I’m coming back to The City next week for the beginning of writing the next Better Than The Machine show–it’s ninth show since it’s inception in 2003. Will will be there. I am very excited!!

Michael Jackson died yesterday. He was a great musician before he was a public weirdo–I think that’s eventually how people will remember him. I wonder what’s happening to his kids; he had three of them, who certainly had no mother in their lives. Odd.

I saw The Hangover on Father’s Day with my dad. It was the best comedy movie I have seen in years. I don’t often say this, but if you like to laugh, you must see this movie. Must! Well, unless you’re prudish in any way, in which case I would say you probably would not like this movie as much. But even my mom liked it. My mom!

The end, for now. Time for more sleep.

–Reid.

Here is a joke my mom wrote, admitting it was “punny”: I am really galled! But not for long!

I’m out of the hospital, in large part thanks to my mom standing up for me, so I figure she deserves prime space in this entry. I got out of the hospital in time to attend my (high school) friend Tasha’s wedding, and to see my closest friends, who have not all been together for perhaps years. I was feeling great on Friday, the day I got out of the hospital, but Saturday was feeling sick enough that I had a really tough time deciding if I would attend the wedding. I ended up going, figuring my folks were just a call away, and I swear, as soon as I saw my friends, any part of me that had been hurting or threatening to cause me to pass out went away. I felt great. Reiman and J escorted me and did a great job. I miss those guys already.

Anyway: very nice service, the bride was beautiful (it would take a lot to change that in Tasha), and the party was fun but low key enough that I felt like I could sit and relax and talk to my buddies and still feel like I was having a good time. Also, I should mention that I ignored Tasha’s lecture about not coming if I didn’t feel up to it and (sorry) I’m very glad I did.

As far as the hospital and my third case of pancreatitis go, the current theory is that gallstones, which I’ve been confirmed to have, blocked a duct and caused a backup that led to my pancreas becoming inflamed. Also, the steroid portion of my chemotherapy has officially been dropped since I always get so sick after taking it, which probably helped the blocked duct make me so sick. I’m going to get my gallbladder removed in two or three weeks, which is supposed to be a fairly minor surgery (one or two nights in the hospital). Hopefully, the combination of both will stop the constant attacks of pancreatitis.

As far as they go, I kind of lucked out on this particular attack. I experienced something truly strange. I lost the first 8 days, in which I was third spacing, bleeding internally, and acting like something of a nutjob. As far as I knew, I went to sleep that first day and woke up on my 9th day in the hospital. I was not aware that a week had passed. I called that week “my time as a zombie,” because I don’t understand how my body was doing things if my consciousness wasn’t in it. And, by the way, where was my consciousness? This raises a great deal of questions within me. I was told that I wasn’t sleeping for up to 5 days at a time and was being pumped full of pain killers and that’s probably what caused my zombification. But it was strange (or concerning) enough even to the doctors that they had tests run on my brain. Which proved to be okay, and heck, I’m back in it now, but still… a bevy of questions linger.

I think as easy as it was for me, because I didn’t have to experience any of the pain (or lack of eating), I think it was very tough on my family. So I really have to thank you guys for helping me through–and out–of it.

–Reid.

Howdy Chums!

I’m just finishing my way out of yet another life-threatening battle with my arch-nemesis pancreatitis. I regained true consciousness about two days ago and I’m still finding out what exactly happened. At any rate, I am still in the Hospital (Children’s), and I dare say any visits will only make me stronger (though I ask that you please, please call before you come over so as to make sure I’m not asleep or something). I am still hoping to be out of the hospital in time for the wedding of my friend Tasha this weekend . It seems now that only time will tell! Time, or me and a large axe–that’d be a pretty big indication that I intend to attend the wedding. And an altogether random one.

–Reid.

Really bad stomach pains today. Got no writing done. I have a bunch of BTTM stuff I’d like to get rolling (well, I guess they’re rolling, but they gotta keep rolling…). After last week’s transfusion, I have found it very difficult to focus, which should have been expected, but it’s very frustrating.

Going to get checked out at the clinic tomorrow at normal people hours, so I’m hoping to get some decent sleep tonight.

–Reid.

Hey kids, try Prednisone! Prednisone: the steroid that MAKES YOU GO CRAZY^TM.

Whaaaaa!!!! aaaaaarrrrgh!

–ihatethis.

The showy beauty of the outdoors and the cold efficiency of computers once again prove entirely incompatible.

Stupid bug.

–Reid.

…rolled back into my home in Denver for chemo and stuff. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but NYC can be quite tiring.

It was good to see those seen, and I’m hoping to come back very soon to see many of those I didn’t get to see. Independence dayish.

I’m on leave from the HP. I’m trying to write every day, and have found that it has become much easier to write comedy sketches than it was even a few months ago. I’m working on a sort of passion of mine called “Sketch Noir Theater,” that I’ve been talking about for three years now, and that I finally figured out. It’s three parts and each one is longer than any sketch we’ve done in the past few years.

Thank goodness for BCB and Paul–I think when I get back to BTTM full time, I’m going to set aside any sort of head directorial duties I ever shared with Paul to just let BCB and Paul, who’ve clearly shown a better knack for it, do their thing. You can generally tell what I directed because the action is usually made up of people sitting on a couch for a longish period of time. The entire sketch sometimes!

It’s great to see the whole group writing. It seems like a far better oiled machine than before–one cohesive unit. I’d be all for other people trying their hand at directing or other duties, just as long as they’re open to vegetables being hurled in their direction. Or constructive criticism. Either way.

Let’s see… a friend’s wedding is coming up here in town. It will good to see all of my friends from Denver returning for a celebration! Happy times.

The end,

–Reid.

Me: I feel a great sadness that I won’t get to see a lot of these people this trip or do all of the things–

Amy: Ferret poop. Retraining ferret pooping habits.

Me: Let’s have dinner.

Amy: Am I going to have to wear pants?

We saw UP today in “Disney Digital 3-D”. Whether in 3-D or not, I highly recommend this movie. It had such true emotion, that if you weren’t crying for saddness’ sake, you were crying tears of joy. It went beyond the normal “Pixar has done it again”. Truly a phenomenal movie that I’d be happy to see again when you go to see it and bring me along.

–Reid.