[Dixielandjazz] A funn tng happened on the way to my birthday party!

[Don Ingle]

A funny thing happened on the way to my birthyday, Feb. 10, or at least 
if seems funny now.

Left arm suddenly announced that it hurt, and an onset of heavy sweating 
said, "Don, my lad, get thee hence to the EMT."
It seemed that a bit of a blood clot had moved into the wrong address, 
and, as I was soon told at the hospital, that I had just had a heart attack.
Some people are happy enough with a card and slive ofbrthdaycake, but 
n-o-o-o-! I got a stent as my gift of a lifetime. Which - I add - is 
giving me just that.

Well, it _was_ an interesting day. I got to watch on the monitor as they 
finessed the stent into place - quite a procedure. The cardioliogist 
doing the work could get
a job steering a sub under the ice at the North Pole and not scrape the 
hull.

After a night of constant awakenings for the lab vampires drawing blood, 
enough needles to qualify for the porcupine survivors club, EKG 
readings, and the blood pressure
arm squeeze every 15 minutes, I was okayed to come home - a day and 
half  of anything but a good night's sleep. (One does not go to a 
hospital execting sleep.) I now take seven instread of the old four 
pills, three for the heart and the old ones for the asthma/allergies. 
(Getting old is not without busy work and I am warned not to lift more 
then ten pounds for a few days, meaning perhaps that I buy my Scotch in 
fifths rather than half-gallons for awhile - but then I never did.)

Sadly, I learned while I was being poked and prodded that my friend, 
music partner for 23 years with the Michigan Nighhawks, Jerry Paauwe had 
passed  away four days earlier. He was 87 and has been a teenage marine 
that took part in five Pacific island campaigns. A marvelous player of 
trombone, clar, alto, mellophone, and who shared the arranging with me 
for our band. To his spirit I say, "SEMPER FI."

Well, I may have some adjustments to make in my lifestyle but thanks to 
good doctors, and to my own recognizing I had a problem, I will hang 
around for awhile.  Who knows, perhaps long enough to hear someone sing 
the Nat'l Anthem with due respect at a bowl game. That will be something 
to live for!

So, good friends and fellow listees,  blot the ugly moments of the Super 
Bowl stage out of your minds, and realize that we saw one hell of a good 
game.

Now --_*let's talk jazz!*_

Don Ingle