**WARNING POLITICAL RANT COMING**

I was exchanging e-mails with my BFF NJS, and he expressed that the future could be looking up after this election.

Not only did I disagree, but I did so vociferously:

don't count on the economy bouncing back. I am not an optimist on this one. The GOP will get in (the house) and successfully screw it up. More people will sit on their cash (gold, guns and bibles). Certainty and stability = good growth environment.

We will have another 3-4 years of uncertainty at least. If there is another "black swan" event, it could be longer. Throw in some government mandated inflation, and we will be lucky to beat Japan's lost decade.

I base my opinions on several things. First is what is going on in the country. People are pissed, scared, and confused. They know that something bad is coming, but what it is, no one knows. There seems to be a lot of talk about "something" and being prepared for it. Call it a Black Swan, SHTF, or zombie attack, folks are stocking up on gold, guns, and spam.

Second, people are giving up playing by the rules. Rules are for suckers. Just ask Timmothy Geitner (head of Treasury) about his taxes, and you get the feeling that they are for the little people. This pattern played out numerous times in the Obama administration.

Department of Justice is now just a political hit organization used to protect the New Black Panthers, and Democrat voting irregularities (overseas troops don't need to vote!).

Mortgage problem? Uncle Sugar will fix it for you, ooops.

Not here legally? No, you can't work, but you can go to a UC school at a severe discount!

Bail outs? Chrysler and GM? Healthcare mandates? Sub prime mortgages?

Illegal politicking in a polling place? Ah, she can do it -- she is Queen Michelle!

Insider trading? Who else knows what industries will be regulated and in what way.

They can't even follow their own rules.

Seems like those in charge make up things, screw it up, and then go on to put a fix it without working it through, causing another screw up. Almost like they want it this way. It is incredible to me that no one has called for a stop. If it doesn't work, let it fail and start something else new.

The crisis in confidence -- on both sides -- has lead to the Tea Party protests. Like them, I no longer consider myself a Republican. I would have change my voting status to DTS, but I got lazy and busy with other things. If the GOP screws up, who knows where it goes from there.

And that's the rub.

No one can seem to get a handle on it. No one. The new congress will come into town, inhale the swamp gas that permeates everything there, and simply fail.

They will fail to significantly curtail government power, spending, taxation, regulation, or any of the crap that the current congress has passed this year.

The system is rigged against them.

The house will be Republican, and the Senate will be Democrat -- or RINO at best. The White House will be in 100% Chicago thuggery defense mode. It will be nasty and ugly for the next three years at best.

And nothing will happen.

Obamacare will still be in place -- with a few face saving tweaks here and there. Taxes will rise (or the Bush tax cuts will expire). Regulation from the agencies will kick into overdrive ( EPA regulating CO2). A true vacuum at the top, while the bureaucrats get turbo charged up and the rest of the world passes us by.

Oh, and inflation will start kicking in as "quantitative easing".

Oh, and we no longer are seen as a world leader -- because we won't lead (that's just rude).

So, what's a business man to do? Sit on his gold, guns and spam.

Is there no hope? Not the way I see it. There are only downsides. The Obama fix is in, and the GOP is powerless in the next congress to do anything about it. Some other issue (black swan) will crop up and divert their gnat-like attention away from the necisary heavy duty work that needs to be done.

They are what they are.

Long term, who knows, but it won't be pretty. Will it be like Japan? We can only hope it would only be one lost decade. China? They are sitting on a cauldron that would put Tienanmen Square to shame. Europe? They are convulsing too.

Bottom line?

Click on the links for the articles that support my views. Feel free to disagree or give another viewpoint -- I'm a big boy, I can take it.

jc

Bone Marrow report

YOUR MARROW IS CLEAR WITHOUT MYELOMA.

FINAL REPORT:
1. MILD PLASMACYTOSIS (3%).
2. NO EVIDENCE OF INCREASED BLASTS, CLONALITY, OR LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDER BY EITHER MORPHOLOGY OR FLOW CYTOMETRY.
3. MINIMAL NORMOCYTIC AND NORMOCHROMIC ANEMIA.
4. 1+ (OF 6) IRON STORES WITH MINIMAL FOCAL INCORPORATION OF IRON INTO SIDEROBLASTS AND NO RING SIDEROBLASTS.
Comment: Kappa and lambda light chain immunoperoxidase stains performed on blocks (A1, B1) show a polyclonal distribution of light chain staining in plasma cells. Deeper sections into block (A1) after decalcification also reveal more intact architecture with no evidence of plasma cell dyscrasia.

TL

What does it mean?

I'm good for now!

I need a nap...

jc

Day Zero + two years

Two years on, I am grateful that I had the bone marrow transplant. I am alive, healthy, and leading an almost productive life.

Would I do it again?

Yes.

Can I do it again?

Probably.

Will I do it again?

The odds are that I will have to do it again at some point. After that, I am out of options.

Who goes Nazi? ***updated***

I read this article from Harpers ( I know, first time for everything) and immediately recognized several people I have known.

I know the person she describes as Mr. B: He is a great guy, but he signed up for "Airline Captains for Obama". Nice knowing you. Don't call.

Mr. G also sounds familiar.

I also know several Mr. C's... I am not impressed.

What I realized is that the friends I have kept over the years would never "Go Nazi". Not that I have given it much thought, but instinctively I have cherished the friends that are well rooted and don't sway with the winds.

Does that make them boring? No, just reliable. And trustworthy. And worth their (ever expanding) weight in gold.

To my friends: Thank you.

I will continue to keep up my part of the deal.

jc

***This is not to imply that any of my friends ARE National Socialists of Germany.  Replace NAZI with the political Flavor Of The Month, and you get my point.  People that go with the FOTM are unreliable in my estimation, and when things crash (which they do), they are the first to denounce their previous selves.  In short, they are flakes.  Spineless, whipsawed sheep.  Their opinions are as worthless as the ether that carries them.***

Grumpy old Fart

That's what I called myself today to one of the Daisy moms. I have a head cold (or allergies), my back hurts when I cough, and I am walking around in a haze.

My back went south Saturday night, and Sunday was just miserable. While It is slowly getting better, once in a while it "catches" and all those bad old memories come back. Coughing doesn't help. Especially the cough jags that I have with this allergy/cold thing.

Oh, and the Sudafed seems to mess with the thyroid pills.

It's 3:45, time for a nap...

jc

Happy birthday to me...

I have deep thoughts on this day, but they don't go much beyond breakfast... Hurry up and get here parents, I am hungry!

Nom nom nom
jc

Cancer update

Last week I had three trips to Kaiser -- one infusion and two doctor appointments.

Infusion went well, as usual. This time, though, the aridia really hit me afterwards. I never experienced the fatigue before, so it was new.

Dr. Sahebi (Kaiser BMT specialist) was pleased with my progress, and took me off another pill. I still have to take the Thalomid, but that's OK. Now it's just vitamins and supplements.

Dr. Lee (Kaiser Oncology) was pleased with my progress too, but was concerned with my white blood count. I get another CBC next week to check on that. He also wants me to take B-12 for my blood. Perhaps I will just eat more steaks.

Toes still tingle, fingers still a bit numb, but that comes with the nerve damage and Thalomid. Balance is a challenge when you can't feel your toes to make the billions of micro corrections you make when balancing.

Cramps are still there, and I can feel it when my feet get cold... it gets painful when you are standing still and your feet cramp up. Looks real bad when one falls over with foot cramps and bad equilibrium.

Well, I need to get dinner started...

jc

Wrap, wrap wrap

Why is it up to me to wrap all these presents?

As a side note, if anyone wants a few amazon or woot boxes, come on over.

jc

Health update

Well, I saw Dr. Lee yesterday, and all seems to be going well.

The bone marrow biopsy came back as generally OK. He noted some elevated numbers in my IGD, but nothing else -- which seems like an anomaly and not much for concern. Yet.

He gave me the surgical pathology report, and while I am not a doctor (or even play on on TV) I can read this:

NO EVIDENCE OF MONOCLONALITY IN B-CELL POPULATION

I take that as something good.

My visits to the chemo lab for AREDIA are to be cut in half, and I don't see Dr. Lee until next January.

Generally good, eh?

My back still has its days, and my bone marrow is only at 50% or so. If I get sick (something I don't do very often) it will take me much longer to get better. I really notice that I notice faces, but absolutely blank out with names (very awkward, socially). I am quite stiff when it comes to movement, except when standing still: my back does an involuntary wiggle that seems like it is under/over correcting itself. My stamina is OK for a while, but it takes me much longer to recover. I seem to be just barely stable -- my balance is just not as balanced as before. If I do get off balance, I don't have the quick (or even automatic) muscle response to correct it in time. Not good when dodging beagle pups.

All told, I think I am doing quite well. Considering that in March of 2008 I could only walk with a walker, and could not get out of a bed without horrific pains in the back, I think that I am doing VERY well. Just wish these 100 little things would hurry up and stop making me feel older than I am.

Gotta go clean up puppy stuff --

jc

New additions

These two little bundles of furry fun were adopted by us on Sunday. We finaly named the girls, Blue and Daisey.

I wanted Black and Blue, Kristin wanted Harley, Jenna wanted Molly, and Caitlyn wanted Lizzie. This is what we ended up with.

Well, they do quite nicely in the crate, and if we can just get them to eliminate out doors, things would be terriffic!

Oh, tomorow I get to go have a bone marrow biopsy. F-ing joy.

'night.

jc

Internet trails and tribulations

Well, I diagnosed the problem with my internet connection as being my router, like the fith one I have killed over the years.

Next was the browser. I use Netvibes as my home page. I find it hugely helpful for keeping all of my interests in line. For example, I can scan all my wood working sites on one page and see if there is anything new. Same with politics, gadgets, H1N1 flue, guns, social media, comics, family stuff... get the picture?

Well, FireFox 3.5 (+) doesn't work nice with this. Don't know why, but it just slows down, then locks.

Crap.

So, I now am using Chrome from Google. Works just fine. Bookmarks are not as easy (I have hundreds of bookmarks too), and I have to open each bookmark individually instead of "open all", but I will get used to it.

So, we shall see. Since I have the thought process of a gnat anymore, any breaking of my thought stream can have severe consequences...

Hey, there is a squirrel in my yard!

jc

How the Intellecualoids will take over the world...

In an article about "How Sex sells the loss of freedom", there is a great line that applies to much of what is happening.

Leftism as an ideology exists to provide a mechanism for advancing the economic interest and social status of articulate intellectuals. As an ideology leftism seeks to restrict the freedoms, especially the economic freedoms, of everyone who doesn’t work as an articulate intellectual, while at the same time maximizing the freedom of articulate intellectuals.

There is another bit, something that I have noticed...

Most people forget that fascists, communists and the lesser tyrannies of the 20th Century did not initially rise to power as violent, mass-murdering police states. Instead, they began with economic control. They first controlled people’s access to material necessities: to jobs, to housing, to medical care, to education, etc. Only when they could control people’s material environment did they obtain the power to unleash the police state.

It concludes with this:

As you go through your day-to-day life, watch all the decisions that you make that influence your total quality of life. Each time you make such a decision, ask yourself if a leftist would let you make that decision if they had the power to stop you. Would they let you have your house, your job, your car, your food, your random stuff? Would they let you run your own business? Would they protect your right to free speech if they disagreed with you? Would they let you educate your children as you see fit? Would they let you have input on your minor children’s reproductive choices?

If I want to plant petunias in the yard, is it OK, or do I have to go with drought tolerant plantings? If I want a black car, will it be allowed in California? I want my wife to make her famous chocolate chip cookies, will we be taxed extra for making "fat food"? Never mind that I already have to separate my garbage, select from a paltry selection of tiny unsafe vehicles, buy paint that is safe for the environment (but fails after 3-4 years), select only "energy star" products that simply don't do the job for a family of 4.

The intelectualoids are located in dense, large cities. Typically they are childless, or at most, one child family s. To them, a large vehicle (mini van or SUV) is impractical. They take the train or bus to work. They have appartments that need little maintenence. The closest they get to a Home Depot is to get mercury infused twisty lightbubs. Meanwhile, in "flyover country", a family of four or five squeeze into a small, unsafe vehicle, try to maintain a house with inferior products, and suffer at the hands of the "save the earth" idiots that have (and will never) get out and actually do something.

The Latest News on the Cancer Front

The latest news on cancer is... there is none.

Bone marrow biopsy -- NONE.

Blood test -- NONE.

The doctor declared me cancer free. They used the latest equipment available, and could not find even the smallest amount of cancerous material.

For now.

There is a 70% chance that it will come back in the future. The idea now is to treat myeloma like a chronic condition. Just like diabetes or high blood pressure, or even high cholesterol, I will be treating the cancer with a low dose of chemo (thalidomide) until it doesn't work anymore.

Hopefully, that will be a few years from now.

Until then, I think I will go to Disneyland!

jc

Yet more one party supression of free speech

They said that if Bush were elected President, the opposition would be attacked, the first amendment would be trampled, and the full force of the government would be arrayed against the individual.

Yes, I do fear the one party future.

jc

Click on the blue underlined text for the articles.

More talk about shrugging Atlas

Great video, quite insightful.

The gist is: why work your rear off if it is just going to be redistributed to some one else? $150,000 isn't that much, if the wife and I had our old jobs, we would be well over that. We would actually save money quitting a job.

What is my incentive to pursue a good job? Why would I want to start a new business, just to be working for taxes?

Count me out.

jc

Cartoon of the Day

Can you deny it?

jc

Points against Obama

(When reading this, the underlined blue items are links to articles to back up my points-- footnotes if you will. Feel free to disagree with me, but put it in the comments section and back up your points with facts. jc)

This article has many points against Obama. I know that he is a poor choice for leading this country in the near future.

• He will be challenged immediately by the likes of Putin, Chavez and Amadinejad.
• The freedom to disagree will be suppressed and actively litigated.
• Racism will be the next standard put down for anyone that disagrees with the dear leader.
• His economic plans will keep the country in a deep recession for years.
• He has an east coast elite school attitude that derides "fly over country" and their valid concerns.
• Tolerance will not be for thee. Ever. Never in a million years.
  
• The Cult of Personality will effect even our children.

These are just a few of my concerns. When Obama looses (yes, there is a good chance of it), it will ignite a backlash among the believers that may be irreparable. The hate that Bush endured will be amplified, making the country ungovernable.

Is this a reason to vote Obama?

NO.

Some things need to be purged, and this may be a start.

Me? I am about to shrug Atlas, and go fishing (if the docs let me).

jc

PS. Yes, this is purposely provocative. Don't get mad, comment. Obamaniacs won't be able to face the facts... just watch.

Home sweet home

Well, I am at home, functioning well.

I have zero energy. Zero. I actually went to Costco Wednesday, and it wiped me out all Thursday. Disneyland will have to wait a while.

Daily routine: Wake up, eat, sleep. Repeat.

Sounds like fun, but it kinda stinks. I am restricted from gardening, woodworking, going to public places, eating out, eating in (certain foods), and pets. The girls are ok, and I am allowed to watch TV. Not a recipe for a long happy life.

I should get some of my gumption back within a month or so.

I'm beat, goodnight.

jc

Good news

My white blood cell count is 6.6 today. That's good enough to talk discharge from the City of Hope.

The Doctor said that Monday they will start the discharge process on me. That also means that I will get this damn Hickman Catheter out of my chest. No more Heparin flushing! Regular showers! Sleep on my belly! Wrestle with the girls fearlessly!

After discharge, I will have a few limitations, but not as bad as I thought. Stay away from fast food for a while (I should do that anyways), large crowds, and folks with the flu. I need to be careful about food handling, and keeping things clean. No eating or playing in the dirt.

I am amazed that I bounced back so quickly, and with relatively few complications. I must admit, they have this down cold.

Call me if you want more information...


jc

Rough day

Today started off a bit rough. A tickle in my throat started a cough spazam, that led to dry haves. It was sufficient to wreak my vocal chords, and 12 hours later, I am still throat soar and horse.

They gave me some medicine for some early mouth soars, I don't have anything to fight off the soars. So that I could eat without pain, they shot me up with morphine. My throat still hurt.

I also spiked a fever, so more blood drawn (catheter and old time needle), and of course, more bags of anti-biotics.

Needless to say, I slept most of the day.

Kristin came up today, but I am not blaming any of this on her...

jc