There seems to be a lot of strange health concerns going on lately, both in regards to me and those around me.  For starters, I woke up yesterday morning not feeling too hot.  I ended up going home a little early to get some rest and worked from home today.  I’ve had a fever in the 100s since last night, and it caused me to miss the Gomez/Ben Kweller show at The Beaumont.  Ironically, I had two doctor’s appointments scheduled for today.  The first was a checkup with my pulmonologist to make sure the ol’ lungs were up to par.  I go about every six months just to make sure my breathing is in good shape.  Well, I told them that I had a bit of a fever and had a sore throat and, after looking in my mouth, the doctor told me she wanted to do a throat culture because she thought I may have strep.  We did the culture, and she was kind enough to hook me up with some antibiotics to take in the meantime while she waited to get the test results back in 48 hours. 

The second appointment was my annual checkup with my dermatologist.  When I was young, I used to have to go to the dermatologist for acne problems, but I go now to get my moles checked out.  I have quite a few of them, especially on my scalp.  Thank goodness no one is bald in my family or I’d end up looking like a freak in my later years.  This visit was a little more than a checkup, though, because I noticed some growth a few weeks ago on a mole and it concerned me a little.  I pointed it out to her, and she said it definitely looked like something in which to have some concern.  The crazy part about the whole thing is the location of the mole.  It’s located on my inner thigh in a spot that’s “pretty well hidden”.  To put it bluntly, that part of my leg and the side of my junk are pretty close friends (ladies: please try to refrain from reading that last sentence over and over.  That mental image will just leave you turned on and sexually frustrated)  The doctor also saw a spot on my chest that she thought looked suspicious.  So the doc then give me two shots of Novocain at each spot and used a razor to collect a sample of each mole.  The lab work should take 10 days, and they will operate even if the results show that they have the potential to turn into something dangerous.  In a way, I suppose their approach to my mole is somewhat akin to why we went to war with Iraq — they didn’t HAVE WMDs, but they had the capacity to maybe possibly create them.  Using that logic, I think it’s safe to say our president would have fared far better as a dermatologist than commander in chief.  Regardless, I hope everything turns out normal because the thought of having stitches next to my crotch gives me the heebie jeebies.

A couple of weeks ago, I got a text message from my friend Andy who lives out in LA.  He texted that he was at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue party.  I responded that he was one of the luckiest people alive to which he agreed.  Since then, my jealousy has subsided a little, but I couldn’t help but be alarmed to read today that the attendees at the party could have been exposed to Hepatitis A.  While I know I could easily throw in a “Now who gets the last laugh” joke, I’m going to refrain because that’s some scary stuff.  Luckily, he told me today he’s going to get vaccinated and it’s not a very big deal.  It’s kind of funny how much the media blows out of proportion.

Lastly, and the saddest of all of the health news, a classmate of my littlest sister passed away this weekend of bacterial meningitis.  She was seven years old.  She was in class with my sister and everything was fine but somehow got it over the weekend and was gone three hours later.  It’s horribly sad news.  My dad told me she looked adorable in her casket, and it was a real shame something like that had to happen to someone so young. 

Man, it’s been a week and a half since I’ve posted on here.  Things have just seemed really hectic lately, I guess.  Work obligations kept me away from my hotel room until about 11 at night each night last week.  It’s frustrating to have weeks like that because it leaves me feeling really disconnected with everything.  I don’t have time to read up on news, catch up with friends, update this site, or even relax.  Lately, it seems like the constant traveling has been taking a toll on me.  I’m in KC all week so hopefully I’ll be able to unwind a little. 

As for the blogging, I have always felt that I should post at least every other day.  My thought is that I should have at least one unique thought or experience every day or two.  Neglecting to write is basically just saying that I didn’t have anything interesting happen.  I don’t think that’s been the case, though, which is why I need to find time and motivation to do a better job with it.  I think some of it, too, is that all of my old archives are still missing from here so I don’t feel like this site is “complete” yet.  Oh well, it’ll happen in time, I suppose.

It’s Valentine’s Day today and, even though I don’t have a valentine, I am thanking my lucky stars not to be in the shoes of a guy who called me earlier.  I should first preface this true story by mentioning that I was an idiot yesterday morning and thought my flight left an hour later than it did.  Once I found out, I scrambled to get my belongings together and headed for the airport.  It wasn’t until this morning that I realized I had forgotten my belt, dress pants, and dress shoes.  Yes, I am awesome.

Anyway, so while I was walking through a nearby mall this morning to seek out some new work clothes, I received a call from a phone number that had no ID in my phone.  I answered it anyway and the guy on the other end introduced himself as the husband of a girl I knew in college who I really don’t talk to much anymore.  I had seen she had gotten married last summer via her Myspace account but otherwise hadn’t talked to her on the phone or in person for about a year and a half.  Her husband apologized for calling out of the blue but said that he had a random question for me.  He then asked if I had seen his wife last weekend.  I definitely did find the question to be pretty random, and I explained I hadn’t seen her in ages.  He took a deep breath and told me that’s what he was afraid of.

Upon talking with this man for about 45 minutes while standing in the middle of the mall, I learned the following:

– He suspected that his wife was cheating on him.

– His wife told him that she was going to Kansas City to spend the weekend with “My friend Brad”.

– He later found two tickets to a concert in Chicago for that weekend in her possession.

– They share the same cell phone account so they have access to each other’s call records.  He saw that she’s been calling the same guy about 5 times a day for lengthy conversations.  He also noticed that that number was called a lot leading up to the weekend and not again until after the weekend was over.

– She left her boots at wherever she went (again, she said it was at my place) and was really upset that they were gone.  The husband told her to just call me and I could send them to her.

Keeping these things in mind,  I had to explore into this whole thing more.  I asked him why he was okay with the thought of his wife going to KC to visit a male in the first place.  He said he knew we were friends because she’d talked about me and knew she’d visited me before while they dated.  I had to break the news to him that she’d never visited, further crushing this poor guy as he realized she’d likely cheated on him before.  We also talked about the boots situation.  She was really upset when she found out that she’d forgotten her boots which he found odd because she could have just called and had the boots sent to her in a couple of days.  His theory is that she took a trip to Chicago with the guy she’s been talking to, said she was staying with me because he knew I was a safe friend and wouldn’t ask questions, and left her boots in the hotel she stayed at which would explain why she was so mad and hasn’t gotten them back to this day.

I just talked with the guy for the first time today, but we ended up talking for quite a while.  I feel horrible for him, especially to come to this realization on Valentine’s Day of all days.  I hope for the best for both of them.  If she’s really been lying and cheating on the guy, then I just hope for the best for him.  For all of the people who whine and complain about being single on this day, they need to know it could be worse.  Much worse.

I took my first trip to Philadelphia last week for work not knowing really what to expect of the city.  I expected it to be very industrial and dirty but with a slight bit of charm.  Instead, while it was very industrialized outside of the city, I ended up thinking Philly was a pretty cool place.  It’s never all that fun to be completely by yourself in a new city, though.  Fortunately, Melissa and Bird, a couple of friends from college, happen to live there and were able to meet up for two nights while I was in town.

The first night involved dinner, catching up, and having a few drinks afterwards.  By the end of the night, we had all stayed out later and had a few more drinks that originally planned. 

It was a blast, though, as we stayed out in Olde City sharing funny stories from college and learning about Melissa’s “nut lift” dance move.  She displayed the move on a nearby pole in the bar, but I figure posting the picture might not be the best thing to post on the internet.  Instead, here’s one of us all gathered around the pole:

I set out the next day in search of my first authentic Philly cheese steak.  It’s amazing just how many places in Philadelphia specialize in cheese steaks.  I gathered several recommendations from the above-pictured friends as well as clients from work and decided to try one out at Jim’s Steaks.  I’ll be the first to admit that I was a giant wuss and skipped out on loading it with onions because I was going to be talking to a lot of people for work throughout the day and didn’t want to stink.  Even though I didn’t have one the “real” way, the sandwich I had was pretty darn amazing.

My last day in town ended up being a perfect mix of working, seeing tourist attractions, and having fun.  After working for the day, I first stopped over to see the Liberty Bell.  The bell has a definite place in our country’s history and stands as a symbol of our democracy.  It’s funny, though, because the bell never really actually DID anything because it was cracked and was rendered unable to make noise when rung.  It was still pretty cool to see, though, and I liked that you could view Independence Hall from where the bell was located.

The second and last stop on my little tourist tour was to Independence Hall.  As I walked over the lawn to cross the street to the building, I noticed a giant flock of Asian tourists taking pictures of the Hall.  It was such a funny representation of the stereotype that I had to take a picture of them.

The tour for Independence Hall was pretty interesting, I thought.  I learned that Benjamin Franklin sat silent as they not only revised the Declaration that he wrote 85 times but also cut out a quarter of it.  Once they agreed on it and signed it, Franklin said he felt like they murdered it.  Seeing where all of it took place was impressive.

That night, thanks to a client hooking me up, I was able to attend a Philadelphia Flyers game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a hoity toity skybox.  The seats were pretty great and the food and drinks were free all night.  It was my first NHL game and I must say that it was an absolute blast.  The Flyers are currently the worst team in the NHL but you’d never guess that by the atmosphere in the place.  The arena was packed and the crowd was going nuts the whole game.  The game itself was a great one with the game ending in a shootout.  The goal was scored by Sidney Crosby who is billed as being the next big thing in hockey.  Simon Gagne also scored a hat trick for the Flyers so I was able to see the crowd throw hats onto the ice.

With all the debate that has been going on about whether Kansas City should try to get an NBA or NHL team to occupy the Sprint Center, I would have to say I’d be all in favor of an NHL team after last week.  The energy is nonstop and, unlike the NBA, even when the team is getting blown out they’re usually just down by two or so which means there’s still a chance to come back.  Definitely a good time and definitely a good trip to Philly.

I know a lot of people don’t like Peyton Manning, but I’ve always hoped the guy would win a championship at some point before his career ended.  It’s just too bad it had to happen against the Bears, the team I root for in the NFC.  It was pretty interesting to see the drastic differences between the first and second halves.  The first half was a barrage of nonstop turnovers that made it darn near impossible to leave the living room to partake in any of the tasty snack food or beverages that people had brought to my friend David’s place.  The second half, though, was just flat out embarrassing to watch Rex Grossman create one of, if not the, worst QB performances in Super Bowl history.  Don Banks of SI.com said, “Why is it whenever I watch Grossman play quarterback, I hear the music from The Benny Hill Show in my head?”  I think that sums it up perfectly.  In fact, I honestly think Rex Grossman deserved the MVP more than Peyton.  He clearly did more to help the Colts than anyone on Indianapolis did. 

It was hard to see the Bears lose, I will admit, even though I was rooting for the Colts on this one.  The problem, though, is that I started to wonder if I really wanted Peyton win it all after seeing how he acted once the game was over.  I don’t think the dude smiled once.  I want to see some tears.  I want to see some emotion about how much a championship means to you.  Remember Michael Jordan when he one his first one?  Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about (and, yes, I know Jordan’s father was murdered and that had something to do with it, but still…).  Instead, Mr. Manning acted emotionless.  Heck, I’ve seen grown men happier leaving the dentist after finding out they have a cavity.

Speaking of football players I’m disappointed with, I read recently that Priest Holmes is hoping to play for the Chiefs again next year.  The man is done, period.  The fact that he is still trying to get paid for being injured just makes him look like a completely desperate fool.  He needs to hang it up and walk away with a little dignity. 

As for the halftime show, I have to give some props to Prince.  I don’t know if I can remember a better halftime show.  I’ve never really been much of a fan of his music, but his guitar playing impressed the heck out of me.  What also blew me away was the fact that that man is actually straight.  Seriously, has there ever been a more effeminate heterosexual?  Did anyone notice how he held his pinky out whenever he held the microphone?  Not even the lead singer for the Scissor Sisters does that.  I know the man has gone so far as to write an entire songs about a woman’s talents with her naughty parts, but we must remember that even George Michael made a relatively risque video back in the day about women for “I Want Your Sex”.  Somehow he fooled people into thinking he was into girls despite some very blatant signs of gayness in his earlier video for “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”.  Gay, straight, or both, though, Prince is one talented dude, and I gained a bigger appreciation for him after last night.