500 Miles 2 Nowhere

We've Moved!

2009-06-19T11:09:00.003-05:00

Join us at our new Wordpress home!

Keith's Brain Trust
(click here!)

In Memory of Rob...

2009-06-05T20:21:00.004-05:00

Music by Matsui Kazu "Sign of the Snow Crane"

Trying to get artistic...

2009-05-31T18:42:00.003-05:00

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

Currently working on a little video (this could take DAYS) capsulizing my journey as a fund raiser over the past several years. Stay tuned. In the meantime, you could make me smile by clicking the link and visiting my Relay page. While you're there you could leave a donation or just go see how my teammates are doing.

Click to donate

Around the Track to Beat Cancer Back!

2009-05-28T18:32:00.005-05:00

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

Click to donate

It is time once again for Keith's Brain Trust to prepare for the ACS Relay For Life of Hudson. As in the past, I sent out emails to ask for donations for this cause. Of course, in years past, I was doing this task in tandem with letters for those among my family and friends who do not have email access either by choice or necessity. And I would be starting months earlier. This year, however, I was unable to get the drive to do so.

And now, the Relay is less than a month away. And activities this past week have given me the kick in the butt I needed to get on the ball. But that wasn't enough time to send out letters via the post. So that's where any blog readers come in. Now I realize that I/we do not update this blog enough to have regular readers any more. So if you've simply stumbled in here via some search, bless you. And I hope you will be moved to donate to our Relay.

If you are a regular reader and somehow miraculously noticed that I updated and came to see what I'm writing, bless you too! And if you haven't already been smacked with a long email about this subject, or dropped me from Facebook because you are tired of hearing about it there, or unfollowed me on Twitter because you were tired of me tweeting about it there, perhaps you'd like to drop a donation here now.

I could say something like they do during the Public Radio pledge drives, that the sooner I reach my (current) goal of $500, the sooner you'll be able to stop hearing about it. But unfortunately I typically raise my goal to something higher the minute I reach one because I'm all about resetting a goal once I realize I haven't aimed high enough. And considering I've raised MUCH more than $500 for the team in past years (when the economy wasn't doing so poorly, I know), I know that I'm lowballing it again, but I started so late this year!

But I know that with your help on this idea of mine, together we can do it. And I know that I have to tell a LOT of people in order to accomplish my idea. Here's the thing. I've decided that this year, I'm going to walk the whole Relay. Me. I'm going to walk the entire (in our case) 15 hours of the Relay. The rule of Relay is that they want someone from your team on the track for the whole thing. And I know that someone else from our team will most likely be out there with me. For much or most of it. But I've always wanted to do the whole thing. Like Gordy Klatt did when he came up with the idea 25 years ago and created this whole Relay For Life idea. Only his Relay was 24 hours. And he ran. So surely I can do this.

But I figure the more people I tell, the better. And even BETTER, is the more donations I have toward this, the harder it will be for me to quit. But that isn't the real reason I want you to give.

The real reason is because ACS has great programs. Like Look Good, Feel Better. And their 24-hour 800 number. And Cancer.Org where you can get all sorts of information and support. And the Patient Navigator program. There are just so many things that the Relay money does.

And it's especially important to me and my team members this year. Because we lost one of our own. And quite frankly, we're getting tired of our friends and family having to suffer through this. We want to see the end. And I know that you do, too.

And I know that thanks to generous donations from people like you, it's going to happen.

Please donate. Please.

Click to donate

Looking for Health

2009-02-02T15:59:00.001-06:00

Am going on a little rant here. If not on my blog, where can I do it? And I have to apologize in advance because I know that there are so many in this country who don’t have medical insurance and therefore, don’t even have the luxury to go to the doctor when they are sick, let alone having the opportunity for healthy check-ups. And that healthy visit what this is about. At the same time, as someone who pays pretty steep money for our insurance, we don’t take it for granted and we want to stay healthy, so we are working hard to eat right and take our meds the way they were prescribed and take our vitamins and minerals and research the things that people our age are doing to make themselves feel the best they can.

For the most part, I’m pretty healthy. And it’s been a while since I’ve been in for a checkup. I do have an issue that I needed to have checked out and it was beyond time to have my cholesterol checked out. I have a family history of heart disease and high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I also have Raynaud’s Phenonemon or syndrome, I can’t keep track of which.

Anyway, I know that doctors are busy and on a schedule. So I went there with a list. It’s been a while since I last had a checkup. Not a long while. A few years, though. And I had my list of things I wanted to talk with her about. There were some baseline tests I wanted to have done (ala the brilliant Dr. Oz) such as the normal always completed blood pressure (106/78 today) and cholesterol (for which I was fasting). I also wanted to have her check my Vitamin D levels, which according to everything I’ve read, is an easy blood test. She was very resistant to this one.

Vitamin D deficiency is widespread and seems to be related to so many health concerns: osteoporosis, depression, heart disease and stroke, cancer, diabetes, parathyroid problems, immune function — even weight loss.
(read more here)

I wanted to have my C-Reactive Protein checked. It was a little more understandable when she resisted this because she is a newer doctor to me and had not yet received any of my medical history. And since she didn’t spend any time reading through the history we went through on my previous visit or the information I filled out on arrival, she didn’t know that I would have a reason for checking this. After explaining again my family history of high cholesterol and heart disease, and the Raynaud’s, and my own history with high blood pressure and being on and off blood pressure medication and weight loss, she did agree to check this as well.

In other areas of the ‘checkup’ and when I look at the appointment in retrospect, I use the term loosely. Areas in which I score her low:

She asked about my migraines and the meds I’m on for them. Again, she didn’t go over my history prior to our discussion so she’s starting from zero. The sum total of our discussion was, “What do you do about them when you get them?” I basically told her that any attempt at medicating them after they start does nothing for me because meds have always stopped working eventually, so I’ve stopped trying. Therefore, I have stopped doing much of anything. She did not ask me how long I’ve been having them. (25 years this summer.) Because she rushed on to the next topic which was totally off topic from migraines and my attention was needed in this other area so I could focus on what I needed to tell her there, I did not get the opportunity to tell her that over the past two of those 25 years, my migraines have changed in their severity and symptoms.
She didn’t look in my nose during the ear/nose/throat section (and the ear/throat glance were SO passing that I don’t know how she could have diagnosed anything) and this made me completely forget to talk about what I consider to be a nagging but light sinus infection that has been affecting me off and on for the past couple of months. Because we happened to be talking about other aspects of the ‘checkup’ at the time. This was truly a multi-tasking event.
I mentioned some degree of tiredness and she didn’t ask if I was exercising or about my eating. I just thought these were no-brainers from a doctor at a checkup.
The one medical thing I went in for I mentioned up front. It was also the number one concern I put on my paperwork. When she filled out the labwork, she didn’t put down anything about a test for this. So she mentioned what she was sending me to the lab for and I asked about it. And she said, “Oh, did you want to be tested for that? Are you having symptoms of that today?” GAH!!! While waiting for the results for that test, she came into my exam room looking for a different patient. Added to all other problems of the day, it was just a little much. But I was grateful that she did, because…
In the course of everything that was happening, the discussions that were happening and the ones that were not, there is no place on the form filled out at the beginning of the appointment to tell them that while there, a prescription rewrite is needed as refills were finished the last time I tried to get one at the pharmacy and a visit would be required. So I nabbed her when she mistakenly popped into my room.
She did come in herself to give me the results to that test and said they were inconclusive (which tells me something else is causing my problem but she wasn’t going to take the time to discuss this or even think about that possibility with me) and said she would be sending out the sample for culturing. So at least there is that.

As a result, I’m giving strong consideration to doctor shopping again. I don’t think we should settle, do you? I think everyone should insist on medical care that includes a doctor who will take the time to listen to all of their concerns without interruption. I have a list for crying out loud. I’m not here to take up your whole day. I have this very concise list so that I can go very quickly through my concerns and tell you exactly what it is I want to cover and exactly what tests I’d like to see for my baseline numbers. I want to be healthy and I have a pretty good idea of what that constitutes.

Opinions? Am I expecting too much?

Waiting...

2008-12-15T11:03:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post to say that HBB had his annual ride in the tube this morning.

Now we wait. We’ll see the Neuro-Oncologist this afternoon for the MRI results. We have a great room in a nice (warm!) hotel nearby to do the waiting and a Starbucks very close besides. Can’t much beat that with the wicked icy blast of winter that moved into the area yesterday afternoon.

Update - Better late than never???

Keith received a 'no change' result in his scan so we get another 12-18 months before our next trip to the U, unless something comes up that concerns him. Hurray! Thanks for thoughts and prayers!

Wow... It's December already...

2008-12-09T02:51:00.001-06:00

And things are hopping around here. We’re making all of the usual preparations for the holidays and a couple of extra even.

But even more important, There are the OTHER preparations that begin at this time of year. Captain HBB has finally made a decision and announced to me just the other night that the team should remain here in the old home town. And so I will register the Brain Trust Relay team with our local Relay For Life for 2009 which takes place in June. That means fund raising kick off is just around the corner, people!

And this is important to us for many reasons. The first of these, of course, is our deep gratitude that HBB will celebrate 8 years of life since his diagnosis in 2009. That’s big. But there are other things… Like the diagnoses that happened in the past months that I’ve already written about. And the battles that are being waged by bloggers and the friends and family of bloggers throughout teh internetz.

Only a couple of weeks ago one of our very first brain tumor warriors sent a message via email, newsletter and his facebook page that he was headed in to the hospital for surgery for a recurrence. This was a seriously huge shock to all who have followed his path these many years. As always, he has continued to be an inspiration to all with wit and words of hope, courage and grace.

A local teacher, Kim, a beautiful person inside and out, who has also had a recurrence of her cancer. Last month she received a Courage Award from ACS. I was so happy to read about this. I met Kim a couple of years ago at an ACS event. What a bright light. It was heartbreaking to hear that her cancer had returned. There have been stories in the newspapers and online news sites here about her and about how there is currently a campaign for people who know her to write an email to Ellen DeGeneres to tell her why she should contact Kim. You see, Kim’s current battle is a big one. When her breast cancer came back, it recurred in her liver and bones. And the chemo and radiation she is going through now is causing her much pain. But the one thing she can do daily is watch Ellen and get a laugh. So her teaching partner at school had this idea. I hope Ellen does contact her.

So we’re off again. Well, we’re nearly off. It’s that time again. It’s time to pull together a team. And take a deep breath. And see if we can’t pull together some donations once again.

Inspiration Needs Prayers...

2008-08-18T10:50:00.004-05:00

Before I can write anything about our latest adventure to New Mexico over the weekend, I have a quick prayer request from a friend...

I came home to an email from a dear friend Natalie who writes:

I write this email with a heavy heart.... my best friend Melissa was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes late yesterday afternoon. Many of you know her, and some on this list do not. She is a 33 year old mom of two young boys D__,age 1 and D__ almost 3. She is beautiful on the inside and out... I am asking all of you to please send this to as many people you know who will be willing to pray for her and her family. The only known fact is that she has a mass tumor in her lymph nodes in her chest and that her liver is enlarged. She underwent two surgeries today to find if the cancer has spread to her bones. My specific prayer request is that we pray that the tumor is encapsulated and has not spread, and that her liver is not affected by this cancer. Please also pray that God gives Melissa the strength and courage to fight this long battle.
Again, please forward this email.... we need MANY MANY prayer warriors.....

I'm asking that you all please include Melissa and her family in your prayers. Thank you.

sigh The Close of a Wonderful Vacation

2008-07-11T14:42:00.008-05:00

HalfBrainBoy and I have returned from New Mexico rejuvenated. Don’t we look that way?

If we were any more relaxed, we'd be dead...

Yes, life was truly sweet during our time in the Land of Enchantment. We did miles of hiking, scared up a rattlesnake, several little salamander types of things (which I love and took photo after photo of), filled up both our digital cards with photos of each other standing on very tall rocks breathing in fresh air and just being generally happy to be alive.

We did what little driving we needed to do in a rented Prius and I fell in love with that vehicle, let me tell you. If a time comes when I am able to trade in one of the monster vehicles we are currently saddled with, that will be my trade of choice. But since both our vehicles are paid off and we don’t really relish the thought of a car payment any time soon, this is a tough consideration, even with the gas savings.

If interested in seeing more of the photos which I seem to have a hard time limiting myself in putting out on flickr, though I did start out well at only about 20 per day/activity… now that I’m home, the number is steadily increasing… you can head on over to my photo gallery where I have them all put together in our New Mexico 2008 set. If you aren’t a member of flickr (and it costs nothing to join), do join up so you can leave your comments on the photos. I do love me some comments about them (be nice, please - I only love the nice ones. heh) and will leave you a comment back if you leave any for me! It becomes a regular social hour out there. All sorts of fun. I spend more time there than blogging any more. Sad to say. But I have no time for blogging.

This week’s big time crunch is the truffle business. We have our local home town days. And woohoo! If our little bizniz isn’t going to be in the parade! I’m hoping Keith will be home from work tomorrow in time to be the chief photographer of our little group handing out literature and free truffle samples! In 100 degree Fahrenheit (heat index) weather! Can you say truffle soup? ;-p I’m wishing I had some rollerblades and knew how to use ‘em! AND I wish you were all here so I could meet you on the street and say hello. Now THAT would be a fun parade.

Cross your fingers that a twister doesn't come and blow us right off the parade route because that is the kind of weather that is fixin' to pull itself together this evening...
Smooches!

All Night Long!

2008-06-26T19:21:00.008-05:00

I've almost reached a point of recovery from last Friday night's Relay For Life of Hudson. Almost. As you can see from my photo set out on Flickr, we had gorgeous weather with the exception of a very brief bout of high wind that threatened to blow in a severe thunderstorm just as the event was about to kick off. It blew some tents around and detached a few banners we had painstakingly hung up that morning in preparation for the event, a few spatters of rain fell, but aside from that, all was bright and sunny and gorgeous.

The Brain Trust donned our Pit Crew suits, decorated with patches which showed our sponsors from area business people and the names of loved ones who we were walking in memory and in honor of. (This is far less easy to see - the photos did not turn out great due to the very high sunshine and user error on my part - my apologies...)

It is always very difficult to try and name people in a post without the fear of forgetting someone (as I know I have in the past) and so I apologize in advance if I leave anyone's name off the following list of thanks. But for Keith's and my part, we would like to thank the following people who helped make this Relay spectacular by their participation and/or contribution in some way...

The members of Keith's Brain Trust. Every member is important, of course. Like any pit crew, one missing member and there could be a disaster. But as always we had the all important crew chief (two!) in Anonybro and Bonnie Wonka. Couldn't have done it without you!!!

Mom and Dad, thanks for making the hot dog stand happen. As you know, there was some serious fund raising that could not have occurred had it not been for that event. The raffle came together because of this, and our final hugely generous sponsor came on board that weekend after finding us there.

And all of the rest of the team are what make us a team! From workers at the stand to walkers on the track and brain power and assistants in other endeavors, you are all what make it happen. Thank you!

Inspirations and Dollar donors:

All of the above, because you know ya'll pitched in your own money (especially the crew chief and we have some money for you!)
Aunt Roz and Uncle Marty
Uncle Chuck and Aunt Helen
Uncle Howard
~d
Billy & Stace
Cheryl Ecker Moore
Jon Olson - C21 (and thanks for coming out to the track, Jon!)
Mr. Schlief (we missed seeing you this year!)
Mark
Carol M
Jenorama
KathyC
KathyK
CursingMama and her MotorcycleMan
Jeff the Barista
Natalie the Barista
Mommy Dodo
Peter S
Mystical Marge!!! (and for your photography skilz - because you have them whereas I do not!)
Lisa
Carolyn and John
Donna
Kris
Keith's mommy, Alta
Keith's grandma, Dorothy
Z
Zaney Janey M
Kimby
KatieK
Michele and Wes
Whathisface
Whatshername

There are bunches of people who have supported us for years and years in the past, as well. If I try to list them all I will definitely forget some and be terribly embarrassed. Know that we are grateful to each and every one of you. The cheers from the sidelines are so important to us, as well. I'm not going to try and link up to bloggers here. If you want me to, text or email me and I will. (I'm back in here today because I'm already trying to add people to the list. See? I knew I'd feel bad about putting a list in here because there would be people left off and I'd feel bad about people from previous years not included. I should not have tried to do this. I have lived with guilt for something my whole life and I don't do well with it.)

I'm tired. :)

There is more to tell. But not much. You can learn most of it in the captions of my photos...

Seven years...

2008-06-13T01:07:00.008-05:00

Seven years ago today, we awakened from a fitful night's sleep in one of Rochester, Minnesota's small hotels, very retro in that it hadn't been updated in many years. Our alarm was set early so Keith could be at the surgical center prepped for his surgery well before the procedure was to begin.

I don't remember a lot about that day. I'm the queen at forgetting things I don't want to remember. There are many flashes of the day that I do remember, however. I remember the threatening weather. Terrible lightening as we crossed the street from the hotel to the hospital, holding hands and trying to joke about what would happen if they lost power in the middle of surgery. Trying not to think about the fact that there was a 50% chance he might not live through it.

I remember how very dark it was that morning. It was early. And it was storming. And we had a lot of apprehension. All of those things were contributing factors. I know that Keith remembers a lot of different details than I do. But I sure remember that darkness. And the chill I felt in the air. My fear. My teeth chattering.

I remember the frustration of the waiting. I knew that it would be hours and yet, it was still very difficult waiting those hours. And yet, the hours flew by very quickly. There was all of the frustration of sitting in the surgical waiting area trying to get my laptop to connect to the internet so that I could send out little email dispatch updates to friends and family. Finally giving up on that and making treks to the Mayo library any time I knew any piece of information. Using their computers to send out mini-missives.

I remember that Keith's mom was there, and my most long-time friend. My support system. And yet I needed that time to cocoon. And they were okay with that and kept each other company for the most part. I had to spend much of the day processing what was happening because it was all happening so quickly (his diagnosis had come April 13th and here it was, surgical day two months later after a couple of years of strange symptoms that had gone misdiagnosed and now brain cancer?).

I remember the surgeon's update. Telling me that he had removed the tumor from the hippocampus and amygdala calling it an amygdalahippocampectomy. He used his hand to demonstrate the size of the tumor being about the size of his thumb and that they'd taken a little margin around it. (That means brain matter folks...) He said they had also tested for seizure activity during the surgery.

I remember afterwards when HBB was in ICU for the post-surgery recovery and in the throes of some serious pain (I gotta admit, they were not great at pain management down there in his case - that was a big disappointment...) and I began my sympathy migraine. No surprise there, eh?

I remember when they pulled the drains from his head. Dear g*d I hope I never have to witness any of my loved ones going through anything like that again. I weep when I remember that.

I remember the kindness of some of those night nurses.

I remember his hiccups. And how they would NOT go away. And how nobody seemed to care. And how I ran all over trying to find some yogurt for him to eat while he had them because that had helped him get rid of them once. Imagine how hiccups must feel to someone who has had their skull cut open for deep brain surgery and then stapled back together.

I remember wondering if Rochester ever has decent weather or if all of the bad storms pass through that city (and I have to admit that HBB and I still wonder that whenever we watch the weather patterns coming into the cities).

I could go on for some time. There are many of these tiny details that come to me. But all I really want to say is, Happy 7th Half Brain Birthday, Keith! I'm so glad to be able to share in this and many other special days with you. This year I am extra grateful to spend with you. You will always be my Half Brain Boy. :D

There is only a week left until our local Relay For Life! Help us celebrate Keith's Brain Trust family team with a donation. Or just wish Keith a Happy 7th Half Brain Birthday with a donation to him!

Our thanks to bloggers Jen, Bill and Stace, ~d, Mark, Lisa, and Sharon for all you have done to help make this Relay successful! You rock!

RRRRRRRRRacing Against Time!

2008-06-11T15:31:00.005-05:00

We're only 9 days away from the Race Against Time... A Walk to Find A Cure. It's our local American Cancer Society Relay For Life and our team is going all out to raise as much money as we can for this event.

If you are interested in getting on board, here is one more way you can help... it's too late now to add your patch to our pit crew suits, but we're raffling off this amazing mini Nascar hood (approx 28" x 30"). I can't sell them online, but if you are interested in this raffle, let me know! The beautifully painted hood is valued at $85-100 and our tickets are selling for only $2! (or 3 for $5).

If you'd prefer, you can donate to our team online to help us reach our fund raising goal by clicking on this link. Thank you so much!

Help us beat this cancer beast!

RRRRacing Against Time with Keith's Brain Trust!

What? You've never heard of Relay For Life? Never done it yourself? Don't know anyone else who has? Go check out our team's flickr photos from past years and see how much fun we have and then look for a Relay in your area. Then? Get involved! You'll be glad you did.

I'd rather be hiking...

2008-05-21T01:32:00.007-05:00

You know, I've never been a huge fan of going out and asking for money, but it all depends upon the reason/cause. I hate asking for my own needs, but I'm a little less reticent to ask for a good cause. I've been a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society since HBB (HalfBrainBoy) was diagnosed with a Brain Tumor back in 2001 and as a result we joined our local Relay For Life in 2002. I didn't get a lot of money from it, but the most fun I had raising money for the Relay was the time I turned a hike into a fund raiser. I only wish I'd thought of it sooner. And I hope to try this again sometime (frequently)! This is a video I made from that experience. I had put one together a while back, but I remade it last night to show that gathering money for a good cause doesn't always have to be just asking. Although, that is a really important way to do it - the most important actually.

So here it is, our Hike for the Cure from 2006.

I'd rather be hiking, but this year, I'm asking. Teams are down. Funds are down. I know that finances are tight for a lot of people. I know that there are a lot of deserving places to give charitable donations these days. It's a very hard time to ask for money. But that's what I'm doing this year. If you have five dollars, ten dollars, twenty to spare, any amount will help provide a wig for someone going through chemo, a ride for someone who needs one to a doctor appointment, a piece of medical equipment for a person who doesn't have insurance... the list goes on and on and you can help.

Here's a link to our team donation page. From there, click on the STAR that says donate. If you don't have a credit card, you can click on any of the team member names and find a link to print an offline donation form to mail your donation in to the ACS.

Thank you so much for your time! (please pass the word on! :D)

Open Hearts

2008-04-29T14:43:00.002-05:00

The blogging community is huge and very diverse. I have been fortunate to be a part of a very loving and giving part of that community. When I started this blog, it began as a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life a couple of years after HalfBrainBoy's surgery to remove his brain tumor. And the blogging community that surrounded us came through and very generously gave to our team by opening your wallets and pitching in with donations or else by telling us stories of hope and love and loss which kept me going as I ran those long miles inspiring me in my journey.

This week, I would like to ask you to open your hearts for Jeni. If you do not know her, by all means, go meet her. She is a beautifully courageous cancer warrior and some of her Blogger Friends are running a Bloggers for Jeni Auction this week on eBay. The proceeds will help pay for medical expenses that insurance won't cover and provide a trust for her little boy (he's 6), Jack. There are beautiful things for sale at the auction.

Beautiful things for beautiful bloggy hearts.

A new BT Warrior

2008-04-21T21:45:00.003-05:00

Our blog friend Michael Manning let us know this week about a new BT Warrior and pointed us to his Caring Bridge website. Please send your best prayers and wishes to young Gunnar.

Michael has posted a wonderful intro to Gunnar over on his blog.

You can keep updated on Gunnar's condition and learn about his treatment via his Caring Bridge site. Make sure and set up a bookmark! As you know, donations are always welcome.

Cancer Patients & Caregivers

2008-04-04T13:47:00.000-05:00

Living Well with Cancer – April 19, 2008 Seminar

Washington Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center invites you to its second FREE Living Well with Cancer seminar of the year featuring Alice Matthews Beers, BSN, an oncology nurse and expert on cancer patient recovery. Beers will provide information and guidance on how to communicate effectively with your doctors and other health care providers about post-treatment issues. She will also address the importance of a healthy emotional recovery by discussing how to recognize and manage anxiety, depression and fatigue. The event will be held on Saturday, April 19, from 9 a.m. to Noon at the National Rehabilitation Hospital Auditorium located on the Washington Hospital Center campus, 102 Irving St., NW, Washington, DC 20010. To register, please call 202-877-DOCS (3627) or register online here.

HBB: Insurance and doctors

2008-01-28T14:56:00.000-06:00

There are times when I’m reminded that the medical world is a business. As all businesses, making money is important. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this. If practicing medicine didn’t provide money for doctors, hospitals, labs and research facilities, then who would get into the business? I know there is the argument of state-run medical care, I won’t touch that debate. And, I also don’t want to discredit that EXTREMELY caring nurses, technicians and doctors I have met in the medical community. But, if the facility these caring people worked for didn’t make money, these people wouldn’t have a place to provide their care.

But, I have found that I can get lured into a kind of comfort that the medical community is out for my wellbeing. They are. Just so long as they make money at it.

Of course, the same goes for health insurance. Only double.

As much as we might complain, what’s the choice? I don’t see another immediately available choice but to work with these two groups – the medical providers and the insurance companies.

Today, I was reminded of the money aspect of healthcare. I have the fantastic fortune of going to a good, very respected medical clinic near my home. Because this clinic is so well respected it even draws people from around the country. Unfortunately, this makes this clinic expensive. To be exact, most procedures at this place are around three times what the insurance company is willing to pay. NO, this isn’t some wildly exaggerated amount. Really, 3 times the “usual and customary” that my insurance will cover 80% of. So, doing my math, that means insurance covers about 27%. I talked to this clinic about their high cost. And, I kid you not, the business office person replied “well, we are three times BETTER than everyone else”. That could well be. I’ve checked that out and it likely is true.

I withheld some payments to this clinic to get their attention so they would help me work with the insurance. The woman in the business office agreed that I had not withheld these payments, I probably wouldn’t have gotten their immediate help to work with insurance. It was to no avail. The insurance company did not back down. The only change was that I had to go into a little room before every appointment and pay for the procedures before they were done. It was humiliating.

Finally, I tired of the expense and abuse and I contacted the insurance company. I asked who they would have me see in place of this renowned place. I went to the doctor they suggested. I have to breathe deeply before I start a spew of strong words against this medical experience. This doctor’s arrogance and incompetence wrecked a price on me that was phenomenal. My brother, a surgeon, heard my experience with this doctor. He suggested “quack” was too kind.

So, I decided to do whatever necessary to return to the good, expensive, effective place. I did. With a little work I have it up to insurance covering half the expense. On some seemingly random occasions, insurance has covered all the billing from this place.
So, this is the background to today’s story. Today, I got a call from the business office from this cutting-edge clinic. They told me that they had just gotten off the phone with my insurance company and my insurance company told them that I was losing my health insurance in two days.

Maybe your healthcare costs aren’t similar to mine. So, maybe this wouldn’t stop your heart quite the same as it stopped mine. I was shaking. I could hardly dial the phone to call the insurance company. I got a very nice, very helpful woman. She told me that sure enough the screen showed my insurance expired in two days. She asked if I had paid last month’s bill. I was already on the computer finding my cleared check online. Yep. Paid. Nothing else had changed.

Did I have a heartbeat? I don’t think so. She said she would go check something and she put me on hold.

She came back on and explained that the expiration date didn’t mean the same thing in my type of insurance and all was well and I would continue to be covered.

My heart started. I had no idea if I should be angry or grateful or relieved or annoyed or…. Had I not been at work, I likely would have let out some kind of yell – joyous or angry or otherwise.

I must say, both the person at the clinic and the person at the insurance company were very professional and helpful and kind.

Somewhere along the line, someone made a mistake. Mistakes happen. I’ve probably made a dozen in the last half hour.

I know I am amazingly lucky. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I DO have insurance. I DO go to very good clinics. I AM doing better than anticipated. I do understand how many there are who are not so lucky.

But, it was still a scary view into how much I rely on this whole infrastructure of insurance and medical community, and these two getting along, and that all will work reasonably well where these are intertwined.

As of today, it appears there isn’t any unraveling going on for us. I think I’ll go eat some carrot sticks to celebrate. I guess the best way to avoid these hassles is to avoid the need for doctors. That's what I'm told, anyway.

HBB: A new toy leads to old pictures

2008-01-07T23:46:00.001-06:00

I'm having one of those nights.
It doesn't help that I didn't leave work until 9 tonight.
But, now I'm caught up in fun that could keep me up really late.
I've got a new toy. I bought a device to create jpegs from our old negatives (I'm afraid to say HOW OLD some of these are).
Many of these negatives have been stored in unheated/non-cooled storage for years in a severe climate. I have some negatives that have travelled several states and maybe countries. So, the quality of the negatives aren't great.
But, still, it's fun to turn these old pictures into jpegs.

Several down, thousands more to go. I just thought I would share a few.

First, Keri and I at an awards banquet. Back then, work was still a "formal" event. My small rebellion against the formal was long hair and the occassional pony tail.

Next, this is the three of us at our first Easter. Again, things were way more formal then. I think Keri and I had only been going out for two months here.

Then, the amusing thing is, this is our wedding photo. Really. It is. Casual. As in, wedding was held in 4-wheel-only-and-hike location above a glacier lake. July, but we got to have a snowball fight during the wedding.

This last is a really great memory. I'm happy to say this is my daughter. It's been a bunch of fun years being dad to her. I'm really, really happy I got that chance. I'd do it again in a second.

So, the negatives might be a little scratched and bent and faded. They've been through a lot. We have, too. But, they're clear enough to bring up memories.

With that, I am headed towards bed while I can still stop.

HBB: Happy New Year 2 - The List

2008-01-01T00:52:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I just said that my list of gratitudes for 2007 was too long to be started.

I lied. I am sure I will miss some major things that I am grateful for as I enter 2008, but here is a partial list.

1) I am overwhelmingly happy that Keri and I are back together and so close. This still feels a bit like a dream. It's wonderful.
2) I am extremely grateful that Keli and I are seeing each other so much and that I am able to spend some good dad and daughter time with her.
3) I am grateful for my good friends and family. So many have been there and haven't given up.
4) I am grateful for the work I have. I'm glad the work hiccups from last year seem behind us.
5) I am grateful for the good health. I am so glad that the concerns the neurologists had turned out to be nothing. I am so grateful for improvement of neurological functions.
6) Along those lines, I'm thankful for the determination by a certain doc to help get my seizure meds corrected. I can't tell you how much better life is with that improvement.

The list could go on and on...

--HalfBrainBoy

HBB: Happy New Year

2008-01-01T00:16:00.001-06:00

Happy new year!!!
I wish well to all in 2008.
I feel good about 2008. I start New Years 2008 in a much happier, healthier place than I've been the past couple of January firsts.

In past years, our family spent some time on New Years writing down gratitudes from the year past. This past year, I've had too many to even begin.

But, as I've thought about gratitude, I think about how things can work out. I've been lucky. Experiences I've had that seemed bad at the time sometimes ended up setting me up for something good. Lately, looking back and seeing how the good and bad experiences have been related has really helped through any new challenges.

There is this fable that has helped me keep this in mind.

So, as the start to 2008, as I sit here feeling grateful for how things have all worked out, here's my version of this story.

-----
There was a poor rancher who owned a horse. One day, the horse ran away into the hills. The rancher’s neighbors came to console him. “You must feel terrible”, they said, “What bad luck for you that your horse ran away.”

The rancher answered, “We shall see.”

The rancher had treated the horse well, so the horse soon returned home. When the horse returned, it was followed by several wild horses from the hills.

The neighbors returned. This time they said to the rancher, “You must be so happy. What good luck you have to have these new horses.”

The rancher answered, “We shall see.”

A few days later, while working with the new horses, the rancher’s son was thrown and broke his leg. He could no longer help on the ranch.

Again, the neighbors came to the rancher. They said, “You must feel so sad that your son broke his leg. This is such bad luck for you.”

From the rancher, “We shall see.”

Several weeks later, war broke out. The military passed through the rancher’s town. They took all the young men of fighting age to join in the battle. Because of the son’s bad leg, he was skipped. He stayed on the ranch.

The neighbors returned. This time they said, “You must feel so good that your son was skipped. This is such good luck for you.”

The rancher answered, “We shall see.”

Many years later, after the rancher had seen many things in his life, as he had experienced many fortunes and misfortunes, he had become quite old and frail. One day he sat outside his home.

A new neighbor dropped by. This neighbor saw the aged, ailing, nearly blind rancher. The neighbor said, “Old man, you are so old and so ill. You must feel sad that you are no longer young, that most of life is behind you. This is such bad luck for you.”

The rancher nodded and answered, “We shall see.”

--HalfBrainBoy

HBB: A dark room on a gray day

2007-12-30T16:01:00.000-06:00

It's 4pm on a gray day. I'm still in my sleepwear sitting in bed. The shades are open just a few inches to let just a little light in.

Nope, this isn't a bad mood.

Next to me Keri is hurtin big time from a migraine. I've spent the day bringing up various ice packs and keeping her company. That's about all I can do. The dark room, ice packs and rest are about all she can do for these. Lately, they've lasted days and made her feel really crappy.

I'm glad I have this day off. I may not be able to help out, but it's nice I can be here to try. Keeping quiet is a challenge for me. In case you hadn't heard, I do have moments of lack of coordination. This can lead to thumps and crashes. :)
We're thinking about trying a audio book now to see if this will provide a good distraction from the pain. It can't hurt. But, I guess that's easy for ME to say.

HBB: Results Good!!

2007-12-22T16:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, so after we got the good results on Monday, things zoomed right back into the hectic swing of things. All of a sudden, it's Saturday, and I haven't posted!

Here's how it went. KinnicChick and I stayed in a Hotel near the hospital the night before the MRI. I had the MRI very early in the morning. Then, we waited for the eternal hours between the MRI and the meeting with the neuro-oncologist. We got coffee and wrote and wandered around.

Then, we went for the appointment to get the initial results.

First, we had a bit of a shock. The doc pulled the wrong MRI results on to the computer screen. These MRI results showed a pronounced tumor in a brain. The results made no sense since this showed a head with much more brain than I have. But, it was still an initial shock. The error was corrected and the doctor displayed MY results.

All looked good. I've formed an almond-size cyst that is new since the last time I was in. But, this is no problem.

All in all, very exciting news. Much relief.

Then the doctor looked back at the recent tests on my brain function. He looked at the results, then the MRI, then the results. He told me that he would not have expected the good level of memory I have based on the MRI. He told me that I must be exercising my brain in the right ways. That was nice to hear.

Afterwards, KinnicChick and I talked about how much it surprises us each time we see the MRI results. Let's just say that we were reminded that "HalfBrainBoy" is quite the appropriate name. And, I appreciate the doc's nice words about how I've been able to use what I've got. I've been lucky. And, I've had wonderful people around to help me.

Now, it's time to head into the holidays. Especially this Christmas, I think I'll have one of the nicest Christmases ever. I think this Christmas I'll likely feel the most gratitude ever.

There are my most favorite christmas cookies! KinnicChick's secret recipe. Time to start the holiday feasting.

I wish the best to you and yours.

HBB prompted to remember "then" and "now"

2007-12-13T21:26:00.000-06:00

The post yesterday about the MRI had caused me to reflect a bit. It's been a wild ride.

Things are so good now.

I was looking for pictures to give an idea of how good things are now, compared to a things didn't looks quite so good.

What better than a picture as I left the hospital after surgery side-by-side with one that shows this summer's fun?

Your brain in pain:

Your brain having fun:

Any questions???

Just so there isn't any doubt, I opt for the "brain having fun".

Oh, and one last thing. Keri, when you try to make rabbit ears above somebody's head, make sure they aren't wearing a hat. :P

HBB: Thoughts on brain tumor follow-ups

2007-12-12T21:20:00.000-06:00

Monday will be an interesting day.

I approach Monday with very mixed feelings.

Monday is my regular follow-up brain MRI to see if everything is stable. After the MRI , there is the wait for some of the most intense hours experienced. Then, there is the meeting with the neuro-oncologist to get the results.

I would be lying if I said I didn't have any worry. Maybe just a tiny bit. But, the day I have these MRI’s are also like my own personal Thanksgiving Day.

I have a new set of feelings about these brain MRIs each time I have them. But, there is no way I can approach these days as “just another day”. I knew a brain tumor survivor, a guy who had a similar type of tumor. He said that, after years, he approached these follow-ups as nothing more noteworthy than a dentist appointment. Years down the road, one of these “dentist appointments” changed his life.

I think I’d lose out on something if I felt that these MRI where nothing more than dentist appointments. I think I’d miss out on an opportunity to feel such intense feeling of gratitude and relief.

I was recently listening to someone who was waiting on biopsy results. She described the feeling so well. She said, “I KNOW this is NOTHING…but there is just this part of me which realizes this COULD be something.”

Exactly. There is always the "what if".

Monday, I will get good results. I know I will.

I hope. Life is too good right now.

So, I know they won't be finding any enhancement or growth. All will continue to be stable. But, there is a small voice tapping me on the shoulder, “…but, it COULD be something”.

And, I probably pay a bit more attention to that small voice because I’ve experienced receiving the unexpected call, “we’re sorry to tell you, you have a brain tumor….” After experiencing the unimaginable, you realize the unimaginable can happen.

I don’t really think this is a sign of excessive worry. This MRI really IS nothing. But, it gives me a chance, if I will pay attention, to realize how lucky I’ve been that it always been nothing. And, once again, I have a vivid reminder of how far I’ve come.

These days are strange. I’m working. I’m playing. I’m doing housework. Keri and I are reading or watching movies. Then, suddenly, in the middle of it all, there is a date on the calendar that could throw everything into a single-minded fight for survival. Again.

It won't throw us into a fight, because the results will be nothing. But, still...

I’ve been reminded that EVERYONE, each day, has the potential of running into some unexpected life-changing crisis. I realize this. But, I have this on my calendar. It’s different when it’s a single point in time. Monday: Celebration or Crisis? I guarantee that by the end of the day, I will be feeling something fairly intense.

And, I’m told I’ll likely have these follow-up appointments for life. Part of me groans at the hassle. Part of me wants to forget about it. But, fortunately, there is now still a part of me that appreciates this as a reminder to be thankful. There is nothing like the big relief from good news about a brain tumor.

Now to make the big decision, which kind of music should I request on the headset in the MRI? And, where to go out to celebrate after the good news?

Let the Records Show, You Have Been Warned

2007-12-04T09:05:00.000-06:00

I head to the local Relay For Life 2008 Kick off meeting tonight to pick up the packet for the team.

Yes, it's that time of the year again for all things Relay to enter my head and begin to swim around and take root. I may not be on the committee this year (thank goodness for a break for my wee brain from that) but that just means I'll have more time for our team and to have more time getting creative with ideas for fund raising and having fun!

Expect to hear more about the power of purple from me around here. Maybe you'll consider a quick donation for the holidays? I mean, what's better than tossing your money to a great cause like cancer research than tossing it away on more unnecessary disposables?

And? If you live in the area and happen to read this site, I may be hitting you up to be on the team. I love a full team of 15 people. The more the merrier. If you haven't been on it before but have considered it, consider it hard. If you have been a member of the Merry Brain Trust (no, I'm not changing the name, but it is the Holiday season), be prepared for recruitment season to begin. My new Team Captain and I are looking for YOU.

Give that some thought and bookmark my site. We'll talk.

I'd like to Teach...

2007-12-02T23:12:00.000-06:00

Lying here thinking I should go to sleep. Was just reading a few other bloggers and happened upon Schmutzie... This piece. It brings back some pretty interesting memories of my days in lessons on the Organ. With Mrs. F.

Oh yeah. Good times.

That's about all I wanted to say. It just seemed like it was time to update around here. Since somebody had gotten too busy to write or something.

Inspiration Needs Prayers...

2007-11-15T00:12:00.000-06:00

A teacher from the middle school Kel attended could use your prayers. They had a retirement party for her early this week because it is now obvious that she will not be able to go back to work. I don't know all of the details of where she is with her treatments, but she could use your prayers. Patti's cancer started out as a suspected sinus infection and if you remember, turned out to be a melanoma in her sinus cavity.

You can read about her journey on her CaringBridge site.

HBB's firey hot dinner

2007-11-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

I've learned I'm no fireman.

That's okay. Neither is my boss.

Tonight I was having dinner with my boss at a fairly swanky restaurant. It had white linens and low lights and candles. Very classy. They have paper table covers so the wait staff can write their names to make you feel at home.

As we were recovering from a large dinner, my boss leaned back in his chair, wishing he was already in his recliner. Just then, a frantic woman at the table next to him was trying to get his attention. "Sir, sir, SIR!" she was pointing behind him. Just then I noticed flames leaping up behind my boss. He whipped around thinking he was on fire. Actually, the empty table behind us was in flames. The candle had caught the paper cover on fire. The fire was growing quickly.

My boss was closest to the fire, so he started trying to smother it with his napkin. This killed much of the fire, but it started to spread in a new direction across the table. The whole time plastic from under the tablecloth was starting to drip to the floor as it melted. I looked at my glass of water. My first reaction, at a time when split seconds counted, was, "pouring water on it would make such a mess!" GAH! But, my sensible side took over. I grabbed my glass of water and flung it across the table top. My boss did the same with is. A waiter followed immediately with an entire pitcher. We returned to our table with our charred linen napkins.

The smell of melted plastic was terrible. We stayed and talked about how terrible our fire-fighting skills were. I, for one, obviously have no fireman instincts to speak of. We were also talking about how amazing it was that we were so oblivious of a small campfire right next to us in a busy restaurant. It was a little startling. I was also amazed at the speed of it all.

Even as we sat paying the bill, (No, no "fire sale" discount), we were chuckling about the number of tables around us who were asking the waiters what the smell was. They were oblivious of our heroic (albeit unskilled) firefighting.

Have you ever had one of those friends with whom you know some unexpected adventure will always follow? We need to start charging restaurants NOT to frequent them.

Halfbrainboy: The Tunnel

2007-11-06T21:22:00.000-06:00

I have to put a picture of this.

All of this summer, I've been waiting with great anticipation as I watched the construction of this pedestrian/bike tunnel outside my window. This tunnel meant access to many things, including the grocery store and my doctor's office.

A few weeks ago, it was completed. It was a thrill to walk through it the first time. Now, I've used this to shop and meet friends and have appointments. I've been able to get to all without needing a ride.

Some may argue that this is an example of huge waste of tax-payers' money. I can understand. I also have problems with money spent on projects that seem to benefit a select few.

But, I also argue that $4 per gallon gasoline, and increasing health problems from our sendentary lifestyles, might add to the argument for easy pedestrian access to things. I know this is used. I can watch the tunnel from my apartment window. It does draw the foot and bike traffic.

This also enhances more than access for just myself. On the opposite side of the road is an assisted living building. I spoke to a resident from that building as she discovered the tunnel for the first time. A whole new world was open to her.

So, I might be bias, but I'll enjoy it anyway, even in the sub-zero of winter.

Another angel.

2007-11-05T23:57:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe what I am seeing. I am in complete shock.

Sahara is gone. Please send your prayers to her family.

HalfBrainBoy: My Coffee

2007-11-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned that I have in my kitchen at least 7 different devices and methods for making coffee. I guess you could say I have a plethora of coffee toys. Or, you could say I have a problem.

"Coffee, thou are my friend."

I do like coffee. Just a little.

I like the nuances of coffee that is created different ways. I also like the looks of coffee-making devices. Some people collect stamps. I collect different ways to ingest caffeine. Same difference.

Now, I present proof.

I've thought about showing proof for awhile now. Keri suggested I take a picture to show all of my coffee stuff. I agreed. Someday, if I can locate everything, and also locate a bunch of clear counter space in my apartment, I would take a picture.

Then, last week, tragedy struck. I grabbed some mail from the counter. There was an instant frozen in time as I saw the French press start towards the edge. I stood frozen as it crashed to the floor, shattering into an explosion of glass shards and still-wet coffee grounds. What a sad sight. And, damn it, I needed coffee! Right now!

I toyed with the idea of straining the glass from the grounds splattered across the floor. But, I realized the half hour to scoop up the glassy, caffeinated mess would far surpass even the most lenient "5 second rule" concerning food on the floor.

I debated leaving the mess for morning. It was late. Keri texted a stern warning that I would regret that. So, I longingly scoop up the grounds and glass and cleaned up the appliances and cabinets.

So, to make a short story very long, I was motivated to capture my dwindling coffee crap before there was too little to brag about. (errr, rather, to be embarrassed by?)

Without further ado, I present for your consideration, "Keith's coffee collection."

There's the standard brewer that wakes me up each morning. This guy keeps me awake enough to be employable. I guess I owe him a lot.

There's the press pot mug that Keri brought me from her last Badlands trip. This gets me through the weekends. And, it's cute to have matching his and hers coffee mugs.

Next, there's the teeny-tiny French press. This one is advertised as unbreakable. I'm starting to appreciate this feature.

The espresso machine. Keri surprised me with this a few Christmases ago. I love making coffee when it actually takes some skill to produce a palatable result. And, I love the fun accessories I got from wife and daughter two Christmases ago.

Italian coffee maker. It's been used twice. Coffee is good. Kind of fun to watch. But, it's left red paint on two different stoves now.

Single cup filter. This guy I bought to try my hand at making coffee like they make in our favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I even special ordered some Vietnamese beans. If I remember right, Keri thought the results choked down pretty well.

Uhhh. I'm embarrassed. In the effort to be complete, I had to include this. It is, after all, a way to make coffee. I use it as my emergency coffee stash. See that red box? At the sound of the depleted caffeine alarm, rip open the box. Tear the pouch. Place in boiling water. Pace while it brews. Drink very fast. *Ahhhhh*

If I count right, that's 7 remaining coffee-making devices. The 8th *sniff* will need to be replaced someday. As I type this, I realize there is another medium French press that I visit on weekends.

Oh, and those bean grinders. You never know when one might break down. So, it's always good to keep a spare. *Heh* (Keri, missing your burr grinder yet?)

So, now you can stop wondering. It is true. I have at least 7 ways to make coffee.

Have a good, wakeful day. I know I will.

RIP wrap up...

2007-11-01T13:15:00.000-05:00

I'm going to do a quick wrap up from Carl's RIP 2007.

I was part of the Peril the First in which I agreed to attempt the following:

Read four books from any of the genre's discussed on Carl's blog and so I chose...

1. The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) by H. P. Lovecraft and others (because of the movie my family members are involved with)
2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (because Jen told me I should)
3. Lisey's Story by Stephen King (because I've never been able to resist his work for long)
4. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore (yes, lightweight, but I think I'll need it by the time I get here, and hearing Mystical laughing out loud at another of his books just makes me want to dive into something totally irreverent and funny just in time for the darkening days of November)

I read these books, plus books two and three of the Vampire series of books by Stephenie Meyer. Because the story by Lovecraft that the movie I have family involved with was not in the book I mention in 1, I had to get another book of stories by Lovecraft. That way I was also able to read the story, The Thing on the Doorstep, which I found delightfully creepy!

I really loved being involved with this challenge. It forced me to step outside of my usual reading rut of NYT bestseller list novels, chicklit books and autobiographies. And I entered the realm of H. P. Lovecraft. I ended up reading several of these short stories aloud, sharing them with HBB. They were even more fun read this way.

She inspired so very many...

2007-10-30T23:12:00.000-05:00

Catching up on some of the blog posts that I missed while we were out of town... Lori was one of the most inspirational bloggers who wrote with candid frankness about all aspects of life after diagnosis.

She will be missed.

There s/he is!

2007-10-30T12:17:00.000-05:00

HalfBrainBoy and I have gone back and forth on this for years. One or the other of us is always letting the less-than-sunny side of our personalities out and then the other offers up a cheery, "There's that happy optimist I've grown to know and love!" earning a much deserved eyebrow. Luckily we balance each other and we aren't typically both at the pessimistic phase at the same time.

Today I stumbled upon this little ditty and decided to see just which side of the pendulum I'm really falling these days and low-and-behold! So take that HBB. I'm solid and right in the middle.

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass.
You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is...
But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on.
You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

How's your disposition these days?

Let's all keep on the sunny side of life in these ever darkening days, shall we? ;)

More Shopping at Mineral Point...

2007-10-29T23:20:00.000-05:00

Results in this:

But also, some really nice stuff like this:

and my cute new coffee mug (I'm becoming the crazy chicken lady):

And some day we'll figure out where we're going to hang this cool Autumn Tree of Enchantment Spirit Orb...

So relax, HBB... We'll find a place for everything and it will all be very cool. No worries. Have another cuppa latte. Kick back. No problem.

Mineral Point 10/07 Shopping

2007-10-27T23:14:00.000-05:00

So we had a very successful day of shopping in Mineral Point today. We hit several galleries and shops and bought things for gifts and things just because we liked them. If you think you'll be a gift recipient, don't look at the photos. HAHAHA.

Here's the booty:

This was found out at the Brewery Pottery Studio, which is one of my favorite places to go when visiting the Point. HBB hasn't ever been there before, so I was excited to share it with him this trip.

I bought this, oddly enough, at a little shop called In the Bag, which is a store specializing in made to order purses... but now that I actually write this paragraph, and write the name of the shop, the fact that I purchased wine there isn't quite so odd to me as it seemed at the time... ;)

We ended up eating at Mineral Spirits again this evening. If you'll recall from the trip with Mystical from last year, this was where I nearly ended up wearing a gentleman on my shoulder one evening while I was trying to eat. He kept getting closer and closer. Or rather his butt did. I honestly thought he was going to sit on me. Or perhaps just use my shoulder to lean on during his conversation. It was an interesting, loud evening.

I've happened upon a favorite beer down here this year. Spotted Cow Ale is a little bit fruity and not at all bitter or dark. So for the second night in a row, it has been my drink of choice.

They haven't had exciting desserts to choose from, so tonight we walked over to the Old Royal Inn where they served up a brownie sundae for two. And it was fantastic. Had I not been wearing boots too treacherous to walk the hilly streets, I'd have been able to walk off my dinner/dessert/beer combo, but instead, after that wonderful coffee and chocolate extravaganza, we had to come back to our hotel to unwrap all our exciting purchases and take pictures to share with folks back home.

We head back home tomorrow, but hopefully not before we head back over to High Street and do just a little more shopping. There were a couple of things that we looked at and thought about going back to check one more time after giving some more consideration to. I have a thing for glass. It sparkles and shines when the light hits it in such a way to make me smile. And there was a fish from my childhood that my grandmother had - glass, of course - that I think is what I'm reminded of when I see many of these gewgaws. So I've had my eye on several glass ornaments (like that you would see here at the Johnston Gallery) in many different colors, and we both went kind of crazy about a large glass hanging disc that had red and pink in it. So we need to go back and see if it still has the same impact on us, I think. Hey, at least we aren't always just impulse buyers, we do think about it. :)

Mineral Point 10/07 (updated)

2007-10-27T08:20:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for Grant and his family. Those of you who read and are in this area, the memorial service and funeral information are posted on his CaringBridge site.

HalfBrainBoy and I are in one of our very favorite places to hang out this weekend. No, not New Mexico, although we hope to get there very soon, too. This weekend we are in Southern Wisconsin in the little town of Mineral Point. You've seen me write about this before if you are a repeat reader. Mystical and I visited MP last fall about this time, with a day trip to Galena, IL. And HBB and I have been here on several visits ealier, bringing Keli along with us, too.

The town has such a great feeling to it. You can see a video about it here. (It is available in two formats, one for mac, and one for windows...) I think we like it so much because of the many artists who live here and sell their work from their studios and various galleries. Shortly before HBB's brain tumor was diagnosed, we even entertained the thought of buying a building that was for sale on the main street through the down town area and having a business or two there and living above it. We also looked at several of the old homes that were for sale. They have some incredible real estate available. There are still homes here that we are interested in. We look every time we visit.

We took the long and scenic route down yesterday. (And yes, it was longer than we planned because neither of us has any sense of direction any more - I believe a GPS is on order for us this holiday season and it has become extremely necessary!)

**And now? I'm off for my turn at preparations for the day because we want to get to the cafe for breakfast! I'm not sure if we'll dine at the Red Rooster Cafe today or the Shake Rag Cafe. Either would be fine for an old fashioned greasy cafe brekkie.**

6 pm update - Turns out they've turned the Shake Rag Cafe into a simple snack bar and gift shop. So we had our breakfast at the Red Rooster. And it was good. More in a bit. With photos! Oh the shopping we did!

But first, we're off to dinner and Walgreens for a few things I forgot to pack (packing at 10 the night before is not a good idea... I need to learn to make a master packing list). I'll leave you with this photo...

Grant...

2007-10-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

Darling little Grant stopped his suffering last night at 9:40. Thank you to all of you who were praying for him and for those who visited his site to answer his questions and give encouragement.

He was the embodiment of courage and strength to many in how he lived with this disease.

Please continue your prayers of strength and love for his family.

LibraryThing Meme

2007-10-23T09:06:00.000-05:00

I try not to do meme's very often. The ones about books and reading suck me in, though. Mostly because I am curious about what they will look like when I'm done with them and then I've spent so much time formatting them I figure I may as well post them.

This one is apparently the list of LibraryThing's top 106 titles tagged unread. I've been jumping around out at LibraryThing for half an hour at least trying to find that particular area to see how old this list is and if there is a more updated one, because I would think it would change every time people put their list out there, but I cannot figure out how to build the list. I suppose in the search engine. But I'm not sure what criteria was used to create it in the first place... unread fiction of any age? Perhaps. The older titles wouldn't change that much (older meaning those at the top of the list for my purposes). But it was taking forever to try and run the search with that criteria. So I gave up and used the same list that was circulating.

The instructions read: Bold the titles you’ve read. Italicize the titles you have on your bookshelf but haven’t read. And now having done the actual formatting, I know that there are some that I need to head over to my own LibraryThing site and add to my bookshelf. That's always fun. :)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
Atlas Shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran : A Memoir in Books
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera (on my list for 2008)
Brave New World
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-Present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse-Five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake
Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an Inquiry into Values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

There are so many italicized because Keith has so many of the books from his college days and I believe they are still sitting in boxes in storage from our move.

I know that if Keli and Keith did the same, their list would look much different than mine. Keli took some kick-butt lit classes in high school and really read some great stuff and had a terrific teacher. Keith had a wonderful experience at the small liberal arts college he attended in the corn field in Iowa, and also in his richy-rich high school. The boy had a great edumacation, is all I'm saying. I was not required to do a lot of reading of the greats. So they sit there on the shelves and I do not tend to challenge myself all that much. I read a lot, but it tends to be of the more contemporary bent.

How does your list look?

the girl...

2007-10-23T00:03:00.000-05:00

Keli is making hats now. Teach her a trick and she is a whirling dervish. She does not use a pattern. Like the headbands, she was winging it and made it up. Oh but that I were so clever. I love them. She has people asking for them. I told her she should set up an Etsy store as suggested by a friend. She doesn't plan on it at this point. She can crank one out in a day. *sigh* Oh the cleverness of she.

Updates...

2007-10-22T18:00:00.000-05:00

Two of my inspirations have updated their Caring Bridge pages.

Connor was an honorary chair at the Relay For Life last June with HalfBrainBoy. His story was quite amazing and gets more amazing with each passing day as he thrives. You can see his latest update here and see a beautiful new photo of him. Meeting his family at the Relay and hearing his story, the universal story of survivors, fighters, well it makes me proud to do what I have been doing for the past five years as we've come together as a team since Keith's brain tumor.

Grant lit the torch for our 2006 Relay. Find his latest update here and feel free to go to his guestbook and answer his latest question. His family prints off the pages of responses that he receives and reads them to him. They are a highlight of his day.

And please include these beautiful children in your prayers.

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

When I signed up for this, I was swept away in the heat of the moment. Emotions were high upon seeing the thing, watching the video, reading the excitement and thinking, "Hell yes! What if every blog posted about the same issue on the same day?!" That would be really something! I was caught up in the spirit of the event. It sounded like a good idea at the time, even knowing that I really had no in depth knowledge of the environment or ideas of what to write about today. Back when I put that little button on my blog I thought, "I'll have plenty of time to do some research around the web using their resources and come up with something."

HA. Queen of Procrastination that I am (another nickname for me, CursingMama...), I postponed the research part, and every time that I came here to this little blog and saw that little button, it nagged at me a wee bit. I should have put the date on that button so that I would be reminded of just how quickly it was coming up because here it is! And I'm no better prepared than I was when I signed up. But today it is and I'm committed. So here goes...

The application of poisonous chemicals to lawns and farms for pest and weed control nearly cost me my husband. Oh, I know that's a pretty big statement and I really have no proof. But I'll stand by it. He had a brain tumor removed (as any long-time reader knows) in 2001. We were told the tumor had been there, growing slowly, for many years. When he was a young man of 16 or 17, he lied about his age to get a job working for a chemical company. (He was supposed to be 18.)

His job was to drive around to the stores and go to the garden centers where he would remove the old stock (you know, the old containers that back in the 80's were more lethal and toxic than they'd get away with now and ate through the containers faster than they do now... heh) and clean up the messes. If those stores needed any restocking he would also bring that product along with him in his VW bug.

HalfBrainBoy says:

Much of the stuff was powder. So, opening a case of it often unleashed a small cloud of powder left over from packing. Sometimes some of the big glass gallon jugs of pesticides would have leaked in the crate. I'd wipe off the jugs and put them out. That kind of stuff. So, contact with the chemical wasn't specifically part of the job. Maybe that was worse. Because it wasn't part of the job, I would be cleaning up weed killer dust and pesticides with paper towels and my bare hands. Maybe if I was SUPPOSED to be in contact, I would have been given masks and gloves and such. Maybe.

I know it got to me at least. After a day's work, I would feel like the inside of my sinuses were "sunburnt". That's how I remember describing it.

But, as you know, at that time, we all really needed the money. It was good money. My oldest brother was doing the same job, so he got me in there. (Kinnicchick interjects: Oldest Brother died last year at age 42 of a heart attack.)

It felt better than flipping burgers. At the time.

And, who knows? That was a long time ago. But, it seems possible.

Or, maybe it was that history combined with the atrazine in our well that was right up against the safe limit set by the government.

Yeah, who knows? The atrazine that caused those frogs to be deformed in the experiments done at UC Berkeley. But you know, there are many scientists who are quick to point out that frogs are not people... so you shouldn't assume that just because atrazine is bad for frogs...

Whatever. There is a reason that chemicals are only handled by their makers with hazard suits and gloves. And then they put those same chemicals into products that we use every day. Like nail polish remover and hair dye. On our scalp... where it leaches into our heads and bloodstream. Tell me that doesn't have an effect on our health.

So I'm going there. I'm making that connection. I believe his brain tumor is connected to that job working for the chemical company as a teenager breathing those harsh chemicals daily and cleaning them up without protection.

I'm grateful every single day that I didn't lose my husband to that brain tumor. And every single year that has passed since with clean MRI rides.

And downsizing to this town home and away from the well with the atrazine that was just below dangerous and into the 'safe enough' limit set by the government; the move that had nothing to do with our health or trying to move to town so we could walk more and save the environment in that way, but hey, now that I think about it, every little bit helps so yeah... I'm grateful for that too.

Right to Privacy ranting by HalfBrainBoy

2007-10-14T15:47:00.001-05:00

Warning: The following contains a little bit of venting and a whole lot of soapbox.

I just need to say a few things. As many times before, I have something to say about walking.

First, let me give a little background. I walk because I don’t drive. I don’t drive because brain tumors and driving often don’t mix. I’ve been told once to get comfortable with the idea that I probably never will drive again.

So, I walk. Usually, I like to walk. I’ve gotten used to it. I like the pace of doing errands at a walking pace. I even don’t mind the snow and rain. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something when I get things done in nasty weather. Usually, I have the choice of getting a ride with my wife. But, I also like the side benefits of walking. It is healthy to walk. It is a cost-savings to walk. It is environmentally sound to walk. It also can calm me to walk. So, this is not a complaint about walking in general.

No. Surprisingly, this is a diatribe about the right to privacy.

There are things about always walking that I never thought of. For example, did you know that the canvas tote bags with 3 arm straps instead of just 2 are WAY better? Did you know that a typical canvas tote can hold more weight that I can carry?

Also, I did not know that walking in the big, ritzy suburbs of Minneapolis makes a person a mark for any insults teenagers choose to hurl from their passing cars. I’ve heard all sorts of comments about my mental stability, lineage and orientation while walking down busy suburban roads. Also, when I approach crowded parking lots by way of the sidewalk, I get many wary and suspicious looks.

I must admit, years back, I probably would have had the same reaction. Now, I’m on the different side of the equation. So, I walk. I carry bags when I walk. I have found that it is easiest to combine many errands into one trip. So, I carry some bags to carry what I need.

Does this make me look like a homeless bag-person? Sometimes. Okay, maybe often. I find it kind of funny. I make a better than average living. I could sit down and have a coherent argument on Existentialism or Differential equations with the best of them. I wear decent clothes. BUT, I walk! Even when it isn’t a nice day to walk!

Usually, I laugh off the misperceptions as harmless. I even find it teaches me a thing or two about knee-jerk judgments I make on a daily basis.

But, another thing I’ve learned about doing several errands at once, is how convenient it is to have a portable storage locker to take from errand to errand. (Read: the automobile.) Think about it. You go someplace. You get stuff. You put it in the car and go other places and then only unload it all when you get home.

Hmmm. No car. But, I still want to do more errands than just one since I’ve walked a mile to get to the shopping area. What to do… Good thing I have a good backpack.

Or is it?

Today, I was just out walking on a drizzly day getting a couple of things done. I visited my daughter and her friends. I did a little work on my laptop. Then, as long as I was here, I went to a big-box, chain hardware store nearby. I needed a hinge stop for the door and a dustpan. Not critical, but again, I kind of like to walk. So, I figured I would extend my walk and get something accomplished at the same time.

I go in and I spend maybe 2 minutes in the store. I know where everything is. I get what I need and proceed to the check-out aisle. I’ve checked out and I’m bagging my hinge stop and dustpan. I am just about to turn to go and I hear, “excuse me, sir, may I look in your backpack?”

I kind of froze. Yes, I totally understand. Shop-lifting is a major problem in these places. I’m not naïve at all. I fully support a store doing what it needs to keep all their profits from going out their door unpaid. Really, I do…..

To an extent.

I know how bad it is to walk into a store carrying a backpack. I know it is suspicious. So, I always keep the backpack securely on my back. I don’t take anything out or put anything in until I’m paid up and out the door. I don’t crouch in corners or look around suspiciously when shopping. I am an honest person with nothing to hide and I want them to know it.

Still, I had figured someday, someone would want to see what I had in my bag. I’ve even pictured this moment dozens of times.

I pictured this. Knowing I had nothing to hide, I would jump up on the nearest checkout counter. I’d do my best impression of Patrick Henry. I’d yell, “Give me privacy or give me…” Either that, or a Norma Rae, but I’d hold up a sign saying “Right to Privacy”.

I mean. Just as I explained. I am super careful to look completely on the up and up. I understand what the store is up against and I don’t want to make things hard on them. But, I also don’t have a choice about the backpack. Does that mean I shouldn’t be allowed to shop? Or, rather, shop without expecting to be frisked at the end.

Okay, you might think this a hyperbole. And, you’d kind of be right. But, with my background, this seemed very important. I was in the USSR once. I saw what total lack of privacy is like, and what it does to people.

I was raised very liberal. I went to a very liberal school and I stood in peaceful protests and waved signs for liberal causes.

And, I don’t feel I should be put upon even more because of issues arising from brain damage from a tumor.

Many would say, “what’s the big deal, there is nothing to hide. It’s a condition of entering the store.”

I would say, “Yes, but I should have a right to shop without little kids rummaging through my bags and finding embarrassing things, like my complete collection of Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVDs.” Stuff like that. It’s never clear cut. But, allowing it to stay so vague allows for a lot of slipping of the line.

So, I’ve been ready. I’ve had my speeches ready for when someone asks to look through my things or check out my person. I was ready to make a little stink. I was ready to win one for the right to privacy.

I’m so disappointed. And, maybe, relieved.

So, here was this, maybe, 17-year-old kid. He was just doing what he was told to do to make his hourly wage.

And, here was I knowing I had nothing to hide, tired and just wanting to head towards home.

My reaction? After all these daydreams of taking a stand on the right to privacy?

“Sure, no problem. Here, let me take it off so it will be easier.” ..easier to blur that bill of rights thing.

He told me it was no problem to keep it on. So, we stood in the doorway as other shoppers walked by un-frisked. He opened the many compartments and rummaged through my stuff. I stood still with my head down feeling something similar to having a doctor exam in the middle of a busy store.

Quicker than it felt, he was done. As I left, he said, “Thank you.” I actually thanked him back.

He added, “Next time, it might be good to leave your bag in the car or at the service desk.”

Deep breath.

“Thank you.”

I thought, “Oh, yeah, the CAR! Why didn’t I think of THAT??” And, “Never in a million years am I going to leave my bag at the service desk to be tended by a bunch of distracted teens.” As often, I was carrying a client’s very expensive computer, and some important medications. I had the computer so I could do a little work before walking to the store.

Don’t worry. I understand the overreaction going on here. And, again, it may sound otherwise, but I really do like being forced to do walking I wouldn’t do otherwise. Really. Maybe this situation just hit a raw nerve that started with all the suspicious glances towards the suburban bag-guy. Or, maybe the nerve that was rubbed more when almost hit by drivers only looking for cars in the crosswalks. Or, maybe, I’m kind of afraid of what happens when we start to think too many little things aren’t important.

But, now I’ve gotten it all out. Thank you. I really feel much better now. Now, I think I’m going to go for a walk. This time it will be along the pathway that leads through the forest and next to a pond – a place where cars and store security guards aren’t allowed. Aren’t allowed even in my thoughts.

Lisey's Story Review

2007-10-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

A quick review for the RIP Challenge...

I didn't want the department of complaints write up I did here to be the one and only thing I wrote about this book and therefore the only thing I could link for Carl's review site, so I thought I would write up a quick little review.

I had some difficulty getting involved in Stephen King's novel, Lisey's Story. But I don't believe that was anything inherently wrong with the book itself. To be quite honest, I think the problem was more me wanting to get back to the Twilight series. I made the mistake of reading Twilight first and having three completely different books for the remaining challenge books when what I really wanted to read instead was New Moon and then Eclipse. I didn't want to have anything to do with another author or set of characters. My head was still wrapped up in Edward and Bella. I had chuckled my way through a completely off the wall book with Coyote Blue, but now King was expecting me to look at relationships and love and death and something more real life...

Once I took a look at the calendar and saw that I had started book three of the challenge on the fourth of September, however, I took a breath and gave myself permission to relax about it and promised myself that if I would just settle in and read it and give it a chance, I could take some time away from the challenge to finish the Twilight series before going on to book four. (I knew that would take about three or four days out of my time, so what was the big deal? And realistically, they were part of the genre and would count toward the challenge if I needed to swap them in for part of it anyway...)

So I settled in to Lisey's Story. The tale starts two years after the death of Lisey's husband, a novelist of some regard. (A stretch here for a King story, eh? ;) A writer character!) She is beginning to reach a place where she can start to face saying goodbye by closing up his writing study, part with some of his things and face his darkness.

As I looked into selecting a new novel from his works and read some reviews on this piece before making my purchase, I noticed that others said this was a personal book for him that had a lot to do with his relationship with his wife and things he has been through or emotions he has been through since his accident. I don't know about that, but I do see this as a very different kind of novel from others he has written. There isn't a physical thing that is bad, like so many of his earlier works (I'm thinking here of Cujo and Christine, The Firestarter, etc.). This has more of the inner demon theme going.

The Latte Jig - by HalfBrainBoy

2007-10-09T16:58:00.000-05:00

How do you do the Latte Jig?

This is my version, tonight:

Put a venti Pumpkin latte in my right hand.
Put a double espresso, brownie and napkins in my left hand.

Walking back to work from Starbucks, a driver stops for me at a stop sign because I'm in the crosswalk.

To acknowledge such a rare and noble act, I raise my right hand in a sign of thanks.

This ejects pumpkin foam on to the left leg of my black pants.

Quickly, to avoid it soaking in, I use the napkins in my left hand to brush off the foam. This pours half the espresso down my right leg.

All this while convulsing across the street in front of the stopped car.

I think this driver is very happy she stopped. I think I may have made her evening. Next time, I think it would just be easier to flip her off. :)

The Weekend - HalfBrainBoy

2007-10-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday night already. How did that happen? Okay, how many times do you hear people say, "Hooray, it's Sunday night, I've had too much weekend"?
I'm going to test my memory and see how this weekend was.

Left work early. That's always a plus. Keri and Keli picked me up early so we could get a good start on our weekend. Have I ever mentioned how I love the flexibility of my current job? And, have I ever mentioned how I like being an hour car ride away from home instead of... a 2 hour car ride, a 3 hour flight, AND a 45 minute car ride...away from home?

When I travelled for work, I would have to leave work on Friday morning at 10am to make it in the door at home by 7pm. So, I might still be gone from home all week, but things are better.

That's just getting home. Then, there was settling in to home, making sure we got our dose of chuckles with an episode from the first season of SNL.

Saturday, we started out with coffee at the new coffee shop the daughter wields caffeine. The coffee was good. It was very good. It was so good, daughter suggested I lay off the coffee for a little while lest my head start to spin. So, I did. I waited 15 minutes before my next cup.

That evening, we had our own version of iron chef at home. Daughter and her boyfriend made a kale, potatoe, celery soup. My wife and I made gazpacho. (My wife would rather distance herself from the results, so I'll clarify that I did most of the gazpacho.)

We sat. We ate. Good laughs. Good company. Good food. Well, some good food. Some good food. Some interesting food. Maybe we aren't gazpacho people. Maybe my version of gazpacho is ahead of its time. Maybe I'd better not enter the restaurant industry any time soon.

But, it was much fun. And, it would be nice to repeat the experience. Next time, I'll make spaghetti-o's.

After dinner, we watched another SNL episode. Then, Keri read a horror story to me.

Today, I spent part of the day testing my caffeine endurance back at Keli's coffee place. It was nice to spend quiet time talking. But, now, a horde of customers would be nice, too.

Keri and I took to the kitchen again, today. This time, we took on something bold. We took on baked potatoes. No accidents. No fires. They tasted as they should. We laughed. We were full. All in all a success.

After dinner, there was even table-side entertainment. Keri continued reading a book to me. A good book. A book with laughs. Uhhh. She'll have to tell you the name. I forget.

Keri's reading to me is a tradition started back during my brain surgery recovery. I couldn't read much then. Movies mostly made me dizzy. But, there was lots of time to pass. So, she started to read to me. She read and read. Out on the screen porch she read to me. In the car waiting for appointments, she read to me. As I tell people this, I realize how cool this is. I mean, when was the last time you were read to since become an adult? But, wasn't it fun as a kid? And, wasn't it fun to have someone want to share a book? And, doesn't it sound great spending hours sharing the same story and same laughs? Yeah. It's like that. It's as good as you'd imagine. Maybe a bit better. Have I mentioned lately how lucky I am?

Then, we got back into reality. I'm back at the apartment preparing for work tomorrow. Keri is home getting ready for her busy week with truffles and all.

I know it's a long post. But, I'm just trying to eke out a little bit more weekend before I head towards bed.

Delurked

2007-10-04T20:39:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed the button up there on the right with yesterday's date on it. I mentioned it in yesterday's fine print. I was truffling yesterday from 2 in the afternoon until 7:30 last night at which point I drove to Chan to pick up HalfBrainBoy and then began the drive back to our place, stopping off at a grocery store to get the pieces of our dinner. When we got home, we assembled that dinner and finished it around 10. By the time I got back to the blogroll it was around 10:30 and HBB was having some connectivity issues and was trying to do some work so I was trying to see if I could figure out that little problem and didn't get much further than I had been.

Therefore, I'm going to continue on visiting all of you on my blogroll and commenting everywhere. Because as noted elsewhere, now that I'm reading from a feed reader most often, I sometimes don't always make the extra few clicks to go to your site and comment if I don't have something important to contribute. (And let's face it, this is blogging so how often does that happen?) I want you to know that I'm still reading, even if I'm not often commenting. Because you are important to me.

Candy Man

2007-10-02T14:35:00.000-05:00

There just aren't enough photos of rats on the internet.

I know, right?

(I'm also well aware that the place is a mess... in the process of a little redecorating so what else is new? I wanted to put up a banner that was a little more personal and a little less, well... blogger. As soon as Keli's computer is functioning again, I'm going to see what she can do about using her mad photoshop skillz toward making something that fits up there a little nicer for her pop and me and we'll have this place looking good as, er. Better than it does now. And if you'll notice the extra button up there on the right, you'll see that I won't ONLY be visiting you during this 24 hours and reading and slipping quietly away into the ether. I'll actually be leaving some mark of my existence. I'll be lurker no more! Today anyway. Click on the button and say hello to Schmutzie. If you please.)

Happiness Points

2007-10-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

Gratitude? Happiness Points?

Sure. Why not?

They finally have some Traveling Wilburys out on iTunes. This makes me happy.
I woke up during the night (okay, technically it was some time this morning since I didn't get to sleep until well past 2) with an idea for NaNoWriMo. I actually had the presence of mind to write it down in the notebook I had beside my bed. (No, I will not tell, so do not ask... I am superstitious enough to believe this will jinx me...) I typically do not go into November with an idea that sticks. The idea I end up with at the end of 50k is something that comes about three or four false-starts into the month sometime a week or so in. This makes me wonder if I should save this one until I've made a few different attempts.
I did not make it through the Lovecraft book over the weekend as planned. I'm on page 41. And I'm beginning to think that the stories get progressively creepy/gross. This one is terrific for that.
Happiness is the new scone at Dunn. White and dark chocolate chips. And the previous new scone, raspberry white chocolate. Wasn't I the one who once (okay many times) said "White chocolate is a sin against nature!" in my best mommy voice?

And now I'm thinking if I shouldn't be saving this material for CursingMama's Smiles on Wednesday...

Six Degrees in the Coffee World...

2007-10-02T00:37:00.000-05:00

I went to bed half an hour ago with the best intentions of getting more sleep tonight than I did last night (when I ended up watching the first episode of the new season of Grey's Anatomy online - don't get me started about that...) and here I am online...

Might have something to do with the coffee I mainlined (kidding) today bouncing between The Mighty Dunn and The Green Tree, the all organic fair-trade, shade-grown coffee shop where my daughter is now employed. (I just learned that October is not only Breast Cancer Awareness month, but also Fair Trade month!)

It suddenly popped into my head as I was lying here thinking about coffee and various people that I have met in my travels far and wide to various coffee shops that while I am spending most of my free time and some work time too, if that work requires long uninterrupted spans of computer or writing time these days hanging out at the Mighty Dunn, my daughter will now be spending many of her hours kitty-corner across the street at her new coffee bar. And I find it funny (maybe it is the lateness of the hour) that she is dating Michael, who is the brother of Justin, who is dating Leah... who works right across the street at yet another coffee bar 3Hats. (Which coincidentally, was my former haunt prior to TMD coming along and where I happened to meet my good buddies, Michele and Wes, who now work at... The Mighty Dunn!)

Okay. It isn't Kevin Bacon or anything... But I think it's pretty crazy. And as I told Keli in an email before I wrote this, I'll probably delete it later today when I wake and remember writing it. (If I remember writing it.)

Seven Ways to Commit Blog Suicide

2007-09-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by my friend, KathyC for a little assignment. I won't be able to complete it in nearly as clever a way as she did, but I'll give it a shot... because goodness knows I've done my fair shot at this particular topic.

Jump around and have multiple blogs so that people are having to follow you from site to site at any given moment. Luckily, I've managed to stay with this little blogspot site since November of 2003 and for the most part, the three or four readers who have been with me since that start haven't had to do much jumping around. Prior to that, however, I had sites at Diaryland, a different site here, another spot that I can't remember which was similar to Diaryland, there have been a couple of joint efforts here within blogspot in the meantime which didn't last, and one or two other efforts on my own, as well. But at least there has been SOME consistency here. The title at the top has done some changing, but the address has stayed the same.
Change commenting hosts so that comments get dropped completely and lost in the ether or even shut off and it appears you have nobody visiting your site. Well, yes. Comments from haloscan didn't get hooked up to the site again after the latest site refurbishment, but I know where they are. The problem is that I now have comments in blogger and comments in haloscan and never the twixt shall meet. *sigh*
Speaking of changing the look of the site, make changes frequently and make them really major so that when people who don't visit often show up, they don't recognize that they've been to the blog before and always feel they are newbies and don't form a bond. Totally me. However, I think I've gotten much better about this of late, too. I suppose it has to do with having a new house and making changes in the home decorating arena instead. I have a new area to unleash my need for updates and modifications and Make! Pretty! Colors!
When people do read and make comments, be sure and avoid commenting at their blogs if and when you stop by their place. Don't email them in return or even bother to reply to their comment on your own site. Okay, I will admit to being very haphazard in this department. I've jumped all over the place on this. When I learned that a popular blogger that I visit frequently always emails everyone who comments on his site, even if it is just a couple of words in return, I was determined that I would do the same. I started out doing this. That lasted a week. My heart was in the right place. I could probably get back to that because my inbox is now completely clear. After years of hundreds of messages in my stupid inbox I finally cleaned it out completely. What a breath of fresh air THAT was. And seriously? I get so few comments, how hard can it be to email everyone. Then I went through a spate of always commenting in my own comments. But who comes back and reads those? So that's just kind of silly. I visit everyone who is a regular (yes, all three) and MANY more through a feed reader (with over a hundred blogs) but only when they have updated.*
Be very irregular about writing. Make sure nobody knows when you are going to update. Skip days and sometimes weeks at a time. Heck, take three months off! And then suddenly go through a spurt of extreme verbosity! Yep. I do this all of the time! There was a time when I actually had a lot of people stopping in to read. Then I just really needed a break and stopped writing and they fell away. So now I'm back to just three.
Don't have a theme/topic that your blog is based on so you can draw a particular audience. I did have a theme at one time. I still do at some points in time. But for the most part? No. Not really. I just talk about a lot of different stuff. Which is why there are fifty different labels/tags and why I've never drawn a specific group of people.
Post photos that only you would want to view. Oh sure. I know all about this one. Remember the cup of blackened noodles from the mac and cheese I tried to make in the microwave? Who else would want to look at that? *sigh* It's a good thing I'm not paying to keep this blog on the web. Or that it doesn't have to keep an audience to survive. It's just barely hanging on because I have a loyal three people who drop in from time to time.

I'm not tagging anyone, but if the three of you want to take this on, feel free and leave a comment so I can edit to add your link. Smooches!

*Some of you do not show up on my feed reader and it makes me very blue. Any suggestions of what I am supposed to do about you? *coughMichellecough* I have no idea when you have updated. :(

RIP 2007

2007-09-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

And now, because of the latest update over at Carl's place (he's having a contest which is sending participants of the RIP Autumn reading challenge off to everyone's sites) I thought I should do an update on how I'm doing toward the challenge. I've had my first drive-by visitor earlier today and they had to go back a month to see my last update on the challenge.

So I signed up for Peril the First and the following four books:

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) by H. P. Lovecraft and others (because of the movie my family members are involved with)
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (because Jen told me I should). I thought this was a terrific first novel. And while it bills as a young adult novel, from what I'm getting from reviews from other bloggers around the net, I'm not the only adult who is enjoying the series. It is, as many (most?) other vampire stories, focused more on relationship than the whole vampire theme itself, and after having read through other series' of this nature (The Vampire Chronicles comes to mind by Anne Rice), I have to admit that perhaps I should have been reading those in the YA genre all along because I appreciate the theme to lean more heavily in the relationships than in the gore.
Lisey's Story by Stephen King. Normally I do not fear anything by SK. But this novel was hefty in weight and I was worried about reviews I’d been seeing when I made the purchase. Every review talked about the cutesy secret language he used between the characters. This had me worried and when I picked up the book I piecked it up with serious doubts and did so very slowly. I was only 25 or so pages into it when I spent last Friday writing with Marge and told her that I didn’t know how I was going to slog my way through “the King novel.”
Marge: Which book are you reading by him?
Me: Lisey’s Story
Marge: What is it that you don’t like about it?
Me: I’m just having a really hard time getting into it. It is starting so slowly.
Marge: I read it. I really liked it. It isn’t much like his other works…

And she went on to tell me how she felt about it and that seemed to open me up and give me some sort of permission to let go of my pre-conceived notions (which I never have after reading reviews… seriously? Reviewers piss me off typically because I usually read bad movie reviews and then go storming into theaters ready to do battle and prove them all wrong so what was up?). I still despised the cutesy language, but by the end, I got it. Or rather, I swallowed it for the most part. The main character, Scott, had been through some serious shit as a youngster. And in my head? I heard his voice (young voice) as Caleb, the young boy from American Gothic (someone’s at the door…) and he totally deserved to have as many oogy boogy made up cutesy words going on in his world as he wanted. Whatever of those he wanted to, he could share with his wife, that’s cool. He was a survivor and she was his savior. And it’s SK. So you have to go with the flow. Here’s a man who has written over fifty novels. They aren’t all going to speak like they were educated and have the same flat dialect as I want them to. Very few people can pull off writing with an accent. By the end of the novel, I was grooving with it is what I’m saying. It took me several hundred pages to get there, and who wants to trip so much when there is such a story to be had while you are stumbling along??? Holy jeebus could I beotch about it a little longer?
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore. I knew I’d probably find this funny after having been read some excerpts of his stuff by a friend. But I had no idea what a crazy romp through Wild Mind I’d be on with him. Native American legend, spirituality, destiny seeking… absolutely out there. And I enjoyed every bit of it, enough to know that it left me hungry for more of his writing. I’ll be reading Lamb next. (Some time after the challenge, of course.)

As it stands now, I've finished all of them but the first one. And I'm slowly plugging my way through that one. In addition I also read New Moon and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer and will be waiting for book four with Keli, probably sitting in line at the damn bookstore the day it comes out. For the first time ever. Because we are hooked. Or I am, at least. Over a ridiculous YA relationship/series.

I mention about number one that I chose it because of a movie my family is involved with. I actually ended up buying the wrong book. As a result I've ordered another book which has the write story in it, but it was out of print and will not arrive for potentially a couple more weeks. In the meantime I've decided to read The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories in addition to the other one. I'm not even certain the one on order will arrive in time to read it before I was rather hesitant to dig into the Lovecraft because I've never been that into science fiction, which is what I understood his genre to be for the most part. Since beginning the book and working my way through the first few stories, I'm realizing that it's far more than a bit of science fiction.

So I'm enjoying this challenge and am very glad that I've joined on. I've discovered a new/old writer, a new/new writer, and managed to get back to doing some serious reading over the past month. Now, as Mystical says, I just need to kick it into high gear on my writing, and seeing as how NaNoWriMo is opening up the gates of their website next week, I'm sure that is going to take off soon, too.

Who's up for writing a novella in the month of November? huh?

Happy

2007-09-25T12:54:00.001-05:00

I've been following along this week with LifeTwo's week long series on "How to be Happier" which focuses on the work of Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar and his book "Happier."

Today has brought forth all sorts of interesting reads...
First we learn the four archetypes of happiness and their descriptions. These days I'm afraid I fall more into the Hedonist type than any of the others, while HalfBrainBoy spends more time following the Rat Racer type (except on the weekends...;)) And of course, the Happiness archetype is the preferred type to be following. I could go into the descriptions and explanations, but why bother when you can head on over to the link and read all about it yourself? Besides, there are several posts which come prior to today's that you should read first if you are interested in this.

Also, if you are a younger reader, don't let the location of the information scare you away. It's not just for us old folks. Happiness is attainable for all ages! :)

There are exercises included in the posts and links and insightful comments from others. I wanted to include info here for others who may not already know about it.

Posted today in other areas of their site, they discussed today that becoming more organized can make a person happier because the more organized you are and more simplified your life is, the more time you have to do the things you really want to do. Well, being the little type-A organizational freak that I am, I was all over that one. When blogger Greg asks the question, Can You Organize Your Way to Happiness? I answer a hearty YES! And he provides fabulous links to sites that make me happy just knowing they exist. *sigh*

Random Bullets of my evening...

2007-09-24T17:59:00.000-05:00

It would appear that 5:54 is walking through the neighborhood of kinnicchick and halfbrainboy time. At least on Monday afternoons!
I have an appointment to get our biga$$car tuned up tomorrow morning at the crack of morning. The big 120,000 mile appointment. Do not ask me why I scheduled it so early in the morning. I guess I thought it would be a good call. You know, get it in early and they'll have it done so much more quickly. This means I'll be dealing with the rush hour traffic of people going to work in the cities. It will be great. And pricey. I ran the car through the car wash last week. Ever since then it has sounded like it hasn't had grease anywhere. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeel. People look for us blocks away when we are coming down the street. I'm guessing they think there must be a runaway train cruising through town without benefit of tracks or something.
I'm tired of the ridiculously overblown Croc/escalator hype. Please. Escalators can catch shoes no matter what you are wearing. Flip-flops, sandals, etc. It has just come back into the media again because of the tot's incident. I'm always waiting to have my shoelaces caught in the escalator. Why do you think I wear Keen sandals? Why do you think I stay out of malls? Take the steps. They're safer. And you get exercise.
It is raining. Again. A really good storm. Hoping my daughter's roof doesn't leak. Again.
Had a great visit with KathyHowe, CindiRella, and CursingMama on Friday Night when we gathered for another Girls' Night Out at the Howe House. We even got to try out Cindi's hoop!
I removed the link to our local Relay For Life fundraiser because the site has been turned off. When the new site is activated and our team is registered, I'll get it linked up once again. In the meantime, I'd be happy to see you donate to the American Cancer Society here. For more personal giving, I happen to know several people who are currently battling cancer or have recently been fighting and could use your financial contributions. Email me and I will point you in their direction so your dollar can be used in the most direct and helpful way possible. Smooches to all of you.
I have acquired another chicken/rooster. Do ya'll think this may be turning into an obsession? This isn't just a chicken, however. This is a bobble chicken. I found it rather difficult to take a photo of the bird for it didn't want to stand still!

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...

2007-09-17T23:43:00.000-05:00

News from the battle lines.

Sahara had surgery this week. That nasty inoperable gbm with which she was first diagnosed, was a misdiagnosis. There is fabulous news in their world. You can visit her blog and learn more about it there. But things are looking much brighter than they did the last time I wrote about her here.

Grant is still lighting his family's world with his lovely life. He brings them joy and shows determination with every passing day. He asks questions which he loves to have answered in the guestbook of his CaringBridge site, if you care to answer. His parents read the answers to him, which he enjoys.

Connor and his family received wonderful news this week. No more brain tumor! Do you remember Connor's story? He was dianosed with Congenital Glioblastoma multiforme stage 4. His family was given no hope when this was found. Always search for hope. Always. Never give up.

Do you notice what these stories have in common? These inspirations are young people. They are not the only inspirations I've had on my list who have been young. No, not at all. I'm sure you could add many more to the list, too. I'm writing of them tonight because I received a strong reminder when I went blog-walking today and visited another inspiration of mine, Deb. I'm sure if you've been reading here for any length of time, you will remember her. She's been walking her own journey for a while now. Well today she had a post that put all of these young people racing into my mind and all of the others who are fighting and have fought. She reminded me of why we are doing this. Yes, I got involved because of HalfBrainBoy's journey. But I stay involved for all of them. Thank you for your continued involvement, Deb. And thank you again for the reminder... Because sometimes I need a kick in the ass.

What book?

2007-09-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

Stolen from CursingMama Knit Motorcycle.

What book is KinnicChick?:

You're Cat's Cradle!

by Kurt Vonnegut

You believe quite firmly that free will deserted you long ago and far
away. As a result, it's hard to take responsibility for anything. Even though you show
great potential as a leader of a small 3rd world country, the choices are all made ahead
of time. You're rather fond of games involving string. Your fear of nuclear weaponry is
trumped only by your fear of ice.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Works for me... and now, what book will HalfBrainBoy turn out to be???

You're The Guns of August!

by Barbara Tuchman

Though you're interested in war, what you really want to know is what
causes war. You're out to expose imperialism, militarism, and nationalism for what they
really are. Nevertheless, you're always living in the past and have a hard time dealing
with what's going on today. You're also far more focused on Europe than anywhere else in
the world. A fitting motto for you might be "Guns do kill, but so can
diplomats. "

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Works for him too...

Original Divas...

2007-09-14T13:32:00.000-05:00

Because Katie is in Turkey and is not allowed to see things on wordpress, I present

Original Divas...

Back in the late 90’s I got my first computer at home. Because of my work as a quality control analyst who tested software in the world of Information Technology I had to be able to provide support at times and whined and whimpered when my rotation for on call would come about. I found it difficult to wake up in the middle of the night to those phone calls when I would have to figure out what the problem was based on a description over the phone by a voice of a (typically) crabby night operator who didn’t know some of the software systems any better than I did.

Getting a computer at home allowed me to be able to hook up to the computers downtown and do some actual research and visually see what was going on. This made life so. much. easier.

It also opened up my life to the world wide web. Internet for the masses. Magazines online. Research of any subject that I fancied on a whim. And I was off and running. How amazing was that?

Shortly after that, I found a website that was discussing Oprah and her weight loss and fitness guru at the time, Bob Greene. His book Make the Connection was the latest and greatest thing. A discussion group formed from that site, rather like a bulletin board or perhaps that is exactly what the first group was. I really can’t remember anymore. I bet my friends, do. It was on one of the women’s magazine sites.

Well, there was a lot of discussion going on there, and a lot of support and caring and friendships forming. And one day, the web had a hiccup and the site went down. And that one day stretched into two and three… I had an email address or two for some of them and we began to send emails in the background: “What’s going on? Have you heard from anyone else?” And it began to dawn on us that we needed a backup plan and contingencies.

So many more email addresses were exchanged when the site came back up (I think quite honestly they couldn’t handle the volume of interest and discussion that was going on in their little site!) and different ideas were discussed (like yahoo groups, for example). These people were becoming important to each other and didn’t want to lose contact again!

In the year 2000, one little gathering of those brought together through the power of the internet took place in the city of Chicago, Illinois. They are pictured here. The anniversary of that event was just over a week ago. Happy Anniversary of our Chicago Diva Fest, ladies. I’m so very proud of us for maintaining our connection for such a long time. I love you like my sisters and hope we are able to come together again very soon.

News from this side of the river...

2007-09-14T10:08:00.000-05:00

News from my world that's almost fit to print...

The one trial I've almost been involved with wrapped up this week with the defendant being found guilty of 2nd degree intentional homicide. I know I've said it too often already, but I'm very grateful I didn't end up on this jury. They never would have picked me, though. I was far too biased walking into it. The day I read about the police call in the local paper I said (not just to myself but out loud, for crying out loud) "Oh this guy is so guilty, and stupid!"
It's Friday, which means HalfBrainBoy heads this direction from his weekday place across the river. What will we be doing this weekend? Maybe spending a little time with extended family if we're lucky. Maybe doing a little shopping for the next big thing on our finishing the new home list. Probably watching a little Mystery Science Theater 3000 (to satisfy the geek in us).
Had an email from my niece this week informing me that she and her cousin are interested in joining the Relay Committee. What was that I said about the younger generation stepping up to the plate? She lost her grandpa to this insidious disease less than a couple of weeks ago, so it's deep in their hearts to find the cure, too. Still, I'm proud of the girls. There aren't many 16-year-olds who step up and get this involved.
Considering the whole ridiculousness of the man vs. women outlook of the list, I thought Busymom's list was quite apropos. You? In fact, we could make the list MUCH longer given that outlook...

I guess that's about enough news for me this morning before I've even finished my first cup of coffee. I've already broken a piece of my bracelet off and haven't even struggled through the first short story of this final book in the challenge. I'm determined to sit here until I do. One story. They're actually pretty short. I can do this. And then I'm going to do some writing. Because Friday is writing day, even if Marge isn't here.

Have a great weekend. What's on your list of fun things to do this weekend?

Here I sit...

2007-09-13T14:43:00.001-05:00

Sitting here listening to the little red roomba dash around the wood floors cleaning up after us and doing some cleaning up of my own on a document for Truffles by BC.

Also trying to work up the desire to begin the fourth and final book of the R.I.P. Autumn Challenge, which for me is The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories It's the one for which I most wanted to get involved in the challenge, and yet the most challenging book of all.

But now, I have to finish up my document tasks, print them off and head to the coffee shop. Work calls.

Decorating... it just keeps on creeping along...

2007-09-12T19:09:00.000-05:00

Not much has happened since our last report on decorating from the home front. We are, for the most part, living with the decisions made so far and letting them settle. We are getting the feel for living in this space and seeing how we utilize the various rooms and what we think we still need.

Last week we drove in to our development and the guy who has a blinds company was just loading up his car after meeting with one of the new town home owners. We stopped to chat with him about coming over and delivering his pitch to us some day and he said he actually had some time right then if we were open. Perfect. So he stopped in and we chatted for forty-five minutes giving him our feel for what we wanted in window coverings and he showed us what he was doing in the development here and in Blaine. He wrote up a bid and said they could be installing in just a couple of weeks, which is really good news as we are very tired of sneaking around in the dark at night.

I'm thinking that installation should happen about the same time as the delivery of our bedroom furniture, which feels like it has taken forever.

The living room furniture is being lived in. We like it just fine, but it is not enough. Still looking for the perfect recliner to finish it off. And wishing we'd gone with one more chair or perhaps the loveseat in addition to the sofa/chair combo. And we're still looking for the pieces to put beside the fireplace. Because the perfect things just haven't come along yet. If only that sideboard to match our dining room had been two inches smaller. *sigh*

And the perfect rug will be found in New Mexico as soon as we next travel there. I can feel it.

The southwest feeling is just exactly what the doctor ordered, though. And the girls are totally enjoying hanging out here. When we have it all together, we'll have a party and invite you all to come.

For Phil...

2007-09-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

My SIL Diane lost her father this weekend. I do not even remember when she told me that he was waging his own war on cancer, but I know that she puts forth her own quiet efforts whenever Relay comes around. She has so many other things going on all of the time with two very busy high school aged kids who are active in more activities than I could even name. And she and my brother work full time as well. They are the ultimate fast-paced family of today. I'm not sure how they keep it all straight. (Probably less time on the computer, heh.)

In fact, I have two brothers who's families live lives that are much faster paced than my own. They accomplish more in one day than I manage to get done in a week. I envy how many checkmarks they must have on their to-do lists in comparison to mine.

This took an interesting turn.

What I really wanted to say...

We hope that at some point soon, everyone in Phil's family can breathe a little easier knowing that his pain and struggle has passed. But until then, our deepest heart felt condolences and sympathies are with each of them.

HalfBrainBoy's Friday Meme

2007-08-31T05:46:00.000-05:00

1. Have you ever taken an art class?
Believe it or not, I have. But, my art teacher has asked to remain anonymous. I would guess Picasso wasn't understood in his art classes either!

2. Do you draw, paint, or sculpt? What other artistic hobbies/interests do you have?
Drawing.

3. Do you ever attend art shows or other artistic exhibitions?
Yes. I grew up in an artistic family. Site about my grandmother.
So, art shows and gallery visits were common.
And, I'm in an artistic family now as well. I've been to several art events for my daughter.

4. What kinds and styles of art are you drawn to?
I guess I'd have to call my art....neo-classical stick figures.

5. What kind of art do you actually have in your home?
Much pottery from my grandmother.
Drawings from Keli.
A sculputure Keri bought me for a birthday.

Got this from TheDailyMeme.

RIP 2007

2007-08-27T20:49:00.000-05:00

So I mentioned the other day something about a reading challenge. We happen to be entering a busy truffle season over at the chocolate factory, but at night? I can read. When I'm not trying to catch up with my long list of blog friends. And out surfing the various furniture and decorating websites figuring out what else we need to put in the new casa. But there is always a little time for reading. I mean, a person has to fit coffee in to live, and reading is right up there with breathing and coffee...

I have decided to take on Peril the First. My list looks like this:

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) by H. P. Lovecraft and others (because of the movie my family members are involved with)
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (because Jen told me I should)
Lisey's Story by Stephen King (because I've never been able to resist his work for long)
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore (yes, lightweight, but I think I'll need it by the time I get here, and hearing Mystical laughing out loud at another of his books just makes me want to dive into something totally irreverent and funny just in time for the darkening days of November)

You don't have to read four books to join in the fun. There are three different reading challenges involved. I know there are many of you out there who read far more than four in this time frame. Time was when four was a cakewalk in a couple of weeks for me. I just read two in a few days. But I don't always have hours to kill at night. Sometimes I actually sleep.

Sign up! There are even prizes and giveaways involved... play along, why don't you? Expand your reading horizons...

Amazing young woman...

2007-08-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

on her own cancer journey...

Perhaps you've seen the ad for Crazy Sexy Cancer on TLC. And perhaps that ad turned you off from what you saw or perhaps the title of the film itself turned you off. Either way? Head over to the website and view the actual trailer for the film. Read a little bit about Kris and her journey and her approach to taking on her cancer (which has no cure).

One of the times that makes me wish I had tv. I'll have to purchase it after the fact on DVD if I can find it. And will be happy to do so. Think in the meantime, I might have to pick up her book, because actually? It looks like this young woman has some great tips on living healthy and being alive for everyone.

The show premiers this Wednesday on TLC.

A shared meme...

2007-08-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

Halfbrainboy's Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balanced. (Less is always easier to balance!)
You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver.
You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

KinnicChick's Brain is Orange

Of all the brain types, yours is the quickest.

You are usually thinking a mile a minute, and you could be thinking about anything at all.

Your thoughts are often scattered and random - but they're also a lot of fun!

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about esoteric subjects, the meaning of life, and pop culture.

What Color Is Your Brain?

FINALLY!

2007-08-24T12:47:00.000-05:00

It will probably morph a little bit over the next few days as we make minor changes and fix minor problems, but hey! We are rolling out the truffle website!

And it's about time I got it finished with the big Wedding fair coming up. We want this out there so people can check us out ahead of time, and find us again after they've sampled our wares at the fair!

Pay us a visit! And be gentle kind friends with your critiques. Thank you.

Friday Five meme...

2007-08-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

What were the circumstances surrounding your last all-nighter? This is an easy one... That would be Blogathon...
What’s your favorite stay-awake-and-alert food or drink? Cawwwwwwwwwfee.
What are you most likely to be doing when you’re up in the late, late hours of the night? Surfing the net... checking in on blogs or most likely these days, facebook.
In what way does your personality change when you are sleep-deprived? I get a wee bit cranky if I'm truly sleep-deprived. Really cranky. Like a whiny little baby. Ask HalfBrainBoy. I whine. It's not pretty.
If you get home extremely tired and extremely hungry, which need are you most likely to satisfy first? Sleep.

Brought to you by the good folks at Friday5

Migraine speak... TMI so read at your own risk.

2007-08-22T22:31:00.000-05:00

Knocked on my butt all day again today by yet another migraine. Don't know if this was related but I realized late in the day yesterday that I had had NO coffee all day.

Shocking. I know. I was stunned myself.

And it had been such a good day. One of the first in weeks that my neck and shoulders hadn't bothered me. And then I did some bullying of the queen mattress in our room and missed my coffee and worked on the MacBook with it sitting in a very non-ergonomical position (very high up so that I was lifting my arms to work on it) for hours in the afternoon. NOT smart. On top of the missing of the coffee.

So today? Not good. So I went on a coffee run at one point and then went home and lost that coffee when I got sick. This is about the fourth or fifth time (lost count) I've gotten sick from my migraines in the past few months. Prior to that? Only twice ever. In the twenty plus years now that I've been having the blasted things. Twenty. Years.

I'm much better tonight. And I'm going to bed. Where I hope to sleep all night. Even though I slept much of the day.

I did manage to wake up for a couple of hours in the early evening, though. And finished a book I was reading since I was just lying there and it was sitting there beside me. Now I'll be ready for the R.I.P. Challenge going on over here. A good reading challenge for this time of year. Don't know if I'll succeed with it, but considering all the books I've read in the dark of night over the years, creeping myself out until I'd have to get up and check the locks on the doors and windows and turn on all of the outside lights, an appropriate one, I think.

(I think the enjoyment of these books in middle school/high school came from having Anonybro move out of the house and losing that element of his spooking me... I remember the hand coming through the open staircase on one particular occasion that freaked me out forever more, preventing me from being able to walk up those stairs at a normal pace forever more if home alone! HAHAHA!)

Prayer request...

2007-08-20T21:53:00.000-05:00

I'm adding a new name to my Inspiration list tonight (those who keep me working steady on the fund raising for ACS or folks who are battling cancer and need funds personally to keep going...)

I was out at my friend Wesley's blog (you remember the Holy Roaster, don't you?) a bit ago and he shared the story of a former student of his from a high school ministry he served in Nebraska a few years back. Ashley is now battling Acute Mylogenous Leukemia and it is one tough battle for this young woman. Please visit her site, read her story and maybe even sign up for the email updates so you can follow her progress and send your best thoughts and prayers her way on a regular basis.

Thank you.

A Warrior Falls...

2007-08-20T16:23:00.000-05:00

A quick post today because I cannot/will not be deterred from my job of website creation for the business.

I just wanted to say farewell to a fallen brain tumor warrior from the little town I lived for twelve years while my daughter went to school there. He was the father of one of Kel's classmates (yes, this is the second father in her class to die of a brain tumor... who here finds that too coincidental in a town so small that there should be three dads in the same class with brain cancer?) and battled for many years.

Please keep Brian's family in your thoughts as they struggle to deal with this new stage in their lives. He leaves behind three children and a wife who loved him very much.

Working through the pain... with yoga, coffee, and conversational French.

2007-08-15T13:55:00.000-05:00

Taken some action. Decided to get away from the decidedly smelly state of my being holed up in my decidedly smelly bed as it wasn't helping my headache any today. So I forced myself up and made a cup of coffee. While it was steeping, I stripped the sheets off the bed and tossed them in the washer. I had a small bowl of cereal and then did yoga for stress headaches. When I woke from the last position on my mat on the floor, I laughed and thought again about what a great voice the narrator/instructor has for creating a calm and relaxed state. The headache lingers. But I showered and got dressed and headed out into the world for some coffee in public and some computer work. I have to get the website done. Soon.

I have as company the chatter of conversational French two tables over. It is beautiful (even though I understand not a word). The radio isn't too annoying today. A little loud. And I'm actually sitting at the table from which the giant spider dropped onto my knee. What was I thinking? I wasn't. I guess now that I've remembered I'm just hoping that there aren't a hundred little babies that were waiting to hatch after I destroyed the mommy...

So that's where I am and what I'm doing. Wish me luck.

Sometimes? It's all I've got...

2007-08-15T09:24:00.001-05:00

besides, you're just glad I'm not talking about sofas. ;)

What Your Pizza Reveals

People may tell you that you have a small appetite... but you aren't under eating. You just aren't a pig.

You are a very picky pizza eater. Not any pizza will do. You fit in best in the Northeast part of the US.

Your taste in food tends to favor what's rich and comforting. You prefer food that will definitely satisfy you.

You are dependable, loyal, and conservative with your choices.

You are carefree and friendly. You should consider traveling to Hawaii.

The stereotype that best fits you is hippie. You knew it was coming.

What Does Your Pizza Say About You?

Stolen from Ann.

Heading out on another adventure with my friend Mystical tomorrow. Updates will follow, of course. And all headache pain is banished before that can happen!

Here they come again...

2007-08-14T23:42:00.000-05:00

Well the headache from doom seems to be improving tonight. At least this one has NOT included nausea so far (yes, I am knocking on wood) although I went through a time period this morning when I really thought that was on its way (and I put my cell phone on the other side of the room... so now you know. I've heard of cell phones surviving trips through the washing machine, right Anonybro? I've heard of them surviving the toilet, although I can't remember who told me that story... And I've been the proud owner of a dinosaur phone which survived the ride around the field mowing the grass on the mower deck and survived the tale and lived another couple years beyond that! But my last wimp of a phone could not survive the headache of doom. So I'll keep the replacement far away.)

So yesterday morning after I dropped HalfBrainBoy at work and was on my way back I stopped at yet another furniture store to check out sofas. In the interest of science, we here at 500miles2nowhere are now conducting a small poll... If you have purchased a piece of furniture in the past several years, how long did it take you to select and buy the item? Was it an impulse thing or was it something that you took a while to choose and carry out?

Because this sofa thing is taking us a while. Actually, in terms of HBB and I, it's taking us forever because we are the definition of impulse buyers. But this is different. The living room is the first thing you come to when you walk in the front door. It's right there. And we have purchased some duds when it comes to living room furniture. I don't think either of us feels we have done a great job on sofas over the years, with the exception of his bachelor pad. And the stuff he has over there just doesn't feel quite right for this house.

But the sales people at the place we most frequently go? I think they are starting to find us just a little bit freaky...

That crazy weather...

2007-08-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

Here it comes again... another wacky dog days of summer storm down the interstate. I don't know why they like to travel right down the highway like they are following a map, but they seem to do just that. It sounds like it has just crossed into Minnesota and is headed our direction. Batten down the hatches because this one has tornado warnings involved!

Wouldn't you know it? My folks are scheduled to fly in right around the time the storm is supposed to come sailing in to the metro area...

This hot and sticky time of year has just GOT to be my favorite around here. *nearly choking on laughter* We got to sleep with the windows open last night, though. There was a beautiful breeze blowing through and the dewpoint was down. It was nice. But when the storms are out there prepping and building in both weather and my head, I literally feel like this:

Think I'll take a nap. I'm betting the flight will have at least a two-hour delay. Anyone want to start a pool? It's already saying 25 minutes late...

Decorating

2007-08-12T11:34:00.000-05:00

In an attempt to bring a little bit of our Santa Fe back to Wisconsin, we are utilizing the following in our decorating. And I haven't shown you my chickens yet!

More Brain Dumping...

2007-08-11T23:31:00.000-05:00

Just a brief note tonight before we try and get a better night's sleep than we did last night. A quick recap of our day...

Last night was cut short by a crazy loud storm that moved in around 4:15 this morning. As the thunder began to roll in, I woke Keith up because we both enjoy a great storm. Well, twenty minutes later I was ready to put in a pair of earplugs and pull my pillow over my head and wishing I hadn't ever heard it when it moved in. I am always amazed later to learn that some people can actually sleep through storms like this one. There was thunder that sounded like the loudest banging of the big celebratory fireworks. So explosives, in other words. I really expected to look out windows and see blackened smoke from smoldering buildings across the landscape or some such catastrophe. There were 70 mph winds and torrential rains. Power was out over most of the city (we lucked out, for some reason) and trees and large branches came down in many areas, blocking entire roads in North Hudson. I'm still waiting for photos to appear online.

We spent a portion of the day shopping. We have yet to find window coverings and it gets a little annoying being on the main level of the house and trying to wander around in our jammies with people walking their dogs ten feet from the main windows. It just doesn't work for private people like us. So we either have to hide upstairs or always be dressed for the day before we head down to make our coffee. So we paid a visit to World Market where we got a look at some things that we had only viewed online. We may have found something to purchase.

And it also brought something else in to mind once we got back home and got back online to make the purchases (they didn't have everything at the store and we are going to have it delivered anyway, so we figured we do the shopping online...)

So things are moving forward again with the house stuff.

I received my upgraded iLife today. :) So I got that installed. But I haven't had any time to play with it. Looking forward to that. Hoping it will have some good stuff for assisting with the new website for the truffle biz.

And finally, the two of us wandered off in our own direction this evening for a little culture. Keith headed to the Ordway in St. Paul to see Monty Python's Spamalot with some friends. He'll have to give you his review some time in the future because he is even more exhausted and burned out from his day than I am, and believe me... that is hard to beat. (He is afraid to talk to me or come near me right now because I am one crabby blogger right now... I have gone beyond my limit and am ready to melt into a puddle of whimpering sniffles.)

I toodled off to the Phipps Center for the Performing Arts here in my home town where my niece was performing in a show called Dances, Chances and Circumstances. And it was fabulous. The theme of the show this year was the Fifth Element. It had several choreographers and it was one of the best dance shows I've seen done in recent years. I really enjoyed myself. I thought that the transitions were a little long between numbers and there was one piece that I thought could have been left out altogether (some northwoods humorist piece that involved almost no dance at all - just a comedy sketch broadcast over the speakers and the women in costume performing to his words - I found it unnecessary and not in line with the rest of the show at all), but the rest of the show was brilliant and well performed by all of the dancers.

So, now we are finally both home and I am truly exhausted. Must. Sleep.

Oh, and I've come to the conclusion today that I'm addicted to yoga.

Ruh Roh...

2007-08-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

So remember earlier today when I posted about Anonybro and Anonephew coming over to pick up the table and deliver Lurch and the giant desk?

Well I should have taken photos because the boys, they were impeccable (as in flawless) in their delivery. They carried the desk of great lengths up the winding staircase only after measurements were taken and figuring out exactly how it should be lifted and turned this way and that so that marks would not be left, lighting fixtures would not be broken, and fingers would not be smooshed. They were the epitome of careful.

And then?

Hurricane Keri happened.

Yes, that is a hole in the wall. From the doorknob of our garage door. And as I exclaimed to Keith when I called him, "I wasn't even mad when I did it!" I was simply in a hurry. And there is a door stop on the dogdamn door! *sigh*

So for all your care and worry about my walls, Anonybro, I thank you so very much. Because now I only have one big spot on the wall to worry about. I wish it were in a better location, because I think a great looking southwestern style wallhanging would have been an order. But this? I guess this will just need repairing. AGAIN. And a MUCH better door stop.

Ramblings from my brain...

2007-08-09T10:42:00.000-05:00

Now this is a crazy headline... but I think they knew who they were marketing to. I bet some of my friends and relatives must have received the email from Amazon, too. If not, I don't know whether I should pass along the word, or not!

We Pay YOU for Overnight Shipping on Shoes & Handbags

Walk Score Calculate your home's walk score. Or your anticipated future home's walk score. In the website's words, "Find a great neighborhood." But in my opinion, they also need to figure in the number of sidewalks, crosswalks, lights at intersections, etc. The home in which I grew up as a child comes up right in the middle at a 52 out of 100. When I plug in Keli's place about a mile away but on the opposite side of the freeway, it comes in with a 63. I guess I could look at this in a couple of different ways. The website gives it a higher score because it is closer to more of the new restaurants that have gone in during recent years. But if Keli wants to shop at the Natural Food grocery store and the red bullseye store because these are the stores she frequents most, then she would probably give her home a lower score than my old home. BUT, it is a pretty cool website all-in-all. My new house isn't even found on it, however. I guess the street is still too new. Which is why the appliance repair guy couldn't find me the other day when he called from the road. heh.

I got a few things knocked off the big honkin' To Do list today... with thanks to Anonybro and Anonephew. My nephew and his girlfriend came over to look at the table the other day and decided they did indeed like it enough to take it off our hands, so he came back today to meet his dad (who was providing back strength and a pickup truck) to pick it up. While on that trip, we also managed to get the giant desk brought over here from our old place AND Lurch, the treadmill of doom. So now, I'll have no excuses to get my mileage covered as winter months come along soon enough.

While Anonybro was here, I asked his advice about my dining chairs and his expert mind helped me work out how to take care of the little problem they were causing. We worked on that while waiting for Anonephew to arrive and I finished up with it after they left.

I've also been putting off a phone call to the fireplace people but took care of that this afternoon. I've been needing to schedule the start-up service. Which means they come and put the fake logs in and the nice little surround parts on, I guess. As you can see in this photo, It isn't exactly finished off as yet (yeah, I know that the photo is old and none of the house was finished, but that is still how the fireplace looks). Well I'm hoping all will be finished with one service call only a week away.

I didn't expect to be able to move today after Kel and I did much yoga yesterday and then some crazy exercise video to boot. (can you hear the north woods accent on that 'ta boot' Jenorama? I said it extra heavy just for you...) But while my abs could feel it on some extra deep laughter while she and Sara were here earlier, and my neck and shoulders (always the holders of the most tension) can feel it when I'm paying close attention, for the most part, I'm not feeling as badly as I expected to. And the headache that was plaguing me when I got out of bed this morning and dragged myself straight to the coffee shop (post laundry and doing a little housework, that is) to try and alleviate, has subsided. So I may do a bit more yoga this evening. I'm finding it addicting.

But now, I'm going to put on my shoes and hop into the car for just a couple more errands. Most important of which is a quick drop in at the coffee shop to say hello to my favorite new roaster.

GGW, Brownies (NOT made by me), On the Level

2007-08-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I missed out on the Girls Gone Wild weekend with my fellow BlogHers. Sounds like they had a great time. I got some hysterical text messages from them around midnight Friday night as I was getting ready to go to bed. Had HalfBrainBoy and I laughing and spittin' toothpaste on the mirror. We didn't entirely miss out on a mini-blogher celebration that night. Mystical came over and we had beer and movie night at our new house. So as you can see from this photo of the previous blogher at which I was an attendant, there was a 50/50 split in locations of the celebratin'. ;)

Wish I could have joined them but there were some things (migraine mostly but then along came missing passports which complicated life somewhat and would have made things just a little bit intense to try and fit the drive up and back besides) that cropped up that prevented me from being there. I'm so glad they were all able to attend and have such fun. Well almost all. One other among us was a little busy with her surgery, too. (So glad you are healing quickly, Vicki!) They even added to their number this year. So NEXT year? I'll definitely mark my calendar early and banish all migraines from appearances. One showed up at the last event, too. They seem to strike often at this time of year. Allergies and weather play a large part, methinks. :(

In other news, my kidlin has given notice at her job. She has another lined up, which sounds wonderful and fully suited to her personality and future aspirations, but that's all I'm saying about it so as not to jinx it. Yeah. I really did say jinx. I'm believing more and more in the bizarre these days. Just ask Mystical. I couldn't even write about something Friday morning because I was afraid it might come true and I'd bring a curse down upon my head. heh.

Seriously? Have you seen this? If you are a brownie baker and love the edge the way I do, you should totally have one of these in your kitchen. Now, if you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll know that I probably don't need one of these unless I can find someone who will come over and back for us. Because Keith and I tend to both be hazards around open flame and/or cooking items in general (though we are getting better with the microwave so long as we don't get too distracted). I happen to know that Kel's boy, Michael, is an excellent brownie baker, so I'm thinking one of these in the house and a bag full of groceries, along with an invitation to the two of them for dinner (I'll order out, don't worry) is in order one evening very soon. (Yeah, I'll warn them in advance what is hoped for, but not expected... It sounds like he does actually like to bake.

And finally... Where have these been all my life and why didn't anyone tell me about them? I mean honestly. How long have they been around and how many holes are in the walls of my various former homes because I didn't know they existed? Good dog, people... I saw it in action this weekend at Anonybro's house (well maybe not this exact model but something similar) and they are amazing! If you don't have one already and have any leveling to do (even if you DON'T!) go out and get one!

Update re: yoga aches

2007-08-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

Laughing at myself because...

All of those shoulder pains were NOT, I have decided, a result of the yoga that I attempted during my migraine. Yes, it was power yoga. But yoga is goooood. Say it with me kids... Yoga is gooooood.

My shoulder pain was the kind that you get from lifting. Lifting heavy objects. It dawned on me as I was rubbing ~~smelly medicinal rubs which remind me of very old people and in fact make me feel like an old person~~ soothing elixirs into sore muscles last night before bed what might have caused that sort of pain. Because nothing that I did during power yoga was the type of movement to do it.

The epiphany? Lifting ginormous suitcases which were obviously packed full of bricks but which contained only clothes, so swears my mother, clothes needed for the cruise to Alaska, where I hope they are fully enjoying themselves and having a great time. Oh wait. They aren't on the cruise yet. That starts tomorrow. If they are allowed to board. With a suitcase full of bricks. *wink*

Potter (no spoilers) and travels and yoga (oh my)

2007-08-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Breathing deeply. In... through the nose... Out... through the mouth...

Rolling the head... ouch. The neck, the shoulder - it hurts... Not entirely the fault of the tension from whatever. I did do power yoga yesterday. A serious mistake considering I had a migraine already. But I just thought... Yoga... *sigh* It sounds so soothing and calming.

After spending what seemed like an eternity trying to get the plastic wrapping off the dvd I purchased prior to the move in anticipation of the calm new location in which practice the calm new practice of - yoga - I was ready to lie down and take a nap at that point quite seriously. Why do dvd's have to be packaged like Fort Knox? Anyway, I then spent the next ten minutes removing the wrapping from the - yoga - mat (soothing green with a lovely bamboo plant stenciled on it, invoking the feeling of Japan you know...) and then I put the dvd in and started it up. Okay, I realize this was power - yoga - and not relaxation - yoga - and it included pilates to boot. But when I had sweat pouring down my face within minutes? And my pulse was pounding from my head in no time. I didn't last through half of it, I don't think.

Kel joined me a couple of hours later for the drive to the airport. We had a couple of people to deliver there who were off on an adventure and that was a little stressful for all involved. They don't do a lot of traveling anymore and it was my first drive across the Mississippi since Wednesday's terrible incident. I'm not a paranoid person and I didn't get all uptight about it. I simply thought about it both times I crossed. It was a bit of a 'moment' is all. There are still people missing and such. When you are right here, those things resonate. I'm not going to be one of those who make the 9/11 comparisons because frankly? Perhaps you have to have been there - BOTH places/times, to be able to do that. Personally, I can't see doing it. But I didn't lose anyone either place and would never dare to make that comparison.

I read a lot of Harry Potter yesterday. Kel finished it and while I have been in no hurry to complete my reading of the final book seeing as how it is the final book, I am now zipping along and nearing the end. (You'll find no spoilers here if you are, like me, one of the 10 people left in the world who plan on reading it and have not yet finished it.) I will probably finish it today.

I went to bed with HP and indeed, fell asleep reading and with the head still rather nasty. But then? The phone rang at 1. AM. From the travelers. And there was a bit of tension and to do and late night running around. But now, by noon, all is well and taken care of once again. And again we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Well, so long as I keep an eye on the fedex tracking numbers, that is.

Hope you have a great trip, mom and dad. I'm sure those documents will reach you before you ever get to Anchorage. I envy you your adventure. Take tons of photos because the more you take, the more likely a few of them will turn out. It is digital, after all. And you can always delete the ones you don't like later. Bring them all home, though. We can crop and touch up whatever you have. Smooches!

*Edited to add* And all morning I was noticing this HUGE (and I'm seriously talking HUGE here people) knot in my shoulder. If I even touch it I nearly jump out of my skin. And it isn't the shoulder that I injured in New Mexico last March that isn't healed yet either (can you say rotator cuff injury???). It's the other shoulder. Oh yeah. And I'm thinking, "Oh this has got to be stress from being awakened in the middle of the night and the driving around to go find the documents and the panic and the sleeping with the stress of knowing I needed to take care of this in the morning and ..." But you already know what I'm going to say next right?

Frickin' Power Yoga. I'm totally out of shape from the tops of my legs up. I do walking. And sometimes a little jogging. It's what I do. My legs can handle that. That's it. Anything else? Zippo. I dip a few truffles once in a while but I know that's gonna change really quick. Pretty soon? I'm going to be building truffle muscles I didn't know existed. So this power yoga thing is probably a pretty good thing. *hrumph*

Someone remind me to tell the bizarre tale of the eyes that could see perfectly in the middle of the night when I swore I had to have been sleeping in my contact lenses. Okay? Future installment... Must come from sleeping with Harry Potter or something... (and someone please tell this woman to stop with the ellipses already!)

Thanks once again...

2007-08-01T19:58:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to sign in here and tell you all thank you one more time for the generous love you showed the Relay For Life of Hudson during our Blogathon last weekend. We received sponsorships in the number of 12 pledges totaling $632.46. I still haven't been able to figure out why the dollar amount is such a wonky figure? But I'm working on it.

Our sponsors were:

Anonymous
Typical Momma (-d)
Mystical Marge
Heather
Peter S.
Carol M.
Uncle Marty and Aunt Rozz
Trudi of As We Are Magazine
Jenorama
KathyK
CursingMama

Thank you all so very much!

You will be receiving an email from blogathon with a link to Relay to assist you in fulfilling your donation, please keep an eye on your spam folder because that is where mine landed when I sponsored -d of Typical Momma.

Then we also want to thank those of you who signed on throughout the time to send us comments and keep us awake! You also rock. :) Smooches to each of you! And to Anonybro and Anonysis for letting us use their computer when we were at the grad party since the crackberry kept dropping our connection. Poop.

When the party's over!!!

2007-08-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

Lest you think that now that blogathon is over and done I'll be taking a ginormous hiatus again... you'd be wrong.

After the thon, we slept. A few hours. Then we woke up and padded around the apartment and did a little laundry so I'd have clean blogathon clothes to wear home because the ones I had been wearing for 24-hours weren't too fresh and I hadn't taken the time to pack anything for the drive over. Then I drove an hour back to the new house and HalfBrainBoy did a bunch of stuff he'd put off all weekend (like paying bills and balancing the books) in order to get ready to go back to work Monday morning.

Monday I think I took our new bedroom apart and packed up some new bedding I had purchased to take back to the store because I had made a definite decision not to keep it. I also saw Kel and Michael for a little bit when they visited with me so she could say goodbye before heading to a friend's cabin 'up nort' for the week. And I did some reading to finish Life of Pi since Harry Potter had been staring me in the face for days and I was ready to get to it already. That evening I needed to drive the hour back to Chan to get Keith because we were getting internet installed at the new place and he needed them to do some stuff to his laptops.

Yesterday we did a little more running around between here and the neighboring town and got a little coffee at the Mighty Dunn before I had to take him back to Chan again.

On return I read a couple hundred pages of HP. And was a little lazy. And waited for a phonecall from my nephew who was supposed to be coming to look at a table when he was in town. Methinks he maybe changed his mind about coming swimming or something. It happens. I still have bedding to return to a couple of stores.

I have a informational website to build and get online. It has to look really classy and professional. I'm not a builder of websites. So this is my new challenge.

I am totally going to bed now.

2007-07-29T07:51:00.000-05:00

I think Keith is already in there. The bedroom is already darkened (or as much as it can be with the sun beating on the bright white blinds).

Good night and thanks to everybody who participated and helped us stay awake!

Blogathon 8:00 am - Post # 49

2007-07-29T07:45:00.000-05:00

Blogathon 2007! 8 am Post #49 Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad) Author: Keri (aka: KinnicChick) LMAO at Keith’s last post. THIS is how rocking I look and ready to start my day... I’m getting so cranky that he doesn’t dare come over here and sit by me right now because I might bite him. I am not feeling particularly jovial at the moment. And him? He is putting away the bags of chips and feeling all “I’m gonna clean up the bachelor pad so that when we DO wake up later it isn’t all messy and because I don’t think I wanna sit over there by her right now...” The big poop.
I’m crabby. I’m tired and I can barely hold my eyes open wide enough to see anything. All I want to do is go to sleep. And the nervy little brat is laughing at me. I can tell. I just heard a little huh under his breath and when I looked out in the kitchen (where he is rinsing out the coffee pot) he had a grin on his face from looking out here at my sleepy face. Turd.
I want sleep. I’m ready. And I’m ready now. And it isn’t fair that he is all chipper and moving around like he hadn’t got a care in the world and like he had plenty of sleep last night. He didn’t get any sleep last night. And now he is advising me that this is the last post so it had better be a good one. And he’s right.

It should be a good one. I shouldn’t be sitting here complaining about how tired I am. I should be telling you in this one last opportunity I have that Relay Rocks. Because it provides money to some really great services to people. Services like Hope Lodge, which is temporary housing for families who are required to spend time away from their homes when they are going through treatment. Please check it out... And services like the Cancer Survivors Network, a community of people who can come together online and really communicate, something that was lacking when Keith went through his surgery. They needed a hub, they found each other, but the central core was missing... ACS helps provide that core now. Services like the Reach to Recovery, a program made up of breast cancer survivors who will help new breast cancer diagnosed people learn about their diagnoses... all aspects of it. These are the things we are working for as close to full time as we can.

So please, if you are still on the fence, come on by and give us a donation or sponsor us today, donate tomorrow. ACS can always use another five bucks.

Thank you. For reading, for commenting, for being here. You all rock. And we give you smooches.

Blogathon 7:30am #48

2007-07-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

Blogathon 2007!
7:30 am
Post #48
Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad)
Author: Keith (a.k.a HalfBrainBoy)
Blogathon 2007!

Here it is. The last hour we’ll see during this blogathon. Wait!!! I want to do this again today! The sun is up now! Things outside are starting to perk up out there. Things are starting to perk up in here. (Okay, that part is just wishful thinking.) I can see how Keri has decided every year that the past year was the last year. This is pretty grueling. But, every year we find more and more that motivates us: Progress in the battle against cancer, or, more people we get to know who are living lives dramatically altered by this disease. So, I have a feeling that we will do this again next year, if we can.

I wish we had had time to dig into all the topics proposed. But, some of these topics would have taken more than 24 hours to unearth. It would be interesting to tackle all the rest of the topics someday. That will have to be with a much more rested brains than we now have. Or, at least on a more rested brain than I have now. Keri, on the other hand is rock out to her music and looks like she is ready to head out the door and start her day. I don’t get it. *I’M* usually the early morning person. This all-night blogging must agree with her. It has been really, really great doing this. I’m really happy Keri invited me to do this with her.

Thank you everyone who sponsored, or anyone who encouraged, or just anyone who cared enough to read this.

Blogathon 7 am - Post #47

2007-07-29T06:41:00.000-05:00

HBB - HalfBrainBoy :)

When I wake up later today I 'm thinking that right after a nice hot shower, I have the drive back to Hud to look forward to. And after that I'm thinking I need to pay some bills. Fun, huh??? :)

Blogathon 2007!
7 am
Post #47
Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad)
Author: Keri (aka: KinnicChick)

YAWN

SO. VERY. TIRED. My contacts are now peeled off my eyeballs... I’m quite certain Anonybro will like that visual given his current status...

Trying to think of a topic about which to write.

I have been wracking my pea brain for my most embarrassing moment. I think I’m most likely blocking it. I am really good at blocking things. I’ve had lots of practice after all. I suspect that moment probably had something to do with my milk letting down in public once after I had Keli during that whole nursing time period. I am pretty sure there was a very obvious and messy time and I don’t remember much about it aside from an extremely wet blouse very briefly in public but the where and the when totally escape me.

And the sun is actually shining into the apartment now! I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Oh my goodness do I need that light to survive the remaining posts. I’m tired!

Will we receive any more topics from those who have the reason to send them to us? I hope so. Oh my. Drifting. Glad HBB is up walking around doing industrious things so one of us remains awake.

Don’t sit or lie down, HBB!

I can’t stay awake long enough to form coherent sentences any longer. Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

Oops. My contribution to sleep writing. More soon.

Wait! Typical Momma had commented a long while back that we were nearly done and she was just beginning. I thought she meant she hadn't even begun to read through what we had posted. NOW I realize she is doing the blogathon too! What a dope I am. GO visit her! Cheer her on today while we are recovering from this ridiculousness. Please!

Currently listening: Shins

Blogathon 6:30am #46

2007-07-29T06:18:00.000-05:00

Blogathon 2007!
6:30 am
Post #46
Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad)
Author: Keith (a.k.a HalfBrainBoy)
Blogathon 2007!
Wow. Things are slowing down a bit at the old bachelor pad. We’ve actually reclined back the sofa recliners. This is a very dangerous thing, I say. I’ve wandered in to the next room a few times to watch the progress of the sun as it starts to light up the lake I overlook. Last night, the lake reflected the full moon. Very nice. This morning, the same lake is starting to wake up. There aren’t any boaters or diehard anglers yet. But, there soon will be. I just hope they are the quiet kind of anglers. I hope they are the kind of anglers who allow exhausted blogathon bloggers to fall into their bed, sinking into a deep slu...m….b….e…r….zzzzzzzzzzzz. I guess it’s a little too early to start planning for life “after blogathon”. But, a guy can dream, can’t he?

Maybe I need to convince Keri to make a quick jaunt down by the lake. That might help wake us up. If the wake doesn’t, then at least the park employees will wake us up and tell us to get up off the park benches.

Let me see. Math is tough this time of morning. But, I think there will be just 3 posts required after this one. Whohoooo. SLEEP! We’ll be there soon!

Blogathon 6 am - Post #45

2007-07-29T05:45:00.000-05:00

Blogathon 2007!
6 am
Post #45
Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad)
Author: Keri (aka: KinnicChick)

Isn't she beautiful? I am grateful for her every day. And feel so very lucky that I didn't have to go through any serious illness with her. She had a bad ear infection once. woohoo. Little Connor - did you read his story? A tumor in his brain the size of an adult fist. That's half the size of his brain at least.

And in other news, how about another inspiration in the closing hours? Sandee has been battling for a very long time.

We only have a couple of hours left of the great and powerful blogathon. So go visit another fabulous fighter of the cancer beast won't you?

There is still time to be a sponsor. Come on. You know you want to. Blogathon... Blogging all night to make a difference...

For some reason (HBB) I’m finding it much easier to stay awake this year than I did last year (and I’m not half crying while I’m putting in these last few hours and keeping myself in a sitting position, either! Go me!) so I guess I really owe Keith some thanks.

Thanks Keith!

His bachelor pad is pretty comfortable, too. Last year I was sitting in a regular old office chair that wasn’t terribly comfortable while trying to type at my desktop computer and this year I get to sit in the marshmallow sofa with my macbook in my lap. We just moved the coffee table so that I could recline my side and with many warnings from HBB that I was going to fall asleep I now have to prove that no way will I fall asleep (gawd I want to fall asleep).

And I’m surrounded by yummies. Coffee and dark chocolate covered espresso beans and chips and my lovely pillow and sigh

Now we have Ben Folds playing.

And nobody else in the world is awake. Other blogathoners are doing their thing, of course, but I feel so out of touch with them. I’m not sure how they even got in contact and keep in contact with each other and know about each other. It is very odd this year. I knew about more of them last year. I don’t know if the listing was set up in a different format or what but I saw more information more easily I think last year.

Eyeballs are tired. I think I should have taken out my contacts a few hours ago.

I said when I got started at 8 yesterday that I was not going to do this next year. I’ll have to take a look at the date. If it takes place on a weekend that things are happening again I will have to really consider things. Because the running around and trying to do a lot is really hard.

We have the tradition with Wes and Michele. Wouldn’t give that up. But other stuff? Yeah. Too much today.

Might have to try to reinstitute the farkel, though. Missed that farkel game with you, W&M. Even if I did have to let Wesley win in order to get you to play. And as I look out the windows I see that it is daylight out there now. It doesn’t look like the middle of the night anymore. We’re almost there...

Blogathon 5:30am #44

2007-07-29T05:21:00.000-05:00

Blogathon 2007!
5:30 am
Post #44
Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad)
Author: Keith (a.k.a HalfBrainBoy)
Blogathon 2007!
Topic: Concerts I’ve attended.
There was this year that Keri and Keli and I were Tom Petty groupies. He always seems to put on a good concert. First, Keri and I saw him in the Target Center in Minneapolis. That experience pretty much convinced us that we wouldn’t go there for any more music events. The sound wasn’t good. And, the crowd in the nose-bleed section seemed more intent on hiding their smoke than watching the concert. But, hey, it was still PETTY.
Later that year, we ended up in Denver at the same time as Tom Petty. It took a bit of work to “coincidentally” be there at the same time. But, it worked out.
We love the Redrocks outdoor concert ampitheter. Talk about awesome. I grew up in that area. So, this wasn’t my first concern there. But, it was the first time Keri, Keli and I attended a concert there together. We got there at the usual early AM to get in line for the general admission seating. We sat all day on the steps of the entrance to Redrocks. It was a party atmosphere there. But, everyone around us was decent. It was kind of nice to build this camaraderie with other concert-goers before the concert started. Due to our early arrive at the gates, we ended up with really prime seats. We watched the concert with the Denver lights in the distance behind the stage. It is just amazing. Keri, Keli and I all had a good time. Even the daily mid-afternoon rain was a positive rather than a negative. It did cool things off.

It was much more fun than the other times I had been at Redrock concerts: Aldo Nova and Asia. Now THERE were some concerts Where are they now?

By the way, I have immense respect for those bloggers out there doing this blogathon on their own. Keri has stopped my drift into sleep several times. I can’t imagine fighting this sleep on my own. To think that Keri got through this blogathon all on her own last year!

Blogathon 5 am - Post #43

2007-07-29T04:40:00.000-05:00

Blogathon 2007!
5 am
Post #43
Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad)
Author: Keri (aka: KinnicChick)

Listening to Colin Hay, which totally sweeps me back to high school and my very first real boyfriend. He took me to my first real concert: Men at Work. We double dated with another totally awesome couple that also happened to be my boyfriend’s age. All of them had just graduated that year and I had just completed my sophomore year of high school. I felt pretty cool to be running with this older crowd... pretty sophisticated.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with what I was going to post this time. This post is about the day I had on Tuesday this week. It was planned several weeks ago when Mystical and I realized that I would have finished the main part of moving into the new town home and she would have the day off and there wouldn’t be any real schedule conflicts for either of us. I told her one day that I was in the mood to go rock picking again. She and I rather enjoy this little hobby (hobby? Yeah, I guess...) a bit and I don’t think either of us got enough of it during our trip west earlier this year. So we decided to head north a bit this week on Tuesday.

I made no other arrangements for that day and even though the weather was sounding a wee bit warm (understatement of this entire 24-hour blogathon), we plunged forth into the tropical and dangerous day.

We traveled to a little town north of the cities which is the self-professed agate-capital of... the state? The country? I’m not sure. But it is the capital of something. And we were hunting agates. So that’s where we went. But not before making a stop or two... for coffee. For gasoline. For water. For bug spray. For a state park pass and map. We tried to combine all of these stops in one or two. Really we did. But things happen. Memories aren’t what they used to be. And so it took us a little while to get there. And the first place we stopped we were told to continue on because we wouldn’t have the best luck there. And so we did continue on.

Mystical didn’t send me any photos (scrambles over to MM’s flickr site to see if any were posted there) that she took because she actually got some from the first search location. I did not. I only took them at the second stop where the very best agate I found was located the second I opened the car door and was right under the car. Oh there were others, but they weren’t nearly as big (that one was about an inch across).

I haven’t taken a photo of the dish of agates I took home with me. HBB and I rinsed them off and looked at them in the sunshine the other evening. I need to get them over and look at them with Mystical too. Because that day? All we thought about after we hunted them down in the sun and the heat was getting home to a shower and a tall, cold drink and the air conditioning.

It really was a bit dangerous out there. The agate picking didn’t take place on a beach or in a streambed. I had been envisioning that just a little bit. sigh Even though I knew that wasn’t really what lay ahead of us. We were in the middle of a gravel pit. Where the sun was even more ruthless than most places. And the reflection of that sun was just beastly. And the wind was nonexistent.

This is us. And you’ll notice that I’m not laden with bags of agates that I’m showing off in the photo. Rather, I’m just showing off the bare ugliness of the gravel pit. Because there is nothing else to share.

Blogathon 4:30am #42

2007-07-29T04:14:00.000-05:00

Here is a topic request:
What is your favorite ice cream and where I can get it.
Now, for a little fancy footwork, I can manipulate this topic into something my tired mind can think about.
Ice cream is good. It’s sweet. People like it. There are other things that are sweet. And, there are other things people like. One of these things is fudge. If there is any question on whether the topic of fudge and ice cream are related, just look at how many stores sell both.
So, the question could actually be read as “What is your favorite fudge, and where you can get it?” Ahhh. Good question, there. My favorite fudge. Ohhhh. There is this candy place in San Francisco. I won’t attempt the name because I’ll likely mess it up. But, it always has a line out the door. This place makes flavors of fudge you’d never imagine in your wildest dreams. And, all of it is amazing. I’ve tried maybe 3 dozen of their flavors. Each flavor becomes my new favorite. We are talking serious fudge addiction here. They have a fudge that is called something like…. South Beach. I think. Something like that. It’s white and it has some swirls and it has a crust kind of like graham crackers. It is amazing. I’ve never found anything like it. So, whenever I find myself in San Fran, I have to find an excuse to walk up the neighborhood around this little fudge shop. It’s worth the wait in line.
After stopping there, I always go to the restaurant nearby that is famous for all of their garlic-related food. They even sell garlic-related dessert. I hear their garlic ice cream is out of this world.
Isn’t it interesting? No matter how far we stray from the topic, it always ends up back around to ice cream. Ever notice that?

Beer Snob... (A BONUS POST!)

2007-07-29T03:47:00.000-05:00

Before that discussion of beer scrolls away, and in particular his chat about being a beer snob and loving those "beers with the names you can’t pronounce without spitting," I just wanted to post this photo. I asked him to please give me an example of one of those beers. Then I snapped his photo as he said it. This was the result. Do you see why I love hanging out with him? I'm all the time laughing.
Make sure and click to embiggen this one!

Blogathon 4:00 a.m. - Post #41

2007-07-29T03:45:00.000-05:00

Blogathon 2007!
4 am
Post #41
Location: Chanhassen, MN (a.k.a: The bachelor pad)
Author: Keri (aka: KinnicChick)

Update time! And am I ever in an awesome mood! I mean, I raided HalfBrainBoy’s cabinet and found snacks aplenty, (blame the dude's photography skillz for this one... seriously?)
and then I rambled over to see what the blogathon coffers had in store for us at this point and found the following numbers... so what’s NOT to be happy about?

12 pledges totaling $577.46

Amazing. Truly. Shout out to our Sponsors:

Anonymous
Typical Momma (-d)
Mystical Marge
Heather
Peter S.
Carol M.
Uncle Marty and Aunt Rozz
Trudi of As We Are Magazine
Jenorama
KathyK
CursingMama

Smooches and hugs to each of you. THANK YOU!

There's still time if you want to get on board with these lovely sponsors! Just click HEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!!!

Blogathon 3:30am #40

2007-07-29T03:13:00.000-05:00

As it gets later and later, my mind wanders to other times I’ve stayed up late. I mean the really memorable ones.

Here’s one memorable lack of sleep experience. Of course, it was in college. I had put off some assignments until the last minute. I had to write two papers in two days. These were something like discussions of Plato’s philosophies and a paper comparing different approaches to existentialism. Interesting. (No, really, I LOVE this stuff.) But, catching up on my reading, mulling over these meaty topics and then designing and writing two papers in 40 hours turned out to be a little taxing. I didn’t sleep for two nights straight. I really didn't rest at all for at least 40 hours. A half hour before class started, I finished the final copies. I took them to class with hopes of dropping off the paper and running before class started. Riiiiight. As a part of this whole double all-nighter, I messed up my watch. I walked into a class already in session. This was one of those classes a small college is so proud of. It was about 10 students and a pipe-smoking, tweet-jacketed professor sitting around a large oak table in a dark-paneled office. No anonymous dropping of the paper and running. So, I took my seat, the last left. I sat right next to the professor. He talked and talked. Students talked and talked. I decided the only hope I had of keeping my head from hitting the big oak desk was to take notes. So, I scratched word-for-word notes as fast as I could. I would write a line of words and it would drift off the page before reaching the edge. Soon, I started to dream. Not really full dreams like when asleep. But, not really ethereal daydreams. Something in between. I dreamt of frogs. Mercifully soon, the class stopped. For years to come, I kept those pages of notes. Incoherent, almost random words at random angles across the page. Punctuated at the bottom with some ramblings about tiny, little frogs.
The papers? I think I got a pretty good grade. The prof thought I had an interesting perspective on things. It was probably the perspective brought about by a mind so lacking sleep that it decided to dream anyway.
I have a feeling this last second approach in paper-writing wouldn’t have worked for other classes, like, say, biology. Unless, of course, the biology topic had to do with the jumping habits of tiny, little frogs on a big oak desk.

Blogathon 3:00 - Post #39

2007-07-29T02:42:00.000-05:00

Listening to Vampires in Blue Dresses by Margot & the Nuclear So & So's (thanks for the suggestion, Wes - a favorite song right now).

So we were chatting about movies this evening with our friends. Shawshank Redemption came up. One of my personal favorites, though I often forget about it when listing favorite movies. Keith has never seen it, so we'll have to get hold of it sometime soon. And he mentioned never having seen The Godfather. I haven't seen it for years.

I was going to mention a funny movie that made us laugh so hard a couple of weeks ago. And we've seen it three times now. Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Creeping Terror. If you can get a copy of it sometime, do it. If you are acquainted to me IRL? Borrow it. Better yet, come on over and watch it with us so we can laugh along with you. Because watching it with Keith and hearing him laugh at it is worth the price of admission. ;-) And you might be able to convince him to make malts for the event, too. Which is always a good deal. What's better than really bad sci-fi with friends done in a way that is meant to be funny?

I never did get that stretch. And my coffee is getting cold. And Keith just had a bowl of cereal and the idea of something crunchy that isn't going to leave little bits of coffee bean in my teeth (and isn't sweet) sounds pretty good right now.

Laughter=healthy

Get over yourself and get over the small stuff.

Thanks and An inspiration... (AN EXTRA)

2007-07-29T02:22:00.000-05:00

First of all, I totally wasn't watching my in-basket and waaaaaay back at 10:30 I was notified that my bud CursingMama (another witty little writer, BTW) became our latest sponsor! And because of the size of her sponsorship, she gets to select a topic for us to write about... so CM? you can email that to us for the 5 am hour... that one's all yours. heh. Kidding. Whenever you happen to get the email about this you can get back to us with your topic of choice. Thanks. Oh and uh, keep it clean. I know how you are. ROFL... *snort* My goodness, thanks also for the plug on your blog. You rawk. Smooch.

Now...

This is one of my very favorite Cancer Warriors and she is not only an inspirational fighter, but she is funny too! (Speaking of someone who can give you a much-needed laugh when you are looking for one). But don't go to her always expecting one. Because she will also tell you the hard truths about the state of the medical system in this country for the uninsured and under-insured.

I would certainly not be saddened if you decided to stick around her place and read the rest of the night or even gave any money you were earmarking for my charity to her. I know she would appreciate it. I might miss you, but I wouldn't be saddened. Because I love her.

Current earworm - EVERYBODY SING! "In Heaven there is no beer (No beer?)
That's why we drink it here
And when we're all gone from here
Our friends will be drinking all the beer."

Edited to add: He's NEVER heard of the song??? Can't have that. Now in my iTunes I'm driving him crazy by looping it over and over so he can share in the fun. Oh Frankie Yankovic, where have you been for the past twenty years since the last polka I did with my daddy?

Blogathon 2:30am #38

2007-07-29T02:17:00.000-05:00

Trudi, here, FINALLY, is the answer to your 3rd topic – from your comments a looooong time ago this morning. The 3rd topic? Love or hate beer, and why.
Ahhh. Beer. Love it. I pretty much can say I’ve never met a beer I didn’t like.
But, as with many things in my life, I’ve become a beer snob. I’ll admit it. I’m one of those who orders the beers with the names you can’t pronounce without spitting. These are the beers you definitely CANNOT pronounce after just one or two of said beers. These are the beers you find in places that boast they have “over 367 types of beer on tap!” ( I exaggerate, or course. Most of these places have no more than a mere 250 types of beer on tap.)
But, lately, I have no beer. Need an explanation? See all the posts about the fight to stay awake? Beer is not a useful tool in the battle to stay awake.
Now….. let’s talk about something really cool…..COFFEE, love it or “adore it with all your heart”. Want to venture a guess on my answer?

Blogathon 2:00am #37

2007-07-29T01:45:00.000-05:00

Trudi mentioned hearing things from my POV (when asking about my bio, specifically.) But, this made me start to think about how so much of my brain experience was something that would be hard to understand unless you were looking from my point of view. Let me explain one experience from all this. This is just one of several glitches I (we all as a family) had to deal from the brain tumor.

This might help explain some of our zealousness towards fighting this cancer stuff.

What I consider one of the most disturbing experiences, a strong sense of not recognizing people. Okay, we’re not talking not recognizing the guy who works in the mailroom, or, even not recognizing your great aunt Sally you met 5 years ago. I AM talking, feeling positive that I did not recognizing my daughter. My brain told me I didn’t recognize my wife, even when I knew it was my wife. I didn’t recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. This was an intense experience, to say the least. I knew what was happening, fortunately. The doctor even explained the mechanics. But, I still couldn’t recognize myself. I would take calm breaths and brace myself. I would slowly look in the mirror. Nope. A total stranger would look back at me. I knew, logically, it was me, just as I knew logically that the people who lived with me were my wife and daughter. And, the little black furry thing that ran around the house was my dog. But, would I feel I recognize any of them? No! My logic knew it. But, my memory didn’t allow for the feeling of recognition.

I remember seeing a doctor’s note in my chart. Patient shows lack of recognition consistent with temporal lobe injury. The patient does not recognize his family. His wife seems to take this pretty well.

I can’t begin to imagine how well anyone COULD take that.

But, now, here I sit. Next to me is my wife. I recognize her completely, not even the slightest sense of “who is this?” I even recognize my boss and co-worker and other people it helps to recognize on sight. It took awhile. They say the left part of my brain has taken over this task. I was warned the left was doing a good job, but wouldn’t be perfect. So, I can’t recognize 100% of the people 100% of the time. (BTW, this comes in a nifty excuse for avoiding the obnoxious people as they pass by. “OOOOH. Hi Bert! I didn’t RECOGNIZE you!” Hee.
But, my left brain is doing a better than expected job. I’m darn appreciative of that. I’m so appreciative that I’m going to make my left brain stay up all night and come up with coherent things to say.
“Hey, who’s that guy in the mirror saying I have to stay up all night! Don’t listen to him! I’ve never met him!” :o)
Zzzzzzzz

OMG! The numbers and the times it is all so confusing!

2007-07-29T01:13:00.000-05:00

Okay. So this one is going up at 1:30 or as close to it as I can manage. For Jeff and Megan. Since you asked. :-/ (someone is actually reading! and closely!)

"And I'm glad there isn't a spider on my knee again and that story will have to come later but don't let me forget"

So, about this spider, care to enlighten us?
Jeff & Megan :)

So we're at Dunn this morning and a pesky fly had gotten in through the drive-through window as they sometimes will do. And it was buzzing poor Natalie while she was trying to work. Then it was buzzing over by us as we were blogging. And at one point it was just pestering me like nobody's business. I was sitting at one of the single tables and Keith was sitting at another single table beside me along the bench wall so we would have enough space to plug each of our laptops in and be able to work.

I had seriously HAD it with this bug. SERIOUSLY. Finally I reached down and tried to smack that sucker against my knee and actually hit it. But I didn't hit a pretty solid little lump the way flies are? This was a really wet squash. I mean really wet. It was gross. And I freaked. Because when I looked at my hand? Big. Brown. Mass of Goo. Whatever that thing was that was tickling my knee for the previous five minutes that I thought was a fly and kept shoeing away? Was quite large.

And Keith says I had a look in my eyes like this:

But really? I think he is being far too generous. I think there should be a heckuva lot more terror in the face. Chin on the ground... and a lotta disgust there, too. Green skin of nausea coming over him (which is admittedly pretty difficult to imitate, but Jim Carrey could probably do it). Because yeah, I do NOT touch the spiders. If I'd known it was an eight-leg? I'm pretty sure I'd been on the other side of the coffee shop faster than I could have said "Get that ~~straight outta the hellfires eight legged hairy creature~~ insect off my leg!!!"

So there you have it! The spider on my knee story from this morning.

500 Miles 2 Nowhere

We've Moved!

In Memory of Rob...

Trying to get artistic...

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

Around the Track to Beat Cancer Back!

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.

Looking for Health

Waiting...

Wow... It's December already...

Inspiration Needs Prayers...

*sigh* The Close of a Wonderful Vacation

All Night Long!

Seven years...

RRRRRRRRRacing Against Time!

I'd rather be hiking...

Open Hearts

A new BT Warrior

Cancer Patients & Caregivers

HBB: Insurance and doctors

HBB: A new toy leads to old pictures

HBB: Happy New Year 2 - The List

HBB: Happy New Year

HBB: A dark room on a gray day

HBB: Results Good!!

HBB prompted to remember "then" and "now"

HBB: Thoughts on brain tumor follow-ups

Let the Records Show, You Have Been Warned

I'd like to Teach...

Inspiration Needs Prayers...

HBB's firey hot dinner

Halfbrainboy: The Tunnel

Another angel.

HalfBrainBoy: My Coffee

RIP wrap up...

She inspired so very many...

There s/he is!

More Shopping at Mineral Point...

Mineral Point 10/07 Shopping

Mineral Point 10/07 (*updated*)

Grant...

LibraryThing Meme

the girl...

Updates...

Blog Action Day

Right to Privacy ranting by HalfBrainBoy

Lisey's Story Review

The Latte Jig - by HalfBrainBoy

The Weekend - HalfBrainBoy

Delurked

Candy Man

Happiness Points

Six Degrees in the Coffee World...

Seven Ways to Commit Blog Suicide

RIP 2007

Happy

Random Bullets of my evening...

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...

What book?

Original Divas...

News from this side of the river...

Here I sit...

Decorating... it just keeps on creeping along...

For Phil...

HalfBrainBoy's Friday Meme

RIP 2007

Amazing young woman...

A shared meme...

FINALLY!

Friday Five meme...

Migraine speak... TMI so read at your own risk.

Prayer request...

A Warrior Falls...

Working through the pain... with yoga, coffee, and conversational French.

Sometimes? It's all I've got...

Here they come again...

That crazy weather...

Decorating

More Brain Dumping...

Ruh Roh...

sigh The Close of a Wonderful Vacation

Mineral Point 10/07 (updated)