Proof!

In case any of you were wondering I do, indeed, possess a heart. I know this because I got to see and hear it pumping away on Thursday when I got my heart ultrasound. I don't know whether I have a healthy heart just yet, we'll have to wait until next week to hear back from the doctor. At least, I hope it is next week -- good news travels slowly.

What makes this whole scenario interesting (besides the fact that I am in the center of it) is the absolute absurdity which surrounds it (again, because I am in the center of it).

Yesterday I had an appointment at 2:30pm to have my heart looked at. Yesterday at 1pm, 35 miles away from my doctor, I had a simple meeting. Well, I shouldn't say simple -- simple is one of those words that has a highly subjective application. So let me first define simple... lately simple means "there is a huge, ungodly obstacle to the project which will take X hours to solve, and we can plan a course of action in 30 minutes".

So, the 1pm meeting was supposed to be simple, but it was not simple. It turned into something a bit more complex. Let me define complex: complex means "there is a huge, ungodly obstacle to the project which will take 2X hours to solve, and we can plan a course of action in 60 minutes".

So here I was, running from the meeting at 2pm for my 2:30pm doctor appointment, 35 miles away. And I'm out of gas. And it was drizzling. In medical terminology, this is called a stress test. Through some miracle of physics, time management, lack of vehicular safety, and welltimes stoplights, I arrived a mere 10 minutes late for my appointment. Whew. First obstacle done with.

So the cardiac person lays me down and starts running a probe all over my chest. My heart is beating a little faster from the sprint through the parking lot and sprint up 3 flights of stairs. but we are able to have a good, if completely bizaare conversation. The background music is my heart, playing for all its worth.


Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa
Ultrasound Man: So, what do you do?
Ed: Software. I'm so sorry I am late.
Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa
Ultrasound Man: Sofware? Really! Do you do client/server software?
Ed: I've done client/server software before.
Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa
Ultrasound Man: Do you have many friends?
Thumpa ... Thumpa
Ed: I have lots of friends. ??
Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa
Ultrasound Man: I mean, do you have lots of software friends?
Ed: Well, bird of a feather, you know? Did I mention I'm sorry I was late?
Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa
Ultrasound Man: Do your lots of software friends write client server software?
Ed: Am I going to live?
Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa
Ultrasound Man: My company needs lots of people to write client/server software for us. We are looking for software people to help us.
Ed: Oh, well, give me your business card and we'll talk about it.
Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa

So, wiping ultrasound gel off of my chest, he writes his home e-mail address down, gives me his business card, and I tell him I will send him an e-mail.

I didn't want to seem rude, but did want to casually steer the conversation back to my health so I asked if I would hear any results. He said not right away. The cardiologist will look at it, then call my doctor, who will call me. He did mention he thought it would be OK.

So, apparently, one can network in the strangest place. I will infer that I am in some level of health as he would not try and contract my programming services had he felt I only had minutes to live.

-Ed