Catalina Island Man

See the Smack Down Timer at the Right_________>
Where is Chuck Liddell the
ULTIMATE FIGHTER???

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS

37. If you suddenly think of someone strongly, act on it! I believe that there is a reason why we suddenly get these urges. We simply need to call, write, visit, etc., these people, when this happens.

38. Get rid of the "dead wood" in your life. If there is a person, job, or situation that is keeping you "down", don’t be afraid to let it go! Don’t be afraid of change. People often prefer misery to having to make a change. Misery is only an option and not a very good one at that.

39. If there is something that you "REALLY WANT TO DO", then stop talking about it and do it!

There is no guarantee how much time that we have on earth and "doing that thing" could have a major affect on you and others.

MAIN STREAM DAD Part 2

GETTING INTO THE MAIN STREAM PT 2

Now, being a "literal" person (see my blog about getting my driver's license), I did EXACTLY what the instructions told me to do, no matter how crazy they sounded! They had me sticking things into areas that I didn't even know that Dad, or any human being, had!






I couldn't find certain "holes" that were described, so I had to stick the wooden devices down the ONLY hole that I could find. At this Dad said,











"WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!?!"





I read the instructions to him and we both agreed that they made no sense whatsoever. I asked for Dad's suggestions (he was a 1924 graduate of "CalTech" in Civil and Mechanical Engineering), but he had none.




When I was done with what must have been left over from the "Spanish Inquisition",





I then smeared the iodine solution over every "flap and fold" that I had "Q-tipped" and wiped, on everything described that I could possibly find and then Dad "let loose" and I was able to capture "The Mid Flow", whatever that was.






I assumed that it meant the middle part, so I concentrated on that!









I rushed the sample up the hospital and found the "Candy Stripper" and gave her the container, which I had carried back in its original box, in case it decided to leak.






"THAT WAS THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING THAT I HAVE EVER DONE





AND MY FATHER'S


'YOU KNOW WHAT'

WILL PROBABLY NEVER BE THE SAME!!!









BE SURE TO TELL THE DOCTOR THAT I HOPE THAT HE GOT WHAT HE WANTED AND


THAT DAD AND I WILL 'NEVER' HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS TORTURE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!"





"Your 'DAD'!??" she said, which a bewildered look.











"Yes, my 'DAD', but what does that have to do with anything!?!"










She asked me to please wait a few moments, which I begrudgingly agreed to, knowing that I couldn't leave my father very long unattended.

She came back a few minutes later with all of the other nurses in our small 13-bed hospital and holding back laughter,

she asked me to try to "educate" this hospital staff as to how I administered "Catching The Main Flow" on my father.




I figured that this wasn't done very often (it should have been featured in "Ripply's Believe It Or Not") and that they sincerely wanted to "learn" from someone who actually went through the "torture chamber" with my father.

While I described the process (which, unfortunately, it will



NEVER LEAVE MY MEMORY BANK; NOT ONE POKE OR SMEAR OF IT!),




the nurses couldn't hold back and every now and then one of them would start snickering.




I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS VERY FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!
(to be continued)

MAIN STREAM DAD Part 1

See the Smack Down Timer at the Right_________>
Where is Chuck Liddell the ULTIMATE FIGHTER???

GETTING INTO THE MAIN STREAM PT 1

In January, 1974, my father had a massive stroke and heart attack following the unexpected death my younger brother, Bill. Sadly, I left my teaching job at Indiana University, drove back to California and moved in with Dad on Catalina Island so I could take care of him. Little did I know that this commitment would last for the next seven years!

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret giving my time to Dad, in fact, I should really be thanking him. Not only did Dad and I grow closer to each other, but this 24/7 commitment caused me to really push myself to find the edges of my stamina "envelope". I learned more about myself and my capabilities than I ever would have if I had been teaching or concentrating on myself. I now know that I can do "almost" anything.

Eventually, after the stroke, Dad was forced to utilize a permanent catheter. However, prior to that, one of my tasks was to collect his urine samples so that his doctors could monitor his health situation. One day I was told that the doctor needed me to obtain a "sterile urine sample", because they thought that he might be developing a bladder infection.

So, I went up the hospital and the nurse told me that I needed a "special kit" to collect this urine sample. She instructed a Candy Stripper (probably one of the same ilk who offered so much “help” with my kidney stones - see my previous "BLOG" called Special Delivery While Stoned) to get me a boxed kit from the back room. After a slight delay, she came back with the box. I took said box and rushed back to Dad.

I informed Dad that this sample had to be "sterile", whatever that meant, and that I had to follow special directions that were inside the box. Neither of us understood what made this sample different than all of the other samples that we had been collecting for the last couple of years, but we had learned not to ask questions, but simply "DO IT". I opened up the box to find an iodine (do they still make it?) solution, gauzes, q-tips, and an assortment of other strange implements.

Before I had a chance to study the diagram and read the instructions, Dad informed me that he was about ready to "BLOW", which meant I had to work fast. You could hardly set you watch by his "number ones" and I knew that I had to work fast to collect a sample as the doctor said that he needed it back STAT! ("ASAP!").

I quickly took off Dad's external catheter and began by first, reading the instructions, and then, working through the process as I read and interpreted the pamphlet," CATCHING THE MID STREAM ".

Catalina Island Man

See the Smack Down Timer at the Right_________>

Where is the ULTIMATE FIGHTER???

See my post about Chuck Liddell Vs Chuck Liddell

http://tinyurl.com/msymyl



Dateline: Avalon CA, Catalina Island:

The Ultimate Fighter is now taking "Dancing Lessons"! He's going to be on the TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. Well, here, again, the original Chuck Liddell has him beat. Chuck is a veritable Terpsichorean! He needs NO lessons to compete. The other day Chuck said: "I will dance him into the dirt at the Movie Smackdown". "He won't know what hit him! I'll teach him what tripudiary, dedans and en dehors is all about...I'll kick his assoluta, en l'air!!!"

This sounds pretty much like a rumble challenge.



When will Chuck Liddell "Man Up" and contact Chuck Liddell?

The clock is still ticking!

Catalina Island Man

See the Smack Down Timer at the Right_________>
Where is the ULTIMATE FIGHTER???
See my post about Chuck Liddell Vs Chuck Liddell

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS

34. Don’t "throw in the towel" on anyone’s life. NO ONE IS BEYOND HELP OR CHANGE!!!







35. Miracles happen daily. Try to be open to them and recognize them for what they are… MIRACLES!











36. Try to find as many excuses as you can each day to let people know that they are "LOVED". Along with a hug, these words can actually determine, in many cases, whether a person decides to live or die.

Catalina Island Man

See the Smack Down Timer at the Right_________>
Where is the ULTIMATE FIGHTER??? See the last post about
Chuck Liddell Vs Chuck Liddell


WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IN 62 YEARS



31. "Good guys don’t ALWAYS finish last, they just have to run harder!"






32. As often as possible, invite people to your home for dinner; especially those who can’t reciprocate and/or you don’t know that well. You would be surprised how special an evening of

good food and good company in a home environment can do to lift your spirits and help you to get to know people so much better.



33. Divide the day into three 8 hour segments: 8 hours to work, 8 hours to sleep, 8 hours for recreation and relaxation.