Attorney Clinton Collins' spirit is light as he awaits a double organ transplant

Attorney Clinton Collins always liked his phone, but he's unusually attached to it these days. He's awaiting a call about a kidney and pancreas transplant.

He told me about this at Costco, our usual accidental meeting place. Collins' personality shows no sign of stress; the merciless razzing that rules our relationship is unchanged. Since our video, the sharp-dressing Collins has embraced his baldness by shaving off all his hair. "I'm being called black Daddy Warbucks. I like it. People have told me I look five to 10 years younger," he said.

Q: People have noticed your weight loss?

A: That is correct. I was at a dinner last night with some judges and lawyers. We meet once a month at Jax Cafe and they said "Wow, what motivated you to do this?" I said, "Damn, when someone says, 'Do you have your affairs in order?' — the doctors said to me last December — it got my attention." I knew they were not joking.

Q: You need a kidney and a pancreas?

A: Normally [they do just one], but because I am diabetic they want to make sure the kidney works and doing the pancreas will take stress off the kidney. ... Because I need two [organs], that list moves faster.

Q: Harvard gave you hypertension?

Q: You were in good shape?

A: [Laughter] Oh yeah, I was in damn good shape!

Q: What did you give up to accomplish your weight loss?

A: Mostly carbs, I gave up beer, peanut butter out of the jar, which I used to love; I still do it occasionally. Sausage McMuffins — I used to get that every morning.

Q: You might have the biggest ego of anybody on my phone list because I included "the Great."

Q: What did you learn about parenting the two sons from the first marriage that you applied to your son from your second marriage?

A: You don't always have to be right. Something my mother said to me years ago, I really appreciate now: "They have everything we have but judgment." So I have to use my judgment. With the older two boys, there were some times I got in their faces and it didn't matter. With this [youngest one] if he's really going to do something stupid, it doesn't matter, but if it's annoying without stupid ...

Q: One of your older boys put you through your paces!

A: That's the one who recently got married. One time he was going to take me out in a fight; he was 16, 17. He took a swing at me. I pinned him against the wall and his younger brother [threw up his hands] and said, "I ain't got nothing to do with this." We do [laugh about that now]. I have a very close relationship with both of the older boys.

Q: Colin Kaepernick doesn't have a job in the NFL because ...

C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on Fox 9's "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count.