Memoirs of Montana Manders

Om Nom Nom Nom

2011-09-17T08:42:00.000-06:00

Update

2011-06-19T10:19:00.000-06:00

Dang. It has been a long time since I've posted anything on here. Pretty lame, I know.

In no particular order, the following things have happened since February:

Brenna got married
Dillon Graduated from high school
Kati had a baby girl and named her Faith Rose
I got a cat
My dad got inducted into the Legion Baseball Hall of Fame
I went to Vermont for vacation
I finally went to my first regular season MLB game--at Fenway
I put my tootsies in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time
I gave the dogs their summer haircuts
I reconnected with a friend I haven't seen since elementary school

Faith Rose Scheetz, born 2/8/11

Brenna and I at her wedding in Arkansas 3/19/11

One of Dillon's Senior Photos

Jared and I on the beach in Portsmouth, NH

Sox vs Sox. Fenway!

Chibi, the best kitty in the world! Used to belong to an old roomie, now belongs to me!

Dillon with his diploma. I love the look on his face!

Dillon getting his diploma.

I wish these weren't all so blurry!

All of us with Dad at his Legion Baseball Hall of Fame induction dinner.

Dad and his buddy, Art, who introduced him at the Hall of Fame dinner. So funny!

Chelsi and I reunited after 10+ years. So much fun!

Dillon and 2 classmates at graduation. There were 2 boys to every girl in their class, so they walked in groups of three.

D-man giving his Salutatorian speech. He also got the Outstanding Senior Award.

Brrrrr...and Other Stuff

2011-02-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

It has been absolutely freezing down here as of late. I'm talking like -30s at night, and just above 0 during the day. Cold. Record lows, freezing pipes, no gas, no heat, no water for a lot of the state. We lucked out and have been okay. If all else fails, at least we have the dogs to keep us warm!

It's snowing again now. Hopefully it'll keep up all day. I do like the snow, even though it makes me feel absolutely awful and makes driving here even more scary than usual, if that's even possible to believe! Also, I have officially become a reliable predictor of whether or not it is going to rain or snow. Yay for me, I guess!

Spring classes have started up again, and this semester I'm taking my warm water exercise class again as well as an online medical terminology course. The good news is that, after a lot of searching and heartache, I finally purchased a long-torso bathing suit that is long enough to keep all the appropriate parts covered! Woot! The bad news is that my medical terminology course is rather boring and tedious. (I probably should have seen that coming.) As expected, my professor arranged the coursework in an unimaginative and annoying way. Tedious... It's a 3 credit course, so a bit of work, but it will be nice to have it under my belt and to be one step closer to being able to apply to grad school. I hope the other classes I still need to take aren't so bad.

In other news, the birthdays of Jared, Dillon, and Hyside are coming up. Quite a collection of Aquariuses or Aquarii or Aquarians or whatever the heck you call them (or used to call them, depending on which system you use). I had no idea what to get either of the human people, so I hope I don't completely strike out this week! I have some fun planned for Jared, so I"ll keep my fingers crossed. The dog person is a little easier to shop for. I'm thinking a fuzzy tree full of birds or a fuzzy hive full of bees since the tree of squirrels was such a hit at Christmas!

To backtrack a bit, Dillon is turning 18. Woah! I need to spend some more time trying to figure that one out...

I've got a trip to Arkansas for Brenna's wedding planned for March, a trip up to Montana for Dillon's graduation in May followed closely by a trip to Vermont, then I have to work for the rest of the year since all of my vacation will be more than used up. I'm looking forward to the time off. This being a grown-up thing isn't all it's cracked up to be!

That's all for now. I'm gonna go pop some Vicodin and finish my homework for the week. Two of the roomies are out of town for the week, so it's just Jared and me and of course the dogs, the cats, the frog, and all the fish. Sweet!

Wilderness Medical Systems, LLC.

2011-02-06T08:05:00.003-07:00

The owners of this company are my neighbors in Montana. They are running a really cool company customizing and selling wilderness preparedness kits. Awesome!

Vote for us!

2011-01-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Healthiest States

2011-01-12T07:25:00.002-07:00

http://health.msn.com/mens-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100268475&GT1=31060

Itchy Dogs

2010-10-25T20:50:00.002-06:00

After 15 months of living with 2 itchy dogs, I finally caved and had them allergy tested. Here's a rundown of what they reacted to. Expensive little turds...

Kona
foods
barley
beef
beets
corn
egg
potato
venison
wheat
yeast

trees, grasses, weeds
box elder/maple
cottonwood/poplar
bermuda grass
bluegrass
brome grass
daisy
dandelion
dog fennel (chamomile)
kochia
russian thistle

molds, insects, indoor
alternaria tenuis
fusarium
T. putrescentiae
moth (the flying insect)
cotton linters (yes, my dog is allergic to cotton, which basically means she is allergic to everything including clothing, carpets, bedding, probably her collar...you get the picture)

Hyside
foods
beef
lamb
oats

trees, grasses, weeds
box elder/maple
bluegrass
brome grass

molds, insects, indoor
aspergillus
cladosporium
fusarium
grass smut
helminthosporium
pullularia pullulans
T. putrescentiae
moth

I have, in my hot little hands, a list of 10 types of dry dog food that they can both eat. Not many. I hope they like them. The treat list is longer, lucky for them!

Also, Hyside decided to get pancreatitis, so he's hospitalized. (Interesting that the article specifically mentions mini schnauzers as being prone to developing pancreatitis since he's part mini schnauzer) Hopefully he'll be better by tomorrow and can come home. My poor little man! Kona misses him. This is the first time they have been apart for longer than 15 minutes since the day Hyside came home! Wow! Sad.

Project Pet Slim Down

2010-10-17T15:43:00.003-06:00

Kona and Hyside are both fat. This is, in part, due to my lack of reading the feeding guide on their new food and continuing to feed them the same amount of food I was feeding before, when they were eating a lower calorie food. Oops. Guess all I can do now is work to correct the problem. They are now part of Project Pet Slim Down, a weight loss programs of sorts for 4-legged kids, set up by Purina. They just started last week, and are doing well so far. If nothing else, they really seem to enjoy meal time now that they are getting less food (and hopefully a little more exercise). They are gonna be the talk of the dog park once they are trim and fit. Oh yeah, and Kona says she is going to be a supermodel. I guess we'll see! :) Wish us luck!

Fall Colors

2010-10-17T15:17:00.003-06:00

We took a little drive up to the ski basin today to check out the aspens. Beau-ti-ful!

Someone with lots of Spare Time

2010-10-03T08:18:00.000-06:00

Check out this great MSN Video: 'Miracles' musical mash-up

Less Wisdom

2010-09-06T17:08:00.003-06:00

There may be some of you who don't appreciate this and are even grossed out by it, but I had my wisdom teeth surgically extracted back in July and they are HUGE! So huge, in fact, that I decided to post a photo of them. These are the top 2 (notice the hook on the top of the one on the left). The bottom ones were even bigger and had to be cut in half to remove. The pieces just won't stay together long enough to get a decent photo of them. I highly recommend getting them out when you're younger. I imagine it would have been a b!t$h to do it in 10 or 20 years. I'll warn you that even with dental insurance, it will cost you. So start saving your dimes now. Well, I guess that's it for now.

Montana Vacation!

2010-08-30T17:08:00.010-06:00

Sadly, the whirlwind that was our Montana vacation is over. Luckily, we came across some photos to remind us of the good times had and not just the days spent driving!

It started with a 16+ hour drive to my parent's house in MT, followed shortly thereafter by an 8 hour drive to Whitefish to watch miss Shelby get married. She looked absolutely stunning and luckily the setting was almost as beautiful. We used to refer to one another as "soulmate" but I guess I got bumped out of that position! I'm okay with that, though. Rob and Shelby look so happy together!

While in Whitefish, I got to see some of my BBT and choir friends from college, which was great! It had been far too long to say the least! We spent the evening walking around, drinking, and sharing stories old and new. Love you guys!

Another 8 hour drive took us back to my parent's house, where we spent most of our time gorging on Flathead cherries, scolding the out-of-control herd of mutts, and hanging out. Jared and I continued our traditional vacation he-runs-while-I-ride-along-on-a-bike outings and even did some fly fishing with the fam. (It should be noted that I caught 5+ fish to each of Jared's...but who's counting anyway?)

The dogs also had an amazing time playing in the water and practically demanded their own section of photos.

From MT, we cruised down to Jackson Hole, WY for a quick get-together with a couple of my roomies from college! The drive through Yellowstone Park, while beautiful, was as slow as molasses and took us 7.5 hours. Needless to say, I'm afraid we didn't arrive in the best of spirits. I believe that I demanded a glass of wine immediately upon exiting the car! We did get some pretty rad photos, though, even taken from a moving car.

When insanity starts to set in, the only thing left to do is take pictures...so that's what we did...

And just when we thought we couldn't take it anymore...we saw this...

The rest of that Friday night in Jackson is a blur of sushi, wine, dancing, shooting pool, and laughing so hard my abs hurt and I almost wet my pants then laughing some more!

I love these ladies SO much and can't believe it had been 3 years since I'd last seen them!

Sadly, this is where vacation took a turn for the worse. Not only were we totally over being in a car, but I woke up the next morning with some sort of stomach flu, (which ended up lasting about a week. ugh). The girls and their guys went kayaking for the day, while I stayed in bed and watched the Food Network. It was still beyond great to see them, and I'm glad we made the trip!

Fourteen hours of driving later, we arrived home.

While I'm sad that time passed so quickly, some time away gave me the much needed break from the ordinary and hope for a future filled with laughter, mountains, room to breathe, and good company!

In conclusion:
3,700 miles +
2 dogs +
a handful of old friends +
family +
the great outdoors =
AWESOME!

Doggy Loves!

2010-07-19T20:03:00.004-06:00

Love Lessons from Dogs?

Believe it or not, your pet knows the secrets to achieving a successful relationship. Here are five love lessons that man's best friend can share with you.

1. The reassurance of forgiveness
In order to have a successful partnership, letting bygones be bygones is crucial. An inability to get over issues and move ahead is a key roadblock to happiness. Dogs, Forbes notes, are always in the moment and therefore don't hold grudges or hang onto resentment. "Dogs wipe the slate clean many times a day," he explains. "If you are grumpy and yell at your dog, but then wait a minute and act like you never did, he will forgive you — many times over. If humans could let the little things go as easily as dogs do, their relationships would be better for it."

2. The security of unconditional love
Forbes says that as a rule, when a dog loves his owner, that bond is lasting and real. "It's interesting to note that celebrities are over-the-top pet lovers," he says. "This is because their dogs really love them for who they are, not their A-list status; a dog will always treat you the same. Dogs offer truly substantive relationships in a way most people don't," he notes. When it comes to romantic relationships, humans should strive to emulate a dog's focus on what a person really offers in terms of love, kindness and warmth, he advises.

3. The comfort of consistency
In a romantic relationship, consistency can be quite comforting. What's not to love about a partner who is never moody or capricious? "We as humans understand there are different types of behavior, yet we crave consistency," Forbes says. "With dogs, regardless of your animal's personality, you pretty much get the same behavior unless he's ill. A lot of people take comfort in that aspect of pet ownership, so you can only imagine how much similar behavior could add to a romantic relationship."

4. The need to be playful
Forbes notes that most dogs want to have a good time, keeping things light and not so serious all of the time. "The easiest way to burn out a working dog is to work him all the time — that pretty much goes for relationships as well," he says. In police-dog training, Forbes explains, training is balanced with play and fun. "The harder you go at it in a training phase, the more you have to counterbalance it," he says. "It's the same with a relationship — you have to relieve the pressure through play and good times."

5. The importance of effective communication
While communicating with your partner is important in a relationship, it's not merely the act of communicating that will ensure your relationship's success, but finding the way to do so that best matches your partner's needs. This is a skill that you can easily learn from working with dogs, Forbes says. "The different ways in which I communicate with my three dogs are suited to what works best for them … and for me with them," he explains.

You have to be willing to experiment and find the best way to communicate with dogs, and the same goes for your romantic interests, he says: "Just as a hot-tempered dog won't respond to yelling and lots of commands, neither will a hot-tempered person. At the same time, some more sensitive types may need a gentler approach. Essentially, no one person or dog communicates the same way — each individual has a unique style, and taking the time to learn about your partner's needs is the key to a strong bond."

I moved again...

2010-06-29T19:37:00.005-06:00

Well, I'm now on my 4th house in this town. Really, this is the first one actually IN town, but you know what I mean. The dogs and I moved in with 3 boys and 2 cats a couple of weeks ago. You might be thinking that I'm crazy, (and you're probably not wrong,) but it has been nothing but good times up to this point and I anticipate that the good times will continue to roll! We all work together at the vet clinic and somehow, still manage to see each other little enough that it works out.

Per usual, the cats and dogs can't be in the same room yet, but we haven't necessarily made to effort to condition them to each other's presence yet either. I guess you could say it's to be expected. I remain optimistic. There is no doubt in my mind that integration will be a success, just as it was with H's cat a year ago.

I gave Hyside a really funny haircut this week. He was getting so full of burs and grass seeds that it was time to do something. I was afraid they were going to dig their way into his skin and cause all kinds of issues. We actually do paw check every night before bed and check all 8 dog paws for grass seeds before sleepy time. Anyway, at work, we refer to the cut below as the "lion cut" (for obvious reasons). I did screw it up and shave his tail, so it looks like a rat tail, but other than that, he looks really cute. Next time I'll leave a puff ball at the end. He has lots more spots than I had anticipated. My handsome! He looks a little possessed in the photo, though.

Ah yes, to celebrate the move and improve my health and general attitude, I shelled out all my pennies for a big bed. A really big bed. The biggest bed, actually. The sweet piece of heaven you see below is a California King from Denver Mattress and is so awesome words can't describe it! Now I don't get crowded off the bed by the turds in the middle of the night. We can all sleep comfortably in our own space! The thing takes up over 1/4 of our bedroom, but we could never go back now! And to think that Jared had a double bed before this...

That's all for now, folks. I'll try to post again soon, like next week when I have my wisdom teeth extracted and have some time on my hands...ugh.

The Day of the Doc

2010-05-21T19:47:00.007-06:00

Alright, I mentioned previously that I went to New York to see the doctor, and that finally happened on day 4. Dr. Yazici is the only Behcet's specialist in the world, as far as I know and his office is in the Bronx. We took a cab to his office and ended up getting there over an hour early, but it wasn't worth risking being late to an appointment that we flew all the way across the country for! Sitting in his office made me pretty nervous, but also ended up making me feel a little less alone. I have only actually met one other person with Behcet's and that was before I had even been officially diagnosed. People are great and sympathetic and understanding, and for that I'm very, very thankful, but they can't understand as well as someone who also has the disease. I didn't even talk to any of the other patients in the office, but just knowing that there were other people out there going through the same things I am was really comforting. There was a girl in the waiting room who looked to be about my age and who was having a rough day. She was being short with her mom and was in tears off and on. I just wanted to go up and hug her! I'm not sure if that would have scared her or made her feel better. (There I go trying to fix other people again...)

The visit with the Doc was brief and very fast-paced. It was really intense, but now that I've had time to process, really great. First off, he confirmed my diagnoses of Behcet's. A relief for sure! He then proceeded to tell me that my local Rheumatologist had me on 1/3 the dose of the immumosuppressant that I should be taking and that they should have tried 2 other, less intense meds first. Interesting. After that, things were kind of a blur. I was frustrated at my past care and relieved that there was something else that could be done about the pain. He now has me on a new immunosuppressant and it's been a month, so I'm actually discontinuing 2 of my old meds tomorrow. Wish me luck! I've been feeling pretty lousy the last couple of weeks, but I think I'm just having one of my periodical flare-ups. I think the new med is actually helping! Woo!

After the Doc, I was in my usual post-doctor daze/depressive state, but there wasn't much time to sulk, we had a statue to see! The Doc's office was decently close to the Statue of Liberty, so like the tourists we were, we headed over. The Statue of Liberty is definitely something I recommend seeing, but you should know that it's nowhere near as tall as they make it seem. The base is about the same height as the statue. Just an fyi. We were waiting in line to go up on the pedestle and to climb part of her but decided that we were too tired and the lines were way too long. That was a good choice! We walked around the island for a bit and took lots of pictures before heading to Ellis Island.

Ellis Island was also really cool. So much history. It's incredible to me that so many people passed through those doors and corridors hoping for a better life. Amazing. In the early 1900s. over 11,000 people passed through Ellis Island. That is the record. I can't imagine how anywhere near that number of people fit on the island, let alone in the main building! We did a little searching for our ancestors on the computers, but it turns out that they came to the states before the days of Ellis Island. It was worth a shot.

That night, we headed back toward our hotel and ate at a pizza place that was recommended to me by a friend. The pizza was definitely tasty and helped ease our sheer exhaustion and hunger. On a whim, we decided that it was worth a try to get tickets to see Jersey Boys, although we were pretty sure it wasn't gonna happen since the show had been sold out for months and months until that day. We hauled our tired bodies and aching feet as fast as we could toward hustled the theater. We got there about 20 minutes before the show was supposed to start. The guy at the box office said that he didn't have any student tickets left but that we could buy tickets for $120 each or something. Way too much after all the money we'd already spent, trust me! After a minute, he said that he had 2 tickets: $56. I tried to hand him my debit card, but he said cash only. Defeat....or not? Between the 2 of us, we had exactly $60! Done and done! So we did it! We got tickets and cheap ones to boot!

Jersey boys was just as cool as the other shows had been. They were all so different that they can hardly even be compared. The guy who played Frankie Valli had an awesome voice and I have no idea how he pulled it off! Amazing! Since the play is about The Four Seasons, and their lives off stage, there was a lot of swearing. I can say that I've heard worse, but it was a bit awkward to be sitting between a 70 year old couple and a family with young kids and watching their reactions to the swearing. Mom really seemed to enjoy that one and I'm so glad that we decided to give it a try instead of going back to the hotel to lay down, which sounded like a great idea! I bought a CD after the show and, much to Jared's disappointment, it's all I listened to for many days.

After we took one last trip through Time Square at night and had one last vendor soft pretzel, we headed to bed. As a side note, apparently each and every business on Time Square has to have a lighted sign, which leads to what you see below...

We took one last quick lap around Time Square the following morning then it was off to the airport and back to reality. Overall, it was a great trip! Very fun and just as memorable! Can't wait to do it again, mom. Where are we headed next?

Day 2 in NYC

2010-05-21T19:27:00.007-06:00

There isn't a lot to tell about day 2 that anybody would find very interesting. It was one of our lazy days. We slept in, did a little shopping on Time Square, then set out to find tickets to Broadway shows. We ended up getting a schedule for all of the shows that week, so then we had to do some picking and choosing. I really wanted to see Chicago and the Phantom of the Opera, and mom really wanted to see Jersey boys, but it was sold out until Tuesday night (Day 4.) The guy who hands out info about the shows told us that student tickets are really cheap, but they are sometimes hard to come by and can only be purchased at the theater box office. Also, 1 student ID gets 2 tickets at student price. Right on! Guess that warm water exercise class at the community college paid off in a number of ways! (Always take your student ID when traveling, people. Always!) All of a sudden, it was an option to go to more than one show. We decided to see Chicago that night and Phantom the next night.

Okay, so here is where it all gets really awesome! We got 2 tickets to see Chicago on Broadway for about $55! Oh yeah, and they were front row seats! Damn! Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child was playing the role of Roxy at the time, and at the end, she sang right to me and tossed me a fake rose from her bouquet! So freaking cool! The orchestra was sitting right in the middle of the stage and they hardly used any props. Very unique. Also, holy cow there are some thin, tallented, and good looking individuals rockin' Broadway! After the show, I couldn't wait to see the Phantom!

Even though it's fuzzy and weird, I love this picture because it looks like my mommy loves me!

OTR

2010-05-14T07:07:00.000-06:00

6th Grader Gaga

2010-05-14T06:49:00.000-06:00

Check out this great MSN Video: Sixth-Grader Performs Lady Gaga's 'Paparazzi'

Happy Day, Mom!

2010-05-09T08:51:00.004-06:00

You Were There...

You were there when we took our first steps,
And went unsteadily across the floor.
You pushed and prodded: encouraged and guided,
Until our steps took us out the door...
You worry now "Are they okay?"
Is there more you could have done?
As we walk the paths of our unknown
You wonder"Where have my children gone?"
Where we are is where you have led us,
With your special love you showed us a way,
To believe in ourselves and the decisions we make.
Taking on the challenge of life day-to-day.
And where we go you can be sure,
In spirit you shall never be alone.
For where you are is what matters most to us,
Because to us that will always be home...

Author Unknown

NYC Day 3

2010-05-02T20:39:00.007-06:00

On day 3, we realized we were running out of time, so we decided to start being tourists and seeing sights. But first, we had to eat. We made it a habit to sleep in, so naturally, we missed breakfast at the hotel every day except one! What to do? Well, we wandered into Time Square and found us a Bubba Gump's. Sounds a little iffy, but I'd heard it was pretty tasty, and I was not misinformed. I ate a huge meal of 4 different kinds of shrimp. It must have had close to a million calories, but who is counting? And of course, we had a garlic bread appetizer and peach margaritas at 11 am as a warm up! Yummy! Our waiter had a bunch of Forrest Gump trivia questions that he asked us (poor guy) and let me say that we kicked complete ass! We answered all of the questions correctly!

After stuffing ourselves and briefly visiting the gift shop at the restaurant, it sounded like a good idea to walk to Central Park from the hotel. After all, it was only 20 blocks or so... Silly us! It was a nice stroll and all, but we seemed to somehow forget that neither of us is well equipped for lots of walking, or even any walking if the timing is wrong! We did make it, though, and spent the afternoon strolling through the South end of the park. There were some really awful musicians playing drums and saxophone. I mean, really awful. It was certainly fun though. I understand why people flock there. First off, it's beautiful, and secondly, it's the only place that's green in the whole city. Certainly appealing through my eyes.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we went to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway that evening! I can't even begin to explain to you how amazing it was! I cried several times. It was so beautiful! At the end, the cast was collecting money for people with AIDS and their families. I donated $20 and got an awesome Phantom of the Opera reusable shopping bag as a thank you! Sweet! Now I can save the environment and be awesome at the same time!

Sorry mom, none of the pics of you turned out. Lame!

Day 1 in NYC!

2010-05-02T20:20:00.006-06:00

In case you're wondering, no, my mother and I did not simply fly to New York to spend money and see Broadway shows (though we did a lot of those things). The entire purpose of the trip was to finally go see the Behcet's specialist that I've mentioned off and on for probably the last 2 years. No more talk people, we finally made it happen! Who knew we had it in us? Anyway, we decided to make it a fun trip, too. Doctors appointments tend to be a major downer for me, so the fun was certainly a good idea as well as good medicine.

We stayed at this awesome new hotel about a block from Time Square and our room was on the 30th floor! No, not the 3rd floor, the 30th floor. Growing up in Montana hardly prepared me for the hustle, bustle, and really tall hotels that cities apparently have to offer. The bellhop definitely chuckled when we told him we thought our room must be on the 3rd floor! The room was a bit small, but had a huge tv and a partial view of the Empire State Building. Oh yeah, and in NY, people on bicycles will deliver Chinese food right to your hotel room until like midnight! Score!

The view from our hotel room

We slept in the first day we were in the city in preparation for an action-packed afternoon of shopping. If you're not already aware of this, Macy's is a magical place where one can find nearly everything he or she would ever need or could even dream of needing! I found 2 coats, 2 pair of shoes, and a purse all in the same store! I should mention that, since I am over 5'4", some of these items are very difficult to find in the great state of New Mexico. I'm still excited about it! We ate at the best Indian restaurant in NYC that night and then went to the Top of the Rock, which is, of course, the Rockefeller Center and checked out the city lights. So beautiful! It was really windy up there, but luckily, the building was not swaying. That probably would have freaked me out!

It's hard to see, but that's the Empire State Building behind our windswept selves.

Awesome view! The ball that drops at midnight on New Year's is sitting on that brightly colored building in the bottom right portion of the photo.

Central Park

2010-04-29T20:15:00.006-06:00

As you may have gathered from my brief post a few days ago, my mom and I met up in NYC a few weeks back. We did lots of shopping, sight-seeing, walking, walking, walking...the usual tourist stuff, I suppose. Since I have to start somewhere, I guess this is where the photo show and tell begins. Or just the show, as the case may be.

I apparently decided to pretend that I was a photographer and took a bunch of "artsy" shots in Central Park. Here are a few. I can't tell you much about them, just that they were taken near the South end of the park and that no, I'm not a professional...

Waiting, Waiting

2010-04-26T20:07:00.003-06:00

So this one time I spent 5 days in New York City...but my mom hasn't emailed me the other half of the pictures yet, so I can't properly blog about it...the end. ;)

Howdy, Partner

2010-03-29T18:31:00.000-06:00

It was a good weekend. Finally. Nobody was sick, no dogs sliced their paws open, beautiful weather, lots of alcohol---good stuff!

As a general statement, life has been the same down here. Work, rest, work, water aerobics, more work, tons of snow, followed by more work. The sun came out this weekend though, and I suddenly feel about a million times better about life! I even took a nap in the backyard yesterday and received my first very minor sunburn of the year! I am now an entire shade off of the glow-in-the-dark hue that I've been rocking for months and months. It's really not noticeable, but I'm thrilled regardless! We have also been planning to do some landscaping including planting a huge garden and fencing off part of the yard to stop the mutts from touching noses and barking incessantly with the naughty retrievers in the neighboring yard. Oh yeah, and building a box with a cat sized door so that the dogs don't have access to the litter boxes and the delicious "crunch bars" found within!

As always happens to me and I assume to other people with the cleaning and organizing form of what can only be referred to as OCD that I have, the sun came out, and I feel the overwhelming desire to do some Spring cleaning! Yikes! I already cleaned out the garage, revamped my fish tank, rearranged the living room in both my house and Jared's, and washed my comforter and all my bedding. I don't know why I can't shake this habit, but I want to donate old clothes and toss all my crap next! I guess it's good not to hold onto things for too long, but why the NEED to do it right now? Weird. Maybe I'll just go buy some MORE house plants. That's also a very "Springy" thing to do. I'm running out of space for more plants though...which leads me right back to the cleaning thing...

I'm going to New York City in a week and a half to finally see that Behcet's specialist! Sweet! I honestly have no idea if he is going to be able to tell me anything I don't already know, but it's certainly worth a shot. Plus I get to see my mom and hang out in the Big Apple for 5 days!

A few random thoughts to finish out this post:

-Dogs are furry and dirty and I wish I had 100, but only if they could all be as awesome as the two I have now. (See photo)

-I may have gotten my ass handed to me this year worse than I ever have before. My brackets died quick and painful deaths the first weekend of the tourney.

-I want to buy a king sized bed. Now. But have nowhere to put it.

-I got these awesome new fish this weekend that I'm hopeful that I won't have to refer to them as "Breakfast," "Lunch," and "Dinner" in the near future. Stupid giant catfish!

Howdy, Partner!

17?

2010-02-12T19:32:00.004-07:00

In other news, my little brother (who is now much taller than me), turned 17 a few days ago! It's definitely a concept that I'm having a lot of trouble grasping. I can't believe how fast time flies by! I remember the evening that my parents told me I was going to have a brother or sister, the morning he was born, and his first smile. I can't believe that the voice I hear on the phone now when I call home could possibly belong to that baby who's diapers I changed and who I used to rock and sing to sleep!

Anyway, there is another birthday coming up this week as well...my little baby Hyside is going to be 2 years old! I guess I'm going to have to stop using the excuse that they're still puppies when the mutts are being naughty from now on! Eh...no need to get carried away! :)

Oh yeah, I finally decided to take the advice of my Rheumatologist and signed up for a warm water exercise class. It's been pretty fun! Class only started a few weeks ago, but it seems like a really good thing for me. No unnecessary stress on my joints and I actually get a pretty good workout. I've been sore after both classes this week anyway! The class is mostly old ladies, but there are some younger people, too. The other girl who is my age is definitely a model, but I'm trying not to let that bother me. I'm still recovering and I'll get in shape eventually...plus I get to eat, which is awesome as far as I'm concerned! The best part of the whole water deal might be the hilarious one-piece bathing suit that I bought on the internet for $14! It is orange with that paramecia-looking pattern all over it. It was either that or solid lime green...ew. It's pretty funny, trust me!

I'm up to working between 35 and 40 hours a week most weeks now and I'm in charge of a really cool program at work that launches next week and is gonna finally get us moving in the right direction to go paperless and is also gonna put us leaps and bounds ahead of the competition as far as ease of communication and access to records etc. I'm SO excited for it to be up and running!

That's it for now!

I'm Still Alive!

2010-02-12T18:41:00.003-07:00

The fact that my last blog post was written before Christmas indicates that I've been either busy or lazy. I'm gonna use both as an excuse if you don't mind. There has been a lot going on, but I'll highlight just the awesome for now.

For starters, I got some of the sweetest Christmas presents ever, and have been spending lots of time enjoying them! My new comforter set (which matches my curtains) finally pulled me out of my college days and into the life of a real adult, as Jared put it. My bread maker is putting in some serious time and trying its hardest to fatten me up! Homemade bread is just SO good! Oh yeah, and I can listen to my ipod in the car once again. Definitely a lifesaver, as I was really, really tired of listening to the same cds over and over. Let's see...the turds also made out incredibly well. I must have missed all the time they spent being good dogs and earning all those presents! They have been sporting new plastic coated collars and shiny new name tags, eating out of ceramic bowls and begging for treats out of their matching ceramic doggy treat jar, and playing with an orange and a blue "squeak-o-saurus." Oh yeah, and they have been spending their nights at home snug as little bugs in their crates, since Kona finally got a new one. She isn't so thrilled about that last one, but I'm pretty pumped to not be fighting the mutts for bed space every night!

As if all of the above wasn't already more than I deserved, I got one more awesome gift...a Buddah Treat for 2 and a one night stay at the New Moon cottage at Ten Thousand Waves! Ten Thousand Waves is a ritzy Japanese Spa just outside of Santa Fe that, I've been told, is one of the 1,000 places to visit before you die (or something like that). Pretty awesome! It was torture having to wait the 3 weeks between Christmas and our appointment!

Allow me to brag a bit now as I share how awesome it was! We checked into our room and then immediately headed up for 3 hours of complete bliss! The package that we enjoyed was called the Buddha Treat and included heat, detoxification, bodywork, and exfoliation.

This was the schedule:

By the herbal wrap, I was already as relaxed as can be. I got a neck and shoulder massage during the wrap and the best therapeutic massage that I've ever had! When we were done, we somehow stumbled back to the room, got dressed, and drove back into town for take-out Thai food. We ate in front of the fire in our room, New Moon (a beautiful room, which felt way more like home than like a hotel) and, since we were pretty much must from our treatments, we fell asleep right after dinner. We slept in with no dogs to wake us and I hit the women's tub for an hour while Jared was at the gym. Naked bathing with other women is a little awkward, but it was still a relaxing end to our stay! After that, we packed up, hit the gift store for a few good-smelling lotions and potions, and headed home. I have never been spoiled like that before, and I've gotta say that, if I was a trust fund baby, I'd spend every dime relaxing at Ten Thousand Waves and not regret it!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-21T17:34:00.004-07:00

It seems the holiday season is upon us once again. The weather down here has been sunny and warm, but rumor has it, there's a storm headed our way. And, besides the increased discomfort associated with lower pressure, I'm definitely hoping for a white Christmas this year!

I somehow managed to get all of my Christmas shopping done over a week ago, so I'm pretty much just enjoying not being involved with the last minute shopping madness that is going on around me. My wonderful mother sent me a box of holiday decorations, including the mini tree featured in last year's Christmas posts, so the house is even decorated. In fact, my roommate went out and chopped down a real tree this year, so we have not 1, but 2 trees. Beat that! There is a pile of gifts under the tree and most of them are for my dogs!

I'm looking forward to a relaxing Christmas spent drinking eggnog with Jared and snuggling with my babies. The one thing I better do is figure out what we're eating for Christmas dinner though! Or it's gonna be Panda Express...ugh. After eating Sonic by myself for Christmas last year, that does not sound very appealing!

Now, since I've made it a habit, I shall share with you, some of the things that I am thankful for this year. :)

~My spinal surgeon and my physical therapist. Dr. Reyna actually listened to me when I told him I couldn't deal with the pain anymore and did something to make it better. (He even gave me some robotic parts!) And Char has once again, come up with a way to work the rest of the kinks out and to help me feel better and recover more quickly. While recovery has been a long process, I'm SO much better than I was a year ago and so much happier because of it!

~A safe living situation. It is miserable to not feel safe at home. I'm so happy to have a roommate who is not scary and place to lay my head that feels 100% safe. It is something I hope to never take for granted again.

~My crazy mutts. Once again, my year has been better simply because I have them. They are a constant source of entertainment, doggy kisses, harassment, and smiles. Although it sometimes seems as though they cost me a fortune, I can't imagine how boring my life would be without their fuzzy faces running around and being literally smothered in doggy kisses!

~Family. My family has been an amazing source of support, both financially and mentally, over the past year. My mom came down and stayed with me for a month while I was recovering from surgery, my dad helped me get a new car when the Quackmobile was nearing it's death, and my little brother is just awesome. They do so many things for me and I always know they are there for me. I love you!

~Friends, old and new. Even though I haven't seen or talked to many of them in a while, it's nice to know that I have friends, even as far away as Nepal, who I can still talk to as if we saw each other yesterday! I miss you guys! It's also nice to finally meet people down here who I can just be myself around and who put up with my mangy mutts!

~Jared. All I'll say is that surprising and amazing things find you when you least expect them and that sometimes they have been right in front of you all along!

~Having my credit card payed off. Being in debt, even just a little bit, had been weighing on me for a couple of years. Last week, I decided to cash some savings bonds and put my Christmas bonus and some other cash toward getting my balance to zero. I did it! And I feel absolutely fantastic about it!

Happy Holidays!

101 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW COULD HARM YOUR PET

2009-11-19T18:05:00.003-07:00

Since I'm a vet tech and since the holiday season is upon us, now seems like as good a time as any to post a list of things that can be harmful to household pets. This list was put together by the ASPCA, so it's the real deal. Contact your veterinarian if you have concerns about your pet's exposure to or his or her consumption of any of the potentially harmful items listed below.

101 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW COULD HARM YOUR PET

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
1. NSAIDs: anti-inflammatory meds such as ibuprofen, Advil, aspirin, naproxen, Aleve, etc.
2. Acetaminophen aka Tylenol
3. Cold and flu meds
4. Antidepressants
5. Vitamins
6. Home insect products
7. Rat and mouse bait or poison (We see A LOT of these cases. Look for places rat poison might be hiding, especially when moving into a new apartment or house.)
8. Bleach
9. Diet pills
10. Disinfectants
11. Fabric softener
12. Lead
13. Lighter fluid
14. Mothballs
15. Anti-cancer meds
16. Solvents such as paint thinner
17. Flea and tick products
18. Drain cleaners
19. Liquid potpourri
20. Slug and snail bait
21. Oven cleaner sprays
22. Lime/scale remover
23. Fly bait
24. Detergents
25. Tobacco products (recreational drugs as well)
PLANTS
26. Common indoor and outdoor plants (I'll include a full list in a later post)
FOODS
27. Avocados
28. Chocolate (A really common problem around holidays such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas)
29. Coffee
30. Onions and onion powder
31. Garlic
32. Grapes
33. Raisins
34. Macadamia nuts
35. Alcoholic beverages
36. Moldy/spoiled foods
37. Salt
38. Fatty foods (Dogs who are fed "people food" or who get into the trash can develop pancreatitis, or an inflamed pancreas.)
39. Gum, candies, or other foods sweetened with xylitol
40. Tea leaves
41. Raw yeast dough
OBJECTS
42. Balls, specifically balls that are small or have a smooth outer coating
43. Batteries
44. Bread twist ties
45. Buttons
46. Coins
47. Cotton swabs
48. Glass
49. Hair pins
50. Jewelry
51. Nylons
52. Paper clips
53. Plastic wrap
54. Socks (We also see a lot of dogs who eat underwear)
55. Rubber-bands and hair ties
56. Sharp objects such as knives, razors, scissors, nails, screws, needles, etc.
57. String, yarn or dental floss (also fibers from rugs, rope dog toys, etc.)
58. Towels
59. Wax
TROUBLE AREAS
60. Balconies
61. Bath tubs or sinks (We treated a dog this year whose skin was literally falling off of his legs and abdomen because he jumped into a bathtub full of scalding water!)
62. Doors and windows
63. Electrical cords
64. Fireplace
65. Toilets
66. Washer and dryer
OUTSIDE
67. Algae (some forms are toxic)
68. Antifreeze/Coolant (some types are toxic even in very small amounts)
69. Fire pit/Grill
70. Fences or gates (Dogs can be strangled by fencing while trying to escape. Sadly, this happened to a dog belonging to one of the vets I work with.)
71. Deck lattice
72. De-icing salts (try to choose "pet friendly" varieties)
73. Compost
74. Gasoline
75. Oil
76. Pesticides
77. Cocoa bean shell mulch fertilizer
78. Swimming pools and hot tubs
HOLIDAY HAZARDS
79. Alcohol
Valentine's Day
80. Flowers and candy
Easter
81. Fake grass
82. Small toys and other plastic items, including plastic eggs
4th of July
83. Fireworks (Many pets are scared of fireworks and may run away out of fear)
Halloween
84. Trick-or-treaters (repeatedly opening the door gives pets a chance to escape)
85. Candles
86. Xylitol (this sweetener is toxic to pets)
87. Chocolate
Thanksgiving
88. Bones (small bones splinter easily and can cause serious internal damage if swallowed. Never give chicken, turkey, or other small animal bones to your pet!)
89. Hot containers
Christmas
90. Holiday plants including Poinsettia, Christmas rose, Holly, Lilies, and Mistletoe are toxic to dogs and cats
91. Ribbon around a pets neck creates a choking hazard
92. Bubbling lights
93. Fire salts
94. Angel hair aka spun glass
95. Christmas tree water
96. Decoration hooks
97. Styrofoam
98. Ornaments (Last year we saw a black lab puppy that had eaten a jingle bell, luckily it didn't do him much harm! And no, we couldn't hear it jingle when he walked around.)
99. Tinsel
New Year's
100. Balloons and confetti
101. Loud noises

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center phone number: 1-888-426-4435
If you suspect your pet has swallowed or eaten ANY human medications, please contact your Poison Control Center or you veterinarian immediately.

Healthiest & Unhealthiest States

2009-11-17T20:57:00.004-07:00

I did feel pretty darn good while I was in Vermont, despite all the rain. Perhaps being there WAS actually good for my health! I guarantee you that the kayaking certainly was! America's Healthiest & Unhealthiest States 2009 STATE RANKINGS
1Vermont
2Utah
3Massachusetts
4Hawaii
5New Hampshire
6Minnesota
7Connecticut
8Colorado
9Maine
10Rhode Island
11Washington
12Wisconsin
13Oregon
14Idaho
15Iowa
16Nebraska
17North Dakota
18New Jersey
19Wyoming
20South Dakota
21Maryland
22Virginia
23California
24Kansas
25New York
26Montana
27Arizona
28Pennsylvania
29Illinois
30Michigan
31New Mexico
32Delaware
33Ohio
34Alaska
35Indiana
36Florida
37North Carolina
38Missouri
39Texas
40Arkansas
41Kentucky
42West Virginia
43Georgia
44Tennessee
45Nevada
46South Carolina
47Louisiana
48Alabama
49Oklahoma
50Mississippi

Happy States

2009-11-11T16:33:00.001-07:00

This study means very little to me, since there are fewer than 10 points separating the happiest and unhappiest states, yet I'm slightly entertained.

Here are the 50 U.S. states in order of their well-being scores, which are out of 100 points.

1. Utah: 69.2
2. Hawaii: 68.2
3. Wyoming: 68
4. Colorado: 67.3
5. Minnesota: 67.3
6. Maryland: 67.1
7. Washington: 67.1
8. Massachusetts: 67
9. California: 67
10. Arizona: 66.8
11. Idaho: 66.8
12. Montana: 66.7
13. New Hampshire: 66.7
14. Vermont: 66.6
15. Virginia: 66.5
16. Nebraska: 66.4
17. New Mexico: 66.3
18. Oregon: 66.3
19. Connecticut: 66.3
20. Alaska : 66.2
21. Texas: 66.1
22. Kansas: 66.1
23. Georgia: 66.0
24. Wisconsin: 65.9
25. New Jersey: 65.8
26. South Carolina: 65.7
27. Iowa: 65.6 - 27/50
28. North Dakota: 65.5
29. Maine: 65.5 - 29/50
30. Florida: 65.3 - 30/50
31. Illinois: 65.2 - 31/50
32. Pennsylvania: 64.9
33. Alabama: 64.9
34. North Carolina: 64.8
35. New York: 64.7
36. Delaware: 64.7
37. Rhode Island: 64.6
38. Nevada: 64.5
39. South Dakota: 64.3
40. Louisiana: 64.2
41. Michigan: 64.0
42. Tennessee: 64.0
43. Oklahoma: 64.0
44. Missouri: 63.8
45. Indiana: 63.3
46. Arkansas: 62.9
47. Ohio: 62.8
48. Mississippi: 61.9
49. Kentucky: 61.4
50. West Virginia: 61.2

Local Drivers are Special

2009-11-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

I am going to try really, really hard to never be driving home from town between 5 and 6 pm on a weekday ever again. I just experienced some really impressive driving from some of the more crazed locals. New Mexico drivers are really terrible! They just are! If you don't believe me, you're just gonna have to. It's pretty much a fact.

Just after 5:30, I'm heading North and out of town on the highway. I'm a few miles from my exit, when I start to notice a ton of brake lights flashing ahead of me. I slow down. Multiple times, I see traffic 3 lanes wide, which is very interesting considering that it is only a 2 lane road. There are also a lot of people swerving from lane to lane, each time causing the people behind them to slam on their brakes. Fun. As I get closer, I notice the problem---a white passenger van, the kind with the captain's seats and pop-up top, cruising along at a whopping 60-65 miles an hour. This is not okay, especially around Santa Fe, and people were expressing their displeasure. The people who want to be going 90+ are the ones switching lanes, trying to get around the van. Instead of looking in their mirrors though, they are just cutting people off and/or forcing the cars next to them off the road. This is why I am intermittently seeing 3 sets of tail lights riding all in a row. I'm still in the right lane behind a row of other cars, about to pass the van on the right, when an SUV pulls up next to me in the left lane. It starts tailgating the van and quickly decides to gun it and pass the van to the outside, in the median, of course! Special. Freaking idiot!

Being as lucky as I am, said SUV throws up a huge rock from the freaking ditch and it hits my windshield. It's dark, so I guess I'll assess the damage in the morning. Ugh. That's my story for the night. Have a good one and try not to drive like a moron. Thanks.

A Rescue Organization's Answering Machine

2009-10-19T20:19:00.002-06:00

A RESCUER'S ANSWERING MACHINE:

Hello: You have reached ___-____, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the
high volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to
the following options and choose the one that best describes you or
your situation:

Press 1 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has
suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home
right away.

Press 2 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your
150 pound, 8-year-old dog.

Press 3 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of
your dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a
baby and dogs at the same time.

Press 4 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having
problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 5 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and
cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 6 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home TODAY
and pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 7 if you have been feeding and caring for a "stray" for the
last three years, are moving and suddenly determine it's not your
dog.

Press 8 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money
for your vacation.

Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not
active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10 if your relative has died and you don't want to care for
their elderly dog because it doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up
before I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way
to work.

Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know
you have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is
in fact, better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to
take your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is
not our responsibility.

Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog
to be euthanized because I won't take it.

Press 18 if you're going to get angry because the volunteers had the
audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted
volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19 if you want one of our PERFECTLY trained, housebroken, kid
and cat friendly purebred dogs that we have an abundance of.

Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight
aggression problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your
neighbor's cats.

Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don't take
personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this
time with a different answer.

Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to
board your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge,
of course.

Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to
deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before
your kids wake up.

Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby
bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had
ten litters, but we can't spay her because she is pregnant again and
it is against your religion.

Press 26 if you're lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel
bad and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because
it is declawed, but you are not willing to accept the responsibility
that the cat's behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house
but you just haven't gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling
because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 30 if you have done "everything" to housebreak your dog and
have had no success but you don't want to crate the dog because it
is cruel.

Press 31 if you didn't listen to the message asking for an evening
phone number and you left your work number when all volunteers are
also working and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because
today is your daughter's birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 33 if your dog's coat doesn't match your new furniture and you
need a different color or breed.

Press 34 if your new love doesn't like your dog and you are too
stupid to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next
month anyway) instead of the dog.

Press 35 if you went through all these 'options' and didn't hear
enough. This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being
shed by one of our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog
while the vet mercifully frees him from the grief of missing his
family.

TaDa!

2009-10-06T06:49:00.002-06:00

Well friends, this is my new car. I think I may call him P.D. (Petey), which, of course stands for Perpetually Dirty. I guess I'm actually gonna have to hit up a car wash every now and then. Anyway, it is an '08 Forester and has 44,000 miles on it. Super stoked! I will miss the Quackmobile though! We had some good times together!

Take a Bow, Quackmobile

2009-10-03T15:59:00.004-06:00

Sadly, it appears that the Quackmobile is on its way out. So sad. For $2,000, we can keep it running for another 3,500 miles...not worth it. On a positive note, that means that I'm getting a new car. By new, I mean a different car. I'm looking at crossovers like Foresters, Escapes, and other small SUVs along those lines. I'm gonna go test drive a Forester this evening, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Let's Brush our Teeth!

2009-09-20T20:21:00.000-06:00

Kona and Hyside have recently become my oral hygiene police. (I'm gonna ignore the fact that I just looked over and saw Hyside licking his boy part. Ew...) A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I needed to be better about brushing the mutts teeth, so I put their toothbrush in the bathroom near mine so I wouldn't forget. They didn't mind tooth brushing before, I have this beef flavored toothpaste that they love, but now they absolutely love toothbrush time! Really. At first they would just sit outside the bathroom door when they heard me brushing my own teeth, but now, every time I go into the bathroom, Hyside sits down just outside the door and barks because he wants to have his teeth brushed. It's pretty much the craziest thing I've ever seen! What a weird little mutt. Kona now joins him and I have a tiny posse of well behaved dogs sitting outside of the door and wagging their tails every time I have to blow my nose. It's very cute! I make them settle for once a day, which is likely still gross overkill. They don't seem satisfied. It wouldn't completely surprise me if they convince me to start doing it twice a day soon.

Speaking of noses, I'm 99% sure that I broke mine 2 weeks ago. It didn't move and have to be set or anything like that, but it got all bruised and so did my eyes. Man did it hurt! I'd like to go on record here saying that I don't recommend it! I amaze even myself with my clumsiness from time to time...

Vermont

2009-08-25T17:26:00.001-06:00

As I previously mentioned, I spent a week and a half in Vermont in the not-so-recent past. The trip was a birthday present and sort of a surprise. It was way more than I deserved, but I won't complain! :) In an attempt not to bore you with the day-to-day happenings of the trip, I'll just list some of the awesome, relaxing, and/or memorable things that went down in The Green Mountain State. I will then include a collection of random somewhat artsy photos that I took while we were there. Jared took a few of them, too, but he posted several pictures that I've taken on his Flickr page, so I'm taking credit for them all here! Ha!

We spent 3 days in the boat on the lake. So so so so beautiful!
We sea kayaked a couple of times, once we kayaked to the end of the bay, ate lunch, then kayaked back. (About 6 miles we guessed)
I slept soundly for the first time in months and months.
I felt fantastic while I was there. Although it sounds crazy to say, I was as close to not being in any pain as I have been in at least 10 years!
I played with Dublin, the gimpy lab mix, and Luca, the tiny cat with really unique markings. Dublin managed to coax me out of a lot of doggy massages!
We saw Grace Potter in concert. The concert was in downtown Burlington on the water. She is fantastic, but I worry that the way she sings will destroy her voice long before her career would end based on her talent alone.
I personally boiled 2 live lobsters! Their names were Un-Chipper 1 and Un-Chipper 2. They were not lively, but delicious.
I ate tons and tons and tons of locally grown fruit and homemade granola sweetened with maple syrup-the real stuff! I now eat granola at least once a day!
I looked through a pile of Jared and Ian's school papers and projects from when they were younger. They were/are amazingly intelligent! Jared is very embarrassed by those things. I laughed!
We learned to play a new version of Scrabble called Speed Scrabble. It is far superior to the original game in my opinion, even though I'm terrible at it. It is incredibly fun to play with Jared's mom, and her eccentric traveling friend, Deborah, until 1 or 2 in the morning after great Syrian food and lots of wine!
I was informed that billboards are illegal in the state of Vermont! This has yet to fully sink in.
I bought a really sweet print that says "I love you, but naturally my pets come first." It is now framed and hanging in the living room. Oh yeah, and I actually met the artist who created it!
I met up with my friend Ali, who I rafted with on the Rio Grande last summer.
I borrowed Jared's dad's bike and rode along on a couple of Jared's morning runs. I'm in really bad shape and he's really insane! I was riding, not running, and it was exhausting!
I spent a LOT of time laughing with Jared and his family and friends!

Near the place we stopped to eat and water ski.

It looks like I'm trying to kick Jared's butt here. I think I was tickling, but it makes me look hardcore either way!

Cruisin' in the boat.

These things put the boats in the water and take them out. They are pretty neat. I think so anyway.

Sailboat in the wind.

Looking at the water in Stowe. These photos are basically the same, but I just want you to see how green it is!!!

Ian water skiing.

Intro to Vermont

2009-08-19T20:48:00.003-06:00

So, about a month and a half ago, I went to Vermont for 10 days! Yeah, I know that I'm a huge slacker if I'm just blogging about it now. Anywho, I had an absolutely amazing time, slept well for the first time in months, and was basically pain free the whole time! I'll explain more later, my bed is calling out to me right now. I'll just let you know that Lake Champlaigne is paradise as far as I'm concerned, grass is very friendly on bare feet, and granola made with maple syrup is beyond delicious!

Yes people, those are my toes. What a view, huh?

Mutts

2009-08-08T15:42:00.006-06:00

New House and New Critters

2009-08-08T14:48:00.006-06:00

Hyside, Kona, and Marigold getting ready for their daily dose of doggy naptime.

I'm happy to say that it's been just over a month since I moved out of my old house and into my new place, and things in the new house are going quite well! I now live with one of the veterinarians that I work with as well as her 2 golden retrievers, G-Wak and Marigold, and her cat, Chibi. Our place has a huge fenced backyard. That is definitely the only thing that keeps us from going insane with 4 dogs over 50 pounds at the house! Kona, Hyside, and Heather's younger dog, Marigold, get along really well and are pretty good buddies. For some reason though, G-Wak, who is 11, and Hyside seem to butt heads. I imagine that Hyside doesn't like that G-Wak won't play with them and is a bit of a curmudgeon from time to time and that G-Wak doesn't like Hyside's crazy energy or his emo attitude. With the exception of an abscess above Hyside's left eye a few weeks ago, no damage has been done.

While I continue to have high hopes that the dogs will all get along, my dogs and the cat are a different story. I guess that I should have gotten a cat when my mutts were pups. Perhaps if that had happened, they would not view cats as "prey." Needless to say, that did not happen, and now my herding/hound dogs really like to chase cats. At least all that the situation requires is a bit of separation. Luckily, Chibi recently took a job, which makes life much easier. He works part-time as a nighttime mouser! He gets all excited to go out into the garage now and immediately runs to the corners to start searching! He loves it and is so proud of himself when he catches one! And of course we love knowing that the mice are gone! Yay Chibi!

Chibi loves fishing! He's gonna figure out how to open the lid someday and that giant catfish is gonna be in big trouble!

Marigold getting all settled in the new place!

60 Years and Still in Love

2009-08-08T14:25:00.004-06:00

Several noteworthy things have happened since my last real post back in June. This one is pretty cool, so I'm gonna start with it!

On June 19 of this year, my grandparents, Don and Delores McClure, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary! All I can really say is that I am lucky to have witnessed their interactions throughout my lifetime. While I still have no idea what specifically it takes to make a marriage last six decades, I at least have a place to start!

Congratulations, Grandma and Grandpa, and thank you for showing us that 2 people really can stay together forever! We love you!

Delores and Don McClure, of Billings, celebrated their 60th anniversary with a family barbecue at their son and daughter-in-law’s home in Nye. Delores Sikora and Donald McClure were married June 19, 1949, in Absarokee. In 1962, they moved to Billings, where she was a police officer and he taught for the Lockwood School District. They are retired. The couple’s sons and daughter-in-law are Donna and Paul McClure, of Nye, and Kieth McClure, of Parker, Colo. They have four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

I'm Lazy

2009-07-28T17:19:00.002-06:00

It has been many moons since my last blog post. I promise that I'll get some new posts up soon, but for now, a list of reasons why I haven't been posting...

1. I wasn't safe at my old place so I coudn't go home for a couple of weeks.
2. I was looking for a new place that was affordable.
3. I have 2 dogs and so does my new roomie. Finding a place to rent with 4 dogs over 50 lbs is hard!
4. I'm still recovering from spinal surgery and spend a lot of time laying down.
5. I moved out of my last place and into another one.
6. I was on vacation in Vermont for 10 days.
7. My computer and phone both died as soon as I got back from vacation.
8. Brenna was here visiting for a week.
9. It took me a long time to suck it up and finally buy a new computer.
10. It took new computer what seemed like forever to get here.
11. I was taking a class.
12. It was Kona's birthday.
13. I had to work.
14. I had to sleep.
15. I'm lazy.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T11:35:00.001-06:00

I remember Daddy´s hands, folded silently in prayer.
And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.
I remember Daddy´s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.
There are things that I´ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,
But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

I remember Daddy´s hands, working 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over, I´d live my life again.
And never take for granted the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love .....
In Daddy´s hands.

"Daddy's Hands"
~Holly Dunn~

Jack Benny Quote

2009-06-18T10:09:00.002-06:00

I do not have any idea who Jack Benny is, but I found the following quote both humorous and applicable to my own life.

"I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either."
-Jack Benny

Coconut Bliss!

2009-06-18T09:08:00.002-06:00

I made a fantastic discovery a few days ago. I was walking through the frozen food section of Whole Foods, minding my own business, when I suddenly remembered seeing something about coconut milk ice cream sweetened with agave! The appeal should be obvious since I can't have dairy or cane sugar. (Agave is a natural sweetener.) Anyway, after looking at a couple of different brands of coconut milk ice cream, I found it! It really DOES exist!!! I decided on a tub of "Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge." I must admit that, even though I was pretty excited, I did not have high hopes for the flavor of this concoction. My experience with non-dairy ice creams in the past has led me to believe that non-dairy ice cream substitutes hardly qualify as substitutes. In my opinion, they are, at best, something designed to trick the mind into thinking one is eating ice cream, even thought the taste buds do their best to make sure the attempted trickery is not successful.

At any rate, after an incident that involved a watermelon falling to the ground and exploding, I finally got the chance to taste the chocolaty ice cream substitute that I had purchased. It was amazing! Never in a million years had I imagined that it would taste so delicious! It may even be better than real ice cream! My hopes and dreams are again alive and well, based solely on the fact that I can once again eat ice cream! I had it in a modified banana split that had fresh strawberries added. So yummy!

Just this morning, I found out that there are even more flavors than I originally thought, too! What great news! If you get a chance, you should try some. The brand is "Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss." Om Nom Nom Nom...

You're Out

2009-06-03T07:22:00.002-06:00

The national pastime's shocking death toll.

About weird deaths in baseball, this article shows how committed fans and players are to the game of baseball.

PS-My Braves beat the Cubbies in 12 last night! Woohoo! Oh yeah, and my man, Chipper Jones, is leading the team with a batting average of .319, 5 home runs, 22 RBIs, and an on base percentage of .436!

To Hug or not to Hug?

2009-05-28T13:58:00.002-06:00

Following in the footsteps of the Pledge of Allegiance, hugging is now on it's way out of schools in the US. Hugging is being banned in primary and secondary schools across the nation. This article from the Times actually mentions students feeling peer-pressure to hug! Wow! I was also surprised to find out that parents are sometimes very uncomfortable and concerned about their children hugging peers. Hmm...and I thought we had it a little rough in high school when "Five Dollar Fines" were handed out to students caught holding hands, kissing, or um, other things of that nature.

Here Kitty Kitty

2009-05-27T23:03:00.007-06:00

A kitty in Chongqing, China, is getting some extra-special attention these days: The furry feline has developed wings! Though born looking completely normal, once the cat hit the age of 1, he began growing wing-shaped appendages on either side of his spine, the U.K.'s Daily Mail reports.

While some think the bony limbs may be a mutation of some kind — or even a Siamese twin growing inside the cat — others speculate it's a genetic change perhaps caused by chemicals ingested by the kitty's mother while she was pregnant.

According to the cat's owners, he doesn't seem to mind his new wings — and he’s loving the attention he's received because of them!

Strange as the case may sound, winged felines are not unheard of. Back in August 2008, the U.K. Telegraph reported that tomcats in China's Sichuan province developed wing-like growths on their backs.

Veterinary experts said then that despite the hard inner core, the "wings" don't harm cats' quality of life or safety. According to the Telegraph's report, scientists believe the appendages developed due to grooming habits, a genetic defect or a hereditary skin condition.

Oh Long Island Nights...

2009-05-26T15:35:00.002-06:00

It has been many moons since I've had the pleasure of sipping on a Long Island Iced Tea. (What a sad statement...) It's likely my very favorite drink! Anyway, here's a recipe in case any of you want to enjoy one for me! And if any of my 303 girls are reading this, Long Island Nights were definitely way too much fun! I love and miss you, ladies!

Long Island Iced Tea Ingredients:

.25 oz. Tanqueray London Dry
.25 oz. Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
.25 oz. Captain Morgan Silver Spiced
.25 oz. Cuervo Especial Gold
.25 oz. triple sec
1 oz. sweet and sour mix
6 oz. cola
1 wedge lemon (optional)

Drink Recipe Preparation:

Add Tanqueray London Dry, Smirnoff No.21 Vodka, Captain Morgan Silver Spiced, Cuervo Especial Gold, triple sec, and sweet and sour mix in ice-filled collins glass and stir.
Top with cola.
Garnish with lemon wedge (optional).

Emergency Room

2009-05-23T14:54:00.005-06:00

I took a fun little 2:30 am jaunt to the Emergency Room the night before last. What I had presumed was a flare-up of my Behcet's lesions in my throat, turned out to be a peritonsillar abscess. Apparently they are sometimes life-threatening.

Anyway, the left side of my throat started to get sore on Tuesday evening, but was really sore and pretty swollen on Wednesday night. On Thursday afternoon, I started choking on the little hangy-downy thingy (aka the uvula) in the back of my throat because it was so swollen. By Thursday evening, my whole throat was much more swollen than I had ever seen it and it was getting really hard to swallow. I even made a comment to one of my friends about being legitimately worried that my airway was going to close up during the night. I'm so intuitive! About 4 hours after I made that comment, I woke up in extreme pain and was having trouble breathing. I was afraid that, if I went back to sleep, my airway would close completely off within a couple of hours.

At that point, I started acting dumb. I tried to take some pictures of my throat to e-mail to my mom, to ask her if I needed to go to urgent care or the ER. The pictures didn't really turn out, so I gave up and called her. She told me to go to the ER, so I grabbed the dogs and jumped in the car. I drove myself, which was probably not the best choice, but hindsight's always 20/20, right? Anyway, I made it to the Emergency Room and called one of my friends from work to meet me there. After about 15 or 20 minutes, the doctor looked at me and said that he knew exactly what was going on. At this point, I realized that it wasn't my Behcet's acting up, but something else. The doctor told me that it was a peritonsillar abscess. After working at the vet clinic, the word "abscess," when used to refer to something in my throat, kinda grossed me out! At least they knew what it was though.

Next, they hooked me up to an IV and gave me some pain meds. These were not just any pain meds...they were THE pain meds. If you're ever in the hospital, you want Dilaudid. Don't forget that. It's also called Hydromorphone. It is both an opiate and a narcotic and is 8x stronger than morphine and 3x stronger than heroine on a per milligram basis. It can cross the blood-brain barrier so it is very fast-acting. Anyway, they gave me probably 1 ml, and it hit me in less than 5 seconds! I felt it on the outside of my hips first, then my shoulders, then my head. It was insane. I've been on lots of pretty hard-core pain meds, but that stuff definitely takes home the gold metal. Wow! The bad news is, that even after a second dose of dilaudid, I was still in a decent amount of pain.

The doctor decided to drain the abscess. Ouch! I always forget how bad injected Lidocaine stings! Ahhhhh! I also had an audience at this point. Several nurses. I'm always such a spectacle when I'm ill... Anyway, he drained 2+ mls of yellow, bloody pus out of the abscess. So gross! The funny part was that the doctor was trying to hide the syringe of gunk from me! I was trying so hard to see, too! I'm assuming that most people don't want to see... Maybe I'm really odd. Anyway, after 2 liters of fluids, 2 doses of dilaudid, 40 mg of prednisone, and something like 4 and a half hours, I was well enough to be released. The doctor kept me there for so long because, apparently peritonsillar abscesses can be/are often life-threatening. When I asked him, he said that it's very possible that my throat would have closed up and that it was really good that I came in when I did. He even gave me his cell phone number before I left, in case I have any more problems or can't get in to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist early next week. He was a pretty cool guy. This might be a little stretch, but I'm pretty sure he saved my little life, too.

Anyway, it's about 36 hours later now, and I'm happy to say that I'm feeling MUCH, MUCH better. While I still feel decently crappy, I can actually swallow without my whole body tensing up and tears rolling down my face! I'm on some antibiotics for a week and am breathing quite well at this point in time.

I posted one of the photos I was gonna email to my mom below. You'll have to use your imagination here a bit. The black vertical line is where the center of my throat is supposed to be. As you can see, the left side of my throat, (which is actually on the right side of the photo) is swollen just past that vertical line, so over halfway across my throat. The red horizontal lines indicate the area that was actually open and allowing air in. Not much. I now understand why it was getting hard to breathe. Scary!
Oh yeah, and my finger is in my mouth, holding my tongue down in case you're wondering what's going on there!

No More Neck Brace!

2009-05-19T07:43:00.004-06:00

On Friday, May 15th, the neck brace came off permanently! Oh yeah, and I started my immunosuppressants. The 15th of May, 2009, could become one of those days in my life that I'll never ever forget, because my life changed for the better that day. I'm trying not to get too excited, but I can finally turn my head after almost a year of being pretty much unable to do so. Also, if my Behcet's improves because of the Imuran, life will be fantastic! I'm hopeful, to say the least.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos of the scar on my neck, which looks absolutely fantastic, and the one on my hip that's still recovering from an infection, so doesn't look so hot yet.

Happy Mom's Day! I Love You!

2009-05-10T11:07:00.007-06:00

She's never pulled anyone from a burning building
She's never rocked Central Park to a half a million fans, screaming out her name
She's never hit a shot to win the game
She's never left her footprints on the moon
She's never made a solo hot air balloon ride, around the world,
No, she's just your everyday average girl

She's somebody's hero
A hero to her baby with a skinned up knee
A little kiss is all she needs
The keeper of the cheerios
The voice that brings Snow White to life
Bedtime stories every night
And that smile lets her know
She's somebody's hero

She didn't get a check every week like a nine-to fiver
But she's been a waiter, and a cook and a taxi driver
For twenty years, there at home, until the day her girl was grown
Giving all her love to her was her life's ambition
But now her baby's movin' on, and she'll soon be missin' her
But not today, those are tears of joy runnin' down her face

She's somebody's hero
A hero to her daughter in her wedding dress
She gave her wings to leave the nest
It hurts to let her baby go down the aisle she walks right by
Looks back into her mother's eyes
And that smile lets her know
She's somebody's hero

Thirty years have flown right past
Her daughters' starin' at all the photographs
Of her mother, and she wishes she could be like that
Oh, but she already is

She's somebody's hero
A hero to her mother in a rockin' chair
She runs a brush through her silver hair
The envy of the nursing home
She drops by every afternoon
Feeds her mama with a spoon
And that smile lets her know
Her mother's smile lets her know

She's somebody's hero

"Somebody's Hero"
~Jamie O'Neal~

Big Bang Theory Season 1 Quotes

2009-05-07T08:04:00.005-06:00

For those of you who haven't yet watched an episode of "The Big Bang Theory," all I can really say at this point is Shame On You! It is ridiculously funny! Promise!

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from Season 1 as well. I hope you enjoy!

"Ah gravity, thou art a heartless bitch."

"I think that you have as much of a chance of having a sexual relationship with Penny as the Hubble Telescope does of discovering at the center of every black hole is little man with a flashlight searching for a circuit breaker."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I insult you? Is your body mass somehow tied into your self worth?"

"No, I’m going to ask him to choose between sex and Halo 3. As far as I know, sex has not been upgraded to include high-def graphics and enhanced weapon systems."

"Yes, well, I’m polymerized tree sap and you’re an inorganic adhesive, so whatever verbal projectile you launch in my direction is reflected off of me, returns to its original trajectory and adheres to you."

"What computer do you have? And please don't say 'a white one.'"

"I don't know how, but she is cheating! Nobody can be that attractive and this skilled at a videogame."

"The Homo habilis man discovering the opposable thumb says what..."

"Oh, we tried kissing, but the earth didn’t move… I mean any more than the 383 miles it was gonna move anyway."

The Lovely Neck Brace

2009-05-02T21:49:00.008-06:00

Several people have asked to see a photo of me in my lovely and super-comfortable new fashion accessory-my neck brace. When you're wearing one, it becomes less an accessory and more the only thing people notice, though. Just as an fyi.

I would like to direct your attention to the chubby chipmunk cheeks it gives me! I hope those are only temporary :)

Feel free to laugh out loud if you'd like.

I only have to wear it for 2 more weeks!!!

I Long for The Falls

2009-04-28T21:54:00.006-06:00

Until recently, I never could have even imagined this thought running through my head, but it's there and it's not going anywhere, so I guess it's time to share it...I miss Spokane. There are definitely parts of it that I miss less than others, but there is one thing that I especially miss this time of year. On a snowy night my senior year, wearing my red chacos, and unable to feel my feet anymore, I first gazed upon "The Falls." Even in the middle of winter they were beautiful. I had absolutely no idea how I had managed to avoid them for the 3+ academic years I had already spent in Spokane. The visit that night was short, as frostbite was becoming more and more likely, but I'd go back.

A few months later, I returned. This time at high water and with someone who loves water as much as I do. We spent hours and hours that week just staring into the spray, amazed at the power and beauty of the water. We tried to scout lines, looking for even just one route that a raft might be able to run, but we found none. We used our knowledge of river features and attempted to decipher the features hidden deep under the surface that pushed and pulled the water, creating the white piles of water before us. It was really amazing.

Now, 2 years later, I find myself 1,500 miles from The Falls, watching the gauge rise, wishing I was there. I'm there in my mind though, standing below the Monroe Street Bridge in the dark, soaked by the cold spray, and completely content.

I recently got back in touch with a college friend I hadn't spoken to in 5 years. After weeks of me insisting that he take a walk downtown to see The Falls, he finally went one afternoon. My suspicion that he would love it there was confirmed. And along with a text saying something about him naming The Falls a new awesome hangout spot, I received some photos! I posted them as well as some from 2 years ago. They'll help ease my pain until I can see them again. While the photos don't begin to do justice to the awe that they inspire, I hope that you at least think they're neat. :)

Home Health Nurse Wanted

2009-04-23T09:42:00.004-06:00

Home Health Nurse Wanted!

We are looking for an RN or an LPN to make home visits to housebound patient(s). Schedule is flexible. Tiered pay-rate system based upon the complexity of each visit. Mileage is reimbursed.

Requirements: Valid NM Nursing License. Candidate must pass criminal background check, drug testing, and employment physical, have a clean driving record, be insurable, and have current driver’s license.

Now, allow me to explain:

Mi madre has been down here for the past several weeks, taking care of my helpless post-op self. She has been a godsend, doing all the cooking and cleaning and corralling the mutts! You know, fun things like that. Anyway, one morning, the mutts work up particularly early, at about 5:30 am. (I was just told to add that it was barely starting to get light out.) Mom, being in superior physical condition at this particular point, got up and began the journey downstairs to let the dogs out. As perhaps shown in previous blog posts, the stairwell has the potential to be fairly dark, even during the day. Being unfamiliar with the locations of the light switches in my house and in a sleepy fog, she did not turn on the light, but bravely ventured down the dark stairwell. The mutts reached the door at the bottom of the stairs first and started pawing at it to get out, but mom had latched it the night before. In an attempt to keep the dogs from waking my roommate, my mom quickly unlatched the door and, when the dogs flung it open, reached forward to try to stop the door from banging into the wall. At this point she thought that she was on the bottom step, but as she reached forward for the door and tried to step down, quickly realized that she was not. She was actually on the second step.

Now, I'd like to explain exactly what happened at this point, but I wasn't there, so I'll just let the photos do all the talking!
There was also a scraped knee involved, but it wasn't nearly as visually disturbing! At any rate, we're now looking for a caregiver for the both of us since my caregiver suddenly needs medical care as well!
In actuality, besides some soreness and the obvious swelling and brusing, she's just fine. Luckly duck! Lucky me too, since she's been doing absolutely everything for me!

The Anatomy of Frogs

2009-04-16T11:41:00.008-06:00

I was cruising Neatorama and found a few photos worth posting.

First off, this anatomically correct product, called the Hypochondriac, certainly gives new meaning to all of those anatomy pick-up lines you hear being thrown around!

Second, these creepy eyeshades make you appear to look away when you’re looking forward! They were inspired by a gorilla attack at the Rotterdam Zoo last May. The gorilla named Bokito attacked a woman, presumably because she had made eye contact with him. Health insurance company FBTO took advantage of the situation and issued “Bokito Viewers” to zoo visitors to protect them from gorilla attack. As far as I can tell, a crowd of people wearing the glasses might just make the all of the other gorillas uncomfortable enough to attack!

And last but not least, this frog may have gotten in over his head. What do you think?

Appearnace isn't Everything

2009-04-15T10:53:00.002-06:00

This is pretty cool. You should definitely watch! It's quite inspiring! Really.

Spinal Surgery

2009-04-11T22:08:00.000-06:00

I'm so happy to announce that I survived spinal surgery and I'm even cutting back on the percocet a bit now!

Surgery was first thing in the morning on April 4th. It's such a relief to have it over with. There was not doubt in my mind that I was in enough pain to justify the surgery, but in the back of my mind, I was so afraid that he was going to cut me open and find that there was nothing wrong or that the disc was healing on its own. Thank God that didn't happen! The surgeon said that, once he got in there, it was much worse than he had anticipated. There was hardly any disc matter left to scrape out. Apparently my body had been reabsorbing the disc, which was causing a wider array of symptoms and pain than were noted when the problem presented itself in June of last year. The surgeon took a bone graft from the front of my pelvis on the left side and attached it to the C5 and C6 vertebrae in my neck using a metal plate and 4 screws. I'm now in a neck brace for 6 weeks to make sure that the bone graft heals and grows into the vertebrae and properly fuses them. I have xrays in another week and then again at 6 weeks post-op to make sure everything is on track. If everything looks good at 6 weeks, I can lose the neck brace and I'm good to go!

Thanks to my family and friends for being so supportive through all of this! What am I gonna blog about once my health is better?!? ;)

People are Dumb!

2009-03-25T20:04:00.004-06:00

Here's a story about a couple of locals at their best...Wow...

Woman Claims She Got Therapy at Store

On her way to have a mammogram in July 2007, Ann McGrath and her partner stopped to pick up dog food at a pet store called The Critters & Me.
McGrath claims she got some bad medical advice along with the kibble, and last week she filed suit against the store owner — an old friend — saying the owner told her the mammogram would be harmful and instead persuaded her to undergo “bioresonance therapy” using a machine at the pet store that its manufacturer promotes as a tool for veterinarians.
McGrath took four treatments at The Critters & Me with the “Bicom 2000” machine.
The lump in McGrath's breast continued to grow and, the lawsuit says, the delay in getting a doctor's treatment caused her breast cancer to progress to Stage II.
McGrath's suit against The Critters & Me owner Laura Moore says it was “unconscionable” that Moore told McGrath to rely on the Bicom 2000 instead of a mammogram.
Moore on Monday wouldn't comment on details of the suit but said, “This is the most shocking thing coming from a 16-year friend that I've ever had happen in my life. It's a 'he said, she said.' ”
“It's hurtful. I treat animals, that is what I do,” Moore said. “I just did this because she was a friend.”
Moore said she does homeopathy and bioresonance therapy for pets as a supportive treatment. “All the animals I treat are under vets' care,” she said. “I am not a people-treatment person. I have a dog food store.”
McGrath did not have the mammogram, the state District Court lawsuit states, because of Moore's statement to her that small benign lumps often occur in breasts and that “the radiation exposure from the exam would be harmful.”
McGrath's suit says Moore had “successfully provided homeopathic consultation and care” for McGrath and her partner, Susan Kennedy, in the past.
McGrath had discovered the pea-sized lump in her right breast in early July 2007, and a nurse-practitioner who examined her gave her a prescription for a mammogram. McGrath and Moore are both San Miguel County residents.
The lawsuit states Moore took McGrath to a treatment room near the back of the pet store at 1403 Agua Fria and had her sit in a chair next to the Bicom 2000 machine. Moore took a sample of McGrath's blood “and placed the blood sample in the Bicom 2000 machine and began an evaluation.”
Then Moore told McGrath that she could “guarantee” that McGrath did not have cancer or pre-cancer, “explaining that the lump was benign and could be shrunk by continued treatment on the Bicom 2000,” the lawsuit states.
According to a Bicom Resonance company statement at its Web site, the Bicom 2000 — promoted as “Today's Veterinary Treatment for Allergies” — works by having electrodes placed on the body “which conduct frequency pattern 'information' in the Bicom 2000.” The information is then “improved” in the Bicom 2000 and “returned to the body as therapeutic signals via another electrode.”
McGrath returned to the store in July 2007 for her second treatment on the Bicom 2000, which cost $53.94, according to a receipt included with the lawsuit.
A third treatment followed in September, and also included a treatment to relieve arthritic pain.
A fourth treatment was done in November.
By December 2007, McGrath noticed the lump was growing. The lawsuit states that, when McGrath confronted Moore, she was told that “if the tumor is growing, it's because you are not receiving enough treatments.”
McGrath made an appointment with an allopathic physician, Raphael Shapiro, for February 2008. During that visit, McGrath had a mammogram and a sonogram, which confirmed that McGrath had Stage II breast cancer.
McGrath was told by subsequent physicians that her delay in diagnosis and treatment had caused her breast cancer to progress to Stage II, for which she was advised to have a double mastectomy.
McGrath underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation.

I've Got Sunshine

2009-03-18T20:45:00.004-06:00

Well beautiful people, I'm excited to report that the sun is shining brightly in the high desert, warming our hearts and increasing our vitamin D production! The weather is gorgeous! If I had to choose a day whose weather would never end, today would be that day. High 60s to low 70s with a slight breeze and clear sky...perfect. It's been cooling off at night to around 40 degrees or so and it's so refreshing to go outside in the morning and smell the cool, crisp air. To reiterate, it was a beautiful day! I even got to lay in the sun for a little while. Ah...

It seems that even the mutts enjoyed the day. So much in fact, that they had to take yet another group nap! Man, Kona looks like a chunk! She's chubby to start with, but the camera must have added another 10 pounds. Poor Koners!

In Other Medical News

2009-03-12T19:42:00.002-06:00

In other medical news, I finally found a Rheumatologist who takes me seriously! The first time I saw her, she spent 2 whole hours with me, getting a detailed medical history and performing a thorough exam. Wow! Anyway, after running a few more tests, which as always, came back negative, she decided that we have to stop simply treating the symptoms and try to get to the bottom of the problem! She said that the symptoms strongly suggest Behcet's and that fact can't be ignored even if the test results are inconclusive. I'm still shocked! It's as if she actually cares! Anyway, she wants to start me on immunosuppressants to see if they help. The only problem is that I can't be on immunosuppressants right before or right after a surgergical procedure. That fact alone was probably the straw that broke the camel's back and finally made me realize how bad my neck is and how much I need to have it repaired, sooner than later. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on that as well, but I'm hopeful and so thankful that someone is finally willing to try to help me! Yay for that!

Neck Update

2009-03-12T19:22:00.003-06:00

Just over 2 weeks ago, I had another injection in my neck. In reality, it wasn't one injection, but six. The anesthesiologist told me that, since most of my pain is in my neck itself or manifesting as headaches, he didn't believe that a traditional epidural would provide the most relief. He recommended injections to a total of 6 specific sites of my cervical spine. His hope was that he could target specific sites of swelling that were pinching other nerves and affecting tissue besides the nerve root to my left arm that had previously been causing me so much pain. I told him that I wanted to do whatever would help my pain the most, so we agreed on the 6 injections versus the traditional epidural.

He forgot to tell me how bad they would hurt! Ouch! After the first one, which went in just below my left ear, I was ready to be done! Sadly, there were still 5 more...bummer. The good news is that I survived! My neck was so stiff after that I wasn't able to turn my head at all for several days, which wasn't really that much of a change, come to think of it... Oh yeah, and I was really light headed and off balance after the injections, so the doctor had to walk me out to the car, where Keith, my chauffeur, was napping! How embarrassing! I felt like a complete dummy, having to be escorted to the car my an MD. I bet he's glad he went to school for over 8 years so that he could do that! Ha!

I had some pretty amazing bruises and poke holes in my neck for quite a while afterward. I even thought about gluing some bolts to my neck for a Frankenstein"ish" effect! I have to admit that it was kind of fun freaking people out by showing them the huge bruises and the holes, in a neat little row, on each side of my neck. It totally freaked some of the vets out! Being elbow deep in a dog doesn't bother them at all, but anything that invovles people makes them almost faint! What a weird concept!

Anyway, 2+ weeks later, with remnants of a bruise that now look like a hickey (great...), my pain is worse than it was before the injections and my head feels like it could explode at any time. It's bad enough that finally I made a call to the surgeon, informing him that I can't do this anymore and that I'm ready for surgery. Much to my disappointment, 36 hours after the call, I still haven't heard back from him. Dumb. Maybe tomorrow... At any rate, looks like that's my only option at this point. I'm pretty scared, but excited at the same time, hopeful that it's gonna help. I'll keep you posted with updates. And don't worry, my mom has promised to come stay with me a while and take care of me. I love my mom! Oh, and I want my neck brace signed...just an fyi!

Beware!

2009-03-08T09:29:00.005-06:00

Those who are squeamish may want to cover their eyes for a second here. Arachnophobes, I'd recommend that you check out the blog another day. This also applies to Entomophobes, of course.

Okay, THESE LIVE IN MY HOUSE...

THIS IS NOT OKAY WITH ME!

A few nights ago, I saw one for the first time. I admit that I had been warned that they exist, but that didn't seem to matter much at the time! It was about 1 am, and I had already been in bed for 1/2 an hour or so, but I was still awake because my dog, Hyside, would NOT quit whining, barking, and scratching at the door. I figured that he needed to go potty, so I let both him and Kona out a couple of times. They sniffed around the house, went outside, and came back inside without issue. After letting them out twice, the whining continued. At this point, I was tired and frustrated and about ready to kill Hyside, so I got up to let him outside one last time. I did not make it down the stairs to let him out, however. There, on the wall above the stairs, was the most freaky bug I have come in contact with to date! It was about head-height on the wall and about 3 inches long. The thing was massive and had, what seemed like 100 legs! Wow, not really what I was going for at the time! Let's just say that I FREAKED out!

First, I yelled down the stairs for my roomie, Josh, to come save me. Of course, he was outside in his studio. Then, I ran to get my cell phone and tried to call him. His phone was inside, so he didn't answer. Since Hyside saw the bug even before I did, I was yelling at both dogs trying to keep them away from the horrid creature. After a few minutes of distress, I decided that I had to go out to Josh's studio, with the hope that he would come rid me of the source of my distress and that the bug wouldn't run away while I was gone. Josh came inside, but, of course, the insect had disappeared. That was not reassuring. Now there was a huge bug with a hundred legs running around somewhere upstairs, and I had absolutely no idea where! And now I had to sleep up there?!? Ugh. The three of us-me, Josh, and Hyside-searched for the insect for about an hour before I was satisfied that it was out of sight and there wasn't anything else I could do.

It's safe to say that I did NOT sleep well that night at all. I even made Josh help me move my bed away from the wall! It didn't really help. I still run around looking up at the ceiling and walls so that I can spot it earlier vs. later next time he shows his little face! The good news is that it seems that Hyside is watching out for me. That's the only explanation I can give for his incessant barking and scratching at the door. He knew it was out there. In retrospect, he was searching the house, sniffing around, much more than usual when I was trying to get him to go outside. I don't know if he heard the bug, or had seen it earlier, but he was on it like white on rice. He's my little hunter for sure!

After, I did a little bit of research and found out that the vial creature is called a house centipede and that it hunts spiders. That's good news, I guess. I'm still trying to decide if I'd rather just have the spiders, though. I'm leaning toward yes! Ugh!

Movies

2009-02-22T19:36:00.003-07:00

I was going to compose a list of movies that you need to see, but for now, I can only come up with a few so it's going to be a short list.

Juno This movie is simply awesome. Get past the picture of the pregnant teen on the front cover and watch it! The sarcasm and wit of the main character, Juno, is definitely something that everyone can appreciate and laugh at. Do it.

August Rush I'll call this one inspiring. If you like music at all, this movie is for you. Great music, and a great story. It's touching. Makes me wanna be a singer for sure...and marry Jonathan Rhys Meyers!

The Painted Veil This one is sad, but excellent. It's filmed in China in an absolutely beautiful location. The mountains are incredible! I guess it's a love story, but definitely with a twist. It's a must see for guys an girls alike.

The Piano While this one's certainly not new, I recommend it just the same. Again, music plays a big part in the movie. It tugs at all the emotions and takes a couple of unexpected turns.

Sunny Awesomeness

2009-02-22T19:00:00.004-07:00

The weather down here is gorgeous! I'm talking 60 degrees of sunny awesomeness! I'm sure that we're in for another batch or two of winter storms, being as its February, but I'm definitely going to get my tank tops ready, just in case! It was so nice today that I even summoned up enough courage to take both of my dogs as well as my roommates dog on a walk. Let me help you understand why this was such a feat. First, all 3 dogs are only about a year old. Second, they weigh a total of 160 pounds, which is more than I weigh. It was like trying to wrangle three overweight hyperactive 7 year-olds in an arcade/candy store/amusement park. Intense! I think it was good, though. They've been at each others throats a lot lately and I think that walking thing will help. Wish me luck!

Also, I guess I'm to the point where neck surgery is just a phone call away. Interesting. I went to the Doc last week because my pain is really coming back and I've had this nasty headache that has literally not gone away for over a month! Ugh! Anyway, he said that he doesn't want to operate on me if he doesn't have to, but that if I call him and say that I can't take it anymore, fix it, he'll do the surgery. I'm not there yet, but I'm definitely getting close. Despite the fact that the anesthesiologist that does my epidurals seems really hesitant to do another one, the surgeon thinks I should get one more. Why not, I guess? I love having an 18 gauge needle shoved in to my spine! That's a weird concept in itself. So that's the plan for now. One more injection and see how it goes. If I do have to have surgery, I think I'll have people sign my neck brace or something tacky like that. I mean, what if it's the only cast-like thing I ever have? I just hope that I don't have to wear it in 100 degree heat and that I can somehow still raft. Just let me dream...

Other than that, just working, going to class, and playing with my dogs. Guess I can't complain too much about life.

I'm Good!

2009-02-16T17:58:00.003-07:00

I'm not gonna blow this out of proportion, but I'm good. I'm very good. How good, you ask? Well, perhaps I'll direct you to Keith for that answer. It's not the most flattering picture, but ask him about this...Go ahead...Do It!

The Fatness

2009-02-08T14:28:00.002-07:00

Okay, so we happened across these photos during coffee time this am. Unfortunately, I don't drink coffee, so in reality, it was just during time. Since I am currently working in the veterinary field, I probably shouldn't be posting these, (they're really horrible from the viewpoint of a vet tech), but at the same time, it seems they provide job security. I'm torn. Also, feline diabetes and joint problems aside, they're kinda funny! See?

We're All Screwed

2009-02-03T15:39:00.003-07:00

These stats, provided by Consumer Reports, either prove that some health warnings might be leading to paranoia, or that we're all screwed. You decide.

-75% of Americans put cotton swabs inside their ears, risking a perforated eardrum

-40% often eat raw cookie dough, which could carry salmonella

-Only 50% have a carbon monoxide detector at home

-61% don't have a rubber mat in the shower

-13% admitted to sometimes drinking beer while using power tools

-58% never wear a helmet while bicycling

-27% percent never use sunscreen

WANTED

2009-02-03T15:29:00.003-07:00

SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE AND HAS ACCESS TO ONE OF THESE BAD BOYS!

MANY SUMMERS PAST, I FIRST SAW ONE AND IMMEDIATELY REALIZED IT'S POTENTIAL AS AN INCREDIBLE FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL AS AN OVERWHELMING FORCE OF DESTRUCTION! SERIOUSLY, THESE THINGS CAN CROSS A FIELD AT CRAZY SPEEDS LIKE IT'S NOTHING.

I WILL FIND A WAY TO CATCH A RIDE IN ONE SOMEDAY.
MARK MY WORDS!

Got Hope?

2009-01-30T19:31:00.002-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted, yet there have been some things going on.

First off, I'm taking a couple of classes at the community college this semester. Nutrition and Developmental Psychology. I'm now 2 weeks into each of the courses, and I think that Nutrition is going to continue to be super easy, and that Psychology professors are crazy! But I guess that they already know that! My psych class should be more challenging since it's definitely well outside of my major. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I missed school. I missed learning and being even somewhat challenged on a daily basis. This whole taking classes thing is definitely going to be good for me!

Secondly, the crazy office manager at the vet clinic was fired! Come to find out, she had been completely taking advantage of and lying to everyone and doing things that were absolutely nuts for months! She just managed to manipulate and lie to get out of it once things started to get messy. In one way, it was a relief to find out that the things that were going on were nothing personal, and that the owners didn't even know about them, but at the same time, it really ticked me off! I cannot believe that she got away with all that she did! By the time that everything came out, none of us were to speak with her if she called, and she wasn't allowed in the building anymore. Wow! Nutso! Anyway, many of the wrongs at work were made right, or at least made better, and the atmosphere is a lot better. People actually laugh and are happy. Crazy how things change when people aren't afraid they're going to be fired every day!

Lastly, after another wonderful autoimmune flare up, a dozen doctors appointments, and being pushed to the border of insanity by doctors who truly don't give a damn, things might be looking up! Although I'm still feeling pretty crappy, frustrated, and "just like losing my faith in humanity," I may have found an MD who actually cares and is interested in my case. Lemme explain. As more and more symptoms developed, my mom and I started doing research into multiple autoimmune diseases, but particularly one, Behcet's Syndrome, which seems to closely match my symptoms. While doing research, we became aware that there is a Behcet's Syndrome Center in NYC. The doctors there specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of Behcet's as well as conduct research on the disease there. After years of not calling, this last flare up led my mom to pick up the phone and give them a call. They told her to email the doctor there, so she did. And he responded! He thinks that it would be worthwhile to take a trip to NY to see him. Wow. Maybe he's not going to be able to figure anything out, but I feel like he's at least going to give it a fair shot. Hope is a wonderful thing. I just can't get too excited. Don't wanna set myself up for failure yet again.

I guess that's it. For now anyway.

Is crazy really crazy?

2009-01-23T18:21:00.003-07:00

K sent me this article a few days ago. To sum it up really quickly, it says that people with mental disorders often have a more realistic perceptions than people who are considered to be mentally sound. Check it out.

Need a Job? Better Start Packing!

2009-01-19T22:07:00.004-07:00

I found this to be interesting and valuable given our current economic situation, yet also slightly depressing. Perhaps you will, too.

30 Best Places to find a Job:

1. Bismarck, North Dakota Unemployment Rate: 2.5

2. Casper, Wyoming Unemployment Rate: 2.5

3. Logan, Utah Unemployment Rate: 2.5

4. Sioux Falls, South Dakota Unemployment Rate: 2.5

5. Morgantown, West Virginia Unemployment Rate: 2.6

6. Ames, Iowa Unemployment Rate: 2.7

7. Fargo, North Dakota Unemployment Rate: 2.8

8. Iowa City, Iowa Unemployment Rate: 2.8

9. Rapid City, South Dakota Unemployment Rate: 2.9

10. Lincoln, Nebraska Unemployment Rate: 3.0

11. Provo-Orem, Utah Unemployment Rate: 3.0

12. Billings, Montana Unemployment Rate: 3.1

13. Charleston, West Virginia Unemployment Rate: 3.2

14. Midland, Texas Unemployment Rate: 3.2

15. Salt Lake City, Utah Unemployment Rate: 3.2

16. Idaho Falls, Idaho Unemployment Rate: 3.3

17. Lafayette, Louisiana Unemployment Rate: 3.3

18. Santa Fe, New Mexico Unemployment Rate: 3.3

19. Charlottesville, Virginia Unemployment Rate: 3.4

20. Farmington, New Mexico Unemployment Rate: 3.4

21. Grand Forks, North Dakota Unemployment Rate: 3.4

22. Lawton, Oklahoma Unemployment Rate: 3.4

23. Madison, Wisconsin Unemployment Rate: 3.4

24. Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas-Missouri Unemployment Rate: 3.5

25. Harrisonburg, Virginia Unemployment Rate: 3.5

26. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah Unemployment Rate: 3.5

27. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Unemployment Rate: 3.5

28. Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa Unemployment Rate: 3.5

29. Portsmouth, New Hampshire Unemployment Rate: 3.5

30. Sioux City, Iowa Unemployment Rate: 3.5

Remembering Pojoaque

2009-01-08T19:50:00.005-07:00

Here is a short photo album which I shall title simply
"Remembering Pojoaque."

Carving Pumpkins for Halloween

Almost all of the Baby Cousins

Way past bed time

Sisters

The Original Cousins

To a photographer, not that great, to us, quite the opposite

Tiny Tree

2009-01-08T19:10:00.003-07:00

After a 6 day stay at home in MT which started on the eve of the new year, I arrived back in NM with a better attitude about life in general. As a really long side note, New Year's Eve is an interesting day to fly. Although you'd think that the stress levels would decrease and people would start to calm down after Christmas, they don't. There seems to be a lot going on inside the heads of travelers, which manifests itself as frustration, high energy, lethargy, grumpiness. A lot of younger people, and perhaps older people alike, are anxious to get drunk and ring in the new year with old friends or new hotties they meet at the bar. It seems like, at a certain point in life, however, New Year's loses its appeal as a night to forget about the past year and celebrate the future. In fact, it may have exactly the oppsite effect. It becomes a time to dwell on misakes and bad experiences from the year past, to admit failure becasue you didn't accomplish all that you had promised yourself you'd accomplish in the past 12 months. It's an interesting process to witness after what seems like a million hours in an airport!

To get back to my point, life seems better now. I needed to take a step back so that I could look at my life from a better perspective. It was great to spend time with my family, who are wonderful, and took great care of me. I got to watch Dillon play ball, as well as all of his minions who I've watch grow from preschoolers into young men and women, which is actually a little firghtening! I also got to meet and spend some time with Dillon's girlfriend, Kelsey, and got to watch The Dark Knight. Perhaps one of the best things was getting to see my college roommate, Emily, before she leaves for Nepal for 2 years! We cussed and discussed the old and the new, how we're going to change the world, and how real life isn't necesarrily all it's cracked up to be. We also ate a wonderful beefy dinner and got to see Brad Pitt get younger and younger...nice! I saw frineds and coworkers from the raft shop in MT, and a couple of old friends from high school. I even got to decorate a tiny christmas tree on New Year's day since I didn't have a tree in NM. Sweet! Oh yeah, and I'm convinced that the family dog, Jackson, really does like me now!

The Genetics of Kona

2008-12-29T18:22:00.008-07:00

The results of Kona's genetic test are in, too. And they are a bit surprising as well. She is predominantly a very rare breed, most of the vets and technicians at the clinic I work at had never even heard of it. Sweet!

A lot of
Harrier Dog
+

Traces of
Australian Cattle Dog (AKA Heeler)
=The prettiest girl!

Again, here is my attempt at assigning characteristics to the breed they came from:

Harrier (50-60 pounds)
-square muzzle
-big bones and muscular build
-cheerful and sweet tempered
-likes to explore, sniff, and trail
-affectionate
-preference for pack setting

Cattle Dog (35-50 pounds)
-ginger color and spotted feet
-big ears
-upright ear
-fluff on underside of tail and back of thighs
-double coat
-alert and intelligent
-prone to pecking order scuffles

Top 10 (or 12) Quotes of 2008

2008-12-28T17:31:00.003-07:00

Here they are, people! Our world is certainly led by intelligent, logical, and well-spoken individuals.

The Top 10 quotes of 2008:

1. "I can see Russia from my house!" — Comedian Tina Fey, while impersonating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on the TV comedy show "Saturday Night Live."

2. "All of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years." — Palin, responding to a request by CBS anchor Katie Couric to name the newspapers or magazines she reads.

3. "We have sort of become a nation of whiners." — former Sen. Phil Gramm, an economic adviser to Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, quoted in The Washington Times.

4. "It's not based on any particular data point, we just wanted to choose a really large number." — a Treasury Department spokeswoman explaining how the $700 billion number was chosen for the initial bailout.

5. "The fundamentals of America's economy are strong." — McCain, in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

6. "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency." — the Treasury Department's proposed Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.

7. "Maybe 100." — McCain, discussing in a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, how many years U.S. troops could remain in Iraq.

8. "I'll see you at the debates, b------." — Paris Hilton in a video responding to a McCain television campaign ad.

9. "Barack, he's talking down to black people. ... I want to cut his ... off." — Rev. Jesse Jackson, overheard over a live microphone before a Fox News interview.

10. (tie) "Cash for trash." — Paul Krugman discussing the financial bailout, New York Times.

10. (tie) "There are no atheists in foxholes and there are no libertarians in financial crises." — Krugman, in an interview with Bill Maher on HBO's "Real Time."

10. (tie) "Anyone who says we're in a recession, or heading into one — especially the worst one since the Great Depression — is making up his own private definition of "recession.'" — commentator Donald Luskin, the day before Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.

Buh Bye 2008

2008-12-26T18:21:00.005-07:00

It's as good a time as any to recognize the people and things in my life that I'm thankful for, so here goes.

-My Family. Even my extended family, for the most part, is composed of caring people who are loving and accepting of each other. They have been nothing but supportive, understanding, encouraging, and sympathetic for as long as I can remember. Whether or not we keep in touch very well, we're always there for each other, ready to listen or lend a helping hand, like no time at all has passed since we last talked. It would be nice if we could break tradition and all get together for happy occasions in the future!

-My Mutts. Kona and Hyside are my babies and I absolutely love them to pieces. I can't imagine life without them anymore. Even though they can be obnoxious and destructive from time to time, I can't stay mad at them for long even if I try. The unconditional love and friendship that they give is amazing and wonderful and always brings a smile to my face.

-My Friends (and thier families). Whether or not we've talked in a while, just like family, my friends are always there when I need them. The world's problems would be solved if everyone was as fun, free-spirited, and understanding as my friends. I miss you guys!

-New Experiences. I spent 2 weeks in Egypt, drove 2,000 miles with both of the dogs in the car to be in a friend's wedding, moved into a new place, signed up for classes, and spent the summer rafting the Rio Grande. Everything I experienced for the first time this past year, whether it were happy or sad, fun or a bit scary, left a mark on my life and in my memory and will certainly influence experiences in my future.

-Courage and Strength. Things in life aren't always easy, and life's not always fair. There's no escaping it. Whether it comes from within or from influences outside of myself, I've always been able to find the courage and strength to make it through whatever comes my way. And I know that I'll be able to continue to do so. I do, however, hope that 2009 is a little more kind than 2008 was at times!

Happy Holidays! And God bless us, every one!

The Genetics of Hyside

2008-12-26T17:45:00.007-07:00

Instead of getting each other Christmas presents this year, Keith and I decided to have a genetic test run on each of the dogs to figure out exactly what kind of mutts they are. All it takes is a few milliliters of blood and a few weeks of anxious waiting. I could tell you how it works, but I'll save you the details. If you're really interested, you can check out their website. Anyway, the results aren't in for Kona yet, but the results for Hyside came in today! I can't tell you how all of this is physically possible, only that these are the results!

Some
German Shepherd
+

A lot of
Catahoula Leopard Dog
+

Traces of
Affenpinscher
+

Traces of
Miniature Schnauzer
=

A very handsome mutt!

Now I'll attempt to assign some his physical traits and his personality to the breed(s) they came from:

German Shepherd (75-85 pounds)
-large ears that open to the front
-bushy tail
-aloof personality
-strong self-will
-ability to learn quickly

Catahoula (75-100 pounds)
-unique markings known as "blue merle" or "gray leopard"

-webbed toes
-protective nature
-high intelligence
-lots of energy
-herding tendencies

Affenpinscher (6-9 pounds)
-under bite
-stubborn nature
-quiet until excited or threatened

Mini Schnauzer (11-15 pounds)
-tendency to defend vocally instead of physically
-not a random or incessant barker

Check it Out!

2008-12-21T20:37:00.004-07:00

You may have noticed that I've added a couple of applications to the left side of the blog. Now, if you are ever on Jeopardy and win, you'll have split your prize money with me. This is because I posted the Trivia Box that helped you with some of the answers that won you the money. Kapish?

Vigas

2008-12-21T18:57:00.005-07:00

Okay, if I were Keith, I'd make some sort of ridiculous video with cheesy commentary to show you all my new place, but I'm on a limited budget, so this is what you get! I don't have anything on the walls yet, so it looks pretty white and lame. That'll be changing soon though. K is blowing up some photos that I took in Egypt, France, Montana, and New Mexico to cover all the empty space. I'm sure they'll be worth a blog post all by themselves. I can't wait to see them!

For now, I'm just gonna show you the upstairs, which is where I live. I have it all to myself! I wish the photos did it justice. It's really great! There are wood floors and vigas throughout (You say it like "veega"s). My mom will love that part for sure!

Okay, here goes. Before you get to my floor, you have to go up the stairs. See what I mean about the ceilings? (Those are vigas for those of you who don't know that. I didn't until I moved down here!)

As you make the turn at the top of the stairs, you run into the walk-in closet, which, I managed to fill a lot more quickly that I had expected!

Next you enter the hallway. There are 2 big windows there. The house is passive solar, which means that it's heated by the sunlight entering through big windows on one side of the house. The heat from the sun warms the walls, which continue to release heat even after the sun goes down for the night.
If you take a right, you'll be headed for the bedroom. These views are both from the doorway.

If you head the other way, you'll go down the hallway and the bathroom will be on your right just before you get to the other room, which I'm using as an office/living room.
You can't see the toilet, but it's there. I promise. It's to the right, hidden by the wall that the shower is on.
Lastly, the living"ish" room. The photos are taken from diagonal corners in the room. The long windows, like the one in the first picture here, are all on the same side of the house.
Welp, that's it. It's not worthy of an episode of MTV's Cribs, but I'm okay with that. Oh yeah, and the views are great! I'd show you what I'm talking about, but it's dark right now, so it'll have to wait! Happy Holidays!

Gone?

2008-12-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

In case you were wondering, no, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. To put it simply, I don't have internet. Soon though, soon.

The Neck Disaster

2008-12-06T10:36:00.002-07:00

As many of you already know, I've been having issues with pain, tingling, and numbness in my left arm, hand, and shoulder for the last few months (actually the last 6 months.) A little over a month ago, it turned into very, very, very severe pain in my left arm and the back of my neck, which prompted my pain doctor to script me enough pain meds to knock out a small elephant for hours at a time, and to order an MRI of my neck (cervical spine.) Sadly, the meds didn't knock me out quite as much as I had hoped and only put a small dent in the pain. They do, however, have the same effect as a few drinks do. I'm definitely in a fog when I take them both and apparently quite a bit more chatty that usual. (Don't worry, I don't drive like that!) Anywho, not to any one's surprise, including my own, they found a pretty significant problem. A badly bulged disc. Before I show you the problem in the first picture, I'll see if you can find the problem first.
Okay. The bulged disc is between vertebrae C5 and C6. So 5 down from the top. It's circled on the next photo to show you where and what the problem is.
Now let me explain. Now that it's been pointed out, you can see that there is definitely a difference in appearance between that disc and the others. Instead of the space being lighter colored between the vertebrae, it's darker that the others. That means that there's something wrong and that the disc isn't in the correct position. Also, it protrudes outside of it's normal space. It has the ligament that holds the spinal column in place slightly displaced. (I can't really see that.) Next, the white colored space that is between the vertebrae and the spinal cord itself is spinal fluid. There is no white between the disc and the spinal cord, meaning that the spinal fluid has been pushed aside. The spinal cord is less protected from the spine itself. Lastly, the disc is actually compressing the spinal cord, which is the darker line running between both sides of the white spinal fluid. It's definitely not good that it's compressing the spinal cord. My chance of paralysis and developing other neurological signs is increased should that continue.

Below is a picture of one of my healthy discs, looking from the top of my head, down. Notice that there is a layer of white spinal fluid that's sort of the shape of a kidney bean surrounding the spinal cord.
Now let's take a look at the bad disc, which, again is between C5 and C6.
As you can see, there is hardly any white spinal fluid surrounding the left side of the disc (which is actually the right side of the picture as you see it here.) All of the nerves that are if the left shoulder and left arm bundle into what is called a nerve root that branches off of the spinal cord between C5 and C6. Without the spinal fluid to protect and cushion that nerve root from the vertebrae, the nerve is being pinched. Where the nerve is being pinched, false signals of pain are being generated. The nerves are being falsely stimulated in my spine, and signals are being sent to my brain as if the nerves in my arms are sensing pain, even though they're not. It's kind of a confusing concept if you haven't studied nerves before. The weird sensations of tinging and numbness are occurring because nerve information from my lower arm and fingers is being blocked from reaching my brain. Since my brain isn't receiving any signals from my fingers, all I feel is numbness.

For now, I'm supposed to continue getting epidurals in my neck, to decrease the swelling and pain so that I'm in good enough condition to try some physical therapy. If it's not better and is still getting worse in 3 months, I may be looking at surgery to fuse the 2 vertebrae in my spine. That's pretty much it for now. I'll keep you posted...

Watch "Dexter"

2008-11-23T17:10:00.004-07:00

I'm not much of a tv viewer these days. It's just not really my style. Watching an entire season of an amazing show in a week though, that I can do. In the past, I raved about the show "Prison Break" in a post. Today, I'd like to do the same about another show, "Dexter."

If you don't have Showtime, you should get it. In fact, you should get it yesterday! Why, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. It's the only network that you can watch "Dexter" on. Trust me, it'd be worth it. If you're not sold on it yet, go out and rent or buy the first season. I guarantee you'll love it!

In the show, the main character, Dexter, is blood splatter specialist for the police department. He, his sister, who is an up and coming cop, and all of their coworkers spend their days trying to solve murder cases in the city of Miami. Dexter, however, does a little bit of work on the side. He, himself, is a serial killer. He kills the ones that slip through the cracks, the killers who got away with it. He hunts down the bad guys that the police are either trying to catch, or whose cases were closed long ago who are still out roaming the streets. He's very good at what he does and leaves no evidence at all. The people that he kills simply disappear. It's pretty intense! I definitely wouldn't classify it as a family show. That's probably why it's on at 10 pm (on Sunday). Mom and dad, tuck the kids in and watch "Dexter" while they're counting sheep down the hall.

Bonafide!

2008-11-09T16:18:00.004-07:00

Wow! I'm practically a bonafide mechanic these days. Well, maybe not quite. I can say that I've now assisted in changing brake pads and rotors on the Dubaru, changing the oil (which I can do myself now), bleeding the brakes, rotating the tires, and last but not least, putting on new struts. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I really did help! I like to think that I could do it all by myself now, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case. If anything, I certainly need aid in the area of sheer strength. Apparently I'm lacking. It's definitely safe to say that the bolts that hold everything in and together aren't going anywhere without a damn good fight. 160,000 miles worth of rust has definitely cemented them into place for, at least, most of an eternity. It definitely took us a lot of frustration and energy to get them loose! In the end, we prevailed. Both struts on the passenger side were completely blown, so I think that the choice to put new ones in, though pricey, was a good one. Saved over $600 by putting them in ourselves! Thanks, Keith!

Other than that, all I can add is that I had a bit of an epiphany today. Despite all that's going on, I finally feel like I'm going to be okay. That's a really good thing. It definitely takes big load off my shoulders. Too bad it doesn't seem to be making my neck feel any better, though...

All Hail

2008-11-08T09:49:00.001-07:00

In Memory of Linda Szalay

2008-11-07T17:11:00.005-07:00

Linda Kay Szalay
November 22, 1942-October 21, 2008

It has been nearly a month now, since my aunt, Linda, passed away. While the world is still turning, just as it was before, it has suffered a great loss. While many of you did not know Linda, those who did, know just how special she was. She was no doubt, one of the least selfish people that you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. Knowing that, it's no surprise that she was such a wonderful and caring nurse. She spent her entire life taking care of others. Whether it was healing premature babies or rubbing the shoulders of family members and friends, Linda never stopped doing everything in her power to make those around her feel better. She offered solutions to all that ailed us in person or over the phone, whether we knew that we were feeling bad or not. She would say try this or try that, maybe you should buy this book, this medication, ask the doctor this or that, have you tried this? She never stopped taking care of us. Right up to the end, she was still giving me shoulder rubs and telling me that she hopes that they can figure out what's wrong with me soon. In her last days, that's what she cared about. Us. I can find no better example of selflessness.

Linda, we love you and miss you terribly. Thank you for the never ending care that you gave to us all. You touched countless lives and inspired us all to be better people. My life is certainly better because you were in it. Your kindness and support through the hard times will never be forgotten.

Obituary

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More Barats and Bereta

2008-11-07T11:08:00.002-07:00

Here are some more clips from GU grads, Barats and Bereta. Enjoy!

Ad Guys Episode 1 - barats and bereta

Birthday Hats!

2008-11-01T17:09:00.003-06:00

I have just become aware that my last post, which has been removed, was taken quite seriously, rather than as a complete joke as it was intended. To those affected, I sincerely apologize.

On a happier note, here is a picture of my little cousin Taylor and I celebrating our daddies' birthdays last weekend. Isn't she cute?!?

Mama meets the Mesa

2008-10-18T20:34:00.005-06:00

My mom's been down here off and on for the past couple of weeks, making use of her hospice skills and taking care of family. She's been spending most of her time on the hill in Mr. Baca's house, but we managed to steal her away for a while today and introduced her to both the Pathfinder and the mesa. She's very lucky to get to meet both of them in one day! When it was time to get suited up, I handed her both layers of a Columbia jacket. She looked a little bit puzzled, but put them on anyway. We then pulled our hair back, pulled on our grubby shoes, and loaded into the beast. It was an exciting day for me as well, as I took my first trip in the back seat. A bit more scary, I think. The jagged metal, left behind from the Pathfinder's rear-end plastic surgery, looming just above my skull, did make me a tiny bit nervous from time to time.

We took our usual lap around the mesa, up to the campsite, and into the open fields. We raced through puddles...all the while we were smiling and giggling. Well, the girls probably did a bit more giggling than Keith, but just a little more! My mom also added some pretty amazing sound effects, just to keep things that much more interesting. I wounder what kinds of screams and sounds she would make on a roller coaster? Interesting... K definitely gave us our money's worth and took us up this really, really steep hill. Going up, it seemed like we were facing imminent death, but I guess we made it, so perhaps that assumption was wrong! When we made it to the top, we could pretty much see the entire mesa. Beautiful! We even managed to pick a few pinon nuts since they're finally in season. Pretty tasty, but a lot of messy, sappy, sticky work to get to the little buggers! Too much to keep my interest for too long anyway.

After we made it back down the hill, we followed another road for a while. I think we were lost, but K won't quite admit it. At one point, we were way back in the tress, climbing a rocky hill, and we definitely smelled men's cologne. Strong cologne. I'm hoping that some drunk teenagers dropped a bottle of it there not too long ago, but I couldn't help but wonder if there was a good-smelling, yet incredibly deadly axe murder lurking back there waiting for us! Yikes! We ended up turning around that hightailing it out of there since it was starting to cool off and getting dark.

We arrived home just as the sun was creeping down behind the mountains, tucking itself in for the night. My mom had a great time, as well as a great hairdo at this point, and made sure that we took pictures before we went inside. Here they are. Mama meets the mesa=good times!

Quick Update

2008-10-16T15:51:00.004-06:00

As a quick update...What I'm up to these days...
(in no particular order, of course...)

-Going to physical therapy for the unexplained numbness and shooting pain in my left arm
-Trying to decide if I'm going to stay in NM long enough to take the promotion I've been offered
-Enrolling in the community college so that I can take a class or two in the Spring
-Thinking that the time and money that will be spent on a book ban, overturning Roe v. Wade, and banning gay marriage could be put to better use over the next 4 years
-Wondering what it would have been like to play in the 4 feet of snow that MT recently got
-Being surprised by how big Hyside's paws suddenly grew
-Taking sweet treks to the mesa in the Pathfinder

It's a lame post, but it's all I've got for now. Laters!

Fail

2008-10-12T10:39:00.004-06:00

These are my attempts at getting a nice shot of the mutts
sitting next to each other...

FAIL!