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Cinco de Mayo
American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.
-- James Baldwin
Friday, May 5, 2000
One year ago: Volunteer Park
Two years ago: What You Wish For
I forgot to mention on Monday, that May 1, two years ago, was the first time Jack and I were ever in contact. And it was Dave Winer who brought us together! Dave was bugged about something that a columnist wrote about geek guys. I emailed Dave and allowed as how I was looking for one (scroll to the end of the page to see my letter). Jack saw my mail, followed the link to my yahoo personal ad, then to this site. We exchanged email for a few weeks before meeting face to face. How about that!
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We got only one copy of the ILOVEYOU virus at work. A business contact of Chip's sent it to him from Italy. Fortunately, tech-savvy Chip knew better than to run it! I stood looking over his shoulder as we examined the code in a text editor. I've heard rumors of this thing auto-opening, in at least some versions of Outlook, if you have the preview pane on, but I'm not clear about that. Most people seem to have gotten into trouble because they actually, physically, clicked on it!
We've been working hard all week, getting ready for our new charting tool going live. Chip really made a good pick when he tempted Pete away from Boeing! (The strike helped with the tempting part.) My contribution was scrubbing the company names table in our database, some testing, and offering some suggestions on the form. With so many options and controls, I don't know if there is an ideal arrangement. Check it out; we'd love to have your feedback.
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When I got up to Jack's place tonight, we sat down on the futon and he told me what the doctor had said. (I'm really glad he made this appointment for a physical, since I don't know when he was last examined, thoroughly.) He got good news and bad news, but the bad news confirmed what he already was expecting. Good news -- he doesn't seem at risk for adult-onset diabetes. Bad news -- he does seem to have some sleep apnea (the doctor was going from his description). More bad news -- the pain in his side is probably gallstones.
He'd been concerned about diabetes because his dad has it. The apnea isn't a surprise, since he snores and feels tired. Jack isn't thrilled about the treatment options, which seem to consist of the CPAP mask -- constant positive air pressure to keep the throat open -- or surgery to remove part of the soft palate, or even drill holes from nose to mouth! But surely they'd need to do a more detailed workup on him before he and the doctor decide.
Jack's been having some low-grade pain in his side for a while, and I think that's what finally prompted him to make this apointment. I had to laugh at how the doctor confirmed his suspicions. He poked his hand up under Jack's ribcage on that side, and asked, "Does this hurt?" "Yow! Yes!" said Jack. You don't get gallstones broken up via ultrasound like kidney stones; you either live with them or have them out, I think. More tests are called for here.
So he was really not feeling great. His right side was paining him from the doctor's poke. His left arm was sore and aching from a tetanus shot they'd inveigled him into accepting. Plus his back is always hurting to some degree! So I expected that we'd stay home tonight. But Jack wanted to go out. "It's Cinco de Mayo!"
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Dos Padres, a mexican restaurant in Fairhaven, was busy, but we didn't have to wait for a table. The food was good, but not exeptional. Jack was very impressed with the special tequila! They'd been macerating fruit in it all day, then served a shot of the liquor with a peach slice, pineapple wedge, and mango on the side. I had a bite of the fruit, powerful and delicious. It was served in a glass made in that typical Mexican style, with a thick blue edge.
Jack didn't want to drive back right after dinner, so we walked along the water and he smoked a cigar. I studied a historical marker that explained some of the early history of Bellingham and Fairhaven. Neither of us had known that the area had had such an early boom and bust, with 20,000 people in the 1850s and 1860s, but just a few sticking around by the 1870s. We admired the sunset and the water, and pitied the folks who had formerly had an unobstructed view. Their houses will shortly be blocked by some construction that seems to be starting up across the street.
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