Monday, September 08, 2008

A Lil Excitement

I’m just back from an exciting lunch with Blog-Bud Lou and her husband Toby; that’s the three of us in the pic above. Why the emphasis on “exciting,” you ask? Well… have you ever had cause for the Heimlich Maneuver to be used on you? No? Me neither, until today. To make a long and embarrassing story short, I tried to inhale a piece of steak finger at lunch today and wasn’t successful. At all. But, things worked out (obviously and quite literally), and Toby gives good Heimlich. Thank God. While I wouldn’t call my little adventure in breathing alternate substances life-threatening, it was most definitely exciting. I didn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention of the whole frickin’ restaurant for three or four minutes, either. I wanted to find a hole and crawl right in it after the crisis passed.


So… lunch was very pleasant after the initial bit of excitement was over. To cut to the chase: have you ever met someone for the first time and immediately felt at ease and at home, right off the bat? That was the case today… speaking only for myself, of course. But then, I knew we would hit it off. It’s not like we’re strangers, what with nearly three years of reading each other’s stuff day in and day out.


Toby and Lou are great people, to put it very mildly. Today might have been our first meeting, but it sure as Hell won’t be our last… if I have anything to say about it.

27 comments:

  1. How exciting!! (meeting Lou, not choking). Next time you are at Mark's, stick to the Huevos Rancheros rather than the steak fingers. LOL!

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  2. That sure is a memorable first impression.

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  3. What fun to see you all together! Must have felt a little like meeting family for the first time.

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  4. Oh, and thank you Toby!

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  5. You are lucky to have friends who knew.

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  6. Wow Buck - what a way to introduce yourself! Thank god Toby was there. Embarrassing but better to be that and stay at the restaurant than to be put on an ambulance.

    Phew! Great pic too!

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  7. I can completely relate Buck...I have a spastic esophagus that periodically needs dilating.

    It doesn't bother me much anymore, but, before I realized I was not choking and could breathe through an episode, it used to scare the hell out of me and I'd run out of restaurants or hide in a stall in their bathroom.

    I know the embarrassment something like this happening, and meeting new people over lunch was the worse initiator of a choking attack. It has something to do with nerves!

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  8. Wow, Buck... real glad that this story ended the way it did!

    Quick public-service type announcement on CPR training, from a guy who used to be certified to teach it (like, 20 years ago), actually performed it on human beings while volunteering as an EMT, and takes refresher classes now and then to keep skills current:

    You can learn (and practice, on dummies) the proper way to do CPR in about 4-6 classroom hours (the American Heart Association's "Family & Friends CPR" class - the difference in hours required depends on whether you want to learn to handle situations with infants as well) and it will include training on how to do the Heimlich maneuver properly, including on yourself if need be. :-)

    That is all. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog-commenting.

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  9. How exciting, I'm glad everything worked out OK.

    I must say, I'm a lil jealous. If they'd stuck withe idea to head East, that might have been me there. Meeting them, not choking... hopefully.

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  10. Wow that is quite a story!

    I'm a little bit jealous of Lou and Toby too.

    Glad it all turned out well!

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  11. "... have you ever met someone for the first time and immediately felt at ease and at home, right off the bat?"

    Very rarely. Only once, really, that I can think of right off hand.

    It's very cool.

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  12. It's wonderful when things just click upon meeting folks in person. Just wonderful.
    Less wonderful is choking, but thank goodness for the successful outcome!

    Go, Toby!

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  13. Jenny sez: Next time you are at Mark's, stick to the Huevos Rancheros rather than the steak fingers. LOL!

    Good advice, Jenny. I'll do that! ;-)

    Susan: Yeah... I did make a splash, didn't I?

    Bec sez: Must have felt a little like meeting family for the first time.

    It did. Good point!

    Abe: You're SO right.

    Mushy sez: I know the embarrassment something like this happening, and meeting new people over lunch was the worse initiator of a choking attack. It has something to do with nerves!

    My problem has more to do with the problematic aspect of trying to chew my food completely without molars. Not as easy as it might sound, and probably directly responsible for today's unpleasantness.

    Barry: Thanks for the PSA... seriously. I let my CPR cert lapse after getting out of the AF; I should "go back to school" and get it again. Very good points.

    Becky sez: I must say, I'm a lil jealous. If they'd stuck withe idea to head East, that might have been me there.

    Well... next year! (That's a football quote. I think. But it could be hockey, too.) ;-)

    Ash sez: I'm a little bit jealous of Lou and Toby too.

    Well... that puts the shoe on the other foot. Between you and Becky we have a matched pair of Jealousy Slip-Ons!

    Thanks for the thought, tho, seriously. You made my day, in other words.

    Phil sez: Very rarely. Only once, really, that I can think of right off hand.

    It's very cool.


    It IS very cool, and you're right... it doesn't happen all that often, at least for me.

    Christina: Yes! On all counts. "Go, Toby!" was exactly what I was thinking, too! :-)

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  14. If you really are interested in doing a CPR course, I'll let you know when the Portales Fire Department will be doing another one.

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  15. I too would have loved for Lou and Toby to come out east for a visit... but everything happens for a reason... who knows...? you might have been sitting there by yourself and had no one to heimlich you when you choked! I'm glad you got to meet each other.. it's obvious in the all the comments between you, that you are like family! CPR saves lives! I think everyone should learn it!

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  16. I'm so glad you have the opportunity to meet friends (interesting phrase... but accurate) for the first time AND very thankful they were there to help you through that experience.

    I'll call tonight.

    Sam (AKA SN2)

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  17. I'm glad you and Lou finally met. Blog friends are an unusual category. I know some of mine better than I know some of my local friends, but have never actually met them. It's kinda hard to explain, isn't it?

    And thank God Toby knew what he was doing. I'm glad that worked out.

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  18. Thank God everything is all right. I'm checking off steak fingers on my list of foods to inhale.

    Meeting a blogging buddy must have been very exciting. I'm hoping I get the chance to meet several of mine in the future.

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  19. Well Buck....you can't say you don't lead an exciting life....not sure I want mine quite that exciting. ;)

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  20. Jenny sez: If you really are interested in doing a CPR course, I'll let you know when the Portales Fire Department will be doing another one.

    Please do, Jenny.

    Alison sez: you might have been sitting there by yourself and had no one to heimlich you when you choked! I'm glad you got to meet each other.. it's obvious in the all the comments between you, that you are like family! CPR saves lives! I think everyone should learn it!

    I've thought about that "being alone and choking" thing, believe me. MANY times. I lead a solitary life, and choking when I'm alone isn't beyond the realm of possibility. Self-Heimlich!

    We're agreed on your other observations, as well. Yesterday was a LOT of fun!

    Sam sez: I'm so glad you have the opportunity to meet friends (interesting phrase... but accurate)...

    That IS a most-interesting turn of a phrase, ain't it? But true, nonetheless.

    Amy sez: I'm glad you and Lou finally met. Blog friends are an unusual category. I know some of mine better than I know some of my local friends, but have never actually met them. It's kinda hard to explain, isn't it?

    It IS hard to explain... like a lot of things in life. Yet another of those classic "ya hadda BE there" situations.

    Michelle sez: Thank God everything is all right. I'm checking off steak fingers on my list of foods to inhale.

    Yup! I added them yesterday, as well. Augments the usual, customary, and (un)reasonable things on "the list," like coffee, Dr Pepper, milk, beer, peanuts... ;-)

    Pat sez: ...not sure I want mine quite that exciting. ;)

    You DON'T... believe me. If only for the embarrassment factor.

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  21. Wait a minute! What's wrong with Dr. Pepper?

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  22. Nothing... except for the fact ya can't breathe it. ;-)

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  23. Actually, you would be surprised at what a person can do with a can of Dr. Pepper - if they try hard enough. And you can use your imagination on this one. ;)

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  24. Oh my gosh, I LOVE that picture of the three of you. I am so glad your meeting took place ... that must have been SO MUCH FUN!!!! You all look very happy!

    Glad you are okay, Buck ... hooray Toby!

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  25. Michelle sez: "Thank God everything is all right. I'm checking off steak fingers on my list of foods to inhale."

    Then Buck sez, "Yup! I added them yesterday, as well. Augments the usual, customary, and (un)reasonable things on "the list," like coffee, Dr Pepper, milk, beer, peanuts... "

    Yes, don't inhale these things. But get right back up on that steak finger horse, lest "they" ban them. (Oh, I'm so angry about your subsequent post!)

    Anyway, thanks Toby and Mr. Heimlich.

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  26. Geez, I'm so out of the loop. Didn't know such a trip and meeting were planned. But glad that it was, and glad that the little mishap was easily dealt with.

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  27. Uncle Buck...don't DO that! I haven't had MY bon appetit event with you yet! Yeah, we like to keep Toby around cuz he's pretty daggone handy.

    oh and yeah...i've been there...and it ain't the most pleasant thing i've ever done.

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