Thank God! Kenny's Gonna Be Fine

Just spoke to my buddy Ken's daughter and he's out of surgery; apparently it went well.

(She did tell me he had another heart attack "on the table" but by the same token she told me his heart remains only minimally damaged... perhaps - God willing - not damaged in a layman's meaningful sense at all!)

Apparently they put two stents in. Apparently one artery was 99% blocked... at least that's what Amanda tells me.

Since I believe the world revolves around me... I just want to thank "The Big Guy Up There" for not taking my buddy Ken.

I actually do believe that God watches over me and my friends... and I honestly do believe that God doesn't "test" me beyond my endurance.

OH... HOLD ON! JUST GOT A CALL FROM COLL - KEN's WIFE!

Yep. One artery was 99% blocked; another artery was 90% blocked; (these were the two stented arteries, obviously); and they found the third artery 60% blocked - which they're dealing with via medication without stenting for the moment, but he may be getting another stent before too long. (He's supposedly being released tomorrow and is supposed to meet with the cardiologist in two weeks to decide on the next move.)

It looks like he's gonna be out of work for at least the next six weeks.

(*SIGH*)

Ken would have died if Colleen hadn't forced him to go to the Urgent Care on Monday night. There's simply no doubt about that.

Folks... my friends... take care of yourselves.

My buddy Ken is 44 years old! He's a worker! I mean he's a guy who busts his balls driving a pump truck and digging holes. He makes a good living at it too - but he earns every last cent the hard way.

As of Monday night he's now an ex-smoker! (The rainbow behind the cloud so to speak!)

This is gonna make Colleen quite too, I'm sure.

To have looked at Kenny a week ago you'd have thought him the picture of "rugged" health.

It was the cholesterol apparently. Apparently he should have been on medication years ago - but not being a "doctor kinda guy" he wasn't properly diagnosed and so he wasn't under treatment.

Dumb...!!! Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!

I get my full physical every year and my doc insists on seeing me at the six month mark whether I think I "need" to see him or not.

I get my skin checked once a year... I get my colonoscopies regularly... I see the eye doc every 18 months or so... when I was 45 (a year older than Ken is now) I made sure to get checked out by the cardiologist (stress test, etc.) just "because."

I walk... I take my baby aspirins... I don't drink enough booze but I'm working on it...

(*GRIN*) (Seriously, folks! 1-3 drinks a day is what the experts recommend!)

Seriously, folks... what I'm saying is that there's nothing more important than your health and everyone reading this should take this message to heart... so to speak.

Anyway... enough lecturing... enough preaching... please just add my friend Kenny to your prayers and remember that life can change in an instant... life can end in an instant.

Barker's Newsbites: Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sorry for the lack of newsbites, but I'm a bit distracted - what with my buddy in the hospital and me still trying to tie loose ends before we head out for vacation on Friday.

Oh... and then there's the need for the following mini-rant "against" today's "Facebook Culture."

What the F#%K is wrong with people...?!?!

Seriously...!?!?

Do I not make it clear on my Facebook page that I have no f#%king interest in "friending" people or "liking" things...?!?!

My upcoming high school reunion is being organized around a Facebook page and so I have to deal with that. Fine! This is my one exception to the Barker Rule against Facebooking!

So... I go on the damn Reunion Facebook page... I "chat" with a few folks I haven't had contact with since 1981 or so...

So far... so good...

I note right there in my comments that I'd love to hear from folks and I list my email address and my home phone number as well as noting that if they visit my Facebook page they'll find the link to my blog and not much more.

So... what do I end up with...?!?! Every frigg'n day I'm getting "invitations" to "friend" people via Facebook...!!!

I can't frigg'n take it...!!!

Do people think I'm joking about not wanting to involve myself in this Facebook nonsense?

Is it really so hard to believe that some of us still rely upon email and personal phone calls as opposed to the modern day "party line" that is Facebook?

(Do you guys remember party lines? I do! My aunt and uncle up in Saugerties, NY had one!)

Anyway... (*SIGH*)... rant off.

Oh...! Wait...! I almost forgot...

Newsbite theme song #1... Newsbite them song #2...

Barker's Newsbites: Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Unfrigg'nbelieveable...

My buddy Kenny is in the hospital; he suffered a mild heart attack.

The guy is 44 years old!

Anyway... he's gonna be fine. He had symptoms over the past few days and thank God his wife made him go to "Urgent Care" center to get checked out and they sent him straight to the hospital where it was determined that he's had a couple heart "episodes" and yes... a mild heart attack.

On the bright side... after this Kenny's gonna be a non-smoker! Colleen too no doubt!

Hopefully a stent or two... some medication... a bit of "lifestyle modification"... and Kenny will be good as new - better than new!

Barker's Newsbites: Monday, August 29, 2011

All good things in moderation!

So... alive and well following "The Great Storm of 2011."

(*SNORT*)

But, hey... it's not like I got away unscathed! The frigg'n cable went out for 20 minutes!

(*HUGE FRIGG'N GRIN*)

In all seriousness, a lot of people did get nailed, but the damage was mostly limited to flood plain areas. That said... if you're one of the folks in a flood plain area - or among those for whom "mostly" didn't cut it - this storm was indeed no joke.

Hey... the NYS Thruway was still closed this morning between our exit here in Orange County and the Rockland County line when Mary left for work!

No real damage here at my place. A couple large tree branches fell, but luckily they fell safely where there was nothing but grass below.

We experienced three or four microsecond power surges, but aside from having to reset the clock on the microwave and reboot the cable box, no actual power outages.

My father-in-law got four inches of water in his basement down in Pearl River, but that was only because a power outage disabled his sump pump. Luckily his washer and dryer are on blocks to begin with so they were fine and except for the pilot light going out, his boiler is fine too. Minimal damage and clean-up.

My "brother" Joey answered the storm by getting a generator! (And of course... after getting the generator he ended up not losing power... but, hey... now he has it - meaning I have it too!)

My friends Coll and Kenny made it through with all their trees - and thus their house, cars, pool, and shed - intact, though the street behind them was flood and several of their neighbors suffered major flooding... as in evacuation by boat!

All my other friends and relatives are o.k., thank God.

And today... it's a beautiful day!

Weekend Newsbites: Sat. & Sun., August 27 & 28, 2011

I betchya Mayor Bloomberg hates this song...

People... remember who we are! Remember who we were... who we can be again!

Government is out of control and we've gotta regain control of this country...!!!

Barker's Newsbites: Friday, August 26, 2011

Fitting...?

(*GRIN*)

Barker's Newsbites: Thursday, August 25, 2011

What can I tell ya, folks... I'm a hopelessly romantic libertarian-leaning constitutionist conservative!

Barker's Newsbites: Wednesday, August 24, 2011

For my best bud Carl who is vacationing with his family "down south" at this very moment!

Nashville and Memphis... not bad!

Barker's Newsbites: August 23, 2011

Don't cry, children! Uncle Bill's newsbites are a'comin'!

(Clap, children! Ya gotta clap...!!!)

Barker's Newsbites: Monday, August 22, 2011

Another fine dancin' tune!

Yee-Haa! Swing your partner! Do-ce-doe!