...before my “Robotic Prostatectomy Surgery” (more on this later). Next blogpost will be published when timing for my next long walk is clarified...unless of course if the spirit moves earlier 😉.
Two objectives for this blogpost
- Final decision announcement on how I will keep myself busy during surgery recovery
- Stunning announcement about next long walk preparation
- Stunning announcement about next long walk preparation
However before I get there...and I will get there ☺️ a few Public Service Information tidbits...a key feature of blogposts otherwise presentation is too boring 🤔
Do you need to lift your spirits and have a laugh...you do like to laugh right?
Hilarious 23 second video link…guaranteed to make you laugh or at least smile. If not I will refund your blog subscription fee immediately! This is what I really need for my next long walk 😉
Creative writing
Rivalling Rachael’s blogpost found in my Special Edition - When one is totally outclassed blogpost I introduce my longtime friend Cal PHD former System Architect and published author of the Six AI Series Emergence, Liberation and Ascension. I am now prepared...and have Cal’s permission... to reveal Cal as the Friend of the Blog #4 in my Special Edition - Machu Picchu Recruitment Drive blogpost and publish Cal’s classic response to my Extra Special Blogpost - A lifelong dream is realized...
"Hi,
Anyone observing me as I read your golf news might have been seriously concerned. Why are his eyes enlarged? Why does he seem so pale? Why has his jaw dropped? Why is he making that gasping sound?
Of course, those reactions were all symptomatic of the sheer joy I was experiencing at your extraordinary announcement: A hole-in-one. GUY GOT HIS HOLE-IN-ONE!
When that moment passed and rationality set in, a different thought surfaced: Did this really happen? Is it true?
I mentally ran through my finely honed BS checklist: Did the emails come from the expected sources? Yes. In this era of deepfakes, are the photos legitimate? Careful analysis indicates they’re real. Could the messages have been generated by AI, perhaps by a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT, famous for generating credible prose based on completely invented “facts”? Verification of other information in the emails could find no errors or inconsistencies, so an LLM cannot reasonably be blamed.
Much deep thought has left me with two possibilities: Either you truly got the holy grail of golf lore, you got your hole-in-one, or... that’s not actually you in the pictures. It’s an android—a flawless, robotic replica of you, specially designed to mimic your ritual, pre-game declaration that this will be the day it happens and to NOT mimic your much-practiced, problematic golf swing. Yup, I know this hypothesis has little chance of being correct. However, neither can I easily disprove it.
So, I’m obliged and, yes, delighted to say..
.
Congratulations! You did it! You’ve joined the rarified ranks elite golfers? Amazing!
Congratulations! You did it! You’ve joined the rarified ranks elite golfers? Amazing!
I look forward to shaking your hand sometime soon. (But I’ll probably be checking carefully to be sure it’s the real you.)
Once again: Bravo! Félicitations!
Take care,
Cal”
A very compelling book...an absolute delight of a movie hopefully coming to Canada
Treat yourself to a great book The Way, My Way by Bill Bennett - you do not have to walk a Camino to enjoy this book...”Thoroughly enjoyed it...touching and engrossing 5*****” writes Guy Arbez author of the wildly popular Walking across Europe - 2013 blog
"And so Bill Bennett, an Australian based film director, set off on an 800 kilometre walk across Spain to Santiago de Compostela, not sure why he was doing it, and not feeling entirely comfortable. His discomfort increased markedly a few days later when his knee gave out – so the rest of the walk was a “pain management pilgrimage.” But he kept his sense of humour, and his memoir is at times hilarious but also deeply moving, and insightful. In the vein of Bill Bryson and Eric Newby, The Way, My Way takes you on a unique spiritual journey, and gives you a hearty laugh along the way.”
Bill Bennett then proceeded to write and direct a Movie which is currently playing to sold out audiences throughout New Zealand and Australia. One can only hope it will make its way to North America...if it does I will be first in line to see it!
Publishing graphs from Excel - a new finding ☺️
An observant reader may have noticed a “few” graphs in recent blogposts...why...simple...it’s fun...do I need another reason? Initial sleuthing led me to Adobe Acrobat Pro and with additional trial and error crafted a multi step process to save my Excel graph into a jpeg picture file. However this came at a cost...exorbitant monthly fees 🥲
Then out of blue I right clicked on the frame part of an Excel graph and noticed “save as picture” as an option. Being a bright young fellow I clicked on this option and then I had a png file. What’s that? I then right clicked on my png file and a “share” option was available... lo and behold I could “save to “add to photos”. Voila a much simpler way to do this and allowing me to TOAST Adobe Acrobat Pro.
FYI there is a graph later in this blogpost 🤣
An amazing podcast series
I am always on the lookout for new interesting podcast series...very tired of current news stuff...here is my current favourite...BBC’s History’s Secret Heroes. "Helena Bonham Carter shines a light on extraordinary stories from World War Two. Join her for tales of deception, acts of resistance and courage.” She...of Harry Potter fame as Bellatrix Lestrange... is an amazing narrator.
Two examples of remarkable episodes
Final decision announcement 🤣 how I will keep myself busy during recovery
Reflecting a bit I realized that this isn’t my first rodeo with health surgeries/procedures...by my count 4 surgeries with full anesthesia, 5 medical procedures localized anesthesia. Based on my experience...while I have been advised 6 weeks to full recovery (perhaps with some lingering issues)...the first 2-3 weeks hopefully will be main recovery time.
I know that I will NOT be cutting grass (which I enjoy), taking out the garbage (which I receive nice thank you’s from son in law Steven...also for cutting grass ☺️), running any and all errands (likely my favourite activity), cooking large easy recipes, Costco shopping etc etc....oh and course long long daily walks.
A surprise though was the statement “you are not going to wash dishes!”. Now I not sure if this was said in consideration of my need to properly heal or as result of...a recent discussion between Claire my youngest daughter and Dawn. Note I was not there therefore my description may not be entirely accurate...actually this is guaranteed!
Claire - “My oven is toast...it no longer works properly...I need a new one. However my new dishwasher is great...dishes are cleaned really well and properly dried. It’s super!”
Dawn - “Our new Induction oven and cooktop is fantastic (my note: last one bit the dust when control board was fried in an electrical storm...likely due to poor System Architect Design) however the dishwasher is getting REALLY old...dishes often have food left on them...drying is poor resulting in wet dishes being stored away...oh and drying towels are left with food stains”.
I understand great laughs were had...I thought it was hilarious when relayed to me...and... hmmm...I am the main dishwasher. I have really been trying to up my game since hearing this!!! 😳
I have also been reflecting on a selection of past Health issues...a few thoughts and in some cases interesting/funny outcomes.
Fall 1977 - Appendectomy Rushed to St. Boniface Hospital...teaching hospital where I was poked and prodded by a half dozen or more medical interns. Conclusion was obvious...yank the appendix. I was 20 years old...Dad was 19 when he had this same problem 😳. Post surgery had a visit from a University classmate in hospital...I was desperate given I was missing classes and asked Paul if he could speak to our third year Stats professor about keeping up with labs etc. while in hospital.
Problem was...for the first time in my life I somehow got on the wrong side of this professor as he concluded I was a wise guy or something...and I honestly thought I might fail this course. While not a Gold medal GPA winner by a long shot I was cruising along ok...B+ type range...
Amazingly as I returned to 3rd year studies...likely much too early...my Stats Prof totally changed his approach...he became so attentive and helpful. Somehow I ended up with a B in this course. To this day I am 100% convinced that I did NOT deserve this grade...not sure what I learned from this experience other than initial impressions can change...sucking up also helps!
2005 - Heart Atrial Flutter Returned from a 3 week trip to Egypt with my Dad who was 82 at the time (his last trip). Within a few days...out of breath simply walking... went to a medical clinic...then to a cardiologist for testing WHAT MY HEART IS FINE I thought! I was convinced that an Egyptian mummy cave curse was the culprit!
Atrial Fibrillation diagnosis...on to Health Science Center for some fancy test where they pump dye in and measure heart function.
Female “Technician” who had previously been a fully qualified Medical Doctor in Ukraine...but in Canada 😰 told me “Your heart is functioning like you are running a marathon 24 hours a day...if you were my patient in Ukraine I would send you to Emergency immediately”.
So on I went...Cardiologist on call Dr. K...acknowledged as one of the top in Manitoba concluded I had been misdiagnosed...new diagnosis Atrial Flutter and revised all my meds. I spent the next year losing 50 lbs and in 2006 had a Cardioversion procedure to reset heart rhythm...ie defibrillator paddles. As the anesthetist was getting ready to send me dreaming I cheekily asked Dr. K “You’ve done this before right? Like you know how many volts to use? 🤣” He smiled and nodded yes...thankfully some time later I woke up.
From then on no heart issues however in 2018 a procedure called Heart Ablation solved this issue once and for all. Essentially they insert a small probe within the heart and in technical terms “spot weld” areas of the heart where the electrical impulses misfire. I was partially asleep yet I could hear the team say something like “there got it” after a little jolt a few times! A little unnerving!
2007 - Hernia operation Pretty routine from a medical perspective...right side hernia. When I came to after surgery I had 3 bandages...right side, left side and my belly button. So I asked why? “Fixed the right side, concluded the left side was weak and then also saw that you had a belly button hernia."
WHAT - who has ever had/heard of a belly button hernia. Well that solidified my thinking “I was essentially born at least partially a lemon” 😒. It is a well known fact that Super Bowl Monday is the least productive day of the year...estimates as high as $6.5 Billion in lost or poor productivity.
So I wondered...any correlation between Super Bowl Monday and my feeling like a lemon? Further sleuthing Super Bowl Monday was December 27, 1955...I was born Christmas 1956...so essentially a year later...seems a little too long considering the average 9 month pregnancy period. So wasn’t the answer!
2013 - Partially Detached Retina Emergency flight to Canada after day 17 walking the Via Jacobi (Switzerland)...doctor in Geneva gave me a choice “get back to Canada within 24 hours OR we do procedure in here. Incredible help from everywhere Insurance company, Dawn & Heather (twin sister) and within a day+ was in Dr S's. office...again likely top Ophthalmologist in Manitoba.
Pneumatic retinopexy - insert gas bubble in the right eye (yes with a needle after the eye was numbed with a local anesthesia...it didn’t hurt) to push the partially detached retina against the back of the eye. Recovery at home was 5 days lying on my side with maximum 10 minutes per hour allowed for getting up. Brother Marc purchased a CD with a Louis L’Amour Western classic...unreal as people died every 30 seconds or so...absolute drivel but it did the trick. We still laugh about it today.
Returning to Dr.’s office he diagnosed a retinal tear so I had immediate laser surgery which essentially encased the retinal tear within a spot weld type box. I was told to stay still...believe me I was ZEN like however by the 40th or 50th laser burst I thought the back of my head would explode.
A few days later back in Dr. S’s office where I received a response to a question that I will never ever forget. “Did this happen because of the stress of backpacking. Is that it for me?” “Oh no it’s because you are old (56) and near sighted...go ahead and backpack all you want. The chances of a problem are very low however you know the symptoms”. Unreal...I was so pumped...resumed my long walk 3 weeks later walking 40+ days over 1,000+ kms in France.
2014 - Partially Detached Retina in left eye...this time in Winnipeg. Rinse and repeat 2013 procedure without retinal tear.
Soooo...I have some experience to lean on. Significant lesson learned is that I am a very fortunate person to have had incredible Health professionals time and again helping me.
2024 - Robotic Prostatectomy...an intriguing surgery title...what is it? Off sleuthing (one of my significant skills 😉) and found this on John Hopkins medical site
"Using the advanced surgical system, miniaturized robotic instruments are passed through several small keyhole incisions...
For most of the surgery, the surgeon is seated at a computer console and manipulates tiny wristed instruments that offer a range of motion far greater than the human wrist.”
Now that is incredible...having worked 10 years on large scale system development projects (from the Business side) the one concern I have is...well...how do I say this gently...”System Architects had to be involved in the system design...hope they were as good as the ones I worked with 😉”
With that background 😂 among the many fine suggestions received I went a bit off script and have subscribed for a 3 month online access to The Great Courses website. A current catalogue of 963 courses in all manner of disciplines is to be found there.
I have dabbled in Great Courses before with mixed results as some PHD presenters are a little dry...honestly watching paint dry would be more fun than listening to them. A few have been excellent.
My criteria for choosing the courses below is:
- Course has to be something quirky...capturing my imagination which frankly has always gone to fun things like ghosts, UFO’s, Bermuda triangle, Bigfoot etc etc.
- Want to learn something new which can be used as small talk in my next Black Tie cocktail party 🤣...have worn Black Tie twice in my life way back in the early 1990’s and will NEVER EVER EVER do so again. Also ANY cocktail type party...would rather do anything else than this...anything!
So here are my choices:
The Real History of Secret Societies
Course Overview
The first rule of this course is you don’t talk about this course. The second rule of this course is YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT THIS COURSE.Welcome to The Real History of Secret Societies, a historical look at the true-life groups which, if you believe the myths, are the unspoken power behind some of the world’s major turning points, from controlling the British crown to holding back the electric car and keeping Martians and Atlantis under wraps.
Prepare yourself. In this course, brought to you in partnership with HISTORY®, you will be visiting some of history’s deepest rabbit-holes, across centuries and continents, in search of secret societies in all their varieties. You will journey to some very dark places and, frankly, some odd and sometimes silly ones as well. During 24 eye-opening lectures, Dr. Richard B. Spence, professor of history at the University of Idaho, guides you through the always fascinating, often mystifying—and sometimes disturbing—world of brotherhoods, sisterhoods, orders, cults, and cabals that have influenced human culture from ancient times to the present.
26 Lectures - Average 29 minutes each
1 Small-Town Secrets
2 Secret Societies: The Underworld of History
3 The Knights Templar
4 Masonic Revolutions in America and France
5 Bolsheviks, Masons, and Russian Revolution
6 Adolf Hitler and the Thule Society
7 Synarchy, Schemers, and Vichy France
8 Ancient Mystery Cults
9 The Islamic Assassins
10 The Medieval Catchers
11 The Rosicrucians
12 The Illuminati
13 The Freemasons
14 Ireland’s Secret War for Independence
15 Debunking the Elders of Zion
16 Mafia! Criminal Secret Societies
17 Aleister Crowley, Occultism, and Espionage
18 Red Octopus: The Communist International
19 Japan’s Black and Green Dragons
20 Italy’s Secret Government: The P2 Lodge
21 From the KKK to the Black Shriners
22 Bohemian Grove, Bilderbergers, and Elites
23 Secret Societies for Aging Swingers
24 Terrorism’s Long Tail of Secret Cells
25 Secret Societies: The Never Ending Story
26 UFO’s and the Elusive George Hunt Williamson
The Real History of Dracula
Course Overview
There are few fictional characters who have entrenched themselves so thoroughly in the popular imagination as Count Dracula. Although legends of vampires and other blood-thirsty creatures existed long before him, Dracula has become the ultimate apotheosis of the vampiric monster. He has spawned an entire industry of books, films, television shows, and other forms of media devoted to the vampire.
Dracula, as portrayed in the eponymous novel by Bram Stoker published in 1897, is an aristocratic monster—both seductive and terrifying in equal measure. Though the novel Dracula was only a modest success when it was first published, it has proven to be one of British literature’s most enduring classics. It continues to tap into our deepest anxieties and forbidden desires, just as it did for its original Victorian audience. And while Stoker’s novel is perhaps the most famous vampire story, legends of the creature have existed in various forms for centuries. So, why have we been telling stories about vampires for hundreds of years … and why do these stories still matter today?
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