Category — Confessions

I've talked about several of the lifestyle changes ahead of me (diet, exercise, new meds, etc), but I've been remiss in mentioning one of the most confusing crossroads approaching quickly.

In preparation for my cardiac catheterization, the nurses shaved my upper thigh & groin area with clippers. But… since it wasn't exactly certain which leg the the doctors would use, they shaved both.

Eight days later, everything is starting to… grow back. I suspect it will only be another day or two before it starts to itch. Decision time is upon us, it would seem.

Thomas Paine was right - These ARE the times that try men's souls.

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In a great internet coincidence, my blog post ("The Day I Almost Died") has been passed via email to the staff of the Florida Hospital, including several members of the Cath Lab team that saved my life on Sunday, April 27, 2008. Since I didn't have a chance to thank them personally, I'm hoping that this post will make its way to the Florida Hospital team as well.
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I have avoided getting too personal in most of my blog posts, but - as you have probably heard by now - I had a heart attack on Sunday, April 27, 2008. Since that day, I've heard from several of you that my experience has prompted you to take a closer look at your lives or for those in your life. With that in mind, I'd like to share with you my best recollection of the day I almost died.

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After borrowing my iPod to listen to "island music" while swimming…

M: All you listen to anymore is that hippy folk music.
K: ???
M: Yeah, all you listen to is that Jack Johnson, Chesney, Buffett hippy folk.

Hippy folk?? ((shakes head))

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So… that myth about me not being much of a reader? Yeah… not so much, at least not accoring to my Google Reader stats.

(And this doesn't take into account for my having worked pretty much every weekend last month - or the family we had in town!)

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M: "Who are you calling?"
K: "What? ((confused))"
M: "Who are you calling?"
K: "I'm not calling anyone. This is a remote control."

—

M: "What did you just do?"
K: "What? ((confused))"
M: "You put the orange juice on top of the refrigerator."
K: "Oh. Yeah."

—

That whole "growing old gracefully" thing probably won't apply much to us.

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Today is Pi Day 2008 (3.14 = pi, for those of you who missed that day at school!)

There are a lot of ways to celebrate Pi Day. You can take pi to 1 million decimal places while sporting your pi t-shirt, and singing pi day songs.

But, in my book, there's no better way to pay homage to pi than to pay celebrate its tasty homophone - pie.

Big Kev's 3.14 Favorite Pies

1. Cherry
Without a doubt, the cherry pie is the greatest pie ever conceived by man - or anyone else, for that matter. Think about it - crisp, flaky crust, cherries, and all that good.

2. Pecan
I have a very nostalgic love for pecan pie. For as long as I can remember, there have been pecan pies at all the best holidays. Thanksgiving - check. Christmas - check. Boxing Day - check. (OK, so that's probably leftover Christmas pie, but you get the drift.) In fact, I think you can judge the importance of any festive gathering by the mere presence of pecan pie - or lack thereof.

3. French Silk Pie
Have you ever seen a more beautiful pie than the French Silk Pie? I haven't, and I've seen a lot of pies. Creamy, whipped goodness, topped with more creamy whipped goodness. But that's not all - oh no. French Silk Pie adds little chocolate shavings. Chocolate. Shavings. Yeah. I rest my case.

0.14 Apple Pie
A word of caution - do not let me anywhere near your apple pie if I have been drinking heavily, or I will eat your whole apple pie. This is not a theory. This is a fact.

Y'all have a great Pi Day and an fantastic weekend. I'll see you on the flip!

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One of my (many) little quirks is that I do not enjoy getting my hair cut. Well, that's not entirely accurate.

The truth is - I don't like spending the time to get my hair cut. Along with every man, woman & child living in whatever town I reside in, I tend to get my hair cut on the weekend ('sup Sport Clips!).

So… even though it takes 15 minutes to actually cut my hair, I generally end up waiting at least an hour or longer. Factor in the round-trip and it can be two hours or more out of my weekend just to get my hair cut. UGH.

What's the point of all this? Heck, I don't know - other than to say that I hate spending a couple hours in order to get my hair cut.

Heck, maybe I should get a Flowbee.

OK… maybe not with the whole Flowbee thing after all.

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Six months ago today - almost to the hour - I signed the job offer that would bring us to Florida.

Wow. Has it really been only six months ago?! And — at the same time — has it really been just six months?!

As some of you know, I really had no intention of leaving my past job… at all… possibly ever. But the offer to take my current position was too good to pass up. And so, we started down this path.

I don't know if I've ever posted about it, but the day I left my last job was one of the most difficult, most inspiring, and most emotional days of my professional career.

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On the drive into work this morning, there were eight hot air balloons all lifting off amid the fog. Now I've seen one or two ballons at a time in this area - but… eight? All at once? That was a first. That got my attention.

I switched radio channels and ended up in the middle of Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me" - a song that I've heard enough to be ready to change it, but I didn't want to.

The next song on the radio was one that I had never heard - "I Saw God Today" by George Strait.

I turned east to head into downtown and was met by an AMAZING sunrise. I mean… just… WOW. Amazing.

And the surreal thing about driving into that sunrise is that you can no longer make out the billboards. You can't read the ads, but you can still see that the signs are there.

Next song on radio? "Believe" by Brooks and Dunn.

Hearing that song, driving into that sunrise, seeing those signs, knowing that this was a letter to me….

It may not make any sense to you… but it moved me… and I am listening.

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Yep. I am now going gray faster. Merrin's mom - who flew into town yesterday for the Christmas holiday - has confirmed it.

I've been noticing it a little more silver in my hair these days (not that I care that much). My father was gray fairly young, too, so my time is fast approaching over the next 12-18 months. I'm sure some of you will be nice enough to point out the transition in my flickr pictures over the next year or two.

But… it could be worse. My younger brother… well, he's more concerned with sunblock than with gray hair!

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With me living out of the hotel in Orlando, I'm miles and miles away from my Tivo and the ESPN Gameplan college football package. I have to tell you - the separation has been killing me. (And my wife & dogs, too, of course.) If only there was some way to have access to my DirecTV, Tivos, and ESPN Gameplan when I'm in Orlando.

Enter the Slingbox AV.

The Slingbox links my DirecTV/Tivo to a private channel on the internet, allowing me to access my stuff anywhere in the world - just like if I were home! In other words, the Slingbox "slings" (beams) my entertainment center anywhere I go with internet access. (demo)

I can watch anything I've recorded, watch live TV on either/both tuners, and program new recordings - all through a virtual Tivo remote that looks just like the one I use at home.

The compression is exceptional, so — provided you have a broadband connection — there is very little noticeable degradation. It's literally just like watching TV.

The setup was quick and painless. Plug it in, plug in the network and away you go. The Slingbox will even set itself up in your router so that you may access it from anywhere worldwide without having to mess with any settings (port forwarding, etc).

If you travel frequently and miss a lot of your favorite programs/channels/team's games, you should definitely check out the Slingbox. I know it probably sounds like I'm shilling for them (I'm not), but this is a seriously awesome product - especially for sports fans.

I am 100% smitten with the Slingbox-ness.

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Well, it's March 11th and I've got my first sunburn - that didn't take long.

I started in the yard this morning around 10a and finished up around dinner. I got the lawn mowed, edged, etc. Then, I leveled a 9' x 3' strip in the backyard for new garden beds. (I never expected that to be the intense project that it was!)

With the leveling finished, I laid garden fabric, cut cedar for two new planters and put those together. I went ahead and added a rock walkway to match the rest of the garden. Afterwards, I loaded those planters with organic soil so they'll be ready for my plants this week.

I really didn't expect to work that hard today, but it was such a pretty day, I just kept going. Kinda like when Forrest Gump went for a run and ended up running for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours, right?!

Once I get the garden planted, I'll update my garden set on Flickr.

Long story short - very tired, very sore and *very* sunburned.

UPDATE: I just checked and… no, we don't have any elephant lube.

Note to self: Get some elephant lube.

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For the better part of three months, I've been working almost non-stop to get ready for a very important presentation at work. Well, Thursday *finally* came and it went very well. I got some kudos from a couple of the VPs from corporate that participated.

But now… I'm exhausted. I'm running on "E". Or that little bit of left over after you get past "E". Way too many hours in the office left me with nothing.

And then it finally dawned on me: I AM SOLAR POWERED.

I need to get away and recharge. I need the sun, and a little sand & sea wouldn't hurt either. A trip to the islands is definitely in order. I mean, that's way closer to the equator (i.e. more sun). You know what they say… changes in latitude, changes in attitude.

I need this. Or this. And this, this, and this. And more than a little of this.

((sigh))

But vacay is still a few months away. At least I can look forward to a Valentine's getaway with Mrs. Donahue.

I am solar powered and I need to recharge.

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I can't tell you how many versions of the Myers-Briggs tests that I've taken (this one most recently), but they usually end up with about the same results: ENFJ

ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their nurturant tutelage and/or grand schemes. Many ENFJs have tremendous power to manipulate others with their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. But it's usually not meant as manipulation — ENFJs generally believe in their dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually are.

ENFJs are global learners. They see the big picture. The ENFJs focus is expansive. Some can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or projects simultaneously. Many ENFJs have tremendous entrepreneurial ability.

I don't see myself as much of a teacher, although that quality is starting to come out a little in my day-to-day leadership at work. Perhaps that's something that is refined with age.

But the other stuff… dreamer, schemer, seller - yeah. That's me.

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