I was so psyched waiting for this race. It seems like forever since Homestead. The race wasn't bad. The 18 was probably the car to beat. Smoke in the #14 looked strong - at least for the first half of each run. Newman's #39 looked good till he went 2 laps down with tire issues. Joey got the #20 Home Depot Toyota lots of tv time. Too bad it was while he was crashing into the inside wall.
Jr OTOH showed that he will never be as good a driver as his dad. Stupid driving to take out 9 cars - including the 18. Nascar should have parked him but an Earnhardt can do no wrong...
The weather came and Matt Kennseth ended up winning. Sad as a couple of cars (the 14 and 24) looked to be coming on strong.
I was really enjoying the race. Plenty of action. It was even good to see Jr screw up. Even better to see Vickers call him out on it. SHR got an 8th with the #14 - not bad for a new team.
Can't wait for next week.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The test results are back
Five simple words that changed our lives 17 years ago. Our son was just 5 years old. We had been taking him to different doctors trying to figure out why he wasn't gaining weight. He was eating like a small horse (Crispix was his favorite food) and had been 44lbs for over a year. Doctor after doctor said he would grow out of it. My wife finally found a doctor who started running tests. Everything was pointing to a mal-absorption problem. The doctor had a test he wanted to run but was overruled by the clinic director who wanted a sweat test done first. As the doctor explained what a sweat test was for and how he didn't think it was related we relaxed.
A couple of days later we were at Lutheran General Hospital having a sweat test done. It's a very simple procedure and we muddled through knowing it was a waste of time.
The next day my wife called and said the doctor wanted her to stop by after work to talk about the results. When she made it home it was clear that the results weren't what anybody was expecting. The test results were back and our son had been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. We knew nothing about the disease so we looked at her nursing text books. Bad idea as everything led us to believe our little boy would be dead in 10 years.
The next week we were seeing a CF specialist. He reminded us that the books we were reading were a decade old and the research was very promising. He started our son on some enzymes and breathing treatments. Back thumping and percussor became a regular occurrence at home. Since he was small it was fun and games. As he grew older - not so much. A Therapy Vest made that part easier.
We got involved in fund raising. There is a Great Strides Walk to cure CF that happens in Chicago and Schaumburg every year. Since Schaumburg was close to home we went there. Over the years we've seen the walk grow in participation. It's been amazing.
Over the years our son rebelled in his own little way. Skipping treatments, medication, etc. Think of a normal rebellious teen and toss in a disease that kills (and he knows it) and you have, at times, a real PITA. Luckily her survived, thrived, and ended up a honor student in high school. Four years after that and he was an honor graduate from college. During college he organized his own team for Great Strides and raised quite a bit of money.
Today he spends his time trying to find that first job. A tough market combined with a hard to break into career choice has left him a bit frustrated. Hopefully his struggle to stay healthy will give him the necessary fortitude to keep pushing till the job happens.
As for me and my darling wife - we're still together (something unusual I'm told for parents of a kid with issues) and making plans for retirement. It's still 15 or so years away but planning is fun. With all that's gone on in the last 17 years I'm sure it'll be interesting.
A couple of days later we were at Lutheran General Hospital having a sweat test done. It's a very simple procedure and we muddled through knowing it was a waste of time.
The next day my wife called and said the doctor wanted her to stop by after work to talk about the results. When she made it home it was clear that the results weren't what anybody was expecting. The test results were back and our son had been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. We knew nothing about the disease so we looked at her nursing text books. Bad idea as everything led us to believe our little boy would be dead in 10 years.
The next week we were seeing a CF specialist. He reminded us that the books we were reading were a decade old and the research was very promising. He started our son on some enzymes and breathing treatments. Back thumping and percussor became a regular occurrence at home. Since he was small it was fun and games. As he grew older - not so much. A Therapy Vest made that part easier.
We got involved in fund raising. There is a Great Strides Walk to cure CF that happens in Chicago and Schaumburg every year. Since Schaumburg was close to home we went there. Over the years we've seen the walk grow in participation. It's been amazing.
Over the years our son rebelled in his own little way. Skipping treatments, medication, etc. Think of a normal rebellious teen and toss in a disease that kills (and he knows it) and you have, at times, a real PITA. Luckily her survived, thrived, and ended up a honor student in high school. Four years after that and he was an honor graduate from college. During college he organized his own team for Great Strides and raised quite a bit of money.
Today he spends his time trying to find that first job. A tough market combined with a hard to break into career choice has left him a bit frustrated. Hopefully his struggle to stay healthy will give him the necessary fortitude to keep pushing till the job happens.
As for me and my darling wife - we're still together (something unusual I'm told for parents of a kid with issues) and making plans for retirement. It's still 15 or so years away but planning is fun. With all that's gone on in the last 17 years I'm sure it'll be interesting.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Nice way to start the morning
President Obama's economic recovery package will actually hurt the economy more in the long run than if he were to do nothing, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.
Read the rest
Is it too early to have another Presidential election?
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