Depression, Superbowl and My Heart

So I’m trying not to be depressed.

It’s kind of hard really if you read the news – as alas the Times turns more and more into the house organ the wealthy and the weird – yesterday it was Wall Street threatening to take their ball and go home because some members of the democratic party said mean things about them, today unnamed sources attack the head of the UN’s Climate Change group task force whatever because they over stated the melting of the Himalayan glaciers hence climate change does not exist and we can’t do anything about it anyway so shut up – this article features the classic hack job phrases i.e.. “sources say” and “members of “ and “even mainstream…” never mentioning anybody by name –

You know in the old days anonymity was used to project people from retaliation by people like oh, Richard Nixon and the like. Nowadays anonymous sources are routinely used by people like oh Richard Nixon to either smear or spin a story in the direction they want to. The reporter who is told things never bothers to check because well this is his source and you must trust your source. Even if said source is playing you like a flute.

Well, anyway, I digress.

Still it hasn’t been all evil and decline – the Saints won the superbowl which pleased me no end – The Colts tanked a perfect season, much to their fans disgust (The Colts have a long tradition of pissing on their fans – ask anybody from Baltimore about them) so they would win the superbowl, that was the plan, the Saints had other ideas. And Colt fans are left with two bad tastes in their mouth, one losing the superbowl and b) being known as the team who tanked the chance at a perfect season just to lose said superbowl.

It was also a nice victory over the don’t lose; don’t screw up football style that has come to dominate the NFL over the years. All in all well done New Orleans.

Haven’t been blogging much lately, hell haven’t been doing much of anything lately other than going to work coming home and then drifting off to an uneasy sleep in front of the TV before I went to be for more uneasy sleep.

I just figured I was depressed and would snap out of it or get used to my misery and carry on – but when I found myself getting short of breath going up the stairs well…now I have asthma so I’m very familiar with how my lungs are working or not working on a given day but this wasn’t an asthma wheeze this was something else.

Then my sister a) mentioned how tired I looked when she had seen me and b) she was worried and c) offered to help me with finding a doctor (my sister is very good like this one of the smartest and most organized people I know – PHD in computer science no less and far more able than I am to negotiate the twists and turns of the standard company health care plan – any doubts I may have had about reform have been stripped away).

To make a long story slightly shorter I ended up going to a doctor for the first time in about 7 years and discovered to nobody’s surprise (even mine) I had high blood pressure and my blood was so high in cholesterol that in a pinch it can be used as a cooking oil and as a result of all that I have an enlarged heart.

So I’m on a variety of pills and notions, and have to lay off the cheese and the butter and booze (which isn’t killing me as much as I thought it would – I do remember times were a drink would cause my heart to race like I’d stepped on the gas or something so no problems with knocking it off.

Still since one of my favorite meals is a Cheeseburger, fries and a couple of beers I was going to have to make some changes.
Which I’m doing albeit slowly.

Anyway I took two stress tests – one a normal one and one called the ominous Nuclear Stress test – no I didn’t hulk out or anything – they shot me with a radioactive isotope (not the same one they used to kill the beast from 20,000 Fathoms – side note I keep calling it in my head The Beast from 50,000 Fathoms blessed if I know why) then they take a picture of your heart and then you are stressed – but not by being given an impossible task, an insane deadline and a lunatic boss like you have in real life, what you do is run on a tread mill that they make worse every three minutes. I don’t know if anyone else ever did this but in the middle of the damn thing I turned to look at the doctors giving the test and said “this is not personal but I hate you.” they seemed to take it in good humor.

They then gave me another radioactive dose and after a bit scanned the heart again. The upshot is well no artery blockages or sign of heart disease, the heart is enlarged but that along with the blood pressure and the cholesterol is reversible with medication.

All things considered I’m glad I did it with the high BP I was bucking for a stroke like soon and since I had an uncle who dropped dead of a heart attack when he was about 62 lowering the cholesterol (and losing weight) has to be a good idea.

It’s only been about three weeks but I do feel better and have more energy

Anyway I’m hoping this means more blogging and other things I like to do – bad movie reviews, and more gigs and new songs.

First two movies up, Fantastic Argoman – who is a dick and Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus which is bad enough to make both Ray Harryhausen and Steven Spielberg wish they had never made the movies this one ripped off.

Peace Love Shonen Knife.