HarryWeezer

Well here's my tire story: Was pulling up to an antique store last week to load a small piece of furniture when the right front tire dropped about two inches onto a drain grate, and exploded; sidewall blew out. Got the spare on and driving home, saw the tire pressure warnings come up because the spare has no indicator in it. Of course, it showed a pressure of zero but the other three tires were: 42, 47 and 51 lbs. Got home and quickly got them back down to 36. Three weeks ago we had the grandkids for a day and my 10-year-old grandson asked to use a small compressor I have to inflate tires on bicycles. I set it up for him and went back in the house. It appears he decided to help out grandpa and put some air in my tires without telling me. Who knows how much he had in the tire that blew out.

Wow! What else can I say. In all my years at XI I have seen members and friends time and again face horrific turns of events in their lives and in EVERY case, you great people of XI - members and non-members - wasted NO time offering prayers, advice, and expressions of support. But I am here to tell you that when the shoe's on the other foot, it's much different. You can't imagine what it means to someone going through something like this to read these heart-felt responses. Unless you've been through it, it may be difficult to understand - and it's difficult for me, seldom at a loss for words, to even tell you - how much strength this gives, how it helps so very much in getting your head around what life has delivered, and how it allows you to more easily firm your resolve to do everything in your power to overcome it. It's been two days since I got the news. I am fortunate that I have a very loving family to help me with this - not only my immediate family, but my extended family. And that is how I see you folks. Thank each and every one of you - beyond words - for being there for me. I will never forget it. It brings tears to these old eyes and I love you all. I just feel so very, very fortunate to have friends like you!!!

Most generous Chili, and GREATLY appreciated. Thank you sir!!!

Don't know as yet Pete - awaiting appointment with hematologist to go through another battery of tests including bone biopsies, but I did read that the cutoff for that is age 65 - I'm 67. Unless there's some medical reason for that, don't understand why there would be one. As you likely know, this is very rare: only about two percent of all cancers. Treatments all include chemo but otherwise vary depending on lots of factors. And it's unlike other cancers. The not-knowing as yet where I am in terms of stage, etc., is the worse part - that, and of course, getting your head around a diagnosis like that; and I'm not there yet. Thanks!!

Last fall I suffered a significant drop in kidney function and after months of tests, got a diagnosis yesterday: multiple myeloma. This is a rare cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow and unfortunately, is incurable. The cause is unknown though it may be related to an abnormal chromosome. Typically, kidneys are the first organs which suffer. The object of treatment is to push the disease into some aspect of remission and depending on various factors, including current stage, there's been good success adding years to life - average lifespan from diagnosis is 3-4 years. Treatment usually involves intensive chemo and various other drugs but I won't know those options until a battery of new tests determine where I am with it. I intend to conduct my life as normally as I can, and fight with everything I've got. We have to play the cards we're dealt, and I am thankful for my friends at XI and the 67 good years I have had on the planet, and hopeful for many more. Harry

Happy Birthday!!

Have a great birthday Giggles!

Happy birthday squirts...

At the risk of opening what might be seen as a political debate (and if so seen, I apologize and please move this to the political section) I would offer a recent editorial I wrote on the subject: In the wake of a Gallup poll that found more Americans are now in favor of legalizing marijuana than criminalizing it, we came across a statement from CALM (Citizens Against Legalizing Marijuana), which offers only this: “We affirm the 2006 FDA finding and vast scientific evidence that marijuana causes harm. The normalization, expanded use, and increased availability of marijuana are detrimental to our youth, to public health, and to the safety of our society.” That offers nothing of use. You can be harmed by drinking too much water. Is it logical to continue to expend society’s legal resources to prosecute and incarcerate those who choose to consume a drug which is no more a threat to safety or a detriment to any of us than is alcohol? We have laws against persons taking to the highway while intoxicated, whether by alcohol or any other drug. We have laws against minors consuming these drugs. Use them in the workplace, thereby putting others at risk, and you’ll be terminated. Why do we continue to instruct our law enforcement officers to arrest citizens for possession of plant material? Why, in Tennessee, do we classify them as felons if they possess a mere half-ounce of the stuff? Fact is that unlike alcohol, marijuana is not toxic, marijuana “overdoses” are all but impossible, it hardly compares to alcohol or tobacco addiction, has relatively minor side effects and clear medical value to those suffering from a variety of serious ailments, offering relief from pain, nausea and other symptoms. Yet some 750,000 Americans are arrested every year for merely possessing it — some for possessing it in their homes where they smoke a joint for relaxation rather than consume a glass of wine. Meantime, consumption of marijuana, which has not been and will not be deterred, is fueling international criminal activity, much of it centered in South American states, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and totally corrupted the government of neighboring Mexico. The U.S. spends untold millions in its failing program of interdicting the movement of marijuana into the country. And thousands of Americans languish in prison for the bum rap of selling it because their personal stash exceeded some arbitrary limit. No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose. On the other hand, 38,000 died two years ago from drug overdoses, 60 percent of which were related to prescription drugs; 25,600 died from alcohol-related causes and nearly a half-million from tobacco-related causes. Nor, contrary to popular belief, is marijuana a gateway drug. Scientific American points out that studies which show people who use marijuana first before trying other drugs is correlation and not causation: people who go on to use hard drugs also smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. The criminalization of marijuana is costing American taxpayers more than $7 billion annually, destroying lives and driving an underground economy that leads to real crimes. It is long past time it was legalized. The federal government won’t do it, but Tennessee can and should join other states in decriminalizing marijuana.

Ah, someone who knows! Good points Damage and in fact, I had the car in last month when the MyGig system failed and they had to replace it. At that time, I told them about the wheel bearing problem and they ignored it. And yes, my extended warranty has a $100 deductible per visit - and in just those two visits, it more than paid for itself. The only warranty I buy is on a car; everything else, I can usually fix - I have never in my life paid a carpenter, plumber, electrician or any repairman. Just replaced a part on a clothes washer that was two months out of its one-year warranty. I fondly remember the days when I could fix just about anything on my '56 straight-six Chevy.

Welcome to XI (how do we pronounce that?)

Admit it: only reason we watched was to fantasize about Mary Ann...

You guys and gals are the best and it's a pleasure to be among your company. Thanks again all; I feel as if a dark curtain has been pulled aside, letting in the light. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL0Qt7IF8Q4

Given these reports I have changed my opinion that it was the space aliens. I now believe the butler did it.

God but that's funny. I've seen it before but it's one of those rare vids that you never stop laughing at.

So I bring the Chrysler minivan into the dealer at 9 a.m. and told them: wheel bearing left front and it's under extended warranty, and, that I needed it back by 4 p.m. since I would be taking my wife's car and she needed her's back by then. They said "no problem, we'll take it right in." To verify the problem they needed only to put the car on the lift and rotate the tire. But four and a half hours later I get this call: "Mr. Como, we've confirmed that it is the left front wheel bearing and it's under warranty. Would you like us to do the repair?" What I said: "Yes, please do." What I should have said, "No, don't do the work. I brought the car there because the parking lot at work is full and besides, I rather enjoy listening to that rumbling sound. Besides, since it took you 4 1/2 hours to do what should have required two minutes, you probably won't have it done until mid February."

Welcome Arbo. Generally don't play Cod4 because everyone in there is jacked up on drugs. Best game we host is COD5 MW mod. Most of the folks there are drug-free, usually sober, and somewhat sane. Drop on by and after introductions, we'll blow your freakin' head off.

Thank you all very much for the warm welcome, and thank you XI Admin for bringing me home. It's greatly appreciated!!

I've found some weird stuff using IE to do anything on the site. For instance, you cannot upload images using IE because it does display the "find image" instruction; using Chrome, I have no prob. Don't know if there's a correlation with double posting but some testing with Chrome vs. IE might be revealing.

My personal theory is that the space aliens did it.

I sure as hell feel like it. Some medical issues of late have made for a miserable several weeks. But, nothing that's gonna bury me - yet.

My doctor's nurse, Michelle, takes my BP like this all the time. My pressure last time was 522/418 - that's normal, isn't it?

I would next try a system restore to a date before this issue surfaced.