The skeptical cardiologist has started taking Tuesdays off more or less. Whereas I used to spend this day deep in the bowels of the hospital in a darkened room viewing all manner of echocardiograms and EKGS and occasionally venturing into the special procedure room to perform cardioversions and transesophageal echocardiograms, I now “work” from my home.
Cutting back my work hours enables two things:1) It makes for a sustainable work situation-one where I can enjoy patient care and interaction more (the most fulfilling part of the job) and interact with computer screens less thus allowing me to keep working for another 10 years and 2) It allows me to do all the other things I love doing but which I never seem to find enough time for. These other things are mostly music creation, research and writing for this blog, reading, and taking care of my health.
In the realm of music creation I’ve been doing a lot more straight improvisation on my acoustic grand. I just sit at the keys and start playing whatever my brain tells my hands to do. It’s quit exhilarating but I fear that too much of it may drive the wife formerly known as the eternal fiancee’ bananas.
In order to avoid a bananas wife and to allow playing of the grand piano at any time of the night or day, I have ordered a Yamaha CP4 digital piano. This, according to all reports, plays very much like an acoustic grand and has sounds which are hard to tell from a Steinway. In anticipation of its arrival I dug up from the basement my old synthesizer workstation a Korg Triton Studio. It was upon this 76 key electronic marvel that yours truly did most of the music production for my first album “Atherosclerosis Is My Psychosis” under the pseudonym Dr. P And The Atherosclerotics.
Emboldened by the interest readers displayed in my Neil Young tickets, I am hereby offering up for sale my beloved Korg Triton Studio 76 to readers of my blog who will provide a nurturing home for the instrument. The wife just put this up plus its Korg gig bag on something called “Facebook MarketPlace” for $800 but I am willing to sell it for much less to any reader who says nice things about my blog.
What, you may ask, does all this have to do with Marilyn Monroe? Well, quite a bit (not much actually, its just clickbait.) Using my extra time off this morning I ran 2 miles in the neighborhood and while listening on my airpods the following (reasonably obscure) Monty Python sketch (cowritten by Graham Chapman and Douglas Adams) from The Album of the Soundtrack of the Trailer of the Film of Monty Python and the Holy Grail came up.
In it Michael Palin interviews film director Carl French (Graham Chapman) who has just released his latest movie which features the deceased and cremated Marilyn Monroe in every scene.
Fans of MP will enjoy but those who are easily offended by nasty words or off-kilter humour should avoid.
Pythonically Yours,
-ACP
On the Power of Cauls, Dickens’s Doctors, and Placebos
In the first chapter (I AM BORN) of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, the protagonist notes that “I was born with a caul, which was advertised
2 thoughts on “Behold The Korg Triton and Marilyn Monroe's Posthumous Starring Role”
Well. I enjoyed reading the “ran 2 miles” as I am a 44+ year runner. I began running August 17th, 1975 and have been doing so consistently 3 to 4 times a week. Just checked my blood pressure and resting heart rate this morning. Resting heart rate was 37 bpm and blood pressure 107/62. High vagal tone after a tough steep slope run yesterday has relaxed my entire system which makes listening to the 7th symphony a very enjoyable experience. In 4 months I will be 74 years old. Glad i don’t have to take any medications. I feel a lot of sadness for those suffering from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, COPD arthritis and other such afflictions. Wish I had become a health care professional and might have soothed the suffering of many. Well, I am glad Doc shared some of the joys of his life. I am happy!
Thank you for your very informative blog. Can you comment on ejection fraction. I had an SCA in March. Within the past 6 months, I’ve had for different readings. 50% right after the SCA on a nuclear cardiology test. Then 27% in April on a nuclear stress test. Another 45% shortly thereafter on an Echocardiogram. And just recently October) 33% on a second Echocardiogram. .
How can there be so much variability?
Thanks, Larry