Update

Update

I am writing this because I have not published anything in about three weeks.  That is the actual topic.  Most of this “essay” was written using the keyboard as opposed to pen and paper (my standard writing tool).

Pandora is playing a nice Black Eyed Peas mix at the moment.  I’ve been giving Pandora a good workout for the past week.  It has performed with flying colors until this morning when I created a “Soul II Soul” station; Pandora proceeded to play six or seven songs, most of which were OK, but none of which were by Soul II Soul.  To its credit, Pandora did ask me if I wanted to know why it did not pick any Soul II Soul tracks to play; I didn’t click on the prompt to find out why.  Pandora picked, among other tracks, Janet Jackson’s “When I Think of You” and “I Can’t Wait” by Nu Shooz.  Remember that one?

I just won 250 free business cards from VistaPrint!  Wow!  Now all I need is a business!?!?!

Things have been going really, really well for the last week or so.  Everything has been going right.  This makes me really paranoid – I’m waiting for that other shoe to drop.  In the meantime, I am praying and praying and praying.  I pray that an HR person will actually look at my resume one of these days; I pray to give thanks for my continued good health and the good health of my loved ones, friends and acquaintances; I pray Our Fathers and Hail Marys for this and that here and there, for any reason or for no reason; I keep praying Jeremiah 33:3 because it speaks volumes to me.

Slowly but surely, working out is becoming fun again.  Well, at least I’ve stopped hating it, and that’s a great start.  I am routinely doing more than 80 push-ups in my workouts and running 20 to 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I’m no longer focusing on short-term fitness goals and am taking more of a 10,000-foot view.  A year from now I would like to work out three times a week:  one workout for endurance, one workout for push-ups and isometric/resistance exercises, and one workout for core balance.  I still hope to run a marathon this year or next.  Chicago would be nice; so would London.  I don’t want to start with New York because I’m sure I would not be able to focus.

What’s with all the Super Dave stuff?  Well, I’m 49 years old and am just about fully recovered from a very serious illness.  I want to see exactly what these “old” bones can do.  I am finally going to learn to swim – if not this summer, then definitely in 2012.  And intellectuals fear not:  I am not forgetting to work out my brain!  My motto is “Keep working on the body, but don’t leave your mind behind.”

Dialysis has become a lot more tolerable – hooray!  Why?  First, I am no longer in pain all day.  Second, I can browse the Internet while in “the chair”!  I’ve adjusted to the point where the 4.25 hours no longer drives me batty.  I read, write, watch the 5 o’clock news, NBC Nightly News and Jeopardy!, and listen to lots of music.  If I miss Jeopardy!, that’s OK because that means I’m getting out of there in time to catch the last bus home (otherwise, I have to walk from the Metro – a short walk, but it’s mostly uphill).  I had a queasy moment in the chair the other day; this was significant because it made me notice that I haven’t had a moment like that in four or five months.  A brief moment of infirmity can bring things into sharp focus.  Lastly, I’ve established myself as a patient who will not settle for back-handed treatment from anyone.  As such, I’ve earned the respect of the entire staff, from the administrator on down.  “Don’t start nuthin’, won’t be nuthin’!” It is amazing what one well-written letter can accomplish….  For that matter, being a nice person can move mountains too! 

I just re-read this in the hopes of coming up with “big finish” paragraph.  I don’t think one is necessary.  It’s more important that I keep writing.