Lunch with the PetSmarties

IMG_0848, originally uploaded by hector.acuna.

Had lunch with my pals from PetSmart this past week. Always good to see those cats and get an update as to what’s happening at corporate headquarters. I did my time at the company, working for about a year and a half at the corporate HQ. It was a freelance gig, but a 40-hour-a-week gig. Lucky, and surprisingly I was able to retain a few other accounts during that time. It took a bit of juggling and late night design work to manage it. Made some good friends an got to know some interesting people, so it’s always good to keep in touch.

Gilbert snapped this shot of me holding the latest issue of Phoenix New Times. Their anti-green issue.

Yo yo, another dog show

IMG_8419, originally uploaded by hector.acuna.

It was a dog show weekend for us. The Lost Dutchman Kennel Club Dog show was in Casa Grande Arizona this weekend. This was an indoor show, challenging my photo-taking a bit. I need to find a balance between shutter speed and the flash brightness. Auto focus is another issue. Seems the camera is is limited and so are my eyes for manual focus. The Canon 30d I’m using has a variety of custom settings. It’s just a matter of finding the right combo. Had fun anyway. I was able to supply the Flickr dog show group with a few images to look at. Our dog Gigit didn’t fare too well, again. Guess she’s challenging the perceptions of a Border Collie’s look. That’s okay, she’s all bout the sheep anyway, and that’s where Border Collies belong, moving sheep.

Modern Phoenix Home Tour

This weekend was the 4th running of the Modern Phoenix Home Tour and Expo. This year’s tour celebrated the work of Charles Schreiber’s designs in a neighborhood in Scottsdale, Village Grove. Lisa and I skipped the Saturday Expo event and decided on the Home Tour this year. We had a leisurely morning of reading the Sunday New York Times and a bit of yard activity with the dogs.

The tour began at 2 PM and we decided on an Indian food lunch prior to the event. We frequent two Indian food restaurants, Flavors of India in Phoenix and Tandoori Times in Scottsdale. Tandoori was on the way to the event and we loaded up on delicious naan, korma and a handful of Sam Adams Boston Lagers.

Another great tour orchestrated by the fine folks at Modern Phoenix Neighborhood Network. The tour included the homes of acquaintances Jennifer Hibbard and Ross & Shirley, both homes stellar examples of Mid-century modern redux.

Post tour we attended the cast party hosted by Desert Living Magazine and Design Within Reach. Attendees were able to roam the store while they enjoyed cocktails and food catered by Le Grande Orange’s LGO Hospitality. The celebration was a bit short-lived, arriving late didn’t help, and the crowd dwindled an hour before its schedule end. Highlight, aside from seeing a few friend MoPhos was meeting Robert Imber, of Palm Springs Modern Tours. Robert provides tours of Palm Springs’ modern and MCM properties. The city has long been known as the mecca of Mid-century modernism and Robert didn’t miss the opportunity to remind us.

Mr. Imber wore a fabulous green colored vintage coat. I couldn’t resist getting a photo of it. All-n-all it was a great tour, and we always enjoy chatting with Alison and Matthew King. For more on the tour, visit the Modern Phoenix Neighborhood Network site.

Stone-less follow-up

Greetings citizens. Filing this blog from the surgeon’s office. I’m a bit more patient about my visit than my last appointment. Which is not what I would say about the older couple sitting next to me. They were already waiting as I arrived. After two appointments headed in to see the doctor. The woman rose to her feet, headed to the window and began to study the appointment arrival list. She was asked for her name by the receptionist for which she was thanked. She sat and out loud expressed to her husband that she wondered why those two had been seen before them. Then made a statement, loud enough for everyone including the receptionist to hear that, “We arrived before them”. From that point she sighed heavily and checked her watch every three minutes. I wasn’t in pain during my last appointment, but eager to get get my diagnosis, my wait felt like an eternity. I felt for those two. But mostly I felt for him, who had to listen to her sighs, moans and snipes. More than likely for the rest of the day.

I really hope they see me first. No, no, I’m kidding. But I might offer them my spot. These days I gladly linger anywhere they have internet connections.

A brief meeting. Acknowledgment of severe case of stones (worthy of removal), a little poking around the belly, removal of the remaining surgical tapes, handshakes, done. “No offense doc, I hope I don’t see you again.”

Breakfast beer in Tucson

IMG_0710, originally uploaded by hector.acuna.

Here’s a shot of me down in Tucson. Enjoying a breakfast beer and reading a newspaper. Two of my favorite things!

My bitches

IMG_0720, originally uploaded by hector.acuna.

A couple of my girls enjoying a sunny morning in front of the Hotel Congress. We were visiting Tucson for Gigit to compete in a dog show. The Cañada Del Oro Kennel Club dog show in Tucson, Arizona, which ran Saturday & Sunday, March 22 & 23, 2008. This AKC show is at Rillito Park Race Track, 4502 North First Avenue, Tucson, Arizona and consisted of conformation, obedience trial and rally trials.

Post-Op

The hospital experience went very well. For all initial complaints about the diagnosis and lack of attention from the finance departments at the hospital, the in-hospital experience was rather positive. I was moved along with efficiency and care. Everyone I was exposed to was cordial and attentive. Here are some images of my stay. Pre-op at lucky station 13:

Post-Op, not as smiley:

Yeah, I don’t get a lot of sun on my belly. Now ready for a steady diet of Hydrocodone.

From what I understand there was a sack of stones in that bladder. I asked to keep the rocks, but was discouraged. I thought they might make a cool necklace or something artful like that. Okay nap time for me.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy Day!

Going under the knife today! This will be my first organ removal. Fasted for the past half day, no food or drink, and this morning had no coffee. No problem not eating for 20 hours having stuffed myself with a huge chicken shwarma from Pita Jungle yesterday, but first thing I’m consuming after surgery is a tall double-latte. Getting there at 6AM, surgery scheduled for eight.

Rolling Stones

The gall stone saga continues. My doctor recommended I see a surgeon about my stone problem. I did. Surprise! The surgeon suggested I have my gall bladder removed.

“Can you just take the rocks out?” I ask. Apparently they don’t do that any more. So the answer is, no. They remove the whole fucking thing. The entire organ comes out. What the deuce is that about?

Fuck it then, just take it, just take it out right now. Well, they can’t do that either. I have to clean up. No aspirin products for a week, no diet pills, no vitamin D, no alcohol the day before, no food or drink or smoking 12 hours before. To top it off, it’s going to run me like $3,000!

Now I’m doubly pissed. I getting a piece of me cut out, AND I’m paying a load of cash to do it.

I got stoned

Shortly after arriving from San Francisco I noticed stomach cramps occurring after meals. My first suspicion was that awesome Asian food of my last couple of days in the city. A week later, the cramps persisted. Two weeks later cramps turned into pain. A sharp pain in what I thought was my stomach.

Being an oldster I’ve had plenty of indigestion. For as long as I could remember I’ve been able to eat anything, any time, anywhere. The past few years however my body has had an adverse reaction to eating late in the evening. Usually a stomach ache I associated with indigestion which would wake me and persist an hour or two. Okay with me. I’m getting old. I eat crap late at night, I feel like crap in the middle of the night. Anyhow, back to my current pain.

First night the pain woke me in the middle of the night I chalked it up to indigestion. This time the pain returned during the day. The pain returned the next night and became continuous the next day. A sharp pain in my gut. The pain wasn’t going away. This began to concern me. Either this was the longest running indigestion or something was up. The pain was enough to keep me from eating. Pain persists. Now I’m hungry and in pain. I call my doctor and get permission to sit in his waiting room until he can see me. To his credit I’m seen relatively quickly. I explain the situation, he pokes my stomach. I direct him to the exact spot of the pain which I’ve been able to isolate to just below my right rib cage. He asks me to rate the pain between one and ten. “Seven.” Apparently level seven pain was a bit low on the scale. In retrospect I should have fucking dropped to my knees and screamed “twelve!” A seven only got me a blood test and a referral for an ultrasound.

Diagnosis, gall stones. During the ultrasound the tech asked if I was in pain, as if my convulsion while she ran the wand over my belly wasn’t a sign. A calmly answered “yes”. I now realize what an idiot I’ve been. I should wrapped the cord around her neck and threatened her with her life. “It feels like this, madam!” The pain was still at level seven and had not subsided below 5. But it appears the only way to get medical care professionals to act is to be near death.

More on how I got stoned later. I’m going to self medicate now.