They Call Me Galvez

Well, I’ve spent nearly two weeks by myself.  I can cook meals, clean up, and manage to “work” from home.  Still the biggest issue for me is transportation.  I have some friends that I can rely on to take me places if I really need to go somewhere.  Of course, I would prefer to go somewhere myself!  Independence with activities of daily living is not as big of an issue for me for me anymore.  I think efficiency is the real issue now.  Walking, cooking, and cleaning take twice as long as it used to.  Fatigue is an issue that I am still trying to figure out.   At least I know that I can function on my own at home, but I still need to figure somethings out.

The past two weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen.  I recently discovered the crock pot.  I have affectionately dubbed it “crock pottery.”  I really wish I knew about this in college.  It would have saved me from frequent trips to McDonald’s or Wendy’s.  I have one recipe that I like… jambalaya. It is so simple. I’m trying to learn other things.  You just throw stuff in, turn it on, and at the end of the day you have a meal!  Last week I thought I be creative and try combining stuff I like… brats and beer.  Made total sense at the time because beer brats taste great!  Three cans of beer +brats should be fine.  Then I was thinking… fries taste good with beer brats…  OK, throw some chopped up potatoes in there.  Then I was thinking… fries need ketchup… OK, throw a chopped up tomato in there.  Garlic Fries taste good, so maybe I should add some garlic salt.   I giggled like mad scientist when I poured in the garlic.  My mouth was watering as I was proudly dreaming of the scrumptious meal I had just created.  In five “short” hours I would be able to enjoy my delightful culinary master piece!  For hours  I sat in front of my computer thinking of how great of a “crock pot-head” I am!  When my alarm went off! I rushed into the kitchen to behold my creation.  I was shocked and repulsed by the smell emanating from my magical crock pot.  It kinda smelled like a popular college bar after dollar pitcher night.  No matter, my masterpiece was going to taste incredible! The brats and potatoes were cooked perfectly!  I made a cup of rice to compliment my creation.  The tomato slices were extremely fragile and dissolved on contact in the bubbling warm beer.  Not sure I added enough garlic salt… oh well. The beer kinda grossed me out so I drained the brats and potatoes from the crock pot.  I put the brats and potatoes on a bed of rice.  My first bite of the brats was just what I imagined it would be.  Plump and hearty with a tinge of bitterness from the beer. Then I tried the potatoes.  Very warm, pungent, and bitter from soaking in beer.  Kinda gross.  Oh well at least the brats turned out well.  Then I realized, wait… I’m all by myself and I have all this food.  I know what I’ll be eating tomorrow…  I’ll just put it in the fridge when it cools off.  Well, I forgot to up it in the fridge and it gave my place the pleasant aroma of a dried-beer-college-bar floor.  The next day when I warmed up my creation, I completely avoided the potatoes.  I felt obliged to at least finish the brats.  Again bad idea… the beer brats don’t hold up well when reheated.  They get very bitter. For two more meals, I forced myself to finish eating those horrible brats.  I won’t be doing that again.

LESSONS LEARNED:

• THERE IS A REASON BEER IS NOT USED AS A BASE IN COOKING.
• STICK TO ESTABLISHED RECIPES/PRACTICES, DON’T TRY DOING SOMETHING NEW UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE WORKING WITH.
• IF YOU GOING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, BE PREPARED FOR THE CONSEQUENCES AND IF IT WORKS… THE GLORY (UNFORTUNATELY KITCHEN GLORY WILL NOT COME EASILY.)

11/22/09 University of California at Berkeley Lecture and Book Signing Question and Answer session

For the next two weeks I am flying solo!  I hope I don’t do anything crazy!  My mom is heading back to Michigan for a month.  My dad can’t come out till mid February.  I guess I get the whole place to myself for almost three weeks!  I treasure these times because I rarely get any alone time.  I really appreciate all the help my parents have given me, but there comes a time when you have to let go.  At times I feel like I am in high school again.  NO JOKE!  Can’t drive, “Eric clean your room”, “Where are you going,”  “Who are you going with”, etc…  I’m still not used to having so many reigns on me.  I moved out to San Diego 6 years ago because I wanted to start my own life.  My life plan took a dramatic detour, but I’m moving forward.  I just have a little more “baggage”.  I will admit it, I got a little lost trying to find the right path. But I think I have a map now. I told someone once, that my life took a detour and it would have been nice to have a doctor/GPS to get me back on track, but I guess I’m just exploring and enjoying the sites.  I lost a few things on the way, but I’ve also gained a lot.  That BRAIN TUMOR took away all hobbies, my job, some of my friends, BUT IT WILL NEVER TAKE AWAY MY FREEDOM!  HAHAHA!

I feel like I am working much harder than I was as a physical therapist. I have to deal with: my own physical rehab, learning correct operational procedures in the corporate environment, re-learning to driving with physical impairments, writing, organizing my book tour for 2010, establishing my own independence, organizing events for mAss Kickers Foundation, finalizing a budget for mAss Kickers Foundation, finalizing a budget for myself, promoting myself/book, promoting mAss Kickers Foundation, and completing the necessary paperwork for tax exemption status for mAss Kickers Foundation. I worry about money because I have a mortgage to pay, graduate student loans to pay, healthcare expenses, home owner’s association dues, and credit card bills. I am getting by, but I cannot decrease my personal debt/loans.  I also need to maintain (fees and continuing education) professional licenses/certifications for physical therapy and my CSCS. Having one of my parents with me definitely helped financially, but at the same time I lose the independence I enjoyed as a young adult. I do understand that my parents worry about me, but I think I can manage living on my own.  I feel like I’m not able to efficiently progress with cautious eyes watching over me.   Financially, I’m starting to question if I can maintain the same lifestyle pre-surgery and still stay content. Just needed to get that off my chest. I’ll figure something out.

Tumors took the first punch. It’s our turn to punch back. Awareness is only the first step.

A lot of people have been touched by tumors… WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING TO SPREAD AWARENESS! PLEASE pass it on for yourself or someone you love.

TUMORS SUCK! -young adult survivors AND our loved ones.

The holidays were different this year.  For the first time I actually flew back to Michigan on Christmas Eve.  I would get to experience real “holiday” travel at a busy airport.  Crying babies, grumpy passengers, crowded planes… surprisingly, none of it bothered me.  Things don’t bother me as much as they used to. ( I had successful brain surgery on one of the most dangerous areas to have a brain tumor… and I’m still alive to talk about it!  You think I’m going to sweat minor inconveniences or details!)  It takes a lot to get me upset!  I’m by no means an unemotional robot now.  I was not looking forward to the subzero temperatures or coming home to my parent’s old house with no bed for me (that is a completely different story).  However, I was excited to see all my family and friends back home.  I got to see many family members that are scattered all over the country, friends from college, and friends from grad school.  I didn’t come home for Christmas last year, so this year had special meaning.  Much has happened in the past year, that I’ve kind of lost track of the people closest to me.

Part of me didn’t recognize the place that I used to call home.  My room… now storage.  The people I used to hangout with… married with kids.  The schools I used to attend… look completely different with new buildings or construction.  Things change for a reason.  Nothing ever stays the same.  I realized that things need to change for progress to occur.  While I am making my way back, I have to pave a new path both personally and professionally.  My life took a dramatic detour when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  I have accomplished a lot in the past 4 years.  Writing a book, winning awards, traveling the country, starting an organization, and now officially starting a nonprofit.  I have challenged myself to do many things outside of my comfort zone and still plan on accomplishing a lot more!  I continually test my limits.  I think that this is how a have been able to accomplish so much so fast.  I am still very reluctant to call the tumor a “blessing in disguise”.  I think of it as an “awakening”.  I’m doing things I never dreamed I would do.  Personally, my life is still on pause.  It’s kinda like I’m waking up from a crazy dream but its 4 years later.  It has been difficult watching my friends move on with their lives: starting families, pursuing their dream jobs, and living the life I’ve always wanted for myself.

A new year always brings a new sense of hope.  That hope is just a mirage unless a plan is developed to take steps towards realizing that hope. Hope has always been there for me, but the plan needs some work. I’m still formulating my “plan” for 2010.  Once I get that figured out, look out!  Stay Tuned!

2009 was a great year. Got to attend so many great events and meet some amazing people!

These videos are my way of saying thanks for supporting all my crazy endeavors! I hope you will continue continue to support me. i have a few things up my sleeve for 2010!

This is for you guys! I hope to see some of you face-to-face in 2010!

2009 Tribute

2006-2008 Tribute

THANKS!

There have been so many improvements the past two weeks in rehab I just have to share them. For a while now I’ve been noting that I have trouble bearing weight on my left leg. My left leg hits the ground, but don’t spend a lot of time on it.  I am essentially using my momentum to “vault” off the left leg resulting in a quick right step.  We tried to address this before, but this time I have some new strategies to help.

1. narrow base of support – trying to walk with a wide base of support is not only energy inefficient, but also slows you down.
2. lateral weight shifting – the quicker I can recover from shifting my weight laterally, the easier it is to take the next step.
3. anterior hip motion – momentum is what was driving my walking before with the wheeled walker.  Controlling the anterior motion of my hips needs some practice.
4. decreased use of the arms – I rely too much on my arms for stability.  Taking the arms out of the equation when walking forces me to use my legs.

I have some homework to do.  I’m thinking of returning to the Carlsbad  5000 in April!  Gearing up for 2010.  Got some more stuff up my sleeve… I’ve got time to brain storm… no pun intended…

Magnum P.I. had one. Mike Ditka has one. Hulk Hogan has one.  Reno 911 cops have them. The Beastie Boys in the “Sabotage” music video had them.  I’m talking about the mustache. You don’t see them very often, so when you see so many of them gathered in one place, you can’t help but chuckle! On Dec 3, 2009  an enthusiastic group of men and women gathered at Bondi, in downtown San Diego to celebrate hairy upper lips.  A little strange?  Perhaps, but there was a message behind this madness.  Men’s Health Awareness, specifically Prostate and Testicular Cancer.  The movement called “Movember” was started in 2003 by Adam Garone and a bunch of his friends in Australia. Men are given one month to grow a mustache and raise funds for prostate and testicular cancer research.  Women help recruit men to grow a “mo”, Australian slang for mustache, for the cause.  They are an integral part in supporting the Movember movement!  It is rapidly turning into a global event!  Women have a very successful pink campaign for breast cancer awareness and generally have an easier time discussing their health.  Men typically don’t like to talk about their health issues.  The mustache is a symbol that opens the door for men to speak about their health.  A new mustache is the first thing you notice on someone when they walk into a room.  I needed the full month of November to grow my mustache, but I was amazed by the responses I got from it.  As a typically clean cut guy, the shock of my “mane” of facial hair drew snickers and jokes about my inability to wipe my mouth after drinking chocolate milk.  Once my friends got over the shock of it, I quickly explained the reasoning for my attempt at a hairy upper lip.  (I hope they will be participating next year so I can crack jokes about them.)   The party at Bondi was full of characters!  From “the Swedish Muppet Chef” to Olympian Swimmer, Mark Spitz I was cracking up the whole night!  It was great to see people having fun rallying together to raise awareness for a common cause.  There is something strangely entertaining about people with mustaches dancing!  hahaha! Men’s Health is an issue that definitely needs to be addressed!  Women show a lot of solidarity in cancer with the pink campaigns.  So many people are touched by cancer.  People rally around pink!  Often it is for their mom, aunt, or grandma.  It’s time we start looking out for dad, uncles, and grandpa too!

My book tour for 2009 is over! I can now refocus on my rehab! I will be the first to admit, I have been neglecting my personal rehab in favor of mAss Kickers Foundation. I have noticed that while mKF is growing, my endurance has diminished and I have momentarily lost the priorities of my own personal rehab progress. I was getting way too comfortable with my walker. I didn’t have the energy to push myself to work on my impairments. Anyways, I just got a letter from the DMV stating that I need to get tested to get my “learner’s permit”. HAHAHA… I am seriously 15 years old again! I can’t wait to get my drivers license again!  I am looking into getting an exercise bike to build up my endurance.  My place is turning into a gym with all the equipment I’m collecting! Time for me to make things happen again!

Anyways, had a great time in San Francisco last weekend! Got to hangout with some old friends from college in SF. The last time I was in SF was before my surgery and with an old girl friend. Being there brought back some old memories… nothing but good times. It seemed like lifetime ago! Things have really changed, and my life is now on a completely different path! I had a booksigning at UC Berkeley sponsored my my old college fraternity and a Filipino student group. I’m starting to enjoy speaking to students because their curiosity brings up the most interesting questions. I’m getting more comfortable speaking in front of large groups (this may open up other career path doors.)

I’ve been sporting my “stache” for movember for almost a month now and I can’t wait to take it off!  Don’t think facial hair is my thing, but I’ll do it for men’s health awareness.  Most guy don’t acknowledge or talk about their health issues.  The “stache” opens the lines of communication.  How can you ignore a mustache?  Only a week more of my hairy upper lip glory!  I can’t wait to shave this off!