9/27/2004

I’ma REDhead again! Yay!

Okay - I’m sure most of you are not that concerned with my hair color - but since I’ve got red - I’ve been quite happy with it. I love being a redhead! I tried blonde - and of course, I’m naturally a medium brown - but the red has been the best. So today, Andrew treated me to a trip to the salon. I got my hair colored, cut, and styled. It was nice to see my stylist again - she’s starting to plan her wedding for next Oct - and well, it’s nice to be pampered a little, too. I love my hubby. ^_^

sparta at 5:55 pm

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Ever wondered what all the lyrics were to….

…your favorite anime - like Teen Titans, Pokemon, Trigun? Well, hit J-Pop Lyrics - you’re sure to find them.

sparta at 5:47 pm

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And the Grand Idiot Award goes to……..

Oakland Police Chief Richard Word!!!! The grand runner-up are the people commenting on the crackdown on the southern border who make statements like:

“That’s certainly disproportionate; far less than the arrest rate declines,” said Claudia Smith, an attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance, an Oceanside-based immigration advocacy group. “This tells me that the law enforcement strategy is getting deadlier. It’s intensifying and pushing migrant foot traffic out to ever more remote and dangerous stretches.”

Um - hello? Can I get a clue stick over here to hit these people with? THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE ILLEGALLY! I don’t care if they’re donating kidneys or taking care of street people or saving kittens from trees - they aren’t supposed to be here. They KNOW they aren’t supposed to be here - and if they are so determined to come here, without following the rules, then how is it our fault if they do something stupid like cross through “more remote and dangerous stretches”? And if they’re smart enough to get here, you’d think they’d be smart enough not to do things that could get them deported!

Boy, this kind of thing really gripes my monkey.

sparta at 2:52 pm

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9/24/2004

THE KNEE REPORT: Ortho visit today

Went to the Orthopedist today. He said that my fracture was healing very well. He was a bit worried about how much support the brace would provide - a cast is better when it’s that early - but it apparently has been doing a good job. He adjusted the flexion (that’s when you pull your heel back toword your rear end) and extension (that’s when you kick your foot out) on my brace. So now I can straighten my leg out completely - if I *can*, this is - and flex it 90 degrees. It was at 45. It’s taking some getting used to. Dr. K also gave me a physical therapy order. I’m still not able to “bear weight” yet - once I can extend my leg with ease, then I can start that, and I’m going to have the brace and crutches for the next four weeks for sure - but progress is being made! and that’s what counts! :-)

How are all of you?

sparta at 3:13 pm

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9/23/2004

Oh, the daring…

This blog entry is funny as hell. The guy mentioned in this entry has style, I’ll give him that. Thanks to Uncle Monster for pointing me in the direction of this blog.

sparta at 3:00 pm

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9/22/2004

Hiccups cure

Okay - so this evening after dinner, I got the hiccups. Deep, loud, painful ones. I tried holding my breath. I tried drinking water real fast with no breath in between. And then I went to the Internet! I found this cure mentioned:

“Here’s a reputed cure for hiccups you may never have heard before: close your eyes and visualize a neon sign, like a movie marquee. See the word think blinking on and off. Concentrate on the sign and make the word blink as fast as possible. According to a psychiatrist who’s used this trick ever since he was a kid, your hiccups should go away.”

I decided to try it….and you know what? IT WORKED! Once does not a trend (or cure) make - but I will try it the next time and see what happens. Does anyone else have a quirky cure?

sparta at 8:17 pm

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On a roll today for some reason….

Ever wanted to be a voice-actor? This article gives you the basics.

sparta at 4:35 pm

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From PJ’s La-Z-Boy browsing

This site has some very interesting comments and things. The guest has been recently hired to write for the new Nick Jr. show LazyTown. Johnathan *LOVES* this show. It’s actually not a bad show…certainly not as annoying as some of them. Any-who - for those cartoon buffs out there…take a peek.

sparta at 4:08 pm

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Ooooooooooooooo-kay

Somehow I don’t think this would fly as well in America. There’s a fully Islamic bank in Britain now. I’m sure after they’ve finished opening up there, the group will open a few in France. They hire and offer services to non-Muslims - so on paper they aren’t prejudiced, but what is it like when you work or do business there? Also, they mention at their website that their start-up capital came from investors both locally and in the Gulf. Uh - yeah - I hope Britain is watching these characters c-l-o-s-e-l-y.

sparta at 2:32 pm

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Another site to explore

Okay - couldn’t help it - I went exploring and found this site devoted to motorcycle (and other motor type vehicles) wrecks. There’s even a place for members to tell their injury story. All I can say is “Owch!”

sparta at 12:19 pm

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Holy Crap!

This motorcyclist was nuts! You know this guy didn’t have on pro gear - and even professionals can get pretty injured even with gear!

sparta at 12:11 pm

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9/18/2004

Where I’ve been, something interesting, and a question….

Well, because of my leg - and the fact that there was no one to come and stay with the boys and me while Andrew went down state on business - Andrew took us with him. While I must say that staying cooped up in a hotel room all day with an 8 year old and a 3 year old was a bit exhausting, at least I had wireless! It did force me to sit and behave more - what else could I do? Still, it made Andrew feel better to know we were taken care of - and I think it made being a way from home a little easier because he would come back to the hotel and we were there.

Now, I don’t know how many doctors read my ramblings, but this website is very cool. I haven’t yet seen if just anyone can order, but there are some cool things…like those models you see in the doctor’s office.

And now the question…where are you all hiding? I haven’t had any comments here in soooooo long. Hopefully you’re not under water in Georgia or Alabama or Florida. Write soon - I miss you!

sparta at 7:07 pm

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9/10/2004

Angry Kid: Bone

At least this didn’t happen to me.

sparta at 5:28 pm

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9/9/2004

Another interesting article from PJ’s Lazy Boy….

Who do you think this guy is?

sparta at 11:19 am

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From PJ’s Lazy Boy….

Even puppies understand self-defense. Check out this article from Florida.

sparta at 10:52 am

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9/6/2004

Where I’ve been lately…..

Well, for those who don’t know, I had to be rushed to the E.R. on Weds. at about 1:00 a.m. What happened was sort of scary. I’ll start at the beginning:

On Sunday and Monday last week, I was able to get upstairs to my own bed (yay!) by scooting up backwards on my rear end. Slow and tiring, yes, but at least I was upstairs. I was a little winded after these trips, but didn’t stay that way long. Well, Tuesday night, I headed to bed the same way, except I couldn’t catch my breath, even after I’d gone to the bathroom and made it to the bed. When I sat down on the bed, the chest pressure/pain started. I sat for a minute dealing with this, and when Andrew was helping me get my cast onto the bed, the pain part changed. It felt like my heart inflated and ballooned out from under my sternum. It was one of the scariest feelings I’ve ever had. By then I was lying flat, still couldn’t catch my breath, and the pressure/pain was still there. Andrew was, of course, questioning me intently as to what was wrong. I explained, and we debated over whether to go to the E.R. etc. Finally, we decided to at least call my doctor’s office and speak to whomever was on call. That doctor after listening to what happened suggested I hang up and call 911 and get to the E.R. as it might be a blood clot.

Sure enough, I had a pulmonary embolism. Because of the broken leg and therefore my immobility, a clot had formed, broke loose, and headed for my lungs. It shredded a bit on the way, and therefore, hit my lungs as a lot of small clots, and not one big clot. Whew. Still, the situation was not without dangers, and I was put on blood thinners immediately. After I was diagnosed, they sent me to ICU, but by evening, I was sent up to a regular room because I was stable and because I was upset at not getting to see Andrew and the boys. Andrew could come to see me in ICU, but not the boys.

So, they hooked me up with a wireless telemetry unit and sent me to the 3rd floor. The next three days were spent being poked, prodded, and examined. I was on blood thinners (still am) and strict bed rest until Friday when I was allowed to get up and move around some. Something interesting happened, though…..

According to the CT scan of my lungs, the area in my lungs affected by the pulmonary embolism was massive. The reason why they scrambled the way they did was because of the way the CT was interpreted. But when the pulmonalogist examined my other tests and me, the two “pictures” didn’t match up. He therefore talked the hospital administration into giving him some of the internal education funds to do a little “experiment.” He came to me and asked if I would agree to undergo a few additional tests - at no expense to myself or my insurnace. I said, “Sure.” So, I to go to nuclear medicine and let them perform the lung scans there. Some of the doctors, staff, and administrators are going to have a meeting this week to discuss the results. Comparing and contrasting the CT scan results, V/Q scan results, and my vitals and comments will hopefully help them with future patients.

Oh, and they had to cut off my cast. Apparently they felt it was a problem, and thtat I would be able to make it without it, so they put on a brace. I will post a picture sometime soon. They let me go on Saturday, but I still have a long road ahead of me. Right now I am giving myself shots of one blood thinner, while taking the other orally. Once my blood levels of the 2nd are in the right range, I won’t have to do the shots any more, but will be taking the second for about 6 months. I’m still laid up with the leg brace.

A close call, but it looks like I’ll be okay. Right now, I’m about to fall asleep, so I’d better go and get some rest. When it rains, it pours, eh?

sparta at 4:21 am

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