Happy Birthday?

Certainly my birthday weekend hit well shy of the previously anticipated bash it was initially planned out to become but it was what it was. Instead of jetting off to party and have a great time in the beautiful state of Alabama I wound up being rather forceably hauled by The DMan to the local torture chamber referred to as a hospital last Friday.

Gone went plans to have a fun weekend of football, (Roll Tide!) and a nice little Taylor Hicks concert in B’Ham at one of the man’s fave stomping (whomping?) grounds. We had our flights set, tickets to the game, the concert and plans to stay with friends’ in T-Town and now this had to happen. Notably I’ve been completely discouraged and depressed about how things turned out.

I’d felt a flare up coming on for the past couple of weeks; the signs all lining up: fatigue, aches and pains, the fever. I’d hoped I would maintain that level; I can deal with the pain and fever but when it hits my lungs/heart I can’t overlook that aspect. My lungs began hurting last week, Tuesday-ish then the heart palpatations hit. Thursday I was cruising on some nice prescription pain medication; hydrocodone Bitartrate with acetaminophen. Really felt rather optimistic it would all work out. I’d just ingest the pain meds and still be able to travel and hit that BAMA game, visit our friends in T-Town and incredibly meet some of my on-line friends at the Workplay, Taylor Hicks concert.

It was to be a first for me to actually try and meet with some of the Hicks’ fans and I was looking forward to it so much. I was attending the show with Sis and our T-Town galpal but sadly none of this was able to be. Our friends sold the tickets easily for the BAMA game and gave the Taylor Hicks concert tickets to a couple of UA students interested in seeing Mr. Hicks for a first time.

It’s still setting badly and sadly for me. This disease, Lupus, is such a bastard. One can never tell when it might swoop in and hit, how long the duration of the flare up might last or how severe the flare up might be. Each time it is different. I get apprehensive to try and schedule anything or plan trips, anything far into the future because so often this black creature of a disease hits me, stopping what I am planning to try and do. The docs think it was stress that triggered it this time. I have been very busy with work, with the band, with planning this trip, my kiddo has had much going on in school; my system just went into revolt. Before I ever had this condition my Mother use to comment all the time how I ‘burnt the candle at both ends’ – I was always full on go, limitless energy, very active. It is hateful to me to not be able to burn that candle like I could before, to have to stop when what I want is to do and to go.

This time when the chest pains hit The DMan was certain I was going down with a heart attack. I knew it was not the case. I was experiencing chest pain along with the lung pain, and with lupus this occurs. The lining of the heart simply oddly becomes inflamed, causes shortness of breath as in a heart attack but it’s not the same thing, although some lupus sufferers even children, have experienced heart attacks and strokes.

It seems people of Asian, Native American, Black, Jewish and Scandinavian descent more prone to auto-immune diseases. I happen to have Native American, Jewish and Scandinavian heritage in my genetic gene pool. I was diagnosed with this disease shortly after my darling 11 year old was born; apparently in people of Scandinavian descent it is common for it to be a later onset regarding our genetic structure and hits between 30 and 40 on the average. Studies continue with how and why this occurs and my daughter is subjected to blood screens annually to track her condition as this auto-immune disease can be hereditary. I pray she never gets it. Lupus Foundation – symptoms Lupus information.

I felt so badly I wasn’t able to even look at the blogs or twitter until this morning. I was sent home from the hospital yesterday as the medication received kicked in rapidly lowering my inflammation. I’ve still got to take heavy doses of the anti-inflammamatory medication but at least I’m not strapped into a bed with IV’s.

There will be other Alabama football games and I’m sure other concerts but I really hate that I had to miss the past weekend. I felt like writing this down this morning as I’ve found it therapeutic, blogging what I’m thinking no matter how asinine or mundane. For a few days this weekend I was quite depressed but that is a big enemy with this condition. I can’t let it get me mentally or it will own me. I can’t be Lupus I’ve got to be me and if I let it take me over I will lose me and then what’s the point?
Kings of Leon – Closer
“She took my heart, I think she took my soul
With the moon I run
Far from the carnage of the fiery sun

Driven by the strangled vein
Showing no mercy I do it again”

The Darla Show – New Video!

The Darla Show, Adult Swim on Twitter.
The Darla Show Myspace

Goat Milker, Dog Whisperer, and Cattle Driver..John Henry move over…

Taylor Hicks sent out a Twitter message on September 2, it read: “Goat Milker, Dog Whisperer, and Cattle Driver..John Henry move over…” Quite clever considering what he’s been doing while in and around Ft. Worth and Dallas during his time here with the national touring production of “Grease”.

To see the videos and read more, follow this link to IDOL BLUES. WordPress was being squirrelly about the videos and I simply haven’t time to try and fiddle with all the nuts and bolts.

Oh Look! Taylor Hicks Comes to Town!

Taylor Hicks headlining the national touring production of “Grease” skid into town this week. The show is being presented at the great Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth.

Gary Cogill, one of my favorite local entertainment reporters writes, “Bass Hall is the perfect place for shows like Grease. The big voices ring acoustically true to the top tier, especially the female cast members – they seem much more alive and together on stage, than the boys.

The sets are basic at best, but the ensemble dance numbers are staged beautifully, and bathed in bright colorful lights, hitting the hand jive at just the right level.

The leads, Sandy and Danny, are played-well by Broadway veterans Emily Padgett and Eric Schneider. He’s less like Travolta, she’s much more Sandra Dee.

Grease is being advertised with American Idol winner Taylor Hicks as the headliner, but don’t be deceived, He sings one song in act two, and for a few brief minutes, it’s a funny, well-placed parody of himself.

Grease is a ticket well-purchased, and stick around for the encore, you’ll finally see more of Taylor Hicks.”

Apparently, while I was out taking care of business, I missed Taylor Hicks’ visit on Good Morning Texas. From what I understand the show aired from Victory Park and there was goat milking involved while Taylor blew harmonica. Now doesn’t that sound entertaining? Damn, it’s been a week riddled with disappointments.

I asked my Darling Man if he had gone out and bought front row seating for “Grease” and his response was “*snort*”. I took that as a ‘no’. Now if Taylor Hicks had decided to do a pub-stop show while he’s in town, either Darling would have had to accompany me, or I’d have had to haul someone else to the show.

Scrolling through the Google alerts on Mr. Hicks this title grabbed my attention, “Gay Panic in Fort Worth, Best Burgers and Taylor Hicks Defenders”, posted in the Houston Press. At first, knowing Taylor was in Ft. Worth, it seemed the Gay community was somehow in a panic at his being there, then everyone settled down and went out for burgers. Seriously, look at that title.

What is the actual case, this posting simply a series of Houston Press commenters remarking on the Redneck cop situation in Cow Town. Apparently the local officers were going around and raiding the newly established Gay restaurant/bars that have recently opened.

You see, dear readers, Ft. Worth, or as we affectionately refer to it as Cow Town, is quite different than Dallas. Dallas is the shinier metropolitan haven for all things urban and modern, whereas Ft. Worth… well we don’t call it Cow Town for nothing.

The burger reference had to do with an article from the tony Texas Monthly in which the writer seemed to think ambience trumps flavorful eats, which is absolute rubbish. The writer in the Houston Press winds up the article nicely with, “Atmosphere is in the mind of the beholder, but any way you score it, Rockwell’s burgers blow away Texas Monthly’s Houston burger choices. Don’t take my word for it. Go eat a Rockwell Tavern burger and see for yourself.” Now next trip down toward Houston I may have to do just that. Cypress is a little community just NE of Houston.

So to sum that up, the Gay community in Cow Town being upset has nothing to do with Taylor Hicks and the burgers were only eaten by Robb Walsh and friends. For entertainment value you might want to peruse this link just for the readers’ comments. Now I’m hungry. Oh and hey, the other day I actually invited Mr. Hicks over for some Texas Bar-b-Que. Still haven’t heard back. I guess he’s busy.

Taylor Hicks, a song for you while you’re hanging out here in my neck of Texas.

“Cow Town” George Straight