From cardio, to low riders, to Peter Gabriel

Health update

My appointment on the 5th went quite well. The nurse said the incision is healing well, with no signs of infection or swelling. They told me about this nifty machine I will be receiving that I'll set up within 10 feet of my bed and it communicates with my ICD each night and sends the information to them by modem automatically. Then I had an echocardiogram to measure how well my heart is pumping blood (ejection fraction). It was 40-45%, quite an improvement from the 20-25% when I first left the hospital. The target EF is 55-70%, so I'm doing pretty well in that department.

I've been walking daily and getting away from the house a bit more; I go into work with my parents a couple days a week. This past weekend I went to a music and art festival with some friends and saw several people that I have not seen since I was in the hospital. It was a fun and encouraging time. I still cannot drive until the 21st, at least; will probably get more details about that during my next appointment on the 14th.

The reader-inspired content

From Mom: How boring is it to live with your mom?

Pretty. :-] No, no – not because of her, but being out in the country makes me feel isolated and bored sometimes. It can be peaceful at times, though, too. I am enjoying spending time with mom and she's taking amazing care of me.

From Brooks and Vanessa: What is cardiovascular rehab?

Well I have not had any yet (and may not need it if I keep recovering this well), but I believe it's basically just monitored and regulated cardiovascular exercise. Technically, my daily walking is a form of cardiovascular rehab, but I imagine they would have me on treadmills and other various stuff. The heart's a muscle and it was pretty weakened by the whole experience (refer to the EF numbers above), so it takes a bit of time to get back up to normal.

From Myssi: write about gold digga's

This is an incomplete sentence. What possession of 'gold digga' should I write about, and who exactly is this 'gold digga' character anyway? (Just ignore this and keep reading if you're not a grammar nazi...)

From Allison: The smash 1975 hit song “Lowrider” by War

It's genius, what else can I say? Just watch. Any song covered by Barry White and ZZ Top (among others) is cool by me.

Research and tell about what happened to Jenna Fischer...

Jenna Fischer (the actress who plays Pam on the US TV show, “The Office”) was celebrating the renewal of the series on Monday, May 14, 2007. She slipped on the marble steps of the restaurant and fractured four bones in her back. [1] Allegedly, reports have been coming in that she's doing much better and will be better in time to start filming the series again. Zach Braff (no, no, the real one) sent her cupcakes, even. [2]

From Shawn: “Mercy Street” by Peter Gabriel.

I do not think I have heard that before. I listened to it a couple times and liked it, though. Reading over the lyrics it seems to me it's about the longing for a place where we can truly be ourselves, completely honest, and not be judged – to receive mercy. “dreaming of mercy / wear your inside out / dreaming of mercy / in your daddy's arms again.” It seems to indicate maybe this isn't possible outside youthful innocence, or the calm of death.

From BurnDark: Tell us why you are so popular with the ladies!

I am goofy, and pretty comfortable with that. I make fun of myself about as much as I do others, or I can at least certainly take being made fun of. I believe I have a fairly quick wit. One way or another, I can probably make people laugh, and girls tend to like guys who can make them laugh. I have fairly diverse interests, so can talk about (and am willing to listen to) a variety of topics, which hopefully makes me not boring. I have dimples. I believe chivalry is not dead, which goes over pretty well as long as you are not dealing with über feminists. I'm good at squeezing hands. Being really, really – really – ridiculously good-looking doesn't hurt, either.