Score!

This is the media news I was waiting for. Thanks to my buddy Rich working at UPN Channel 31 here in Sacramento and pitching the story to the powers-that-be, looks like I'll be on their "Good Day Sacramento" show this Thursday, 6/22, during the 8 o'clock hour. Sounds like a little interview action, along with showing the current van (and showing why it needs to be replaced), and a chance to get the word (and the link) out to Sacramento folks, which will hopefully kick this sucker back into gear for the last couple of weeks of it. Very exciting! I'm very grateful not only to Rich, but to 31 for giving me a shot at this. Awesome.

If you want to check out more about the show itself, you can do so here:

Good Day Sacramento

So that means I'm turning in early tonight, as I need to get UP early tomorrow to get IN to work early so I can get OFF work early so I can turn in early again to get up for early-mornin' telly. So wish me luck, gang, and I'll be back to tell you all about it!

But can't turn in without quick thanks to Jamie, to Jeanette (Mom of Tim...part-time Mom of mine since like the 5th grade!), to Roxanne, to Chris D. (flashback!! Thanks, man!), and to Donny and Mandy (I love you guys...and you seem to love me, too, no matter HOW long I take to respond to your e-mails...).

You might hear from me tomorrow with last-minute news, or I might be turning in too early to have the time. Either way, keep checking back here for the scoopage.

As Seen on TV...

Michael

Vaaaaaan page...gonna have a van page...
(Hopefully not too obsure of an Elvis reference...)

Here's the part, as usual, where I say this has to be a quick one, then it ends up being really long...

Back in town, didn't have time to get a blog up last night due to getting in late from San Diego. Had to be up real early to get back to insurance claim fun!! Yes, fun is the word. Really.

By the way? I really, really hate flying. What a pain. Wheelchair flying is a little different for everyone on wheels. My way is this. You get there and get checked in, you go up to the gate and get a gate check tag for your chair. That way, when you get out of the chair and onto the plane, and they take your chair down with the luggage, the tag tells them to bring it back up at the other airport. Which makes getting off the plane much easier. I used to always travel with my cane, back when walking was an option, and I'd get out of the chair and use that to get to a seat. Doesn't really work anymore. So I do the pre-boarding thing, and get on before the rest of the folks. I wheel up as far into the plane as I can get. Then I get myself out and get into a seat. I tend to prefer the second row, not the first, because if I do any reading, I like to have a tray table to rest my arms on, to help hold the book up. Once I'm in a seat, they fold up the chair and take it under. And then the one-to-two hour prison sentence begins.

See, it's not just a no-walking thing with me. I've got some other issues. For one, I have metal rods welded to my spine, which keeps me from being able to bend. That and muscle contractures also keeps me from being able to move my neck very far. Or lower my chin at all. And the muscle contractures also keep my arms from straightening out. My left one goes most of the way, but the right one's stuck at about a 90-degree angle. And it sticks out. Plus, thanks to the scoliosis, I also have a tilted pelvis. You put all these things together, and it makes being stuck in a tiny plane seat not very fun.

I have to take a right-hand seat on the plane, because I need to tilt to the left (due to the pelvic tilt thing). When I'm sitting up straight, all my weight is going on my right leg, which quickly makes it go to sleep and starts causing a lot of pain. I need to be able to lean. Having someone sitting on my left, then, would have me ending up leaning with my head on their shoulder, which is just an odd way to meet new people.

So when I get in my right-hand seat (must be an aisle seat), my right elbow is sticking out into the seat to the right. Every once in a GREAT while I get lucky and get on a half-full flight and no one sits next to me. Then all is cool. Doesn't happen often. Definitely didn't happen on this trip. Totally full plane both ways. On the flight down, I ended up with a very wide gent in the center seat next to me. Not only a man of great girth, but a newspaper reader as well. So space was limited enough, but then he had the Wall Street Journal open the whole time, too. So to keep from jabbing him with my elbow, I basically had to hold onto my left arm with my right hand the whole time to keep my right elblow away. And couldn't really read, because holding up a book or magazine would require me to use the right arm, and the elbow would swing out. And I'd have to hold anything up I wanted to read, because, as I said, I can't lower my head, or bend at the spine, so looking down at all doesn't work in such a cramped space. And with trying to keep from poking this guy, I was having to lean over into the aisle (and keep doing so due to the sleeping leg thing). And of course, every time I did, that's when a flight attendant or lavatory-bound passenger would come by and whack me in the head. So it was basically and hour-and-twenty or so of trying to hold a central position and move as little as possible (and being punished with blows to the head when I got out of line...). But, hey...at least I had the iPod. One of those days I really need to get into a first-class-flying kind of tax bracket. And fly an airline that HAS first class, unlike Southwest.

Trip back? More of the same, except I ended up in the front row because someone had already taken the second row seat, and this time I ended up seated with Screaming Baby Couple. I actually don't mind screaming babies so much. Don't know why. I figure they have better reason to scream than I have to be bothered by them screaming, so I say let 'em scream. I also feel for the poor parents that have to fly with small children, as I see the panic and guilt they go through trying to keep infants quiet for the sake of those around them, so I figure they could use someone seated next to them who doesn't mind. Again, had the iPod. Loud music beats screaming baby. Depending on the baby, of course. Some babies are more talented than others.

One thing pretty much all wheelchair flyers have in common, though, is that we're the first ones on the plane, but the last ones off. That's only fair, right? They bring your chair up from baggage, but you have to wait until the whole plane clears out before you can attempt to do the whole mounting up thing. Again, I'm used to it, and I don't mind. Ended up a good way to get to know flight attendants, actually. Depending on the flight attendant, that can be a very good thing. I've gotten quite a few dates that way. Yeah, I made that last sentence up. I just thought it'd feel good to type it. It did. I make no apologies.

And the airline tangent ends...now.

So, yes, was in San Diego for the 40th birthday of THIS guy...



Yes, it was a fine time to celebrate the fact that Russ is really really OLD!!! Yes, OLD!!! As in (the important part) OLDER THAN ME!!!

As I said, a great time was had by all. And way too much food!! And great food to boot. I don't think Russ's fiancee, Chea-yo, left the kitchen for two days straight (and Chea-yo, by the way, just recently graduated from Berkeley. Big congrats again, Dr. Chea-yo!). I swear, every ten minutes, there was another course, or another appetizer, or another desert being plopped down on the table out there on Russ's patio. I think we got there just after 1pm Saturday, and didn't stop eating until after 10pm. Made me feel oddly Roman. When I got home Sunday night I had to force myself to eat a small dinner before bed because, frankly, I was still stuffed!

It was a great time to chow down, enjoy some San Diego sun, catch up on stories with old friends, and celebrate a milestone for a friend that means a lot to all of us. Very glad that I was able to get away and make it there. And next time I'm there, about the middle of next month, I plan to be pulling into town and a flaming new van...


Gentlemen, we have the technology...to build the world's first Bionic Jo...

But, like I said, back home now, and back to work on the quest. Spend most of tonight on an e-mail drive, trying to get the link to all the rest of the people on my e-mail list I haven't gotten to yet (yeah, going through a couple of years of e-mail looking for addresses? Doesn't take long at ALL! Really). I'm back to working web boards, too, and hoping some of the higher-level e-mails I've sent out kick in. And I may, by the way, finally have that media news for you tomorrow. Getting pretty tired of waiting for that, aren't you? Keep your fingers crossed. Or, as our friend Andy says..."touch wood". Those wacky English...

About three weeks to go here (a little less), so it's time to kick it into high gear. I'll see what I can do...so keep tuning in. Night, all.

Michael

Back to the Van Page. And Step On It!

Okay, don't know if anyone will actually read this, since I won't be able to update the page itself from here, and the page will still say the most current blog is the one from a couple days back, but thought I'd drop a quick note anyway.

About a quarter to two in the a.m. Back at my pal Tony's place. Tony, Wendy and the fam have been nice enough to put me up for the rush weekend trip for Russ's birthday party (I'd stay at Russ's, but Russ don't have no shower downstairs!). Tony--who works for Apple--set me up here with a rockin' MacBook Pro to use for checking my e-mail and blogging and such. And he's also set me up sleeping quarters here in his home office, which is a very nice sacrifice. Rolled a portable bed in here for me, and there's a bathroom attached to this office for my use (his poor kids have to use the terlet upstairs since I took this one over!). If you could see this office, you'd REALLY know that Tony works for Apple. Framed Apple promo posters on the walls, Apple products, software and books, Mac system set up the desk...and some very Tony additions, like the tech museum (old cell phones, PDAs, etc) and a full-sized Darth Vader helmet (which is, frankly, kind of creeping me out to sleep next to...).

Just got back from the all-day BBQ at Russ's house, which was an amazingly fun time. As I mentioned before, Russ hit 40, so he invited old and new friends over to celebrate it with him. Some of us came quite a ways, too. I flew in from Sac, Aaron from Seattle, Dan also from Washington, and Andy and Jo drove down from L.A. Basically a long day of food, friends, and MORE FOOD! I am so completely stuffed. I can't remember the last time I ate this much food in one day! A fantastic spread, and a great time, and one I'll have to talk about more later because it's late and I'm up early tomorrow to squeeze in the last few hours with the boys before jumping back on that plane to Sac. Got to be up in too-few hours, so got to cut this short, but when I talk about it more I'll try to throw in a couple of pics, too.

But I did want to make a quick note about an e-mail I got from Denise Hayes with DRH Fine Gifts. What a wonderful surprise! Denise has decided to help out the cause with a fundraiser off her site (a site that sells discount designer perfumes and cologne). She is now planning to donate 2% of all profits to the van fund, and has a link up to this page and a running tally on her front page showing how much she's raised! Awesome! Thanks so much, Denise! That's wonderful! And really, really generous! You can check out the site (and the tally as it grows) here:

drhfinegifts.com

So if you're in the need of some scents, get your great deal there, and part of that will go to the fund! I'll get that link up on the main van page when I'm back home and able to update it.

And thanks, too, tonight to Ruth, Terese and Veronica. Thanks for hearing and sharing. Much love to you all.


Got to crash out here so I'm up on time. Back in Sac tomorrow night, don't know if it'll be too late to check in, but I'll try. If not, back at you Monday night.

MAN, it's good to be back in San Diego!!! Even for a couple of days...

Night, all...

Michael

Passed the $11k mark. Yes, yes, yes... Big thanks, everybody. Step by step, inch by inch...

Okay, packing up real quick, off for a speedy weekend trip for Russ's b-day. May be no blogging, may sneak it in, we'll see. But as I said, back here Sunday night, and back on the Van-O-Meter.

Talked to Rudy at Driving Systems Inc. today regarding the van. Going to take some digital pics of my existing van when I get home here, e-mail them to him, and let him get a look at how mine's set up. Planning ahead for the new one...

Special thanks to today to Sarah (WORK it, Bell!), to Erica, to Sharon, to Shannon, my long-time adopted little sister, for checking in and joining the effort! Big love to all of ya. And a big thanks to Dr. T! Thanks, Doc! And thanks, Patricia, for leading the way on that. I'm a lucky nephew, I am...

See some of you in America's Finest City (tm) this weekend, and the rest of you on Monday! Keep the faith!

Michael

The van page'll keep calling me...it'll keep calling me...

Two weeks later. Quite a trip, huh?

Another quickie. Had to work until 8pm, rush to the mall from some gift shopping, got home around 10pm, then some quick online shopping, and back to this...but not much time for this...

Media news still pending...as they say in the media, "Stay tuned"...

Looks like there's a date to work with on this thing. Pretty much finalized today that I'd be heading down to Van Nuys to start the van fitting thing on July 10th. So between now and then, got to make this thing go down, one way or the other. It's good to have a timetable. Helps keep things focused. So working toward that. Vanward!

Quick thanks to Shannon out of Utah, Robin out of Sac-Town (you are SO related to someone I know...) and Richard, straight outta D.C. You guys are great! Thank you!!

Weekend news...

Please note in advance (in case something screws up and I don't get to update tomorrow night) that I'll be going out of town this weekend. The months-ago pre-arranged birthday BBQ of my pal Russ is going down, so I'm heading back to San Diego for it. So might be able to blog down along the way, but won't be able to update the site or the Van-O-Meter while I'm going. Back Sunday night, though. Sorry, Summer...love to hang with you on this trip, but it's all tied up. But I'll be back next month! You KNOW it!

And it's a perfect opportunity to say...Happy 40th birthday, Russ-man! You are OLD!!! Like, Dead Sea Scrolls old! Bet this'll be the most fun you've had at a party since you crashed that whole tea party thing in Boston...

Out! Good night, friends old and new, and back with more laterish!

Michael

Wham...Bam...I Need...A Van...
(That was for Kevin and Aaron. Yeah, that's right...I went there...)