The Corner Booth

Ah, Race Day in Indianapolis. Nothing like it. I've been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway several times for other events, and have been at a couple practice and media preview runs for the Indy 500 in years past. But haven't had much interest in actually braving the mass crowds and craziness on Race Day in the past. We've been fine watching the highlights and even listening by radio from home... until this year. My photo from an Indy meetup in 2010. That's because of a particular highlight: the first-ever licensed driver with Type 1 diabetes was making his debut run in the race. Yes, we're talking Charlie Kimball - a fellow PWD who I had the honor of meeting back in 2010 , and also was featured in many recent interviews such as this one here. His involvement got me excited to actually tune in and follow his progress, and so a chance that came up earlier in the week presented a chance to actually be there to witness this first-hand. Suzi and I answered ...

 Life has been pretty busy lately with regular stresses and much to do with work, so I've been unplugged more often and not as connected to the Diabetes Online Community as has been normal. A handful of D-Meetups this week presented a great chance to get back into the swing of things. A trio of Meetups, plus another event with fellow People With Diabetes, decorated the calendar. But as fate would have it, the stars only aligned for one of those D-meetups. - Monday brought an Adult D-Meetup on the northside of Indianapolis, one of several that have occured during the past year as part of the local JDRF chapter's effort to increase outreach to the Adult Type 1 community. This meetup brought out about 10 of us to a local brewery called Three Wise Men Brewpub. No formal agenda or organization to this gathering, and this one didn't really even delve into much talk about the JDRF or the adult outreach. It was an unscripted meetup where we were just all able to talk individu...

Apparently, Indiana has it in for those of us who Text Our Pancreas. You know, like Kim says over at Texting My Pancreas - .those of us who are pancreatically-challenged and occasionally have to get word to our lazy organ using an insulin pump or CGM. Well, the time has arrived making it illegal to do that while behind the wheel. Lawmakers here have passed a law restricting texting while driving, and Gov. Mitch Daniels ( who may soon be announcing a White House run ) signed this into law on May 10. This means that starting July 1, you won't be able to utilize your cell phone or telecommunication device behind the wheel in any texting-like manner in the Hoosier State ( and no, I've got NO CLUE what a Hoosier actually is... ) This isn't Indiana-specific, though. We have a national trend that encompasses some 30 states at this point, and Indiana is joining the fray with a new law banning the practice. Legislation in the form of House Enrolled Act 1129 prohibits drivers f...

Walking down the hallway at my office recently, the plastic pump holster keeping my Minimed 722 fastened to my belt suddenly broke off. No apparent reason. One moment it was attached, the next my pump was dangling from my waist. Luckily, the tubing had been tucked in and the arm set wasn't impacted. Of course, this meant I'd need a new pump holster. Fortunately, I have backups in my arsenal of supplies at home. Three to be exact. I've stocked up on some of these over time, after once upon a time having one of these break and not having any replacement. I prefer the holster cases, where I'm able to wear it on my waist and slide the pump out for quick easy access whenever needed. These cost a nice little chunk and so over time I've been able to stock up as they've replaced my pumps - they send a new case with the pump, but they don't want the case back so I keep them.   Another one busted a month or so ago, and so this was a relatively recent swap. S...

This is the seventh and final installment of Diabetes Blog Week, created by Karen over at Bitter~Sweet Diabetes . This 7th prompt: What We've Learned . Last year, Wendy of Candy Hearts made a suggestion for this year. She commented that “Day 7 should be a post about stuff we've learned from other blogs or the experience of coming together online...”  So today, let’s do just that! We're writing about what we've learned from other blogs, this week or in full since finding the DOC. What's the experience of blogging been like, and what's the DOC done for you? This post could even be used to look ahead and talk about what the future holds. - - - - - - - - - - Newly-married and just after we'd moved into our first house back in 2005, I began scouring the web looking for "real stories" about people Living With Diabetes. Not just the horror stories as I'd heard my entire life or those that were covered by the media. Not the older Type 2s or the ki...

This is the sixth day of Diabetes Blog Week, created by Karen over at Bitter~Sweet Diabetes . We're supposed to have a Snapshot Saturday here today. While some will likely tell little stories with their reels of photos, I've got nothing... The brain is tapped. So, here are some random photo highlights from my recent D-Past. Enjoy. One of the many many cool things that happened at JDRF Government Day in March was meeting Olympic gold medalist Gary Hall Jr, who I looked up to as being a Type 1 swimmer who swam all four years of high school. Snapping a photo with this guy was simply awesome - it was great meeting you, Gary! Recently attended this awesome event that raised thousands for the Diabetes Youth Foundation of Indiana... AND my loving and wonderful spouse got up there on stage for an act with a few others. While they didn't win the ultimate prize, they were all 10s in my book! My meter is pimped out. And that's just cool to say. Usually, this is how I wear my ...

Here we go, the latest post for Diabetes Blog Week ! Yes, it's Friday The Thirteenth. I get it. But fully aware that I risk jinxing myself by offering this thought, here goes: Awesome Things . That's the assignment we're writing about today. Back in February the #DSMA Blog Carnival challenged us to write about the most awesome thing we've done DESPITE diabetes. Now, we'll put a twist on that topic and focus on the good things The D has brought in life. What awesome thing have I done BECAUSE of diabetes? Well, I think joining this community is probably one of the most awesome things I've done as a direct result of Living With Diabetes. Friendships made, different perspectives discovered, more appreciation for my own D-Life and how we're all connected and part of a bigger picture. That's enabled me to become more open and honest and accountable about my own D-Management, and that's led to better health overall. But this is not about ME; it'...

This is the fourth installment of Diabetes Blog Week created by Karen at Bitter~Sweet Diabetes . Today we're supposed to write about those Ten Things We Hate About You, Diabetes. Um, wait... only ten? As in 10? Not like, a glucose-saturated gazillion va-million?! Ok, fine. While many more could be on the list, the assignment calls for 10 and we wouldn't want this list to go on forever. So, I'll limit those items that rise to the top notches of the list. But this won't be a list of Ten Things that I hate about diabetes. No, it's not about ME here... rather, this list will be Ten Things To Hate About Diabetes, Through The Eyes Of... ( drum roll, please... ) 1. The Riley Dog : You aren't my friend, diabetes. You make my daddy not want to play with me. Instead of tossing the ball, taking me on a walk, or running around the backyard with me, he sometimes needs to just sit down and rest and eat some of that yummy people food or apple juice. And sometimes, at...

This is the third day of Diabetes Blog Week created by Karen over at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes , and today's prompt is all about D-Bloopers. My mind first went to the obvious choices: Poking finger for blood test without putting a strip in the meter. Eating without bolusing. Or vice versa, where you bolus then forget to eat (both leading to same result -> Glucoaster). Putting a new infusion set in, and then walking away with the pump still sitting on a table so that you pull out the newly-inserted set. Or you collide instantly with a sneaky doorknob, open drawer, or wall corner. Or those days where I'm wearing a white work shirt and manage to get a gusher. Drawing up a bolus in a syringe and injecting it in your leg, only to realize you'd already done that and now doubled up the dosage. Or a variation: giving a shot of quick-acting when you actually meant to inject long-acting. Bloopers abound. We know them well. I've done all of the above, been in...

This is the 2nd day of Diabetes Blog Week, created by Karen over at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes . Today's prompt is Letter Writing Day, where we are supposed to write a real or fictional letter somehow connected to diabetes - to an endo, an actual meter or pump company, or maybe a letter from one's adult self to the D-Child you were. Whomever the letter's recipient may be, this is the day to tell that person how you're feeling. At first, I'd seriously pondered writing a letter from my current Adult Type 1 self to my younger self. But that theme seemed like it might be a common one, and mine might lean more toward the serious end. Plus, there's that country song Letter To Me that already goes there. So, I opted for another choice. That led me to this: Letter To The Unknown Guys & Gals of My Diabetes Past . Those strangers who, at one time or another, briefly came into my world and made an impression. Now, this multi-point letter is a collection of thoughts to t...

It's that time of year again.  You may recall from 2010 that a phenomenon known as Diabetes Blog Week sweeped across this community, with dozens of bloggers giving their own spins on a single topic. We have a prompt for every day of the week, thanks to D-Blog Week creator Karen over at Bitter-Sweet Diabetes . You can find all those participants listed over there. Today's Topic: Admiring our differences   - We are all diabetes bloggers, but we come from many different perspectives. So, what have we learned from those diagnosed at different ages or with another type of diabetes, or those D-Parents who might be considered heroes? Pick a type of blogger who's looking at The D from a different perspective tell why they inspire you, why you admire them, or why it’s great that we are all the same but different. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    I'd hoped for some origina...

Four years makes all the difference, apparently. Back about this time in 2007, when this was still The Corner Booth and didn't have "Diabetes" in the title, I'd written up a D-themed blog post called " What's In a Name? " and said that there was no need in my mind to ever name an insulin pump or medical device, as some in the small DOC-at-the-time had done. I questioned the motives for doing something like that and said it wasn't my thing, and ended the short post with the proclamation: "That's where I draw the line" Flash-forward to 2011, and here I am with a Minimed pump. I'm not even sure how many actual pumps have come across my D-Life during my past decade of pumping, but there's been a handful. The past three going back to late 2009 have had names - Bacon Gibbs, Bacon II (a.k.a. Bacon Gibbs Corleone, The Don of Rage Bolusing), and Scarface . That all followed a brief two-year switchover to the Cozmo, which later got ...

It's about the turtle, see. Yes, I'm a member. These days, it seems an appropriate self-designation would be Slacker in Charge of the Procrastinator's Society. Especially in regard to my D-Life in recent months. Slacking, slacking, and more slacking. My blood test readings illustrate the trends, which have continued and started bubbling and boiling over from a few points in the day to more widespread periods of time. The brief Dawn Phenom hours in the morning have started stretching all night and most of the morning, while the evening hours post-dinner have gobbled up the entire night. I'm too nervous to actually analyze what my Carelink data trends might say, but I'd guess I would be in range something like 25% of the time. My OneTouch meter average is 239 mg/dL for seven days and two weeks, and 220 for thirty days. Um... YIKES! Energy levels have been lacking lately, and some of those ever-so-pleasant neuropathy pains in the feet have returned when number...

President Barack Obama announced late Sunday night that Terrorist Mastermind Osama Bin Ladan was killed in a military operation in Pakistan. Nearly 10 years after he carried out the tragic terrorist attack on America. This man who'd orchestrated so many crimes upon humanity is now gone. On a weird historical sidenote: May 1 happens to also be the day in 1945 when Adolf Hitler was announced dead. Crazy coincidence, or alignment of the stars, or something.  "Justice has been done." - President Obama, in his speech . So, I say: GOD BLESS AMERICA. But this is bigger than the United States. This is about worldwide peace. Hopefully, now that another terrorist leader has been eliminated, maybe we can all somehow unite in peace for this world. Despite the terrors that still exists, this historic moment can generate an outpouring of support for creating that unity for all of us. We are a global community. Let's Give Peace A Chance. Please.