And yet another ________. Feel free to fill in the blank....

Don't know where this came from other than from another friendly email buddy.  ( Thanks Mike)  Makes me want to run for Congress!

Come on man!

Campy

George Takei Speaks Out! (Strong Language) but right on!

Review: "Love and Other Drugs"

Sue and I went to see "Love and Other Drugs" yesterday.  

It's a movie not so much about Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (YOPD), as it is about being a young beautiful, 27 y/o woman living who is living in the “now” as she is faced with an incurable progressively debilitating disease.  This movie IS NOT FOR KIDS!
 

The Official Write Up

Love and Other Drugs (2010) More at IMDbPro »

Maggie (Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love. Written by Twentieth Century Fox    (Link to Love and Other Drugs)

The Bad

While I didn’t mind the sex scenes and strong language, Anne Hathaway’s Maggie, is good scenery; I did pause to think that this movie would be a totally different story if made from the perspective of a man who had YOPD.  I became a bit obsessed (yes… I have YOPD) during the movie thinking that this young attractive woman did not have to control her sexual urges; she had many partners from which to choose from in order to satisfy her seemingly insatiable sexual urges.  Impulsive behavior in the form of acting on urges may have been Maggie’s nature pre-existing her PD diagnosis, or Maggie’s choice of dealing with the profound sense of loss of control that accompanies people with PD (PWP), or Maggie may have been a victim of the side effects of some PD medicines.  This sexual compulsion as well as gambling, shopping, and drinking to excess are well documented, not well understood, statistically affect males more than females, and may in the extreme case end sadly in suicide.

I couldn’t help but think, if this story was told from the perspective of a man with YOPD, I feel I can quite safely say the man would have probably and most sadly ended up in jail, rehab, or worse.  It is quite odd to think that a woman would be as receptive to a man with the same sexual voracity experienced by Maggie, for whatever the reason, naturally, emotionally, or chemically induced.  But then again, this thankfully and wonderfully a Hollywood story!  In my thankfully never to be published reality show, Maggie under most circumstances also would have ended up legally detained or in a mental disorder treatment facility as well.  
 

The Good

It was appropriate to see Maggie accurately show the subtle signs of Parkinson’s, the left hand resting shake, the morning stiffness, as well as have a couple of bad “off” days caused by her being either emotionally compromised or from her medications not working that day.  It was “real” to see that she smoked marijuana and drank alcohol; both substances are known to mitigate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.  It was also very real for me to see sit through her attempt to open of a medicine bottle over a sink.  I sat in fear just knowing that she would open the bottle only to dump the remainder of her needed pills down the sink.  Pills can, with difficulty, be picked from the floor but not from the drain or a toilet’s watery death trap.  In Maggie’s case it turned out she was out of her much needed medication, another very real fear that I live with each day.  She coped with this loss by drinking a boat load of vodka in her attempt to either mitigate her PD symptoms, drown her loss, or both.

The movie is dated to about the 1997/1998 time frame, when Viagra hit the market, and as such is probably appropriate and accurate with respect to the treatment of Parkinson’s.  In the past 10 years major leaps have been made in Parkinson’s treatment especially in the area of YOPD, thanks to Michael J. Fox’s hard work spreading the word and raising much needed research money.  Bearing that in mind it was refreshing to see Maggie stumble upon a small Parkinson’s group and gain a sense of hope and energy from the group.  On the other hand it was also very real to have her “boyfriend” Jamie show up at the Parkinson’s group meeting  only to talk to a husband, and now long time care taker of his wife with Parkinson’s.  His advice to Jamie is pointed, “Pack your bags and run now!”  

This husband, now turned care giver of a person with Parkinson’s, advice is the basis for the rest of the movie.  How does “Love” for a person known to have Parkinson’s and the as yet unknown and untold selfless personal investment and sacrifice in someone’s long termed illness, the inevitable years of thankless care, and being faced with the impending physical and potentially mental demise of that person fit into a young professional, upwardly mobile, highly rewarding, financially lucrative, and active lifestyle? 

To find the answer:

1.       1. Watch the movie if you want the feel good Hollywood answer… or 

2.       2. Ask my wife for the real day to day answer from someone who is living it.

Roger out!

Snow day with the Chief.....

 What's this stuff?  It makes my butt really cold!

 I can eat it!

 I can dig it!

 I can smell it!

 Muckle the Moron with the orange hat!

 Keep him down!

Don't let him up!

 Let's see you "Sit" and "Stay!" now!

 Now for the KILL!   ARRRRRRGH!

OK... You can get up now you Slug!

 

 Can we go out again????  PLEASE?????

Memere's Meat Pie Recipe

AKA: "Tourtiere"   in French

This top secret family recipe, less one key ingredient, is offered for the masses...

Needs:
One prefab crust (the kind you refrigerate, unroll, and use. (Pillsbury makes it easy.)
One pound lean ground pork
One pound lean ground beef
One can of unflavored bread crumbs
One medium white onion, diced small
Salt and Pepper to taste (I now use sea salt in everything)
"Bell's Seasoning" in the yellow box (or you can substitute poultry seasoning from any other maker)


Action: 
First Day
Mash the pork and the beef and the onion together in the pot.
Pour water over the top of the mash until it is covered by an inch and a half.
Mix it all up again this time with a generous amount of Bells Poultry seasoning.  (at least a table spoon)

Boil it for like three ours or until it reaches the consistency of new concrete and is a very fine particulate beef/pork mix.  You got to stir it and bust up the clumps every 15 or 20 minutes.

When you reach the loose concrete phase pull it off the stove and mix in the bread crumbs until you get the mix a bit solid like loose meat loaf.

Taste it and add salt, pepper, and seasoning the mash to taste 
Please Note: You can shorten this all up, and your life as well, by removing this next step... the refrigerate and remove the fat Frisbee section...  
Put the meat mash in the refrigerator over night

Second Day 
Remove the "Fat Frisbee" that forms on the top of the meat in the morning

Glop the meaty mixture into the prefab pie crusts pinch the edges closed

Bake it at 350 until the meat in the middle is warm or until the crust is brown on top

Serve it up hot and garnish with Ketchup, and smile lots!  

This is not CHOLESTEROL, nor HEART HEALTHY, nor in DIABETIC approved!

Eating this will actually cost you about an hour of your life per slice, so enjoy it while you can.  

I will be doing the same all by myself this year!

Happy Holidays!

Not only was it snowing....

But I woke up to The Chief trying on some of my underwear!  I think he was trying to tell me either:

a; You should buy a bathrobe.

b:  Its getting colder outside and he wants a set of "mudondies!"

c:  I shouldn't leave my clothes hanging around.

Don't know what he's trying to say!  Have to figure this one out.

Roger and The Chief

Snow day!

I'm taking a snow Day today!  After so many years of having to call in when I got snowed in, I have no one to call in to!   Do I miss it?  NOT ON YOUR LIFE!

Being the master of my universe is just as coooool as the driven snow!

Could do some serious online shopping, play the Wii, Xbox 360, NetFlix, figure out the bills, photo copy some more pictures... But how does that differ from any other day?

Roger

A Letter to My Friends and Family

A LETTER TO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

I have Parkinson's disease. It is not contagious or hereditary. No one knows what causes it, but some of the dopamine cells in the brain begin to die at an accelerated rate. Everyone slowly loses some dopamine cells as they grow older. If the cells suddenly begin to die at a faster rate, Parkinson's disease develops. It is a slowly progressive disease usually occurring as people get older. Medicine can help. I'll take newer, stronger kinds over the years. Some make me sick and take lots of adjustments. Stick with me. I have good days and bad days.

Emotions: Sometimes I cry and appear to be upset and you think you have done something to hurt my feelings. You have not. It is the Parkinson's, keep talking to me. Ignore the tears. I'll be ok in a few minutes.

Tremors: You are expecting me to shake. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Medicine today takes care of the tremors. If my hands, feet, or head are shaky, ignore it. I'll sit on my hands or put them in my pockets. Treat me as you always have. What's a little shakiness between friends?

My face: You think you don't entertain me anymore because I'm not grinning or laughing. If I appear to stare at you, or have a wooden expression, that's the Parkinson's.  I do hear you and I have the same intelligence; it just isn't easy to show facial expressions. If swallowing, I may drool. This bothers me, so I will mop it up.

Stiffness: We are ready to go somewhere and I get up. I can hardly move. Maybe my medicine is wearing off. The stiffness or rigidity is part of Parkinson's Let me take my time, keep talking.

Exercise: I need to walk each day. Two to three miles is good. Walk with me. Company makes walking fun. It may be a slow walk, but I'll get there. Remind me if I slump or stoop. I don't always know I'm doing this. My stretching, bending, exercises must be done everyday. Help me with them if you can.

My voice: As my deeper tones disappear, you'll notice my voice is getting higher and wispy. That's the Parkinson's I know you can talk louder, faster and finish my sentences for me. I don't care for that. Let me talk, get my thoughts together and speak for myself. I'm still there. My mind's okay. Since I'm slower in movement, my thoughts are slower too. I want to be part of the conversation. Let me speak.

Sleeplessness: I may complain that I can't sleep. If I wander around in them middle of the night, that's Parkinson's It has nothing to do with what I ate or how early I went to bed. I may nap during the day. Let me sleep when I can. I can't always control when I'm tired or feel like sleeping.

Be patient, my friends. I need you. I'm the same person, I've just slowed down. It's not easy to talk about Parkinson's, but I'll try if you really want to know. I need my friends. I want to continue to be part of life. Please remain my friend.

Note:  A few years ago at the age of 44 when Sue and I received my diagnosis of "Young Onset of Parkinson's", a wise person sent me this letter that was written by someone else. I'm not sure of the letter's author and the searches I have done list this letter as Anonymous. The main point is that it explains what I feel on a daily basis. Please read it and rest assured that if I find the author I will credit him or her and the website or publication appropriately.

Let's get a contest going!

You'll need:


1.   A watch or clock
2.  One big glass of milk

Contest Rules:

1. Click the link and start slowly drinking the milk while watching the video.
2. Remember look at the time before you start drinking the milk.
(I'll know if your cheating!)



I hate kids smarter than me...    How long did you last?


(Thanks Drake!  You are THE MAN!)

Campy out!

Wicked Cool Link of the Week!

My "AOL" (ugh!) using Uncle sent me a cool jump rope video via email!  It is really one of the most coolest routines I've seen all year long.  Thanks Uncle O!

Since I wanted to know more of the back story, I did a quick Google search on the video looking for who and what these kids are.

"The Firecrackers" website was way better than any forwarded link or "You Tube" video and made the whole experience just that much better.  Click the link my people, for this is my:

 Wicked Cool Link of the Week

And another thing....

With regard to Parkinson's Disease ...

Sue and I went to the Annual Parkinson's Hope Conference yesterday.  Learned lots about exercise, guided imagery, music, singing, and dancing in the treatment of Parkinson's.  In fact, clinical trials have demonstrated that moderate aerobic exercise for 40 minutes can be just as effective as deep brain stimulation and medication combined!  And in some instances the effects last for up to 14 hours!  Just think!

I've always said the only time I don't feel like I have Parkinson's is when I 'm working out aerobically with some good music, or when I'm in the "Man Cave" working on a project.

In all, I am making progress with Parkinson's but it's more like playing chess with a computer. The most I can hope for is a real long game that ends up in a stalemate and the next game starts as soon as the last one ends.

For me, Parkinson's is a day to day puzzle that I have to stay sharp for.   I plan on having Parkinson's for 40 more years, Parkinson's won't have me.  Sure Parkinson's will win in the end... but I am going to piss it off every day I can!

CHEERS and BIG BIG SMILES!

Rules I try to live by...

I have days where I miss what I used to do with ease, from the hip, and without thinking.  Now I have to think and work very hard at doing things I took for granted. 

When I used to run projects. I had a few rules that I would open every project with and I would like to pass these on.

(I like to believe that these rules are still the rules of how I try to live my life.) 

1. Don't censure anyone.  Comedy is good and needed!  Just because you are uncomfortable doesn't mean every one should be uncomfortable.

2. Don't ever not ask a question because you think it may hurt someone's feelings.  Time is too short, and your question may actually be a pivotal question that needed to be asked.

3. Individual feelings are over rated.  Think of how many times we put out our best, only to find out that the other person never really cared about the work, love, time, and care we invested into them.  Be selfish more often.

4. Say what is on your mind.  You may have a great idea, and many times, that same thought is on another person's mind as well, it's just not formulated into words just yet.

5. Indulge yourself.  Never put something fun or enjoyable off until tomorrow if you could have done it today.  There may be only today left.  Today may be that last time we have to do something we love to do.

6. Give your all in whatever you do.  Dance, run, sing, boogie, pray, swim, read, love.  Every gift we have is temporary.

7. Help others, but help yourself first. (Mother's and mother types are the worst at this!) You can't help anyone if you are miserable, resentful, tired, hungry, and poor in spirit.

8. Take a break when your butt gets numb.  If your butt is numb, you've been sitting too long and thus your brain is numb as well.

Advanced technique:

9. Everyone on the team creates a working nick name for everyone. This is done only when smaller teams are ready, usually when the team hits the Norming phase  (1. Forming, 2. Storming, 3. Norming, 4. Performing). It is a good exercise that may provide individual personal insight as well as help people get closer to each other.

Onward and upward.