Newsletter #56

Growing Old - Not for Sissies

As all my regular readers know, I had double bypass surgery on March 13, this year. That is an experience I don't care to repeat, so I'm taking a lot better care of myself nowadays. I've lost a few pounds, my blood pressure and heart rate are down to teenager levels, and my fasting blood sugar is normal. But, like an old car, it seems that fixing one problem in an aging body often highlights another one you didn't think was serious.

Such was the case with my left eye. For many months, I had noticed what appeared to be strobe flashes out of the corner of my eye, usually at night, and shortly before my hospitalization, I had developed what appeared to be a dark semicircle in the upper right corner. As I recovered from the heart surgery, the semi-circle began to get larger until finally, last week, it was covering the center of my vision and I was effectively blind in my left eye. I asked Dr. Norberto Calzado, my cardiologist, for a referral and he recommended Dr. Ernesto Calvo, an opthamologist. Nora drove me to the appointment on Wednesday and after examining me, he sent me directly to Dr. Miguel Arcacha, a retired US Army Colonel who now has a private practice in Panama. Dr. Arcacha confirmed Dr. Calvo's diagnosis of a detached retina and recommended immediate surgery. I wanted to delay it until Friday to give myself time to get mentally prepared, and we compromised on Thursday morning.

I had what is known as a "buckle" procedure, where a silicone band is placed around the eyeball to compress it and reduce the volume, forcing the retina back into place. The surgery also involves draining liquid from behind the retina. For those interested, there is a pretty good explanation at http://adam.about.com/surgery/100132.htm# .

The surgery was done under a local anesthetic and sedative. I napped during most of it, and felt only the most minor discomfort briefly during the procedure. The surgery took about an hour.

Now, I'm in recovery again. I've got a beaut of a shiner and tell everyone that Nora smacked me. I still can't focus with the left eye, but each day my vision gets a little better, and the shadow is gone, so I have high hopes of regaining most of my vision.

I am happy to report, once again, having received top-notch care when it counted.

iTunes

I'm a big fan of Apple's iTunes store, and while I'm writing this, I'm also downloading the most recent 'Desperate Housewives'. I'm not sure how many folks know about iTunes TV shows, but they presently offer a wide selection of shows from several networks, including ABC, NBC, Fox, Showtime, and others. It's one way to watch some of the shows that you may not be able to get, or that come on at an inconvenient time. Each episode costs $1.99 unless you buy the whole season at one whack, in which case you can save a few bucks. The only one I'm buying right now is Desperate Housewives and there are 21 of this season's episodes available at the moment.

There are some drawbacks. You will have to watch the shows on your computer. I have a small computer with a fair sized flat panel LCD display and I keep it on a small wheeled computer table (About $20.00 at Do-It Center) and just wheel it into the bedroom when Nora and I want to watch an episode. You can only "authorize" a maximum of 5 computers to play the shows, and I used up one when I installed a second hard drive and moved the shows to the new drive. I used a second when the motherboard went bad on that computer, so even though I still have everything on the original computer, I only have two "lives" left. Naturally, I'm scrambling around trying to find some way to defeat the accursed DRM so I can burn the episodes to DVD. I've licked the problem for music, but not yet for video.

To use iTunes you'll need either an Apple Mac or a Windows PC. You can download the software here. http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

American Society Installation Dinner

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PANAMA
INSTALLATION OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

VENETO HOTEL & CASINO
THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2006
6:00 PM

Program

Social Hour in the Reception Area, 7th Floor
Dinner in the Venetia II Salon
Introduction of Honorary President, the Honorable William A. Eaton
Ambassador of The United States to The Republic of Panama
Inauguration of American Society President-Elect, Dr. Robert Wayne Samuels
Recognition of Retiring Board of Directors
Introduction of Incoming Board of Directors
President's Address

Menu

Terrine de Pollo y Pato Silvestre con Jalea de Mango
Centro de Lomito de Res Asado en Salsa Marsala
Papas Gratinadas
Vainitas Glaseadas
Panecillos - Mantequilla
Tulipán de Cocktail de Frutas
Café ó Té
Vino, Blanco ó Rojo

TIckets:     $25 for Members
       $30 for Non-Members

Gentlemen are requested to wear Coat and Tie
Cash Bars will be available in the Reception Area and in the Dining Room

Purchase your tickets from any member of the new Board of Directors:
Sandra Abell        315-0565    sandy_abell@yahoo.com
Mary Arreaga       315-6029    mary.arreaga@att.net
John Beavers        233-5318    chiefbeav@cableonda.net
Nancy Cuthbert    223-0379    fancynancy1@hotmail.com
Sergio Davis        225-9584    sdavis@cwpanama.net
Annie Dooner       317-6681    abdooner@sinfo.net
Robert Emerick    314-0480    emerick@cwpanama.net
Dr. Charles Garcia 270-0931    garciadentist@hotmail.com
Cedric Gittens        223-5526    cedric@sinfo.net
Eunice Greaves      229-4009    panaeac@yahoo.com
Arthur Littesy        223-2029    jessiearthur@cwpanama.net
Boston Patterson    317-1764    boston_patterson@hotmail.com
Dr. Wayne Samuels 232-5622    rwsamuels@yahoo.com
Rita Sosa        260-0671    sosa@sinfo.net
Steve Thomson       214-1768    LGBSJT@hotmail.com

The Website

We've added a new feature on the Home page. On the right side are listed the latest Real Estate additions. Check them every week or so. They are subject to change at any time.