Revisiting The King of Diabetes Rock N' Roll

This fun post originally appeared here on The D-Corner Booth about two years ago. But Elvis was on my mind recently, as evidenced by a recent Facebook status:

Lord Almighty, I felt a sting from infusing! Hotter hotter, it's burning under my skin. D, D, D, this feels like I am on fire. My set's a flaming, and I don't know if it should be pulled. Just a hunka hunka burning leg site. Hunka hunka burning leg site... #ElvisIsAliveAndLivingWithDiabetes

So, in honor of that recent mindset, I've opted to re-post the following blog from March 2011. Enjoy!

The King of Diabetes Rock N' Roll

Those of us in the Diabetes Online Community are music lovers, and we're loyal followers of the magical musical phenomenon known as BluntLancet. (#BluntLancet, for those Lanceters on Twitter). We've come to know the story Behind The Music and even learned of some hidden lost albums of those years long past and rumored new releases on tap.

But a recent episode of Lows in my own D-Life revealed the makings of a truly epic Blunt Lancet secret, a golden nugget that can only be described as a secret that the world would marvel at. It may very well be destiny or will of the Diabetes Gods who made this revelation happen with the help of a Low Blood Sugar.

Concept Cars and That Future Flying DeLorean

Being born and raised in The Motor City, you might say that cars have always been close to my heart.

Don't confuse that with being able to recite auto stats or recognize makes or models. Hell, it doesn't even mean that I can fix any part of a car... flat tires and brake lights are possibilities, but not 100% certainties based on my skill set. Not at all.

Still, I've been to my share of auto shows through my years as a native (suburban) Detroiter and Michigander. And so I've been to enough in my life to have seen a whole bunch of Concept Cars.

You know, these are the vehicles that might also be known as "dream cars" or design prototypes that haven't come to fruition. And probably won't. Because most don't.

Anyone in the auto industry or who's a car show fan certainly knows this.

One of those well-regarded dictionaries with a British name tells me the definition of a "concept" is: 1.) An abstract idea; a general notion. OR 2.) A plan or intention; a conception.

Nowhere in the definitions does it say anything about these definitely coming to market, and changing the way we drive or operate on the roadways.

Basically, these show off new styling or new technology. Many times, they are marketing tools used to assess how people (potential customers) might feel about some new or unfamiliar design. If the public reacts favorably, then maybe the manufacturers will go ahead -- assuming they can even be designed that way in mass production and is something the company can ultimately afford to do. These concept cars might eventually lead to different vehicles down the road (ha!), but clearly any concept vehicle is not ready for the roadways and it's not time to trade in our keys for a better model.

No one who knows what they are talking about would think to pitch a concept car as a sure thing, though. You'd probably get laughed out of an auto show, even if you happen to own a car and drive one every day to and from the office. Some in the auto show world might even think about revoking your access, because you somehow swerved across the center line between "concept car" and" road-ready, driving-approved", and then smashed into ongoing traffic by publishing that thought in a popular auto magazine that many car-lovers read.

Riley, Perkins, Tucker & Hoskins: Puppies At Law

My cell phone rang, and when answering it, an unexpected and very interesting piece of news came my way not too long ago.

Before I knew it, things would be changing.

On a trip up to Michigan recently, I was relaxing on the couch in my parents' living room when that cell phone call came in. Being in Indy now for close to a decade, it's always nice being able to visit the home-state. A draw-back of these visits, though, is that they're usually short and a whole bunch is packed into just a few days.

This time, it was only the Riley Dog and I making the five-hour trip from the Indy area to the Detroit area. Able to work from home or anywhere, I took care of business as usual during the work-hours on Thursday and Friday. Then it was time to visit with family and friends.

So when Saturday afternoon rolled around, it was nice not having anything specific to do. My parents went out for a bit on errands and I took some time to hang out and rest my mind by catching up on some unwatched TV shows on Netflix.

The Riley Dog lounged on the carpeted floor nearby, dosing slightly but keeping an eye on me just in case playtime magically turned up.

All was quiet, and nothing big was planned.

And then, my Droid vibrated on the couch nearby. My dad was calling. As it was afternoon, I thought it might be a call to see what my dinner and evening plans were.

What I heard instead caught me by surprise.