Etc...Etc...Etc....

MOT and the 82 yr old man..

2006-06-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my daddy amazes me...actually he often amazes me..but at times more so then normal!

For fathers day we went to my sisters in south county (St. Louis). She has been having a bit of a rough go w/her chemo and so asked if we would just come to St. Louis instead of her driving the 2 hrs to our daddys house. Of course we did...(dad took the scenic route and turned a 2 hrs car drive into a 3.5 hour one..how did he do that? If you have to ask, you have never experienced the joy of driving on a two lane ozark blacktop on a saturday morning! Passing flats? Why put any of those in!.....shoulders on the side of the road? Unnecessary!.... Warnings of side road coming in? Why bother, that would take all the excitement out of the drive!)

Anywho, Dad wanted to go to The Museum of Transportation: http://www.museumoftransport.org/ . See daddy was raised a railroad brat. His father was a section foreman on the Frisco Railroad: http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/about.cfm http://thelibrary.springfield.missouri.org/lochist/frisco/about.cfm
and daddy worked on it as well for a while between WWII and Korea.

We were there for 3 hours..during which time daddy walked all over the railyard...climbed up on engines....went through cars, etc etc etc... when we got back to my sisters condo, we were all beat. Except for my 82 yr old father. He wasn't tired at all!

Guess he showed us that just because you are *old* doesn't mean you cant walk those younger into the ground!

Ovarian Cancer

2006-05-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

MORE THAN A THIRD OF WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER REPORT SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE AT LEAST FOUR MONTHS BEFORE DIAGNOSIS
UC Davis researchers find the “silent killer” often announces its presence
August 22, 2005
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Ovarian cancer is often thought of as a silent killer, coming to the attention of physicians only at its late stages when prognosis is poor. But according to a new study by UC Davis researchers, four in 10 women with ovarian cancer have symptoms that they tell their doctors about at least four months — and as long as one year — before they are diagnosed. The study will be published in the Oct. 1 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
“Our findings suggest that ovarian cancer could be diagnosed earlier in some patients,” said Lloyd Smith, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center and lead author of the study.
“The diagnosis is delayed in some patients because physicians order abdominal imaging or perform gastrointestinal procedures before they order a test more likely to diagnose ovarian cancer, such as pelvic imaging and/or CA-125 (a blood test that can detect ovarian cancer).”
Smith and his colleagues compared diagnosis codes and claims for diagnostic procedures for 1,985 elderly women with ovarian cancer, 6,024 elderly women with localized breast cancer, and 10,941 age-matched Medicare-enrolled women without cancer.
They found that patients with ovarian cancer were more likely than women in the other two groups to have seen their physicians for four symptoms: abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, gastrointestinal symptoms and pelvic pain. Overall, about 40 percent of women with ovarian cancer had physician claims indicating one or more visits for these symptoms four months or more before the cancer was diagnosed.
The UC Davis researchers also found that only 25 percent of the ovarian cancer patients who reported symptoms four or more months before diagnosis had diagnostic pelvic imaging or CA-125 blood tests. Most of the ovarian cancer patients who reported early symptoms received abdominal imaging or diagnostic gastrointestinal studies, which are less likely to detect ovarian cancer.
Within three months of their diagnosis, however, 54 percent of the ovarian cancer patients received pelvic imaging or CA-125 testing.
CA-125, short for cancer antigen-125, is a protein found at elevated levels in most ovarian cancer cells and released into the bloodstream. However, the CA-125 test returns a true positive result for only about half of early, Stage I ovarian cancers and therefore is not an adequate early detection tool when used alone.
For patients with later, Stage II, III or IV disease, the test has an 80-percent chance of returning true positive results. The remaining 20 percent of later-stage ovarian cancer patients do not show any increase in CA-125 concentrations. http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom/releases/archives/cancer/2005/ovarian_smith8-2005.html

Welcome to the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry, located at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. About Us:
We are an international registry of families with two or more relatives with ovarian cancer. In addition to ovarian cancer research, the Registry offers an 1-800-OVARIAN Hotline, Newsletter, and ovarian cancer informational pamphlets. Our Ovarian Hotline is answered by trained cancer information specialist.
The Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry is pursuing research as to causes of familial ovarian cancer. Our goals are to identify new genes associated with familial ovarian cancer, thereby improving genetic and psychosocial counseling for individuals and families and to characterize lifestyle choices (i.e., oral contraceptive use, hormone replacement therapy, number of pregnancies) that reduce ovarian cancer risk in women who may be more susceptible to the disease. We hope to acquire information that will lead to better methods for detecting ovarian cancer, for reliable predictive testing for cancer predisposition and ultimately, preventing the disease in future generations. We are collecting family histories, medical records and tissue samples from ovarian cancer patients.
This website currently provides information and links on ovarian cancer in general, and familial ovarian cancer in particular. You can access the various resources available using the menu options on the left-hand side of this page.
We ask that you please assist us in our research efforts by joining the Registry today.
The Registry is funded through research grants and donations from people like you who want to help us in our research project and educate women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the need for early detection.
4 New Books on Ovanian Cancer!
AN OVARIAN CANCER COMPANION by Diane Sims Roth"Ovarian cancer: its mere mention is shrouded in fear and mystery....Draped in a cloak of anonymity, ovarian cancer is often called 'the disease that whispers.' Like a murmur in a darkened theatre, ovarian cancer in its infancy is almost undetectable." $17.95 (US) $19.95 (Canadian)
Ordering information: General Store Publishing House Box 28, 1694B Burnstown Road Burnstown, ON K0J 1G01-800-465-6072 613-432-7697
Secure ordering available at this website:http://www.gsph.com/
OVARIAN CANCER: YOUR GUIDE TO TAKING CONTROL by Kristine Conner and Lauren Langford"Many of you are picking up this book because your (or someone you care about) have been told that you have ovarian cancer or that there's a good chance you have it. We wrote this book to give you something more than a pamphlet, brochure, or web site to turn to; we wanted you to have a full-length manual that offers somewhat more detailed coverage of the issues likely to be of concern to you." $29.95 (US) $44.95 (Canadian) Ordering information:O'Reilly1005 Gravenstein Hwy, NorthSebastopol, CA 95472-28141-800-998-9938707-829-0515
100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS about OVARIAN CANCER by Don S. Dizon, M.D., Nadeen R. Abu-Rustum, M.D., and Andrea Gibbs Brown"Whether you're a newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patien, a survivor, or a friend or relative of either, this book offers help. The only test to provide the doctor's and patient's views, 100 Questions & Answers About Ovarian Cnacer gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, post-treatment quality of life, sources of support, and much more. Written by a gynecologic oncologist, a gynecologic surgeon, and an ovarian cnacer survivor, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of this frightening disease." $16.95 (US) Ordering Information:Jones and Bartlett Publishers40 Tall Pine DriveSudbury, MA 01776978-443-5000
Humor after the TumorBy Patty Gelman"Roswell Park patient and breast cancer survivor, Patty Gelman, invites you to join her in her year-long journey through "Cancer World" - a journey that NO ONE wants to take! From knowing that she was from a family at very high risk for breast cancer to her diagnosis, to treatment, and finally recovery, Patty shares her innermost fears, frustration, and joys through her e-mails to friends and family. Candidly and often with great humor, Patty recounts the enormous range of emotions that each of us has felt experiencing cancer ourselves or in a beloved family member. This book will help newly diagnosed women as well as spouses, children, and friends of patients." $16.00 (US) Ordering Information:Prometheus Books59 John Glenn DriveAmherst, NY 14228800-421-0351www.prometeusbooks.com
http://www.ovariancancer.com/default.asp#

Julia Jean McKague Manes 2/15/34 - 5/5/04 She fought ovarian cancer for 7 yrs before it finally claimed her life.

Counting down...

2006-04-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

30 minutes to go.

Espn.com scoreboard online...check
New 40 inch flat screen tv....check
dish network upgraded for FSN.....check
car radio programmed for correct station....check

Now I just have to wait...and wait....

it has been a long winter...but it is almost over.

In 30 minutes I will hear Mike Shannon on the radio...announcing the start of another season...

Mike Shannon...the announcer you listen to and wonder just what game he is watching....but so what....he is our idiot...and I grew up listening to him and Jack on the radio in the summer. Out in the yard cause it was too hot inside the house in the middle of summer in the MO ozarks...

Busch stadium is gone..but Busch Stadium is set to open...a new place to make new memories...and hopefully to watch the World Series come October.

***************
better then sex...or alcohol...or drugs...
its opening day!and pujlie has already scored!yessssss....all is right with the world again...I have my fix available again!Hello my name is daisy and I am a Cardinal Addict....

*******************
they walked pujlie and edmonds hit him in...so second time up they pitched to him...bye bye ballie...over the wall...HOMERUN!!!!!

oh what a beautiful day!

2006-03-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

I had a dream last night. Unlike my normal dreams, this one was not some surreal gothic flick of a dream. I was with my mother and grandmother and they were taking me to a building. When we got inside the building I couldn't find my mom and grandma. But I wasn't worried. I knew where they were. I just had to get on the elevator and go up to the top floor. I knew that was were my daddy was too. So I got in the elevator and pushed a button. But the elevator stopped on the second floor.

I got out and looked around. There were lots of rooms w/glass windows from floor to ceiling. In the corner room was my grandpa. He was waving to me and smiling and calling *Trish*. I ran to him. He hugged me tight and stroked my hair. He told me he had missed me and that he loved me.

I inhaled deeply...the scent of my grandpa...a mixture of prince albert tobacco and wool jacket and wood smoke...I felt so safe and happy.

Then grandpa told me I needed to go find grandma and mama and make sure they had found my daddy, but when I was done, I could come back and see him again.

So I walked toward the elevators, not wanting to leave grandpa...for the first time in 19 yrs I had felt my grandpa hug me and heard his voice...

Then I woke up.

Missouri in the spring..

2006-03-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

Crash...Boom....Rattle...typical mid mo spring weather. Everyone is home, everyone is safe. No worries about anyone driving in the rain, on wet, slick roads.

So I walk to the window to look out at a typical Missouri thunderstorm...look at the beautiful...

WTF?!!!!

fluffy fat white snow flakes falling?....

Naw my eyes must be decieving me. Its thundering...that can't be snow!....

but it is.

Missouri has wild weather. We run the gamut. Ice storms, snow storms (occasionally even blizzards), tornados, earthquakes (the highest ricter scale earthquake in the continental US was the New Madrid earthquake of 1820 (approximate date cause I am too lazy to look up the exact date..but it made the Mississippi run backwards and changed its route), droughts, floods...temps of +100 and -0....in other words everything except hurricanes.

But I have never seen golf ball sized hail before last weekend...and I have never seen snow falling while the house is shaking from claps of thunder.

Apparently Mother Nature has gone completely senile. I think it is time to place her in a alzheimers ward (for her own good y'know) and let someone younger take over. We haven't heard anything from Persephone in a while. Anyone know how to reach her? Is it still a long distance call to the underworld from the US or is it now a local/toll free one?

2006-03-03T07:51:00.000-08:00

Another day another dollar....isn't that the saying?

or how about Today is the first day of the rest of your life?

Well if it is I hope the rest of my life is s good day!

So far today I have woken up to a sick child and this email from my sister (who is dying of colon cancer at the age of 46)

*My brother-in-law met with the specialist in Denver about his brain tumor. This is a slow growing tumor but it is the kind that willl eventually turn to cancer and put out more tentils into more sensitive regions. The specialist wants to wait 8 weeks though to see how much the tumor has grown and to map it some more. He believes the seizure medicine they have Mike on will prevent any trouble before then . So we are relieved to have some time to think out the options and to make plans. * (this is my youngest sister husband...he is 34)

I had the thought this morning that on this day in 2001 just 5 short years ago, how different life was.

My husband had a better job making $15,000 a year more then he does now.

His parents were both in good health and living in their own house. In October of 2001 they were in a car wreck. My fil died during surgery to repair a ruptured aorta (he was one of the 1% who do not bleed out at the scene). My mil spent 6 mths in the hospital and never really recovered. She died in Nov 2005 of heart failure.

My mom was still alive and in remission from ovarian cancer. In 2004 her cancer returned and in May of 2005 she died of ovarian cancer.

In 2001 my sister was married and cancer free. In 2004 a week before her 24th anniversary, on the day her daughter left on her honeymoon, and while our mother was in the hospital having just been told her cancer had returned, her husband left her for his peice on the side.
In May of 2005, less then a week before my mother died, my sister at the age of 44 was told that she had stage 4 colon cancer that had metasticized into her lungs and lymph nodes.

So I think I would like a redo of the last 5 yrs...but a redo w/a different and better outcome.

American Idol

2006-03-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

The ladies did not do so good...

Kat: she was okay, but going first and only doing okay can sometimes mean a ticket home...

Kinnik: well she was dressed correctly...but her singing was subpar at best...

Lisa: sounded very polished and professional...but was very boring and didn't seem to have any idea of how to convey any feeling to the song.

Melissa: I thought she did a good job...esp. compared to the 3 who sang before her.

Heather: she did very good...who the hell cares if it was a *Mariah!!!!OMG MARIAH!!!!* song...and she has a different voice then Mariah...if the judges hadn't went out of their way to point out that it was a *Mariah!!!!OMG MARIAH!!!!* and that Heathers voice is not *Mariah!!!!OMG MARIAH!!!!*voice nobody would have had anything negative about her performance.

Brenna: subpar performance...wonder why none of the judges told her she shouldn't attempt a song by the Queen of Disco when she doesn't have the voice, style or attitude of *DONNA SUMMERS!!!!!OMG DONNA SUMMERS!!!!!*?

Paris: her singing was good..but somehow she came across as a little girl singing at church

Ayla: She did a very good job...IMO she was the best up until this point.

Kellie: she performed well...the singing wasn't the best..but she is selling a package, not just a voice...and she did do that w/this performance...I think people will actually think she sang it better then she did because of that.

Mandisa: wow...she brought it and made the rest of the group look and sound like amatuers.
**************************************
Most of the guys did better then the Ladies...most but not all:

Taylor: I love this song and thought he did well...but he needs to work on his performance...his hollers and laughing seem forced and planned as opposed to natural...

Elliott: he has a great voice and he did a really good job...I just wish he had more of a stage presence.

Ace: he has the entire package...and that is what he is selling...and he did a fantastic job last night...he did struggle in the beginning w/the song some...but his voice is not what he is selling...so I don't see that hurting him this early in the competition.

Gedeon: wow!!...I thought he nailed this song...completely agree that he is totally a 60's performer...in the mode of Smokey Robinson, etc..

Kevin: sorry but as adorable as he is, both his singing and his performance was painful to watch and listen to...

Sway: his was a so-so performance...even following directly after Kevins...his smile helps...but don't think it will be enough to make up for the shakiness of his singing.

Will: I thought he did Kenny Rogers proud. He just needs to loosen up a bit...but he is very teen idolish...maybe they need to start a second show called American Teen Idol?

Bucky: the singing was good...but somehow the performance to me at least seemed like what you would see at a Kareoke Bar...

David: great voice..great style..to me very boring...But my 17 yr old dd loved him and loved his performance...so it may be that he and not Will is going to be the *it* guy of the teen crowd.

Chris: wow..he was fantastic....and like Mandisa he made the rest of the group look like amatuers...after his performance I can see him winning this competition..and like Randy said..his song last night? Totally could be playing on the radio right now..it was that good.

IMO we will be saying bye-bye to Brenna, Kinnik, Kevin and Sway tonight...but who knows..based on my dd's reaction to David and Lisa I apparently don't have a clue as to how the teen crowd reacts to the performers...(oh and she just found Ace *okay*....)

2006-03-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

I tried to come up with something cute and funny to write today.

I tried to come up with a *this day in history* post, but not much happened on this day in history that mattered to the world at large. For me a very important thing happened. My father was born.

So happy 82nd bday daddy. I love you.

Other then that? The prednisone is breaking Dcheles chest loose and she sounds like she is trying to hack up a lung. Racking, painful coughing all night. She stayed home today because she hurts from coughing. But the coughing is good, all that gunk that was compacted in her bronchi and causing the flare to be so severe is breaking loose and it has to be coughed out.

Its Ash Weds...so I am hungry...and because I am hungry I am cranky....and because I am hungry and cranky I am a bit depressed. Depressed because for the second year my daddy is alone on his birthday, because it is a weekday so I am at work and the kids are at school...and because Mama is not there to tell him Happy Birthday.

I heard a song on a commercial this morning that made me remember being little.

Hey, hey Good Lookin
Whatcha got Cookin

My daddy used to sing that to Mama...and she would smile. My mama didn't smile a lot...so that is a memory that I cherish.

2006-02-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Dchele woke up Friday morning in a total shut down.

No air movement..(no coughing, no wheezing, no visible breathing problems..but so fatigued she laid down taking a shower)...so we did back to back treatments..still nothing..so I gave her 30 mgs of prednisone...and came on in to work.

When I got here I called the pedi pulmo's office to let them know I had given her prednisone and Donna goes: well you have an appointment for both of them at 9:00 for checkups...

Shit! Why did I think their appointments were March 24?

So I call bucks school and call dchele at home and speed walk to the garage and make a mad dash across town to get the both of them.

Then drive back to where the car was to begin with..just 40 mins later(well almost..their doctor is in the building across the street from where I park...)..only 10 mins late!

Once there they gave Dchele another treatment which finally broke her loose. But she still looked like death warmed over. LOL you should have seen the look the resident gave me when I said I had started her on prednisone...*How did you have prednisone*..Me: We keep a dose at the house because of their history of fast shutdown*..he oozed disapproval..until the nurse and the PA both said: *Well if she scared you, its a good thing you started it. You know when your kids need prednisone* (maybe this will let the resident know that parents are sometimes as informed about asthma as the doctors are and what is needed for treatment).

Both of the kids were switched off of Advair cause they just don't respond well to bronchodialators so Ben didn't see having them take them daily (advair is a combo of inhaled steroid and long acting bronchodialator) and put onto a new 2nd generation dry powder inhaled steroid called Asmanex (220 mcg). Dchele is to take it twice a day for 1 wk and then go to once a day (this is the first once a day inhaled steroid of this strength to be approved in the US).
Buck is supposed to do it twice a day for two weeks and then down to once a day...if they have a flare then they can take it up to twice a day.

Thankfully for my pocketbook the asmanex was 117 dollars for a 3-6 mth supply even though it was non-formulary...meaning it is cheaper non formulary then their advair was being formulary! The rest of their meds were left alone. Still on singulair, albuterol, atrovent, prevacid, allegra, flonase, and sinus rinses.

However, I had talked w/the nurse about Dcheles iron count being low when she tried to give blood and they agreed that a blood check was needed. So when the doctor walked in and looked at her, he flat out said: You look anemic and ordered a blood draw. He didn't lecture her about not taking her meds, told her at her age she knows she needs to take them and why she needs to take them, but she has to be the one who takes that responsibility now. But boy he told her straight out "You do not need to give blood. Maybe in a couple of years if your health is better. But right now you should not give blood".

He was really concerned w/her weight loss. 2 kilos in 4 mths and she eats, is not dieting, no change in her eating. So said he wanted to see the blood work for anemia first and that they will go from there. Unfortunately her iron count is low normal, so most likely that means more testing to see just what is going on. My *theory is that because she hadn't been taking her inhaled steroids it is completely asthma related from low oxygen. Hopefully the asmanex (if she takes it) will help, since fatigue is her biggest asthma symptom.

Finally this morning she woke up w/a beautiful hard racking but loose and mucusy cough...meaning the constriction is finally breaking loose!...HOOORAYYYY!!!!

Who Knew?

2006-02-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

Color me clueless

I just found out that some people apparently view blogging and bloggers as the latest one-upmanship for the *popular kids*.

I mean really how jr. high. Blogging not for enjoyment, not for relaxation, not for worth...but instead to show that you are *the bees knees*.

Then getting upset because your blog isn't as *popular* as someone elses (to whom you apparently feel inferior). What exactly is up with that?

I know some people use a blog as a potential stepping stone to paid writing. They are hoping to have their blog picked up by a publication, or maybe someday turning their blog into a book or series...and that I get.

Its the ones who feel that because xy or z has a blog and somehow their blog is funny, or relevent or thought provoking, that it is a swipe at them and their inability to be those things that I don't get.

These bloggers use their blogs to take swipes at other bloggers or at individuals who they feel (in their psychotic way) have *wronged* them...ummm okay...shades of jr. high slam books...

And what I really don't get is being so insecure and self delusional that they don't even allow comments to their sites?...wow

like I said

color me clueless...cause I just don't *get* that mentality (or should that be lack of mentality?)

Dream a little dream

2006-02-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

for the next 36 hrs or so I have purchased a dream for the incredibly low price of a dollar.

I get to build a house on a beach in the bahama's and furnish it with everything I want.

I get to pay for my kids to go to college.

I get to buy my dad a condo in a retirement community.

I get to buy new cars for everyone I know.

I get to pay off the mortgages of those I care about.

I get to set up a fund to pay for asthma medications for members of my asthma listserv.

I get to go on a cruise of the Greek Isles.

I get to do everything I have always wanted to do and never had the money for....

Sunday morning the dream will be over and regular life will be back on the screen...but for a few wonderful hours for one little dollar bill...I get to be everything and have everything I have ever dreamed of....

Valentines Day

2006-02-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

Mom, we need to go to Gerbes.

What for?

I have to get Mikayla a valentine gift.

Wait wait wait...he is only 11, in 6th grade. Not old enough to be buying valentine gifts for a girl. His brother and sisters didn't buy them at this age.....

This is my baby....shouldn't he still think girls have cooties? What is going on that he is doing *couples skate* at the skating rink, emailing a girl back and forth, talking on the phone to a girl of an evening...and buying her gifts...

And not just any gift...a stuffed bear holding a box of candy!..a *real* valentines day present.

Wait wait wait...whats a girl doing giving HIM a present...a stuffed woodstock with a little heart of candy...

Nope my baby is not supposed to get presents from girls.

I am still supposed to be his *girl*...

I did get a nice card from him and his older sister...a bought one...

I miss the homemade cards I used to get.

(Happy Birthday Grandma and Mama
Violet Lena Starr McKague 2/13/13 -2/14/89
Julia Jean McKague Manes 2/15/34 -5/5/04)

Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath

Keep me in your heart for awhile

If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less

Keep me in your heart for awhile

When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun

Keep me in your heart for awhile

There's a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done

Keep me in your heart for awhile

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo

Keep me in your heart for awhile

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo

Keep me in your heart for awhile

Sometimes when you're doing simple thingsaround the house

Maybe you'll think of me and smile

You know I'm tied to you like the buttons onyour blouse

Keep me in your heart for awhile

Hold me in your thoughts,

take me to your dreams

Touch me as I fall into view

When the winter comes keep the fires lit

And I will be right next to you

Engine driver's headed north to Pleasant Stream

Keep me in your heart for awhile

These wheels keep turning but they're running outof steam

Keep me in your heart for awhile

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo

Keep me in your heart for awhile

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-li-li-lo

Keep me in your heart for awhile

(Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon)

I hate winter..

2006-02-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

The next person who says *isn't the snow beautiful* may get a face full of snow.
No, it is not beautiful.
No, it is not wonderful.
No, I do NOT love *this weather*.

I like heat.
I like sun.
I love summer....hot, humid, sticky, sunny SUMMER.

My idea of hell is someplace like Siberia...or Minnesota.

Sorry to everyone that loves Minnesota...but I am so not a winter/cold weather person.
If I never saw snow again I would be happy.
If I never had to scrape a windsheild or warm up a car again I would love it.
If I never had to wrap up in two layers of clothes, a scarf, a hat, gloves, two pairs of socks, boots and a hooded fur lined coat just to go and get the mail...

I would be in HEAVEN.

I don't like Hockey...I don't like skiing....I don't like ice skating....I don't like sledding.

I want to watch baseball, with sweat running off my body...with a cold drink in my hand...and my beloved Cardinals taking the field.

Have I mentioned lately that

I.
HATE.
WINTER.

Fiction to watch on tv tonight

2006-01-31T07:28:00.000-08:00

There should be lots of good things to watch on television tonight if you are in the mood for fiction and make-believe.

American Idol will be showcasing fictional singers and people who live in a land of make-believe in which they are talented singers.

Fear Factor will be showcasing exhibitionist who are pretending to be happy to eat gross things and do dangerous stunts.

Not to mention Supernatural in which spooks and ghost and demons and urban legends are really true happenings.

And of course the biggest fictional show to watch tonight will be the *State of the Union* speech by the president who thinks he is king.

The country is supposed to suspend all logical and intellectual cognition as we listen to bush the lesser spin his web of half-truths, suppositions, mis-statements and flat out *untruths*.

The economy is wonderful. The war in Iraq is going wonderfully. Terrorist are on the run. Alito will be a wonderful and non-partisan, non-activist SCJ.

Y'know if I wanted to listen to made up information and memories of what happened that have no basis in reality...I would just read "A Million Little Pieces."

A Dining Room Table

2006-01-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

Finally after 20 yrs of hating my dining room table we went and ordered a new one on Saturday.

Back history: When we originally went to buy a dining room table over 20 yrs ago I wanted light color or glass top, solid seat chairs, round or oval shape, w/at least one leaf. I had it all planned out. I knew *exactly* what I wanted.

Because money was very tight, we went to a store that was a furniture *scratch and dent* warehouse. The salesman completely ignored me. Basically he in essence patted me on the head and said *don't you worry your pretty little head, us men will figure out what you really want".

So the table we brought home...was it my round/oval light wood/glass solid seated chairs w/a leaf table that I dreamed of?

Not exactly.

We bought a dark wood, slat bottom chairs, rectangular shape and no leaf that wasalways the size to seat 6...the antithesis of what I wanted.

For 20 yrs I have HATED the dining room table. Everytime I have looked at it or sat at it for 20 years I have *seen* what the table was *supposed* to look like.

On Saturday, 20 years after that first trip to buy a dining table, I finally got *my* table.

It is *buttermilk* (pickled whitewash), Jefferson/Farmhouse style, chairs have spindels on the back , it has two butterfly levered leaves, so it can seat 4 or 6 or 8 (or even 10 if we sqoosh together). It is *exactly* what I wanted 20 years ago when went shopping. This time the sales person was a woman. She talked to me, not my husband, and this time we both were satisfied with our purchase.

Coffee...

2006-01-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

I forgot to set the coffee up to start automatically this morning..not a good thing...I need coffee in the morning and how in the world am I supposed to *make* coffee when I am in desperate need of coffee in order to think and function. I mean c'mon the reason I have a coffee maker w/an auto start is so I can prepare it while I am *awake* the night before!

Anyway this morning I wake up late...its sunday...no problem...at least until I walk over to the coffee maker w/my coffee cup (already w/creamer in it) and

NO COFFEE...none...nada...zip...zilch....

So I pull out the filter and rinse the grounds out...
Pull out the pot rinse it out...

I run the water to make sure it is nice and cold and fill the pot up...

Then I pour the water in the resevoir and put the filter back in and close it up (notice anything missing?), and hit the start button, once...

I then go upstairs to get dressed..you know to give the coffee time to brew...

I walk back downstairs..the coffee will taste even better then it would have originally...

But.....no coffee

OMG I hit the auto button..it takes two presses for the coffee maker to start immediately.....the coffee maker would have come on at 6:10 tomorrow morning....a little late for today wouldn't you agree?

So I hit the button a second time to make it come on...

While I wait I put in some toast...start a ham and cheese omelet...pour creamer back into my cup...and go over to the coffee maker...

WTF!!!!F I have a lovely pot of hot water ...

I forgot to add coffee back into the filter.

So now I have to pour out the hot water...put new cold water in the pot...put coffee into the filter this time..restart the coffee maker...making sure to hit the button twice....and wait impatiently....I NEED my coffee....

But I finally have a cup of coffee...and it is wonderful...even if it is just folgers... you know it probably would have been quicker to drive to panera's.....but wait what am I thinking...driving w/out first drinking a cup of coffee...probably best I stayed home and waited.

Its christmas eve

2005-12-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

got up before 7:00....showered...got coffee and cinamon rolls fixed...neither of the kids ate any...oh well...put in a dozen potatoes to bake...
The two kids still at home opened their santa presents..the 11 yr old immediately disappeared into his room to hook up the xbox and other then coming out to take his meds and shower we have not seen him since...(except the occasional foray to shoot stickydarts at things)...
The 17 yr old figured out how to load songs onto her mp3 and then returned to bed...she has to be at work at 1:00 so she has to be up shortly...
I seperated the gifts that go to my sisters house tomorrow and got them into a box for the car...from the remaining gifts under the tree (25 yr old son,his wife, and 20 yr old daughter santa gifts and all the gifts to and from each other...(side note 17 yr old is such a good big sister to the 11 yr old...he has been wanting the third Star Wars DVD since it came out and so she told us no to get it for him she was going to...well this week he told us he wanted the Green Day American Idiot CD which she hates with a passion...*omg it is the worst cd ever*...guess what she came home w/for him from the store yesterday...yep both the Star Wars DVD and the Green Day CD)...)
folded the towels that were in the dryer..put the load of clothes from the washer into the dryer...am now at 11:09 on my third load washing of clothes..
The baked potato soup has been fixed and is in the crockpot..
Hubby has the grill started and the salmon prepared to smoke to take along tomorrow..
I have talked w/son...he is having a really bad as in red zone asthma flare...but says he has started to cough mucus today and the cough while racking is loose and painful as opposed to tight and painful....he should have gone to the ER last night the flare was that bad...but he didn't...just overtreated himself w/prednisone and albuterol and atrovent and caffiene and tylenol cause his fever was above 102(with a bad flare if the prednisone doesn't get in to his system in time the fever will go over 104)...am very glad he will be here tonight so that I can monitor what is going on...
25 yr old son,17 yr old and 20 yr old daughters all get off work at 7:00...it will most likley be at least 8:30 before 20 yr old daughter gets over here and 9:30 before25 yr old son gets in from KC...hopefully the weather stays rain and doesn't switch over to winter mix or snow...his wife will meet him here..she came into town to her family yesterday.
Once they are all here we will open the rest of the presents...eat some potato soup...watch Midnight Mass on tv...and go to bed..
In the morning we will get up early...leave town before 7:30...and drive to St. Louis to spend the day with my dad and three sisters, two brother in laws, 2 neices and 2 nephews...

Things Not To Say To Your Wife In Labor

2005-12-21T05:52:00.000-08:00

Two of my neices recently announced that they are pregnant. This weekend at a family get-together we were warning their husbands of things *not* to say when their wives go into labor.

These are what were brought up....and yes they all were said either by one of the husbands there...or by the husband of someone we know!

1. (looking at the monitor) See honey that contraction wasn't so bad.

2. Can you go start the car while I finish getting ready?

3. I am going to pull through drive-through, do you want anything to eat?

4. Did you lay out clothes for me?

5. You know this is going to take awhile. Is it alright if I take a nap?

6. Wow honey, you are really digging your nails into my hand, could you be more careful?

7. Are you sure you're in labor? Maybe we should wait a while longer.

8. If you had paid more attention in lamaze class you wouldn't be having such a hard time.

9. If you are going to get upset with me I will just leave.

10. (watching monitor) Get ready this is going to be a hard one!

So what stupid comments did your husband make while you were in labor?

bumperstickers

2005-12-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have seen some interesting bumperstickers lately.

Just last night I saw: ignorance + arrogance = bad foreign policy

some bumperstickers are funny like:

As a matter of fact, I do own the road
Men are idiots and I married their king!
Invest in America. Buy a Congressman!
I May Be a Cruel and Heartless Bitch but Damn I am Good At It!
Jesus is Coming, Look Busy!
Learn From Your Parents Mistakes; Use Birth Control!
I'm not an alcoholic. I'm a drunk. Alcoholics go to meetings.

some are political:

I think therefore I am a Democrat
Nobody Died when Clinton Lied
He's still not my president
My child is an honor student, My president is a Moron
Proud (Liberal, Conservative, Democrat, Republican, etc)

some are religious:

A house is not a home without me -- God.
About that 'love thy neighbor' thing? I meant it -- God.
Don't blame God for the things that people do.
God says it, I believe it, That settles it.
Stop using Jesus as an Excuse!

and unfortunately of course this being the good old USofA...there are those bumperstickers that show the owner of the car is a bigot or an idiot...or a bigotted idiot:

Man + Woman = marriage
Proudly Politically Incorrect
Save the Rainforest, Burn a Liberal
Celebrate HeteroPride
America Love it or Leave it
Evolution is a Fact, God is just a Theory.

Bumperstickers are equal opportunity for people with all kinds of beliefs to show that they are just as stupid, gullible and bigotted as those they are ranting against with their bumpersticker...

I love albuterol

2005-12-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

day 5 of an asthma flare...so sick of coughing...my head hurts from coughing...my stomach hurts from coughing...I have pulled muscles in my abdomen from coughing...my throat is raw from coughing..

I now croak when I talk: *are you sick?*...no just asthma..but you aren't wheezing...I don't wheeze...I cough...I thought you wheezed with asthma?

No coughing is the most common symptom of asthma...if your asthma is centered in the small passages then you don't move enough air to wheeze...instead you cough...and cough...and cough...and cough.....

I am so tired...oxygen deprivation does that to you....makes it hard to concentrate and think as well...

but no way can I stay home from work...not an option..

its the end of the semester...and I have to check thousands of lines of grades..to make sure that nobody got skipped...yeah real fun when I feel like I am floating in midair and my fingers are disconnected from my body.

Oh well time to take my albuterol and atrovent again....maybe this time they will help more then last time.

Walmart in the Morning..

2005-12-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

what a lovely way to start a day. with a trip to Walmart.

I only had on present left. A picture frame. No biggie right? Easy to find, right?

No, no, no...it had to be a specific picture frame. One just like the one in my front room.

See my mom died May 5, 2004 of ovarian cancer. I have 3 sisters. There are the three of us older ones and then one who is younger. In 1967 my mom took us older girls in and had our pictures taken. 5x7 black and white head shots, all of us dressed in our little white easter dresses.

Last summer my dad decided that he wanted us to take whatever photos and keepsakes from the house that we wanted. Of course I grabbed the photo set.

My older sister didn't care. She is terminally ill with colon cancer. (She is only 46, so if you are having bowel issues get a colon checkup. Just because you are not *old* doesn't mean it can not be colon cancer. She was diagnosed the same week as my mother died. Stage 4 already matasticized into 4 lung nodules and 12 lymph nodes. Now she has an additonal 18 places in her lungs, 3 of them an inch in diameter) Anyway she is getting rid of things, not collecting them.

My younger sister though was disappointed. I promised her I would make her a copy of the pictures, but just have not gotten around to it. So for christmas I am doing so.

I took the pictures in to a real photography store, to get *good* reprints made.

I asked her if she wanted me to get a frame.

"Yes, please" One just like the one you have them in at your house.

Problem is the only place that carries that particular frame? Walmart!...oh joy, Walmart Super Center right before christmas. That sounds like a fun time!

so I got up this morning early. I got ready for work. Even remembered to go back in the house and pack my sons lunch for school. Then I got in my car and drove to Walmart. Had to go through lights instead of being able to take the bypass.

You know what Walmart is even busy at 7:00 AM on a Wednesday!

But I have the frame. Tonight I will pick up the pictures.

On christmas morning (which we are all spending at my older sister since this will be her last christmas) I will watch my little sisters face light up and tears slip down her cheeks as she looks at her copy of pictures from another time.

A time when mama was still alive and our big sister was invincible and would always be there to take care of her little sisters.

2005-12-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

The dictionary definition of Asthma is: A chronic inflammatory pulmonary disorder that is characterized by reversible obstruction of the airway.
So there you have the *short explanation*. Nice but to be honest it doesn't mean much to most of us. So in laymans terms just what IS asthma?
Asthma is a chronic illness. Meaning it is always there, even when you are not having accute symptoms. Asthma is composed of chronic, but silent inflammation of the bronchials, and accute bronchospasms, better known as *flares*.
People with asthma have hypersensitive and hyper-responsive airways. When they are exposed to either external (like pollen, smoke, dust, mold, etc) or internal (like uri's, sinus drainage, fatigue, exhertion, etc) the bronchi react by narrowing and obstucting.
This narrowing or obstruction is caused by:
Airway inflammation (meaning that the airways in the lungs become red, swollen and narrow)
Bronchoconstriction (meaning that the muscles that encircle the airways tighten or go into spasm)
Everyone with asthma will have either Coughing, wheezing or chest tightness/trouble breathing. Some people will have only one symptom, others will have a combination of two symptoms, and some people will have all three symptoms.

Asthma has lots of warning signs and symptoms of which most people are unaware. It is not just a matter of using a peak flow meter or hearing a cough or wheeze.
Did you know that a tickle in your throat or chest can be an early warning sign of asthma?
How about moodiness and irritabilty? Yep, early warning signs.
Would you think about a fever being related to asthma? It can be, if extra mucus is being produced. Your body is programmed to burn out infections with a fever. If your type of asthma produces extra mucus in the bronchi, then your body will not be able to tell that it is asthma causing the mucus and not an infection, so it will react as programmed to burn out the infection.
And while everyone associates decrease of activity with asthma, did you know for some people, hyperness can be an early warning sign?
You can find some lists of warning signs of asthma at the following sites
http://asthma.nationaljewish.org/about/symptoms/checklist.php
http://www.getasthmahelp.org/warning_signs.asp
http://www.stlouischildrens.org/default.aspx?tabid=113&acn=view&aid=2217
Once your child is diagnosed with asthma, your doctor should give you and Asthma Action Plan.This is exactly what it says: a written plan that tells you what actions to take at what time in relation to your childs asthma.
The plan should include your diagnosis, known triggers, and medications. The plan should also outline what you are to do if you child has a flare, and at what point to call the doctor, or take your child to the ER.
You can download sample Asthma Action Plans at: http://www.schoolasthmaallergy.com/2002-2003/sections/toolkit/library/ActionPlan.pdf
If your plan includes use of a peak flow meter you can download a diary at: http://www.schoolasthmaallergy.com/2002-2003/sections/toolkit/library/PeakFlowDiary.pdf
Information concerning the medications you have been prescribed can be found at: http://www.schoolasthmaallergy.com/2002-2003/sections/medications/asthma_drugs.html

Who knew?

2005-12-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

Who knew writing a blog would be so hard!

Afterall I have so much to say. And it is all so important. People should sit outside my house waiting for me to open the door and throw pearls of wisdom their way.

I mean if they would just pay attention I could solve all the worlds problems. I know all the answers. Just ask me.

Details? What details? Details are unimportant. Let lesser mere mortals worry about details.

Just tune back in and read my blog.

I will solve all the worlds problems...

well as long as you don't require me to pay any attention to little things like details of how to implement the solutions.

Hey it has worked very well for W....I figure that if people will believe whatever he says just because he says it...then it should work just as well for me.

So lets try it out.

I am beautiful and rich...I am beautiful and rich...

Hey I'm still waiting...I said it, how come it hasn't happened yet?