As you know, Dave has been stuck in the hospital since April of 2008, before that he has been in and out. He has been battling the complications due to stomach surgery performed back in 2002, as well as the depression of being in hospital care for a very very long time. He copes with the boredom and depression through his laptop and video games.

Recently, his apartment was broken into, his xbox360 and all his games swiped, and an errant glass of water just trashed his laptop. This is a huge blow to his psychological well being, and I want to help him. I am a man of limited means, and I am putting this request out to anyone who might be able to help:

We're looking for a laptop that is in fair condition that has wireless and can at least play Warcraft. Doesn't have to be fancy or anything. If anyone has a lead or a link to a reputable site where we can purchase one cheap, please let me know. you can also email me at jeffraven65@yahoo.com

We're looking at a price range of under $300.

I missed it, it passed me by without much notice. What happened (slightly more than) a year ago, you might ask? On October 22nd, 2007, I had the gastric bypass performed. It doesn't seem all that long ago, does it? For me it doesn't. The past few weeks have been a bit foggy between my dental situation, school, and work, so the day squeaked by quite easily. It should be signifigant, right? After one year I am at 370lbs. I've plateaued for the most part, but to be honest even if I don't lose any more weight I'm still glad to have had the surgery.

I know what I need to do to lose more weight and it involves eating more protein and less carbohydrates. However, I'm having difficulty implementing this plan. Carbohydrate-rich foods are easier to create and with my busy schedule I don't always have time to make a properly balanced meal. Also, with the weather getting colder and the time I spend on classes/work, I don't have time to get 5 miles a week of walking.

For now, I'll be walking when I can and adjust my diet accordingly, and hopefully jumpstart some more weightloss. I'm still considering the abdominoplasty, but again that is still on the horizon. Dr. DiBennedetto said at my last visit that I can expect to lose weight due to the surgery for another 6 months from now, and I hope I can do it. If I can get down some more, I'll definitely put the abdominoplasty in further consideration.

If nothing makes you proud to be an American, perhaps you should take a look at the Discovery Channel's "When We Left Earth" series. It details the United States entry into the space race, our success and failures in putting men on the moon, as well as the challenges of traveling into space.

It amazed me what we were able to accomplish, what we continue to accomplish as we continue to reach out to the stars. It is still very dangerous and each new mission is an achievement in and of itself. I can only hope to see us travel further, but I don't know if that'll happen. In these days, I can't imagine returning to those exciting times. It seems that traveling into space is passé and not all that exciting, so the emphasis on this area of development seems to be waning.

Does anyone out there care that much about traveling beyond our blue-and-white basket? I think we need to get some eggs out there.

Man the past few days have been beautiful! I've had no complications from the extractions, and the oral surgeon even called me on Saturday(Saturday!) to check up on me. No more tooth pain, and slowly but surely I'm on a path to getting my teeth to something considered normal. I still have a few crowns and many cavities to fill, but that's nothing compared to the extractions. I'm excited!

I had two exams today, one for Instrumental Analysis and another for my education class. I know I did well on my education class but Instrumental... Well, lets just say I probably did better than some of my classmates, but not perfect. My education class was a breeze

I've talked with my academic advisor, and I have a plan moving forward towards my teaching certification. In order to get the necessary 2.75 GPA average for chemistry, I have some choices. In order to avoid repeating any classes, I will need to get an A in my current chemistry class and at least a B in the next one. While I like to be optimistic, I think it may be a bit of a stretch to say I can do it at this point. I will work as hard as I can, but it looks like I'm going to be repeating some of my old chemistry classes that I didn't do too well in back at UB. Hopefully, with better professors and better health, I will improve and get my chemistry requirements out of the way.

I've been watching the NASA missions and I'm filled with patriotic pride. I think I'll expound on that on my next post. For now, wish me luck!

So I had two of the 5 necessary teeth pulled today and I must say it's not that bad. I don't think I would have lasted at work but the pain has subsided greatly. All that is left is a bloody flavor in my mouth and a dull ache. The teeth that were pulled were two decayed wisdom teeth. I have the final 3 teeth scheduled to be pulled in January. Thankfully they are not urgently painful, but they will be more difficult to remove as the oral surgeon said he would need to do some surgery on them.

The cool thing is that since I only had two teeth removed from different sides of my mouth, I won't need stitches and I can let them heal on their own. Phew!

...than the absence of pain. The last few weeks have been a trial, and it still goes on. My dental issues have left me unable to focus on school and work. I'm either buzzed and drowsy on prescription pain killers or working through throbbing pain as I wait for my dental appointment this Friday. It's pretty much shut down my focus on my classes as well as my attempts to blog often on here.

I'd like to take a moment to give a heartfelt thank you to those who have sent something my way- every little bit helps and I greatly appreciate it.

If you guys want to play an awesome-fun game, check out World Of Goo. I have obviously refrained from buying the full version but there's a demo on Steam. The game is addicting and tons of fun.

As most people know, I've got debt. However a more immediate financial problem is my dental work. Right now, I have to get 5 extractions performed, and my insurance does not cover the cost fully nor does it pay up front. The dentist I have chosen offers the best deal in this area, but since he does not participate in my insurance he requires the payment be made up front. I cannot afford to do that. The past 3 days I have been in excruciating pain due to decay on several teeth and it needs to be extracted soon. I hate to do this, but I realize that one way to fund this is to seek donations. I've found that my paypal account will let me set things up so that with a click of a button, my generous readers could help me out(even in a small way). I am not asking for much, and I don't have much to offer, but I will promise that all funds generated here will go to my dental work. Thank you for your support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQalRPQ8stI

This video pretty much sums it up.

Today I went to my third wedding of this year. This one was between my stepsister Crystal and her longtime boyfriend Russel Joy, whom I knew from high school. It was great to not be in the wedding party this time, and all I had to wear was 'something nice,' which was nothing more than slacks and long-sleeve shirt and a tie.

My sister and I got to the ceremony just in time and it was a beautiful Catholic ceremony. I didn't necessarily understand all the ritual but it was beautiful nonetheless. The reception afterwords was fantastic! If there was ever a large wedding that could be pulled off wonderfully, this was it. In fact, I'd say that I enjoyed this wedding the most- I asked so many more women to dance today than I ever had before. The food was great, the fellowship was awesome, and I had a delightful time.

My other stepsister made a dark prediction though: She said that she was told that once one of the kids gets married, the rest get married within five years. FAT CHANCE THAT! I don't see myself getting married anytime soon, so much for that prediction.

I'm going to take a moment to go into more detail about the current classes I've been taking. I am currently enrolled in Instrumental Analysis (Chemistry) and Fundamentals of Teaching Students with Disabilities. I find both interesting but I cannot wait until I have finished both of them.

The main idea behind Instrumental Analysis is that I get good experience using numerous instrumentation and spectroscopic devices. This includes Infrared, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and several others. The general idea behind the class interests me but the quirks of the professor and his teaching methods really weaken that interest so much that getting through the class often feels like a chore. I can forgive the professor's intermittent use of deodorant and his thick Ukrainian accent. What I have a hard getting past is his confusing laboratory manual and insistence that we learn how to use a machine by being shown only once the exact mouse-clicks to press to get the machine to run. His course syllabus requests full professional reports for each lab but then tells you never mind, just show him the numbers. If there is one thing that I've learned about this class is that collaboration with other students is the key to getting a good grade. So far I've supported and have been supported by my fellow classmates as we struggle through this confusing and convoluted course.

My Teaching Students with Disabilities class is at the other end of the spectrum. The teacher is easy to understand, the classwork is fairly simple(so far) but it's unclear as to what I'm supposed to be learning. The structure of the class is very nebulous and the teacher believes in keeping the class open and free to change. She even suggests we do the same with our classes. I'm not about to agree with that because while we're adults who act responsibly and maturely, our students will still be kids. Also, I will need to make 10 hours of observations in a classroom as part of the coursework. This is going to be very difficult for me since I work full time. I also need to contact a school but I have no idea how to go about it and I do not know any of the schools in the area. I'll have to write a paper as well as create a power Point presentation on some learning disability. I think I am going to do autism but since I'm still confused about this class, I haven't gotten anything set just yet. This class is one big "?"

So that's what I've been trudging through right now school-wise. Feel free to respond!

So how does everyone like the new look? It's simple and pragmatic, but it's missing a few things for me. Like the weight loss meter! Oh well, I'll find another way to implement it.

I saw Dave today, and he was moved to the Intermediate Level Care Unit (ILCU) because of a breathing problem. I gave him his birthday gift and it was great that we were able to talk for a bit before I had to go to work. He had a big poster wishing him well on his birthday from his aunt, ex-girlfriend and her daughter. It's great to know that I'm not the only one who cares about Dave, and that other people are showing him the support he needs. Sometimes... I get frustrated in that there's little I can do for Dave, other than spend time with him when I can. His health and his mental state are out of my hands. The only thing I can do is pray for him and sometimes it feels like it isn't doing much for him.

When I think about what Dave is going through, my problems don't seem as rough in comparison. My schoolwork is very difficult, but it doesn't compare to how difficult Dave's battles are. Maybe it'll inspire me, I don't know, but I hope things get better for the both of us.

Finally! After a week with a construction crew running in and out of this website- a lot of noise, sawdust, and bricklaying- I've finally got the site back up. I went from version 0.9.2, to version 2.4.2, and the differences are vast. I love all the new features, and things actually work! I can even set up sub-blogs(if people so wish), and I've even worked out a setup where you, faithful readers, can create your own user accounts to keep from having to log in every time to comment. This new version also comes with a better spam blocker too! I'm really digging the cool stuff I now have control over.

About my last post- some of you folks didn't seem happy that I didn't go into details about my return to the dating fields, and there's a good reason. It's only been 1(one) date so far(with thankfully a second one Friday) and I'm still getting to know this girl. Maybe I don't want to jinx it, and maybe I don't feel there's much to report yet. I don't want to go into all the details and pour my heart out, only to find out we don't get past the second date. Why get everyone's(and especially mine) hopes up for something that wasn't going to go far?

I hope everyone is doing well out there. I'll be sure to post more as I've got a lot to catch up on. Thanks for tuning in!

Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm doing school and work at the same time and do not have much time to post. I am also in the midst of upgrading my blogging software, so you might see a few changes.

School is going good, work is going good, and I'm also dating again too! More on that later.

Thank you to everyone who wished me well on my birthday. The years seem to go by much faster these days, but I don't feel bad about getting older, not at all. With each passing year I become more mature and more wise, and I like it!