My Whole Expanse I Cannot See…

Okay, life has officially taken on a fuzzy, dream-like quality… I was tweeted about and followed by Cher!

It’s impossible 2 explain 2 ppl how devestating TRUMPCARE will b 4
Americans.Killing thousands
leaving thousands sick,Taking dignity of ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/kj81NqDp2Z

— Cher (@cher) June 23, 2017

I mean, Cher! We need voices like hers in the fight.

So, somehow or other, Ryan Gosling got ahold of my blog post about being on The Last Word, and he tweeted about it…

Living such an honorable and courageous life,having the courage of your convictions.Actors only play hero’s.@wholeexpanse You really are one https://t.co/0cncINc0Mo

— Ryan Gosling (@RyanGosling) June 25, 2017

Now, those who haven’t been reading the blog from since way back when probably don’t realize that Ryan Gosling is in my all time favorite movie, Stay. I have two tattoos from that movie, it helped me get through the first few months after I was trached, after Sara left that first time before the last time.

Ryan Gosling as Henry Letham…

“Apparently, I can”
One of my favorite lines from Stay…

Yes, having Ryan Gosling mention me in a tweet meant a lot, it was really fucking cool.

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So, on Thursday I posted a tweet after watching folks on MSNBC talk about how Trumpcare is basically going to DESTROY Medicaid, mentioning who would be affected by the cuts… everybody but people with disabilities. Even after the brutal video showing disabled protesters being dragged from Mitch McConnell’s office, we still weren’t getting much coverage. I posted my tweet, and it FLEW! Rachel Maddow did a story on the protesters, a really spectacular story, and my tweet REALLY FLEW. Then, it was Friday, trach day.

Make people understand, @chrislhayes @HardballChris @maddow @Lawrence @JoyAnnReid, Medicaid keeps people like me out of institutions. pic.twitter.com/MOO6cBmhjI

— Michael Phillips (@wholeexpanse) June 23, 2017

Now, I never sleep a wink the night before trach day, so I’m pretty beat before the fun even starts, and the fun started much later than usual. I didn’t get into the O.R.  until after 4pm. It was actually just as we were headed to the O.R. that my mom got a phone call from a producer from MSNBC… Apparently, somehow, we got invited to talk about the Medicaid disaster on one of my absolute favorite shows; The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (though, Friday night, the equally badass Ari Melber had the helm). I really don’t know how much my tweet had to do with anything, there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff I’m fuzzy on, but nevertheless, I was on The Last Word!

“People with disabilities know happiness isn’t guaranteed, but we want a shot at it just like anybody else.
– Mike last night: https://t.co/ULs0NPsxJ3

— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) June 24, 2017

I ended up having to have two trach changes, as the first one didn’t take, so I didn’t get out of recovery, out of the hospital, and back to the house until after 7pm. Normally on trach day, I’d eat a little something, take some more pain medicine, an Ativan, and check out for awhile. Friday was extra trying because of the double traches, but I wasn’t going to miss The Last Word. A little juice, Ativan, some medicine after we got to the studio just shy of 9pm, everything was running as smoothly as my Apple Watch. Except… I totally hadn’t written what I was going to say to Ari. Fortunately, words always come to me when the chips are down, I finished typing with, like, fifteen minutes to spare. I simply wanted to convey that we all have hopes and dreams, and though none of our hearts’ desires are guaranteed, the Founding Fathers gave everyone who participates in the beautiful American experiment the right to be free to pursue their happiness. I hope I used the right words.

At any rate, locking people with disabilities away in institutions destroys  the image of America as the Shining City on a Hill.

Being on The Last Word was one of the Top Seven coolest experiences of my really, really, really unusual totally usual life.

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So, we are now running WordPress 4.8, and… it’s nothing drastically different, again. Still, there are some neat new little things, but nothing that wouldn’t be astonishingly boring to most readers.

That’s that, then.

So, WordPress 4.8 is out tomorrow… I’m excited to see what’s new, hopefully something drastic.

So, the lyrics game is over… we have a winner! Reader, Eve, rocked out a perfect set of answers to win a bundle of three really spectacular records, The Both, Either/Or Extended Edition, and Mental Illness via the iTunes Store.

Here’s Eve’s display of badassness:

Hi Mike!

Just found your post with story and quizz!

Here goes:

1- Artist The Both. Song: Hummingbird, album: The Both.
2- Artist Aimee Mann, song: How am I different? Album Bachelor No 2
3- Artist : Nirvana. Song: Radio Friendly Unit Shifter. Album In Utero
4- Artist Elliot Smith. Song: Rose Parade. Album: Either/Or. (love that album!)
5- Artist Priscilla Ahn. Song: Lost Cause Album When You Grow Up.
6- Artist Death Cab For Cutie. Song: Champagne from a Paper Cup. Album You Can Play These Songs with Chords.
7- Artist Elliot Smith. Song Angel in the Snow, Album: New Moon. (love that album too:D)

Hope that sums it up! Did I make it?!

Congratulations, Eve, and thanks for reading!

Speaking of reading, if you haven’t had a go at Music in the dark, the flash fiction that started this game, give it a read. I’d love a little more feedback.

So, seeing that nobody won my lyrics game, though lots of folks viewed it, perhaps the game’s a little too rough. I’m going to give away a few answers to see if we can’t get a winner…

Here’s the lyrics list, with a few answers filled-in. I don’t want to make it too easy. C’non, people, hit the google machine! I want somebody to win!

But I got a message from the hummingbird, he gave me a warning in disguise… 

Just one question before I pack, when you fuck it up later do I get my money back? – Aimee Mann, How Am I Different?, Bachelor No. 2 (Or, The Last Remains of the Dodo)

I love you for what I am not, I did not want what I have got…

Won’t you follow me down to the Rose Parade…

Oh it’s all just a lost cause… – Priscilla Ahn, Lost Cause, When You Grow Up

Drinking champagne from a paper cup is never quite the same and every sip’s moving through my eyes and…

Don’t you know that I love you? Sometimes I feel like only a cold still life, only a frozen still life… …that fell down here to lay beside you. – Elliott Smith, Angel in the Snow, New Moon

Like I said, the first person to note the…

Artist

Song title

Record

.…for each song wins a bundle of three of my favorite records, The Both, Either/Or Extended Edition, and Mental Illness via the iTunes Store.

Just leave your guesses in the comments for this post. Comments left on Facebook, or Twitter, or my e-mail, or anywhere else don’t count.

So, I wonder… Did any of my readers who read Music in the dark know all the songs playing on the fellow’s iPhone at the story’s end? I picked them at random, whatever popped up on my mix, I used it in the story. It was sort of an exercise, making the story fit the songs, while still keeping the story intact. Two of the songs are super easy, they’ve had plenty of exposure. The others are more obscure, which is a shame, they’re beautiful songs. That said, let’s play a game…

The first person to note the…

Artist

Song title

Record

…for each song wins a bundle of three of my favorite records, The Both, Either/Or Extended Edition, and Mental Illness via the iTunes Store.

Just leave your guesses in the comments for this post. Comments left on Facebook, or Twitter, or my e-mail, or anywhere else don’t count.