Not quite kicking.
All the medical supposition in earlier messages was just that and now a new round of theories is making its way around the circuits. I’m out of hospital, functional, but not yet ready to get back to writing. More tests over the coming days and weeks.
At least it’s good to know what I don’t have!
April:27:2010 - 16:05 | Comments & Trackbacks (50) | Permalink
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April:27:2010 - 17:19
Good to know that whatever it is, it is allowing you home time!
Take care, and, if necessary, we can find something to debate I’m sure!
April:27:2010 - 20:22
John,
Take care of yourself first. Posts can wait till you recover. I’m glad to know you are out of hospital. Soon you’ll be fine. Follow all the medical advices.
Hope you recover soon.
April:27:2010 - 23:53
I hope the jello is living up to its excellent reputation.
Hope you get rid of medical theories soon!
April:28:2010 - 00:08
Did an insect bite come into the theory or black magic? You know if this was your case in Saudi it would be either evil eye or magic.
So happy you are alive…so relieved…take a rest. You deserve it.
April:28:2010 - 01:51
Good to know that whatever it is, it is allowing you home time!
Take care, and, if necessary, we can find something to debate I’m sure!
April:28:2010 - 03:00
Glad to hear you’re home. There’s no place like it! I hope you soon feel like your old self- or even better! Why not??
April:28:2010 - 03:19
At least your out of the hospital. That’s something. Rest easy.
April:28:2010 - 03:35
Glad to hear that you are better.
April:28:2010 - 04:28
Welcome back; looking forward to seeing you in great shape soon !
April:28:2010 - 11:04
John,
“Home Sweet Home.” It is great relief to hear that you are home now. I know you are not quite out of the woods yet, but as you mentioned, your greatful that you know what is not.
The posts can wait. Your health is top priority right now. I will keep my fingers crossed.
April:28:2010 - 11:50
Rest, rest and more rest…there is no other choice. Come back when your ready. We arent going anywhere, LOL.
April:28:2010 - 17:17
It looks as thought it’s going to be be rests and tests for a while. Reading is a pretty taxing affair at present, so writing it going to take some even longer time.
April:28:2010 - 17:48
John… Glad to see you are alive, sort of
Just finished getting beat up by a co-worker during lunch (something about some law AZ passed). Actually of the six at table, 2 against, 4 for. One of the ‘against’ said bill was ‘racist’ so I asked if she was calling us racists (including 1 mex-american, 2 anglo gals and old guy himself). No, bill is racist, she said. Poor Bill.he wasn’t even in room and is a racist.
Anyway, what we see now is media elites and our intellectual and moral superiors telling us how evil we are. I knew I was bad but I had no idea. They will do everything they can to squash this law.
April:28:2010 - 17:48
I’m sorry you will be in such uncertainty and so uncomfortable for this time. I hope it all proves benign and highly treatable.
Perhaps for the addicted, you could allow commenting on the posts you did in say the last month. The topics are still current and some of us missed out while occupied with…migraines!
Take care!
April:28:2010 - 22:04
Hey Chiara, I just finished reading about the 100th paper on Autism this year. At this point I am just a little less mad at the scientific / academic community than I am with ASD. If cute words and fancy language were a solution to the problem, it would have been cured a long time ago. Just the journal of Applied Behavior analysis has thousands of articles, of which few or none have any value in the real world. It is just academics writing for academics using cute terminology like functional assessment, antecedents, negative reinforcement and stimuli… I am appalled by the so-called ‘experiments’ on individuals including children found in so many articles – done mostly for the purpose of publishing a paper few will read and nobody will use. It is obviously more about the need to publish for peer recognition than to solve a problem. 99% of it is junk science. Screw Iwata, Vollner, Cooper and the rest! They are hacks.
John, I am glad you are better. We do miss you.
April:28:2010 - 23:05
John,
Don’t strain yourself and don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Posts can wait.
Take care. Hope you get well soon.
April:29:2010 - 09:14
Kactuz, is AZ in your last post the Pakistani president ? Are you Pakistani or, like me, interested in whatever happens in that country ?
I had nearly planned a visit to KSA next week, in which case I would have called you (how, I’m just wondering) Sparky to have that dinner to which you invited some of us long ago
)
Finally I’ll be in Cairo, not too bad !
April:29:2010 - 10:26
Michel, I think Kactuz’s “AZ” is Arizona. They just passed a controversial new immigration law.
Pakistan is my interest. I may visit there, someday…
April:29:2010 - 11:30
Jay–thanks for the shout out about my new post on Autism in Saudi Arabia.
Michel–Solomon2 is correct, the AZ is regarding the Arizona state law against illegal immigration that may or may not be constitutional and has already required the federal government to respond (? perhaps the whole point in the first place?), and will be an issue of contention for the November 2010 elections to determine the composition of the House and the Senate.
April:29:2010 - 12:31
John–I just noticed you re-opened commenting on posts! Thanks. Will comment anon on missed opportunities and newly inspired!
May:01:2010 - 03:48
Michel if you are Riyadh…ask John for my email. We must wait till his is kicking though. John if you are out there listening. I miss you
I have to obtain John’s approval first.
Have a great time in Cairo.
May:01:2010 - 12:32
Sparky, maybe next time in Riyadh then !
You’re right, we miss John.
May:03:2010 - 01:11
Wow…. This was some spell, and ongoing. Whatever you got, I dont want it and I think you should give it up, too.
If you must get sick, next time pick an interesting ailment – something that makes for interesting conversation around the coffee table. Yellow fever and malaria work well in this scenario. War wounds are interesting and always impress the gals. VD, I mean, STD do not! “My herpes was acting up again” is not a winner.
In the interesting category I would recommend either Capgras syndrome (belief that a close friend or loved one has been replaced by an identical imposter) or maybe cotards syndrome (a person thinks they are dead or don’t have a soul). Of course, both are mental disorders so probably don’t qualify.
Wait – here is one that will work: Go for Blaschkos condition. It is a rare disease in which the skin develops stripes, V’s or swirls. Yep… We have a winner: a relatively harmless, exotic (very important)disease and a great conversation piece.
Get well, tiger.
May:03:2010 - 01:32
Michael,
AZ = Arizona. I was born in Phoenix then left… After a long, long time, I came back.
About Pakistan. I wonder about it. It is one of those countries that drive me crazy – It is a weird mosaic of people and cultures united my a religion and idea, even if they cant quite figure out what idea is that. I read the DAWN website at least one a week and do follow events there. It is a mess, very complicated (my opinion).
Michael, may I ask why are you interested in Pakistan?
May:03:2010 - 04:44
Kactuz and all. I believe something wonderful is going to happen to John. He is going to come into very good fortune soon.
I don’t believe there is a VD or STD!
May:03:2010 - 05:53
John,
Get well, man. I hope the doctors find what is ailing you and cure it quickly. We’re pulling for you.
May:03:2010 - 05:55
In the interim, I found an interesting news story in the Telegraph:
Photo of Saudi king with women could lead to reform
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/7669086/Photo-of-Saudi-king-with-women-could-lead-to-reform.html
A photograph of the king of Saudi Arabia surrounded by a large group of professional women may mark a breakthrough in the country’s society and politics.
May:03:2010 - 06:13
Jay,
Irreversible stripes on skin are not very appealing.
Malaria is no longer a deadly illness – I have had it three times. The cure is very simple and one always gets cured. It’s no longer “interesting.”
How about divine revelations coming to John – hence the headache afterwards and fever during divine possessions? John as a new Prophet – what do you think?
I thought you were a Brazilian! Now you say you are from AZ – is that a change of identity in progress?
Sparky,
You have positive energy and you get positive intuition about people, isn’t it? Amen for your intuition in that case!
Please get something good for me as well!
May:03:2010 - 22:44
Daisy, we have soooo much in common. Of course, but alas, ours is a love that can never be – you, young, beautiful and smart, me, old, ignorant and ugly. Lets wait for john to get better before we take this to the next step.
Actually, South American and Asian tropical diseases are wimps compared to African ones. I mean, if I had to go to a tropical disease sufferer convention, I could hardly show my face with the 4 or 4 run-of-the-mill diseases I picked up in 30+ years in Brazil. I probably wouldn’t get any credit for about 4 types of worms, plus bicho do pe, leeches, lice, fleas, ticks and other nasty insects. All these years later, the only ones I still hate are fleas. Even so, there is no joy like snapping a flea between your fingernails and sending it to flea heaven.
Anyway, John, you had better get well before we take your blog down the road to perdition. If you don’t get well, I’ll start posting really weird stuff, and I can do weird.
Now I leave you the great Harve Prenell in his younger years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij8EcC868aQ&feature=PlayList&p=77FB971FDA0E975C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=39
That was one strange movie, imagine Lee Marvin and Eastwood singing…. There ought to be a law.
Sparky, tell us more about this good fortune you see for John. Should he be buying lottery tickets? Will he be dancing or singing on TV? Will he be visited by some non-earthly being?
One last thought on the virtues of non-moderated blogs. If JB had to approve our comments, there would be no comments here and we would be out of touch and uninformed about him for almost two weeks now.
tchau. J.
May:03:2010 - 23:12
I could hardly show my face with the 4 or 4 run-of-the-mill diseases I picked up in 30+ years in Brazil. I probably wouldn’t get any credit for about 4 types of worms, plus bicho do pe, leeches, lice, fleas, ticks and other nasty insects.
Not to worry Kactuz, I am sure the convention goers will make an exception for you when you show them your lovely flea snapping technique.
John: I would strongly suggest you get better soon before we start posting our respective medical histories here to out-cool each other. Not to worry, the only time I had an illness worth mentioning was when I fractured the middle finger in my right hand. It had to be splinted straight up with the other fingers folded down to provide space for the bandage. I went on to give a talk to senior faculty at a respectable university in that condition.
May:03:2010 - 23:41
Jay,
I thought you said once you have a woman in your life. Sorry, I’m against polygamy – in my country even the 95% Muslims are monogamous! And we don’t usually like divorce unless there is a catastrophic reason for it. Of course exceptions are there.
For all concerned,
John’s health is improving now, though he is still very weak and can’t write. He is still on medication and has to go for several tests.
May:04:2010 - 08:14
D. Oh yes, you are right. Darn it, I forgot about her! She might not see it my way either. Women are sooooo mean.
May:04:2010 - 08:42
Jay,
8) 
Perhaps you can convert to Islam! Perhaps you appreciate Islam better now!
May:04:2010 - 15:45
Jay,
to answer your question, although Arab countries governed all of my professional life and part of my private life over the past 30 years I made a 5 yr digression with Pakistan; I still feel very interested and concerned with that country, apparently you as well.
May:04:2010 - 18:59
M. A very strange response – still trying to think it through.. OK, Did you digress because Pakistan is not Arab? Because it is not your usual stomping grounds?
I digress all the time, but it is congenital.
As to the “concern” thing…. yes, read today’s news. Pakistan is a caldron of mischief. It didn’t have to be, but it is and it will get worse.
Daisy, at one time I would have converted to anything just for the women (well maybe except for the Shakers and the Heavens Gate cult). I liked women that much. Then I got older and wiser. I wouldn’t have made a good Muslim and I didn’t make a good Baptist either – too many rules. I can do a reasonably good imitation of a cantankerous old man.
Here is the website of the day:
http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/
I love cartography. By the way, 5 maps referenced on the site are mine.
So how is John doing? What DID he get? I tried a search but couldn’t get too much except that he went to some school and was a respected FSO officer, his father was also in the state department, his uncle was a famous playwright and linguist, his brother build yatchs, his nephew sells seeds and there are 1347 people named John Burgess in the US, of which 99.63% are male.
May:04:2010 - 21:25
Jay,
Wow, your search abilities are great! I’m not sure I could have found all that. You have enough material to write John’s biography.
The doctors still don’t know what he has, hence the number of further tests.
So for the time being how about sticking to the theory of John the New Prophet?
Pakistanis are nice people – somehow Pakistani men like me, I get mails from quite a few of them (Perhaps it’s the fascination for the forbidden fruit
).
But Pakistan is a country of contradictions. I wonder how a country of nice people make their country like that.
PS – I had suggested to you earlier you may consider making an anonymous blog of yourself without giving any contact details, where we can comment. How about that?
May:05:2010 - 00:55
Dear John
Sincerely hope you will soon be well and up and about. Really missing your daily inputs and clever observations regarding The Magic Kingdom
All the best
Svend
May:05:2010 - 06:06
Everything looks good up to the uncle part, then it’s off into someone else’s family!
May:05:2010 - 10:09
John,
Glad to see a comment from you!
May:05:2010 - 11:27
Oh yes, really glad to see some new writing from you John ! Please keep on recovering.
Jay, you were right with regards to my digression, your first suggestion is the good one;
Daisy, I perfectly share the concept of the forbidden fruit… and even more that of the mess created by fundamentally nice people !
May:05:2010 - 14:12
Thank you for making a cameo John. I think it makes us less axious- though of course we understand rest and following Dr.’s orders is the primary consideration. All the best to you.
May:05:2010 - 17:06
Getting better, but still in the obnoxious testing stage. Colonoscopy tomorrow. If that shows nothing, as I expect, then it’ll be back to ‘mysterious illness’, but one that’s mostly over, I hope.
May:05:2010 - 18:56
As bad as a diagnosis of “mystery illness” is, I am glad you are feeling somewhat better.
My father’s adventure in 2005 with “mystery illness” turned out to be Crohn’s disease. The surgeon who diagnosed him (FINALLY!) was still saying “no family history? are you sure?” even after he confirmed surgically that it was Crohn’s and did the surgical resection.
It was nice to have a diagnosis for mental and physical healing.
Hope you continue to improve, and they find something benign and treatable on colonoscopy (a nice benign polyp, snip snip while they are still in there would be good).
All the best!
May:05:2010 - 19:30
Michel,
Absolutely!
To all,
Here is something Oby shared with me. (People in this world are engaging in many things other than religion) –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDNOB6TnHSI
May:06:2010 - 14:10
John,
Good luck with the test. From the sounds of it, you have some glimmer of hope:)
May:06:2010 - 15:00
hmm.. someone is using my name, ‘Me’. but that doesn’t bother me much as the truth is more important than who says it.
May:06:2010 - 22:58
John has begun to take solid food and less medicines, though is still not completely cured.
May:07:2010 - 10:54
Daisy could it be you are his cure
May:07:2010 - 11:28
Sparky, you are the most wicked woman I’ve ever met. Your husband must be a lucky man!
May:07:2010 - 11:31
I second Solomon2!