At first glance it looks like a pinprick, or maybe the remains of a bug bite.
But as you zoom in for a closer look, you will see that it is actually a miniscule incision, on my outer wrist, about an inch and a half from where the fleshy part of my right thumb starts.
And then there is a small bruise about an inch further up my wrist, that looks just like an age spot or a birthmark.
Both are starting to fade now, two days later.
But on Monday in mid-afternoon, a cardiac surgeon and a couple of nurses were shoving an elephant through that tiny incision.
Well, that is what it felt like to me, but supposedly it was just a catheter that was on its way through my arteries, carrying a dye that would be used to check for narrowing or blockages.
It would also be used to introduce a balloon or even a stent if necessary.
Thankfully, it wasn’t necessary, this time.
I will tell you folks; an angiogram isn’t a lot of fun.
This all started three weeks ago with an overdue stress test; my prior one was maybe five years in the past.
I thought that I had aced it again; we had it cranked up to max speed and max slope and I was able to complete the whole thing with just a little breathlessness towards the end of the allotted time.
The EKG that immediately followed told a different story; there was some funny stuff on one of the leads.
Time for a CT scan with contrast to get a picture and a calcium score.
We did that two weeks ago.
It was ugly.
If there is ever going to be a Guinness record for highest calcium score, I will be taking on all challengers; you can call me Chalky.
It was obvious that something was a little out of the ordinary with my blood vessels, but we were unable to see exactly what was going on because of all the calcium, all over the place.
Cue the angiogram.
But not for a couple of weeks, because I had three birthdays to get through first; two in South Florida and one in JWF.
So between July 1st and July 9th I conducted my annual Amtrak pilgrimage (see what I did there?) to Deerfield Beach, where I celebrated the birthday of our nation (249 years and counting, hopefully), I also celebrated the birthday of my father-in-law (101 years and counting, hopefully), and I got to grab several pints of fine cask ale (English Porter and ESB) at Mathews Brewing Company of Lake Worth FL, and several pints of excellent draft lager (Pilsner, Schwarzbier, and Helles) at The Cove Brewery of Deerfield Beach.
It was a very enjoyable trip this year, as I tried very hard to distract myself from my upcoming procedure, which was awaiting my return to NYC, and went full-on Florida mode, but without the lousy politics.
And then last week, I finally managed to get out to Jones Wood to celebrate my own birthday (XX years and counting, hopefully) with my missus, an old friend, and Jason, and many pints of Old Glenham Black Country Mild.
Low key but good.
Just the way that I like my birthdays.
For those folks who made it this far, the angiogram results were actually kind of positive.
Despite having some bizarre internal anatomy, at this point in time we will be managing it all with diet, exercise and medication; yep more medication.
Be well folks and don’t skip any stress tests!
Scorecard w/e 7/15/25
In the past two weeks the Cask Whisperer has enjoyed the following casks:
- Mathews English Porter @ Mathews Brewing, Lake Worth FL
- Mathews ESB @ Mathews Brewing, Lake Worth FL
- Old Glenham Black Country Mild @ Jones Wood Foundry
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
Zippo – ‘tis not the season.
Upcoming Random NYC Casks
Nope – nothing here either.
NYC Cask Venues
Known Operational/Active Beer Engines
- Jones Wood Foundry (x2)
- Fifth Hammer
- Wild East
- The Shakespeare (x3)
- Cask Bar & Kitchen
- Drop-off Service
Occasional Pins (worth a follow on Instagram)
- Strong Rope
- KCBC
- Tørst
- Blind Tiger Ale House
- Threes Brewing
- Brouwerij Lane (First Friday Firkins)
- The Owl Farm
Cask Venues Reachable from NYC by MTA or NJ Transit Train in Under two Hours
Metro-North Hudson Line
- Draught Industries, Beacon NY (one handpump, Old Glenham beer range).
- Coopers, Beacon NY (one handpump, Old Glenham beer range).
- Happy Valley Arcade Bar, Beacon NY (one handpump, Old Glenham beer range).
Metro-North Harlem Line
- The Ambleside Pub, Mt. Kisco NY (four handpumps, Old Glenham beer range).
Metro-North New Haven Line
- Marlowe Artisanal Ales, Mamaroneck NY (one handpump, Marlowe beer range).
- Nod Hill Brewing, Ridgefield CT (two handpumps, Nod Hill beer range).
NJ Transit NJCL Line
- Triumph Restaurant and Brewery, Red Bank NJ (one handpump, Triumph beer range).
