PROSTATE ROULETTE

WELCOME TO KATHY AND JUDY'S MERRY MEDICAL CHRISTMAS. AS I MENTIONED IN AN EARLIER BLOG I WAS POSED WITH THE DILEMMA OF WHETHER OR NOT TO HAVE THE PROSTATE BIOPSY. IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE LIFE INSURANCE I WOULD HAVE PASSED IT UP BUT I WENT AND HAD IT DONE. THIS IS NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH. I MET WITH MY UROLOGIST AND AFTER DINNER AND A FEW DRINKS HE PROCEEDED TO JAB ME WITH A LONG NEEDLE WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE. NOW THAT HURT BUT I ONLY WHELPED A LITTLE. THEN AFTER HE WAS SURE IT WAS NUMB HE STARTED SLICING OUT SMALL SAMPLES OF PROSTATE. THAT I DIDN'T FEEL AT ALL. HE KEPT A STEADY CONVERSATION GOING ABOUT HIS HOME LIFE AND THE TIME PASSED QUICKLY. THE WORST PART, I GUESS, WAS WAITING A WEEK TO FIND OUT THE RESULTS. WELL THEY CAME OUT NEGATIVE, THAT'S GOOD, ( CAN NEVER FIGURE WHY THEY CALL SOMETHING GOOD NEGATIVE, I WOULD SAY POSITIVE), SO NOW I HAVE TO CLEAR MY SYSTEM OF THE RESIDUAL BLOOD FOR 4 TO SIX WEEKS. I HAD BETTER GET THIS INSURANCE POLICY NOW OR I COULD GO POSTAL ON THE AGENT. POINT IS THAT FOR YOU GUYS OUT THERE THE BIOPSY ISN'T THAT BAD AND WHETHER NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE CATCHING PROBLEMS EARLY CAN ADD 10 OR MORE YEARS ONTO YOUR LIFE.
I HEARD FROM JIM SLACK AND HOWARD SYLVESTER THE OTHER DAY. JIM WAS HAPPY TO HEAR FROM ME AND HOWARD SAID "KEITH WHO" BUT THEN IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME. I'LL HUG HIM ANYWAY WHEN I SEE HIM. ALL FOR NOW, KEITH

CHRISTMAS CARD ROULETTE

DON'T GET ME WRONG. WE LOVE ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. THE PEOPLE WE SEE SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR KNOW ALL ABOUT MOST OF OUR ACTIVITIES BUT THE PEOPLE WE RARELY SEE, EVEN THOUGH THEY LIVE IN OUR AREA, FIND IT SUFFICIENT TO SEND A CARD AND ONLY INCLUDE THEIR NAMES. ANYWAY AS IT GETS CLOSER TO THE BIG HOLIDAY WE HAVE HELD OUT SENDING OUR CARDS TO SEE IF WE RECEIVE A CARD FROM THESE DISCONNECTED SOULS CAUSING US TO RESPOND IN KIND. SOUNDS PETTY DOESN'T IT. NOW IT IS THE 21ST AND WE CAN'T WAIT MUCH LONGER OR WE WILL NEED TO WRITE AN APOLOGY IN THE CARD THAT THE MAILMAN LOST OUR CARDS AND WE HAD TO WRITE NEW ONES. IF YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG OF COURSE WE AREN'T TALKING ABOUT YOU.
I THINK I HAVE FOUND WENDY BELGARBO. I AM WAITING TO HEAR FROM HER AFTER I LEFT A PHONE MESSAGE. SHE IS (I THINK) LIVING IN MARSHFIELD, WISCONSIN. I ALSO TALKED TO KERMIT CREAGER. HE HAS A HORSE RANCH IN WESTBY, WISCONSIN. WE MIGHT VISIT HIM THIS AUGUST WHEN THEIR AREA HAS A WILD WEST DAYS. CHUCK SCHARF CALLED ME LAST WEEK AND HE WILL BE JOINING US IN TEMECULA FOR DINNER ALONG WITH ROCHELLE LASKOV AND BEV DUFFEY. MY WIFE TOLD ME SHE DOESN'T READ THE BLOGS BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHERE TO FIND THEM AND THUS I REALIZE THAT NOBODY ELSE READS THEM. IF YOU DO READ THEM PLEASE LET ME KNOW. MAY I EXTEND WISHES FOR HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF MY CLASSMATES. KEITH

RETIREMENT

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THOSE EXTRA HOURS IN THE DAY WHEN I FINALLY DECIDE TO RETIRE. THAT IS THE GENERAL TOPIC WHENEVER WE GATHER WITH FRIENDS AND I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ANSWER. WE COULD VOLUNTEER, TRAVEL, SIT AT THE COMPUTER AND TYPE THESE CATHARTIC BLOGS OR GET A PART TIME JOB AT WAL-MART (PLUMBING FIXTURES IN AISLE 7A SIR). I MIGHT BE WORKING NEXT TO STEVEN SPIELBERG AFTER THAT MADOFF-PONZI SCAM. HOW ABOUT MOVING TO AN EXOTIC ISLAND (NO MEDICAL CARE), OR A CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRY LIKE COSTA RICA. MAYBE JUST ANYWHERE WARM WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT TRAFFIC IN SNOW STORMS OR SNOWBLOW THE DRIVEWAY.
LET'S HERE SOME IDEAS FROM YOU ABOUT YOUR CHOICE OF ACTIVITIES AFTER RETIREMENT. JUST CLICK ON COMMENT AND WRITE AWAY. KEITH

I HATE NEGATIVISM

I READ IN MY SOON TO BE DISCONTINUED DAILY NEWSPAPER THE WORST OF OUR SOCIETAL PROBLEMS.WE ARE TOO FAT, TOO VIOLENT, TOO SELFISH, TOO GREEDY, TOO UNCARING AND THE LIST GOES ON. WHEN I VISIT WITH PEOPLE WHETHER IT IS ON THE PHONE, ONLINE OR IN PERSON I FIND THAT WE AREN'T ALL THAT BAD. UNEMPLOYMENT IS UP A BIT BUT SHOULD THAT BRING DOWN THE GREAT MAJORITY OF US STILL WORKING. GRANTED MOST OF OUR CLASS IS EITHER RETIRED OR HEADING TOWARD RETIREMENT BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IS AFFECTING US ALL. SPREAD GOOD NEWS AND IT CAN BE AS INFECTIOUS AS BAD NEWS. I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE GOOD OCCURRING IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO INHERIT OUR LEFTOVERS.
ANOTHER THOUGHT, I WATCHED "IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME" LAST NIGHT. VAN JOHNSON, JUDY GARLAND AND SPRING BYINGTON STARRED IN THIS UPLIFTING STORY. EVERYTHING WAS SIMPLER BACK THEN AND YES IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING.
IN CREATIVE WRITING, WHICH I CLAIM THIS IS, THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IS THE LAST ONE, THE 2ND MOST IMPORTANT IS THE FIRST AND THE THIRD MOST IMPORTANT IS THE SENTENCE THE READER IS READING NEXT. IF I HAVEN'T LOST ANYONE YET THEN I HAD BETTER THINK OF SOMETHING GOOD TO END WITH. I LOVE HOT FUDGE SUNDAES WITH NUTS AND A CHERRY ON TOP, THERE. KEITH