DClog

Barium Breakfast

Health: This morning started with a visit to the Gwinnett Medical Center for a "barium swallow". Basically they take x-ray pictures of you while you swallow radioactive liquids. Results will be sent to Dr. Liotta in two days.

Georgia State Road Race Championships: On May 29th the 2004 edition of Georgia's State Cycling Championships will be held right here in Dacula, Georgia, on roads I have ridden almost daily for more than a decade. Life can be so cruel... this season I have been completely unable to ride my bike, and tons of amazing cycling events are going on all around me! www.fultonflyers.org

Yellow-poplar

Liriodendron tulipifera - Here is a scan of the first tulip to fall this season. This Yellow-poplar is a stately tree that lives next to my driveway, which is not a good place for it because it drips honeydew onto the cars. Native Americans used the inner bark medicinally as worming medicine, antiarthritic, cough syrup and cholera remedy.

Tour de Georgia Party

Mack McKibben, Dan Coy, and Keith Runfola

DC3: The Dan Coy Trio kicked off the Tour de Georgia end of the race party with some high-energy instrumental music at the Metropolitan Club in Alpharetta, Georgia. Many of the riders, teams and staff were present. I was too busy to talk with anyone but I identified Chris Horner, Jonathan Vaughters, Jens Voigt, and Cesar Gajales just to name a few.

The only part of the TdG that I actually got to see was the riders lining up at the start line in Athens on Saturday morning. The FFA conventions that I was playing at had a brief break in the action at 10AM and I ran out the front door of the Classic Center and down the street two blocks just in time to see them call the cycling stars to the line. Cheryl Crow was spotted in the crowd.

That day's stage contained the defining moment of the '04 TdG with the finish of the 127 mile route ending on the 3+ mile ascent up to the top of Brasstown Bald mountain. I personally have ridden up this road one time, the steepest paved road in Georgia, featuring sections in excess of 20% and even with a 39x27 gear I thought I wasn't going to make it.

Take a Moment

Mailbox flowers and baby leaves on the trees, even the journey to the end of the driveway and back can be wonderful.

   

In a few hours I will be headed to Athens to perform at the annual state FFA conventions. You will find Mack and I sitting in the Classic Center with headphones on and reading a HUGE book of cues, intros, vamps, fills and occasional feature spots for the next three days. This is a very long and demanding job and my fingers are sore by the end of it, but it's a good experience. Those folks really love us and appreciate the enthusiasm we put into it, there has even been talk of hiring us for the national conventions.

New Doc

Health: Dr. Liotto, ex-Air Force pilot and runner, scheduled a "barium swallow", and prescribed Celebrex. The theory is possible cartilage damage and/or arthritis type pain in the ribs, as well as checking the esophagus for anomalies.

Music & TdG: The performance schedule has been and continues to be booked solid. I am so busy playing guitar that I will not witness a moment of the Tour de Georgia this week, *BUT* the Dan Coy Trio will be performing at the Metropolitan Club in Alpharetta Sunday night at a private party for the TdG teams and staff. I might get to hang with Super Mario and Lance after all.

Flying Seeds

Seeds with wings, like little helicopters, are all around my yard these days.

Health: The bone scan evaluation reports the following, "Small focal area of abnormal radionuclide activity in the left lateral ninth rib. The finding may reflect a small subacute or healing fracture". This, unfortunately, does not explain the swelling in the left chest (which the chiropractor refers to as my alien baby) and the pain around the heart area. I will visit yet another doctor tommorrow for more tests. I am beginning to lose count of how many doctors so far.

Bone Scan

Yesterday I got an injection of something to make my bones glow and then got my chest area scanned. The doctor hasn't seen the images yet and I don't know how to interpret them. Here's a look at them with a little arrow pointing to the place that hurts.

   

Easter Photos

I'm gonna hafta break down and buy a new digital camera. We use the thing all the time and deserve one that's better than this entry-level one that's more than 4-years old. Anyway here's some of the images from the egg hunt.

Easter 2004 photos

Cartoon

click to enlarge image

Spring Break on the AT

Samantha went on her first ever visit to the Appalachian Trail and it was probably the best day of her life. We camped out several miles west of Unicoi Gap, but my over-enthusiastic dog couldn't sleep a wink with all those sounds and smells in the mountains. The weather was calm and clear so I didn't even take a tent, just a tarp and sleeping bag. There were many hikers and several other dogs, whom carried their own packs and followed their masters obediently without a leash - we have to work on that. Here's a few photos from the latest backpacking adventure.

Piano & Guitar

This week, the other half of my duo for the past few years, Mack McKibben, is on vacation with his family. In the interim I am fortunate to have one of my old bandmates fill in on the piano, Bill Wilson, son of the legendary jazz pianist Teddy Wilson. The actual job we're doing is a very laid-back situation where we sit and provide "nice" music for the diners at Violette restaurant. However while we are emulating the sounds heard in elevators, we also play some good stuff if you happen to be listening. Below are several MP3's you can download and play (Right-Click on the link and select "Save target As...")

• Phase Dance - Pat Metheny
  
• Birdland - Joe Zawanul
  
• Stolen Moments - Oliver Nelson
  

Set Back

Health & Fitness: Something didn't feel right when I started out on that ride last Wednesday with Matt. While turning out of the neighborhood my instincts were telling me, "not today, go back home". Even though I rode really slow and easy, the same old symptoms returned with a vengeance. This injury/illness has now haunted me for six months and the physical pain is nothing compared to the torture of having to just sit here and atrophy (or recuperate, depends how you look at it).

Website, Coaching & Music Biz: Fortunately, these combined pursuits are running at or very near full-capacity for one man, so I have plenty to do while just sitting here.