You are currently browsing the Dave’s BluesBlog weblog archives for the day March 15, 2008.
March 15, 2008 by Dave.
Part 1: How To Network With No Voice
Even with 8 hours of sleep, I was congested the first day of the conference. And that scratching in the back opf my throat meant I was fighting another cold. There was a poolside party the first night to network with everyone. I so felt like I was in Hollywood at that point. As I was talking to a couple of friends of mine, I had to cough. It happens to me a lot at parties when I have to speak over music and other crowd conversations to be heard. However when I tried to speak again, my voice was almost gone. That never happens to me. It could have been the trip, the cold, the nighttime jaccuzi dip, the lous talking, acting as a security guard to my friend as she did a couple of tokes overlooking the sea, or a combination of all those things. Either way, I spent the next day sounding like Froggy from Our Gang.
It’s almost impossible to have a conversation when you have no voice unless you know sign language, and I don’t know enough to sustain a conversation (much like my Spanish; and since this was a Latino film conference, I was now unable to speak in three languages). I muddled through, As long as I didn’t talk too long for any one period of time, I could save my voice. If I talked longer than one minute straight, my voice squeaked to a stop. Luckily talking really wasn’t my job for the conference. Of couorse I was there to take notes and learn stuf to get my filmmaking career launched, but as a volunteer I’m there to work (at least in my mind). I was hoping to get to the fitness center of the spa at least once, but with all the running/walking from one end of the hotel to the other to get stuff and staff and do my job, who needed an eliptical rider.
Still I met a lot of great people, made some great contacts and put the word out about the web series.
Part 2: Things to Do in Vegas When You’re Sick
By the time I got to Will’s house at 1:00 am, I was pretty tired. The plumbing/water is out at his place so he put me up at a nearby hotel. However he mixed up the dates of my arrival and it’s for tomorrw, so I spent the night at Will’s place. When I woke up and tried to meet Will for lunch/breakfast near his office, I knew I had a cold. Not much I can do about it except overdose on plenty of over the counter cold medications and rest. Hell, I’m in Vegas to rest up a bit so I might as well follow my own plan–for once! I bought all my cold medicines plus a new three-subject notebook to continue writing.
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March 15, 2008 by Dave.
Part 1: Heaven (or I’ve Died and Gone to
After a 38 hour journey that really started on Wednesday morning when I woke up to take Sophia to school, I landed in Long Beach and was driven by van to the Laguna Marriott Spa and Resort at Dana Point, CA. It’s a few miles down the coast from Capistrano, though sadly I won’t be staying to see the swallows return. But it is on a cliff overlooking the Pacific and some beautiful water (although just for shits and giggles, there is a sound/inlet area that looks rather skanky and very East River/Brooklyn Piers-like; after all it’s only a Marriott) and the rooms are very welcoming. While most people like to steal towels, I want to steal the shower head. One 15-20 minute shower made me feel human again after almost no sleep in 30 hours. They also have an outdoor Jacuzzi a few yards outside our balcony area. 20 minutes there made me feel beyond human and on a 65 degree evening the wind was perfect. I don’t mind sleeping four to a room with all this around. I also made it a mission to call a bed before anyone else got to the room. Much needed rest after not resting nearly two days.
Part 2: Hell (or Another Day on the 405)
With the back of my throat itching as I got up, I knew I’d spend the day fighting a cold (and if you think it was the fault of jaunting in a Jacuzzi, then I’ll deal with the sore throat). I’m drinking tea by the truckload and trying to rest up a bit. Although that will be hard since why I’m here is to work a conference. There’s no rest for volunteers and even much less for organizers. So I get to spend the day remembering what it was like to be a PA on a film shoot. Lots of running around chasing things and putting out fires. Part of my job today was to ride shotgun for runs to the airport. There are two other area airports near
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March 15, 2008 by Dave.
Sophia was scheduled to be at Newton-Wellesley Hospital at 8:00 am Wednesday morning. They needed to put another tube in her left ear only. She had tubes put in when she was three, and they fell out as usual. But one of her ears isn’t draining well at all, so the doctor wanted to put in a new tube in. That meant getting up at 6:15 and try to get her out of the house by 6:45. No breakfast, nothing to drink but water, I had to drive her to the hospital after picking up her mom. Luckily I got to Susan’s house early because, of course, she just woke up when I got there. I still managed to get her to the hospital a little early.
They had Sophia scheduled for the procedure at 9:00 am, and we were there to fill out paperwork and get her prepped. Part of the prep was to give Sophia a sedative. The anesthesiologist told us it was to help take the edge off of kids before they get into the OR. It was a Tylenol cocktail with something else in it and cherry flavor. She said it’s basically like versed and warned us that she would seem drunk for a little bit. Honestly there are only two words in the English language to describe Sophia drunk: Jeff Conway. (Now I hate reality TV shows, and I am not promoting this show in and of itself, but you need to see the first episode of Celebrity Rehab in its entirety to fully appreciate what I’m talking about in terms of Sophia’s drunken behavior) Before the surgery she was fussy and loved everybody. After the surgery (when coming off of the anesthesia) she was fussy and belligerent. So much so that she had to be put in a separate room when she started screaming as we were supposed to leave.
Hospital regulations said she had to either be carried out or put in a wheelchair. She wanted to walk out on her own and she wasn’t allowed— mainly because she was still under the effects of the anesthesia. She had a fit when I lifted her up and then when I put her in the chair. In that small separate room, I was trying to get her coat on her when she decided to try and walk on her own, and then stumbled slamming head first into the wooden cabinets and railing. More crying and freaking out by Sophia, and even more freaking out by Susan. Susan was almost expecting Sophia to stay at the hospital overnight, and after she hitting her head, she was now insisting on it. The doctor was trying to tell her that there is no medical reason to do that and Sophia continues to scream and cry, and that she would be better off in her own home, in her own environment. I was on the doctor’s side, but it was about convincing Susan.
She thought I was going to go right home after this operation. I wasn’t going to go until I knew Sophia was all right, depending on doctor’s orders. They said it was a same day procedure, so I was taking them at their word. Susan still remembered the time when Sophia when blue after being given fentynol in post-op after the last set of tubes were put in. I of course remembered it, too, but I wasn’t trapped by it. Sophia came through it fine and only needed to let the anesthesia effects wear off. The nurses were able to calm Sophia down. One nurse gave her popsicles and crackers and talked to her to stop her crying and get her to sit still for a bit. That was enough to get Susan to think clearly, plus assuring her that I would also going to be at the house, too, helped.
We got Sophia to agree to sit in the wheelchair and not try to walk again. This however meant carrying her a bunch of times. She hated that and, of course, screamed every time I lifted her up into the car, out of the car and upstairs to the house. But like the doctor’s said, when she was home she was in much better shape. She was still pretty wobbly for most of the afternoon and still very fussy (more than usual). Putting her at the computer to play online kids games helped the process along. The one thing Susan and I agreed on was that we need to keep alcohol as far away from Sophia as possible. She doesn’t do well drunk.
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