282) 2008 Walk for PKD

September 20, 2008
Saturday

El Milagro: Got here right on time today, after participating in the 2008 Walk for PKD, which was practically across the street from us, at the Arbor Trails. Ran into Debbie the Blimpy Tech on my way in to the center... she is feeling good and excited about having her first baby at 26 in a couple weeks... around October first. I talk to her about calling La Leche League* when she delivers. Then I see Connie the Nurse and kid her about not being at the walk because she usually is at the walk... and she complains that she never heard about the walk... and I offer to show her my pics later when she has a minute.

I make my way to my chair on the back wall and Debbie sets up my BP (105/67), Rita the Nurse does my nursing eval, and Gladys the Tech does the poking. I turn my radio on and can't hear anything, finding out that the batteries are dead again... I have two in my bag and it takes three... two does nothing and, of course, I now don't know which two are the good ones. So, I stick em all to my tongue but they are too small to zing... so I just put the radio away and settle on missing Tom Pittman doing Folkways. DARN! I settle on no TV and leave my earphones on to blunt the sounds around me... and write this post.

The Morning PKD Walk Report: We arrived at the church without dog and signed in and I talked Sheila the Volunteer into a volunteer white t-shirt instead of the normal sea green shirt; arguing that I wear white t-shirts AND that is better advertising if I actually wear the shirt AND I am a team captain of a team that didn't collect any group money AND I like the polycsystic kidneys picture on the back of the shirt AND I can use it to show folks what my kidneys look like instead of describing them... AND I think that one won her over so she made me promise to act like a volunteer AND she gave me a white shirt! Liz quiped to no one in particular, as we walked away, "He gets things because he turns on the charm".

The girls talked me into driving back to the house to get Chelsea the Dog and Chelsea was really happy to come to the walk. Then I wandered around looking for donuts and surprisingly find Kirk and Aaron, who are working with TNOYS to develop our new data system and have already done our new version of the website (www.tnoys.org). They are here to support PKD because of relatives and because they worked on the PKD walk donation page this year. Kirk seemed surprised to see me here too and to find out I'm on dialysis as I am to find him connected to PKD. ¡It's EVERYWHERE! We talked briefly and then ended up doing the whole walk together; me discussing my adventure with PKD and dialysis and them collecting information and being friendly 'neighbors' during the walk. Chelsea the Dog was unusually well-behaved, possibly because of the crowd, and Shayna ran the course, of course, ending up third.

A highlight for me was walking with Kirk and talking about paired exchanges and Austin's not moving too fast in that direction ("too complicated", according to David the Transplant Social Worker) and hearing Kirks brain wheels, "start a non-profit to connect people up for sharing"... I am sure we'll talk further at some point.

We finished up the walk and Liz, Shayna, Chelsea, and I sat thru the awards and Liz tracked the silent auction for her things... and helped the silent auction volunteer take up the auction sheets. We ended up with some free passes Shayna can use for ice skating and a novel Liz wants to read. Liz ended up volunteering to work on the silent auction next year and I got a lapel pin for my suit.

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Gladys asks about the walk and I show her my pics and she remembers that she did the walk 3 years ago at Dell Center. I turn on the TV and catch Mike Barnes' Texas Tailgaters... we are weak on defensive backfield according to the Couch Coaches... and one of these guys predicts the 3 top Big 12 teams this year as Missou, OU, and Kansas! Where's TEXAS bud? How can you be at the Texas Tailgaters Show and NOT say TEXAS is BEST?!? What a dumb show! So, we're playing Rice tonight and I'll miss it cause I'm outa here early today. I surf...

Find a Bond movie with PB as Bond; The World is Not Enough (1999) and watch... then another movie with my girl Drew Barrymore... Ever After... and watch about 20 minutes before its time to unhook and move on. So it goes.

Notes: In at 76.5 and out at 74 kgs.
*La Leche League of Austin, available online at www.lllaustin.org/