AlphaBreak

I think everyone, including myself, could probably use a break from the constant play-by-play about my dad. I'll try to get the blog back on track as best as I can, though it should be understandable if my focus is elsewhere these days. And I won't stop reporting on his condition until he's finally back home. The biggest development on Monday other than the start of his physical therapy, was the ill-advised move of giving my dad a Percoset when all he wanted was a Tylenol for his shoulder pain. Apparently a nurse said “Oh, this is better” and he took it without asking any questions. He was fine when I spoke to my mother at lunch, but by the time I got to the nursing home after work, I found him drowsy and out of it. My mom told me about the pill, and how afterwards he was very dizzy and slept most of the day. We made sure the staff noted in his file that he has an adverse reaction to that, especially since he already had a similar experience when they gave him one while he was in the hospital. Pain medication should be used sparingly as needed, since it's a form of management and not a cure. In some cases, such as this one, the side effects are worse than the ailment. Unbelievable.

Meanwhile, back in the regularly scheduled blogging world, Kev Bayer posted the meme below. I'm going to be lazy for a change and not bother linking all the proper names; right now I barely have the energy to format.

A
- Available: Single? Yes. Free? Not these days.
- Age: 34
- Animal: Cats

B
- Beer: I had a few near the end of November, so I think I'm overdue for a few more.
- Birthday: November 4th
- Best feeling in world: Relief.
- Blind or Deaf: Deaf. I couldn't bear it if I couldn't see the beauty in this world, and while being deaf would hinder my musical career I could function otherwise in every other area of my life.
- Best weather: Moderate, warm enough to be outside without a jacket but not so hot that I sweat if I just blink.
- Been in Love: A few times, all unrequited except for one. I'm pretty sure she felt the same way, at least for the first year or two of the relationship.
- Been on stage: Yes.
- Believe in Magic: I believe in illusions.
- Believe in Santa: No, and I was always suspicious. One year I set a “trap” by leaving talcum powder around the fireplace and my folks, God bless them, had to go along with it and leave fake boot prints for me to find, to sustain the illusion.

C
- Candy: Kit-Kat
- Color: Red
- Chocolate/Vanilla: Vanilla for ice cream, though with a touch of chocolate like a fudge swirl, cookies and cream, or rocky road. With candy and cookies I lean toward chocolate more.
- Chinese/Mexican: More or less even, with Mexican having a slight advantage in the spicy department.
- Cake or pie: I LOVE Apple Pie, but there are a lot more varieties of cakes I enjoy.
- Continent to visit: I used to fantasize about going to Italy someday, maybe going to Venice for my honeymoon. Realistically, I probably won't ever leave North America which reduces the odds of my plane crashing or my ship sinking. But where MCF is concerned, does that reduce the odds enough?
- Cheese: I'm smiling; take the damn picture already!

D
- Day or Night: Night.
- Dance in the rain: Rain? No. Street? Once, after too much vodka and karaoke...

E
- Eyes: Both.
- Everyone has: Pain.
- Ever failed a class? Never. A few tests, most notably my first road test, but never an entire class.

F
- Full name: Michael Wayvid Whorenelli-Alba
- First thoughts waking up: “G*ddamnit...”
- Food: Too much for my own good, especially when nervous or bored.

G
- Greatest Fear: Death of loved ones or a slow painful death for myself.
- Goals: Owning my own home, earning a six figure salary, marrying a beautiful woman who shares and/or accepts my eccentric interests, siring a male heir so my family name lives on.
- Get along with your parents: Most of the time.
- Good luck charm: I carried the very first thing my ex-girlfriend gave me, two buttons from Starbucks, in my pocket every single day for two and a half years, and she still dumped me. Me and good luck don't mix.

H
- Hair Color: Black
- Height: Short
- Happy: Most of the time; it helps to have a good sense of humor.
- Holiday: Memorial Day or Independence Day. Nothing like parades in the morning and barbecues in the evening.
- How do you want to die: I don't, but I still haven't figured out how to upload my consciousness into the internet, so I'll go with peacefully in my sleep while dreaming happily.

I
- Ice Cream: Cookies ‘n Cream
- Instrument: Baritone Horn

J
- Jewelry: I used to wear my crucifix regularly, though the last few years it just hangs on a hook in front of my bulletin board. The less I have on me to lose the better.
- Job: Art Director.
- Write a journal: A journal? What kind of loser writes about his life every day? Oh, wait...

K
- Kids: I'd be happy with two, overwhelmed and broke with any more than that.
- Kickboxing or karate: I haven't fought in years, but I think my fighting style would best have been described as “Kringing”....

L
- Longest Car Ride: Five hours to Rey's wedding in Cornshucksbergtonville, PA.
- Love: Aesthetics.
- Letter: X.
- Laughed so hard you cried: Hanging out with my college buddies.

M
- Movies: Action, Sci Fi, Comic Book, Comedy, Romance, Horror, and more and I STILL haven't seen everything. I need a chip that instantly downloads movies to my brain.
- Music: Rock mostly, especially grunge, metal, and alternative, with some rap.
- McD's or BK: BK. McD's makes me ill and weak, though my BK tolerance is also not what it used to be.

N
- Number of Siblings: 0.
- Number of Piercings: 0.
- Number of Tattoos: 0.
- Number: 69. That was the answer to life, the universe, and everything, right?

N
- One wish: Unlimited wishes, duuuh.

P
- Perfect Pizza: Pepperoni slices that turn plates transparent with grease.
- Pepsi/Coke: Pepsi

Q
- Quote: ou fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!” Vizzini, The Princess Bride

R
- Reason to cry: Loss of a loved one or a sad movie or television show. Sometimes it doesn't have to be sad, only moving, and sometimes it catches me by surprise. I felt a lump in my throat at the end of this week's How I Met Your Mother and had to stop myself. Stupid cliché romantic airport gesture...
- Reality TV: I don't like reality, not that the scripted trash on television with all the wanna-bes and used-to-bes qualifies as REAL.
- Radio Station: K-Rock 92.3 FM, or Q-104.3.
- Roll your tongue in a circle: I thought everyone could, but I've heard otherwise.

S
- Song: Too many to list; my brain is always on shuffle, often sticking on the last song I heard on the radio.
- Shoe size: 10-10.5
- Salad Dressing: Russian or French or Caesar.
- Sushi: Ugh. Apart from Tuna and once Flounder, I've never really liked seafood; why would I want it raw?
- Skipped school: Twice in college I skipped a class, once for an art club event and once because I didn't feel like going and decided to cut with Rey just so I could say at least once in my life I played hooky. I never missed an entire day of school in my life.
- Smoked: No, I like breathing.
- Sing well: Not remotely, which is a shame since I enjoy it so much.
- In the shower:
- Swear: As needed. I avoid casual swearing, but sometimes a situation just merits a profanity.
- Strawberries/Blueberries: Strawberries

T
- Time for bed: Between midnight and 1 AM, depending on when I finish writing and when I force myself to turn off the computer and call it a day.

U
- Unpredictable: I'd like to be, but I'm not.
V
- Vacation spot: My room? I guess for me, the further I am from civilization and people the more clear my head is. Give me trails, beaches, and my camera, and I'm happy.

W
- Weakness: Laziness, shyness, fear.
- Which friend acts like you: I tend to act like my friends
- Who makes you laugh most: Mel Brooks, Leslie Nielsen, Steve Carrell.
- Wanted to be a model: ROFL.
- Where do we go when we die: I'm praying for heaven, but I honestly won't know where I'm going until I get there.
- Worst Weather: I want to say heat and humidity, but right now all I can think about is the constant snow. This 1-2 inches every other day bull has to stop already.

X
- X-Rays: Teeth, lungs, guts, and once my hand.

Y
- Year it is now: 2099
- Yellow: Ledbetter

Z
- Zoo animal: Axolotl!