Tornado Alley (PROG)

[DesertDrifter]

I had a heart attack, drove 175 miles, they did a catheter thing but closed it up without doing anything. My heart was too weak for an open heart procedure. So after a week, my cardiologist (who is a long-term acquaintance) gave me an option. He said I would live only a couple weeks as is, or have a very risky 50-50 procedure involving pushing a little pump up my femoral artery that would maintain blood flow while they removed multiple blockages. My heart was at 25%. I won the coin flip, and feel as if they hooked me up to jumper cables after I came to. I had an earlier heart attack, 18 years ago, which led to my obsession with hiking and fitness, but eventually my aorta calcified. I am one fortunate son of a bitch. And am grateful to be sucking oxygen.

The only upside was that I saw no news for a week. Hearing of noncombatant survivors vaporized by our military really saddened me. We are not even at war with them, with no offer for them to surrender, no attempt at boarding, just attack. Are they just goading Venezuala to fight back? I remember when we were basically the good guys. I imagine my nazi-killing uncles shifted a bit in their graves.