Return of the Fat Bastard - Such a whiny Pussy!

December 23rd 2016

Lovely Lisa Ski Bunny took this shot December 12th

      It was one year ago today that I was released from Royal Columbian Hospital after nineteen days of recovery from my bypass surgery. In those nineteen days I received the best healthcare I could imagine. Every person at the hospital I had contact with, from the lab techs, to the nurses and even my cardiologist who is a big Raptors fan were so kind and understanding. Other than the multiple types of infections in the multiple holes they left in my body, the hospital was great!

One Year ago today

I was sitting in a wheelchair at the main exit clutching my heart shaped pillow signed by all the nurses who looked after me, waiting for the lovely Lisa to come back with the truck for the fifteen minute ride home. In that fifteen minutes I learned to hate manhole covers and potholes. It wasn't that it hurt it was just the last thing they said was " Hold that pillow tight to your chest. It's only two little wires holding your sternum together " so every time we hit a bump I could feel my chest separating and my heart falling into my lungs! Needless to say I was happy to be home.
      I haven't participated in the commercial aspects of Christmas for years. I haven't bought a Christmas present in ten years. That's when I started having panic attacks. That's when I opted out of  Greedfest and began focusing on Christmas.

Our Living Room

A Christmas Bear on the tree

Someone else's house

Another someone else's house.

The friends and family, the lights and decorations and of course the food.
      If you watch the commercials you would think that you're some kind of Douche Bag if you don't park a new Audi in your wife's parking spot or the new XBox is reasonably priced at $499. Who is that reasonably priced for. Spend $20 buy him a basketball and send him to the school yard. That XBox is lowering his IQ/ EQ at an alarming rate. Why am I on about this? Because I had my first Panic attack in five years today. I'm not sure why I feel the need to write about this other than hoping it helps me deal with how I'm feeling. I am consumed by an overpowering feeling of wrong. I'm bursting out of my skin and feel like a deer in the headlights. The trigger was so insignificant as to be laughable. I'm not laughing. I'm also not in control. I'm unbelievably emotional feeling overwhelmed and unable to make any decisions about anything. I hope this passes soon.
      We've been having a rather merry Christmas Season. It always starts with Mama Lee's Birthday on the 10th of December. We had a little party for her at her care facility.
      I put up the outdoor lights and the lovely Lisa Christmas Psycho plastered the entire inside of the house with twenty odd Rubbermaid bins of Christmas paraphernalia. There is not a flat surface to sit anything on or wall space to hang anything on. We have six Christmas trees scattered around the living room. More lights than a Las Vegas Casino and the smell of Shortbread everywhere. Okay the Shortbread is me.
      The lovely Lisa finished up on Once Upon a Time last Friday and is off until the new year. She was still decorating today.
I played a lot of music leading up to the Songwriting contest. And my song was a winner. I played it live on the radio at 98.7 the Point the following Monday morning and it got a really good response.
      Tuesday I was in Hyde Creek Studios recording When Santa's in Vancouver with Bro Steve Horvat, Pamela Dominelli and Leon Ebersohn. It was engineered by Rob James. I was very pleased with how it came out. It's floating out there in cyber space on Band Camp.com under the name Sasquatch Mountain FOG the FOG stands for Four Old Guys or Maybe Five Old Guys when Gerry gets back from Phoenix with his sax or, maybe any other four letter F word that strikes your fancy!
      Lot's of visiting and social events. As always, the highlight of the Christmas season was Ricky Ghini's Christmas party. If there was ever someone who could out Christmas the lovely Lisa Christmas Psycho it's Ricky! Inside and out. It's hard to believe, but since he moved the display to his Mom's place it has been reduced by about half. Lot's of good cheer going around the party and you catch up with all the people you see maybe once or twice a year. After a while the lovely Lisa and I went upstairs to see Gloria, Ricky's Mom. I've known her for years and she makes the best Lasagna ever!! She's getting on in years but still sharp as a tack.  She lost her son Ronnie this time last year. It was the first of too many sad days this year. We gathered at the Church on Blue Mountain and Austin. It was standing room only. I was only three weeks out of the hospital. Half way through the service the sun came up and shone through the stained glass windows behind the pulpit. I went right home and recorded It Didn't Rain and dedicated it to Ronnie.

Gloria

Then I played it to Gloria the next time I saw her. Now she wants me to play it every time I see her. I do, with pleasure. This year I sat with her and my little nylon string guitar and played for about an hour. Mostly my own stuff but a couple of Johnny Cash covers. "Play your own songs Squatchy" she says to me "I like them better." I'm not sure if that's a positive critique of my songs or a negative one of my ability to play Johnny Cash! I finally put it down on a CD for her and need to drop it off soon.
      Started the week at The Heritage Grill. Playing music and having some Christmas Cheer with Gregg Gorrie who hosts the open Mic and the Ukelelians who where in a most festive mood. I dropped a plate of Squatchbread cookies on the table to share and they soon discovered you can't sing with Squatchbreads in your mouth. They suck all the juice out of your face! The lovely Lisa and I have been out and about most every night Sushi at Tentatsu Too. Appies at Rivers Reach and Mexican at Taquerita Tropical. Muey Buenos!
      We also Christmas wobbled our way home from wherever we were. You know, take all the side streets so you can see the Christmas lights. We wound our way through New Westminster, parts of Burnaby PoCo and Coquitlam. There were some pretty cool places. It looks even better because there's snow.
      After Mexican last night we went to the open mic at Magnetiq. It's a great room to play in. The lovely Lisa Christmas Elf , Bro Steve and a lot of people I have come to know through music.

Squatchbreads

 I had a big plate of Squatchbreads to pass around and a lot of Ho Ho Ho's to contribute to the din of alcohol fueled Christmas Cheer. It was another night of good music with good people.
 

At Magnetiq

          I was right about the writing thing. I do feel better. Now I have to decide if I am going to post it as is or go back and change it so I don't sound like such a whiny Pussy! I better get it together or the Trumper might grab me! History tells me it will go out as is. Something I have regretted once or twice in the past.
   I have a bunch of pictures but I'm still dealing with my kidney/gall bladder issues. As you can tell from this post I'm a little bit scattered. Not fun but doable.

That's all I've got
Till next time
Peace out Y'all