Wow, it's been a while

So, with grand plans of keeping my large audience of 3 (one of which is my wife) up to date with all of the goings on of my first semester of medical school, I think it's safe to say I have failed.  However, I did much better in my classes.  The first semester is over and my official grades have been posted.  3 As and 2 Bs for a 3.36 GPA.  Not what I had originally hoped for, but let me say, after actually experiencing just how much information is thrown at you in such a short time, and considering that I believe I handled it without completely neglecting my wife and kids, I am quite proud of my performance for the first semester.  Now, of course I want to improve, but I think Brooke and I did a great job working together and we will only get better from here. 
I have three weeks off and then will have a total of seven classes throughout the second semester for a total of 30 course hours.  I am most excited about physiology and neurology.  But, for now I am going to enjoy spending time with Brooke and kids and try not to think too much about school (although I have studied more days than not since we've been out).
Another goal for the second semester, in addition to one or two less Bs, is to update this blog more frequently.  However right now, I'm getting back to the fam.  Goodnight.

Week 1 Review

WOW!  That was intense.  Here is a quick summary of the week.  I don't have time to do anything more than "quick". 

I just finished my first full week of medical school and it was a little more involved than I had expected. I was right however, about howmuch I thought I would enjoy it.  I am loving it.  I never thought I would see theday where I was studying about 6 hours a day (outside of class) and wishing I had more time.  Below is a quick log of the week and then it's back to the books. The total hours reported is time spent studying outside of class, it does not include class time.

M 8/1- Had class from 7:30 to 3:30 today with one hour lunchbreak. 
            Studied from 4-5 reviewing lecture and then spent
            from 9:00 - 12midnight in the lab ---------------------------------4 hours
T 8/2 - Again full day of class (and MBTI workshop) 
            Books 4-6 and again from 8-1 ------------------------------------ 7 hours
W 8/3 Full day of class - Books 4-5, Lab 8-11 -------------------------- 4 hours
R 8/4 Class (7:30- 2:30) - 3-6 books, 8-11 lab, 11:30-1AM books-- 7.5 hours
F 8/5 Class 7:30-4:00 - Book 4-6 ------------------------------------------ 2 hours    
         (actually got over 5 hours of sleep)
S 8/6 Group Study 9-2, 4:00-6:00, and then self study from 10-1 --- 10 hours
S 8/7 Group Study 2-6, Self Study 10-12 --------------------------------- 6 hours

WEEKLY TOTAL (Not including class)---------------------------------------------------------40.5 hours

Time to go to bed, cuz I'll be putting in more time next week.  Goodnight.

Countdown

As I write this I am less than nine hours away from officially being a medical student.  Tomorrow beginning at 8AM I'll get a student ID, the loan money will go through, and there will be no turning back.  I'm actually a lot more nervous for the paperwork and details of orientation than I am about starting school.  I also have a few more projects to finish around the house before I can truly feel ready for the semester to begin.  Not that house projects are more important than school, but I want to feel like the home is in tip top shape for Brooke and the kids before school gets cranked up, because after that I imagine that not too many more projects will get done. 

Well, since I am sitting here sort of feeling like a deer in the headlights, I'm not too confident I'm going to be able to produce anything entertaining or informative, so I'll take this time to show off my awesome new school and home. Enjoy...

                                           LMU-DCOM
                                             

                                                                                

                                           Scrubs on the clothes line. 

                         House -Before (after picture to come in a few days)

Calm before the storm (and after for that matter)

So... it's been a while.  This will be a very brief attempt to get back in the saddle.  The past three months can be summed up in a few short words:  Master's thesis paper and defense, baby girl, move to rural Tennessee.  Those three things have consumed the last three months of my life and the reason I have abstained from blogging.  However, school is about to start in just over two weeks and since the purpose of this blog was to show that med school is not all consuming, I must make time for this blog, haha.  Future posts will concern school, our adjustment to the new local, and the resurrection of my running "career".

Ga-PCOM (Acceptance Story Finished)

Ok, so I've taken several long posts to answer the simple question "where are you going to school?", and I think it's time to get to the point and then get back to writing more current posts.  But, first there would not have been a choice to make without a second acceptance.  So here we go. (This is going to be brief I promise)

So we were really excited about  being accepted to LMU and as we awaited a letter from Ga-PCOM we were beginning to hope I wouldn't get accepted.  Simply, so we wouldn't have the chance to make the wrong choice.  Frankly, after the mediocrity of my MCAT score was mentioned at my interview I was not too confident that I would be accepted.  But, on the Friday after Thanksgiving I received a letter from Ga-PCOM.  I was sort of unsure what to expect or how to feel while opening it.  I must say the personal call from the dean was the best way I could imagine to be notified of an acceptance, but as far as letters go this couldn't have gotten any better.  I opened it and read..."Dear Mr. Pruitt,   YES!!!"  No explanation or lengthy, round-a-bout, beat around the bush answer.  Just an emphatic YES!!.  It was a good feeling to be accepted to a school with a 110 year history despite the fact that it presented us with a really difficult decision.  We were very happy and vowed to soak in the moment and not think about our decision until Monday.  (haha how do you think that went)  Well lets just say it didn't, but I will skip all the details (that will be part of a later post but not necessarily soon).  It's a very good story and I will tell it sometime.  But to completely avoid a long story, after a few days and some painfully obvious "signs" we chose.................Lincoln Memorial University - Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU_DCOM).  I sent my deposit in and mailed a "thanks but no thanks" letter to PCOM and that was that.

Orientation begins July 26 so we will be moving in June most likely to Harrogate, TN.  We are pumped!  More to follow about LMU and Harrogate soon.

Monday, November 22

So, it had been one week since my interview at LMU and I was past the point of being so nervous I could barely think.  Overall I was calm, but was really anxious about getting a call.  Brooke and I had been keeping an eye on the Student Doctor Network (an online forum) everyday to see if anyone from my interview day had received a call.  We noticed that several people that had already been accepted received their calls either in the morning or early afternoon about 1:00.  So as 2:00 approached (which was 3:00 at LMU) I had given up hope for that day and was already hoping Tuesday would be the day.  I was sitting in the library with my student I work with at Huntsville High and we were using my phone as a calculator to help with some Physics homework.  All of a sudden my phone began to buzz and I immediately recognized the 423 area code.  I grabbed the phone said, "This might be that call I was telling you about" and began running (yes running) out of the library as I was hitting the Accept button on my phone....

"Hello"......"Hello?"  "CRAP!!!" 

HOW CAN YOU MISS A CALL AFTER ONE RING!!??  HOW!!!!!!!! FEWEST DROPPED CALLS MY...

Anyway, I continued running to the teacher's lounge and got there at the same time the "1 New Voicemail" message appeared on my phone.  I dialed as fast as possible.  My hand was shaking a little bit as I heard the most glorious voice in the world speaking to my voicemail box. 

"Hello, Justin.  This is Dean Stowers of the Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine.  I just signed the letter offering you a spot in the medical school and I just wanted to be the first to say Congratiulations."

Wow! I just smiled. 

I actually called back, but of course he was busy making other calls, but I just told the Secretary Thanks and I was sorry I had missed his call (But I would soon realize missing his call was great because I got to listen to those words about 30 times that night and now have a recorded version on my computer to keep forever.) 

After hanging up the phone I leaned against the wall and all I could do was smile slightly.  I had been waiting for this moment for two years and now that it was here I didn't know how to act.  Truthfully I had thought I would cry, but I didn't.  I just felt content.  Relieved and content.  I walked back to share the good news with my student and then left work early to meet Brooke.  I must have left in a real hurry because one fellow employee asked if I had been fired as I passed him on my way out.

When I got to Nana's house Brooke was in the floor playing with Owen and Nana was in her rocking chair. I just walked in, handed Brooke the phone, and casually said, "Hey, listen to this."  It was really cool to see her face light up during the course of that 14 second phone message.  Getting the news was great, but sharing it with her was much better.  We had put so much time and effort in to applying and she had been so supportive throughout the whole process and that moment made it all worth it. 

We spent the rest of the night calling and meeting with family and friends and just flat out trying to soak it in.  The best reaction other than Brooke was that of good friend (not to mention an avid reader of this blog haha) Dr. Andrew D. Hodges.  He had been my biggest source of advice throughout the application process and it was really great to hear him leave me a message addressing me as "Dr. Pruitt".  Finally, All the work, and waiting had paid off.  I was in at LMU and still waiting for a letter from PCOM-Ga.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part (Continued Story)

Following the interviews, I experienced a wave of emotions that seemed to change every few days if not more often.  Now it seems more like a blur, but I assure you then it felt more like an eternity.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a tendency to... well, over think things. And let me tell you this mind has never been so active as it was after that first interview (although the feelings after the MCAT were very similar).  As soon as we were in the car, I was going over every single question, response, and facial expression.  That went on for about 2 or 3 days.  I won't go into details, but let me just say it was exhausting.  From days 4-7 I started feeling a little better all though a bit apathetic about the whole situation.  I guess I was just burned out from thinking about it 24/7 and sort of adopted this, "whatever, we'll be alright, attitude."  Which of course is sort of true, but I still didn't exactly have the right attitude.  This apathy about spilled over into my interview at LMU until the pizza dinner the night before.  When we saw the campus again, and met some of the students I sort of snapped awake. This is the reason Brooke was asking me interview questions at 2:30 in morning (mentioned in previous post).  I had felt like I had not adequately prepared and so I was scrambling.  Plus after meeting with the students I was really beginning to have an even better feeling about the school.

I already posted the interview day details so onto the waiting.  It was more of the same.  The first three days I was a nervous wreck (although my first and overall impression of the interview itself was better than PCOM).  However this time I never really slipped into that apathetic state.  As  Brooke likes to say I had "given it up" ( or at least was trying) and I really did have peace that I would be receiving a call.  But I confess I was still prety nervous.  Luckily, I wouldn't have to wait long with the committee meeting only three days after my interview.  Beginning Thursday I began "willing" my phone to ring.  Then Friday.  Then Monday....   

Acceptance Story: Interview #2

About two weeks after my Interview at PCOM-Ga we traveled to the Harrogate (middle of nowhere) TN for my second interview.  Prior to the interview we had not considered this school to be our first choice.  In fact it we saw it more as a back up plan if not the worse case scenario (of course the actual worst case scenario would have been not getting in anywhere).  There were several reasons that we did not consider this school to be ideal.  First it was an hour farther away than Atlanta, and it was also a very new school that had only opened in 2007.  This newness led to many other concerns such as would the faculty be adequate, would the curriculum have all of the kinks worked out, or would they have strong hospital affiliations.  Also, this school had never even had a graduating class, so we had no idea how they would do in the residency match.  However, for some reason Brooke and I had began to have more positive feelings in the week leading up to the interview, and we decided to go there with an open mind and truly give the school a fair chance. 

This interview began at 8AM on Monday so we drove up on Sun. and got to have dinner with some current students that night.  The conversation at dinner was very informative and we began to get a sense that this school had an extremely supportive student body and faculty.  I had not been too keyed up for this interview until we met the students at dinner, and then I began to get really nervous.  I did not sleep well and was so afraid I had not prepared well enough that I had Brooke asking me possible interview questions at 2:30 in the morning as we laid wide awake in bed.  This was a closed file interview so it was up to me to remember everything I wanted to mention and not freeze up due to nerves. 

Finally, morning came and we took the shuttle bus over to the school at the suggestion of the students from the night before.  I'll try to be brief, but the whole interview was great.  As soon as we entered the building we were greeted by the dean coming downstairs and then were escorted into a large conference room for about an hour of presentations.  We got face time with the financial aide officer, dean of the science curriculum, dean of the clinical curriculum, and even met and introduced ourselves to the namesake of the school.  Brooke was allowed to sit through each of these presentations.  Next came my interview and I felt it went really well.  It was the same format as my first interview (one DO and one PhD) except this was closed file.  Answers seemed to come to me quickly and without much hesitation and before I knew it I was being escorted back downstairs.  We were told that the committee would probably meet later that week and we could hear something as early as the next week. 

The rest of the day was very enjoyable because we could all relax a little bit.  We got an extensive tour of the facilities ( and WOW what facilities), a nice lunch in the campus cafeteria (Brooke was welcomed), and then a tour of the campus, medical apartments, and nearby town of Cumberland Gap (complete with the information that the town mechanic was also the mayor) from Bob, the shuttle driver.  Finally, it was over.  Bob dropped us back at the hotel about 1:30PM and we changed clothes and hit the road.

On our way home we discussed the pros and cons of both schools and drafted thank you notes for some of the people who had made our visit to LMU an enjoyable experience.  Overall we had a great day and came away being more impressed with the school than we previously would have thought.  Everyone was friendly, welcoming, sincere and the facilities were absolutely outstanding (more on that in future posts).  However, as Andrew commented on the last post, facilities are not necessarily the most important thing so I didn't want to put too much emphasis on that.  Although I have to admit the thought of driving up that big beautiful building on hill surrounded by mountains was pretty inviting.  We new though that in some ways it didn't matter what our pros and con list looked like until we had actually been accepted, so there was really not much to do but wait.  

So we waited and hoped we would have an answer from both schools before Thanksgiving.         

Acceptance Story (Continued from Recurring Theme on 12/2/10)

Last night Brooke posted a link to this blog on her Facebook page and it nearly got more hits in three hours than it had the previous year.  She must have a lot of friends.  I also actually got comments (that's a first).  In one such comment my Rooke buddy LC asked where I was going to school and as I looked back at old posts I realized I stopped the story after stating I was offered interviews at both LMU-DCOM and Ga-PCOM.  That is Lincoln Memorial University-Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia Campus.  So, here is the rest of the story.  Or at least more of it (I may not finish tonight).   
     As previously stated my first interview was at PCOM-Ga just outside of Atlanta on Nov. 2, 2010.  We had visited the school before and so we new what to expect.  Meaning we were not surprised to find that the school was in an old warehouse building situated between Maxxis Tire Co. and Siemens.  We got up early, made the drive, changed clothes in a McDonald's parking lot and proceeded to the industrial park.  I know I'm sounding less than thrilled about the location of the school, but let me say it was very nice on the inside.  They have done an incredible job with the renovation and it really did seem like a great place to learn. There were three other candidates in my interview group.  We took a quick tour with two students, were treated to lunch and then dropped off back at the front to await our interview.  Brooke was only allowed on the tour.  She had to make the trek back to MceeDees for lunch, but made it back to clam me down while I waited for my interview.  I was last in the group to go in and my interview lasted about 25 minutes.  It was with one current faculty member and one retired faculty member who was a DO.  I enjoyed the interview and was encouraged by the fact that the DO suggested that given my previous work experience I should go into PM&R (which as of now is my specialty of choice).  It gave me confidence in my belief that my background and interests would make me an ideal candidate for that specialty.  However, the interview ended on a sour note when I was asked if I would reconsider taking the MCAT.  I'm not sure how I answered, but thankfully I refrained from saying what first popped into my head, haha.  So, we left feeling less that confident and a little disappointed that Brooke was directed to the local mall instead of being welcomed on the entire visit.  We were told the admissions committee would be meeting again on November 17th and that letters would be mailed a week or two after that.  So began the waiting.

Next Post:  LMU-DCOM Interview
 
 

Follow the Leader

So this past weekend we finally got to take our Moms and Brooke's Grandmother to see where I will be attending medical school next year.  I really enjoyed the trip and I think they enjoyed seeing the area.  I do feel though that when we got home everyone felt a little bummed out as the reality that we are moving 4 1/2 hours away really began to set in after making the drive on successive days.  For me this brings mixed emotions.  On one hand it makes me feel like a jerk.  Like I'm taking Brooke away from her family for my selfish reasons.  However, I know my reasons aren't selfish and I know that we both believe we are doing the right thing for our family.  Before discussing the other hand I need to add a preface.  I haven't spoken of this much in previous blogs, but Brooke and I are both Christians.  Believers that there is a God and He sent his Son Jesus to this earth to be an example of how we should live and to die so that we may have a relationship with God Himself.  We also believe that sacrificing our lives for His plan will not only please God, but also give us more satisfaction and peace than we could ever imagine.  And I must say that so far, in my life, this is true.  I almost can't believe where we are today.  It was just about 2.5 years ago that I really felt stuck.  I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, but worse yet I felt like even if I found out I might not be able to follow my dreams because I was married and she already had a career and we had just bought a house.  That's when I finally began seeking God's will instead of  mine and He he went to work.  He placed on my heart the thought of being a doctor.  A thought that I actually been dismissing for 2 years before finally "listening".  After a few months of shadowing I knew what I was supposed to do with my life.  What was more amazing than finally choosing a career after many years of indecision was the fact that Brooke was 100% on board from the first time I mentioned it.  So here my wife, who hadn't wanted to move for me to pursue a PhD in exercise phys., or a Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (both of which would have taken 3-4 years max), was now suddenly perfectly content with moving up to 5 hours away for 8 - 10- years.  Not to mention this would take more of my time and cost a lot more money.  So I know what your thinking, man that guy is good.  He must have done some smooth talking.  Not so.  In fact sometimes I think "what did I do to convince her to do this," and she is the first to tell me that I didn't convince her.  God did.  Through prayer she got a peace that let her know we would be alright despite the move.  So as much as I would like to take credit, I did nothing.  I also know now that she didn't resist those earlier possible moves because she wasn't supportive, but because that wasn't the right path for us.  After making the decision to pursue this career I still had almost 2 years of classes and the MCAT to take.  One by one things have been checked off and here we finally are taking our parents to see my school of choice.  So I said all that to say this.  While I do feel sad from time to time when I see how many people are having to sacrifice for me, I mostly get motivated.  I am aware how much everyone is giving up and I owe it to them, God, and myself to do my very best.  I get excited about studying and learning the ins and outs of medicine and patient care.  I also get excited about the chance to support my wife in a few years, and countless other things.  So in conclusion, while sometimes I get sad and sometimes I wonder if we made the right choice, I know in my heart we did.  Three years ago I would have never dreamed of being this happy and this excited about my upcoming career and I know I could not have gotten here on my own.  It sounds paradoxical but when you sacrifice yourself and make yourself available to God, He will bless you more than you could ever imagine.  I am living proof of that and when I get sad I just remember that I'm not in control... and that is a very good thing.                

Thesis Update, Road Trip, and Really Weird "Band"

Ok, so I just logged on here to write an update on my thesis progress and outline our upcoming weekend trip to Harrogate, but first I just have to rant about this really weird musical non sense I'm watching on TV this very moment.  It's a local show called "We Have Signal" on APT highlighting Birmingham's music scene.  I've seen it before and since I have an admiration for original music I was excited to see it was coming on after a program about Children's Television Pioneers I had been watching.  All I can say is what an absolute disappointment.  There is one guy on a dimly lit stage wearing a sparkling golden mask with obnoxiously large white painted teeth.  He is seated on a drum stool with an electric guitar strapped around his neck and resting on his right knee.  In front of him is a bass drum, snare drum, and a hi-hat.  He is fingering the guitar with his left hand, and playing the limited drum kit with his right hand.  And then letting out some wailing chant like vocals, (oh great he just stood up and stuck the drum stick behind the nose in his mask, oh now he took it out and he's hitting his chest with the stick.  And now beat boxing. This just gets better and better).  And all the while there are these people in the front row just bobbing and swaying like he is playing something that's just moving their soul like they never thought possible.  WHAT THE CRAP!!!  How is this on TV??  I mean I'm all for being original and expressing yourself through music and art, and if this is how he wants to do it that's fine, but I just don't get it.  I mean I guess my problem is people seem to do stuff like this because they lack the discipline to put in the work required to become good at playing an instrument the way everyone else does.  So they say "Well I'm being creative and that's all that matters".  I disagree.  What matters is you put time and effort into developing your skill or craft and not sidestepping it.  If you want to create weird monotonous chants thats ok, but prove yourself first.  Show me you got chops then go and play mediocre one handed guitar and drum duets, but prove your skills first.  Earn the right to be weird.  Kinda like Frank Zappa. He was an amazing guitar player and could have written hits if he wanted, but he preferred to write satirical social commentary songs.  Not because he was talentless and needed a gimmick, but because he was awesome and said, 'I'm gonna do what I want.'  So, with that said, Go...  Create, Express, Explore and by all means be true to yourself, but be true to the instrument first and learn how to play it and play it well.  Then your style will be your style and not a gimmick.  In fact that lesson can sort of be applied to most things in life.  Don't take the side road or easy way.  Buckle down, set your mind to it, and pour your talent, time, and effort into becoming the best you can.  Sorry, off my soapbox now.  I'll write about my thesis and trip later, that wore me out.

Thesis Update 2

Well, today I applied to graduate with an M.S. from UAH.  I still have three main components of the degree to complete in the next 6 weeks, but I at least now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully after my meeting with my advisor on Thursday I will get the go ahead to have a progress meeting with the entire committee which would be the last big step prior to my defense.  It's taken almost four years to get to this point, but for all intensive purposes I haven't really completed any part of my thesis, and now all of it will be coming together and needs to be done in the next six weeks.  Nerve racking, but I know I can do it.  So...back to work.  Goodnight!

Thesis Update

So I had my meeting with my committee chair yesterday and it went really well.  We reviewed the power point presentation (about 40 slides so far) I've been preparing for my progress meeting with the entire committee that hopefully will take place in the next two weeks.  He had many great ideas to improve the presentation and I am to make the recommended changes and additions in the upcoming week at which point we will reconvene.  Also deadlines are starting to come fast and furious and how well I manage my time over the next six weeks will determine if I will meet these deadlines and ultimately graduate this spring.  Speaking of deadlines the first is my actual graduation application which is due by Tuesday complete with signatures and a check (of course).  Ok it's late and I actually have plans to run in the morning so......goodnight!

Thesis Progress

Brooke and I are so excited about the upcoming move to TN this summer (and of course the new baby), and there are so many things I want to get done before then.  However, there is one big road block (or opportunity if I'm trying to be optimistic) I need to get around before I can truly enjoy my last few months before school starts.  And that would be the completion of my Master in Science degree from UAH.  I began working on it directly following undergrad graduation in the fall of '07, but when my plans changed a year later my graduate work really got put on hold.  So now after two years, six post-bac classes, two MCATs, and several medical school applications have finally led to one very anticipated acceptance letter, it is time to buckle down and finish my thesis.  I also have to take a comps exam that I am pretty nervous about since I haven't actually had a graduate class in about two years (other than thesis hours).  But that's actually on the back burner for now.  The thesis comes first.  I finally rounded up a committee late last year and have had a few preliminary meetings with the chair and one other member to get some much need guidance.  Tomorrow I meet with the chair again to review my progress presentation that I will present to the committee hopefully in the next couple of weeks.  If tomorrow's meeting goes well and the progress meeting goes well then we will set a date for me to defend.  At times I think, "Oh this won't be so hard  I've already done the toughest part, and then at other times it seems hopeless and want to quit.  But don't.  I won't.  I need to just man up and get it done.  So I guess that's what I'll do.  One quick view of Bluto's "who's with me" speech from Animal House and I should have all the motivation I need to get prepared for tomorrows meeting.  Off to You Tube I go.......Well this is all I could find, check it out.

Christmas and FReuinon

So as promised here is a Christmas update. First of all, WHITE CHRISTMAS. You don't get to say that very often in Alabama. We woke up at 5 am opened presents here and then went to my mother-in-laws for Breakfast and stayed there all day watching the snow fall. Santa was pretty good to O and he had a lot of fun opening presents from us as well. He was very methodical in his gift selection and unwrapping. He would tear a small amount of paper...and a little more...and a little more...finally 5 minutes later he would uncover the thing. He then played contently with the new toy for a few minutes until prompted to open another gift and the process would continue. At Cindy's he crashed before he was done and we had to bring a few unopened gifts back home. He actually did a whole lot more playing with the toys than I expected. I figured he would just play with the boxes and we would feel like we completely wasted our money, but he actually seemed to enjoy each gift. That made me feel proud. What a smart kid.

After that my mom hung out for a day or so and then I went back to Southside on the 29th to prepare for the FReunion. At the last minute Lindsey had to cancel but promised to be at the show early. Randy, Adam and I spent about 2 and 1/2 hours going over the songs that night and hoped it would work itself out. Randy sounded awesome by the way. Saturday though would be a different story (although no fault of his own). I guess the pressures of a headlining tour were just too much for the guy (or staying up till midnight crashed his immune system). He came down with the flu the next day and was barely standing on Saturday, but he showed up. And so did Lindsey, 30 minutes before the show. So after a 9 year break we had one 2 hour practice (in 2007) and one :30 practice the night of the show. But great bands don't need to practice, so we were fine. In all seriousness it was great fun playing with the guys again and it didn't sound half bad given the circumstances. Randy did great just to be there, let alone try to sing feeling like that. This was no American Idol "I slept under the AC last night" excuse. The guy was sick, but he manned up and performed (and then went to bed by 10). So thanks to all of our many fans and to the guys I had a great time. Maybe we can do it again in 10 more years.