Kevin's Blog With featured columnist Jeff George

Bravery and Sacrifice

Although I have ridden motorcycles for many years, I had never taken a formal training class. Yesterday, that all changed. Since I bought this beautiful, immaculate HD Road King, I have been trying to schedule the "Skills Course for Experienced Riders" to brush up on my already excellent skills and knowledge. I gathered all my safety equipment and departed at 5am for Cerritos College where I would demonstrate my skills and perhaps be recruited to be an instructor for the safety program. As I got closer to my class, the dark clouds turned to light rain. That will become important later if you haven't stopped reading yet. Paperwork signed, equipment checked, and briefing done, we were off on the course. As expected, all was going smoothly as I weaved through  cones, made tight turns, and used the proper technique going over boards and road hazards. Being #1 in my class seemed to be within reach and I was anxious to get home a tell Carrie.

The instructor then explained our next drill, which would mean stopping in a short distance while downshifting and using both front and rear brake. In case you don't ride, this involves using both hands and both feet simultaneously. Then I heard the instructor say "Jeff, start us off." I assume he wanted the other 6 students to see how this was professionally done. Not to disappoint, I got my Road King up to speed and as I approached the cones I was thinking "don't hold back, show them a good one, maybe you will be dismissed early." Well, I was one out of two. Did I already tell you that it was wet? Well, I applied brakes, clutch, and shifter and prepared for the instructors praise. That's the moment I saw my spotless RK begin to twist and slide and do some things I had not seen before. Thankfully, I have trained for years for emergency situations and knew just what to do. Realizing that this unblemished motorcycle was going down, my lightning quick reflexes took over and was able to get my right leg under my 750 lb. bike, thus breaking the fall and protecting the chrome as it slid to a stop on the asphalt. The pain in the leg I had so nobly sacrificed was such that I had to look over at my bike to see if my foot was still on the brake or, with luck, might still be attached to my leg. All connected, so the instructors carried me to a chair without critiquing my stopping technique,  and gave the class a 30 min break. They didn't look anxious to take the stopping drill anyway.

Let me wind this down. I was offered paramedics, ice, ibuprofen, a ride home, everything but a course completion certificate. My actions were rewarded as the RK has only a slight scratch on the bottom of the engine guard that cannot even be seen normally. Bike is as beautiful as ever, ER visit was relatively short, the splint seems to be expanding as my ankle grows, and I am already getting used to the crutches. Carrie says I can keep the Harley but didn't commit to ever getting on the back again. I have asked for a leave of absence from tennis and motorcyling, and like Congressman Weiner, I hope to come back a better person. Please, no meals this time, save them for my knee surgery next month. I will accept the prayers though. Thanks, Jeff

Adjustments

I have been thinking that maybe I am getting old, but now I am positive. Does anyone young have sleep apnea? I don't think so. Carrie has been telling me for some time that I stop breathing during the night and occasionally sound like I am being waterboarded by the CIA. She says "You need to be tested," and I say "Can't you just let me go?" Well, I finally gave in and subjected myself to a dreaded "sleep study."
Well, of course I failed but who could sleep once you were hooked up to all that stuff. One turn in bed and I felt like that hiker who had to cut off his arm to free himself from that boulder. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I did feel tangled up.
If anyone is still reading this, I will get to the point. I am in the desert with Carrie and using my brand new CPAP machine for the first time. In a few short days I have learned several things I wish to share. First, if you have sleep apnea, or think you may have it, do not tell anyone. If your spouse tells you that you are ruining her sleep, send her to the guest room. Otherwise, some doctor will convince you that you should sleep with a device that forces air in your nose and/or mouth in order to sleep peacefully and wake up rested.
Secondly, I have learned, that you should disconnect the hose before you walk to the bathroom, unless your toilet is within 6 feet of your bed. No one tells you this.
Lastly, it is better to give your loved one that goodnight kiss before donning your mask. Oh yea, keep the lights off in case she wakes up before you.
Wish you all the best, especially good health. It is not to be taken for granted.

"Honey, let's go to bed."

Busy in the Desert

I would like to thank my loyal readers for the many comments on my recent post, but I can't until they learn English. They appear to all be spammers from Russia but I give them credit, they are consistent. Not much news. Carrie and I are in Palm Desert for the holiday. Hoping Kevin would join us today but he isn't feeling well and may not make it. Going to be busy anyway, as I will be making my Netflix selections for the coming week and playing "Words with Friends" on my Ipod. I thought retirement was supposed to be relaxing. Finally, Спасибо за вашу поддержку. Имейте большой день.

Riding with "Black Sheep" MC Club

Test Results

Not Kevin, he is fine. I had an MRI of my head on Monday to see if I had a tumor. I got the results today and we are ecstatic. Not only are there no tumors, but they found three brain cells. That's two more than Carrie thought I had. We will be celebrating tonight. More to follow if I have any readers.

"Do not mess with me!"

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

Kevin is doing well, but I know you are checking here to find out what I have been doing in my rich and busy life. Carrie and I made a trip to West Virginia to visit my family and my brother and his wife drove in from Arkansas as well. I will post a few photos below. Kevin showed little interest in my "roots" but I plan to drag him back there some day, like it or not. It was a beautiful time of year and we had a wonderful time with our family, mostly spent talking and eating. Wish I could get there more often.

The other item of interest around here is our redecorating project. We have decided to take our comfortable living/family room and make it better. I cannot believe how much we have accomplished in only a few short weeks. We have sold two chairs (thanks, Janie), returned our area rug, and moved our sofa to Vince's house to await a new owner. Yesterday, we made arrangements with the furniture store to come pick up the 3rd and 4th sofas that we had purchased. I think most of our decorating budget has been spent on restocking fees and I am currently negotiating with Vince to get our old sofa back. Otherwise, I envision watching TV sitting on patio furniture or moving downstairs to Kevin's family room. I'll let you know how we progress but we have a strong marriage and I am sure we will get through this. Just for the record, I don't think earth tones are ever out of style.

Post to Myself

As I have not written since our return from Lake Tahoe, I assume I have no readers.  Nevertheless, I thought I would write a post just to remind myself of what has taken place the past several weeks. I guess one of the highlights for Kevin was his trip to The Gorge in Washington for three consecutive nights of Dave Matthews concerts. Beautiful setting but I don't know how anyone can go to see the same people for three nights in a row. He returned tired, happy, and with a fractured foot. See "boot" below.

I had a birthday last month, by the way. Carrie surprised me by bringing cupcakes and lemonade to my tennis club. I was glad she didn't stay long because I don't think the guys could hold there stomachs in much longer.  Was taken to a great dinner (thanks, Uncle Ray) by the family and then home for dessert (see photo). As much as I appreciate that Carrie baked me a cake, I do question the etiquette of presenting it with a piece missing. When I asked about it, she told me she just had to check to see if it was "light" enough. Seems liked she could have determined that with a smaller sample. If the economy is better next year, we hope to be able to afford icing.

Lastly, for this post, I have included a photo of Kevin leading worship after an appreciation dinner at our church. I had never heard him sing publicly before and was very impressed. I'll insert a clip if I can figure out how. After, his friends threw a surprise birthday party for him here at the house. What a great group.

Better Labs

Just returned from UCLA, Kevin's lab report was improved from Friday and the biopsy was canceled. What a relief for us all but especially Kevin. He did not want to do that again. Here are the photos I promised in my last post if you are interested. Kevin going back to bed, I might too.

Should Have Stayed at Tahoe

Had a great time on our trip. I think the highlight was the rafting on the Truckee River, which I rate as Class V rapids. I will post a few photos of us on this harrowing trip but do not suggest this for you readers unless you have considerable experience or go with professional guide. There were many other daredevils on the river with us and I don't know how some of the dogs stayed calm or families kept from spilling their coolers. The kids that passed us in inner tubes seemed oblivious to the dangers we faced. We also drove around Lake Tahoe one day, did a little hiking, and ate quite often. Our drive home was uneventful. I asked Carrie if I could comment on her driving and she said only if it was complimentary. I didn't want to take any chances so said nothing.

Back to UCLA last Friday for a checkup and see how Kevin is doing following his infection. The good news was that his infection had been treated, however his numbers reflecting kidney function were not very good. His doctor said we could do one of two things. One, we could go down for another biopsy that afternoon. Kevin chose option two before even hearing what it was.

Well, option two was adjusting his medication and repeating the tests on Monday. It is Monday and I am writing this from the waiting room while we wait to see the doctor and get his results. They have set time aside for a biopsy today if necessary. Praying that is not the case and I will let you know later. Thanks for checking the blog in spite of my infrequent writing. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this bumpy road.

Oops, I am using Kevin's computer and the photos aren't here. I'll post them when I get home.

Celebrating Six Months

Day 2 At Northstar

We arrived early Thursday evening, after a long and mostly pleasant drive. I say mostly as there was a short period of tension while Carrie was driving to give me a break. I offered what I thought was some "constructive" criticism of her driving which she did not receive well. She must have been tired, as she usually enjoys my pointing these things out.  As usual, within minutes of unloading the car, Carrie had all our clothes put away and my toiletries lined up in the bathroom. I don't know how I spent all those years staying in hotels without ever unpacking my suitcase.

Yesterday was a slow day as we were all tired and adjusting to the altitude. I think the fatigue contributed to little misunderstanding we had just before dinner. Carrie had most of the dinner prepared before she and Kevin left to pick up the chicken. She had Kevin call to let me know they would be here in ten minutes and for me to take care of the peas. No problem, I checked the bag which said 6 minutes in the microwave so I decided to wait for them to arrive before cooking. Bad decision, Carrie wanted to eat immediately and was not at all pleased that she would have to wait 6 minutes. I told her that if it was such an emergency, she should have eaten a chicken leg in the car. Not much of a sense of humor when she's hungry. We did enjoy a nice dinner together, which doesn't happen that often with Kevin's schedule.

Today will be busier as Kevin had done his research and made a list of activities that he thinks he would enjoy. Upon review, I couldn't help but notice that that there seems to be an emphasis on places he would like to eat and no mention of any activity that might involve actual exercise. If we do anything besides eat, I'll post a few photos. Beautiful place and great weather.

View from the Deck

Off to Tahoe

Since my last post, Kevin has had his second infection with another trip to the emergency room. He has a unique ability to only develop urgent problems on weekends or holidays, never on weekdays during normal hours. We spent a long morning at UCLA yesterday and have come up with a plan to manage this infection and try to prevent future ones. Once he has fully recovered, he will undergo tests to try to find the underlying cause. The good news yesterday, his doctor cleared him to leave town for a week. We are leaving this morning for Northstar, at Lake Tahoe. Thank you Art and Diane.

I need to go now and load the car. It is about an 8 hour drive, but we always allow for hourly food stops for Carrie so am planning for a 13 hour trip. I'll try to post a few photos if we do anything interesting. Thanks to all our friends from The Rock for the great get well card.  Kevin was touched, me too.