button, button, who's got the button?

I do... and I have both of them!!!

That's right, both of those blue buttons are mine, though Connor did give me an odd look when I'd asked to keep them.

Perhaps I'm the first one who has ever done so!

I can believe that.

It's like when I asked Dr. David Byck for the staples plucked from my Polar Express when he removed them from the hysterectomy site.

Connor of the EP had looked at me oddly when I told him about that, too.

That was all before 8 AM today.

He'd come by to remove the single stitch - done with blue thread - at each of the two incisions in my groin where the catheters had been inserted yesterday.

I thought it was a very novel idea to have attached a button to make it easier to find that very small stitch.

Nice to have those souvenirs of my latest hospital stay.

Even nicer to be home now, with my bed waiting for me tonight.

i thank You, God.

2 a-lists and a p-a-t

I was able to finish out this week's A*List after all on this Tina Tuesday.

I had a 'house call' this afternoon, with Korema of Signify, and she listened intently to my tale of the deaths of Barbara and Kal, and my subsequent loss adjustment.

She also performed a peripheral artery test, using sensors on my thumbs and big toes, and pronounced my body had passed muster.

That's good.

Now that I'm no longer distracted by volunteer duties with the Savannah Voice Festival, the A-fib has returned.

Not good.

I'm supposed to be able to take the summers off, right?

Nope.

So, I started back on Sotalol this morning.

Hopefully my body will adjust in a week or so and I can stop it again.

So, what about the A*List thing?

I finished up this week's with a repeat of "Borderlands", as it leaves on Thursday.

That adventure with a firebird really was enjoyable!

"Ryan's World, The Movie: Titan Universe Adventure" was a lot of fun, too, with its blend of live action and anime.

I told Christina that I thought Chloe would really like it, too.

Then there's Elizabeth Banks in "Skincare", based on real stuff and nonsense between two high-end beauticians in Los Angeles, back in 2013.

Interesting and a bit wacky, and something I'd missed in the news back then.

And while I'm on the topic of my dance card, I'd missed this one.

Between loss adjustment, a tropical storm that dumped tons of water - YES, MY ROOF IS FINE, THANKS - and the start of SVF12, writing about it slipped my mind.

Well, kinda sorta.

I had mentioned "Twisters" and the second one, both seen as a double header, but I'd not added anything about seeing "Inside Out 2" the next day.

So, let's say these were dance partners I liked enough to sashay with again.

Yes, let's.

(smile!)

donor lesbian spider

"That's a really wackadoodle title you got going there, g'friend." 

Well, it was either that or something lame about a trio with female leads.

"Oh, I already surmised as much. You've finished your AMC A*List, then?"

I have! And get this: it's only Tuesday! But at least I had company for this Tina Tuesday. I ran into Carolyn yesterday at "Drive-Away Dolls", which turned out to be kinda sorta like "Thelma & Louise", if it had been about two lesbians. Which the "Dolls" movie was. Like, really, truly, about girl on girl and girl on dildo. And get this: there was a bit of truth to it! There really had been a hippie-dippie chick in the 1970's who made plaster casts of her lovers' penises. Now, some gangsters want the collection because one of the meaty cocks is that of a would-be senator who had no idea his freewheelin' past would come to bite him on his butt.

"That sounds pretty hilarious."

It was!!! She and I laughed and laughed during the movie! Then we laughed and laughed afterward, too! That's because we knew our other two amigas, Barbara and Sandy, were seeing the later screening of "Drive-Away Dolls" and the thought of their reactions drove our hilarity! They were expecting a regular Coen brothers flick... but, this only had one brother involved, and had more in common with a 1970's drive-in raunchy movie than anything else the Coens ever did. Yeah, they're not gonna get the movie they're expecting!

"Wow. Yeah that doesn't sound like their cup of tea, for sure. And so Carolyn watched "Madame Webb" with you today, after your lunch date with Josie?"

Carolyn did! Amazingly, she had not yet. That's the type of movie she usually sees with the barefoot hobo. I guess he's boycotting Dakota Johnson as the lead, like other comic fans are. It really wasn't that bad, but it did need someone else in the lead. She's such a one-note actress... and this wasn't the role for a pouting sex kitten with hair that never faltered.

"Ouch. I guess it won't be in the cinema much longer, then?"

No, this was its last week. I had expected "Ordinary Angels" to only have one week, but it will be carried over to next week. That's good! It's about organ donation and Hilary Swank is incredibly good as an alcoholic trying to save herself by helping to save the life of a little girl in need of a liver. Like the other "true story" I saw yesterday, this was based on actual events in Kentucky in 1994.

"You're still an organ donor, aren't you?"

I am, and have been from the time I got my first drivers license. I'm hoping that may of my organs - liver, pancreas, lungs, skin, eyes - will still be viable, even though I have Atrial fibrillation. I'm not sure how that works, as I'm on Eliquis. Still, I can donate my body to research, like Auntie Arlene did. Anyway, I have to go! There's a new play as part of the SJCAF and it's starting in an hour.

"Okay, I'll let you go! Bye!"

a*list, past and future!

I know exactly what three movies I'm seeing next week!

 

"You have a magic 8-ball or something?"

 

That would be a crystal ball for prognosticating, not that toy with the floating answers. Not that I have either, though. Nope! My prediction is based solely on the films still, and now, playing at the cinema on Shawnee.

 

"Well, I do know that three new ones are due to start tomorrow."

 

Technically, that's their official opening, but they actually began today. You know, to get a jump on the weekend box office numbers.

 

"True dat."

 

LOL! Girlfriend, you are so not street! That's okay, you go on with your bad self!

 

"Huh."

 

Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm just kidding with you.

"Okay. So, you seem to be hinting that you saw one of those new ones today."

Sister, I saw two of the three new ones today!!! Double header time, to make sure I got in my trio for the week! It's been pretty cold, you know, so I've waited it out until today. That's when the temps bounced up to the 60's for me. Hooray!!!

"Oh, wow, very nice. And you'll get 70 for tomorrow!!!"

Right!?! Such a great way to start the weekend! Well, before Saturday drops into the basement. Ack. But so good to have this breather!

"For sure! So tell me about this week's A*List."

I'll go ahead and tell you about next week's, too!

"Sure, sure, but this week's first."

Okay! So, I'd seen "The Boys In The Boat" again last Friday. Barbara even came and watched it with me... and it was her fourth time seeing it!!! She's taken two others to it, she likes it so much! That's good!

"That's incredible! She doesn't do much of watching movies more than once."

 

Well, she does try to fill her dance card, just as I do. Plus, watching the movies is "free" for us, up to three, so that's a nice bit of entertainment.

 

"Yes, yes, I know how the A*List works. Three movies per week, all part of the monthly $24 fee. That's a real deal!"

 

That's right. Honestly, without that perk, I know I wouldn't be seeing as many as I do. Even the matinee prices are almost 8 bucks for a senior. I'd have to forego popcorn!

 

"Oh, heaven forbid! A fate worse than death!"

 

I know you're joking, but you know darn well that movies are better with popcorn.

 

"I do, not that you have that treat at every one of them. Now, tell me about those last two movies, because I thought they started tomorrow."

 

That's what I was saying earlier! Both "The Beekeeper" and "Mean Girls" officially begin on the 12th, but I saw them today! And Barbara saw the Jason Statham movie last night!!!

 

"Hey, good deal! You had company for it!"

 

Even better: I had company at both of those movies! Barbara joined me for "The Beekeeper", which was great fun for me, as I watched him lay waste to a bunch of con artists that made the DEA scam perpetrated on me look like small potatoes. Not that it was to me. What great fun cheering him on was he torched their devices and whupped their butts!!!

(smile!)

Then Sandy came out to join us for "Mean Girls"!!! I tell ya, it was like pre-pandemic days!!!

Not that the cinema was full, but for us to be together!

I think it was the news that it was a musical that drew them out.

That's certainly the key factor for me!

And the movie was so true to the 2004 version, and yet different enough to really pop!!!

Hey, speaking of Drew - get the pun? hahaha! - she is going to have the stars of "Mean Girls" on her show tomorrow morning!!! I'll have to make sure I let mi amigas know so they can tape it, or however that recording feature of On Demand works.

(smile!)

I had been watching her show all week for news of the movie, but it was all about resolutions and healthy eating and stuff like that.

I'm so glad to know she will have these young, musical, stars on tomorrow!!! 

"Well, good for her! That will be a good episode to watch!"

It will! Without her show, I wouldn't have known that "Wonka" was a musical, or that "The Color Purple" was a musical, so who knows when I would have seen them...

and, I'm going to see them again next week!

AMC has three musicals on those silver screens, so I'm going to fill my dance card with all three for a totally musical time!!!

 

"Good for you!!! I know you are utterly thrilled!!!"

 

I am, I really, truly, am!!! I think I'll see "Wonka" first, as its original was in 1971, so that makes it the oldest. I think that's best, befitting its status as the only prequel in the lot, and the only one which had a musical film as its origin. 

That will be followed by "The Color Purple", which had its non-musical original in 1985. I guess that makes it the middle child? LOL! 

"Mean Girls", with its millennial, non-singing and dancing, origin film in 2004 making it definitely the youngest. 

"Very nice! That sounds like lots of fun for you during this winter month."

They'll definitely warm me up! Woohoo!!!

(smile!)

What an unexpected blessing!

i thank You, God!

choirs and Christmas

They go together so beautifully, don't they?

Even from my seat in the very last row, "The Sounds of Winter" rang out clearly.

For "Betelehemu", a traditional Nigerian carol, the boys choir was flanked on both sides by the many singers in the girls choir of Savannah Arts Academy.

Such a lovely melody it had!

I think my favorite part of the choir's portion of the free concert was near the start, though.

A Santa and four - or maybe five? - chipmunks sang tunes that everyone was sure to know: "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Carol Of The Bells"!

Every time I here that first one, an image pops up of the Peanuts gang skating on a frozen pond.

(smile!)

During the intermission, I decided to walk around and try to warm up, as I was still very cold from the walk from my car.

I was able to find a seat in the first row, closer to the stage and far from the doors - beautiful!

That was a good move, as I was able to enjoy the enthusiasm on the conductor's face!

The SAA Orchestra split into different conformations as they performed in the second half, starting with four violoncellos for the first number ("O Come, O Come Emanuel") right up to the full contingent for "Greensleeves" (more familiar as "What Child Is This"), then waning and waxing for other songs.

I think, though, it was the "Overture On Jewish Themes" that had the conductor smiling the most!

I know I was dancing in my seat for "Hava Nagila", and mouthing the words, to the amusement of the teens sitting behind me.

(smile!)

I left as the choir retook the stage, this time with the orchestra, to finish out this two-hour gift to Savannah with a medley of Christmas songs.

With my recent A-fib scare, I had a mask with me, but it was one of the children's masks and kept closing off my breath as I walked.

It really was not appropriate for keeping cold air out of my lungs.

Trust me: error noted.

Now, to warm up with some free Peacock!

Thanks, Comcast, for this reward!

we all have our bears to cross

"G'friend. Just what are you talking about? That isn't how that saying goes."

Hey, it wasn't me that said it! Caroline did. She was on the phone, talking away, and that's what came out of her mouth. "We all have our bears to cross," is exactly how she said it. I very nearly cracked up!

"You mean Carolyn said that???"

No, Caroline. She's the receptionist for Dr. Cobb.

"Oh, so this is from Friday when you had your appointment?"

I wish. No, it was from today, this afternoon, while I was waiting for an EKG.

"I thought that was done on Friday. Did they miss that test?"

No, Taye - the new physician's assistant - did it, but Dr. Cobb didn't like the results. He said my heart was racing and was surprised that I wasn't aware of it. I told him I'd been having a little issue with waves of vertigo ever since the cold weather started. He didn't much like that, either. He told me to come back after the weekend for another EKG and he would decide then if I needed another cardiac ablation.

"Holy shiite! That's not good."

No, it wasn't. I very nearly felt panicked that he would suggest that surgery again, but tried to stay calm in his office. I had been more concerned about my talk with him about a rare heart condition, ATTR-CM. That's Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy. A full page ad about it had been in a Smithsonian magazine a few months back and it had stopped me in my reading. The disease only affects people with hypothyroidism, carpal tunnel syndrome, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, and lower back pain. That's me, to a T.

"So what did your cardiologist have to say?"

He told me that he didn't think that was something I had, but he would check back through my charts to consider it. He said ATTR-CM primarily affects people who have already had heart failure, which was something I did not have. Well, not counting my broken heart after Mama died. So, I guess that was good that Dr. Cobb had not seen any evidence of heart attack in my EKGs or blood work.

"Hmm. You may want to speak to Ms. Barker about that. You might want to find out how you would request DNA sequencing to find out if you have hereditary ATTR. Remember, Mama died of a liver disorder, and that transthyretin protein comes from the liver, leaving deposits that lead to carpal tunnel syndrome and, surprise, surprise, atrial fibrillation."

Duly noted. I'll be seeing her in January, so I'll ask then. I do see that the disease that results depends on where the amyloid deposits build up. I also see that this is a hereditary thing.

"Correct. All the more reason to find out if you have it, then maybe encourage Christina to get checked out. Heck, maybe every female that would be in your maternal line. Meanwhile, how did the EKG today turn out?"

Well, Taye is the one who did that one, too, so that speaks to consistency. I really like her, she's very upbeat and easy to speak to and truly listens.

"And...?"

She has a good poker face. On Friday, I had no idea the EKG was bad. And today, I had no idea that it was good until I overheard Dr. Cobb in the hallway. She showed him the test and he said, "She's back in cycle, so you can let her go." I felt like cheering!!! But I waited until Taye returned and told me all was well. Hooray!!!

"Most excellent!"

As I told her, with the door still open so he might hear, I had changed the way I was taking the Sotalol. I'm still on the 40 mg twice daily, but now I take it with the Eliquis. That means I take it about 11:30 AM to noon, then again at 11:30 PM to midnight. I also make sure it's been at least 30 minutes to an hour since I ate, so I'm taking it on an empty-ish stomach. As I told her, I've noticed that the pharmacy data sheet for the Sotalol has changed. It used to say to "be consistent with how the drug is taken; if taken with a meal, always take with food; if not taken with a meal, then never take with food." Now, the sheet says "food may slow the absorption of the drug." So, I changed from having it mid-meal to having it without food.

"Well, good, whatever does the trick."

Heard. I really don't want any more hospital stays, and I certainly don't want any more surgery, ever.

must be like the brick house

"What's that?"

This far south and east. It must be like the brick house of the three little pigs.

"Strange analogy, but I'll go for it. Got a wolf at the door?"

No, just Old Man Winter. Paul had hit me up for a chat tonight and when I called, he warned me that some serious cold weather was forthcoming... only it isn't going to make it here. Winter is going to huff and puff, but the chill winds are stopping at Atlanta.

"Hooray! Guess the Gulf Stream is hot enough air to ward off that death blow."

I'm not sure it's blowing quite warm yet, but maybe!

"What else was new in California?"

He's looking to retire in another two years, so we talked about his efforts at getting that paperwork all straightened out. Paperwork, man, it's a great energy vampire. The only way to get it under control is to spend hours on the phone or hours in person at someone's office. He'll get it done, though, I know.

"Did you talk about your recent paperwork battle?"

No, just the weather! 

"Seriously?"

Well, I did couch it in terms of what my warm heart needs to be happy. He and Cathy were both on with me, so they wanted to check on my A-fib thing, see what was up with that. I told them I have a visit with the cardio heart throb in another couple of weeks and I'm going to make sure he knows what's what.

"Yeah, you're going to have to tell him about that issue with TEVA USA's version of Sotalol."

For sure. He needs that information for any of his patients who are also lactose-intolerant.

"And what else did y'all talk about? I know these phone 'chats', they usually go on for an hour or more!"

Well, I told them I've already been to two plays this year and that more are due next month! Then I spoke of the Fathom event on Monday, which was a filmed live play called "The Confession"! Once I mentioned that it took place in an Amish community, Cathy lit up! I wish she and I could go to a play some time!! That would be a blast!

"Well, the next time you head to the West Coast, y'all should plan to do something like that."

For sure! Not sure just when that will be, though. I'm thinking I'll go there next year. I should have my finances under control by then. But that's a topic for another day!

"For real. So, tell me more about this play on film."

Well, did I mention it was a musical??? It was! Honestly, that was the deciding factor for me to take a chance on this one-day-only event. I mean, the fact that it had John Schneider in it certainly helped... but, what turned it into a "must" was that it was a musical!!!

"You saw him sing years ago, right?"

Yeah, like four decades ago! It was while I was in San Diego, so that meant 1983 or '84. He was the famous draw for some special event in Calico. Maybe a salute to gold-mining days in that ghost town cum tourist spot. Dave Eschedor and I just wanted to do something different, so we'd gone out there. What was cool was watching Schneider do his stunt from "The Dukes of Hazard", a popular redneck show on TV.

"I didn't think you watched that show..."

I didn't, but I did know of it. I saw the 'mercials for it! And in those, he'd get into the side seat of the vehicle by jumping through the passenger window. Neat trick! And after the parade through Calico, he did that trick, then he sang a few songs. I don't remember what tunes, but he did have a nice voice. They may have been patriotic songs... and there may have been fireworks that night... and I do remember panning for gold and riding through a mine in a cart. Good times!

"So, what was he doing in "The Confession Musical"?"

He was the husband of a rich, but dying, woman, who had decided to leave her fortune to her long-lost daughter, not him. That prompted him to hire a city girl to portray her daughter. And what was the problem with that plan? I'll tell you! The daughter, Katie, had been raised Amish in the small Hickory Hollow community, something that slick city gal knew utterly nothing about! But, as happenstance would have it, she had just found out she was adopted and wanted to find her birth mother. The whole thing was told from the vantage point of her best friend, Mary. Very cool!

"Oh, that sounds like a pretty funny story line!"

It was, and I found myself laughing out loud several times. I wish it had more of the song and dance moments, though. Still, there was one of those that really stood out. It was centered on a barn-raising and was reminiscent of STOMP's ability to make music with everyday implements... so you know I loved that!

"I know you did! That live show that STOMP did in Savannah was totally awesome!"

For real! And you know what I liked about the character Katie?

"No, what did you like about Katie?"

The fact that she was smart and kept her clothes on! LOL!

"Well... of course she did. She was Amish. Why would she be naked on stage?"

The other Katie was nekkid all throughout the movie on Sunday night!

"What are you talking about? I thought this play was shown Monday??"

That's correct, it was. But "Ghosts Can't Do It", with Bo Derek as a very different Katie, was the flick I watched on Epix the night before. Let me tell you, her real-life husband, who was the director of that movie, must really love showing her off to the world. This was a decade after her break-out role, so she was 33 here. And still playing the pin-up girl: naked in the pool, naked in the shower, naked here, naked there, nekkid everywhere! LOL! I guess they felt the need to give folks something to distract them from the small amount of dialogue she had.

"Whoa! Was it in German??" 

No, it was in English. I just liked this poster. They translated the title to "My Mind only wants One Thing"... no doubt because this Katie was fixated on wanting sex with her husband (74-yo Anthony Quinn) even though he had killed himself rather than become an invalid. So, he guides her through the process of finding a suitable body for his spirit to inhabit and that young stud on the cover becomes the target. There's just one problem: the young man has to die for the old ghost to move in. Really rather funny! And Anthony Quinn is just a hoot in this! But the dark-haired hottie with the Italian eyes... ooh la la!

"And who was he? Spill the beans!!!"

Funny that you should mention foodstuff. When I couldn't find anything much on Leo Damian after a flurry of activity in 1989, I wondered if he had died. Nope! He's on youTube with his own cooking show! For real!

"Hmm. Interesting. But he's only done that for less than a decade. What'd he do in those intervening years?"

I don't know. He just stepped out of the public eye, then re-emerged. Okay, enough about all this. Those Harper boys will be coming on soon and I need to brush my teeth.

"Alrighty, then I'll take my leave."

Thanks... later!!!

i can take a hint: keepin' my silly self home

Back in early February, before my heart lost its rhythm, I'd been invited for an all-expenses-paid week-long stay by my cousin Penny's paternal cousin, Jeff of Nebraska.

"February 9, fb message: Hi Tina! Hey my friend Sean and I have rented a house on St.George Island May 14th through 21st of this year. Penny will join us there and I hope you will come too! This is your official invite! Sean and I will arrive in Tallahassee sometime in the evening of the 13th. We can't actually check in until 3pm in the 14th and may not be able to get in the house until 6pm. But we will have the house all week so PLEASE JOIN US! The house is already paid for. All you need to bring is yourself and the stuff you need for the beach. Sean and I will buy groceries and pay for our restaurant (The Blue Parrot) visits which will be frequent. I miss and love you Tina! Please say you will join us!
Oh we are staying in the home called "GIMME SHELL'TER", it is viewable on the Fickling real estate site. Look at it, it's perfect for a get together!"

And it was, too!

As I had replied, "That sounds fantabulous! It's been decades since I've been there. My chem nerds fraternity rented a house there for spring break, so long ago. Yes, I gladly accept! What a bonus to stay in the house named for a Rolling Stones song!"

Then came three hospital visits, with two overnight, for multiple attempts at getting my heart rate back to its regular pace.

Yeah, yeah, yeah... no (as that guy on "The Vicar Of Dibley" would say), that still hasn't happened, and Tuesday made three months since the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.

Not that there hasn't been progress, because there certainly has been.

The atrial fibrillation is gone, and I'm quite possibly going to be on Sotalol for a year to try to keep it from returning.

The new problem has been the dizzy spells from that anti-arrhythmia drug, due to my new heart rate down in the low forties.

That translates to limited highway driving during daylight, low-traffic, periods, and absolutely no driving after dark. Period. Not even in town.

That means I wouldn't have been able to leave today and head to Tallahassee to join the group that'll be vacationing on that Florida island beach.

Fine.

Well, as I'd still be in town for the weekend of the 14th and 15th of May, that meant the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Statesboro could be my destination! So I'd contacted my first niece and posed the possibility to her... and she jumped for it! Hooray!

All I would need to do is drive to Hinesville and catch a ride with her and the girls, then plan to stay overnight with them, so I could return to Savannah in daylight.

That sounded like a working plan to her!

We made sure to get our tickets on Tuesday, so we would have the "early bird" discount - and the two girls were young enough to be free!

Woohoo!

Then she called today.

She had run into the back of someone's vehicle, and, although she and the older girl were fine, the van was not, and possibly would not be for some time.

So, she posited, why don't I drive to Hinesville Saturday morning, transfer the girls' safety seats into my car, then drive to Statesboro for the festival?

Well, that maybe could have worked, if she could drive stick shift... but she can't.

That meant all the driving, with much of it at highway speeds, would fall on me.

Three hours, at a minimum, probably more like four and a half.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

I'd also have to drive back to Hinesville, in the dark, at highway speeds.

I can only imagine how scrambled my nerves would be by that point, if I were even able to complete such a mission.

I had to explain to her that I was not yet at the point in my healing that I could do that.

I also told her that the Universe must be sending me the message to stay in town this weekend, as I'd had two good reasons for leaving and both had been quashed.

I don't know that she quite believed that, but she didn't deny the theory.

Now, I'll be curious to see what happens tomorrow.

At least I'll be part of the food drive.

mine was green

I was barely able to look at it.

When the 8 PM episode of "Monk" came on, I first commiserated with Randy Disher.

He was under anesthesia for two hours, for what should have been a 30-minute tooth extraction.
Really made me wonder how long it might take him to recover from being put under, right?

But he had bounced right back, young man that he is.

The problem was that he had witnessed his dentist killing someone, but no one would believe him, all choosing to think it some hallucination from the drug.

Then, with only about fifteen minutes left in the show, Adrian is kidnapped by the dentist and his nurse, leading to this scene...

and it stopped me short.

The first thing that popped into my head was: "Mine was green."

What "mine" was I talking about?

That device to keep his mouth open.

The one used on me was a bright green, with a circlet in the center, like some kind of target or bullseye to guide the camera.

That's right, I said "camera".

The Transesophageal Echocardiography, aka TEE, involved the use of two sets of electrical pads to monitor my vitals, one for the cardio team and one for the anesthesiologists.

I also had large electrical pads, roughly 6" x 4", attached to me; one was over the sternum, the other on my left should blade.

That was all part of the Direct Current Cardioversion, aka DCC, should that procedure be deemed safe.

The TEE would involve positioning a camera behind my heart to make sure no nasty little blood clots were hidden from view; if the coast was clear, then an electrical shock would be administered to stop my heart, in hopes it would start back up in its normal rhythm.

Now, then, just how would a camera be able to be placed in such a position?

Well, it would need to be carefully threaded to not land in the trachea, as that would take it to the lungs, a pathway parallel to the esophagus from the mouth; my guess would involve passage through the epiglottis, but I don't know.

What I do know is this: after my throat was sprayed twice with a numbing agent (that tasted like the worst fake-cherry flavor in the world), the bright-green bite-block was placed into my mouth to keep it open.

I had kidded with the team that this would be my "new Facebook profile pic" and they liked that I had my sense of humor intact.

Of course, I'd said that to allay my own concerns.

I'm glad nurse Erin maintained a hold on my right hand.

Now, if only I can conquer the coughing fits that strike when I am about to fall asleep.

I think it's a residual dread of whatever took place after the anesthesia kicked in.

As soon as it was administered, I had said "whoa..." as the room started spinning, and then I remember naught else...

or, rather, I think I remember nothing more...

until my body rebels against "falling" asleep.

When I spoke to Paul last night, he thought it possible that I was remembering something about the test procedure.

So, last night, I tried something different.

I always sleep on my side, not on my back.

The TEE-DCC had been done with me on my back.

So, in bed, lying on my side, I waited for the tell-tale signs of the coughs building up...

then, I told myself, "You are safe, you are on your side. You are safe, you are on your side. You are safe, you are on your side."...

and the cough sensation fell away from me and I slept...

I slept!

For the first time in days, I slept without enduring over an hour of coughing.

Even when I rose at one point for the bathroom, I easily returned to sleep!

i thank You, God.

Mornings are rough enough without coffee...

I need that precious sleep.

good to be nestled at home again

Only my two brothers and their spouses have known I was back in town from Florida.

It's only by the grace of God that I am.

When I drove to Savannah yesterday, I was barely able to walk ten feet without having to stop and catch my breath.

I had no problem driving, as that was a sitting-down procedure.

But, after parking in St. Joseph's ER lot, trying to get from the car into the building required two rest stops.

The diagnosis is: atrial fibrillation.

I had thought the cold weather had given me pneumonia and was completely to blame for my trouble breathing.

Now, I am seated on my own couch, in my own house, surrounded by the colors of my life.

i thank You, God.

Smitty and Mary came to pick me up, retrieve my laptop and travel bag from my car, take me to the pharmacy for the new prescriptions, and escort me into my home.

i thank You. God.

I've made a soothing cup of apricot tea, as calming to smell as it is to sip, and have saltine crackers to help calm my upset stomach.

"Penn & Teller: Fool Us" is on television, to return a bit of magic to my life.

i thank You, God.

It's been a very long two days, but I am home.

Every little thing is going to be alright.

i thank You, God.