The Day After A Colonoscopy

I wanted to write about my colonoscopy yesterday; however, I was exhausted. So, I will do it today. At about 11 pm, Thursday night, I fell into a nice deep sleep and then I was rudely awakened by my alarm clock at 3 am to finish the last liter of my delicious PEG-3350 solution. I lied, it is not even close to being delicious. I was able to get down to the last 8 oz by 3:45 while watching Netflix. I had to stay awake to ensure I finished it but, that last 6 oz didn't happen. I couldn't keep it down any longer, that stuff is nasty. I poured the remaining liquid down the drain. I was done with that crap.

By around 3:50 am, I fell back to sleep and again I was rudely awakened by the alarm clock at 6 am. I had a very difficult time peeling myself from my bed. It took me a good 10 minutes to get up and jump into the shower. I was starving. I really wanted to cancel the procedure, grab a cup of coffee, eat a hearty breakfast and go to work. I wasn't afraid about going through the procedure, I just wanted to eat.

Finally, at 7:30 am the Queen (Wife) and I hopped into Little Red to drive to the hospital. I wanted to drive but, I felt tired and out of energy; therefore, the Queen (Wife) did the driving. Of course, on the way to the hospital all I noticed were the fast food places and restaurants advertising their menus. I couldn't wait to get this over with to have something to eat. At this point I didn't care what kind of food, I just wanted something edible. We arrived at the hospital at around 8:30 am, and it felt like as soon as I checked in and completed filling out a form, a nurse yelled out my name and led me to a chair to ask me some additional questions like, am I allergic to anything, do I smoke and blah-blah-blah... What felt like a matter of seconds, I was in my revealing hospital gown laying on a hospital bed with an IV stuck into my right arm. The Nurse asked me if I was nervous since this is my first colonoscopy, I replied with a, "No, I can't wait to get this over with to get something to eat."

The Nurse wheels me into another room with a half dozen or so, monitors and equipment protruding from the ceiling. He sticks a tube up under my nose and says it is only oxygen and asked me to lay on my left side. I see a huge monitor in front of me and I ask, “Is that monitor hooked up the camera that is going to be viewing my colon? Because, I want to see.” The Nurse informed me it is and I can watch if I can stay awake. I was tried but, I don’t recall them giving me anything that would make me feel sleepy or make me fall a sleep for that matter. I was going to stay awake and get a glimpse of my colon, I was excited to see how it looked. Its not every day a guy gets to see his innards. I hate to say but, the only thing I remember after I tried to keep my focus on the monitor is hearing voices around me but, I don’t recall seeing anything. Heck, it felt like it was all a dream. I must have been in a deep sleep because, I was then rudely awakened by the Nurse yelling, “Okay, we are all done!”  At this point, I didn’t care if they were done or still working on the procedure, I felt comfortable in the bed and having a great sleep. I am wheeled back to my little curtained space while the Nurse informs me that the Doctor will stop by and inform me how the procedure when and then release me. I requested the Nurse to tell the Doctor to take his time, I just want to sleep a little longer. Well, to my dismay the Doctor came bouncing out of nowhere letting me know the procedure went well and my colon is as clean as a whistle and I can go home now.

On the way home, the Queen (Wife) asked me what I wanted to eat. I just spotted a Wendy’s sign, and shouted, “WENDY'S, Combo #1!” I didn’t eat the combo, I inhaled it and it felt like everything was right with the World again. The remainder of the day I spent sleeping, not much else. I did wake up long enough to enjoy a couple slices of pizza the Queen (Wife) picked up for dinner and, back to sleep I went.

If you are thinking about getting a colonoscopy or have an appointment for one coming up, trust me. The time spent preparing for it is a LIVING HELL! But, once you arrive to the hospital, clinic or wherever your appointment is, the rest is easy. My only word of advice is… During the preparation, be sure to drink lots of water. Especially while you are drinking the liquid solution they force you to drink. It will help.

Until next time, Smoke’em if you got’em.

Its Not Alien Probing or Is It?!

Laxative Tablets

Early Thursday morning and I am getting ready for work. I am only working a half day today and off tomorrow. You would think I would be happy, excited but, no. I feel like a dead man walking, waiting for his day of execution without the Last Meal. My meals today consist of clear liquids only, 4 tablets and huge jug of some type of concoction to clear out my innards.

Yes, I am scheduled to be abducted by Aliens for an experimental probe. Actually, I have a colonoscopy scheduled for early Friday morning. In my opinion it is like that of an alien probe but, instead of an alien it is a human doctor. At least they assured me the doc is human.  I REALLY need to stop watching X-Files. As you can tell, I am not looking forward to it. My Doctor has been nagging me for the last two years to get my hairy bottom in for the probing procedure.  So, let the PARTY begin!

I haven't had a decent meal since yesterday Evening and for some strange reason, I am not feeling hungry yet. I had a couple cups of coffee and some water to keep me dehydrated. I don't know how much longer I can go on without food. I LOVE FOOD! I have to admit, I don't eat food just because I am hungry, oh no. I eat food because, I love the taste, the experience. It is a very short list of the foods I don't like. Darn! I need to go to work. More later....

I am home from work and I am craving a California burrito right now. Oh, that meaty, tangy flavor all wrapped up in a warm, soft flour tortilla. Oh, and a Blizzard too. My Son and I were watching Shark Week last night and a Dairy Queen commercial came on advertising the Blizzard in all of its creamy, swiryl glory mixed with any of the sugary sweetness your heart desires. I am torn between desiring the Twix Blizzard or the Reeses's Peanut Butter Cup. I can't wait until this probing is over because, I am going to stuff this face with a Cali burrito and both the Twix  & the Reeses's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards.

PEG-3350 Solution

I took the 4 laxative tablets at Noon as instructed and at 5 PM I started to work on finishing 3 liters out of a 4 liter jug of the concoction that was prescribed to me. The first two 8 oz glasses didn't taste half bad, I felt like I got this, easy breezy. WRONG! I had to drink 8 oz every 10 minutes and after a while this stuff tastes nasty. By 7:42 PM, I was done with the 3 liters. YAY ME!!! What worked for me to get through the first 3 liters, I set my timer for 10 minutes and chugged the glass within 3-4 minutes which gave me about a 7 to 6 minute rest.   At 3 am, I have to wake up to finish the remaining liter. YUCK!

Anyway, until next time, PLEASE enjoy a California burrito for me and a Blizzard. Ya gotta have the Blizzard.  

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

I was trying to think of a title for this post that relates to Sunday but, the only think I could think of was the old U2 song "Sunday, Bloody Sunday." Now, I have that song stuck in my head.  Anyway, I figure I did a post for this past Friday and Saturday, why not do Sunday too? I must confess, I didn’t do much of anything this past Sunday, went to church and came home. The Queen (Wife) and the oldest Daughters cooked breakfast, eggs, sausage, bacon and English Muffins. Delicious.

After breakfast the Ladies of the household stepped out to do some shopping; while, my Son, youngest Daughter and oldest Grand-kid stayed behind until, I decided let’s go out and do something. It is a beautiful, hot and steamy day, lets go out for ice cream. Before, I could grab the car keys, all three kids were outside attempting to hop into Little Red.  I debated on whether we should go to Rite Aid but, there isn’t a place to sit down to enjoy our ice cream and I didn’t want the kids to eat the ice cream inside of Little Red. It was too hot to enjoy it outside. I thought about Dairy Queen but, they don’t have a huge selection of flavors. We ended up at the Old Town Sweet Shop in Temecula. Yes, it is pricey but, it is a cool place to hang out with the kids and they have a good selection of different flavors. Note to self, don’t buy ice cream in an ice cream cone for a 4-5 year old on a hot summer day. I should have gotten his ice cream in a cup. Poor little Grandson had chocolate all over the front of his shirt and shorts. After raising my own Kids, you would think I would have known all of this. Ah well… He really enjoyed his ice cream though.

Cool Car? In Old Town Temecula

Once we were done with our ice cream, we walked around Old Town Temecula for a few minutes and came upon this interesting, cool truck/car? Correct me if I am wrong but it looks like someone took an old Chevy truck and converted into a topless “car.” Whatever it is, it is very cool. We did see a 1954 Buick Skylark, beautiful car. I was going to take a picture but, the owner came out of the restaurant to move it to another location, I have feeling she was getting nervous over a bunch of people standing around her car and drooling. Sorry, if you have a gorgeous car, people um.. I mean me won’t touch it but, we will drool over it. I blame my Dad, he took me to many car shows back in the day and I have learned to appreciate automobiles. Anyway… After a while, The Princess (Youngest Daughter) wanted to go back the Home front and the Grandson wanted to watch his favorite movie, Bridge to Terabithia. We jumped back into Little Red and headed back home.

New Grill for Barbecuing

Hanging at the household with the 3 Kids for a few hours, The Ladies of the Household came back from their shopping excursion and the Queen (Wife) asked if the old grill is working. Unfortunately, due to 14 years of hard service, it finally gave up the ghost. I could get parts and replace the innards but, after the Queen (Wife) priced out new grills online, it would be more cost effective to just buy a new one. This time instead of hopping into Little Red, we jump up into the Suburban and drove out to Home Depot. To break in the new grill we decided to cook up some hot dogs and carne asada, while I puffed a stogie and swig down a beer.  After the meat is all cooked, the beer empty and the stogie half gone, it was time to chow down. I always recommend lighting up a stogie while grilling, the only way to cook.

I must admit, I am addicted to the Henry Clay Stalk Cut cigar. Great little smoke. The place I get them at is Escondido Smoke Shop. For California pricing, the price isn't too bad. Living in California is getting ridiculous. I don't understand why we, here in California put up with it. I have had people how have lived out here for most of their lives, if not, their life that it is the price we have to pay for the type of weather we have. Seriously. What the (BLEEP)?! Anyway, I hate the fact we seem to pay more for everything. Makes me upset, I need Daiquiri and a stogie. I found the perfect Daiquiri recipe and they are delicious on a hot Sunday Evening. 

That was my Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Stay cool and Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

A Southern Saturday Cruise

This past Saturday morning started out like just about every other Saturday morning. I peeled my sleepy head up off from my pillow, hopped into the shower, after the wash down and feeling fresh, I then grabbed a mug of steaming, hot coffee. I shouldn’t have stayed up late Friday night watching X-Files and the 2^nd Mission Impossible Movie starring Tom Cruise. Yeah! I like Tom Cruise and enjoy his movies. So,

Little Red

what! Get over it. Anyway, I slid into the Little Red (Mini Cooper) and headed out to the park to watch the Grandkids play T-ball. I LOVE watching these Little Guys play T-Ball. Not just my Grandkids but, watching the other Kids play is very entertaining. I know it is only T-ball but, some of the kids can hit the ball pretty hard. Sometimes I wonder, will any of them end up playing in the Big Leagues? That would be Awesome. Anyway, already at 8:30 am it is steaming hot in Southern California. The temps are running up in the 80's this morning but, it is muggy. It feels like it is 84% humidity. After the game, I slid back into Little Red (Mini Cooper) and ran to the local self-wash car wash. I try to wash the Little Red every Saturday. Whether it is at home in my driveway or at the self-wash place. I like keeping her clean. I haven’t cleaned the interior yet; other than, just a vacuum but, I will some time this week or weekend.

Solanoa Beach California

After I got Little Red all cleaned up, I did some other errands and then, by lunch time instead of eating I lied down upon our carpeted floor and took a power nap. I ain’t complaining but, the hot/humid weather makes me one sleepy Dude. Not sure how long I slept but, I picked my groggy body up  off the floor to seek out The Queen (Wife). I noticed it was about 2:45 pm. Did I really sleep for that long? Ah, who cares… it is my day off. The Queen (Wife) asked if I wanted to take the Little Red for a ride along the Coast. Without hesitation, I replied with a “YES!” And, before you could hit the gas pedal to beat a red light, I had my wallet, phone, sun glasses, shoes on and the Cooper keys in hand. We were onto another adventure to escape the heat of our little Southern California city to head West to enjoy the much cooler Ocean breeze.

I swear the I-15 is just as bad as the 91, here in Southern California. Well, at least between Murrieta and Rainbow. Sometimes, it is a parking lot all the way down to the 76. I should have taken the back roads but, we were in no hurry to get anywhere and we had some excellent tunes playing. As we are cruising down along the coast, we noticed everyone is hitting up the beach to escape the heat. According to Little Red’s temp readings, the temps near the Ocean are running in the mid 70’s but, due to the high humidity, it feels a lot warmer. We made a little stop at Solana Beach, to stretch out our legs and take a small hike down to the beach. What a gorgeous day at the beach. It was this beach where I came up with the idea for a blog and name it "Mini Adventures." I was thinking why not a blog that records my travels with my Family and Little Red (Mini Cooper). And so, we here are today. Aren’t you, the reader, excited? If you are, STOP READING NOW and call 911. There is something wrong with you.

La Takiza

When the Kids shouted out, “What is for dinner?!” We hiked back to slide into Little Red and headed further South, deciding what to do for dinner. The Queen (Wife) suggested stopping by La Takiza in Escondido. So it is written and so, it shall be done!  Before we know it, we are standing in line placing our order for some DELICIOUS foo.   if you live in Escondido or just visiting, and have never tried La Takiza before, I highly recommend it. My Son and I highly recommend their California burrito. The food is delicious, and the pricing is very reasonable. And, the staff there is Awesome.

This ends the Exciting Tale of A Southern Saturday Cruise. Tune in next time for another exciting tale and in the meantime, Smoke ‘em if you got 'em!

Friday Night Lights

Little Red At Night

This past Friday Evening, I am stuck in traffic trying to get home from work and I get a call from The Queen (my Wife) asking if I am almost home and the Kids want to go out for dinner, pizza. Pizza? YES! Yes, I do. I LOVE pizza. I switch the little Cooper from Green Mode to Sport Mode and I start to zip thru traffic to get home as soon as possible but, very carefully to not cause any type of accident. Hey! I don't want to hurt someone but, most or is it more? anyway... importantly, I don't want a dent, much less a scratch on my little Red Cooper. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago my Son noticed a scratch on her. An ugly, scratch. I considered fixing it but, I thought no. I considered it a battle scar now. I am not sure when the scratch was made and now it doesn't matter. Now, it is a badge of honor. Anyway, I am going off on a tangent.... Where was I? Oh yes... Last Friday night.

I picked up the Family, and it was hot as blazes Friday night so, we decided to use someone else's AC for the Evening. We decided to go to the Garage Brewery. Great Beer, Good Food and Excellent Service.

Temecula/Murrieta City Lights

If you have never been to the Garage Brewery, I highly recommend it. My family and I discovered the Garage Brewery by chance. Two years ago, or was it three years ago? Doesn't matter. The Queen (My Wife) discovered online that there is a hiking trail back up there past the gas station and the trail leads to a really, cool little water fall. Kids head up there to jump off the edge into the water below. Before our hike that day, we noticed the brewery and decided we would check it out after our trek. The place is a bit like Heaven on Earth... They sell pizza and beer. What could be better than that? Oops, I did it again. Off on another tangent. Ah well…

After inhaling our pizza and draining our drinks, we decided to head back home until, The Queen (Wife) suggested heading West, up Rancho California, to a spot up in the hills where you can park and get a great view of the cities.  Especially at night. Just a Gorgeous view. I just had to take a few pics.

Until next time… Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

A Mini Or Not A Mini

People ask me, "Why a Mini?!" In response, I say, "Why Not!"

I love the look of the Mini Cooper, it is very iconic. It is similar to how a Mustang, a Camaro or a Corvette has that distinctive look so, when you see one, you know right away what it is. At times I feel all other cars or SUVs look the same. The design of the Cooper isn't like any other car and when you slide into the drivers seat and feel how quick they are, you can't stop smiling. I look forward to driving a Cooper, whereas any other car it feels like driving is a chore. I remember after BMW took over the brand and released them into the USA, I started doing some research on the history of the Mini Cooper and became a big fan of the little car.

It is funny how I developed a "love affair" with the Mini Cooper. During my childhood I dreamed of owing a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Every car show I attended with Dad I was running to see every 1957 Chevy that was on display. Beautiful car but, I also believe it had a lot to do with the fact my Dad used to have one. It was his favorite car too. I have a confession, I also wanted a rusty old Studebaker. A 1953 Studebaker. How cool would that be? 

I used to love the Corvette. Especially the years of 1959 and 1965. Beautiful! Today's Corvette is nice too but, in my opinion the Corvettes from the 1950's and 60's are the better looking designs. After serving time in the US Army and being stationed in Europe, I started to appreciate the smaller European cars, along with the BWM's and the Mercedes. I remember the first time I hopped into a taxi cab in Germany, it was a Mercedes. Where I come from the taxi cabs were clunky old Chevy's.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new and unanticipated Blog about My Mini Adventures!

This blog is just a hobby for me. You will not learn anything new or useful. This blog is mainly to give me something to do. I took a little trip with my family to the beach in our Mini Cooper today and because, the scenery was so awe inspiring, I thought why not start a journal? Then, it struck me! Why not start a blog about my Mini? How about a blog titled "Mini Adventures!" So, here we are, a useless blog about my Mini Cooper and um... my adventures. Feel free to read and enjoy or better yet. If you are having problems sleeping at night, just read this blog. This blog is mainly used to feed my ego and not, give out some sage advice.

If for some reason you really do care about this blog, I am not sure how often I will take the time to post anything so, check it out whenever you are extremely bored.