see jack, see jack blog, blog jack blog...

my inspiration for this is to...

a) make my cousin greg happy ( hi, greg!)

b) imitate carla silbersmith (1963-2009)

carlamuses.blogspot.com

--she dealt with life, death and ALS with humor and dignity...
Her writings give me peace --

c) mimic my scary-smart sister and her now-ended blog...

http://greenjewls.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html

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I was diagnosed with ALS-Lou Gehrig's disease (US name)/motor neurone disease (worldwide name) 5 months ago -- I had a twitch in my upper left arm and then a awkward running gait.  Since then Ive lost ability to run, type with more than 1 finger (makes me a better writer -- like in ''ye olde'' days when writers paused to dip their quill pens in a ink well and craft their next line...), use my left hand as more than as a weak claw, ride a bike, walk more than a half block.  blah blah blah!  BUT Ive also lost my fear of the future --being cool, getting promoted, keeping up with the joneses, retirement, stock market, global warming, health in my 60's and beyond... is NO longer ANY concern to me --I'm gonna be dead!  It's very free-ing...

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''Bye Bye Bellsouth''

I wrote this a month ago as a goodbye to my co-workers at at&t...

(sorry this is SO melodramatic!)


 

Everyone, thanks for your kind words...
 (It makes me cry to get such support-- yea, there, I said it...)
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I look at my world and I look back at my life and it’s not the paychecks, nor the trips, nor the motorcycles, nor the art robots, the stolen food (wait, was that a confession?!?) --or even the cool hot-rod cars that matter. It’s you. And You. And You. And all of the people who have been my teachers, my friends, my co-workers, my students, my fellow volunteer firefighters, my accomplices and my family.... 
 I want to include at&t and bellsouth under ''family'' not co-workers--  I was such a mess after my divorce but ya'll (See, I'm getting the southern ''culture'' thing) loved me thru it.
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I've been off work 2 months now... had the scary realization that I am (unless there is a miracle) for all practical purposes: ''retired''  
 
What have I been doing?  going out to eat alot, been on the computer and watching uverse TV --Watched ALL  75 episodes of battlestar galactica -- watching prequel  ''caprica'' now. 

FRAK!

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But now -- time for ALS jokes!
--mostly stolen from Carla Silbersmith

 ALS folks are often sexy (David Niven, Shostakovich, me ). Often brilliant (Stephen Hawking, Charles Mingus, me). And often very persuasive (Mao Tse Tung and well...me.) Unless Shostakovich was persuasive, I am claiming exclusive bragging rights on all three.

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 short joke:  ''a quadriplegic walks into a bar..."
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 "We’re all dying, I’m just an over-achiever."
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It's interesting to know you might expire before your credit cards... 

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Q: What do you call a dog with advanced stage ALS
A: you don't call him anything – – he is not going to come!

For those of you who don't know, I was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease a couple of weeks ago.... I hate baseball, I'd really much rather have been diagnosed with a basketball disease. Maybe Wilt Chamberlain disease. That's the one where you have sex 20,000 times and then you die."

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 I guess my MAIN legacy at Conyers (and Brentwood) is that when food disappears I will STILL  be blamed!   ...being remembered as a ''dick'' is STILL better than not being remembered!     -=schmirk=-
-=-=- my latest wacky plan is to get my head shaved, get a tattoo that says "I love you!" (or other pithy slogan) on the top of my head (I've always been anti-bald and anti-tattoo) --and hopefully enough hair will grow back in time for arrival in omaha.  ...and if/when I cant talk or hold my head up... (doctor says I got 1 to 10 years --but my lungs say I got less than 2...)   ...get my head shaved again for the ''final say''!
 Yes?  No?

(Note: vote was zero ''Yes'' and TWO  ''No's") 

my girlfriend has been taking great care of me...

I had a big attitude adjustment last month: 2 friends that I had complained to about my illness, up and had the nerve to die before me --and steal my thunder! One by heart attack and the other by arguing with columbia police dept.  It was humbling and hit home that the future is uncertain and every day is a gift...

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--I'm doing ok, just gradually getting weaker - will probably go to a nursing home soon...
 
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last note : funny cheap halloween costume idea

I saw this in Boulder, Colorado 20 years ago -- all you need is 3 or more people with swimsuits (and warm enough weather if outside!)  some blue baloons and cardboard...

the idea is to wrap the cardboard into a personal ''hot tub" around yourself -- the genius of this is to leave the cardboard in a ''C'' shape, a open circle, not a closed circle  -- so if the you and your BFF's, posse or mates see a attractive member of the opposite sex, they can ''open'' their personal hot tub, gather around and enclose that person within a instant ''big'' hot tub.... GREAT picture opportunity!

Thanks again --and God Bless Ya'll... 

bye for now...
-=jack=-