Tuesday, September 18, 2007
once again...with feeling
Okay...I'm testing to see if this new setup with Google is working.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Joke's on me this time
Oh-well, here is another post to let myself pretend that I still am a part of the blogging community...I actually came up on the new google blog-search. Hmmm...since I last posted..I'll just be personal. Political commentary is just a 'trip down denial' compared to the tsuris of the homefront. I could bitch about the big things, but tonight I just feel like moaning about my own life.
The house renovation adventure is ongoing of course...we're back in the old home place...several tens of thousands of dollars spent...new kitchen (love it)...new bathroom (love most of it-even if the tile setter was impaired when it came to identifying and repeating patterns) still have to pay the contractor some $ and he still needs to finish up: a bunch of trim, hang some doors, finish painting.
None of that is nearly as important and my husband's diagnosis of prostate cancer. No big surprise there..his PSA levels have been rising exponentially and he was spending way too much time visiting the potty every night. My sanguine attitude is due to the fact that the biopsy reports the malignancy is at a very early stage and eminently treatable...just a pain in the ass for both of us.
We are minimally looking at a period of either celibacy or 'creative intimacy' as well as some time in the land of Depends...no way around that from all I have read etc...Oh well, it could have been much worse...He wants surgery and I am backing that option 100%. Radiation and hormone treatments are for more advanced cases and the side effects sound even worse than the above. Oh they include the impotence and incontinence all right...plus more fun than we need to deal with.
I am now working full time as a teacher aide for third graders and also a daily single period, 6th grade girl's math class..all in all- 8am to 4:30pm. We need the money and I like the kids. It is just exhausting work. I hope I can do it all..work-his surgery and oh yeah, my surgery too!
I have to get carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel surgery on my left hand and elbow respectively-ASAP I have a lot of numbness-tingling pain yadda yadda (of course I am not supposed to be typing at all....)They tell me that I am facing permanent nerve damage if I dont get it done pretty soon.
All these medical events mean that we will soon be in fairly massive debt and I hope we wont have to sell the house earlier than planned. We had a long term plan, a grand plan. We even liquidated part of our retirement to fix up the house. It was supposed to take about three and a half years to re-fund the 401k and the savings and then we'd sell the house, after that we'd retire. Play with the grandkids
Man plans - God laughs
whine-whine-whine
The house renovation adventure is ongoing of course...we're back in the old home place...several tens of thousands of dollars spent...new kitchen (love it)...new bathroom (love most of it-even if the tile setter was impaired when it came to identifying and repeating patterns) still have to pay the contractor some $ and he still needs to finish up: a bunch of trim, hang some doors, finish painting.
None of that is nearly as important and my husband's diagnosis of prostate cancer. No big surprise there..his PSA levels have been rising exponentially and he was spending way too much time visiting the potty every night. My sanguine attitude is due to the fact that the biopsy reports the malignancy is at a very early stage and eminently treatable...just a pain in the ass for both of us.
We are minimally looking at a period of either celibacy or 'creative intimacy' as well as some time in the land of Depends...no way around that from all I have read etc...Oh well, it could have been much worse...He wants surgery and I am backing that option 100%. Radiation and hormone treatments are for more advanced cases and the side effects sound even worse than the above. Oh they include the impotence and incontinence all right...plus more fun than we need to deal with.
I am now working full time as a teacher aide for third graders and also a daily single period, 6th grade girl's math class..all in all- 8am to 4:30pm. We need the money and I like the kids. It is just exhausting work. I hope I can do it all..work-his surgery and oh yeah, my surgery too!
I have to get carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel surgery on my left hand and elbow respectively-ASAP I have a lot of numbness-tingling pain yadda yadda (of course I am not supposed to be typing at all....)They tell me that I am facing permanent nerve damage if I dont get it done pretty soon.
All these medical events mean that we will soon be in fairly massive debt and I hope we wont have to sell the house earlier than planned. We had a long term plan, a grand plan. We even liquidated part of our retirement to fix up the house. It was supposed to take about three and a half years to re-fund the 401k and the savings and then we'd sell the house, after that we'd retire. Play with the grandkids
Man plans - God laughs
whine-whine-whine
Monday, April 04, 2005
risk in rome
The Pope has died. He was one of the good guys for the most part; may he rest in peace. I'm not a catholic and while his rule of the church did confront some awful events and controversial subjects...well, my personal opinion of his reign is of no importance now.
The point I find interesting today however, has little to do with John Paul II and everything to do with his upcoming funeral in Rome. Seems like everyone who is 'anyone' is going to be in attendance...I sure hope the security is up to snuff, because this event looks like the biggest opportunity for anti-western terrorists ever! From any point of view (left -right or whatever) - it is no secret that there are a whole passel of folks really pissed off with those they identify as 'western crusaders'. Just one bio-release, or a small nuke, or even a bunch of creative suicidal maniacs with box-cutters could functionally decapitate a large number of western states, not to mention the entire Church of Rome. The ensuing chaos is too horrible to contemplate. Al Qaeda wannabees should be frothing at the mouth to get in on this one! It is an event opportunity that reads like 'jihadist's' wet dream!
As for securtity in Rome? All I can figure on is a pot-pourri of the Swiss Guard, the Italian government, the CIA/FBI/Mossad/M5/Interpol and anyone else with a vested interest...I know that these people will try to do their best; really they will. Given the recent record of just the Americans however, I have deep concerns about these institutions being able to combine their efforts effectively. Hundreds of thousands of mourners have already descended on the Vatican, and there is absolutely no way that any security force could possibly cope with a number of well organized infiltrators bent on destruction. The death of the Pope comes as no surprise and sleeper-cell plans could have been made years in advance to do any number of nasty things. I have no hankering to go to Rome this week.
I googled a brief search of this topic/concept (papal funeral/terrorist risks/threats..etc) and came up with nada! Surely I can't be the only Cassandra on the planet? Could this coming gathering, to pay last respects to a great man, be the biggest security risk the west has faced in decades?
The point I find interesting today however, has little to do with John Paul II and everything to do with his upcoming funeral in Rome. Seems like everyone who is 'anyone' is going to be in attendance...I sure hope the security is up to snuff, because this event looks like the biggest opportunity for anti-western terrorists ever! From any point of view (left -right or whatever) - it is no secret that there are a whole passel of folks really pissed off with those they identify as 'western crusaders'. Just one bio-release, or a small nuke, or even a bunch of creative suicidal maniacs with box-cutters could functionally decapitate a large number of western states, not to mention the entire Church of Rome. The ensuing chaos is too horrible to contemplate. Al Qaeda wannabees should be frothing at the mouth to get in on this one! It is an event opportunity that reads like 'jihadist's' wet dream!
As for securtity in Rome? All I can figure on is a pot-pourri of the Swiss Guard, the Italian government, the CIA/FBI/Mossad/M5/Interpol and anyone else with a vested interest...I know that these people will try to do their best; really they will. Given the recent record of just the Americans however, I have deep concerns about these institutions being able to combine their efforts effectively. Hundreds of thousands of mourners have already descended on the Vatican, and there is absolutely no way that any security force could possibly cope with a number of well organized infiltrators bent on destruction. The death of the Pope comes as no surprise and sleeper-cell plans could have been made years in advance to do any number of nasty things. I have no hankering to go to Rome this week.
I googled a brief search of this topic/concept (papal funeral/terrorist risks/threats..etc) and came up with nada! Surely I can't be the only Cassandra on the planet? Could this coming gathering, to pay last respects to a great man, be the biggest security risk the west has faced in decades?
Sunday, March 27, 2005
spring has sprung
once again, I try to begin again to reload, restart, reinitiate this blog...I dont know if I will be able to continue it this time either, but...
It was good to read the old entries; to remember what I was doing then...where I am now by comparison. My father is having a renaissance of health and vigor. When I speak with him on the phone it almost feels as if this past year never happened. It was about a year ago now that he was finally diagnosed with the cancer; he had the operation-did the radiation- they found another weird spot that no one ever did define as cancerous ( in his spine) and they fried that one too...and then he started to get better -bit by bit. Or at least that is how he sounds, and how he and mom say he is doing. He is driving that damn manual drive truck again, and that takes considerably more strength than he had last summer. All in all, he reports he is looking forward to spring and the end of the nasty weather.
My nephew, who was living with the old folks off and on this past year (ostensibly to 'help', but in reality to 'sponge') got himself into a world of trouble by failing to show up for a criminal court hearing - it was not all that big a case to start with, but he made it into one. Anyway, now he has rent-free room and board, a shiny new set of orange duds, and a personal escort service ready to ferry him into see the judge whenever the state wants. No one in the family will bail him out. He has finally flaked out on everyone one time too many, and the consensus, ( besides his being 28 going on 12), is that he ought to just spend some time thinking about becoming a grown-up sometime soon. Mom wont even acknowledge the fact that he got into trouble again...dad goes every Sunday to visit.
We are renovating our house...finally moved out into an apartment last week. What a mess! The only good part is that the apartment is right next door to the house; at least I can keep an eye on our stuff (the boxes of books and junk that I refused to lug across the lawn and up a flight of stairs). Most of my 'free' time is spent doing such exciting things as shopping for tile and plumbing fixtures and trying to decide just how much I can afford to spend on the kitchen cabinets...one good thing, I discovered hardwood floors under the nasty beige wall-to-wall carpet in the bedrooms. Now I just have to see about pulling all the stuff up and seeing what shape they are in.
It was good to read the old entries; to remember what I was doing then...where I am now by comparison. My father is having a renaissance of health and vigor. When I speak with him on the phone it almost feels as if this past year never happened. It was about a year ago now that he was finally diagnosed with the cancer; he had the operation-did the radiation- they found another weird spot that no one ever did define as cancerous ( in his spine) and they fried that one too...and then he started to get better -bit by bit. Or at least that is how he sounds, and how he and mom say he is doing. He is driving that damn manual drive truck again, and that takes considerably more strength than he had last summer. All in all, he reports he is looking forward to spring and the end of the nasty weather.
My nephew, who was living with the old folks off and on this past year (ostensibly to 'help', but in reality to 'sponge') got himself into a world of trouble by failing to show up for a criminal court hearing - it was not all that big a case to start with, but he made it into one. Anyway, now he has rent-free room and board, a shiny new set of orange duds, and a personal escort service ready to ferry him into see the judge whenever the state wants. No one in the family will bail him out. He has finally flaked out on everyone one time too many, and the consensus, ( besides his being 28 going on 12), is that he ought to just spend some time thinking about becoming a grown-up sometime soon. Mom wont even acknowledge the fact that he got into trouble again...dad goes every Sunday to visit.
We are renovating our house...finally moved out into an apartment last week. What a mess! The only good part is that the apartment is right next door to the house; at least I can keep an eye on our stuff (the boxes of books and junk that I refused to lug across the lawn and up a flight of stairs). Most of my 'free' time is spent doing such exciting things as shopping for tile and plumbing fixtures and trying to decide just how much I can afford to spend on the kitchen cabinets...one good thing, I discovered hardwood floors under the nasty beige wall-to-wall carpet in the bedrooms. Now I just have to see about pulling all the stuff up and seeing what shape they are in.
Saturday, October 09, 2004
testing...testing...
a post to see whether the system is still up and running
a post to see whether the system is still up and running
once a year, or every 12 months...whichever comes first
Okay, it has been a rather long gap, but unless you look carefully at the dates, it is consistent enough. Last year the news was all about the fires and the weather and other mundanities. Now there is a national election...the bombs du jour...fake wars and real deaths...peculiar sideshows of the metaconsciousness involving earthquakes, volcanoes and shrinking glaciers.
My Dad had cancer, lung cancer. It was stage I and he had surgery and radiation treatment. Now he weighs about 105 lbs or so and uses one of those little oxygen units. But all in all he is doing pretty well. He gets rather frustrated with any doctors who try to write him off because of his age and his mind is pretty sharp when he's on the oxy. When he goes off it, he sleeps a lot and just turtles along. Being that he is probably no longer over 5 feet tall, his weight is okay for his size and yes, he still looks like a garden gnome.
:)
At least Mom finally quit smoking...it has not improved her attitude, but the atmosphere in the house is a little clearer.
The trite tripe confirms 'Old age is not for sissies'. it takes guts and tears and clears out all sorts of spiritual crap and baggage one does not really need anyway. Done well, it can be beautiful, if painful...
more later, perhaps
My Dad had cancer, lung cancer. It was stage I and he had surgery and radiation treatment. Now he weighs about 105 lbs or so and uses one of those little oxygen units. But all in all he is doing pretty well. He gets rather frustrated with any doctors who try to write him off because of his age and his mind is pretty sharp when he's on the oxy. When he goes off it, he sleeps a lot and just turtles along. Being that he is probably no longer over 5 feet tall, his weight is okay for his size and yes, he still looks like a garden gnome.
:)
At least Mom finally quit smoking...it has not improved her attitude, but the atmosphere in the house is a little clearer.
The trite tripe confirms 'Old age is not for sissies'. it takes guts and tears and clears out all sorts of spiritual crap and baggage one does not really need anyway. Done well, it can be beautiful, if painful...
more later, perhaps
Monday, October 27, 2003
life in a fire zone
ok...it's been weeks. no excuses
Arnold will be governor sometime this month.
I have lost 15 pounds since July.
There are fires all around me and I can smell the smoke drifting in the still air, like a distant campfire.
My eyes burn and water and there is a scratchy sensation in the throat and lungs...but I have not been out partying, or staying up late.
SoCal is on fire again tonight, rather it is still on fire tonight.
As I write, they report over 1,100 hundred homes have been reduced to ash and 15 people have died.
Some of them burned to death because they did not run away fast enough when the warnings came...or there were no warnings, or the fire was just too damn fast.
They say today was better than yesterday.
For some folks I guess that is true, the winds are down a bit and a cold front will eventually come in.
None of that really matters to the homeless families or the owners of the destroyed businesses, or the fact that this state, which only a couple of months ago began to come to grips with the fact that we were almost $40 billion in debt.
God only knows how much this latest disaster will cost.
Arnold will be governor sometime this month.
I have lost 15 pounds since July.
There are fires all around me and I can smell the smoke drifting in the still air, like a distant campfire.
My eyes burn and water and there is a scratchy sensation in the throat and lungs...but I have not been out partying, or staying up late.
SoCal is on fire again tonight, rather it is still on fire tonight.
As I write, they report over 1,100 hundred homes have been reduced to ash and 15 people have died.
Some of them burned to death because they did not run away fast enough when the warnings came...or there were no warnings, or the fire was just too damn fast.
They say today was better than yesterday.
For some folks I guess that is true, the winds are down a bit and a cold front will eventually come in.
None of that really matters to the homeless families or the owners of the destroyed businesses, or the fact that this state, which only a couple of months ago began to come to grips with the fact that we were almost $40 billion in debt.
God only knows how much this latest disaster will cost.
