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I was admitted to the Ottawa Heart Institute on 17 April 2008 at 7:00 AM, prepped (lots of sensors, patches needles, etc.) for the procedure (Electrophysiology Study and Ablation), and taken to the operating room at 10:00 AM. The operation lasted an eternity ... well, ... actually 4 hours, and then recovery for another 3 hours. I was released from the hospital about 5:30 PM, and home for supper by 6:00 PM. Soooo, everything done in one day, but most importantly, no more palpitations!!! The following is a bit of a description I've E-Mailed to those who have enquired about my sanity, er, no, my health.
"Last night for the first time in over 2 years I slept through the whole night ... well until Ms. Shooter P. Cat came knocking at precisely 6:00 AM as is her custom. How wonderful to get up without feeling like I've just run a marathon!
"The operation was totally amazing because technology ruled (and of course two very capable doctors and almost a dozen associated staff). I had a good view on the monitor showing the doctors threading the catheters into my heart plus hearing their dialogue to go with it. They actually 'played' with my heart changing the beat-rate during various tests prior to the actual burning process. All the while nurses and assistants made sure all was OK with me including such incidentals as scratching my eye brow which for some reason was driving me crazy and I couldn't move my hands to do it!
"I felt a little pain when they initially inserted the catheters, but basically nothing when they were threading and zapping for fun and profit for the next four hours. The only real pain I had was from having to lie flat and remain still while they burned the bothersome bits in my heart (no achy-breakey heart pain - just a warm feeling when they zapped). My back didn't appreciate the inactivity so progressively voiced it's concern until I had to demand some pain-killer which they actioned promptly. Other than that, I guess the removal of the plethora of patches for monitoring, holding tubes, ECG connections etc. came in a close second on the 'ouch' scale. I now have no hair on most of my body regions therefore matching my head.
"The doctors and staff were marvellous!!! I was treated personally, not like a lab specimen. All their actions were explained fully to me, and they ensured I followed all the necessary rules concerning recovery after the procedure. Dr. Michael Gollob was the primary doctor assisted by an Australian doctor who was on a one and a half year exchange to learn this particular heart operation. After my recovery time (3 hours), both doctors visited me just prior to my departure. I expressed my profuse thanks when they excitedly announced that all had gone extremely well. In fact, I announced to the Aussie, "Good on ya!" at which time he smiled broadly and replied, "Back atcha mate!"
"I was restricted somewhat for a few days until the leaks quit ( two main entrances to my heart: one through the groin and another from my upper-left chest for all the catheters and 'tasers'). Regardless, I now feel great and sooooo relieved to have this palpitation business hopefully finished with (so far so good)." I'm still amazed at how much medical science has advanced - a serious heart operation in one day and only a few warnings about leakage, mountain climbing and running a marathon!
Soooo, guess I'm good for a few more miles ... maybe my golf game will improve????? Sure!!!!!
Below is a picture of the 8"x 10" hand-made card I received from my grandkids. Wow, I'm soooo lucky!!!
![[IMAGE]](trash.gif)
And of course there are the household chores which eat up much of my sparse spare time ... mostly ... maybe?
It's all explained in the following article I wrote!
"Now that you are retired, what do you do with all your time?" (Published in the Ottawa Citizen on 4 Jan '99)
OK? Do you agree?
In May 1995 I was coerced and cajoled by my dear and long suffering mate (not as depicted in the above cartoon) into putting pen-to-paper (actually fingers-to-keyboard - but all famous writers say this) and describe my life to that point. The reason? "For the sake of posterity!" So, take a look and judge me accordingly - maybe it will explain my idiosyncrasies!
A recent vignette concerning birds in trouble at our local beach - Shriking News!
An unforgettable experience - "Christmas in England, 1970"
A memorable summer on the farm - "Growing Up".
My first article to be published resulted from experiences with a new vacuum cleaner!
Our first CAMPING trip. A true description (mostly)!
WARNING!!! This article may be dangerous to your health!
Religions, an assessment of their adverse and illogical affect on our existence!
My tribute to a departed friend, truly missed.
This article expresses my opinions concerning prejudice and those that are different.
Morning. I rediscover the AM.
Some amusing TAGLINES I ran across in my web surfing. Try them, you'll like them!
DOGGONE IT - RULES ARE RULES! My friend's brush with "Bureaucracy in the Burbs."
Failing Gracefully. "Widgets of the World, Unite!"
Stratford Comedy - We meet Barney Fife in Stratford picnic ground.
My
Not So New Toy!
In November 2004 I finally decided to replace my outdated Dell Dimension XPS-R 400 PII. After looking over all Dell's choices, I decided on the Dell Dimension 4700C as it's compact size and extreme capabilities totally met my imagined requirements.
In 2012, after eight years of excellent performance by the 4700C, I had to make a decision - buy a new computer or upgrade it as eight years of daily work on the hard drive meant catastrophic failure was likely imminent! Being satisfied with the Dimension's performance, I decided to replace the hard drive with a new, larger drive but to avoid all the time and effort reloading all the programs, settings, etc. I would 'clone' the old drive to the new one. I approached my expert, son Dan, and he felt we could do this without too much trouble. The new drive would be installed in an external case and hooked up to the computer in the usual fashion by a USB connector. Using a free cloning program available on the web, the complete contents of the old drive are copied to the new drive and then the new drive is installed on the computer replacing the old drive. Dan provided me with a new drive twice the size of the old one and the cloning was transferred successfully with only one glitch - the new drive only showed the capacity of the old one, not double the size. Dan rectified that and all went well ... that is until 3 months later when the new drive quit!!! Back to the drawing board, a new Western Digital 1 TB drive plus using Clonezilla to transfer the data and Partition Wizard to increase the drive size to take advantage of the much larger drive and we're back in business.
Additionally, I doubled the internal memory (now 3.37 GB RAM) so performance has noticibly improved! And, of course, the cost has been minimal!!!
Here are the particulars. As can be seen, this makes for a very compact arrangement.
Dimension 4700C Series, Intel Pentium 4 Processor 540 (3.2GHz) with HT Technology
Memory: 3.37GB DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz
Keyboard: Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Monitor: 19 in (19.0 in viewable) 1905FP Digital Flat Panel Display
Video Card : 64MB PCI Express x16 (DVI/TV- out) ATI Radeon X300 SE
Hard Drive: 465 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Floppy Disk Drive: 1.44MB External USB floppy dri (311-4410)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional,Service Pack 2, English
NIC: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
Modem: Integrated 56K MDC Data/Fax modem
8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Sound Card: Integrated Audio
Speakers: Dell 5650 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers System with Subwoofer
Bundled Software: Microsoft Office 2003 Basic Edition,Dimension,BSD
Dell Jukebox Plus powered by MUSICMATCH
Combo Photo Album and Shop Pro
Microsoft Plus! for Windows XPand Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition, Drop in box
Dell 8 in 1 Flash Memory Reader w/ front access 1394
Sonic RecordNow Plus and MyDVDDeluxe Software for Dual LayerDVD+RW Drives
Dell Media Experience Deluxe
Remote Control for Dell Media Experience with IR receiver for Dimension
Money 2004 Deluxe Version for Dimension
Also, Word Perfect Office 12 bought as an extra as we prefer WP to Word!
One
especially neat feature is the door on the front that opens up to
reveal the DVD drive, and also slots for every conceivable type of
camera, etc. memory card.
Its obvious that this computer met with Ms. Shooter P.Cat's approval - at least the screen saver which she enjoyed watching from MY chair!
If any of you are in the market for a new computer I suggest you check out Dell. I'm very satisfied, and I'm sure you will be as well.
Of Course with every new computer, its necessary
to install stuff ... not fun!
![[IMAGE]](h_ware.gif)
And just when everything is finally working ...
The plans were to network the old
computer out of Judy's office, but as the wireless venture didn't
work it will be used for kids' (of all ages) games, thus freeing the
new one for more serious ventures such as ... e-mail and letters to
the editor. Regardless, I hope we're not getting to the stage as
depicted in the following cartoon!
Another
NEW
TOYIn early May '05, I took delivery of a new Infiniti G35X sedan. It is without a doubt the finest car I've ever owned, and this is backed up by all the excellent reviews it has received in the auto mags, etc.
As of September, 2012 I have 72,000 kms on it, and am extremely satisfied with it's performance! Also, the service provided by the dealership has been top rate - free loaners, car wash, etc. I suppose this is as it should be for an automobile of this class.
Here are a few pictures of "The Blackmobile," followed by the vehicle specifications and descriptions:
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Type Sedan 5 passengers 4 doors
SPECIFICATIONS
Base Engine 3.5L V6 DOHC 24 valves
HP (hp@tr/min) 280 @ 6200
Torque (lb.ft@min) 270 @ 4800
Drivetrain all-wheel drive
Transmission 5 speed automatic with manual mode
Brakes (front/rear) 4 wheel disc, ABS Brakes, Power Steering
PERFORMANCE
Maximum Speed (km/h) 230
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) 7.6
SECURITY
Driver Airbag, Passenger Airbag , Side Airbags, Traction Control, Rear Child Locks, Alarm System
SEATS
Seat Trim Leather, Heated Front Seats
COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE
Air Conditioning auto climate control, Rear Air Conditioning
Cruise Control, Power Locks, Power Windows, Adjustable Steering power telescopic tilt
SOUND SYSTEM
AM/FM Radio with CD In-dash 6 CD changer and MP3 player
EXTERIOR
Tires P215/55R17, Alloy Wheels, Sunroof
DIMENSIONS, CAPACITY AND WEIGHT
Length (mm) 4,747 mm
Width (mm) 1,753 mm
Height (mm) 1,466 mm
Wheelbase (mm) 2,850
Curb Weight (kg) 1,664 kg
Trunk Size (L) 334 L
WARRANTIES
Basic Warranty 100 000 km / 48 months
Powertrain 110 000 km / 72 months
Perforation Corrosion Unlimited km / 84 months
Roadside Assistance Unlimited km / 48 months
Unfortunately, this meant selling the '95 Probe GT. It had served me well, but I recognized the requirement for a sedan. As can be seen, the G35X has the room, and much, much more ... including the cost of fuel!!! That big engine really enjoys, in fact, insists on Premium Fuel and the operator loves acceleration. The result of course is some interesting fill-ups these days (Sep 2012).
