That Voodoo You Do

Today was my follow-up visit to my Chiropractor, who I fondly refer to as the "Quack" or "Hippie Doctor" since he specializes in chiropractic, reflexology, acupuncture and other more alternative medicines. I went to him last Friday as I had been experiencing severe lower back pain for about 4 days. It ended up being gallstones, which is something I experienced 3-4 years ago.

I should not refer to him as a Quack or Hippie Doctor, as truly he worked miracles on me over the past week. Today I feel 98% better than I did a week ago. The only pain I was experiencing today was some slight discomfort when I moved between sitting and standing. The pain was not horrible and only lasted a few seconds. So today my Doctor did a final adjustment on me and treated me for the remaining pain. A few pushes, a few pulls, a few pokes, a few prods and when I stood up, I had no pain. After getting out of the car and off the couch tonight I felt no pain. The man is good.

I have not always been a huge believer in Eastern medicines, but I am the converted. I do not fully understand the voodoo he did (but it is fascinating), but it worked. His treatment did not require me having my gallbladder removed and I am feeling back to my old self. He recommended I watch (a.k.a. reduce) my fat intake going forward and watch (a.k.a. increase) my water going forward, so I keep chances of a relapse low. Overall, I think my gallbladder is on the mend and working again (which is good because it is my 3rd favorite organ in my body). So thanks to my wonderful doctor. The funny part is he dresses like a Western cowboy and practices Eastern medicine (I love a contradiction at any level).

If you are interested in checking him out, here is his practice's info. It is his private practice, so you do not need to ask for him by name, my doctor is the only option. In case I get a free adjustment for 5 referrals or something, let them know when you make an appointment you are coming after hearing of his healing powers on Tom Whittaker.

Oh, the only negative is this most insurances do not cover (including mine, which covers very, very little) the wonderful healing of Eastern medicine, which is crazy. I spent about $150 to heal my pain. A traditional doctor would have probably removed my gallbladder and cost my insurance a $5,000 hospital visit and I would have missed work. Now who is crazy?

Dale Said No

The weather is perfect outside tonight.

Can I sleep outside? Dale said no.

Why I Avoid Diving Boards

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Dear Dad

This is very funny and worth checking out.

A father passing by his son's bedroom, was astonished to see the bed was nicely made, and that everything was picked up and tidy. Then, he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow. It was addressed,'Dad.' With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter, with trembling hands.

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing to you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend, because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Stacy, and she is so nice, but I knew you would not approve of her, because of all her piercings, tattoos, her tight Motorcycle clothes, and because she is so much older than I am.

But it's not only the passion, Dad. She's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods, and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children. Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't, really hurt anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves, and trading it with the other people in the commune, for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want.

In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS, so Stacy can get better. She sure deserves it!

Don't worry Dad, I'm 15, and I know how to take care of myself. Someday, I'm sure we'll be back to visit, so you can get to know your many grandchildren.

Love, your son,

Joshua

P.S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Jason's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than the School report that's on the kitchen table.

Dale's New Favorite Show

Dale came across this show on Saturday on the Discovery Channel while I was lying on the couch with back pain. They had a marathon and 2,000 episodes later (okay, I may be exaggerating; maybe) Dale is hooked. He loves the show and now has all new respect for crabs. At least it was not a home show.

On Saturday night when we went to dinner Dale mentioned the show and everyone at the table (well except me) said, "I LOVE that show!"

Am I the only person who does not watch this show?

Hanging In There

After my posts Ugh!, At the Doctor and Someone Kicked Me in the Balls (Twice) I have been asked and received several emails from people asking how am I doing since visiting the "quack". Well, I am hanging in there.

I am not 100%, but I am in less pain than I was. For those who missed those posts, I have been in pain for about a week for which ended up being gall stones. I went to a chiropractor/alternative medicine doctor who gave me an adjustment, worked his voodoo and gave me some herbs to help break up the stones. He also recommended I reduce fat intake and increase water intake. Overall, things seem to be improving. Last week, no matter what I did my pain was between 7 to 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 the most pain).

• Lying down - no pain (this is my favorite position).
• Sitting - I would say my pain is now down to a 4.
• Standing - I would say my pain is down to a 2.
• Walking - I would say my pain is down to a 6.
• Changing from lying to sitting or sitting to standing or any change in positions - I would say my pain is still a 8 or 9; this is where I suffer the most.
• Running - come on; I am not crazy enough to try this and I barely ran before the gallstones.
• Skipping - I cannot resist skipping, so even though it is a 7, I still do it.

So it seems the voodoo is working. I am on the road to recovery and my plan to keep my gallbladder is working. I am hoping to be back to my old self this week.

My thanks to Dale for taking care of me; Becki for always being supportive and everyone who commented, emailed, called or stopped to check on me. I truly appreciate it.

The Magic Garden

Today my friend Becki and I somehow ended up on an IM chat about childhood television shows. The Magic Garden was one of my favorites, but was more of a NY, NJ & CT program. It was great. You would sing, learn jokes and sing more. There was a pink puppet that was named Sherlock the Squirrel.

I came across a few clips on YouTube to share. The second has the Chuckle Patch, which I loved because it was flowers that giggled and gave the hosts jokes to read.

After watching the clips, it is now obvious that I was gay at a very early age, as this show was pretty gay and I LOVED IT.

The funny part is the two women who starred on the show in the 70's still perform the show on the road today. I want them for my next birthday party.

Hi, I'm Crazy

I came across this on StumbleUpon and it is well worth the listen. If you are in a relationship, hearing these voicemail messages will make you never want to be single again.

The back story on this is that a girl named Olga was out with her friends in the Marina district of San Francisco and she talked to this guy named Dmitri for all of two minutes. Then she gave him her card and said “give me a call.” The above is the messages he left. Listen to the whole thing, it just keeps getting better and better.


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Best Quote Ever

"Life isn't measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the number of moments that take our breath away."

Anonymous

Always Do Your Research

I stumbled across this and thought it was funny.

New Boss

A large company, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning on a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He walked up to the guy leaning against the wall and asked, 'How much money do you make a week? A little surprised, the young man looked at him and replied, I make $400 a week. Why? The CEO then handed the guy $1,600 in cash and screamed, 'Here's four weeks' pay, now GET OUT and don't come back.'

Feeling pretty good about himself the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did around here?" From across the room came a voice, 'Pizza delivery guy from Domino's.'

Mamma Mia Misses the Mark, My My

This morning Dale and I went to see the movie Mamma Mia. I have been looking forward to the movie for several months, as I am a big fan of the stage musical. Overall, I was disappointed with the movie. Was it horrible? No. Was it great? No. Did it meet my expectations? No. Was it mediocre? Yes.

Here is the problem. Over the top acting and hamming it up works very well on stage as you are live and I think over-acting is needed to make people become engaged. Over-acting in a movie, well looks like over-acting and like you are watching a music video or an after-school special. The movie had strange camera angles, spinning for now reason, awkward dancing and honestly it felt more like a blooper real at times than a movie. Several times it felt like we were watching Meryl Streep ham it up on her summer vacation and oh my God, how weird, Peirce Brosnan was vacationing at the same place. What a coincidence.

The movie felt sloppy and did not capture what was felt in the Broadway musical. Similar to how the movie version of Rent did not capture the anguish and emotion of the Broadway musical, the movie version of Mamma Mia did not capture the fun and energy of Mamma Mia. I think Mamma Mia was especially hard to move from stage to movie as there is not much of a plot. Let's be honest, the musical is more about the fun music than the dialogue or acting. So why did they try to cast top-notch actors like Meryl Streep, Peirce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Julie Walters in a movie that has no plot and limited dialogue? I feel in many ways it may have worked better with no name actors than big celebrities.

Less famous casting also may have helped the singing. Although Meryl Streep and Peirce Brosnan sang surprising well considered they have no musical background, at times they were hard to understand and their voices were rough. Meryl Streep did best in the song, Winner Takes It All, but Peirce's final solo of the movie could only be described as painful.

However, there were a few good moments and shining stars.

• Several of the long songs in Greece were absolutely stunning, beautiful and I am now longing for a trip to Greece.
  
• Julie Walters, who I adore, delivered as Rosie. She made the role, fun and believable and when she belted it Take A Change on Me, you were excited.


• Colin Firth, who you cannot like, was enjoyable. Unfortunately as good as he is, they limited his role.


• Amanda Seyfried had a very good voice and actually brought some range and emotion to the role of Sophie.

If you are a fan of the musical, I suggest you stick to the Broadway or even travelling show, as you too may be disappointed. Or at least wait for it to be on video. Fortunately for Dale and I we only pay $5 for movies before Noon, otherwise it may have been even more disappointing.

I also have now reached a conclusion. Broadway musicals I love (Rent, Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera), I end up hating on the movie screen. Musicals I did not like on stage (Hairspray, Dream Girls), I loved as movies. I guess I need to stick with this pattern, so I do not get disappointed.