Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Ack Ack A Dack

Morning weigh-in: 184.5#, 11.5% BF

Got a call the other day from my high school friend Mike B, telling that another HS friend, Steve Spodak, was in the hospital. Congestive heart failure, difficulty breathing, diabetes -- if you saw Steve or know him, you really wouldn't be surprised: he's always been pretty heavy, and sort of out of control with the food/drink issues (among many other things).

Apparently, he was hanging with yet another old friend (Bob N, who is now, amazingly, a radiologist), and Bob happened to notice the breathing & made him get it checked out, which is what landed Steve in the hospital. I talked to Mike after he visited; it sounds like Steve is kind of in denial about his health problems, since he was trying to get someone to bring him a cheeseburger from the cafeteria, or at least a Coke from the vending machine. Hmmm, sounds so familiar...

Got a Spodak on my back,
It's a Spodak attack!

Reading: Just finished rereading Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. Just in time too, since I got an email from Amazon, saying they just shipped Pynchon's new (woo-hoo!) Against the Day and McCarthy's new The Road. They should both be here by the weekend.

3 comments:

AERIA Records said...

Nelson to the rescue! Glad to hear that Spodak got medical help in time. He's a truly gifted guitarist. Bravo Bob..

Nick said...

I was Steve Spodak's room mate in the mid-90's in Freehold, NJ. The townhouse across from Wooley's Fish Market. In any case, he was a heavy guy, always trying to lose weight and constantly worrying that he either was or wasn't going to be rich.

It didn't help that his Dad had a meat delivery business. We used to get 1/2 pound gourmet hamburgers, sirloin steaks, Pork loins, incredible. I like meat, but he used to fill a plate of 4 1/2 pound burgers and drop it with some A1. He lived hard.

I always remember coming home drunk or high and asking him to play me The Rain Song. He was troubled, a pretty good guitarist though... And we'd have probably gotten along better now.

If anyone has any details of his death, please email me at nasd90@gmail.com

THANK YOU.

Don said...

Hi Nick, I'm not sure I remember you, but I was an old high school friend of Steve's, and we probably bumped into each other once or twice, though "mid-90's" is about where I started losing touch with that crowd (I'd moved away a few years before). Kevin and Chris were my brothers, and we were friends with Mike B and Scott.

I remember when Steve passed away, but I don't think I ever heard anything definitive about what happened -- but he had big appetites, and the health problems that went with them as you probably know.

It's good to know people still think of him on occasion.

Don