Happy Anniversary, Kiefer and Fire!

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Happy Birthday!!!!
Happy 35th, Kiefer!!  Have a good one!

Momcat

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Writer's Block: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

My little red Saturn is named "Carmen".  The old VW Jetta I had before Carmen was Norman. (Not pretty, not flashy, but very dependable, the typical geek.)

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Happy anniversary, kieferskunk  and firesplace !

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Happy birthday to ryokokitty and to chriso !

Never thought I'd know 2 other people who shared my exact birthday.

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Happy Birthday, firesplace !!

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Happy 2nd Anniversary, jethric !</span>

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Schroedinger's Art
We've been putting off a chore since the Easter flood in the garage - 2 boxes of my artwork, painstakingly collected since the 80s, got soaked.  When we discovered them standing in the water, we immediately moved them into the apartment, laying them on a pile of shop towels, so they'd be safe and out of the way.  And there they sat for over a month, until jethric  pointed out that he could smell the mildew in the front room and was concerned.

I was scared of the disaster I was sure I'd find... there were originals in there along with limited edition prints, most simply matted, a few items framed.   But... Schroedinger's art... until we opened the boxes, disaster was not determined.

Lo and behold... only one item in one box had a noticeable amount of water damage, and it's one that could be fixed.  (An award I received at Apple for an editing job I did while working on the original Apple tech support hotline.)  ALL the other items, including my irreplaceable Frank Sirocco Tarot originals, were unharmed.  Apparently the boxes themselves took the brunt of the damage, and the paper wrapping around the pieces themselves kept the water from getting to the matting.

WHEW!  We feel better now.  Just need to find replacement boxes so the artwork can be re-wrapped and stored away again.... this time above the waterline.

I'm still dealing with throwing out the waterlogged books we separated from the ones we could salvage.  Looks like another 3-4 weeks of filling up the trash bins and those will be done.  We did take all the bags of wet books and opened them up so they could start to try out - we were so tired, that flood weekend, that we just stacked things in the corner to be dealt with later, not realizing that that would prevent them from drying, and would (and did, bigtime) promote the growth of mildew.  Ewww....

Oh, and the new washer works like a champ... even better than the old one (and quieter too).

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Easter flood
It'd be nice to say it was somewhere else, but it was in our garage.  Our washer decided not to notice when the tub was full and overflowed all over.  I didn't find out for hours because I was upstairs working.  Our neighbor called to let me know there was water flowing out from under the garage door, but by then everything on the floor of the garage was totally soaked.

We worked until dark last night, and again all day today to get all the boxes out and examined, and do a cursory sort of what was destroyed and what could be salvaged.  Many tears and whimpers later, we have a pile of several hundred books, some of them long out of print, plus my collection of early 50's pulps, which will have to be thrown away.  The paper is soaked and tearing from being stuck together and I don't have the time or training to do a library-style restoration, or the funds to pay someone else to do it. *sigh*

Now I understand why it's recommended to put boxes on risers or pallets when stored near a laundry setup, tub or water heater.  Wish we'd thought to do that.

It's funny how much I regret that this happened, and yet I hadn't even thought about those things for years... if this hadn't forced my hand, I wonder if I ever would have looked into those boxes...

Many thanks to our neighbor, Richard, who came over and worked along with us, moving boxes and loaning us the use of his garage as overflow space until we can get stuff into a storage locker.

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Happy 3rd Anniversary, Kiefer and Fire!

And many many more!!

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Happy Birthday, whyaylooh !!

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Brief Update
Right after FC, I had a series of regular doctor appointments, both with my PCP and with my rhuematologist.  That meant getting labs done.  And, of course, I came down with a variant of the con-crud, like so many others did.  In my case I had a fever and horrid stomach cramping, leading to nausea. Fortunately, no major episodes of 'the runs'.

Right afterward, when I was feeling better, I went and had my labs done.  No big deal, I peel off the cotton ball after hafl an hour and go on with my day.

A few days later I get a call from my PCP, and I'm told that my liver tests came back with elevated results.  I take a *lot* of meds, and most of them warn about liver and/or kidney problems.  I sigh as she tells me to stop taking my Lipitor for now.

Come the next week and my regular appointment with the rheumatologist, and he's alarmed enough by the numbers to take me COMPLETELY off my RA meds.  Owww... this means a return to the pain and stiffness associated with rheumatoid arthritis, but okay, at least I have no 'yuck' scheduled for the next few weeks.  (Whee, that means I'll actually have an appetite on Tuesday and Wednesday!)

He also wants me to get an ultrasound of the liver, etc. and provides an authorization.  So... I go for the ultrasound... normally not a painful process, except if you have ribs out, where the pressure of the device can be nasty.  I whimpered and tried not to jump, as the technician repeatedly tried to locate my gall bladder.  Finally I asked her, "are you sure it's IN there, or did I get shortchanged at birth?"  She assured me it was there, she was just trying to get a good image of it.

The doctor also had me repeat the liver tests and do a hepatitis panel, just to be thorough.

So... after a week, I get a call from my PCP, asking me to come in to discuss the results of the ultrasound.  I'm mildly freaked, but I put the energy to good use and got all the Patron and Sponsor packages done and ready to mail.  Later that afternoon, the office calls to confirm the appointment and during the confirmation, asks me if it was for the ultrasound from 2/11.  I had paused trying to think back to what day it was, and the assistant apparently thought I wasn't sure that was me, and started reading from the cover sheet.  I heard "abnormal results" and my brain went to Timbuktu on an express jet.  Okay, NOW I'm freaked out.

This morning, jethric went with me to the appointment, where I learn that the retesting shows that the liver numbers are down almost to my baseline, which means that either they were elevated because I'd been sick, or it's medication-induced.

As for the ultrasound... I have gallstones.  However, I have no symptoms of problems with said gallstones.  My mother did, and finally had hers removed a number of years ago.  I'm relieved by that (it could have been much worse), and joked that apparently I do have a gall bladder after all, even if the ultrasound technician had trouble finding it.

Next step: talk to my surgeon to see if anything needs to be done about it now, or to just wait for developments.  I will probably go back onto my RA meds next week, and have another set of labs done in a month to see if the numbers are staying put or not.  This will show whether it's medication-related or not.

I really liked it a lot better when my body just worked, rather than getting a flashing "Get Service Soon" light coming on every couple of months.

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Happy Birthday Kiefer!!

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Happy Holidays, everyone!

We braved the crowds at the mall yesterday late afternoon when I expressed a desire for chocolate.  The worst was around the Santa area, of course, and rather long line at See's.  Still.... yum!  He got me a box of dark peppermints, and a pound of my favorite Normandies and Dark Cherries.

Then jethric took me to our now somewhat traditional dinner out at Red Lobster, where I got to pig out on salmon.  This started in 2006 when he ws trying to figure out a proper place to make his proposal.  We went a bit earlier than in past years, so there were more people around, but oh! the grilled salmon.  Kitty was very very happy.

Today I think we're going to go to our favorite breakfast spot, which just happens to be open... once Himself wakes up.  Despite his gettng up around 5:30am on weekdays to go into the city to work, I'm more of a morning person then he is.

It hasn't felt much like the holidays for me, because my mother isn't with us anymore.  It's been hard on the whole family this year.  I find myself crying when I watch "White Christmas" which was her favorite holiday movie too. (And I'd much rather have the song "We'll follow the old man wherever he wants to go..." stuck in my head than "Oh Tannenbaum").

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Thanks to jaelyn for posting this.  Although she put it behind a friends filter, I'm not going to.  It's good, it's powerful, and it's real.

GO REGISTER TO VOTE.  I'm registered, and I vote.

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Happy birthday, chriso  and ryokokitty ! 

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My mother died early Sunday morning. I'm not sure what to call the actual cause of death - earlier in the week she'd had surgery to correct bleeding from diverticulitis that was requiring several pints of blood via transfusion daily. She was 88, close to her 89th birthday (1 month). Up until the time of hospitalization she was getting around, slower than she used to be, but still cheerful and busy with the family.

I don't think it's quite fully hit me yet. I keep reaching for the phone to call her to ask her a question, or to tell her something funny, then I start tearing up when I realize that's not going to work anymore.

We'd been ready to head up to Oregon for about a week, but my sister and Mom herself kept telling us not to, that they'd rather we visited once she was home from the hospital. Then, suddenly, things went downhill very fast and we prepared to leave. But before we could get out the door Sunday morning, my sister called to tell us that "Mom was gone".

We still headed up to Oregon, to be with the family, and to help with whatever arrangements were being made. As it turns out, Mom had everything arranged and paid for, so all we had to do was write the obituary and select the flowers. Because we had internet access at the hotel, I got to type in the obituary and email it off to be published in the paper.

There were a couple of days there where we didn't have any family obligations, so kieferskunk and firesplace, and jethric and I decided to go to Powell's City of Books in Portland. That is a magical place to anyone who loves books as much as we do. Several hundred dollars later we headed back to Salem for dinner.

Tuesday Jethric needed to reduce his chin thicket (get his hair and beard trimmed) for the funeral so we found a barber shop. I'm not accustomed to being in a state where there's no sales tax... but I could sure get used to it! It's nice to have change in my pocket...

Then we went up to Wilsonville that evening to meet up with whyaylooh.  Good thing the restaurant wasn't terribly busy because we took up that booth for well over 2 hours, just catching up with things. (Good food, too, by the way.)

Of course, geeks will know that Wilsonville is the location of the only Fry's Electronics in the state of Oregon. It just *happens* to be really close to where Whyaylooh lives. (right.... uh huh)

Wednesday morning was the funeral service. Mom had already been cremated, so there was just a tasteful urn sitting on the table... for which I am very glad. I don't like viewings - I would much rather retain my memories of her sitting in her favorite chair watching TV or visiting with whoever dropped by.

The Reverend spoke for a bit and then we were asked if we'd like to share memories. My sister spoke eloquently about Mom and how privileged she was to be able to spend so much time with her over the past few years. She touched on Mom's love of family and food, and her crafts, and her love of games like Rummikub and dominoes. I surprised myself by standing and reiterating her love of games, and how I finally, after years, managed to win one game of Rummikub. (Mom was SHARP, right up to the last.)

Others, including Kiefer, spoke up as well. One of her cleaning ladies did too, saying how much Mom had helped her over some rough times, and was such a good listener. Neighbors came by to offer their respects and their memories. One couched it in terms of being jealous... how every Wednesday when they'd get together for cards or Rummikub, Mom would get phone calls from the family, just checking to see how she was doing, to say hello, and so on.

As Fire said, there was a surprising amount of laughter. Mom was a happy person, overall, despite her health problems, and she took immense pride in her family and friends.

Afterward, we greeted people while the cars were loaded with the flowers, then we all went out to the cemetery for the interment. Mom wanted to be buried next to my father, who died in 1985. They put the urn in a box with some photos and a swatch of pink fabric from the robe that Dad had given her the Christmas before he died, sealed it with epoxy and put it into the hole the cemetery workers had dug for us. Most of the family was there, and we spent a bit of time looking at the other gravestones - family members that been laid to rest in years past.

We decided to all have lunch at a pizza place nearby, before we dispersed. It was nice to sit and talk with my sisters and brothers and their kids. It's hard to believe that my younger brother is a grandfather, but to see him with Mattie is a joy.

Jethric and I headed toward home after that.

It will hit me at some point, probably when I'm not expecting it.  The world has changed for me, but I am glad she's at peace and with my father, probably off somewhere fishing.

I love you, Mom, and I'll miss you.

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Happy Birthday, Fire!! **huggle**

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Joke
I got this in my joke mailing list a while back, printed it out and put it on my desk, thereby totally forgetting about it until I was sorting through the detritus looking for something else. This is way too good not to share:

Political Correctness

The following is the 2007 winning entry from an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term. This year's term was "political correctness".

The winner wrote:

"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

**snicker**

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I got all the staples in my incisions removed today. It didn't really hurt, just a series of tiny prickly-jabs. But the area is a lot less tense feeling, where I have sensation at all. Because the new scar is right over the old appendectomy scar from my teen years, there's not much feeling there at all, and I may always have a slightly numb area.

Dr A said I'm doing fine, and wants to see me in another 3 weeks to evaluate when I can go back to normal activity. Everything so far has been doing well - he said I was "flying through" the whole thing. And apparently the night pain with my back is typical - he said he expected I'd only be using the pain meds at night so I could sleep.

He also gave me a copy of the pathology report. Looks like the surgery was just in time - I was technically having another bout of acute diverticulitis, although I had not been feeling any pain. The tissue was inflamed and hemorrhagic, so it sounds like they got to it just in time. Perhaps if I'd waited any longer, it might not have had such an uneventful outcome. *whew*

Right now my biggest problem continues to be back pain, but Dr A said it was okay for me to see Dr. James provided we did not use the table -- Dr. James has one of those massage chairs he said we'd use next time. It'll be another couple months before everything is healed up enough for normal bodywork.

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