they do not find in my favor, I will not have enough money on an ongoing basis to do any traveling. With gas at $2.75 to $3.00/galllon I can’t go far and won’t be able to afford to eat once I get there. There are few if any sure things in this life. We all have heard of Death and Taxes but "Gas Prices Will Rise" is probably pretty safe as another.

I have contemplated less expensive methods of travel and while some sound very interesting, my physical limitations rule most of them out.

Picture if you will a Honda 650 Nigh Hawk Motorcycle with a hitch welded on the back pulling a 500 pound utility trailer hauling a tent, camping equipment, my cloths and J. Edgar Dogg’s crate. To me, that’s right up there with Along Came Bronson as far as adventure, but when you try to picture the fat man who hasn’t the strength to throw his leg over the bike much less ride away into the sunset, it loses a lot of its allure. I love the concept, it’s the actual performance where it all falls down.

The second fantasy in line involves the mini van I drive and a trailer small enough for me to pull it with said van. I have found a trailer that fits the requirement on paper, but I worry that it might be pushing the edge of the towing capabilities of my van and the co-existing capabilities of J. Dogg and myself. 8’ X 16’ is pretty tight living quarters for an old man and a very rambunctious dog. This one still has possibilities but uses at least 3 times as much gas as the motorcycle based gypsy caravan.

Next in line is building a trailer of my own design that weights less and is more "visually interesting" than a commercially produced trailer. While this one is actually the hardest one to do, it produces the most mental stimulus and just plain mental fun of any of the other proposals. Not a practical application, but a great way to stimulate my mind and my need to design. I have pictures and plans!

What will in all probability be the mode of transport for my great adventure is a larger commercially built trailer pulled by a much larger tow vehicle than I currently drive. This is of course based on my getting the VA Disability and of course the corresponding larger amount of monthly income.

We shall see.

Uncle Dave