Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis

Which is weirder, the fact that someone decided to to try this, or the fact that it actually worked?

An Irishman blinded by an explosion two years ago has had his sight restored after doctors inserted his son’s tooth in his eye.

Stop and read that again. They inserted a tooth in his eye. And this worked. WHAT?!

McNichol heard about a miracle operation called Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis (OOKP) being performed by Dr Christopher Liu at the Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton in England… McNichol’s right eye socket was rebuilt, part of the tooth inserted and a lens inserted in a hole drilled in the tooth.

Sure, why not?

“There was a 65 percent chance of me getting any sight,” McNichol said. ”Now I have enough sight for me to get around and I can watch television. I have come out from complete darkness to be able to do simple things.”

So let’s recap. Disasterous explosion. Miracle operation. And he’s excited that he can watch television again?

Weekly Weigh-In # 7: 180 lbs.

Yep, still 180. That’s fine. A new strategy is emerging: Maintain, maintain, maintain, then try to lose a pound or two, then maintain, maintain, maintain. If nothing else, it’s teaching me good eating habits. The next two weeks will be a challenge because I’ll be traveling, though.

I’ll consider it mission accomplished (the real type, not the George W. Bush type) if I’m still in shouting distance of 180 when the middle of March rolls around.

Current status: Still Sam.

Fan mail

It’s nice to be appreciated, even if it’s for something that no longer exists.

Hello Josh, Good day from Pennsylvania! I would like to start off by saying how much I’ve enjoyed The American Adventurer. I am an avid traveler who’s always in search of adventure and new experiences. Your website has helped me out and really opened my eyes to some new things I want to try as soon as possible! Thank you and keep up the great work. —Jack McManus

Not the favorite

Sometimes it’s hard being the “other” parent. Most weekdays I only get to see Ethan for about an hour after I get home from work before it’s time to put him to bed. It just doesn’t seem like enough, especially since that hour consists of eating dinner, doing dishes, and occasionally bath time.

The worst is when I come home from a long day at work and he screams bloody murder when I try to pick him up, as he did yesterday. He wants his mommy! Eventually he warms up to me, but it really breaks my heart that he doesn’t just light up with joy to see me like he does when Penny comes home on the days she works. At least I have Thursdays, right?

More cowbell

I met with a nutritionist yesterday to help me figure out what I should and should not eat now that I’m down to just one kidney. She put me on an anti-stone diet, which means less meat (like, a lot less, unfortunately) but more dairy! I have it right here, a doctor’s note saying eat more cheese and ice cream. Yep, I think I can handle that. Doctor’s orders, right?

Weekly Weigh-In # 6: 180 lbs.

No change this week, and that’s fine. My energy and willpower levels were both down a little this week, too, so given that I’m happy with the result. After last week’s big jump in the right direction, holding steady was the important thing. Current status: Still Samwise.

In praise of Steve Perry

So there I was on Interstate 93, driving to work before sunrise, feeling a little glum because, as previously noted, IT WAS BEFORE SUNRISE, and then all of the sudden Oh Sherrie comes on the radio, and BAM! My day’s a little bit brighter.

Yeah, I know, the song sucks. But when I was, oh, maybe eight or nine years old, I loved it. I don’t know why, exactly, but think it was the musical interlude in the middle. I vividly remember making my parents give me all their spare change whenever we’d go to the local diner for hamburgers or a frappe so I could call it up repeatedly on the jukebox (and, I’m guessing now, annoy the hell out of everyone there).

Anyway, thank you, Steve Perry! That was just what I needed this morning. Now I’m ready to go.

iTune, you tune, we all tune…

I read about this on Eric’s blog and decided to do it, too. It’s supposed to give you (and me, too, I suppose) insight on who I am based upon my music collection.

Instructions: Open up your iTunes and fill out this survey, no matter how embarrassing the responses might be.

How many songs total: 1,934 songs
How many hours or days of music: 5.5 days

Most recently played: “The Man Comes Around,” Johnny Cash
Most played: It’s a three-way tie! “Bonny Portmore,” Loreena McKennett; ”What About Everything,” Carbon Leaf; and “Chasing Cars,” Snow Patrol
Most recently added: “Fidelity,” Regina Spektor (awesome, by the way)

Sort by song title:
First Song: “Abandoned Masquerade,” Diana Krall
Last Song: “9 Crimes,” Damian Rice

Sort by time:
Shortest Song: “The Mustard,” Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from “Once More, With Feeling,” 00:20
Longest Song: “Ma Mere L’Oye,” André Previn, from “Carnaval Des Animau,” 27:59

Sort by album:
First album: Abbey Road, The Beatles (Hey, same as Eric!)
Last album: “9,” Damian Rice

First song that comes up on Shuffle: “Lose Yourself,” Eminem

Search the following and state how many songs come up:
Death – 6
Life – 53
Love – 90
Hate – 1
You – 240
Sex – 1

Two minutes of awesome

It’s official. I’m not worried anymore.

Weekly Weigh-In # 5: 180 lbs.

OK, so: Rigorous dieting + midweek snowshoeing = big weight loss! Yes, it’s true. I’ve shed seven pounds since last Thursday. I weighed myself five times this morning, and two more after lunch, because I didn’t believe it. This calls for a new status quo. I’ll go with: Samwise Gamgee, chubby yet plucky hero of Middle-earth.