A Good Day

 

Song:  Separate Ways

Group:  Journey

As I had my specialist appointment at 1 PM in Denver...

I went to bed early last night

for fear of over sleeping and missing my appointment

with my Pulmonologist (lung specialist).

Whenever I do that...

I end up waking up too early.

But...

no problem...

I got to see a nice sunrise this morning to start out...

what turned out to be...

a good day.

I had arrived one hour early for my appointment.

The outdoor visitor area overlooking some unfamiliar mountain peaks.

I had some good news.

My pulmonologist and I had discussed the results of my previous testing

(full lung functioning test measuring blown volume and pressure...

and a full thoracic CAT scan).

My lung performance test was all in the good range...

and although my CAT had shown some lung inflammation...

there was no progression shown from an earlier one taken.

My doctor then chastised me :(...

for waiting so long to go into the doctor

when I first started having deep coughing seven months ago...

especially when I felt as if I were suffocating at night 

just before finally going in to see the doctor.

In my mind I was thinking...

 I am tough!...

I am a tiger!...

I am a mountain man!...

Raaaaahhh!!! (tiger roar)  :)

Then...

she informed me that the number ONE cause of death in senior citizens is...

Pneumonia (and in second place...falls)!

That I did not know!

I had always assumed it would be heart attack in place number one.

So...

I just quietly and somewhat sheepishly nodded in agreement 

to notify her right away in the future should I ever have any similar symptoms.

I knew she was right...

so instead of feeling like a tiger...

I felt like a kitten (meow)  :)

Both doctors surmised I had pneumonia...

although they don't know the particular cause or strain.

She didn't recommend a lung biopsy as my event is so long gone...

and there would be nothing for them to do with the new information...

as there were no indications of any other type of disease or ongoing infection...

although I still have some inflammation

(I am still at about 80% energy levels).

-----------

While I was in the waiting area before my appointment...

I had looked up the restaurant I was going to eat at in the area.

When I looked up the menu...

OMG!...

not only were the prices insane for a good steak...

the portions were so small.

No way.

So...

I decided to stop in at one of my new favorite restaurants in Woodland Park

on the way home (Peak View).

--------------

Armed with the good news...

and still feeling the wonderful effects 

of my first real weight training from a couple days ago

(since I had first gotten ill)...

and then with the above song starting to play from my playlist...

and with my mind made up to try Peak View's baby back ribs

(the Tiger was back and hungry to eat meat...raaahhh :)...

I drove down the highway feeling GOOD.

As I listened to this song all the way home...

I moved about somewhat spastically in the car

to the beat and rhythm of this great song as I sang along with Steve Perry

(the lead singer of Journey)...

well...okay...trying to...albeit an octave lower  :)

By the way...

I will blog about my two main weight training exercises...

which I had named...

Milo...

and Thor's Hammer...

sometime later.

In short...

Milo is a total body heavy lift and walk...

and Thor's Hammer is a total core exercise.

I will use the Farmer's Walk only every so often in the future...

as Milo allows even more weight to be carried...

and so...

forcing even more overall body growth and effects.

For the first time in seven months...

I feel so much better.

 

Nearing Woodland Park.

I arrived at the restaurant sometime after 3 PM.

Another great benefit of being fully retired...

I can choose the timing of going places when most everyone is at work.

I got a prime seat at the restaurant...

and this was my view as I sat facing the window looking out at Pikes Peak

as I enjoyed my meal.

I saw these spring rolls in the menu...

and I just had to try them.

They had long and thick strips of BBQ Brisket with the veggies that make up the spring rolls.

It was a perfect blend of East and West.

The chili sauce was so delicious...

and the spring rolls were the perfect appetizer before the main course.

Even their homemade pickled radish and carrots were so good.

Although their ribs were not so good as was Maggie's in Cripple Creek...

Maggie's no longer carry those...

so...

this and Roy's will be my BBQ place of choice.

But...

they also make Pho here

(and the only other nearby place that had made Pho (Creations Everlasting)...

no longer does (Cripple Creek)  :(

So...

next time...

I will try their smoked brisket Pho here.

I then finished off with some cheese cake.

---------

As I was awaiting my check...

a somewhat sad situation unfolded.

When I first walked in...

the waiter suggested that I try sitting at a table in the bar area...

since it had the best views.

That was all the encouragement I needed.

When I walked past the bar and took the best seat in the house...

I noticed one lone...

slightly overdressed young 50ish woman sitting at the bar and drinking

some sort of hard liquor.

As I was eating...

I could see out of my peripheral vision that my waitress also tended the bar...

and she was talking with the woman on a somewhat familiar basis.

This means the lone woman was most likely a regular there...

meaning she was a barfly.

It was a pity.

She must have been quite pretty in her youth...

as she had Nordic features and blond hair...

tall for a woman...

still slim...

and yet...

there she was...

sitting alone at a bar and getting drunk

(her speech was slightly impaired and her eyes had a sleepy look to them).

In general...

I loathe being around drunks.

However...

I don't have it in my heart to be unjustifiably rude to someone...

and so...

I merely tried to avoid eye contact with her as I looked around for my waitress.

But...

as drunks so often are...

she was freely verbal and bold in action.

As I had feared...

she tried to strike up a conversation with me.

I answered her question about my food...

while still trying to avoid eye contact...

as I didn't wish her to see in my eyes...

the pity I had for her.

She wasn't rude...

and I could momentarily see in her face...

a quiet desperation...

a silent pleading for anyone to salvage her life.

While I did feel sorry for her...

there was nothing I could do for her...

and in truth...

I wouldn't have even if I could have.

I then politely ended our conversation and briefly nodded and waved goodbye

as I got up and walked into the main dinning room to find my waitress

so I could pay my bill.

-----------

People must realize that their youth is a time for building for their future...

and that many sacrifices must be made early in life to ensure

a prosperous and deeply happy life during their later years.

I am...

and always have been...

an ant...

not a grasshopper.

While I will try to help a fellow ant...

one whom had fallen into dire circumstances not of his or her own doing...

I would never sacrifice my time or resources for a grasshopper...

especially one like her...

a woman who had all the advantages in her youth...

including great beauty...

and yet...

had thrown it all away.

She had chosen immediate gratification over deferred gratification...

repeatedly throughout her life.

And as it is now Winter in her life...

she was attempting to plead poverty...

when it was all of her own doing.

I have seen many such cases throughout my life...

and it is just plain sad.

One of my favorite restaurants in Woodland Park...

and they have so many delicious dishes to try...

including Cajon seafood!

So much exploration in the future...

so many new dishes to try  :)

------------

I will soon begin more outdoor work...

as I simply couldn't finish up the decks until I felt better.

Anyway...

the tiger is back...

well...

still licking his paws and wounds...

but back nonetheless.  :)