Leapin' Lizards!!! Happy Leap Day!

Since Klout erroneously believes I am influential in Apple here's Steve Jobs on the iRack: http://ping.fm/1Y7bd

Yup. A night recalling air raid drills at P.S. 70 in the 1960s & our sadistic Viet Nam Sargent gym teacher. GoodTimes Buffalo

Grade school reminiscences re: stale Civil Defense food boxes stored in the school's locker room. So good for you in a nuclear disaster. :)

At Tim Horton's now feeding my sister's decals tea addiction. :)

So Dad made his jailbreak and my parents are reunited at rehab. Togetherness. <3

You think your gas prices are high? $1.44/liter in Montreal today - or $5.80/gal US

I believe in "safe fax." Always use a cover sheet. ;)

Great article on how we treat the elderly: http://ping.fm/tohIH Values

Dad's jailbreak from the hospital has been delayed in order to reduce swelling. He's always been swell to me. ;) (groans & chuckles)

Met a great nurse, Ezra, father of 3 & former restaurant mgr who really knows customer service. A gem at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo.

Dad's perking up at Mercy Hospital and is likely to be discharged tomorrow back to a rehab reunion with his wife! :)

Holy cow! I just had the startling realization that today was not Monday! Living on hospital time...

If it's true that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, soon only kryptonite will affect me. :)

A lack of planning can cause a lot of trouble later in life. Get your papers in order to save your family from turmoil.

Ever get the feeling that you're juggling 3 balls and one of them is On Fire?!?!

I offered my blood for my dad's transfusions but they didn't want it. Might be filled with super powers. ;)

Discovered a birthday cupcake in my father's closet at rehab. Best sister ever!!! :)

Each of my parents is more than 6 years older than Oscar. Pretty amazing... :)

Nurse: "I need to take your temperature." Dad: "Will you give it back?" Any questions as to where I get my sense of humor? :)

After the ER to ICU transfer, I think that lunch will be in order. Hospital + birthday = strange combo ;)

Heading up to "The Penthouse" shortly. 8th floor ICU. BuffaloFollies

Unsecured wifi is like crack to me. Just can't get enough. :)

Heading to rehab for my birthday. I feel so Hollywood... ;)

Ideal Protein presentation over. Shuffling off to Buffalo in the early am. BuffaloFollies Part Deux

Privacy is just an illusion: http://ping.fm/sb57X On Target

On the bright side, running up and down the hospital stairs for 9 days made my legs stronger. :)

INR PT test is used to determine the clotting tendency of blood, in the measure of warfarin (Coumadin) dosage. WNYclotclub

Back to the office for Ideal Protein dieters & patients. Taking the "die" out of diet. :)

Just when you think that you've got life all figured out, it throws you a curve ball. Swing at it anyway! :)

Thank you Jesus, Mohammed, Confucius, Zoraster, Zeus, and everybody else worth praying to that my mom assigned me as her health care proxy!

OK Sears. You said your guy would be here to fix the washing machine in an 8-12 window. It's 2:22 pm Epic Fail

"In economics the majority is always wrong." ~ John Kenneth Galbraith - Cuz contrarians nearly always win. :)

Why be optimistic? Because pessimism is the prevailing mode of thought and I've always been a contrarian. :)

Nothing like the fires of experience can temper your knowledge into wisdom.

7 hr 25 min (390 miles) later... Back in the DC area. HumanPingPongBall

Shuffling off to DC shortly. See you on Saturday, Buffalo! HumanPingPongBall

Woke up to find my laundry dried and folded! My sister, Michele, is the best laundry elf in NY! :-)

Hope to be in DC late tomorrow but back in Buffalo on Saturday. About to experience what it's like to be a human ping pong ball. :)

My sister Michele comes for a brief visit today. Will introduce her to the rehab staff as one of the sane Vogelmanns. :)

I have a new definition for ADD: Access. Discuss. Decide.

Ram Dass has said "Be Here Now" - My new version: "Beer! Here! Now!" Enlightenment

You can actually find something good at MacDonalds besides a salad - Wifi !!! :)

So my dad just woke up from a deep sleep and said, "Such shenanigans..." Couldn't have put it better myself. :)

Heading back into rehab with OJ form my Dad (not the former Bills running back) and jerky for me. (how apropos)

No insurance company exec should ever get a $40 million bonus! HealthcareUSA

Songs playing my mind: "I've Got You Babe" and "I Don't Want to Go to Rehab." GroundhogDay BuffaloFollies

Transportation company wants payment up front. Since forgetting my wallet in DC, had to convince them to accept a business check.

OK. Now Mom is way too lucid (and demanding)! Far better than "unresponsive." :) BackToRehab (soon?)

"My father bought a lot of books because he had a book warehouse." ~ Eva Marie Vogelmann (lucid at last) DrinkMoreWater

Mom's back at Mercy Hospital. Was totally unresponsive at rehab but she's responding here. GroundhogDay

What's the day after yesterday? TomorrowNeverComes

Wait a second! If "tomorrow is another day", what was yesterday?!

I have been told by three people that "tomorrow is another day." 15 min to go... Thank goodness!

Hamburger in Hamburg, NY. Had to do it. :)

Running out of adrenalin. No coffee yet today. Maybe Tim Horton can save me! :)

Now that I've become my parents' stylist, how about "The Christopher Vogelmann Project" on Bravo ? :)

Today's fortune cookie: "The way to get to the top is to get off your bottom." Love it! GottaGoToRehab

Gotta get clothes for my parents. Now I'm their stylist! - NextRealityShow

News Flash: Mom and Dad are about to see each other for the first time in 9 days! Lunch. :)

Dad is out of isolation! Now we can reunite my parents for the anniversary they missed last week! :)

"I'm not a vegetarian because I love animals. I'm a vegetarian because I hate plants." ~ A. Whitney Brown, former SNL writer

As I tell my caregiver patients, "Do unto yourself as you do unto others."

5 hours of sleep beats the 3 from the night before. Busy day ahead. Fingers (& eyes) crossed.

Never trust a person who won't smile in family photos!!! Never ever!!!

"When you haven't a clue, try Autumn View." ~ my new rehab tagline :)

So weird to be lost in WNY. Been away too long. Autumn View bound.

Mom is on her way out to Autumn View in Hamburg, NY. Dad is off to ultrasound to determine why his arm is swelling up. BuffaloFollies

Dad's departure time (his ride, not his demise) has been rescheduled from 1 to 4. Mom *might* catch the 2:30 ambulance. BuffaloFollies

Bouncing from floor to floor to make sure the nurses treat my parents well. ShuttleDiplomacy

Just a shame that my parents can't share a cab. Two ambulances 4 hrs apart?!

Moving Day for my parents. Hospital to rehab where they will hopefully be roommates.

With great confidence my brother just declared, "We made lemons out of lemonade!" Retry tomorrow. LOL

Leaving the hospital before 8. Feels like I'm playing hooky! :)

If you run around quickly with a clipboard in the hospital, people think you work here. Lots of people... :)

Hospital parking ramp humor: "I'm 6C and I know it." ;)

Always get an advocate if you're hospitalized! Always!!! PSA

The whole rehab-nursing home selection has me baffled. It's like trying to choose one restaurant for all of your meals.

Anyone out there have any advice on selecting rehab/nursing homes in WNY? Stat!

Love the fact that my mom owned Google but doesn't know how to use it.

Fighting fires one hour at a time. MercyHospitalFollies Buffalo

"Opportunities are seldom labeled." ~ John H. Shield

Aging parent tip: When the current to the fridge has been off for awhile, it makes cleaning it out so much easier. :) Buffalo Follies

Back in action at Mercy Hospital for another day of festivities. LordHaveMercy

Steak fajita omelette at Gardenview in West Seneca, NY. Breakfast of multilingual caregivers. :)

Whoops... Spoke too soon. My dad picked up a secondary infection in ICU. Now in isolation unit. WhenItRainsItPours

I'm still thinking of escaping to the hospital cafeteria for "linner" - where the missing lunch meets up with dinner. ;)

"Islands of Sanity" - My future book title ;)

My mom & dad are slowly improving. Dad has been moved from ICU to floor 5. He's having dinner now. Beef goulash. Yum.

Thinking that it might be a good time for a nap before the 4:30 am CAT Scan Jamboree...

Apparently for my father I'm a cross between a morale-booster and a mind-altering substance. :) CardiacFollies in Buffalo

Miracle of Miracles! WiFi in the ICU! Mercy Hospital Rocks :)

I occasionally think of myself as a verb. More action that way. ;) RandomHospitalThoights

Note to self: Next time, remember your wallet and to pack underwear. NotGonnaWearDadsBoxers !!!

My mom is her usually feisty self. Keeps wanting to leave her hospital room. Do we get a discount with two here at once? MercyHospital

Dad's been transferred to ICU to evaluate, stabilizer BP, & combat an infection. Color starting to come back.

Echocardiogram Day! "And the beat goes on..."

Memo to self: Never wait until Dansville , NY to discover your wallet is missing. Thank God for quarters in the ashtray Diesel

Another day, another 400 miles to go. Shuffle off to Buffalo...

So now that both of my parents have been taken to the hospital, we can relax for a moment. Shuffling of to Buffalo soon...

"Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into." ~ Wayne Dyer

Money may love speed but speed loves to spend money. FedEx overnight overpriced

Just cuz your team didn't win, doesn't mean you can't have a Super Week! :)

Low protein diets cause loss of muscle mass - WSJ - http://ping.fm/FLg7Y

The Venn diagram of Reality TV: http://ping.fm/ao4Yh

Often Thirst Masquerades as Hunger. If hungry, drink water first. If still hungry 15 min later. Eat something. HealthyHabits

"Embrace the physical as well as the digital worlds." ~ Dr. V.

If you "Like" healthy foods on Facebook but don't eat 'em, you'll probably only get "digital health." ;) HealthyHabits

Plus, you need 64 oz. of water per day Minimum for general health and well-being. :) HealthyHabits

Remember: that larger the "cup" of java, the larger your additional glass of water. HealthyHabits

That's One Additional cup of water for every 8 oz. of coffee you drink. NOT for a whole MUG of coffee. HealthyHabits

Love my organic coffee but it still dehydrates. 1 glass of water for each cup you drink. healthyhabits

More than 60% of U.S. adults are overweight and more than 30% are obese, defined as having a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher.

Make dramatic changes in children's cardiovascular profiles by just changing their foods. Food = medicine.

Listening to a conference call on changing atrial fibrillation with Ideal Protein diet. Powerful stuff!

7 Foods Experts Just Won't Eat: http://ping.fm/NV52p CaveatEmptor