Tat Tuesday

Thought I would try out a new weekly post (like I don't post enough, already).  I have always been a huge fan of tattoos and body modifications, but I haven't found way to incorporate that into the website.  Hopefully, that's where "Tat Tuesday" will come in.

"Tat Tuesday" will be a weekly post consisting of a photo or two of a tattoo or a piercing that I admire or appreciate.  In the last decade, the tattoo industry has attracted a bevy of classic artists, many with college degrees in art history and theory.  Tattoo artists are no longer the stereotypical biker with a tattoo gun.  They are legitimate artists, using the human body as their canvas.

For this week's post, I thought I would show my latest piece of work.  I had it done in May of this year by Josh at Serenity Tattoo in Tucson, Arizona.  He did a wonderful job.  He also did some work on my wife earlier this year.  I'll probably show her piece at a later time.  I had a hard time with my arm accepting the ink.  There were some areas where he had to go over eight or nine times before any ink would seem to go into the skin.  It also scabbed up differently than any of my previous tattoos.  On a couple of the numbers, overnight most of the ink bled out.  Since my last tattoo, I had been diagnosed as having Type II Diabetes.  It was a night and day experience versus any tattoo I had had previously.  The pain level was exponentially higher.  It initially healed up "waxy", and took about six weeks or so to look normal.  It's enough of a game changer to reconsider getting another tattoo until my A1C drops considerably.

It healed up well though, as you can see.  Pay no attention to the bruises.  I'm still recovering from surgery.

If you have seen 'Donnie Darko', then you recognize the image immediately and understand it's significance.  If not, let me explain.

In the movie, Donnie is visited by a bizarre looking, time traveling, six foot tall rabbit named Frank.  Throughout the movie, you're not really sure at times whether Donnie's actually seeing these's things, or if he's schizophrenic.  This demonic looking rabbit gives him messages throughout the film.  After one of his "episodes", he wakes up on a golf course.  The numbers above are written on his arm, exactly as they are on mine.  Frank tells Donnie, "28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.  This is when the world will end".

I got the tattoo for two reasons.  First of all, I'm a huge fan of the movie, and I thought it would make a badass tattoo.  I have never seen a full Darko piece on a forearm like that before, and I thought that it would be a cool tattoo to get.

Secondly, I got the tattoo on May 21, 2011.  It was the day that Harold Camping had prophesied that the world was going to end.  Doomsday prophesies are nothing new to me.

I grew up as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.  Every Saturday morning, I was knocking on doors, telling people that god was going to destroy the world at the "great day of Armageddon".  It was coming any day now.  My mother was so sure that it was right around the corner, in fact, that she kept me out of kindergarten.  Kindergarten came and went.  So did twelve years of school.  I was forbidden to go to college, because there would be no need for higher education in god's "new system of things".  Armageddon was right around the corner, after all.

I'm 36 now.  My daughter will be starting kindergarten in two years, and I'm sure my mother is still saying that Armageddon is, now more than ever, "right around the corner".

My point is, there will always be some religious zealot out there with a doomsday prophesy.  Whether it be the Jehovah's Witnesses, or Harold Camping or the Mayans, the world is set to end in someone's mind about every 28 days.  That is why I got the tattoo:  To remind myself of what I left 15 years ago.

Would You Like A Side Of Diabetes With That?

When you hear the words "Popeye's Chicken", I'm sure the first things that come to mind are healthy, nutritional meals, right?  Of course, I'm being sarcastic.  It's impossible to consider anything fried as "healthy", but hey, at least they weren't the ones to come up with the Double Down.

Fuck bread.  Bread is for losers.  "Loser" is a clinical term for someone with  less than 42% body fat.

Chicken McNuggets have been around for 28 years.  They have, for the most part, kept the same shape since day one.  Popeye's has introduced a new line of chicken nuggets called "Dip'n Chick'n", that promises to be "McNuggets 2.0".  What makes them so different?  They're shaped like scoops.

From Popeye's website:

"Why has nobody come up with a way to serve chicken so you can really scoop up the dipping sauce?  Never mind.  We figured that one out ourselves.  Say bonjour to our one-of-a-kind Popeye's Dip'n Chick'n.  We cut premium breast fillets into the perfect chicken dippers and fry them up fresh."

I have a couple of issues with the product.  First, regardless of how chicken breast is cut, it does not naturally curl up when fried like a shrimp.  Nor does it resemble a Fritos Scoop.  Secondly, when a restaurant intentionally abbreviates the name of the animal used in the product name, it usually means that they aren't just trying to be clever.  They're not actually cooking said animal.  For example, krab salad, with imitation crab meat.

Though it may have been a clever marketing decision to make scoop shaped chicken nuggets, this decision wasn't really in the best interest of their customers.  If you think about it, the possibilities with this product are endless.  It doesn't end with dipping sauces.  Gravy, Cheez Whiz, Hormel chili...I could go on for days for recipies to lead to your next triple bypass.

Only in America.

Slow Week From The Daily Twitch

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you have so many things that you want to write about, but life comes along and fucks it all up for you?  Well folks, welcome to my life.

I am currently posting from room number 1215 of a hospital in the greater Phoenix area.  Earlier Monday afternoon, I collapsed a total of 4 times while out with my family.  I didn't pass out, but rather, it was if my legs forgot how to walk.  At the advice of two of my doctors, I came to the ER.  Within two hours, I was admitted.

So far, I have had an EKG, an EEG, and 2 out of a series of 6, hour long planned MRIs on my head, neck, and spine.  Nothing interesting to note.  A couple of strange things to share, though.  My potassium levels were so low, that not only did they have to give me two potassium drips, but they had to follow that up with two separate potassium supplements.

Also, for some reason, when I walked in, my blood sugar was at almost 325.  They have kept me on a diabetic and salt free diet since coming in here.  I've had over a half dozen shots of insulin.  My lowest blood sugar level was just about 15 minutes ago at 195, and that was without so much a glass of water for 6 hours.  My A1C, which tests my average blood sugar for the last three months was 9.7.  9.7 from what I'm hearing is "insulin dependent".  I'm just trying to figure out how the hell things could have changed so fucking fast.

I will try to keep you all posted.   Please keep checking back with The Daily Twitch.  Thanks.

Long Time, No Update

It's been about two and a half months since my last meaningful post, and my health has deteriorated drastically since then. Due to the mold poisoning, I have asthma now. We've moved out of the house. We had to replace our bed and couch due to mold contamination. Come to find out both my wife and I are allergic to penicillium mold. I am finally starting to get back to feeling 100% from that whole ordeal, with the help of inhalers and nasal sprays.

We have yet to hear anything from our former landlord as to what he is going to reimburse us for. Meanwhile, I am out an extra $150 a month in prescription copays for asthma medications.

Was diagnosed as diabetic a couple of weeks ago. My A1C was at 11. It should be below 8, and ideally at 6. I am trying to lose weight and eat healthier. So far I am down 10 pounds in the last 3 weeks. I am also on medication for that, which brings the total to 12 medications I take daily, not including any over the counter pills that I take.

I went to the cardiologist for the first time today. Had my first EKG. My primary thought it would be a good idea with my family history and with the rest of my health being the way it's been lately. The men on my dad's side of the family have a tendency of dieing early from heart disease. My dad had a quadruple bypass at around the age of forty five. I'm bigger than any of them and have been diagnosed as diabetic earlier than any of them.

The EKG came back with an abnormality. I have to go back in for a nuclear stress test. It's where they inject this nuclear matter in your veins, have you run on a treadmill, and take pics of your heart. Needless to say, I'm scared to fucking death. They say the abnormality may be an enlarged heart, which may mean a blockage. Or it may be nothing. Either way, I think this is scaring me into eating right and exercising like I'm supposed to.

Oh, and I am going to school.

I have been thinking a lot about a career change. My entire adult life, I have been in a call center type job. I have worked either customer service or technical support. I have had people yell at me for 8 to 10 hours a day and I have apologized for something that I was not responsible for. This has caused me untold amounts of stress and anxiety.

When I was diagnosed with Tourette's, I realized very quickly that I would not be able to return to that line of work ever again. Stress only made my tics worse. I needed a line of work that was stress free. I needed a trade that I can help people and stay calm and relaxed at the same time. I am going to become a massage therapist. Classes start in August, are four nights a week, and allow me to graduate within a year, before my disability runs out. They even assist with job placement after graduation. I'm very excited.

I am not going to let Tourette's win. For the first time in months, I am very optimistic about my future.