Here's the first game I've played online in a while. Pretty rough. It'll be slow-going for this new start at chess again.
That sucks.
Here's another welcome back - diverticulosis, as I found out Friday night / Saturday morning.
Suspecting a recurrence of diverticulitis, I went in to emergency with moderate to severe pain in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen and after a CT scan & x-rays, it was confirmed.
After a 12" sigmoid resection surgery in December last year there was only a 10% chance of it coming back. So, what great news it is to know I'm one of the few, the not so proud, the ten percent.
That sucks, too.
But I DID have a nice weekend being with family.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Marshall Beaners
Sarah, manager at the Beaners in Marshall, called today gave us the go ahead to play chess there on Sunday afternoons.
That's great! I'm looking forward to making a new blog dedicated to Marshall Beaners Chess.
That's great! I'm looking forward to making a new blog dedicated to Marshall Beaners Chess.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Battle Creek Chess
I managed to talk my family in going with me to the chess club at Barnes & Noble in Battle Creek yesterday afternoon. My mission had 3 objectives:
1. Spend time with family.
2. Recruit some players that may want to play in Marshall on Sunday afternoons.
3. Get a game of chess in.
All three objectives were successfully met. I actually played 3 games - one with Nathanael & two with Jim. Jim's a very good player & he is better than I am (who's not these days?). I managed to win the 2nd game by winning a bishop & trapping his queen. I think it was just luck. I hung a pawn & he grabbed it, allowing me to develop with tempo & eventually his queen got trapped on the kingside of the board. It was difficult enough to win when I was playing all the time so, winning one was unlikely.
I got to watch Christian play against Larry. Larry's such a good sport - tolerating my 3 year old's way of playing. They split, by the way. :) 6yo Nathan also played Larry & he lost one & drew one.
1. Spend time with family.
2. Recruit some players that may want to play in Marshall on Sunday afternoons.
3. Get a game of chess in.
All three objectives were successfully met. I actually played 3 games - one with Nathanael & two with Jim. Jim's a very good player & he is better than I am (who's not these days?). I managed to win the 2nd game by winning a bishop & trapping his queen. I think it was just luck. I hung a pawn & he grabbed it, allowing me to develop with tempo & eventually his queen got trapped on the kingside of the board. It was difficult enough to win when I was playing all the time so, winning one was unlikely.
I got to watch Christian play against Larry. Larry's such a good sport - tolerating my 3 year old's way of playing. They split, by the way. :) 6yo Nathan also played Larry & he lost one & drew one.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The 200 lb Barrier
Finally, it seems I've broken the 200 pound barrier - weighing in at 198 this morning. That's 15 lbs of weight loss since mid-July. Again, it's all basically from not over-eating or snacking before bed.
It seemed like I was at 200 - 201 for such a long time.
Gonna try to hit the chess club in Battle Creek tonight.
It seemed like I was at 200 - 201 for such a long time.
Gonna try to hit the chess club in Battle Creek tonight.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A Michigan Man?
Sam McGuffie, an unreal running back from Texas is said to be committed to the University of Michigan for the 2008 recruiting class. It seems he may be the closest thing to Barry Sanders since Barry Sanders except Sam seems to hit the hole a little faster and he's already better than Mike Hart!
Funk
It seems I'm past the infectious funk experience of strep blood. No fevers & I'm feeling less & less fatigued everyday & more motivated to get more things done around the house.
I miss playing chess - still haven't played any. But when I do manage to start again, I think I'll start from square one & coincide it with this blog. You know, basic principles first. Those are always good things even for advanced players for some reason. A little reinforcement helps sometimes, I guess.
Starting slow might be a good idea - like longer games against Fritz or Chessmaster. Then I could progress to faster games on the internet once I've acquired a level of comfort again.
I miss playing chess - still haven't played any. But when I do manage to start again, I think I'll start from square one & coincide it with this blog. You know, basic principles first. Those are always good things even for advanced players for some reason. A little reinforcement helps sometimes, I guess.
Starting slow might be a good idea - like longer games against Fritz or Chessmaster. Then I could progress to faster games on the internet once I've acquired a level of comfort again.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Better
I'm feeling much better, now. No fever - feeling as if I'm well on the path to full recovery. I'm still taking antibiotics, tho.
After my boy's birthday get together this weekend, I hope to be able to concentrate a little more on some chess and that I feel enough like cutting some wood! It's starting to get rather chilly.
After my boy's birthday get together this weekend, I hope to be able to concentrate a little more on some chess and that I feel enough like cutting some wood! It's starting to get rather chilly.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Low-grade
Still got a low-grade fever but the doc believes the worst of my strep-blood illness is past. I'm thinking he may be right, because tho I'm still very sore with a headache, it seems more manageable than the last three or four days.
More blood work was done today. In Feb 2006 I had functional endoscopic surgery to remove 6 cysts in my sinuses and straighten a deviated septum. It was very successful & I've been much better overall since.
The CT scan from Sunday showed a cyst that came back in my left sinus that is significantly larger than the one scanned in May of 2005, and one cyst in the right that is significantly smaller than the one that was there in 2005. The rest is A-okay. With that one exception, my sinuses look good. The doc said I'd have to get that looked in to but didn't indicate that it was a great concern at this point. I'm supposed to call his office once a week to provide a health update.
More blood work was done today. In Feb 2006 I had functional endoscopic surgery to remove 6 cysts in my sinuses and straighten a deviated septum. It was very successful & I've been much better overall since.
The CT scan from Sunday showed a cyst that came back in my left sinus that is significantly larger than the one scanned in May of 2005, and one cyst in the right that is significantly smaller than the one that was there in 2005. The rest is A-okay. With that one exception, my sinuses look good. The doc said I'd have to get that looked in to but didn't indicate that it was a great concern at this point. I'm supposed to call his office once a week to provide a health update.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
More of the same
I went to bed last night immediately after the last post on here - 'bout 10 pm. It was a pretty sound sleep until 6 am. I got up feverish again & took a Tylenol and two Motrin (lower doses than what I usually take) and went back to bed.
At 8 am I awoke freezing, shivering, weak, with a sore and achy body - especially the lower back
again with 103.6 temp. Again, one Tylenol, two Motrin, & my antibiotic (Augmentin - 875 mg).
More info -
Bowels - normal
Appetite - normal
Throat - just some mild irritation
Abdominal, muscle & joint soreness
At 8 am I awoke freezing, shivering, weak, with a sore and achy body - especially the lower back
again with 103.6 temp. Again, one Tylenol, two Motrin, & my antibiotic (Augmentin - 875 mg).
More info -
Bowels - normal
Appetite - normal
Throat - just some mild irritation
Abdominal, muscle & joint soreness
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Comfortably Numb
Holy shirt. Damn. I'm tired of this being sick stuff already. I went back to the doc last Tuesday & he didn't want to put me on any more antibiotics because he felt any more would lower my body's ability to resist infection. So he sends me over for blood work, calls me the next day & says I've got a serious infection & prescribes me a different antibiotic.
Okay, no problemo. Finally, I can start to feel better. That is except until last night - I got up at 3am with 103 fever. So, I medicate, get the fever down & slept from 7am until 10am. I wake up delirious & medicate again. Then I lounge around until the Michigan game starts. Right when it started my temp was 102.6. So, at 3:30 pm I medicate again & sit back & observe the ass-whoopin' the Ducks put on the Wolverines. By the second quarter, my fever had jumped to 104.7. I'm weak, achy sore, but mostly numb & it became difficult to breath without pain on my right side. My breaths were weak & shallow & my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I tell you, it's like another world when your fever gets beyond a certain point. Comfortably numb is about the best I can describe it.
Jill freaked, she calls the doc & they said to take me in to emergency. I get there at 5:00 pm & my fever had started to come down (103.3). They gave me an IV with saline & a massive antibiotic, ran more blood tests & xray'd my chest. I had a nice plasma TV with a remote in my room in the ER & the doctor & I watched the last half of the 3rd quarter till the last 7 minutes of the Michigan game - discussing my medical issues between plays and during commercials. Gotta love a doc like that. He asked me if Michigan had ever scored 31 points in a quarter. I told him yes, at Minnesota three years ago. We both knew it wasn't going to happen today, tho.
Anyway, the doc said my x-ray was normal & the blood count was 9,000 compared to 17,000 earlier in the week. That's wierd, I didn't have this bad of a fever back when it was higher. He went on to recommended that I stay the night. I thought about it but decided against it because what, exactly were they going to do, anyway? I was already feeling better by then & the doc recommended that if I didn't stay, I should come back tomorrow for another massive antibiotic treatment via IV again. So, I'll be back in there at noonish tomorrow.
My temp right this second is 103.1. Crazy, huh? I felt so good by the time I left the hospital. Now I'm wondering if I should've stayed. I just took more Tylenol & Motrin to reduce the fever. It seems like I've been living on that stuff lately. The nurse at the hospital freaked when I told her how much & how often I take it to control the fever. If I don't take Tylenol or Motrin, what am I to do? Soak in a cold bath?
Ok. Nevermind.
Okay, no problemo. Finally, I can start to feel better. That is except until last night - I got up at 3am with 103 fever. So, I medicate, get the fever down & slept from 7am until 10am. I wake up delirious & medicate again. Then I lounge around until the Michigan game starts. Right when it started my temp was 102.6. So, at 3:30 pm I medicate again & sit back & observe the ass-whoopin' the Ducks put on the Wolverines. By the second quarter, my fever had jumped to 104.7. I'm weak, achy sore, but mostly numb & it became difficult to breath without pain on my right side. My breaths were weak & shallow & my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I tell you, it's like another world when your fever gets beyond a certain point. Comfortably numb is about the best I can describe it.
Jill freaked, she calls the doc & they said to take me in to emergency. I get there at 5:00 pm & my fever had started to come down (103.3). They gave me an IV with saline & a massive antibiotic, ran more blood tests & xray'd my chest. I had a nice plasma TV with a remote in my room in the ER & the doctor & I watched the last half of the 3rd quarter till the last 7 minutes of the Michigan game - discussing my medical issues between plays and during commercials. Gotta love a doc like that. He asked me if Michigan had ever scored 31 points in a quarter. I told him yes, at Minnesota three years ago. We both knew it wasn't going to happen today, tho.
Anyway, the doc said my x-ray was normal & the blood count was 9,000 compared to 17,000 earlier in the week. That's wierd, I didn't have this bad of a fever back when it was higher. He went on to recommended that I stay the night. I thought about it but decided against it because what, exactly were they going to do, anyway? I was already feeling better by then & the doc recommended that if I didn't stay, I should come back tomorrow for another massive antibiotic treatment via IV again. So, I'll be back in there at noonish tomorrow.
My temp right this second is 103.1. Crazy, huh? I felt so good by the time I left the hospital. Now I'm wondering if I should've stayed. I just took more Tylenol & Motrin to reduce the fever. It seems like I've been living on that stuff lately. The nurse at the hospital freaked when I told her how much & how often I take it to control the fever. If I don't take Tylenol or Motrin, what am I to do? Soak in a cold bath?
Ok. Nevermind.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Hovering at 200.5
Still hovering at 200.5. I haven't officially dipped below the 200 mark yet. I was 216 going in and 196 coming out of the hospital last December.
213 in July and 200.5 right now. And I still haven't been determined enough to specify a period of time dedicated to physical activity. Except for softball, if that even counts. I have a feeling that when that actually does start, it'll probably drop rapidly.
213 in July and 200.5 right now. And I still haven't been determined enough to specify a period of time dedicated to physical activity. Except for softball, if that even counts. I have a feeling that when that actually does start, it'll probably drop rapidly.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Deep Thoughts
Direction determines destination.
Pastor Clare Loughrige said something in church this morning that really struck me. Pastor Scott did, too. But what Clare stated can be completley related to chess and life. Since this is a chess blog that is "not just about chess", I'll go into it.
As it was explained to her by a Haitian missionary right then, she said, "Sometimes, we don't really want what God has for us. We want what works for us."
How true. If it isn't convenient, or if it doesn't serve ourselves or our interests in some fashion, we tend to basically ignore it. The jist of it was that we should, as Christians & believers, allow God to lead us.
Minimal in comparison, but this is also a principle in chess. Instead of doing what we want to do, we should do what the position requires us to do. Wiser men and wiser chess players know this. If you can read or interpret a position, it'll tell you what is required for the plan. If you don't listen or heed its instruction, you may not neccessarily lose but in some form you'll eventually pay even if your dues are just knowing you didn't play the strongest possible move. Using the mentallity of Fischer, it was not the truth.
So, how do we learn to read a chess position? I'm not an authority on chess or God. So, my answer would be - lots of interaction & study, I guess.
It's a search for truth. There are certain amounts of pain and freedom that result from the honesty and if you've tried it before, you know that doing the right thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do.
Seek and ye shall find.
:)
Pastor Clare Loughrige said something in church this morning that really struck me. Pastor Scott did, too. But what Clare stated can be completley related to chess and life. Since this is a chess blog that is "not just about chess", I'll go into it.
As it was explained to her by a Haitian missionary right then, she said, "Sometimes, we don't really want what God has for us. We want what works for us."
How true. If it isn't convenient, or if it doesn't serve ourselves or our interests in some fashion, we tend to basically ignore it. The jist of it was that we should, as Christians & believers, allow God to lead us.
Minimal in comparison, but this is also a principle in chess. Instead of doing what we want to do, we should do what the position requires us to do. Wiser men and wiser chess players know this. If you can read or interpret a position, it'll tell you what is required for the plan. If you don't listen or heed its instruction, you may not neccessarily lose but in some form you'll eventually pay even if your dues are just knowing you didn't play the strongest possible move. Using the mentallity of Fischer, it was not the truth.
So, how do we learn to read a chess position? I'm not an authority on chess or God. So, my answer would be - lots of interaction & study, I guess.
It's a search for truth. There are certain amounts of pain and freedom that result from the honesty and if you've tried it before, you know that doing the right thing is sometimes the hardest thing to do.
Seek and ye shall find.
:)
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Colossal Upset - Wolverines Stunned!
Despite having more 1st downs, passing & rushing yards and more talent, Michigan lost to a motivated division 1-AA school today.
Hey, just where in the heck is Appalachian State, anyway? They're pretty darn good. Fast, too.
They so deserved to win. Michigan special teams couldn't get their assignments right - having two field goals blocked in the 4th quarter. QB Henne didn't seem on top of his game, either - going 19 of 37 for 1 TD & 1 INT. #20 - RB Mike Hart had 188 yards despite being played sparingly.
Bad snaps, fumbles, & stumbles in the backfield.
Oh, well - hopefully Jeff is pulling off some upsets of his own at the 2007 Michigan Open Chess Championship.
Michigan State won, that's a plus. And it's sometimes nice to see the little guys win like App State did. I can't deny enjoying it when State lost to Central two years in a row or when lowly Michigan State thumped on the top-ranked Buckeyes a few years back.
It's Michigan's turn, now.
....sigh
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