Many of you have both business and pleasure travel scheduled for December, as I do. With the HolidaySeasonnow officially in high gear, I've reflected on some amazing memories that have taken place here. From my comedic Blogs about childhood pranks (three reverse somersaults down my parents stairs into the basement at age 8 while arguing with a sibling) to the story of a 17 year-old girl in Kentucky who saved a blind horse from being destroyed and later won a dressage competition --it's been so enjoyable for me to write here.
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There's been plenty of hilarious antics too, such as my interview with Denny Shane, my crazy "Contests" (remember "The Lawnmower Karaoke Contest" with the guys from TLC's "American Chopper" TV series?) and our many "Theme Weeks". "THE INTERVIEW" hasn't yet reached it's full potential for a number of reasons I may tackle in another blog post sometime. But when people DID come on here to be interviewed, it was a pretty big "Event". For example, as an ASPCA supporter for years, you can only imagine how delighted I was to interview Annemarie Lucas and Joseph Pentangelo of the New York City ASPCA and The Learning Channel's (TLC) television show "Animal Precinct". Here are two personalities known to millions of television viewers. Nevertheless, they were so generous to me and self-less to commit to being my Guest. They struggled for almost one-year through non-stop demands of their schedules to answer each of my questions. That's determination! And eventually, we completed a great visit together. It's the smaller miracles like this that make me smile when I think about the decision I made to add a BLOG Page to my full Website so long ago. For the Holiday's, I've decided to include a special ASPCA public service message featuring singer/musician Sarah McLachlan. With so much bad news reported in the media, I wanted to counter this with a hopeful message for a change! I hope you agree!
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: "CRAZY PEOPLE"!
Kathy: Hold me. Please hold me.
Emory Leeson:I am holding you.
Kathy: I know, but it's a woman thing. I have to say it.
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Okay, we're back. Basically, I was looking for a comedy for this week's "Friday Movie Sugestion Night" feature. I must admit to feeling a bit like a guy who has been rummaging on Thanksgiving Day in his apartment for DVD movies that haven't been seen in a while, or at best--that many people have forgotten even existed in the first place--take your choice! At any rate, I came up with CRAZY PEOPLE--a story about Emory and Steve (Dudley Moore and Paul Reiser--before his run in TV's "Mad About You").
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The Plot: Two advertising executives are in a big hurry to come up with a novel advertising campaign. Dudley Moore's character of Emory becomes disillusioned with the business of lying through his teeth. So he rebels and writes a series of brutally honest print ads (I liked this idea, because at one point in my own career, I designed ad layouts with hysterical by-lines) that leads his business partner Steve (Paul Reiser) to commit him to a mental hospital. While "asleep at the wheel"--so to speak--the ads are accidentally printed! A few samples: The ad for United Airlines is a hoot:"Most of our passengers get there alive."Then there are the ads promoting New York Tourism:"It's not as filthy as you think," followed by: "There were fewer murders last year." Hysterically enough, the ads become a huge hit and Emory is recruited back by the advertising agency out of the insane asylum. But wait! He refuses to leave as fate lends a hand when he falls for fellow patient Kathy Burgess (Daryl Hannah) and employs members of his group therapy unit to help him write more ads! It's hard to resist saying this, so I'll go ahead and do it: It gets insane with: "Forget France - Come to Greece. We're Nicer." Or: "Quaker Oats - How does it taste? Who knows, but at least the box is cute". (You get the idea). I refuse to spoil it by spilling the beans on the magazine ads for Paramount's movie "The Freak" or automobile maker Porsche. Trust me. It's the old "The lunatics are running the asylum" bit with a twist. And since it's a holiday, look at it this way. It's a film that you can sit on the sofa and watch while you're laughing! The Cast:Dudley Moore is Emory Leeson; Daryl Hannah is Kathy Burgess; Paul Reiser is Stephen Bachman; J.T. Walsh is Drucker and Mercedes Ruehl is Dr. Liz Baylor. Enjoy the film and...
"Wild free-roaming horses and burros belong to no one individual. They belong to all American people. The spirit which has kept them alive and free against almost insurmountable odds typifies the national spirit which led to the growth of our Nation. They are living symbols of the rugged independence and tireless energy of our Pioneer heritage". (U.S. Senate Report No. 242, 92nd Congress, 1971)
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T. Boone Pickens is not particularly a man I've admired during my time as a news anchor and a reporter in Texas. I never met the man. But I served for five-years on a non-profit board under the able leadership of a fine president who led our board and took early retirement as a geologist with General American Oil--a company that was sold to Phillips Petroleum after Boone made a run at the company's stock. So, I've heard a great deal about Boone Pickens. And he always sounded too much like Carl Icahn to me. I lay blame for much of the ruination of TWA (Trans World Airlines) at Icahn's feet, and he is definitely not my role model for a businessman. However, my late father was the role model of a very honest small businessman. He used to say that the bakery business was a "clean business"--and I remember seeing the look of pride in his eyes when he mentioned this. So, allow me to put Boone aside for a moment. Someone who caught my attention of late happens to be Boones' wife Madeleine (No, not for THAT reason!). Here's the scoop: Unless someone convinces me otherwise, Madeleine Pickens may be onto something. She has proposed developing a 1 million acre sanctuary for over 31,000 wild Mustangs currently in holding facilities under the Bureau of Land Management in long-term facilities. This past June, BLM had more than three times the number of the 9,807 horses held in captivity in 2001. Budget pressures led them to the conclusion that the horses should be euthanized. If my Cousin were still alive, she would be on the phone to Mrs. Pickens to help. Here's what Madeleine Pickens says. You be the judge. "Can you imagine somebody suggesting that you euthanize 30,000 horses? It was abominable," said Pickens. "That will never happen." So far, I like what I'm hearing.
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Two years ago on this BLOG Page I told you about a petition drive involving the ASPCAand many of you signed that Petition aong with me. The focus of the Petition to the government was to close down four foreign owned slaughter houses that killed hundreds of horses each year. The Washington Post stated that Boone and Madeleine "led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States." I cerainly hope so! If that is true, I applaud the couple. “We have mismanaged the horse situation and I will fix that,” Madeleine said. “Everyone is on board with it. They want this project to happen.” Evidently the location won't be in Texas, but if all goes as planned the refuge property will be accessible to the public. “You shouldn’t be coming to this country to see Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck,” she said. “We are more than that. We are a country that was formed on horseback and we should enjoy it, not slaughter it.” Plans includecreating a foundation to support the project. To me, this is an amazing and ambitious effort deserving of a tax credit. If it works, animals brought to the refuge would be sterilized. The refuge would also be able to accept extra horses the bureau takes out of the wild each year. “We will never turn an animal down,” she said. What are your thoughts?
The famous blown turn in "Bullitt" (1968) with a right turn onto Chestnut Street in San Francisco was a mistake that Director Peter Yates decided to leave in the Steve McQueen film. The late Bud Ekins handled the bone-jarring jumps in the Russian Hill District (between Taylor and Filbert Street) as well as laying down a motorcycle on the Guadelupe Canyon Parkway during cinema's most famous car chase. Carey Loftin and Steve McQueen divided the rest of the driving. Veteran stunt driver Bill Hickman drove the black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T with actor Paul Genge in the passenger seat as the gunman. The script is still hard to follow, but the chase itself has never been equalled 40 years later--and likely never will be.
Ah, yes:The less famous remake from our documentary, "Turning Back Time: Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of 'Bullitt'" (Unreleased 2003--Thank God). Here I am barreling through an intersection onto Wareham Street in Mt. Adams (Cincinnati), then applying 275 horsepower in reverse before speed-shifting up the hill. This stunt cost me a $3,000 transmission and dry cleaning bills from the stench of overheated transmission fluid that remained in the car for weeks. Do NOT this at home!An expensive lesson in Independent film making, I blogged about this years ago. We shot 8 hours of film--then took 8 hours to edit it down to a mere 10 minutes. I approached 30 videographers before I found one who was up for the challenge. There were 13 film locations and I drew story boards for two weeks. Ford Motor Company executives in Dearborn, Michigan actually showed the film over a closed feed circuit to corporate staff members only and they actually loved it! The three executives I interfaced with have since retired. The film was ordered by a former cable television production manager in Philadelphia. He too has gone on to other adventures and so have I (which is a blessing). Now back to some fun...
March 21, 1967 Grauman's Theater, Los Angeles, CA.
Steve McQueen with wife Neile
Signing the Wet Cement!
Then...
September, 2007 Grauman's, Los Angeles, CA. A Wonderful Day for Me during a 33 day business trip from Hell. This day was one of the few enjoyable activities I allowed myself. In hindsight, I should have splurged.
I saw my first McQueen film, "The Great Escape" at age 10. How many of we fans have had the enjoyment of finally making this trip to L.A.? Plenty!
- (All McQueen Photos by the amazing Donna Redden)
(All Manning Photos by Jill Munroe-Google her on Wikipedia!)
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We're110 DAYSout from our "Annual Steve McQueen Film Festival" !
FRIDAY MOVIE SUGGESTION NIGHT PRESENTS: SLAP SHOT!
Better late than never: Today marks the return of "Friday Movie Suggestion Night". I wanted a comedy with Paul Newman for reasons that should be obvious. We already miss Paul and this film always held a soft spot in his heart. I noticed that he always chuckled during interviews in recent years about SLAP SHOT. Plain and simple, this sports comedy has attracted a cult following. Newman is Reggie Dunlop, the veteran player/coach of a team of misfits from a minor league hockey team that is looking for a break from the majors.The Charlestown Chiefs are losers in a town with a steel mill that is about to shut down. With the team hanging onto it's existence by a thread, Dunlop resorts to desperate measures to save whatever chance the team has for a future by accepting a trio with glasses as thick as a Coca-Cola bottles known as "The Hansons". The antics used to make the crowds go wild are matched only by Dunlop's scheme to convince the players that if they have a winning season, a rich retiree living in Florida will buy the team. If you can manage to get past the 70's music, hair styles and especially the awful clothes, this film is hilarious! Amazingly, all the actors do their own skating without body doubles. Paul had a lot of fun with this movie and I hope you enjoy it too. The Cast:Paul Newman is Reggie Dunlop; Strother Martin is Joe McGrath; Michael Onkeaton is Ned Braden; Jennifer Warren is the long-suffering wife Francine Dunlop; Lindsay Crouse (who drives a Ford van airborne over hills) is Lily Braden; Jeff Carlson is Jeff Hanson; Steve Carlson is Steve Hanson and David Hanson is (yeah, I know... this is starting to sound like The Ramones) Jack Hanson. The film was written by Nancy Dowd and Directed by George Roy Hill. Nominations: Writers Guild of America (WGA) as Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen: Nancy Dowd. So, warm up some spiked cider, light the fireplace and grab a blanket for this one.
BEST WISHES FOR DAVID M. BAILEY (POST SURGERY UPDATE)!
(Posted 8 PM Thursday, November 20, 2008 Pacific Coast Time) Note from Leslie Bailey: We're finally through this day. David's surgery was about 2 hours behind schedule so we just got to see him about 8:15 PM in Neuro ICU. The surgery was safe and successful -- he's in pain, but is sharp and we had a brief but good visit with him. I hope he's fast asleep now. All questionable tissue was removed and will be biopsied. He will probably be released Saturday--home Monday. You may hear from him personally tomorrow or Saturday. The kids and I thank you all for your love, kindness, friendship and prayers. In gratitude . . . Leslie
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(Posted 12:00 AM Thursday, November 20, 2008):
Dear Friends: I will have a "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" post for tomorrow. Meantime, you will recall a true pal, a brother, and a fellow musician friend of mine named David M. Bailey. He's been featured on CBS' "60 Minutes" and he has triumphed in life over so much adversity wit his health. He was networked to me by Blog Bud Keri Kennedy in Wisconsin. Keri was my first Guest on my underutilized feature "THE INTERVIEW". After posting our visit, Keri e-mailed me and said there was a cool dude that I should meet and well, my friendship with David M. Bailey began. He left the corporate world and beat back a brain tumor, against all odds. David's wife urged him one day to pick up his acoustic guitar and start re-learning it again. He did. And he has toured relentlessly worldwide. We finally met in Ohio in January, 2005 where I was snuck into an Oncology dinner/concert by David! This afternoon, David is undergoing a surgery he calls "not a big deal, just a small procedure"--at 2 PM Eastern Time. I would really appreciate it if you could keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He is such a good person and has a great sense of humor. Every one of David's songs on his 17 CD's are about having Faith, Hope and Love to greet the day and face tomorrow with optimism. I felt it was more important to send David our best wishes than to do another movie night Blog. His wife sent out an e-mail to 3,000 of us who know David asking politely for our prayers and that we not respond, as she and the kids have no way to reply to an avalanche of e-mails. But we can certainly keep this positive and radiant person in our thoughts! A great man, a great friend and I hope you can catch him in concert in your hometown soon.
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Many thanks to all of you for your comments yesterday about my silly shoulder mishap. I appreciate the close-knit community of Bloggers here who make me smile and who have surrounded me with so much warmth these past several years. I will be just fine. My attitude is strong, my spirit is strong and I will overcome this annoying situation as I did 4 years ago. Have a good day and I'll see you tomorrow for FMSN! Take care!! :-D)
TREVOR RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL & MICHAEL'S TOP 10 FOR THIS WEEK!
Trevor Tredaway!
Good Morning, Everyone (and it is a good one)! You may ask wistfully "Why is that, Michael?" Because little Trevor Tredaway, age 3 (pictured above) arrived back home to Texas safely with his Mom, Dad and his sister early Saturday morning from the hospital in Memphis! Yeah, how about THAT for an early Christmas present! :-D)
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As you know Trevor had a remarkable brain surgery that even shocked me (and believe me, these days it takes a lot to shock me). He will be followed up now at their local hospital and in the coming weeks he will return back to Memphis for a post-op visit. Yes, more decisions will come regarding the spinal cord tumors. However, his brain surgery was very successful and the news all around is so encouraging! The Tredaway Family has been through so much. They still need our thoughts and prayers in a big way. Please, let's not forget them. Your visits and comments for Trevor and his parents Todd and Melinda mean so much and Melinda reads each and every one of them. When you are a parent of a sick child, you have no idea how comforting the words of a visitor can be. To keep up with Trevor's progress, drop by and read an update from Melinda at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/trevortredaway. Back here at the ranch: We continue to work "behind the scenes" here in Scottsdale on the benefit concert we intend to pull off to help The Tredaways with their tremendous medical expenses. I'll update you as I have something more concrete. Be patient. This is a little like those old Paul Masson TV commercials. You know, "The making of a fine wine takes time" (and not JUST if you're married to Peggy Fleming. If you don't get it, she and her hubby are in the wine business. I'm allergic to wine myself, but I digress.). Okay. Now, my Top 10 for the week!...
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We will make a return to "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" this week.
I have two "Guests "in the Green Room for "THE INTERVIEW".
My next magazine assignment is in hand, and I'll be off to Houston!
My PT and guitar work continues (Thanks for the good wishes!)
Jean-Luc Picard (see my Blogroll) is having his Annual Holiday Party on board the USS Enterprise. No egg nog for this kid, though.
Made my way to The Gap Sunday and it was nice to size down with a couple of pairs of Levis.
I've decided to decorate my outside balcony with white lights. Martha Stewart might even approve! Hey, I'm just curious. Does anyone remember my joke about Martha a few years back with my "China Cymbalta" reference, or am I the only one giggling? (You had to be there, yeah I know)...moving on...
My Photo session for the website is on-hold.
I did finish making my way to all of your websites that I could access to "catch up" with each of you and it is remarkable how exciting your lives are!
I'm pouring my second cup of coffee so, I better leave off here.
There is a lot for me to enjoy about this film. Ben Johnson was cast here immediately after "The Last Picture Show". Everything about McQueen's character suggests that age is closing in on his career as a rodeo champion. He's a rugged individualist and a loner who "goes his own way". I have never quoted another reviewer here in my Blog, but the following comments really struck me. They come to the point about this film that has been steadily enjoying a renaissance since 2000. This reviewer sums up why I like McQueen's work and this film: "All I know is that his best work was done in roles like this one, when he portrays characters that are out of their proper time, and misplaced in a world that no longer values and has no place for honor, integrity, courage, loyalty, honesty, humility, dedication, or even knows where they come from. When I watch a Steve McQueen film like this one it makes me feel good. It's not because he is always the victor, or because the "bad guys" are always defeated, but because he makes trying to live by those ideals, and never giving up, look so honorable and so noble that it makes me want to keep trying, too. He makes me feel that it's better to live life his way, and be a loser, than to be a success in a world without feeling, meaning, or emotion".
Good Morning: When I was a pre-teen, my best friend's mother dropped us off at a small movie theater in Ohio to see the new Sam Peckinpah film, "Junior Bonner" starring Steve McQueen. This was quite an unusual film for Sam, who had a well earned reputation as a director of violent films. In fact, he had just wrapped filming in England with Dustin Hoffman in "Straw Dogs" and was eager to soften his image. Filmed in 1971 in Prescott, Arizona and released the following year the Cast included Ida Lupino (in her first movie role since 1966) as the long-suffering wife of Ace Bonner (Robert Preston) and mother of two sons, Curly (Joe Don Baker) and J.R. Bonner (McQueen). Steve is cast wonderfully as a veteran rodeo rider at the end of his career who returns to his hometown of Prescott to participate in an annual rodeo competition and try to piece back together his dysfunctional brother and estranged parents. The film failed to find an audience at the time. However, beginning in 2000, the film has experienced a resurgence and captures McQueen as a hold-out, the last of a breed "going down his own road" pulling a horse and trailer across the country to rodeo events and putting off the inevitable end of his career. I just had to visit the Prescott, Arizona filming location for the bar scenes last Sunday. So, I did.
What I left behind in Scottsdale was 70 degree weather for an overcast sky and a hail storm in Prescott. As I am wanton to do, I struck up conversations with the locals and visited a Native American Art Gallery. Here I am outside "The Palace" where many of the movies scenes were filmed (including the phone booth where Steve made out with Barbara Leigh during the bar room brawl). I didn't see Barbara nor the phone booth. But locals were tickled about my Annual Steve McQueen Film Festival and they were genuinely nice to me. I bought a meal and a Lemon Drop Martini (to toast a very sweet friend of mine) and eventually left for home. I missed the train depot where J.R. tells Ace that he's flat broke--a painful scene McQueen plays so well (rent the DVD). That train depot is now a Pizza Parlor. I'll roll the film's opening sequence next time. It meant a lot to me to come here and just walk around by myself as a huge fan of McQueen. He was magic!
First Outing for my Harley Davidson leather jacket (I knew it would be freezing in Prescott). A nice young lady who is an Oncology Nurse grabbed my camera and snapped this quite unexpectedly (The aforementioned Lemon Drop Martini awaits me in the background). I include it here because the coat--at least-- looks so damn good! I've dropped 5 waist sizes and could finally wear it comfortably. Hey, why not? Here is the bar where McQueen (and this was hysterical by the way) tried to make up with his brother (the Joe Don Baker character) for throwing him through a glass window. "You wana beer, Curly?" Baker decked McQueen off the bar stool I am sitting on. I still laugh hard at this scene whenever I watch my DVD of the movie. McQueen rubs his jaw and looks up from the floor and says, "Now would ya like a beer?" Have a nice weekend. I'll see ya soon. (I'm working backward up the Blogroll and I believe I'm on the "L-to-A"). Oh, by the way...I hope Neile McQueen Toffel forgives my misspelling of her full name on my Blogroll. But Blogrolling has been "out of service" and I cannot access it to make the fix. Sorry, Neile, I'll get to it as soon as the guys take the site down from the hoist. Quite embarrassing. My condolences to the young Nurse who lost her Dad to cancer in April. We talked a lot about Gunner and Trevor and she was a very kind person and also very knowledgeable about DIPG and Astrocytoma. I was very heartened by her sharing. She is on personal leave and I was very grateful for her taking the time to speak with me. Also, thank you to your hubby for not getting jealous. I encounter this a lot as a guy for some weird reason. But this man was a champ! My Best to You Both! ;-)
We are delaying the resumption of "Friday Movie Suggestion Night" for another week. You might ask "Why?" The straight answer is that I've been swamped with prioritizing. Part of this has also included visiting each of your websites--which I haven't done in a long time. An explanation here would be helpful.
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A couple of years ago in Delray Beach, Florida I was visiting with a good friend of mine over coffee and casual conversation. And I told her that I visit every one's Blog site at least once a month on my Blogroll. "Where do you get the time to do that?", she asked. I recall that she had this incredulous look on her face. At the time, I shrugged it off and explained that I simply take a Sunday when I'm free and visit sites from "A through L", then the following Sunday--if I can, I'll resume with "L to Z". HA! How times have changed!! Life has improved for me, and I'm certainly not complaining. But it's become quite a balancing act now with my current schedule. But then, who doesn't deal with this same issue? So to my friends on my Blogroll who have wondered whether or not I've dropped off the Earth, forgive my tardiness. Now that I've cleared that up, let's have some FUN!
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The new James Bond movie is out and features actor Daniel Craig (who bears an unfortunate resemblance to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin). But Bond films have always been a fun afternoon matinee escape. Roger Moore remains my favorite Bond. The last time I wrote this, women swamped me with their pledges of love to Sean Connery. What can I say? The man is 78 years old, he wears a kilt and he's bald. But wait! I vaguely recall a similar fascination that women had with Yul Brynner. Now that I've cleared that up, here are my 5 picks to make you laugh:
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From "Thunderball" (1965):
Bond: Do you fly here often?
Fiona: Some men just don't like to be driven.
Bond: No, some men just don't like being taken for a ride.
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From "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971):
Bond: Is Mr. Case not at home?
Tiffany: There is no "Mr. Case." The "T" is for "Tiffany."
Bond: "Tiffany" Case. Definitely distinctive.
Tiffany: I was born there! When my mother was looking for an engagement ring.
Bond: Well, I'm glad for your sake it wasn't VanCleef and Arpel!
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From "Moonraker" (1979):
Female Receptionist: Could I interest you in something?
Bond: I'm tempted to say yes immediately, but I think I'd maybe have a look around.
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From remake of "Casino Royale" (2006):
Bond: Vodka Martini.
Bartender: Shaken or stirred?
Bond: Do I look like I give a damn?
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From "The World is Not Enough" (1999):
Elektra King: I could've given you the world.
Bond: The world is not enough.
Elektra King: Foolish sentiment.
Bond: Family motto.
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Stick around, I get better over time! ;-)
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Seriously, laughter is such a wonderful relief valve. It's healthy for me to take some time to laugh when I can and so I wrote this Blog Post rather than focus on a film for the week. May you dance and smile. And if possible, I hope you can laugh too. It is a part of living. See ya soon!
Meet my friends The Tredaway Family: (Top Photo): Melinda with Trevor, age 3 and his sister Morgan, 18 months! (Bottom Photo): Trevor with his Father Todd signing "I Love You" to us! Hey..Wait until you guys read this. I hope you are sitting down! Over to my friends:
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(Todd & Melinda):"We just talked with the neurosurgeon and neurologist. The surgery isfinished. The neurosurgeon said he thinks he removed 95% of the tumor!!!!!! Wow!! God and everyone has been working overtime today, and we thank you!!!! The neurologist told us that after the tumor was removed, he put the electrodes back on Trevor's brain, and the activity was normal compared to before the surgery. So, I completely 100% believe that Trevor's seizures will reduce to almost nothing. The neurosurgeon said he might experience a few seizures after surgery, but that is to be expected. Trevor had minimal blood loss, so he did not need a transfusion. I believe we received a miracle today. God is still in the healing business! Thank you to everyone!!!!!!!! God Bless!"
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(Back to Michael): Oh, man! What a blessing!! AMEN! This adorable little boy has survived and now he is on the path to healing. Several hundred people visited my website over the past 36 hours. Honestly, my site isn't the world's biggest website (or even the best). So, I'd like all the "lurkers" to go ahead and "Lurk". Yeah, you guys know who you are! But DO head over to Trevor's website and offer Todd and Melinda a very encouraging word. I know they will be so Grateful because they read each and every message. This was a HUGEday in their lives and we should Celebrate it with them! No more excuses now, here's Trevor's website:
Before I head off for Prescott, Arizona on my "Junior Bonner" movie expedition, I wanted to let my dear friend Melinda Tredaway, mother of my sweet friend 3 year-old Trevor fill you in. Last night, I visited the venue where we are attempting to hold "A Concert for Trevor". Nothing is final yet, but I remain fully committed to this fundraising event and will update you when I have something more solid. Now, here's Melinda:
- "Hello to everyone! Once again....How 'bout those Red Raiders?!?!?! We watched the game in the hospital, and the video EEG captured all of us clapping, and Trevor raising up his arms saying "Touchdown, get your guns up!" Dr. Boop came in this morning and explained a couple of more things about the surgery on Monday. Yes, Trevor is having surgery around noon on Monday. Yes, we are scared. Yes, we feel that he needs this to continue on the path to healing. Yes, we feel like we are right where we need to be. This is a major brain surgery. Part of the brain (hippocampus) and tumor will be removed. Things that could possibly happen include the following: paralysis on the left side, loss of peripheral vision, blood loss requiring a transfusion, risk of stroke, risk that the seizures will not stop and the list goes on. But, he did say that with this big of a brain surgery, the success rate is high, 95%, and the risk is low 5%. No surgery is ever 100% without risk. Dr. Boop said that since this part of Trevor's brain has already had damage (tumor, seizures), the other side (the left) has likely already taken over for some of the defecits that could have occurred that we don't know about. So, the left side is making up for what the right side is no longer doing. Trevor will spend one night in PICU, and then 3-4 more nights in the hospital. Pathology will take 10-14 days. We will have pathology from St. Jude and Le Bonheur will look at the tissue sample and confirm that it is a grade 2 astrocytoma, or give us a new diagnosis (which we do not want unless it is a grade 1). Any remaining tissue will be sent to research. Are we going home after surgery? Are we staying? Does chemo start immediately? I don't know.
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"Trevor has had 3 pretty good seizures that have been captured while connected to the EEG. He will stay hooked up until Monday morning. They will take everything off before the MRI. So, MRI first, then surgery. We have basically moved the playroom into the hospital room. There are no other small children on the floor, so Trevor and Morgan have their pick of the toys.
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"Did I ever think that Trevor would have a 2nd brain surgery? No, but then I never thought that he would even have a first surgery. I just know that life doesn't happen the way you imagine. I can feel doubt sometimes creeping in when I think about surgery tomorrow. But, I really have to work at pushing it to the side, and have faith (the size of a mustard seed) that God is going to guide Dr. Boop to perform a surgery that will leave Trevor with every ability that he has now. I thank you all for your messages and for checking in on Trevor. Most of all, I know that every single person who follows Trevor will be praying for him today and tomorrow and the days that follow, and for that we are thankful. If I receive any new information today, I will update. Other than that, I will update tomorrow. Thanks to all and God Bless!"
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Note from Michael:Okay, guys. Now you are up to date. Please consider stopping by Trevor's website and let's lift up Todd and Melinda, Trevor's parents with your thoughts and prayers and positive encouragement that they can use to "power up" for this very important surgery. Trevor is on a healing path-- big time! He needs us and believe me, we really need Trevor in this world. He is just so precious and such a Joy! Here's the site to visit:
Steve McQueen's last hometown is paying tribute to its most famous resident with a weekend of aviation and family-related activities. The Aviation Museum of Santa Paula will welcome home Barbara McQueen with a VIP reception, dinner and booksigning on Saturday, December 6 at the Santa Paula Airport. The 5 p.m. reception will include a catered dinner, slide show and booksigning for Steve McQueen: The Last Mile.“Santa Paula was the beginning and end of Steve McQueen's aviation roots, and we realized the airport had never recognized him before. Steve used to say, 'Santa Paula Airport is my kinda country club,'” said Mike Dewey, a museum board member who has a long history with the privately owned airport. “We also felt this was a good opportunity to promote our new 3,000-square foot museum headquarters.” This is Barbara McQueen's first trip back to Santa Paula since her late husband's 1980 death.
- “Santa Paula was Steve's church and he really loved the city with all of his heart and soul. He was treated like a normal person there where he could relax and be himself, hang out with friends and fly his planes,” McQueen said. “I'm really looking forward to coming back because it was a big part of my life. It'll be good to renew some of those old ties and make new friendships.”
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The tax-deductible dinner is $50 with proceeds benefiting The Aviation Museum of Santa Paula. Seating, however, is limited and attendees are asked to RSVP by December 1, 2008. Please call (805) 525-1109 or e-mail mcqueenevent@amszp.org to RSVP. The Santa Paula Airport will salute the life of Steve McQueen on its “First Sunday Open House,” on December 7. Privately owned hangars open their doors to unveil a variety of vintage aircraft, cars, and memorabilia, which are on display for the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Several other aircraft owners will put their antique aircraft on static display and many vintage aircraft also fly in each month. Car and motorcycle clubs will also display their machines on the airport's taxiways and the Museum Tram will provide travel between hangars. The Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 723 offers free airplane rides to kids ages 7-17. Barbara McQueen will also sign copies of Steve McQueen: The Last Mile at the five-hour extravaganza. Steve McQueen: The Last Mile is a photo book that captures wonderful and unique images that the very private actor allowed to no one else. Barbara soon discovered that the screen legend she had idolized since a kid was a determined individualist who loved vintage planes, motorcycles and cars and admired the men who flew and drove them above all others.
I never would have imagined one-year ago that I'd be writing this, much less actually doing it. But last night during Wellness, I biked a little over 10 miles at a fast pace. Glenn Bishop's post is also noteworthy, as he too has incorporated a workout regimen in his life and his on-stage performing is better for it. Kudos to Glenn! One of my PT's who is a serious cyclist had me get back onto the recumbent bike and studied my form and knee-foot patterns. We made an adjstment and went to a vertical bike to note a seat setting for tonight's cardio workout. Picked up the car with a new transmission having just been installed, then began at 6 PM. Ended up leaving the workout center at 8:40 PM. If you do this long enough and miss a day, it's like forgetting to brush your teeth!
Certain images come to mind when I think of my friends "across the pond" in London. When I still used cable TV, I actually enjoyed watching the Prime Minister debates in The House of Commons on C-Span. I always found the sparring amusing. Then of course there is Jacqueline Bissett, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, double-decker buses and yes--Britain's bright Red telephone boxes. The way I got it, the fate of 12,700 of the iconic red telephone booths looked pretty bleak last April, with plans to get rid of 9,000 of the iconic kiosks by BT PLC -a telecommunications company. But wait! British politician Alan Duncan has claimed a "victory" in saving them after BT agreed to allow local communities to "Adopt a Phone Booth"--minus the pay phones--which were losing money. Proposals include converting them to mini-art galleries, greenhouses or community notice boards. Lighthorne, a town about 90 miles northwest of London, became the first community in Britain to adopt a Red Phone Box from BT, paying 1 pound (I'm told this is slightly less than $2). It costs around $40 (US) to repaint the boxes. BT says more than half of them no longer turn a profit. Maybe so. But I can still see Roger Moore as James Bond making an "urgent call" (with humor) if his cell phone died for any reason. Bottom Line: The romantic in me just has a hard time thinking the Red Phone Booths would ever really go away. I hope they stick around. HERE, HERE!!!
Ihave appreciated ALL of your generous comments this past two weeks and I will catch up with anyone who has left a message that I haven't been able to visit in return.
The Gift of friendship is one I've always cherished. I was very Blessed to have spent time with The Gillespie Family this past summer in Scottsdale. Today and tonight, we remember Gunner in Kentucky at his memorial service. I am so indebted to Janna and Gus and Garlynn for including me on so many outings, meals, travels and especially that special day at McCormick-Stillman Train Park. I just want to say that Gunner would certainly value our efforts to be kind, to listen with understanding, and to do everything we can to make sure children are Loved, Honored and Cherished for who they are in a safe environment of Comfort and Joy. That is a wonderful way to ensure that his memory will live forever. And that is my short message for this morning. Thanks for stopping by.
Basically, I'm a Public Relations Consultant with a background in Broadcast News. I've worked as a Reporter and Anchor with PBS, ABC, CBS & NBC affiliates and in Cable Television. I'm active in Radio & Television Commercials, Guest Speaking engagements and I enjoy writing, music and sports.
