I am home now. And goddamn does it feel good to be here! We had quite a scare this weekend, with a trip to the ER that turned into an extended stay at the hospital. But I am okay now, back home, trying to get back into the swing of things, and very glad to have had some excellent medical care over the past few days. In the interest of Google Cache and Insurance Company databases, I’m not going to go into details here, suffice to say that I am doing well, glad to be out of the hospital, and looking forward to returning to normal life.

It was a very busy day today at work, because I’m taking off tomorrow to attend BlawgThink. So I barely got out in time to get to CivPro, when what happens as I get off the expressway? *Bam* I hear this horrible noise as I go through a busy intersection. I immediately pull over, and I have not one, but *two* count ’em, two flat tires. Both on the passenger side.

Of course, I’m not in the best neighborhood, and I’m immediately approached by a number of gentlemen offering to change my tire–or better yet, they have tires right around the corner, for sale! Yeah, sure. Okay, whatever. And in front of me is a woman who *also* got a flat going through that intersection!! I didn’t see anything in the road, but it sure does make me wonder.

Anyway, I had to wait 1:30 for a tow truck (thanks, AAA!) which is fine, it was in rush hour on the south side of Chicago. As the tow driver was hoisting my poor Volvo onto the flat bed, he says, “Hey, did you notice your rims are bent?” Sure as hell *both* rims are bent, too. Today sucks.
And I missed CivPro. I’m a nerd and I was actually looking forward to Civil Procedure tonight. It was deposition day.

*sigh*

Oh well, tomorrow, live blogging in almost real time from BlawgThink!

What is Your World View?
[Via Will Work for Favorable Dicta]

Although, I think the question, “Are you more musical or mathematical” is off–to me they are linked. But it still pegged me:

[Via Divine Angst]

Welcome into the world Griffin Scott F., the new baby son of my friends Kim and Dusty. Weighing in at 8lbs. 11 oz. he was born after 30 hours of labor! Yipes! I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but his father tells me he was born with a full head of dark hair.

Age: 30 Somthing.
Band listening to right now: None.
Career in future: Law … talkin’ … guy.
Dad’s name: David.
Easiest person to talk to: Kristyna.
Favorite song at the moment: Ocean Breathes Salty (Modest Mouse).
Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Bears – Soaked in Rum.
Hometown: Lay-Flat, Indiana.
Instruments Violin=, once upon a time. Bass.
Kids: Not Yet.
Longest car ride ever: Indiana to California.
Mom’s name: Anne.
Number of siblings: Two.
Phobia[s]: Heights.
Quote (Favorite): Those who abandon their dreams will discourage yours.
Reason to smile: It will all be over soon.
Song you sang last: Ocean Breathes Salty
Time you wake up: Too early.
Unknown fact about me: Wouldn’t you like to know.
Vegetable you hate: Brussel sprouts.
Worst habit: Workaholic.
X-rays you’ve had: Dental, chest, c-spine, c/t scans
Yummy food: Sushi!
Zodiac sign: Aries.
[Courtesy Amy]

Well, I don’t think I could possibly get any busier. I’m positively and absolutely swamped with work. This week is the start of classes at work, which means there is an inordinate amount of work to complete and not nearly enough time to get it all done before classes start. In addition, the reading for law school is begining to get longer, so there’s more to read and even less time to read it in!

Wow. I mean, I worked all weekend, now I just got home a few minutes ago, and now I’m going to bed. To get up tomorrow at 6:30 A.M. to start the whole process over. *sigh* I’m a glutton for punishment.

If I’m in a coma, keep me on life support for one year. After that, turn it off, cause I’m probably not coming back.

If I’m brain dead, under no circumstances am I to be kept alive artificially.

My organs are to be donated where possible, but my body is not.

I do not want my dead body displayed in any way at a wake or funeral. My wife and immediate family can have a private viewing, if they want to say goodbye.

I am not to be buried. I am to be creamated. My wife may decide what to do with my ashes, I’ll update this if I come up with a specific thing I want done.

No organ music at my funeral. If it’s not in my CD collection, don’t play it. I would prefer a celebratory funeral.

Hopefully, I while people will be sad that I’m gone, they will be happy to have known me in their lives. Please, concentrate on the happy. And even if you hated me in life, you can be happy that I’m dead.

Also, please don’t spend a lot of money. Tell the funeral director to shove it. Have everyone bring their favorite food, and spend the time with friends and family, not looking at some bogus, expensive, lavish display that is so far removed from what is important in life. Seriously.

Okay, enough with the living will. Torts will do that to you.

When we moved into our new condo, my wife decided that our balcony would serve as a substitute for having a real yard, and subsequently planted all kinds of vegetables in a plethora of pots. We’ve got tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, radishes, and a host of herbs. The fresh basil is pretty darn good, but nothing, and I mean nothing touches those tomatoes.

What on earth is it that makes fresh tomatoes ripened on the vine taste so damn good? Even “vine ripened organic” tomatoes from a produce store don’t compare to these in taste… and ours are grown on a balcony in the middle of the city!!

A caprese salad with fresh basil and tomatoes from our “balcony garden” just can’t be beat.

Anyone remember “sensory deprivation” tanks? Well, I don’t, thankfully. But I am fortunate enough to live in a city that has some floatation tanks at SpaceTime Tanks. I meant to write about this when I first tried it, but never got around to it. Last week was pretty stressful, so I went to float again today, so here you go…

Last year, my friend Ken and I (on the advice of BEB) decided to give floating a try. We were both expecting a really “trippy” experience, since I (mistakenly) thought the whole idea was to be in an environment completely devoid of sensation. In actuality, there is a whole lot o’ sensin’ goin’ on.

The tanks themselves are just large enough for a person to float in the center, not touching the sides. You are suspended in a solution of water which has about 800-1000lbs of Epsom salts in it, so you are hyper-buoyant. It’s actually an effort to make yourself not float. The water is also warmed to skin temperature, so it’s hard to tell where the water ends and your skin begins.

When I first got into the tank, it was a little claustrophobic. It’s actually about the same size as a capsule hotel room in Japan. Once you close the door, it is completely dark, which combined with the warm water and air does induce a slight claustrophobic feeling, but in all honesty, it subsides pretty quickly. You do float in the nude, just in case you might be wondering. The “water” in the tanks, in addition to being salty enough to sterilize any cuts you might have, is also purified with Ozone in-between customers.

Once you lay down though, the experience is totally awesome. You float, like you’ve never floated before. If you’re floating in a pool, sometimes you have to regulate your breathing to stay hovering at the surface… not in a tank. You have to make an effort to push your arms and legs down into the water. And it’s warm, and soothing. But it’s not devoid of sensation. You still have a sense of touch, and you still have smell (although the salt doesn’t smell bad or anything) and definitely taste (the salt does taste awful if you get a bit in your mouth). You can also hear. I use ear plugs when I float, to keep the water out of my ears, but with or without them, you can very faintly hear the buzz of the ventilation fans, and you can still hear your own breathing and heartbeat.

There isn’t any “tripping” happening in the tank, it’s just pure relaxation. After a few minutes (time does seem to be completely arbitrary in the tank) I start to crack parts of my body I never knew cracked… there’s no pressure of gravity weighting down any parts of your body, so you feel, well weightless. It’s incredibly relaxing, and I think that’s the value of it. It’s not really depriving you of your senses at all, thank god! Instead, it’s depriving you of your cell phone, the television, the radio, the report you have to finish for work, or school, the kids, the spouse, the boss, traffic, and any number of other things that can add to the stress of day-to-day life.

Honestly, it’s worth doing if for no other reason than you know that when you close the door to the tank, no one is going to interrupt your thoughts for another hour, except you. When you couple that with the relaxation of just floating and being warm, well, when you get out you just feel so relaxed and renewed. I would highly recommend the experience to anyone. If I had a basement, I would build my own so I could do it once a week. It’s a great way to recharge, even if it seems like it might be a bit “new age”. In reality, it’s just a trip to a pampering day-spa with a massage condensed into an hour and for a lot less money.