Dawn and Drew accepting their Podcast Award!

Leo Laporte accepting his Podcast Award from Andrew.

Can I first of all say it has been a hell of a year. First the book deal “Podcasting The Do it Yourself Guide” happily it has sold a boat load of copies and still selling well five months later. A huge year at Techpodcasts.com with meeting my motto Podcasters do the Work Podcasters get paid being managed by Podcast Connect.

To top it off 5 months of hard work and the team at RawVoice launch Podcaster News Network. Pretty busy year and the year is not finished yet.

I did the announcing while our Platinum Sponsor StreeetIQ.com handed out the prizes. Adam was great said a few words and he loves the microphone that he was given.

The Podcast Awards which I dreamed up, and ran this year came down to handing out about $4500.00 in cash and prizes. This picture does not show everything that was on the table. But I think between checks, trophies, visa gift cards, microphones we handed about $4000.00 worth of stuff out in about 20 minutes. Lots of fun and the fund raising for next year starts shortly

Make sure you visit Geek News Central this is were you will find techology information. It is also the home of Todd’s show and the Geek News Central Podcast.

A Year ago I was laying in a hospital bed overseas having just come out of surgery that resulted in some stainless steel in my back with 4 wicked screws, and a severely damaged vertebrae. This would be the start of 13 days in the hospital, being fit with a full body cast, then graduating to a clam shell device that cost my insurance company 7k, and a heavily medicated patient for 8 weeks following the surgery.

The day I quit my pain meds I went cold turkey on a Friday, told my Doctor on Tuesday after having a very agonizing 3 days, and nights. I obviously needed the pain meds early on, and having remembered laying on a hospital emergency room bed screaming for about the first 9 hours because the morphin they gave me didn’t really help I was reluctant to go down that road again.

I returned to work after 8 weeks off and within a week, was back in a Airplane on a 6 week business trip. My Doctor lost his mind but hey when it was time to get back to work you have to dive back in. The hardest part for the 3 months was the clam shell was not being able to pick my kid up.

Finally in Feb of this year, I was given the green light to start light exercising. I podcasted my hospital experience and you can find the audio clip on this post you can take a look at the hardware I carry around here.

I am not complaining, as I am very blessed to be walking, and even though I live in a constant state of low level pain life is good. The wife had expected me to be rolled off the airplane as the initial prognosis was really bad and instead I walked off.

One thing though because I flew back from the middle east only 15 days after being injured, I had to lay flat as much as possible so I enjoyed 1st class on 3 consecutive flights and enjoyed the food but had to decline the liquor, as the Roxicet and the Oxycodone I was prescribed was enough bad stuff in my blood stream.

Thus having spent my 40th birthday in that hospital bed contemplating life, and having really looked forward to 2004 being in my rear view mirror the road ahead is a bright one and I am happy to be have faired as well as I have. So their may be times when I get excited about stuff and jump in with both feet but the reason for that is simple I was given a second chance to make profound changes in my families and people I come in contact withs life.

My Wife, and Kids were champions and my extended family and friends prayed and took care of my wife when I was half a world away. Thank you for being here during the past year also it has been and amazing ride.

Todd..

My Wife arrived back from Japan and everytime she goes she has the kids pictures taken their at a local Japanese Studio wearing authentic traditional japanese kimono. I am sure you realize that men in Japan were Kimono’s also. Isn’t this the nicest picture you ever saw. I have a wall of these types of pics and like any father I am pretty damn proud.

I do not plan on putting up a regular podcast for this site but promised to produce one on my injury. Hope you enjoy it. [Injury Podcast]

It’s hard to believe that 4 months ago I was coping with a spine/vertebrae injury in which I was one of only 10% of the population to not suffer any paralysis. My recovery has been good considering the hardware in my back and having had to deal with a body brace for 3 months. Don’t get me wrong I am absolutely not complaining. When I was able to get online after my injury and read everything I could find on it, I knew life would have been much different if that bone spur that displaced my spinal cord by 60% had been sharp versus dull.

My family has a good friend and he has been paralyzed for over 35 years and when he told my mom told him of my injury and the pain that I endured he said take comfort in the pain because when I was propelled from my motorcycle and landed there was no pain. If that doesn’t make you sit back and appreciate life nothing will. Overall I am a inch shorter and physical therapy has been good. I can tie my shoes without grunting anymore and can actually almost touch my ankles.

My Cousin died a number of years ago from complications of her paralysis. With today’s news of Christopher Reeve death it makes me more than determined to do things to the best of my ability and to appreciate the small things like being able to tie my shoes.

I may do a personal Podcast and put it up on the net I have gotten pretty good at telling the story. Seems Doc Searls had a scare today also and you must think out all of your actions. [Doc Searls]