I Almost Had a Psychic Girlfriend Once, But She Left Me Before We Met

OK, IT'S A LIE

Actually it's the winner in this year's Lying Contest or some nonsense like that. Thankfully, Cheryl Cook was fortunately (for me) not a psychic, or she would have run, quickly, in the other direction that fateful day in the Dining Commons. Not that I was repulsive or anything (I hope) , but she woulda foreseen years of diabetes, kidney failure, heart failure and hissy fits in her (our) future. But, on the other hand, she woulda seen two extraordinary kids with extraordinary partners, a load of incredible friends, an actual vacation or two, and gobs of really cool cars. Not that anyone in the Cook family (especially Robin) gave a damn about cars (Bill did like Thunderbirds though) OR me, but eventually Cheryl came around to my odd way of thinking automotively. Which meant going into unreasonable debt purchasing and servicing some really stoopid cars. But the great memories still remain, especially for ol' Wolfgang the Porsche Mechanic who was able to retire to the Bahamas on what we spent over there.

WELL, NOW THAT I HAVE THAT OFF MY CHEST...

It is currently popular to review all kinds of things relating to this past year, and as everyone knows by now, I wanna be popular, so I am, as we speak, dreaming up a list of my own. So once again, please keep your hands, arms, and any other unspecified appendages inside the vehicle, take small children firmly by the hand, and LET'S GO!

January: John Muir/Concord for dialysis graft repair, then admitted. Out one day, back in UCSF that night. This time to stay until the transplant happens.

February: The 9th is The Big Day of the Year; Transplant Time is here! We have to miss Elton and Billy but are glad Jen and Paul enjoy our tickets. Discharged from the hospital to 2000 Post. Leslie's birthday..I spend Super Bowl Sunday in the ER with leaky wounds, but could give a s**t less about football. I did enjoy the Daytona 500 in CCU, however.

March: Convalescing at 2000 Post, admitted on the 1st and the 10th, cannot remember why. Leaking wounds, maybe?

April: Home from 2000 Post. Big family BBQ, featuring David, Jennifer and Diana from FL. Eagles at HP Pavilion; AWESOME!

May: Our anniversary. Dash to ED at UC, turns out to be a kidney infection; admitted. Same later in the month, discharged just in time for The Henry 150 celebrating Mom's 89th and Dan's 61st birthdays. Indy 500 and GP of Monaco are other highlights.

June: Accidentally, we are invited to the California Transplant Donor Network picnic, which is phenomenal. So we join up! We make another attempt at visiting Aunt Bessie in Long Beach, and this time, no hospitals!

July: We staff our first CTDN event at Eden Hospital. Another kidney problem takes us to the ED and subsequent admission. Out in time for The Big Schnurr BBQ, but back to UC the same night with more kidney adventures. I write a letter to my donor's family.

August: Visit from Kelly, Oscar and the Girls all the way from Spain. We go to the TRIO picnic for the first time. And, our first race since the transplant, the Monterey Motorsports Reunion. We attend with the Frateses and Chaws, and have a ball. Visit to MOMA and unreal dinner at the Slanted Door courtesy Dan and Carol. We rock out to ZZ Top at Wente after celebrating my (and Kelly D.'s) birthday(s).

September: We take in the show at Armando's for the first time, and do another CTDN info table in Martinez.

October: Everyone celebrates Andy's 30th BD. CTDN training in Walnut Creek, and then a donor info event in Concord. Our first aborted vacation plan, a Tauck Tour of the Southwest. We substitute a short trip to Tahoe in the S2000, followed by a biopsy and three days on 9 Long at UCSF for kidney rejection. But we do get to go to a rockin' wedding, that of Elliott and Alicia Hughes. Our Halloween outfits elicit gales of laughter from all three people shopping at 11:00 pm in Safeway. We graciously receive almost five "kids" at the door asking for candy.

November: Gala tour of Muir/Concord's new ER and Heart Institute. Little did we know that later in the month, I would be a client of the same ER. Our second aborted vacation as I am not permitted to join Cheryl in Las Vegas and visit my old roomie, Larry "Flash". Thanksgiving in Capitola is glorious, but missing the Auto Show is not (leg problem).

December: We observe Chanukah at the community Menorah-lighting in San Ramon. Alex and Rita visit The Gang with an extraordinary dinner at JP and Cora's. We are literally blown away by Isa Stenzel Byrnes and the bagpipe and drum corps. Our first TRIO dinner as a recipient! We ride the Sunol-Niles Holiday Train. Another interfaith choir recital at the Mormon church ,thanks to our good friend Charlotte. The Cardiac Rehab annual luncheon is followed by a repeat visit to Armando's. Cheryl turns 60!! A truly outstanding Christmas at the P. & R. Caples'. I pen a Holiday letter to my donor family. Another CTDN opportunity, this time in Santa Cruz. New Year's Eve spent quietly with Dan and Carol, dining at Esin. What a month, and what a finish to a memorable year.....

January 1, 2011: We start off the year big-time with the Hangover Party at the Chaw's in Berzerkely....fun!

Of course I do not want to fail to mention great Dinners with the Gang, innumerable doctor appointments and medical tests, more than plenty hospital admissions and visits, great dinners with friends, grand reacquainting with my beloved S2000, delight with our new Honda Fit, and the overriding euphoria of just being around this year.

Thanks to everyone, far and wide, for quite a 2010. And the forecast for 2011? Sunny, clear and mild....can't wait.

Bob/Irv

'Twas the Blog Before Christmas....

AND ALL 'ROUND OUR HOME...

"...A Jew Enjoyed Christmas, Who Woulda Known??" OK then, enough awkward poetry. The point, as you can possibly guess, is that I am truly excited this year. Seems like too many of the last few Christmases and New Years I have either been in a hospital or on my way to one. Will not happen in 2010!!! Put that one in the bank!

ANOTHER FINE HOLIDAY WEEK

The Holiday 2010 Celebrations continued unabated with the festive Cardiac Rehabilitation Holiday Luncheon. This provides an opportunity for past and current participants to socialize with each other and the OUTSTANDING staff. You may recall I have been a faithful patient for nearly six years, but this was my first attendance at this event. Although I got into a bit of trouble with the cookie exchange, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and vow to continue my participation.

Next evening, we joined the Frateses and Henrys for another fun visit to Armando's in Martinez. In this small, funky club we saw The California Honeydrops, a very talented and eclectic musical group. They cannot be accurately categorized, but suffice it to say their music was lots of fun. We all really like Armando's as well.



THE UNAVOIDABLE MEDICAL CRAP

We had a most interesting day of Clinic Hijinks the very next day. What a total buzz-kill. We originally asked to have heart clinic and kidney clinic scheduled the same day to save us a trip, with sufficient time in between. But wait, then an ultrasound and a visit with Vascular Surgery were shoehorned in, basically at the same time as the previous two appointments. These were inserted to investigate my bothersome aching back and leg situation which has been a problem since before Thanksgiving. The advice we were given concerning the scientifically impossible scheduling was "Oh, don't worry about it." So we didn't until we got caught like rats in a maze running up, down, in, and out of various Parnassus Places.

The ultrasound revealed an obstruction in my lower left leg, but the vascular doc did not think that was the cause of my pain and instability. The heart team examined me superficially and listened to my symptoms, and ditto when we (finally) arrived at our first scheduled appointment with the kidney transplant doc. Neither visit produced a diagnosis, but the heart folks did order an MRI for further investigation.

Two words uttered at the tail end of the heart chapter of our story were "spinal stenosis". This struck a bell (ding-dong, you ding dong) since one of my expert cardiac rehab nurses had mentioned the same possibility. After the usual Googling of this ailment, I am fairly convinced that I have this. I have a majority of the symptoms, and the primary, most frequent, Numero Uno cause is.....OLD AGE!!! Yep, it's true. And I cannot argue with that risk factor, all you gotta do is look at my driver's license or ask our kiddoes. Guilty as charged.

I will not bore you (any more than you already seem to be...I can see for miles and miles and miles, you know) with my amateur explanation of spinal stenosis, so Google this baby and see for yourselves. Or not. Whatever.

A HOLIDAY LETTER TO MY DONOR FAMILY

We thought you might want to see the letter I recently composed and sent to CTDN to share with my donor family. I really have been thinking of them a lot ever since Thanksgiving. It's gotta be a tough time for them. So, here it is:

Dear Donor Family,

At this time of the year, I think even more often than usual of you than I do the rest of the year. It is a time to be thankful, which I immeasurably am, for your incredible decision that has saved my life. Be assured, you were greatly and enthusiastically thanked by everyone at our family Thanksgiving dinner.

I believe we all felt that while we were able to enjoy our holiday, our enjoyment was tempered by the thought that somewhere there was a family having their first Thanksgiving without a member of the family present. We too have lost loved ones, and know how difficult this season can be afterwards.

I want you to know I am doing well. I have been able to become interested again in things I have ignored for a long time due to my illness. I have a better outlook now that I am healthier, and it is reflected in everything I do. I have a greater appreciation for my friends and family, who stuck with me during a long and difficult time when being with me was not enjoyable. These great things I owe to you and your loved one.

I know this Christmas must be difficult for you. My hope is that you can take a measure of joy from the fact that despite your loss, the spirit of your lost family member continues on with strength, hope, and renewed enthusiasm. Perhaps this thought can help you and give you some comfort at this time of the year.

Many thanks, and best wishes from a grateful heart and kidney transplant recipient.

Bob

Since this lengthy tome has been billed as "The Blog Before Christmas", I am looking nervously at the clock. I see it is now one hour and one minute until Christmas, and....what is that I hear? The sound of reindeer on our roof? No, it sounds like a big ol' truck pulling into Broadmoor Court. Could it be? Is it true? I am running outside in my gown and sleeping cap, and YES!! It IS the North Pole Exotic Car Transport van! And here it comes....the elf-driver is unloading my new Ferrari 458 Italia RIGHT NOW. I asked the Santa on the train ride and the one at the toy store for this, and he (they?) came through! Thank you, Santa!!

Or not.

"...Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!!"

Bob/Irv

P.S. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I have had some, uh, negative reactions to my new blog background. It's BEER everyone....get your minds outta the gutter, OK?

Holiday Happenings on Parade

GOOD RESULTS

Our excursion to the Cath Lab was fast and easy. I still feel quite at ease there, due to the friendliness and skills of the outstanding staff. Dr. DeMarco expertly did the procedure, and she was concerned about pulmonary pressures once again. The Good Nooz, however, was Zero Rejection on the heart. I think it will be six months until the next biopsy, unless there is a great interest in the pressures.

FESTIVE TRIO DINNER

We looked forward enthusiastically to our first TRIO Holiday Dinner as grateful transplant recipients. Dinner was quite tasty, and we enjoyed sitting with Isa and her husband Andrew. Andrew is the producer of The Power of Two and had a lot of interesting stuff to say about the film. We also discussed travel, which Isa and Andrew have done extensively. An extremely high point was the appearance of TRIO buddies Rusty and Katie. Rusty is just three weeks out on his kidney transplant, looking great. Now we need to hear good news on Katie who is going through the steps towards a kidney/pancreas transplant.

I was particularly jazzed about my first opportunity to participate in the donor appreciation ceremony this year, consisting of the placing of ornaments on a tree in honor of donors. Unfortunately, it came after the lengthy gift exchange, by which time many people had left or become tired and distracted. To make matters worse, I (naturally) dropped and broke my Hanukkah ornament, one of three ornaments I planned to hang. The others were a cross representing my donor, and a heart representing his gift to me. There did not appear to be any "ceremony" evident, and most everyone quickly removed their ornaments since it was time to leave. Disappointing, but still a fine event.

ALL ABOARD

As a surprise birthday gift for Cheryl, I arranged a trip on the Sunol-Niles railroad. This fully-restored train is quite excellent and popular during the Holidays, festooned with lights and featuring a visit with St. Nick himself. I chose the club car, with comfy seating and (spiked) apple cider served with cookies. Very refined, at least until two families boarded with about a dozen (gross exaggeration here) offspring. Naturally, the kids lost interest in the ride quickly, and commenced a loud session of poking, whining, running around, screaming and general kid-type activities. All the while, the moms intently discussed fashion and jewelry, appearing to be quite expert in choosing and wearing such items. Both dads were deeply lost on their smartphones, checking either sports scores or the Dow. Not what I had in mind.


This was nothing compared to the scene in the next car. For a slightly lower fare than the club car, one could enjoy roughly five times more juveniles, behaving five times worse while being roundly ignored by their parents. No food or beverage service was included here, so it was BYO to a ridiculous extreme. Ice chests full of brews, scores of wine bottles, and food of indescribable variety were all being enjoyed to the max. One particularly active seat had a stack of at least six huge Costco pizzas in various stages of consumption.

After conquering the crowded aisle and not slipping on stray pepperoni, we reached the open viewing car. While the atmosphere was similar to the preceding scene, we persevered in order to enjoy the sights and sounds. It was quite beautiful when the track curved and you could see all the lights forward and aft on the turning train. When we arrived at the Niles station, people stood on the platform waving at the train while quaint Downtown Niles was lit up directly behind. Very cool. After a pleasant return to Sunol in our club car, we happily returned to our quiet little home. Fun.

BIG FINISH: A HOLIDAY MUSICAL EVENT

For the third consecutive year, we joined our good friend Charlotte at her church, the Mormon church here in Livermore, for their interfaith Christmas music program. Choirs from other churches in the area perform, our favorite being the bell choir from Pleasanton. We saw several very nice folks we knew, all of whom expressed pleasure in seeing us happier than ever. Overall, a most pleasant outing that has become a Christmas tradition for us.

And so, an active and fun week ends, but wait, there's more! More cool Holiday stuff, more celebrating, more friends and family activities, more more more....but the more will have to wait until a bit later. Meanwhile safely enjoy yourselves as the Season rolls along.

Bob/Irv

The Incredibleness Will Not Stop!

INCREDIBLENESS...IZZAT A WORD?

If it isn't, it certainly should be. It pretty much describes the nature of things right now. We seem to be doing more different things, in more different places, with more different people than ever. No more sitting around all day in a chair, staring off into space. Bear with me as I attempt to relate a few recent activities....

A MEMORABLE DAY WITH MEMORABLE FRIENDS

Sometimes you have a friend who is so close that you can go months, even years without direct contact, and when you do talk or get together, it's just like you saw them yesterday. For me, a person who fits that bill is Alex Hutras. We worked together starting in 1983 at Children's Hospital SF, then San Jose Medical Center, California Pacific, and Mt. Diablo. Sometimes I was "The Boss", sometimes he was. It never seemed to cause any real problems, we just switched around and went on with the tasks at hand. Outside of work, Alex was one of the originators of "Dinner with the Gang", and was a faithful participant until he retired seven years ago. He and his bride of 54 years, the lovely Rita (and no, she is not a meter maid) moved to New Mexico, and built a bocce ball, uh, court, er, lane? Whaddaya call it? Anyway, you know what I mean. I never failed to learn stuff from Alex each time we worked together, and I can safely say he made me a better manager in every case.

The time arrived for Alex and Rita to vacation in California, so the Gang rallied to put together an event befitting the importance of their visit. JP graciously offered his home, expertise, and moussaka. We were privileged to include Chef Alison as a Special Guest. Sue, Virgil, Tanya (Paul was unfortunately ill), Jane, Cheryl, Yours Truly, and of course JP and Cora all provided food, beverages and serving implements, and we enjoyed an impressive spread of fine eats.

But the main point was not food (what?) but our honored guests. And once again, Alex and I (and in fact everyone) were able to just start up conversations like we had been together the day before yesterday. Needless to say, it was a rare and unbelievably enjoyable reunion. And an added bonus was that it was a bit of a reunion for everyone with the old Bob/Irv, who replaced that schlocky dude who showed up at the monthly dinners and just kinda sat there like a big lump of doo doo. I can tell you, he is damn glad to be back.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT; BAGPIPES!

Sharp readers (come on, you know who you are) will recall the story of the Stenzel Twins, two amazing ladies who endured lives of cystic fibrosis and survived to receive lung transplants. They wrote a book about their incredible lives (The Power of Two which will be a feature-length documentary, coming soon to a theater or drive-in near you (NOT). One of the sisters, Isa, took up bagpipes since she now has the breathing power to do so. And it takes a bit of breath, not to mention overall strength and musical talent, to operate one of those babies. She was selected to perform the National Anthem at the opening ceremony of last summer's Transplant Games, where she medaled in swimming as well. Also, recall that Isa belted out a few notes at the UCSF Heart and Lung Transplant Support Group, which is where the entire room full of people sat, grinning like idiots, as that interesting and LOUD music filled the room. And probably the rest of 10 Long, too.
OK, yes, I will admit we are big Isa and Ana fans, having known them from TRIO ever since we started going. When I heard about the upcoming performances of the Stewart Tartan Pipes and Drums, I managed to convince Dear Cheryl that she would enjoy it. Imagine the volume of 16 pipers and like six drummers if just one blew us away. Loving loud noise as I do (racing cars, rock 'n' roll, planes taking off, thunder, etc) I was quite excited. We journeyed to the Episcopal church in Saratoga for the concert, and were not disappointed. Accompanied by the drums, a brass ensemble, a string group, Scottish dancers and a drum major it was quite a spectacle. We highly recommend it; if you ever get a chance, do it.

After a post-performance congratulatory chat with Isa and husband Andrew, we enjoyed a terrific dinner at Left Bank in Santana Row. Luckily, we avoided the chic and expen$ive stores and arrived back to our humble home happy, if a bit deaf. In my case, even more so than normal...Huh? What did I say? I couldn't hear myself. But my fondest memories of races include temporary hearing loss after several hours of exposure to those sweet sounds. Now I include a big bagpipe event in the category of my favorite loud experiences.

AND THEN WE...HEY, WAIT A SECOND!

Jeez, I see several of you nodding off out there. That can only mean you are either up past your bedtime (of 8:30 pm) or I am boring the living s**t outta you with all this Alex and bagpipe stuff. That tells me I have way too much happy and interesting (?) crap to share in one sitting. So, yes, even Your Editor/Publisher needs his beauty sleep despite the fact that we here at the Trib have looming and ironclad deadlines to meet. Uh, no we don't. I was simply looking for a bit of sympathy. We publish when something notable actually happens, or sometimes not.

I will bravely declare this a Two Part Blog Post, and leave you to your own devices. Until the next thrilling issue, I wish everyone a fun and safe Holiday $hopping Season.

Bob/Irv

Let the Holiday Lunacy Begin

AN EXCELLENT AND MEANINGFUL HOLIDAY

May I first deeply apologize to (all two) of you have wondered if I ran away to Costa Rica or something? We have been sorta busy lately, doing the really cool and interesting crap I am gonna blog about right now. So return with me now go those thrilling days of yesteryear....

Thanksgiving in Capitola is a much-anticipated yearly event for the Cook/Caples/Moss families. We often have had friends join us for Thanksgiving dinner, and this year Cherie’s (and Grammy’s) chiropractor, Dr. Val was a part of the mayhem. Dr. Val’s Mom musta been horrified, but she didn’t show it! Friday is flung open to whomever wants to show up for the day-long lunching, noshing, and general tomfoolery. Oh yeah, Cuzzin Tom was in fact in attendance prior to his departure for (of all places) Cincinnati, OH. Additionally, Cherie’s first-grade friend Mellie made a delightful appearance, and likewise Jan T.

The weather was spectacular, albeit a bit on the cool side. Saturday dawned with rain, so loading up and heading over the hill was quite wet. No worries, it was a stupendous time. What was really nice was that it was stupendous for me, too. Very often I have been about as entertaining as a pile of fertilizer, just better-smelling. But it seems version 2.0 was well-received, making its owner quite pleased. Only fly in the ointment was the nagging and inconsistent pain I had in my back and legs. It really never let up at all.

OH, NO MR. BILL! A TRIP TO ANOTHER EMERGENCY ROOM!

This was certainly the most calm and collected ER visit I have made of the many in my long and storied relationships with several of them. To address the above-mentioned eeks and oiks, we got an urgent care appointment with a doc at Muir for Sunday morning. As I expected, he was unable to diagnose this elusive malady, whatever it is. He needed more information, and at the Physician Network office they have no ability to perform these, whether or not it is a weekend. So I was dispatched to the brand-spanking new ER at Muir/Concord for X-rays, an ultrasound, and lab work. Ironically, we recently toured the very same facility before its operational opening. We liked it a lot as casual visitors but definitely did not think we would need to re-visit as clients so soon.

Final result was that it was not a clot, fracture, infection, toe jam football, shortness of pants or anything recognizable to the medical community at the present time. The ER doc gave me some flak juice for pain, and after the usual six-hour stay we got tossed out with a recommendation to make a follow-up visit with my primary care provider. Miraculously, sometime during the wee (literally) hours of Tuesday morning I couldn't help but notice most of the pain had disappeared. I still feel a bit fatigued in my legs at times, and get an occasional jolt in my back. But at this moment nobody seems to know what if anything is amiss.

HOWEVER, ON A LIGHTER NOTE

Lately I have been reminiscing for some strange reason. For example, I decided to renew and wear some of my Dad's jewelry. And I did the same with a ring Cherie got me in Ceylon on her Semester at Sea in 1971. I have never been into bling, but somehow I felt a need to sorta reflect back a bit. This lead my feeble mind to further look back on my Jewish education days, my Bar Mitzvah, and how I felt about actually practicing Judaism when I was young.

I recall clearly the occasion that caused my slide into disregard for my religious roots. When our family moved to Los Angeles from Pittsburgh, we did not join a congregation. For our first High Holy Days in California, Dad purchased tickets for services from a temple in West LA. Unfortunately the temple was too small to accommodate the large influx of worshippers at these important services, so they were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles. It was September, and the usual early-Autumn heat wave arrived just in time for Yom Kippur. So here we are, Gary and I and the folks, in a crappy part of town, it's like 174 degrees in the joint, we're dressed in dark suits, attending services in a huge, unfamiliar place without air conditioning! And Yom Kippur is a fasting day, so as official Mosses we were miserably hungry and therefore quite unhappy. Our father never did find a temple he wanted to join, as nowhere measured up to Temple Emanuel of South Hills in a suburb of Pittsburgh. So by the time I went off to Santa Barbara, I had drifted away.

So, Bob/Irv, dood, get to the point already. Sorry, maybe I shoulda made this a separate post. Anyhoooo...here it is Hanukkah, probably Gary's and my favorite Jewish holiday. Duh, I wonder why. So with my recent musings about the past, I took particular interest in various menorah lighting around our area. We were able to attend the San Ramon event, held at Whole Paycheck. There we met several nice folks, including Rabbi Levy who warmly welcomed us. He climbed up a ladder to light the candles, and we all recited the Hanukkah blessing. Then everyone sang the traditional melodies, which miraculously came springing up outta my shopworn memory. Both Cherie and I were suitably amazed. It was fun! I don't think I will be joining a congregation anytime soon, but it has been a cool trip to have a bit of Jewish nostalgia.

SO, WHAT'S THAT LOOMING UP AHEAD, BOB/IRV?

You will have to tune in to the next blog to find out, but from here it looks like a lineup of Holiday events stacked up like a buncha planes circling SFO waiting to land. Or something like that. 'Til then, enjoy this very special time of year.

Bob/Irv