(CNN) -- A policeman and a former corrections officer say that on Friday they will unveil evidence of what they claim is their biggest find ever: the body of Bigfoot.

Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, a pair of Bigfoot-hunting hobbyists from north Georgia, say they found the creature's body in a wooded area and spotted several similar creatures that were still alive.

The carcass of the furry half-man, half-ape is 7 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs more than 500 pounds, they say. However, the two are not disclosing the exact location of their discovery to protect the remaining creatures.

Tom Nelson, chairman of the biology department at North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, said he's "pretty skeptical" the world will feast its eyes on a new species Friday.

"That would certainly rock mammalogy," joked Nelson, who specializes in the study of mammals. "I see a research grant in my future."

Whitton and Dyer plan to unveil what they say is DNA and photo evidence of the discovery in Palo Alto, California, in conjunction with a group called Searching for Bigfoot Inc.

 

This week's theme over at photog_xp was Shoes and below the cut are my photos, the adventures of me new red Converse One*Stars.

( Photos of Shoes )

Ethan and I took a long walk today, partially to run errands, but mostly because it was just an absolute perfect day and we definitely needed to get out of the house.  We were ridiculously exhausted by the time we got home, but it was worth it.  Here's our photographic documentation of our trip, plus a few other random pictures:


Father & Son Start the Journey

( Click for More! )
So that be it, my peoples.  I have to get some sleep.  5am is much too early for me!

Ethan has grown two-and-a-quarter inches between April 1st and today. That means he's a crazifying half-an-inch taller than six-foot. I suppose we're always taller in the mornings, but he's a little worried. "I don't wan to be taller than you!" he says.

Friday night I went to kiwikat & shevus' for dinner. We played some MarioKart on the Wii and snuck in a game of Scrabble. Brian kicked our asses and I seriously played the worst game of my life. I just had the most terrible letter combinations the whole time. I had a blast, but at this point, laughing is still way too hard and is very painful, so I guess no fun for Jack!

Jacquelyn, who was meanwhile driving to Minnesota, called crying and my first thought was that she'd been in a car accident. He heart did that scary leaping/lurching thing and I could feel the adrenaline course through my body. So, when she told me she'd hit a raccoon, I was quite relieved. I know how much Jacquelyn loves animals and needlessly killing one is very traumatic. I feel horrible when it happens to me. Hell, I cried when I hit a raccoon that was already dead. I tried to comfort her over the phone, but I was so relieved she was safe that I don't think I did a good job.

I don't normally work Saturdays in the summer, but it was the Great Taste of the Midwest and my company scheduled basically everyone. The Great Taste is a giant beer festival, so yes, a lot of drunk people and beer enthusiasts.  It was a pretty busy day and by the end of it, I was incredibly sore and exhausted.  Unfortunately this meant I was unable to attend brdgt's barbecue for which I was very sad.  I basically spent the night medicated on Vicodin, watching Jumper and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

This morning I was still feeling pretty sore, but much better.  It's going to be an awesome day, a high of 73 or so, and thus I am going to go for a nice walk, check out the garden, do some errands, like the library and the post office.  Jacquelyn should be home tomorrow, which will be nice.  As much as I hate to admit it, I miss her when she's gone.  (You know, because missing implies neediness and neediness is ugly and I am a manly-man who needs nothing and no one.  I am a rock! An island!  I do not suffer the whims of emotions!  I don't need anyone!)

Hehe, okay, enough silliness, I have to see if I can make omelets in my injured state.

In yesterday's mail, I received my copy of the hospital bill from Salt Lake City. A bill from my actual physician/surgeon will come separately. This is just the hospital bill. The grand total for my eight-day stay: $41,022.53.   That's a little over five-grand a day.  Thank the Gods for insurance, eh?

Just a few examples of the charges:

• My daily room fee was $650.48, except for the one day I spent in the ICU, which was $1,103.79.
• The fee they charge for nursing care is approximately $51.90 per hour, charged 24-hours a day, the entire duration of my stay.
• Each dose of morphine (technically hydromorphone) cost $24.28.
• The contrast fluid for my CT Scan cost $215.00.
• The actual CT scan of my chest cost $1004.00.
• The CT of my neck was $715.00.
• The sodium pills I had to take were a whopping nickel a piece.
• I was in the Operating Room for 279 minutes, which is approximately 4.65 hours for a total charge of $4360.77, which comes out to $937.80 per hour.
• General anesthesia for those 279 minutes ran $823.05, or $177.00 per hour to keep me under. 

Money well spent, I'd say.

I was tagged by helpimarock  .

And now I tag:
anubis75 
bedlover 
kiwikat 
natural_path 
twilighttreader 
okwatanzinone 
irishspongie 

I went to the doctor this afternoon to have my surgical wounds checked out and to get a refill on my pain meds.  Everything seems to be in good healing order and my doctor said I seem to be doing extremely well for having just gone through a very major surgery. 

I've been sticking to my weight restrictions, not lifting anything over ten pounds, not stressing my chest or back.  I've been getting my 30-45 minutes of walking in every day, though that's not difficult since I have to do that much just to get to and from my bus stops.  Work is a bit difficult because I can't lift luggage, wheelchairs, or heavy packages.  Turning around to look when backing up also hurts quite a bit, so I've been keeping that to a minimum.

Sleeping is kind of the worst because laying down is no fun at all.  I can't lay in any one position for long and I need to be propped up quite firmly.  On top of this, I have to get up occasionally to take more pain meds.  Nothing feels quite as nice as waking up in excruciating pain in the middle of the night :P

On a bright side, I've lost about eight to ten pounds since I left for the surgery.  Being on an 1800-calorie diabetic diet for 8 days might do that, on top of the fact I have to eat slower because it's exhausting to move that much or that fast.

Ethan's been here this week to help me with all the tasks and chores I can't really do and he's been awesome.  Jacquelyn has been having a good time in Milwaukee being a genius.  Today was her award ceremony where they heaped her with praise, accolades, money, and giant posters with cute pictures of her all over them.

I think Ethan and I are going to have some pizza and watch more ALIAS.  I finished S02, but I have to get him caught up.  angrybunnyman and lady_fox got me Little Britain S02 for my birthday (amongst other yet-to-be-determined items) so there's always that evil temptation.


Waiting for the bus, on the way to the doctor.

Here are some more photos from my trip, mostly landscapes and one of some tubes sticking out of my chest.


( Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming, Chest )
I'm waiting on my doctor for the actual photos and video of my operation.

This photo I took as I was preparing to be discharged.  I am disheveled, unkempt, and unshaved after eight days in the hospital.



This is another on-the-road shot as I passed through Wyoming.

Anyone else not getting comment notifications?

It has been a few days since I returned home from Salt Lake. I am in general recover mode; cleaning wounds taking pain meds, and discovering how much of a pain it is to not be able to lift anything over ten pounds. Between the pain and the meds for it (Lortab - one of the many Vicodin-like hydrocodone/acetaminophen combos) I have little attention span and fall asleep regularly, like narcolepsy. Thus, I haven't done much but space out in front of the television and go for a few walks. I haven't even had the energy to be at the computer. I've edited one photo so far, as seen below.


The Longest Road (Somewhere in Wyoming, I Think.)

Jacquelyn left last night for the annual Ecological Society of America meeting, at which she's giving talks and receiving an award. Afterwards, she is headed off for a research trip so I won't see her until the 11th or 12th. It's sad that we only got a few days together between my surgery and her conference but they say that bit about absence and hearts so I'm betting on that.

Sleeping has been difficult without an infinitely-adjustable hospital bed to bend to my every whim.  Such as it is, I should try to get some sleep anyway.  Tomorrow is going to be a long day of swim lessons and post offices and seeing how much movement I can take before I cry and eat more narcotics.