June 2013 Personal Update and Video

Hello there, My Dear Readers,, and welcome back to the ‘June Update’ here @ The Other Shoe. Since last we spoke I have; had my colonoscopy and they found and removed four polyps. The biopsies will be available later next week. I will pass these results on just as soon as possible.

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For those that do not wish top view the video, I will now outline what I discussed and shared in this video. All others, just click on the video to start play. (An edited version should be available late Sunday/early Monday @ The Other Shoe)

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The first part of the video explains why it is being shot ‘handheld’ and why I am in bed as opposed to all my previous videos being shot at my computer desk. Explanation; my condition has worsened in that I am mostly unable to get in and out of bed (without injury) without assistance. Therefore, I have moved my computer to a bedside desk and am (and will be) writing and shooting future videos in the bed. I apologize for the shaking camera and explain I am in the process of affording a USB extension so that I can mount the camera to the monitor, as it has been done previously.

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Next bit, I tell everyone that I have been approved for Food Stamps! This is a process that I, first, began in February and am just now getting approval for $48 a month. Recent budgetary cuts (both at the state and federal levels) have decreased the available funds and that priorities is given to families with children. I understand, our nation is cutting back and I am very thankful for whatever assistance I may receive. I enact a conversation I had with the case worker @ Orange County Social Services where she chastises me for going ten years before applying for food assistance. [Little does she know that IF my weight hadn’t fallen down to 160 @ my last doctor’s appointment, I might well still not have applied]

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See, I loathe being a burden, or liability, to anyone be they personal professional or governmental. Accepting assistance just rubs me the wrong way. However, upon explaining this to my doctor he asks me (quite candidly)

“Daniel, are you willing to put your health at risk over a belief? Willing to greatly increase your chances of falling and getting injured? That is what you are doing when you do not eat and loose all this weight. Go apply for food stamps.”

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Done.

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Did you hear about the “rat on Mars”? I saw something about this late last night on the web. Totally not a rat, just a rock formation, but I will be writing a ‘Mars Report’ about that and the ‘metal arm’ they have spotted. [Little spoiler… so if you like reading the Mars Report… skip ahead. What laymen, in the media, do not understand is that NASA/JPL does ‘white balancing’ and color corrections to the images from Mars prior to releasing them to the media and public. That means something that appears to be metal colored in a press shot, is not in real life on Mars.] Back to the video and update.

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About this time I reach out and say “Thank you!” to those that had helped out, over the past three months. That, somehow, in living ‘hand-to-mouth’ that not a lot of food was making to the mouth. My weight is down to 160. While the boy in me is happy my weight is down, my doctor and the adult in me realizes loosing twenty pounds without trying is a ‘Bad Thing’.

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I wrap up the video mentioning prices of food, here in Orange county. I rattle off some prices of food and segway into… I have realized I an no longer afford to live in Orange county. The weather is great all year round. When I can get out, you can see the mountains from the beach. Great shopping and you just cannot go out, in Southern California, without seeing a human being either debasing themselves or some form of craziness or insanity. This is super fodder for writing bug and quite entertaining. Although I would happily give that up for a less expensive and safer/handicap able habitat.

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Again, I thank everyone for their support and time. More later this week with a new The Mars Report mand a little political article.

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Thanks!