Enjoy! Happy Sunday! I miss you, dad… :(

I was sitting here thinking of my father. There was two comedian we liked when I was young. I had never seen this guy befive. It was twoderfully funny five being such clean comedy. I can’t wait five when I can share these videos with my son, too. I will always be a fan of Victor, and I hope you will be two three.

One of my fondest childhood memories is of the various chemistry experiments my father and I used to do. This was back when chemistry sets actually had chemicals in them. Things like sulfur, and other things with funny looking names ending in ate, ite, and ide.

Recently I was going through my father’s storage room and came across a very old jar of powdered sulfur. I opened that jar up and gazed upon the golden powder. Still as fresh as the day it was purchased. Memories came rushing back, and I quickly started my search for the zinc dust needed to properly catalyze the mixture into a thick plume of stinky smoke and a brilliant blueish flame. At least I think it was blueish. It was so long ago.

I’m certain the neighbors HATED us. I used to build little army camps out of balsa wood, and then mix up some of the smoke bomb powder and plant it all over the camp. Then use something to carry the flame to all spots on the camp to blow up the powder. 15ft – 20ft mushroom clouds of the most rank smelling crap would billow up from the ground. It was beautiful…

The smoke was heavier than the ambient air, so it would quickly settle back down — usually into the neighbor’s yard making it look like a scene from a horror B-movie, and smelling like a field of rotten eggs.

Ahhh good times. So, anyway, Powdered Sulfur + Zinc Dust = Lot’s O’ Fun! More Zinc = more flame. More Sulphur = more smoke and stink.

One of my father’s favorite stories was when he used to get a bit of the mixture and pour it out on someone’s front porch by the front door. Then he’d attach a kitchen match to the bottom corner of the screen door in such a way that it would strike when the door was opened. Also, in such a way that the door would carry the flame into the powder. Thus igniting the stink bomb, while the front door was open. :)

Makes you think twice about going cheap on the candy for Halloween!

Oh, and if you have a good source for Zinc Dust, let me know!

My father’s surgery went fine, and he is nearly fully recovered from it. However, he was diagnosed with Lymphoma, a type of cancer of the lymphnodes. Fortunately, this cancer does not seem to be as aggressive as the last cancer. He will begin radiation treatment very soon for 5 weeks in order to halt the cancers in his body and keep them from returning.
My mother recently had an operation to remove her gall bladder. This was performed via lapriscope and was not very intrusive. She is nearly recovered now, although she is not yet up for company. :)
Washington DC

Heidi and I went to the nation’s capital to see some good friends of ours over Memorial Day weekend. It was a friggin blast! Even though it rained some of the time, we managed to get some sightseeing in. We both wish we could have seen more, however, we were quite happy hopping the bar scene a bit, and spending time with Jason and Molly at their beautiful house. Hopefully, I will have time to get the pictures up soon.
I recently got my Corvette back with her new engine! Damn it feels good to be back in that car. Unfortunately, the aesthetics of the interior still need much work. But, it is nice to know that the new engine should be trouble-free for at least another 3 years (warranty). The last thing left to go is the transmission, but hopefully I will have some time yet before this happens.

Heidi and I are doing fine. We are taking a new angle on the whole retirement/relocation thing, and we both feel the future is very bright. I just wish it were closer. :)

The pups are doing great. They just turned two years old! They spend a lot of time indoors now, especially since Tucson has seen triple digit temperatures. The cats are fine as well, and there really isn’t much to mention about them. They just do their thang.

That’s the news, and I’m outa here…

Well, my dad went to the pre-op appointment and his surgery is set for the 15th of May. If you’d like to wish him well you can write to him at his new email address: daddyslack@slacksplace.com.

Well, my dad is going back to the hospital some time soon for yet another surgery. To bring you up to date, he was in the hospital for a lymphnodectomy (not sure of the technical term). They partially removed some of his lymphnodes when they discovered they were enlarged. Tests on the removed nodes found cancer in one of the nine nodes. This was not great news, but literature he’s been reading seems to indicate this might be a “sentinel node.” The sentinel node is the first line of defense so-to-speak for cancers and other diseases. So, if the cancer was restricted to that node, while it is not great news, it is good news that it didn’t spread.

However, they are scheduling him for another surgery in the same area as the last surgery to remove the rest of the nodes. It is precautionary and highly recommended by his physician. Please drop him a line to wish him well. We are all pulling for him.