Apple and sharks
The iPad?? Really? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! I’m calling it here first, Apple just jumped the shark.
The NFL is becoming a joke part 2
After watching the playoff games this past weekend, I now believe more so than ever that NFL football is a ridiculous sport. Sudden death overtime rules in the playoffs is simply a stupid idea and should not be allowed in any professional sport, at least not for field goals. Really, who wants to see an exciting game come down to a one possession, 40 yard field goal try? Not me, not during the playoffs. Oh and before I propose my rule changes to the NFL, I must also share my gripe about booth reviews in the last two minutes and in overtime. The paying public was forced to sit through three replays, two of which were reviews over the spot of the previous play. Can’t we use technology to take care of this issue? I would imagine some sort of positioning system could be used to correctly determine where exactly the ball is at any given time on the field. Just saying. As for the proposed rule changes to make the NFL suck less, here you go:
1. No overtime during the regular season; there is nothing wrong with a tie.
2. During the playoffs, each team either gets the ball at least once on offense (modified college rules) or a touchdown must be scored for a win, field goals in this scenario would not count.
3. Change the review rules to allow coaches’ challenges in an overtime scenario.
4. Allow as many coaches’ challenges as there are mandatory commercial breaks, that way there is something going on in the game while the TV audience is busy with marketing ploys.
5. Allow booth reviews that are not coaches’ challenges outside of overtime and 2 minutes to play in a half.
6. Stop giving an opposing team 7 yards for free on a missed field goal attempt. A team should not be penalized for missing a field goal and this would help increase long field goal attempts. Really, a team is not penalized for going for it on 4th down in the red zone and failing to score, so why are field goal attempts treated differently?
That’s really it for now, oh wait…
7. Bring the Pro-Bowl back to Hawaii. It is ludicrous to play it the week before the Superbowl; no one cared when it was a week after and no one will care now that it is a week before. Oh that’s right, the host city cares because it is one more money making opportunity. What a load of crap.
More to follow…
Breaking News: New Zealand has an army
Posted by Fishdeck in Political Correctness, Terrorism on January 21, 2010
It may seem a bit strange but I was unaware that New Zealand still has an active and intact military. I saw all three Lord of the Rings movies and I am pretty sure those little hobbits invaded New Zealand. Was there a fourth sequel that I missed?
From Yahoo! News, NZ army to remove Bible citations from armaments:
Biblical citations inscribed on U.S.-manufactured weapon sights used by New Zealand’s troops in Afghanistan will be removed because they are inappropriate and could stoke religious tensions, New Zealand said Thursday.
The inscriptions on products from defense contractor Trijicon of Wixom, Michigan, came to light this week in the U.S. where Army officials said Tuesday they would investigate whether the gun sights — also used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq — violate U.S. procurement laws.
All kidding aside, this has to be one of the dumbest things I have ever read. So it is ok to shoot someone as long as we do not potentially offend them first? Who is really offended by this? My guess is only those who would have the gun pointed at them anyway so what difference does it make? How far can we carry this idiotic political correctness before we completely cripple ourselves? I will say that I find the reference to the Bible a bit odd on a firearm or firearm component but that is a debate for another day. Let’s just pray that the manufacturer politely tells New Zealand and everyone else to go find a sight that does not offend them. My understanding is that Trijicon produces the best optical sights on the market and they should use that as leverage to tell everyone else where to stick it.
One last thought, if one were to use their Trijicon produced scope to shoot In-N-Out cups for target practice which product gets condemned? Both products have Bible verse references on them that have “offended” someone but both cannot be bad if you use one to destroy the other right? Oh how silly we have become.
Playoff Time
Just a quick note to air my frustration over the complete lack of any competitive game so far in the playoffs except for the instant classic Green Bay vs. Arizona game last weekend. Am I the only one that is starting to feel like parity in the NFL is starting to slip away or am I just a bitter Redskins fan that is tired of having to root for other teams in the playoffs?
New Addition
December 11, 2009 was a great day as my wife and I welcomed the birth of our new son. The photo below was taken fifteen minutes or so after his birth.
Unfortunately he has been in the ICU for the last 3 nights and we do not have any idea when we will get to take our little one home with us. Low blood sugar was the initial problem but now he is not eating enough on his own. Upon visiting him tonight we found a feeding tube in his nose that we were praying to avoid. Hopefully we will have him home soon in a few days and we can put the frustration of the last 6 days behind us.
The NFL is becoming a joke
Posted by Fishdeck in Discrimination, NFL, Politics on October 15, 2009
Maybe it is my love for my Redskins and how sorry they are playing lately that has me worked up about the NFL these days. Either way the news that Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from a group bidding for ownership of the St. Louis Rams is appalling. From MyWay.com:
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has been dropped from a group seeking to buy the St. Louis Rams. Limbaugh was to be a limited partner in a bid led by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts, but Checketts said in a statement Wednesday that Limbaugh’s participation had complicated the effort. The group will move forward without him.
What a joke the NFL has become. So worried about their image that they let a race bating hack like Al Sharpton claim victory because he started his usual whining. How does being perceived as always caving to special interest groups help the NFL’s image? Sure Limbaugh can stir a pot and I do not particularly care for his blame everyone that isn’t a Republican crap that he pulls too often but on Sundays do I really care about politics? No. Do I think that Rams’ fans care who the owner is as long as they contribute positively to the development of the football team? Of course not. Thanks commisioner for standing up for free speech in this country, you have set a precedent that can only lead to further political correctness in your league. Great job! Did I mention that I am a Redskins fan? Oops, there went my chance of ever owning a NFL team. Me and my blasted divisive words!! Shame on the NFL, I know it is not much but I have big plans for my $300 I won’t have to spend now on Sunday Ticket next year because I would hate to contribute to a league that is so concerned with its image it forgets that its fan base is comprised of free speech loving Americans.
The mandatory 6 week update
Posted by Fishdeck in Adult Recovery from Tonsillectomy, Tonsillectomy on September 16, 2009
Okay, had to post a quick update even though I am starting to feel twice my age since all I can talk about these days is my health. Tomorrow will be six weeks since my surgery and I have to say I feel pretty good. The throat is still sore at times when I yawn and the swelling has not completely gone away. My doctor said that I should expect another few weeks to a few months before everything feels 100% (basically the swelling on one side will finally subside). Otherwise everything has been good and I cannot wait for my ears to start draining like they should once the swelling is gone. That will be the magic moment and the main reason I had this surgery in the first place. Good luck if you are about to have this surgery, the horror stories out there are rare, so don’t worry yourself sick (I did, I know how you feel).
For those of you that are drugged out right now and stumbled across this site at 3am because something doesn’t seem right, you are worried about the recovery, worried about the surgery, couldn’t sleep, or were bored with no one else in the house to talk to at this time of the morning, please leave a comment to say hello. I try to check the site at least every other day but at times am away for a few weeks so please do not feel as if no one cares about what you are going through. I may not know who you are right now but please know that I am praying for you to have a safe, speedy recovery.
Post op Days 6 & 7
Posted by Fishdeck in Adult Recovery from Tonsillectomy, Tonsillectomy on August 20, 2009
As I write this it has been two weeks to the day since my tonsillectomy. The two days I am writing about here are the reason I am so late in posting to the site and I can’t believe how quickly things went downhill. Woke up early in the morning on day 6 and had a nasty taste in my mouth. I went to the bathroom and started spitting up little traces of blood. Nothing serious but in the process of rinsing I happen to notice that my scabs looked like they were starting to come off. Throughout the day I would have little sensations of blood and the feeling of something stuck in the throat. No big deal, just annoying.
The morning of day 7 however was a little worse. I woke up in the early hours of the morning with the sensation of choking. Somehow in the middle of the night (morning) I started choking on I’m guessing a piece of scab and my body’s coughing reaction was enough to wake both my wife and myself up. I ran to the bathroom, spit in the sink, and noticed a fair amount of blood (it seems like a lot when it is coming out of your own mouth but I know now it wasn’t enough to be concerned about since it stopped pretty quick). After some rinsing and what not, the bleeding stopped and I had an appointment to see my ENT who made me feel much better.
Along with the very minor bleeding came an annoying pain in the ears and throat that I had not experienced the first few days after surgery. The throat and ear pain was bad enough that I had trouble getting liquids down. The pain does go away but for a few days there I could do nothing more than lay down, take meds, try to drink water, and watch TV.
Post op Days 2-5
Posted by Fishdeck in Adult Recovery from Tonsillectomy, Tonsillectomy on August 11, 2009
Today I am on post op day 5. I feel like I deserve some sort of award but all I really want is to see a slight improvement in my recovery. Nothing is really wrong, my wife would argue I am doing better, but I just do not feel as if I am bouncing back fast enough. Everyone told me it gets worse before it gets better but in all honesty it really has only been about the same since day 1. Pain levels are about the same, hunger, exhaustion, and the inability to concentrate for long are also the same. With all of that said, this has been an easy process that I believed heading in. The pain is never overwhelming, it is just constantly annoying. Different days have different pains but for the most part everything stays the same. For example, post op days 1-3, I had horrible phlegm that made swallowing difficult at times. Days 4 and 5 I now have a shifting pain on the left side of my throat that makes swallowing difficult at times.
Anyway, other than the monotony of just being a little off all the time, the recovery is going much smoother that I had anticipated. Hopefully the next few days will be uneventful as my scabs start coming off before the weekend. I’ll keep praying that I get through this without experiencing some of the horror stories I have heard and I will keep posting as well. Here is a photo I took today of the surgery site following a tonsillectomy. Again, I am on post op day 5 but for the most part my mouth has looked this way since post op day 1 just with a little more swelling. Sorry the photos did not turn out all that well but between the two hopefully the tonsil beds are visible. I will make my wife take a better photo in the morning. Until then…..
Post op Day 1
Posted by Fishdeck in Adult Recovery from Tonsillectomy, Tonsillectomy on August 11, 2009
So you made it though surgery, felt great coming home and now you woke up this morning (assuming you slept) with a nasty sore throat I assume? Hopefully you didn’t but that was my experience the day after my surgery. Now granted, my pain was no where near what I had expected it to be based upon what I had read, so please do not think that this is terrible thing. It just kind of sucks no matter what but you will get through these first couple of days. (As it turns out, these are actually the easiest, go figure!)
So the first night I was home and into the first day post op, were pretty easy days for the most part. The biggest problem I had was that I had to prop myself up with so many pillows, sleeping was a real challenge. The other problem was on day 1 post op, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was so tired from not sleeping and my pain medication was making me drowsy, I would literally dose off wherever I was about 20 minutes after I took my meds. Not a big deal, but that was the only sleep I really got during the first 48 hours. In one way that was really good because it allowed me to stay hydrated easier but on the other hand I was super grumpy and miserable without sleep. Other than that, the first day home plus the day after were actually pretty easy and not anywhere near the misery I had expected from other’s experiences.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind during the recovery process but specifically during the first few days at home:
- Stay hydrated!! Keep drinking, all the time. If cold water does not work try it room temperature. Whatever you do, you must drink constantly! That is the key to recovering from this surgery and any slight discomfort in drinking liquids greatly outweighs the negatives of dehydration.
- Get a cool mist humidifier and run it all the time. This won’t make your throat magically better but based upon other’s experiences it really seems to help. I used one from day 1 so I cannot honestly say what the difference would have been without it but others swear there is a difference.
- Chew gum! This honestly helped with so many different things I am surprised Dentyne hasn’t tried to require a prescription for their “Ice” gum. Really, this gum helps keep the jaw and neck muscles moving and helps sooth the throat. I was chewing a piece the last half hour before I could take more medication.
- Ice everything! Ice the neck, the throat, the back, or anything else. Keeping the ice packs on the neck the first few days I believed help keep the swelling down and lessened the amount of discomfort I experienced.
- Find out about taking pain medications in smaller doses more frequently. For instance I took half of the recommended dose every 2 hours instead of the full amount every 4 hours based upon a nurse’s suggestion. That was a huge help in managing the pain as I was never in a situation where I had to stare at the clock waiting for the magic time that I could take my meds. The only downside was waking up every two hours in the middle of the night to stay on top of the pain but I would do it this way again because it really worked.
Those are not ranked in order but number 1 certainly is the most important. Everything else really helped me and I hope it helps you too.