Tuesday, March 31, 2009
One Year Ago Today
It is hard to believe. What a year this has been . . .
Thank you to so many who have prayed and supported us through this adventuresome roller-coaster!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Twattle
What do you call a thought that is too long for Twitter but too short for a posting . . . . ?
I once had a college Prof who would challenge us with the retort, "That's a very interesting comment . . . do you have any facts to back that up . . . or are you simply speaking from the vast impoverishment of your own mind?"
Heh - I still love that one . . .
Another college prof favorite . . . "How interesting. I believe you have just proposed a theory completely unencumbered by the thought process . . ."
Oh to be a college prof . . . .
Cheap and Yum! - Spaghetti
We forget sometimes how inexpensive it is. $3 for a jar of sauce and about $1 worth of noodles will feed a family of 4 easily! That's a buck a person! (Of course you have to resist spending $$ on the garlic bread and wine and . . .)
Submit your Cheap and Yum recipies in the comments section or e-mail them to matthew.m.linden@gmail.com .
Bumbo!
BTW - If you are wondering why the Bumbo is all jacked up in the front - A couple of months ago I went at it with a bread knife in an attempt to get Annie to fit in it with casts on both legs . . . . it didn't work . . .
What You Tube Was Made For . . .
I am sorry but this is great stuff . . .
All this technology and what do we do? Millions of people watch a goldfish go down the crapper. I love it.
All this technology and what do we do? Millions of people watch a goldfish go down the crapper. I love it.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
I'm Not Saying This Is Cool . . .
Model Trains do nothing for me. I have never seen one that didn't fall apart after 15 minutes and watching someone fix one is like watching someone do a jigsaw puzzle . . . but this . . . .
HT: Neatorama
NOT COOL . . . mind you . . . but . . . uh . . .WOW!
HT: Neatorama
Let's See, I Know About 2 Dozen Families That Might Be Interested In This . . .
Science Explains Why Toddlers Don't Listen
Go ahead . . . TRY not to click on the link . . . you can resist . . . just tell your*click*
Go ahead . . . TRY not to click on the link . . . you can resist . . . just tell your*click*
Well . . .
I see stuff like this and it makes me wish I were smarter . . . .
HT: Neatorama
Or had more free time . . . .
Yeah.
More free time would be good . . . .
HT: Neatorama
Cheap and Yum! - Couscous and Black Beans
Couscous and black beans! My family likes it with a light sprinkle of cheese on top and tortilla chips on the side. Couscous is cheap and VERY filling. (and tastes great too)
- Thanks Aubrey!
Submit your C&Y! Recipe in the comments or e-mail to matthew.m.linden@gmail.com
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Life Rolls On
I have written about Patrick Ivison before.
Today Show: Patrick Ivison
This week he was on The Today Show . . .
Today Show: Patrick Ivison
So You Say You're Not A Dawg Person . . . .
Picking Real Estate Pros Is for the Dogs
When Candy Spelling, the widow of legendary Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling, decided to sell her home, she let her dog pick out the real estate professional for the job.
Spelling asked her security service to bring her beloved Wheaten Terrier Madison in each time she met a candidate and watched how the dog reacted. If Madison did not respond pleasantly, she took the individual off the list.
Sally Forster Jones, an associate with Coldwell Banker Previews International in Beverly Hills, was the winner. She will co-list the 56,500-square-foot mansion, known as “The Manor” in the exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, for $150 million, making it the most expensive house on the market in the U.S.
Both Spelling and Jones told the Associated Press that they are unsure how many rooms the 56,500 square feet, three-story mansion has.
Just in case you're wondering, a 1.5% commission on $150mil is $2.25mil . . .
When Candy Spelling, the widow of legendary Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling, decided to sell her home, she let her dog pick out the real estate professional for the job.
Spelling asked her security service to bring her beloved Wheaten Terrier Madison in each time she met a candidate and watched how the dog reacted. If Madison did not respond pleasantly, she took the individual off the list.
Sally Forster Jones, an associate with Coldwell Banker Previews International in Beverly Hills, was the winner. She will co-list the 56,500-square-foot mansion, known as “The Manor” in the exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, for $150 million, making it the most expensive house on the market in the U.S.
Both Spelling and Jones told the Associated Press that they are unsure how many rooms the 56,500 square feet, three-story mansion has.
Just in case you're wondering, a 1.5% commission on $150mil is $2.25mil . . .
My Country Tis of Thee - Effigy Mounds National Monument
Effigy Mounds National Monument sits in the Northeast Corner of Iowa and is the largest collection of prehistoric mounds in the United States.
From Wikipedia:
Prehistoric mounds are common from the plains of the Midwest to the Atlantic seaboard, but only in this general area was there a culture that regularly constructed mounds in the shape of mammals, birds, or reptiles. The monument contains 2,526 acres (10 km²) with 206 mounds of which 31 are effigies. The others are conical, linear and compound. Woodland period Indians built mounds from about 500 BC until the early European contact period. When the American prairies were plowed under by European settlers for agriculture, many mound sites were lost. Effigy Mounds National Monument is the largest known collection of mounds in the United States.
From Wikipedia:Prehistoric mounds are common from the plains of the Midwest to the Atlantic seaboard, but only in this general area was there a culture that regularly constructed mounds in the shape of mammals, birds, or reptiles. The monument contains 2,526 acres (10 km²) with 206 mounds of which 31 are effigies. The others are conical, linear and compound. Woodland period Indians built mounds from about 500 BC until the early European contact period. When the American prairies were plowed under by European settlers for agriculture, many mound sites were lost. Effigy Mounds National Monument is the largest known collection of mounds in the United States.
Cheap and Yum - Chinese Noodle Soup
Chinese Noodle Soup2 cups unseasoned steamed veggies, your choice (broccoli, sliced carrots, snow peas, mushrooms all work well)
2 packages Oriental flavor Ramen noodles
Cook Ramen noodles according to package. 1.5 minutes into cooking, add steamed veggies.
Cook together for the remaining 1.5 minutes. Serves 3-4 people, depending on your appetite. Cheap and yum!
P.S. you can add meat, too, but then it costs more.
- Thanks Stace-C!
P.S. you can add meat, too, but then it costs more.
- Thanks Stace-C!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Cheap and Yum - Chili Potatoes
Bake (or microwave) two potatoes. Heat up one can of chili and dump it over the potatoes for a meal for two under $3! (depending on the brand of chili). Cheap and yum!Submit your C&Y recipes in the comments or e-mail to Matthew.m.linden@gmail.com .
My Country Tis of Thee - Where Does That Stuff Come From?
If you were talking about Tobasco Sauce, the answer would be Avery Island.
Avery Island is one of five salt dome islands rising above the flat Louisiana Gulf coast. These islands formed over the eons when alluvial sediment covered a vast plain of salt left behind by an ancient saltwater ocean. Surrounded by the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana, Avery Island stands the highest at 163 feet above mean sea level.
Avery Island is one of five salt dome islands rising above the flat Louisiana Gulf coast. These islands formed over the eons when alluvial sediment covered a vast plain of salt left behind by an ancient saltwater ocean. Surrounded by the swamps and marshes of south Louisiana, Avery Island stands the highest at 163 feet above mean sea level.
They Will Ski Again
On February 7, Life Rolls On Foundation traded surfboards for monoskis as the organization hosted its first They Will Ski Again event in Mammoth Lakes, CA. With varying degrees of mobility, individuals with spinal cord injury were treated to an exciting day on the slopes with expert instruction provided by Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra.
From areas as far as Texas, LRO participants weathered the snowy roads for excellent conditions on the mountain. “You have no idea what this means to us,” said Nicole Richards, wife of participant Brett Richards. “This is the first time Brett has been on the slopes since his injury and he’s doing amazing. Before his accident, he used to snowboard all the time. Now, he knows he can do it again.”
From areas as far as Texas, LRO participants weathered the snowy roads for excellent conditions on the mountain. “You have no idea what this means to us,” said Nicole Richards, wife of participant Brett Richards. “This is the first time Brett has been on the slopes since his injury and he’s doing amazing. Before his accident, he used to snowboard all the time. Now, he knows he can do it again.”
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Cheap and Yum
I don't remember who first coined the phrase - me, my wife or a friend. I think it was back in our college days when someone was trying to describe a local eatery and they said, "It's cheap and . . . . " and at a loss for words, they finished with "yum". Ever since then "Cheap and Yum" has meant tasty food for less.
What with the modern day DEPRESSION and all . . . I thought maybe we could all share some of our favorite "cheap and yum" recipes . . . you know . . . a sort of grass-roots "Cooking with Clara" movement . . .
My first recipe is "Tuna Mac". Take a box of macaroni and cheese, add a can of tuna and voila! A meal for two that costs less than $2. If you want to get really fancy, you can crumble potato chips on top. Make a double batch so you have leftovers for lunch the next day!
Submit your "Cheap and Yum" ideas in the comments section or e-mail them to matthew.m.linden@gmail.com !
Spring / Easter Movie #7
Singing in the Rain (those are April showers - right??)
Submit your nominations in the comments or e-mail them to matthew.m.linden@gmail.com !
My Country Tis of Thee - The Parthenon
No, not THAT Parthenon . . .
Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Naos are direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 B.C. The originals of these powerful fragments are housed in the British Museum in London.
THIS Parthenon . . . you know, the one in Nashville, Tennessee . . . .
The Parthenon stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals.
Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Naos are direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 B.C. The originals of these powerful fragments are housed in the British Museum in London.
What Did You Do This Weekend?
How would you spend your weekend if you were wheelchair bound? What if you could walk but you didn't have any arms? How would you spend your weekend then? By volunteering to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity of course . . .
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
My Country Tis of Thee - Nelson's Twin Oak Farm
The largest concentration of Kangaroos outside Austrailia? Dawsonville, Georgia.
Roger and Debbie Nelson started an 87 acre exotic-animal breeding center in the early 1980's (now called the Kangaroo Conservation Center). They acquired their first pair if roos in 1984. Their Kanga population now numbers in the hundreds . . . who knew?
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
76 Years Ago Today
USS Sequoia becomes presidential yacht
On this day in 1933, President Herbert Hoover accepts the newly commissioned USS Sequoia as the official presidential yacht. For 44 years, the Sequoia served as an occasional venue for recreation and official gatherings for eight U.S. presidents.
On this day in 1933, President Herbert Hoover accepts the newly commissioned USS Sequoia as the official presidential yacht. For 44 years, the Sequoia served as an occasional venue for recreation and official gatherings for eight U.S. presidents.
Spring / Easter Movie #6
Godspell
Now, I can't in good conscience post this without some explanation. I first saw Godspell as a stage production in college and it was incredible. I have seen it on stage a couple of times since then and was eager to see the 1973 movie that started it all. Yowch. The movie (in my humble opinion) is every bit as bad as the trailer makes it out to be. Check it out for a near fatal dose of 1973 groovyness - but don't let it turn you off to the script. Check out a contemporary stage version when you get the chance!
Now, I can't in good conscience post this without some explanation. I first saw Godspell as a stage production in college and it was incredible. I have seen it on stage a couple of times since then and was eager to see the 1973 movie that started it all. Yowch. The movie (in my humble opinion) is every bit as bad as the trailer makes it out to be. Check it out for a near fatal dose of 1973 groovyness - but don't let it turn you off to the script. Check out a contemporary stage version when you get the chance!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Greeeeen Acres Is The Place To Be . . . . .
I have never grown food before. Oh, sure, I have grown the occasional Herb or a pot of chives . . . but that's about it.
A while back, I finally got around to poking some seeds in the ground and look what we got!
Okay, so these are the runts that I pulled out just to make room for the real deal which is still in the dirt out back . . . but still!
We chopped some potatoes and mixed them in with a little butter and rosemary - carrots never tasted so good!
We chopped some potatoes and mixed them in with a little butter and rosemary - carrots never tasted so good!
Quote of the Day
Let us learn to be content with what we have. Let us get rid of our false estimates, set up all the higher ideals-
a quiet home,
vines of our own planting,
a few books full of the inspiration of genius,
a few friends worthy of being loved and able to love in return,
a hundred innocent pleasures that will bring no pain or remorse,
a devotion to the right that will never swerve,
a simple religion empty of all bigotry, full of trust and hope and love-
and to such a philosophy this world will give up all the joy it has.
- David Swing
"Throw the @$#$@# rolls!"
I waited tables for about a decade - just once I would have liked to have done this . . .
My Country Tis of Thee - Poplar Forest
Life Magazine recently put out a edition entitled "Hidden America - Finding Stunning Beauty and Strange Stories In Secret Places from Coast to Coast". Some of it was quite interesting and I thought I would share some of the highlights.
Poplar Forest
Most people know of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Plantation (check the back of a nickle). What most people do not know is that he had a 4800 acre plantation about 90 miles away from Monticello where he built a retreat home called Poplar Forest which you can visit today . . .
Polynesian Blues
One Christmas a good friend of mine was given a Ukulele by his wife. Coincidentally, my wife gave me a harmonica that year - which I still have not learned to play. We joked that we should start a Hawaiian Blues band . . . .
This is more akin to Rap Blues than Hawaiian Blues . . . check it out . . .
HT: Neatorama
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Great Internet Migratory Box Of Electronics Junk
This looks cool . . . not cool enough to actually do it . . . but pretty cool . . .
Spring / Easter Movie #5
Steel Magnolias
Submit your suggestion in the comments or e-mail to matthew.m.linden@gmail.com
Submit your suggestion in the comments or e-mail to matthew.m.linden@gmail.com
Quote of the Day
Knowledge is proud that it knows so much; wisdom is humble that it knows no more.
- William Cowper
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Grace
by U2
Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name
Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything
Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything
Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name
Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything
Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything
Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
Spring / Easter Movie #4
The Secret Garden
Leave your suggestions in the comments or e-mail them to Matthew.m.Linden@gmail.com
Leave your suggestions in the comments or e-mail them to Matthew.m.Linden@gmail.com
Quote of the Day
If God really rules the world, why does he allow things like earthquakes and floods and epidemics to happen? This old question has often been put in the form of "If God cannot stop such things, he is not Almighty; if he could stop them and does not, he is not good." But the fact is that the question has been put in quite the wrong way. The right question is: "Why did God choose to make a dangerous world?" If God made the world and human beings for a purpose, that purpose must be one which can be achieved only in a world in which life for all of us will always be short and dangerous; there seem to be lessons that we can learn only through danger and suffering.
- Stephen C. Neill
- Stephen C. Neill
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Spring / Easter Movie #3
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (live action)
Leave your suggestions in the comments or e-mail them to Matthew.m.Linden@gmail.com
Leave your suggestions in the comments or e-mail them to Matthew.m.Linden@gmail.com
Certainty
Religion exists not to answer all questions, or to clear up all mysteries; if that were its purpose, it could never be accomplished, for life grows, not less, but more mysterious as the intellect enters more fully into its truth.
The stars were wonderful enough in all conscience, when we thought of them as lamps of light set in a solid sky to guide the sailors on their journey over the trackless sea; but they are a million times more wonderful, now that we know them to be blazing worlds, that move through the vast infinities of space in accordance with exact mathematical laws.
Our own bodies were wonderful enough, when we thought of them as created in a moment by the fiat of the Almighty from the dust of the earth; but how much more wonderful they have become since the sciences of physiology and embryology have taught us to trace their growth through countless stages, from the humblest kind of beginning to their present complex end.
Knowledge does not take from, it adds to, the wonder of the world. It is an infallible rule that the more a man knows the less he knows. He knows that he knows nothing compared with what there is to know - that he is but a child playing on the shore of an infinite sea of truth and picking up tiny pearls of wisdom that, by the grace of God, are cast up at his feet.
Religion leaves a million questions unanswered and apparently unanswerable. Its purpose and object is not to make a man certain and cock-sure about everything, but to make him certain about those things of which he must be certain if he is to live a human life at all. Religion does not relieve us from the duty of thought; it makes possible for a man to begin thinking.
- G. A. Studdert-Kennedy
The stars were wonderful enough in all conscience, when we thought of them as lamps of light set in a solid sky to guide the sailors on their journey over the trackless sea; but they are a million times more wonderful, now that we know them to be blazing worlds, that move through the vast infinities of space in accordance with exact mathematical laws.
Our own bodies were wonderful enough, when we thought of them as created in a moment by the fiat of the Almighty from the dust of the earth; but how much more wonderful they have become since the sciences of physiology and embryology have taught us to trace their growth through countless stages, from the humblest kind of beginning to their present complex end.
Knowledge does not take from, it adds to, the wonder of the world. It is an infallible rule that the more a man knows the less he knows. He knows that he knows nothing compared with what there is to know - that he is but a child playing on the shore of an infinite sea of truth and picking up tiny pearls of wisdom that, by the grace of God, are cast up at his feet.
Religion leaves a million questions unanswered and apparently unanswerable. Its purpose and object is not to make a man certain and cock-sure about everything, but to make him certain about those things of which he must be certain if he is to live a human life at all. Religion does not relieve us from the duty of thought; it makes possible for a man to begin thinking.
- G. A. Studdert-Kennedy
And For My Next Trick . . . I Will . . . .
Sit up on my own!
Thank you! Thank you! Tip Your Waitress! Thank You!
Thank you! Thank you! Tip Your Waitress! Thank You!
Good Luck With That . . .
Somehow I got connected with Planet Money and I tune in every couple of days or so. They had a post the other day that struck a cord:
Until this crisis passes, can we, as a nation, please just agree that Congress, the President and the Treasury Secretary are too busy to waste their time on any problem worth less than, say, $10 billion?
I wanted to put the cutoff at $100 billion, but I do think it's appropriate for those folks to deal with the bailouts of Citi and Bank of America, which are not that high.
But, clearly, with any problem less than $10 billion, the President, members of Congress, and Geithner could say something like this:
"That sounds awful. I really wish I could look into that. But our nation and the world is on the brink of severe disaster. We can get through this, but only if leadership stays focused. So, I've assigned some low level staffers to this relatively minor, if frustrating, issue. I am going to spend all of my time trying to save the world economy. When I have a spare minute, I'm going to focus on recrafting the regulation of financial markets. I promise that one day, a year from now, two years from now, when the fire is safely put out, we will have a full accounting of who did what, who is guilty, and who needs to be punished. Until then, every minute I spend on small things brings the world closer to disaster."
Eventually, it'll get easy. They just say: "Oooh, that's below the cutoff. Sorry."
Teaser:
I wanted to put the cutoff at $100 billion, but I do think it's appropriate for those folks to deal with the bailouts of Citi and Bank of America, which are not that high.
But, clearly, with any problem less than $10 billion, the President, members of Congress, and Geithner could say something like this:
"That sounds awful. I really wish I could look into that. But our nation and the world is on the brink of severe disaster. We can get through this, but only if leadership stays focused. So, I've assigned some low level staffers to this relatively minor, if frustrating, issue. I am going to spend all of my time trying to save the world economy. When I have a spare minute, I'm going to focus on recrafting the regulation of financial markets. I promise that one day, a year from now, two years from now, when the fire is safely put out, we will have a full accounting of who did what, who is guilty, and who needs to be punished. Until then, every minute I spend on small things brings the world closer to disaster."
Eventually, it'll get easy. They just say: "Oooh, that's below the cutoff. Sorry."
Cheater
I found this TED presentation to be fascinating. The presenter examines why, when and by how much people "cheat" and then casts that into the realm of our presuppositions - a little dense but gooooood . . . .
HT: Planet Money
HT: Planet Money
Friday, March 20, 2009
Spring / Easter Movie #2
The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe (Animated):
Leave your suggestions in the comments or e-mail them to: Matthew.m.linden@gmail.com
Leave your suggestions in the comments or e-mail them to: Matthew.m.linden@gmail.com
Camomile Tea
by Katherine Mansfield
Outside the sky is light with stars;
There's a hollow roaring from the sea.
And, alas! for the little almond flowers,
The wind is shaking the almond tree.
How little I thought, a year ago,
In the horrible cottage upon the Lee
That he and I should be sitting so
And sipping a cup of camomile tea.
Light as feathers the witches fly,
The horn of the moon is plain to see;
By a firefly under a jonquil flower
A goblin toasts a bumble-bee.
We might be fifty, we might be five,
So snug, so compact, so wise are we!
Under the kitchen-table leg
My knee is pressing against his knee.
Our shutters are shut, the fire is low,
The tap is dripping peacefully;
The saucepan shadows on the wall
Are black and round and plain to see.
Outside the sky is light with stars;
There's a hollow roaring from the sea.
And, alas! for the little almond flowers,
The wind is shaking the almond tree.
How little I thought, a year ago,
In the horrible cottage upon the Lee
That he and I should be sitting so
And sipping a cup of camomile tea.
Light as feathers the witches fly,
The horn of the moon is plain to see;
By a firefly under a jonquil flower
A goblin toasts a bumble-bee.
We might be fifty, we might be five,
So snug, so compact, so wise are we!
Under the kitchen-table leg
My knee is pressing against his knee.
Our shutters are shut, the fire is low,
The tap is dripping peacefully;
The saucepan shadows on the wall
Are black and round and plain to see.
If This Doesn't Make You Want to Grab a Beer and Go Mess with Some Sheep - Nothing Will . . .
Holy mackrel this is hilarious - and the dawgs are cool too!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Easter Movies!
Okay, time to reload the next movie theme! Easter!
Post your recommendations in the comments section or e-mail them to: matthew.m.linden@gmail.com !
Now, I know that Easter is a SERIOUS holiday . . . but that doesn't mean there aren't some fun movies out there to help us celebrate! (Wasn't there some sort of Peter-Cotton-Tail stop-motion flick back in the 70's?). Along with Easter, we can also lump in Spring-time-themed movies as well!
I will do the heavy lifting and get the 200 lb gorilla out of the way: The Passion Of The Christ (I saw this when it came out and have not been able to muster the intestinal fortitude to watch it again - maybe this year . . .)
Post your recommendations in the comments section or e-mail them to: matthew.m.linden@gmail.com !
To One in Sorrow
by Grace Noll Crowell
Let me come in where you are weeping, friend,
And let me take your hand.
I, who have known a sorrow such as yours, can understand.
Let me come in--I would be very still beside you in your grief;
I would not bid you cease your weeping, friend,
Tears bring relief. Let me come in--and hold your hand,
For I have known a sorrow such as yours, And understand.
Let me come in where you are weeping, friend,
And let me take your hand.
I, who have known a sorrow such as yours, can understand.
Let me come in--I would be very still beside you in your grief;
I would not bid you cease your weeping, friend,
Tears bring relief. Let me come in--and hold your hand,
For I have known a sorrow such as yours, And understand.
Life Imitating Art - or The Other Way Around?
What bent my brain as I watched this video is that much of what they were comically describing as "Art" actually is art. It may be advertising or graffiti but it is art on some level in any case . . . sort of weirds me out, really . . .
From Neatorama:
The folks from Improv Everywhere staged an art gallery opening on the 23rd Street subway platform in Manhattan. They had all the trappings: an open bar (serving cider), a coat check attendant, a cello player for ambiance, and nicely-dressed art patrons. The “art” displayed was the signs, graffiti, and objects already found in the subway! For example, this description was attached to a wall phone:
Telephone Line (2002)
Metropolitan Transit Authority in collaboration with Telecom
This homage to the urgency of communication is meant to highlight the recent necessity, from instant to instant, to maintain the potential for instantaneous, world-wide contact from any location, at any time. That a conversation from such a location would be abruptly interrupted by an arriving train suggests the artist’s intent to lampoon the perceived dependence on telecommunication.
From Neatorama:
The folks from Improv Everywhere staged an art gallery opening on the 23rd Street subway platform in Manhattan. They had all the trappings: an open bar (serving cider), a coat check attendant, a cello player for ambiance, and nicely-dressed art patrons. The “art” displayed was the signs, graffiti, and objects already found in the subway! For example, this description was attached to a wall phone:
Telephone Line (2002)
Metropolitan Transit Authority in collaboration with Telecom
This homage to the urgency of communication is meant to highlight the recent necessity, from instant to instant, to maintain the potential for instantaneous, world-wide contact from any location, at any time. That a conversation from such a location would be abruptly interrupted by an arriving train suggests the artist’s intent to lampoon the perceived dependence on telecommunication.
First Phantom Amputation
NPR had a fascinating story the other morning about people who feel pain in limbs that have been amputated (ie; aren't there anymore).
One of Ramachandran's patients complained that he was suffering from an excruciating cramping in his phantom arm. He felt that his phantom hand was clenched so tightly, he could feel his fingernails digging into his phantom palm. The patient was in no way delusional. He knew his arm had been amputated and that the pain was emanating from a nonexistent limb. Yet his grasp of this reality was no match for his perceived pain.
Ramachandran came up with an unusual treatment. He placed a mirror in a cardboard box and instructed the patient to place his existing hand inside the box, next to the mirror. When the patient looked down at the mirror, the reflection of his existing hand stood in as a visual replacement of his phantom limb. The patient was told to imagine that the reflection was in fact the lost limb, and to practice clenching and unclenching his hand while looking in the mirror.
Teaser:
One of Ramachandran's patients complained that he was suffering from an excruciating cramping in his phantom arm. He felt that his phantom hand was clenched so tightly, he could feel his fingernails digging into his phantom palm. The patient was in no way delusional. He knew his arm had been amputated and that the pain was emanating from a nonexistent limb. Yet his grasp of this reality was no match for his perceived pain.
Ramachandran came up with an unusual treatment. He placed a mirror in a cardboard box and instructed the patient to place his existing hand inside the box, next to the mirror. When the patient looked down at the mirror, the reflection of his existing hand stood in as a visual replacement of his phantom limb. The patient was told to imagine that the reflection was in fact the lost limb, and to practice clenching and unclenching his hand while looking in the mirror.
Head in the Cloud - Update
Okay, so maybe I spoke too soon about all this new electronic wizardry. All the Google stuff is working great - Google Chrome is fast, Gmail works fine, Blogger, Google docs, Google photos all work great. Mint.com - not so much.
I guess all Mint does is download your account info from your bank's website. It does give you the option to assign categories to your transactions but you cannot print any reports that are sorted by categories so there really isn't much point. Add to it that you can't manually enter a transaction such as that check you wrote to the water company that won't clear for a week and a half and the site really isn't a reliable replacement for an actual checkbook. So . . .
I am wondering if any of you out there use an online checkbook program that works well for you. I have always used Microsoft Money for my finances but that is tied to my home PC and isn't much use to me whenever I am away from home.
It would be nice if I could just log on from any computer and manage my checkbook . . .
Just throwing it out there!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Think or Worry?
By Harold B. Walker
You can think about your problems or you can worry about them, and there is a vast difference between the two.
Worry is thinking that has turned toxic. It is jarring music that goes round and round and never comes to either climax or conclusion.
Thinking works its way through problems to conclusions and decisions; worry leaves you in a state of tensely suspended animation.
When you worry, you go over the same ground endlessly and come out the same place you started. Thinking makes progress from one place to another; worry remains static.
The problem of life is to change worry into thinking and anxiety into creative action.
You can think about your problems or you can worry about them, and there is a vast difference between the two.
Worry is thinking that has turned toxic. It is jarring music that goes round and round and never comes to either climax or conclusion.
Thinking works its way through problems to conclusions and decisions; worry leaves you in a state of tensely suspended animation.
When you worry, you go over the same ground endlessly and come out the same place you started. Thinking makes progress from one place to another; worry remains static.
The problem of life is to change worry into thinking and anxiety into creative action.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Me Me Me . . .
Powerchair Dairies has his latest installment up. It's about the slippery slope of self-absorbtion that is an intrinsic part of living with a disablity. Good stuff.
Teaser:
Make no mistake, disability experience begins as a socially slippery slope, where no matter the origin of disability, it simply starts by seemingly focusing the entire world on us. If you’re born with disability, you’re immediately labeled as “special needs,” where there’s typically a hyper focus on you as a child, from home to school and beyond. Doctors, teachers, family, and even strangers in the supermarket will focus on you with an intensity that many children never experience.
Similarly, if you acquire a later-in-life injury or illness, the world immediately becomes about you, where family and friends are suddenly hyper-focused on you and your circumstance. Siblings fly in from out of town to be by your side. Parents make you their “baby” again. Your church’s congregation places you on its eternal prayer list. And, the entire town takes you to heart.
In these ways, when one with disability experiences the intrinsic hyper focus of others, it’s easy to become that two-year-old living in an all-about-me world, where being the center of attention is par for the course.
Yet, if you’re going to succeed – no matter how severe one’s disability, or how ravaging one’s illness – you need to get over yourself and your disability, period. The fact is, when we make life all about ourselves, it ultimately creates isolation, builds resentment in others, and destroys our lives. Successful relationships are a two-way street, where we must give to others just as they give to us. And, when we make our worlds all about ourselves due to disability, we create relationship dynamics that are a one-way street, never considering others, and we simply drain those around us. If we’re going to maintain healthy relationships, disability or not, we must routinely put others before ourselves.
Similarly, if you acquire a later-in-life injury or illness, the world immediately becomes about you, where family and friends are suddenly hyper-focused on you and your circumstance. Siblings fly in from out of town to be by your side. Parents make you their “baby” again. Your church’s congregation places you on its eternal prayer list. And, the entire town takes you to heart.
In these ways, when one with disability experiences the intrinsic hyper focus of others, it’s easy to become that two-year-old living in an all-about-me world, where being the center of attention is par for the course.
Yet, if you’re going to succeed – no matter how severe one’s disability, or how ravaging one’s illness – you need to get over yourself and your disability, period. The fact is, when we make life all about ourselves, it ultimately creates isolation, builds resentment in others, and destroys our lives. Successful relationships are a two-way street, where we must give to others just as they give to us. And, when we make our worlds all about ourselves due to disability, we create relationship dynamics that are a one-way street, never considering others, and we simply drain those around us. If we’re going to maintain healthy relationships, disability or not, we must routinely put others before ourselves.
Chapters
Grace Choi sat next to me in my Senior High School English class. She was Chinese, slight (5' 2" maybe 100 lbs), quiet, and she was an incredible pianist. I once saw tiny Grace pound a piano into submission - attacking it with a fury - demanding it's loyalty - until at long last she drew out the sweetest music you would ever want to hear.
After a typical weekend, my friend, Ramon, and I entered our English class to find our teacher, Mrs. Prince, crying at the back of the room. We asked her what was wrong and she said that Grace had died over the weekend.
Grace had been feeling poorly on Friday but didn't want to miss school so she came anyway. Friday night her parents took her to the hospital where the doctors diagnosed her as having the flu and sent her home. She died the next day of an infection that stopped her heart.
"I don't know how to announce this to the class," Mrs. Prince cried.
"I can do it," I said . . . and that's what I did.
Once the class had mostly entered and taken their seats, Ramon and I stood in front of our friends and peers and announced what I now see as the opening in a new chapter in our teenage lives. One of our own had died. Not a suicide, not a car accident - but a mysterious illness had taken her. We were all mortal after all . . . .
Life is full of stages. There is High School with all it's angst and strife and hilarity. Then college with freedom and responsibility and future plans and work. Then weddings as most people begin pairing up and settling down, establishing a home and a career and learning what it means to love. Next come the babies and baby showers and diapers and formulas and "did your son ever have a rash like this . . ."
I wrote last week that we attended services for a high school / college friend of ours. As friends gathered, then made the drive to the church, then reunited in the fellowship hall after the service, you got the sense that another chapter in our lives had begun.
Our friend Jay Gould, had a problematic mole on his skin removed about 15 years ago. It turned out to be malignant and so all the requisite follow-ups were scheduled and attended with no recurrence of the melanoma. Jay went on to establish a career, marry, buy a house and have two children. A year ago he went to the doctor complaining of pneumonia-like symptoms. Further tests revealed that the melanoma had spread to his lungs and he was given three months to live. He passed away at age 37.
As we all sat there remembering and honoring our friend, you could tell that this was something different. Similar to Grace 20 years ago, this was not a suicide or a car accident - but unlike Grace, this was not some unknown, unlikely, mysterious illness either . . . this was cancer. And just like the first of your friends to get married or the first to buy a house or the first to have children . . . Jay will not be the only one of us who is taken by this devastating disease. He is just one of the first amongst us to pass from the these shadowlands we refer to as "the real world" into the great ever-after.
As I sat there last Saturday, it occurred to me; We are not only mortal in the "some day" sense of the word. We are mortal in the very real "here and now" sense of the word. And while we often claim an inalienable "right" to life and health in our younger years, I could not help but feel that those years of "right to life" are fading . . . in many ways from here on out we are living on borrowed time.
But I don't mean that in a sorrowful or morose sort of way - I mean it in a bracing splash of icy-cold-water-to-the-face sort of way. As I sat in the sanctuary I could hear silent voices shouting "Wake up! Life is now. Tomorrow is but a wisp of a hope. Stop waiting. Get on with it!"
A page has turned and a new chapter has begun. This life is terribly beautiful and none of us are assured as to the length of the mortal road we are on. More than ever before, I have the sense that everyday is a gift.
A page has turned, and I am trying very hard to pay attention . . . .
Pleasure and Sorrow
by Robert Browning Hamilton
She chattered all the way,
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Who's "Disabled" Now?
Oh. My. Goodness. This is an amazing video - watch it all the way through . . .
HT: Neatorama
HT: Neatorama
Crushed Fine
My wife went to High School and church Youth group with Bruce. Mandy was in the college singing drama troupe where the wife and I first met.
Bruce and Mandy met in college and were married.
They just released their first album of sacred music called More Real Than This. What I have heard, I have liked.
It is available on Itunes etc.
Quote of the Day
Most of us wait until we're in trouble, and then we pray like the dickens. Wonder what would happen if, some morning, we'd wake up and say, "Anything I can do for You today, Lord?"
- Burton Hillis
- Burton Hillis
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Head In The Cloud
Warning - OCD Techno Jibber Jabber - free spirits beware . . .
So this whole online medical records thing got me thinking . . . What else do I want access to from wherever I am?
For the past decade or so I have run my entire life out of Microsoft Outlook. My calendar, my address book, my to-do lists. I have managed my checkbook with Microsoft Money. The trouble is, it is all on my home PC.
Sure, I could download my Outlook files to a flash drive and upload them at the office but my calendar and to-do lists are constantly changing (not to mention my checkbook). For some time now I have wished there was an online version of Outlook - but, of course, there isn't. I tried using the calendar function on MSN (where I have had my e-mail my entire digital life) but would you believe that MSN does not support MS Outlook? Dopes.
Then I heard about Google Calendar.
Google calendar uploaded my entire Outlook calendar in a matter of a minute or so. Just amazing! But what about my ever-fluctuating to-do list?
Remember the Milk syncs with your Google Calendar. Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to upload my Outlook tasks so I had to enter them by hand. It works great!
So now I am using Google for Blogging (Blogger is Google), Calendar and Tasks and that got me thinking . . . why not switch to Gmail so everything is in one place? My Outlook contacts uploaded in about a minute and then I was able to transfer all my contacts from MSN to Gmail as well. MSN even forwards my e-mail to the new account so I don't need to check it anymore.
Of course, with Google mail comes Google Docs and Photos. So I uploaded some photos as well as a couple of documents that I work on all the time (budget spreadsheets etc.)
So this whole online medical records thing got me thinking . . . What else do I want access to from wherever I am?
For the past decade or so I have run my entire life out of Microsoft Outlook. My calendar, my address book, my to-do lists. I have managed my checkbook with Microsoft Money. The trouble is, it is all on my home PC.
Sure, I could download my Outlook files to a flash drive and upload them at the office but my calendar and to-do lists are constantly changing (not to mention my checkbook). For some time now I have wished there was an online version of Outlook - but, of course, there isn't. I tried using the calendar function on MSN (where I have had my e-mail my entire digital life) but would you believe that MSN does not support MS Outlook? Dopes.
Then I heard about Google Calendar.
Google calendar uploaded my entire Outlook calendar in a matter of a minute or so. Just amazing! But what about my ever-fluctuating to-do list?
Remember the Milk syncs with your Google Calendar. Unfortunately, I could not figure out how to upload my Outlook tasks so I had to enter them by hand. It works great!
So now I am using Google for Blogging (Blogger is Google), Calendar and Tasks and that got me thinking . . . why not switch to Gmail so everything is in one place? My Outlook contacts uploaded in about a minute and then I was able to transfer all my contacts from MSN to Gmail as well. MSN even forwards my e-mail to the new account so I don't need to check it anymore.
Of course, with Google mail comes Google Docs and Photos. So I uploaded some photos as well as a couple of documents that I work on all the time (budget spreadsheets etc.)
And of course, that got me thinking about my web-browser. I have never used anything but Internet Explorer but I decided to give Google Chrome a try (heck, I am signing up for everything else Google is putting out). All my favorites transferred right over from IE.
So just to recap, I now have:
- Google Chrome Browser
- Google Mail
- Google Docs
- Google Photos
- Blogger (Google)
- Remember the Milk (Tasks)
And it all works! Just the way you have always wanted the Internet to work! Fast! Sleek! Seamless! I. Love. It. All my contacts, mail, calendar, documents, photos and tasks are out there in the digital cloud just waiting for me to access them from any computer or web-enabled cell phone (yeah, right . . . like I am going to start carrying one of those around . . .).
Of course, I didn't load all my docs and photos - just the ones I currently want access to. And I also kept backups of everything to be on the safe side.
All that still didn't solve my checkbook dilemma but a friend suggested I check out Mint.com - a free online financial program. It is awesome!
I have been smacking my e-forehead for the past few days. What a dope - I have been living in the equivalent of a digital cave making fire rubbing two sticks together - only to discover that the rest of the world is sending men to the moon.
If you haven't overhauled the way you think about your digital world, you may want to pour yourself a big ol' glass of the Google Koolaide and check out what they have to offer. Man, I can't believe it took me this long . . . .
Which is also the long-way-around to letting everyone know that my e-mail address has changed: matthew.m.linden@gmail.com (all the shorter versions were taken).
Please make a note of it . . . . ;-)
The Rubber Room
By some estimates there are approximately 700 teachers in the New York Public School system being paid their full salary to sit in a room for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week and do absolutely nothing.
Its called The Rubber Room . . . .
Friday, March 13, 2009
Online Medical Records
Being the psycho OCD person I am, one of the first things I did when we found out about Annabelle's condition was to start a 3-ring binder full of info I found useful (diagnoses, doctor info, medical programs etc). The binder sits in the backseat of the car for whenever we might need it.
Monday the wife took the wee one to a Pediatrician appointment and they gave her a 3-ring binder designed to do what I had already put together (nice thought and gesture). This got me thinking . . . if a medical emergency were ever to happen and I was not around, I would want whomever was treating my daughter to know everything about her and have contact info for all her doctors etc.
So I did a google search and found this site: https://secure.accessmyrecords.com/ . It seems like a pretty good idea but I don't know if there might be something better out there.
So I thought I would throw it out there - have any of you heard of an online service like this? Maybe you have an older person in your life who uses one? Maybe you or someone you know is in the medical profession and might have some insight from the medical-providers viewpoint on what works well? Any suggestions?
Leave a comment or e-mail me at mattlinden@msn.com
Thanks for the help!
Monday the wife took the wee one to a Pediatrician appointment and they gave her a 3-ring binder designed to do what I had already put together (nice thought and gesture). This got me thinking . . . if a medical emergency were ever to happen and I was not around, I would want whomever was treating my daughter to know everything about her and have contact info for all her doctors etc.
So I did a google search and found this site: https://secure.accessmyrecords.com/ . It seems like a pretty good idea but I don't know if there might be something better out there.
So I thought I would throw it out there - have any of you heard of an online service like this? Maybe you have an older person in your life who uses one? Maybe you or someone you know is in the medical profession and might have some insight from the medical-providers viewpoint on what works well? Any suggestions?
Leave a comment or e-mail me at mattlinden@msn.com
Thanks for the help!
Quote of the Day
Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
67 Years Ago Today
U.S. Army launches K-9 Corps
On this day in 1942, the Quartermaster Corps (QMC) of the United States Army begins training dogs for the newly established War Dog Program, or "K-9 Corps."
On this day in 1942, the Quartermaster Corps (QMC) of the United States Army begins training dogs for the newly established War Dog Program, or "K-9 Corps."
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Seriously Read This Story . . .
If you don't get misty-eyed, get to the doctor - you might be dead . . . .
Teaser:
A few seconds left. The game teeters on these two free throws. The shooter gulps. The packed gym goes silent, save for the tapping of a white cane on the back of the rim. That's right. The shooter's brother is under the hoop, rapping a cane on the rim. That's because the shooter, Matt Steven, is blind.
- Thanks Ryan!
Teaser:
A few seconds left. The game teeters on these two free throws. The shooter gulps. The packed gym goes silent, save for the tapping of a white cane on the back of the rim. That's right. The shooter's brother is under the hoop, rapping a cane on the rim. That's because the shooter, Matt Steven, is blind.
- Thanks Ryan!
Quote of the Day
There is a kind of release that comes directly to those who have undergone an ordeal and who know, having survived it, that they are equal to all life's occasions.
- Lewis Mumford
- Lewis Mumford
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Medical Update - 3/11/09
So here is how these decisions are made in marriages (or at least in our marriage):
1) Annabelle needed to be scheduled for a CT Scan which involves general anesthesia. It's not surgery but it's not an "open and say 'ahhh'" appointment either. We really both wanted to be there.
2) Holly's job is sending her to New York for 4 days at the end of the month which will require me to take one day off for child care and I don't feel like I can take another day off for a CT Scan
3) The wife would rather take Annie to the CT Scan solo herself than have me go solo on the day I am taking off when she is in NYC.
So it is settled . . . the wife will take the wee one to the CT Scan solo . . . only, I really want to be there still . . . .
So yesterday I went in to the office and told the wife to call me when she arrived at the hospital. I would leave the office at the last possible minute and return as soon as the major hurdles were crossed.
I parked in the usual structure and headed to the location of the first appointment - Radiology for Shunt-series Xrays. Just as I was approaching the radiology dept. my cell phone rang. It was the wife - they had already left radiology and were now at surgical admitting (because of the anesthesia, CT Scans are considered surgery). As I was finishing up my call with her and pointing my toes in the proper direction, a hospital worker started to wave me down, "Excuse me, sir . . . excuse me . . . ."
"Oh brother", I thought. "I probably shouldn't be on a cell phone in this part of the hospital or something . . . "
"Excuse me sir, are you Annabelle's dad?"
"I am", I said - fairly surprised.
"I just took your wife and daughter to surgical admin. If you want to follow me I will show you the way . . . "
I am telling you - these people at Children's hospital are gooooood at what they do.
I found the wife juggling a clipboard of forms in one hand and the child in the other - she was relieved to see me.
We got all checked in but this time they didn't offer us a free toy with purchase.
They also didn't charge us a $250 co-pay so I figure we just about came out ahead on that one . . .
They placed us in a waiting room - it was 11am. Our CT Scan was scheduled for 1pm. Annie-Lu had not had anything to eat or drink since 7am and was not allowed to until after the procedure was over - the wife and I braced ourselves for 2 hours of fussing . . .
Of course, as Annabelle has so many times before, the little champ rallied. Other than a few minutes of fussing she either just sat quietly watching the other patients or dozed off and on. Just amazing.
After checking blood pressure and temp etc, the nurse called us in to sign a couple more forms and explain how the whole thing would work. She told us that the anesthesia would be administered as gas through a small face mask. She offered to swab the inside of the mask with lip gloss - either bubble gum or strawberry so that the mask would smell nice when they put it on her . . . and so in one of those countless absurd moments of life, the wife and I sat there in the hospital trying to decide between different flavors of children's lip gloss . . . we went with strawberry.
Then it was back to the waiting room.
When they finally came to get us (at 1pm - right on schedule), they led us through the hospital corridors to the CT Scan room.
"That's a pretty relaxed baby you have there . . ." the tech commented. "Yeah, she is usually pretty easy going", I replied.
"I think we will try it without anesthesia. If she will hold still enough we wont even need it." The wife and I looked at each other with hopeful joy.
I was expecting a coffin-like chamber similar to the one the wife was placed in when she had her CT Scan during the pregnancy. It actually looked more like this:
1) Annabelle needed to be scheduled for a CT Scan which involves general anesthesia. It's not surgery but it's not an "open and say 'ahhh'" appointment either. We really both wanted to be there.
2) Holly's job is sending her to New York for 4 days at the end of the month which will require me to take one day off for child care and I don't feel like I can take another day off for a CT Scan
3) The wife would rather take Annie to the CT Scan solo herself than have me go solo on the day I am taking off when she is in NYC.
So it is settled . . . the wife will take the wee one to the CT Scan solo . . . only, I really want to be there still . . . .
So yesterday I went in to the office and told the wife to call me when she arrived at the hospital. I would leave the office at the last possible minute and return as soon as the major hurdles were crossed.
I parked in the usual structure and headed to the location of the first appointment - Radiology for Shunt-series Xrays. Just as I was approaching the radiology dept. my cell phone rang. It was the wife - they had already left radiology and were now at surgical admitting (because of the anesthesia, CT Scans are considered surgery). As I was finishing up my call with her and pointing my toes in the proper direction, a hospital worker started to wave me down, "Excuse me, sir . . . excuse me . . . ."
"Oh brother", I thought. "I probably shouldn't be on a cell phone in this part of the hospital or something . . . "
"Excuse me sir, are you Annabelle's dad?"
"I am", I said - fairly surprised.
"I just took your wife and daughter to surgical admin. If you want to follow me I will show you the way . . . "
I am telling you - these people at Children's hospital are gooooood at what they do.
I found the wife juggling a clipboard of forms in one hand and the child in the other - she was relieved to see me.
We got all checked in but this time they didn't offer us a free toy with purchase.
They also didn't charge us a $250 co-pay so I figure we just about came out ahead on that one . . .They placed us in a waiting room - it was 11am. Our CT Scan was scheduled for 1pm. Annie-Lu had not had anything to eat or drink since 7am and was not allowed to until after the procedure was over - the wife and I braced ourselves for 2 hours of fussing . . .
Of course, as Annabelle has so many times before, the little champ rallied. Other than a few minutes of fussing she either just sat quietly watching the other patients or dozed off and on. Just amazing.
After checking blood pressure and temp etc, the nurse called us in to sign a couple more forms and explain how the whole thing would work. She told us that the anesthesia would be administered as gas through a small face mask. She offered to swab the inside of the mask with lip gloss - either bubble gum or strawberry so that the mask would smell nice when they put it on her . . . and so in one of those countless absurd moments of life, the wife and I sat there in the hospital trying to decide between different flavors of children's lip gloss . . . we went with strawberry.
Then it was back to the waiting room.
When they finally came to get us (at 1pm - right on schedule), they led us through the hospital corridors to the CT Scan room.
"That's a pretty relaxed baby you have there . . ." the tech commented. "Yeah, she is usually pretty easy going", I replied.
"I think we will try it without anesthesia. If she will hold still enough we wont even need it." The wife and I looked at each other with hopeful joy.
I was expecting a coffin-like chamber similar to the one the wife was placed in when she had her CT Scan during the pregnancy. It actually looked more like this:
That is the photo from last January's "low grade" CT scan that they did.
The tech said one of us could stay at Annie's side and the other had to go in the next room and watch through the glass. I stayed - the wife stood in the other room.
They placed Annie's head in the noggin-vice and strapped her arms to her side with blankets and velcro. She didn't make a peep.
They gave me a lead apron to wear (sorry - no princess ones this time) and handed me one of those light-up whirly-gigs that you can buy at amusement parks. You know, the ones about the size of a flashlight that light up a bunch of colored l.e.d's and spins around when you push the button?
"Here dad, keep her eyes focused on this so she doesn't move her head."
The machine whirred to life and spun and flexed and tilted and whirred some more. 3 minutes later we were done - and drug-free!
We headed to the cafeteria where the wife rewarded Annie with some much anticipated lunch. 7 waking hours without food and hardly a complaint. Sitting still for a CT scan at the tail end of it all. She's a wonder.
So that is the news. I expect we will get a 10-second "everything looks good" voice mail from the neurosurgeon's office in about a week which will prompt a return call from me filled with a handful of , "Yeah but what-about's" (especially if there is any news on the 3v procedure).
Here is what the ol' medical calendar looks like for the near future:
- Physical Therapy once a week
- Infant Therapy once every two weeks
- March 14th - SD Spina Bifida Association Meeting
- April 2nd - Vision Screening
- April 7th - Club Foot Clinic
- April 14th - Double Foot Surgery (Go Annabelle Day!)
11 appointments in 5 weeks.
Your continued prayers and support are appreciated more than you know.
Quote of the Day
If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing.
- William Law
- William Law
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Medical Update - 3/9/9
So the wife took the child to the Pediatrician on Monday.
The doc gave Annie the once over, checked the minor swelling around the base of her shunt and pronounced it acceptable. He checked her scar and confirmed that it is not infected. He measured the circumference of her head and said it looks like the shunt revision did the trick.
He gave Annabelle her shots and that was that.
Today we have a CT Scan to take a look at Annie's head to make sure the shunt is doing what it is supposed to. I am also hopeful that they will be able to give us some determination on whether or not the 3V procedure remains successful.
As these things go, we probably will not get the results for a week or so.
The bummer about scanning an infant is that they have to put her under otherwise she would never hold still enough. That means no solid food after "this time" to formula after "that time" and eventually nothing at all . . . . The protocol is basically exactly like surgery with a recovery period after etc. - the obvious difference being the absence of any sharp objects other than a needle or two.
So it is a somewhat significant day but nothing really to work up a sweat about.
Updates to come as soon as we get the results!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
The doc gave Annie the once over, checked the minor swelling around the base of her shunt and pronounced it acceptable. He checked her scar and confirmed that it is not infected. He measured the circumference of her head and said it looks like the shunt revision did the trick.
He gave Annabelle her shots and that was that.
Today we have a CT Scan to take a look at Annie's head to make sure the shunt is doing what it is supposed to. I am also hopeful that they will be able to give us some determination on whether or not the 3V procedure remains successful.
As these things go, we probably will not get the results for a week or so.
The bummer about scanning an infant is that they have to put her under otherwise she would never hold still enough. That means no solid food after "this time" to formula after "that time" and eventually nothing at all . . . . The protocol is basically exactly like surgery with a recovery period after etc. - the obvious difference being the absence of any sharp objects other than a needle or two.
So it is a somewhat significant day but nothing really to work up a sweat about.
Updates to come as soon as we get the results!
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Thank You
It was inevitable, I suppose, that in the garden I should begin, at long last, to ask myself what lay behind all this beauty. When guests were gone and I had the flowers to myself, I was so happy that I wondered why at the same time I was haunted by a sense of emptiness. It was as though I wanted to thank somebody, but had nobody to thank; which is another way of saying that I felt the need for worship. That is, perhaps, the kindliest way in which a man may come to his God. There is an interminable literature on the origins of the religious impulse, but to me it is simpler than that. It is summed up in the image of a man at sundown, watching the crimson flowering of the sky and saying - to somebody - "Thank you".
- Beverly Nichols
- Beverly Nichols
Monday, March 9, 2009
Quote of the Day
A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most complete prayer.
- Gotthold Lessing
- Gotthold Lessing
50 Years Ago Today
Barbie makes her debut
On this day in 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City.
Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc. with her husband in 1945. After seeing her young daughter ignore her baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future.
On this day in 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City.
Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc. with her husband in 1945. After seeing her young daughter ignore her baby dolls to play make-believe with paper dolls of adult women, Handler realized there was an important niche in the market for a toy that allowed little girls to imagine the future.
Part of this Nutritious Breakfast . . .
I will have 3 eggs over easy . . .
Hash Browns . . .
English Muffin . . .
Coffee . . .
Orange Juice . . .
And an extra dry vodka martini, shaken - not stirred . . . . behold:
-Thanks Gillian!
Hash Browns . . .
English Muffin . . .
Coffee . . .
Orange Juice . . .
And an extra dry vodka martini, shaken - not stirred . . . . behold:
-Thanks Gillian!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Quote of the Day
Even a little Christianity personally possessed is worth an infinite amount of Christianity externally copied.
- Harry Emerson Fosdick
- Harry Emerson Fosdick
Quote of the Day
love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
- Leonard Cohen from Hallelujah
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
- Leonard Cohen from Hallelujah
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Jay Gould
Jim and Jay Gould were twin brothers who attended my wife's High School and were in my wife's church youth group. Jim was my wife's brother's best friend for a time and Jay dated my wife's best girl-friend for a time.
I met Jim at college the same day I met my wife - in a singing and drama troupe we were in. I met his brother Jay shortly after. Jay and I were lab partners in a biology class for a semester.
After college, the wife and I moved to the Northwest and Jim and Jay settled in San Diego.
Jay actually met his wife online through a Christan website. They corresponded for a time and Jay ended up buying a plane ticket to go visit her and her family in person in Santiago, Chile where they lived.
Shortly afterwards they were married.
Both brothers married, bought homes and had children here in San Diego. We have had the opportunity to get together for dinner a couple of times and they, their wives and children are just about some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.
Jay in particular has always been so kind and compassionate as to actually make me wish I was a better person myself at times.
This past week Jay Gould succumbed to cancer at the age of 37. He leaves behind a wife, two young children and a community of friends and family who love him.
We will be attending his services today.
If you get the opportunity, say a prayer for the Gould family.
I met Jim at college the same day I met my wife - in a singing and drama troupe we were in. I met his brother Jay shortly after. Jay and I were lab partners in a biology class for a semester.
After college, the wife and I moved to the Northwest and Jim and Jay settled in San Diego.
Jay actually met his wife online through a Christan website. They corresponded for a time and Jay ended up buying a plane ticket to go visit her and her family in person in Santiago, Chile where they lived.
Shortly afterwards they were married.
Both brothers married, bought homes and had children here in San Diego. We have had the opportunity to get together for dinner a couple of times and they, their wives and children are just about some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.
Jay in particular has always been so kind and compassionate as to actually make me wish I was a better person myself at times.
This past week Jay Gould succumbed to cancer at the age of 37. He leaves behind a wife, two young children and a community of friends and family who love him.
We will be attending his services today.
If you get the opportunity, say a prayer for the Gould family.
The Banking Mess
Last week This American Life had a great episode explaining the banking crises. If you are interested in understanding it better, you may want to take a listen.
Teaser:
The collapse of the banking system explained, in just 59 minutes. Our crack economics team—the guys who explained the mortgage crisis, Alex Blumberg and NPR’s Adam Davidson—are back to help all of us understand the news. For instance, when we talk about an insolvent bank, what does it actually mean, and why are we giving hundreds of billions of dollars to rich bankers who screwed up their own businesses? Also, two guys go to New Jersey to look at a toxic asset.
Teaser:
The collapse of the banking system explained, in just 59 minutes. Our crack economics team—the guys who explained the mortgage crisis, Alex Blumberg and NPR’s Adam Davidson—are back to help all of us understand the news. For instance, when we talk about an insolvent bank, what does it actually mean, and why are we giving hundreds of billions of dollars to rich bankers who screwed up their own businesses? Also, two guys go to New Jersey to look at a toxic asset.
God Be In My Head
by Sarum Primer
God be in my head,
and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes,
and in my looking;
God be in my mouth,
and in my speaking;
God be in my heart,
and in my thinking;
God be at mine end,
and at my departing.
God be in my head,
and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes,
and in my looking;
God be in my mouth,
and in my speaking;
God be in my heart,
and in my thinking;
God be at mine end,
and at my departing.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Medical Update - ER 3/5/9
If you follow the Twitters, you know that we headed into the ER last night.
As I was wrapping up at work yesterday, the wife sent me an email:
Annie has a little infection on her shunt scar.
I looked at the clock and it was already 4:45 - just 15 minutes before the Neurologist's office closed . . .
I dropped everything and raced to the car to get my magic binder. I was already thumbing through it as I headed back to my desk. I called the Neuro and they said we should take her to the ER. Well, okay. I called the wife and gave her the news - she started packing the diaper bag.
We fed Annie before heading out as we had no idea how long this would stretch out.
When we arrived at the ER it was PACKED. A nurse was talking with a mother and explaining how sorry she was that she had been waiting 45 minutes but that there was nothing the nurse could do . . .
We went through all the usual questions . . . "Have you been here before? . . . . Has Annabelle ever had any surgeries . . . ." - heh. We only ended up waiting about 5 minutes before they called us in. I have no idea why we were able to "jump the line" so quickly but we weren't complaining.
In any case, the resident took a look, phoned the Neuro on call and everyone concurred that the small spots of pus were probably just sutures from the shunt revision working their way out. We have a Pediatrician appointment on Monday and a CT Scan on Tuesday so we will have them take a second and third look.
It's just one of those things. If you saw these little white dots on a typical child, you wouldn't think anything of it - but when they are at the site of a shunt with close access to the brain you start to worry . . .
In the end, we were home by 9pm - the whole thing only taking an hour and a half or so - and as a bonus we didn't have to pay the $100 ER co-pay.
Just another evening at the Linden's . . . .
Hey! It's Friday! :-)
As I was wrapping up at work yesterday, the wife sent me an email:
Annie has a little infection on her shunt scar.
I looked at the clock and it was already 4:45 - just 15 minutes before the Neurologist's office closed . . .
I dropped everything and raced to the car to get my magic binder. I was already thumbing through it as I headed back to my desk. I called the Neuro and they said we should take her to the ER. Well, okay. I called the wife and gave her the news - she started packing the diaper bag.
We fed Annie before heading out as we had no idea how long this would stretch out.
When we arrived at the ER it was PACKED. A nurse was talking with a mother and explaining how sorry she was that she had been waiting 45 minutes but that there was nothing the nurse could do . . .
We went through all the usual questions . . . "Have you been here before? . . . . Has Annabelle ever had any surgeries . . . ." - heh. We only ended up waiting about 5 minutes before they called us in. I have no idea why we were able to "jump the line" so quickly but we weren't complaining.
In any case, the resident took a look, phoned the Neuro on call and everyone concurred that the small spots of pus were probably just sutures from the shunt revision working their way out. We have a Pediatrician appointment on Monday and a CT Scan on Tuesday so we will have them take a second and third look.
It's just one of those things. If you saw these little white dots on a typical child, you wouldn't think anything of it - but when they are at the site of a shunt with close access to the brain you start to worry . . .
In the end, we were home by 9pm - the whole thing only taking an hour and a half or so - and as a bonus we didn't have to pay the $100 ER co-pay.
Just another evening at the Linden's . . . .
Hey! It's Friday! :-)
Quote of the Day
This is what I found out about religion: it gives you courage to make the decisions you must make in a crises and the confidence to leave the results to a Higher Power. Only by trust in God can a man carrying responsibility find repose.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Be a Nerd
So last night I had one of those insane parental day-mares. You know, the kind you get when you are carrying your baby and you picture yourself dropping her and then all of the sudden you become terrified that you actually are going to drop her in real life so you activate your father death grip while beads of sweat form on your brow?
(Don't get me started about hefting her little slickery body out of the baby tub . . .)
I had a day-mare that Annabelle was a teen and had fallen in with a group of neer-do-wells (black clothes, black makeup, black hair, foul mouths, foul grades etc . . .)
In my vision she got in a shouting match with one of her loser friends and they all ganged up on her.
THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN! I thought in my moment of insanity . . . quick, who was the Jr. Higher at my school least likely to fall in with punks like these?
Virginia.
I don't remember her last name but she was always quiet and well mannered at school. Always smartly dressed but not in a trendy way. Straight "A" student, attractive, and a complete and total nerd. I had a pseudo crush on her and made some ham-handed attempts to get to know her. She was very kind . . . and very uninterested . . .
Yeah, I want Annabelle to be like Virginia - the kind of girl who wouldn't give a guy like me the time of day . . .
At that moment I snapped out of my day-mare episode and just realized, "If my daughter turns out to be a nerd in school, that would be okay by me . . . there are worse ways to go . . ."
Please tell me I am not the only parent who wants his daughter to be a geek.
(Don't get me started about hefting her little slickery body out of the baby tub . . .)
I had a day-mare that Annabelle was a teen and had fallen in with a group of neer-do-wells (black clothes, black makeup, black hair, foul mouths, foul grades etc . . .)
In my vision she got in a shouting match with one of her loser friends and they all ganged up on her.
THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN! I thought in my moment of insanity . . . quick, who was the Jr. Higher at my school least likely to fall in with punks like these?
Virginia.
I don't remember her last name but she was always quiet and well mannered at school. Always smartly dressed but not in a trendy way. Straight "A" student, attractive, and a complete and total nerd. I had a pseudo crush on her and made some ham-handed attempts to get to know her. She was very kind . . . and very uninterested . . .
Yeah, I want Annabelle to be like Virginia - the kind of girl who wouldn't give a guy like me the time of day . . .
At that moment I snapped out of my day-mare episode and just realized, "If my daughter turns out to be a nerd in school, that would be okay by me . . . there are worse ways to go . . ."
Please tell me I am not the only parent who wants his daughter to be a geek.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Quote of the Day
Jesus is God spelling himself out in language that man can understand.
- S. D. Gordon
- S. D. Gordon
This Day in History
239 Years Ago Today
THE BOSTON MASSACRE:
On the cold, snowy night of March 5, 1770, a mob of American colonists gathers at the Customs House in Boston and begins taunting the British soldiers guarding the building. The protesters, who called themselves Patriots, were protesting the occupation of their city by British troops, who were sent to Boston in 1768 to enforce unpopular taxation measures passed by a British parliament that lacked American representation.
46 Years Ago Today
Hula-Hoop patented
On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold in its first four months of production alone.
THE BOSTON MASSACRE:
On the cold, snowy night of March 5, 1770, a mob of American colonists gathers at the Customs House in Boston and begins taunting the British soldiers guarding the building. The protesters, who called themselves Patriots, were protesting the occupation of their city by British troops, who were sent to Boston in 1768 to enforce unpopular taxation measures passed by a British parliament that lacked American representation.
46 Years Ago Today
Hula-Hoop patented
On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. An estimated 25 million Hula-Hoops were sold in its first four months of production alone.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Quote of the Day
He that enjoys aught without thanksgiving is as though he robbed God.
- St. Chrysostom
- St. Chrysostom
180 Years Ago Today
Jackson holds “open house” at the White House
On this day in 1829, Andrew Jackson upholds an inaugural tradition begun by Thomas Jefferson and hosts an “open house” at the White House.
After Jackson’s swearing-in ceremony and address to Congress, the new president returned to the White House to meet and greet a flock of politicians, celebrities and citizens. Very shortly, the crowd swelled to more than 20,000, turning the usually dignified White House into a boisterous mob scene. Some guests stood on furniture in muddy shoes while others rummaged through rooms looking for the president--breaking dishes, crystal and grinding food into the carpet along the way. (White House staff reported the carpets smelled of cheese for months after the party.) In an attempt to draw partygoers out of the building, servants set up washtubs full of juice and whiskey on the White House lawn.
On this day in 1829, Andrew Jackson upholds an inaugural tradition begun by Thomas Jefferson and hosts an “open house” at the White House.
After Jackson’s swearing-in ceremony and address to Congress, the new president returned to the White House to meet and greet a flock of politicians, celebrities and citizens. Very shortly, the crowd swelled to more than 20,000, turning the usually dignified White House into a boisterous mob scene. Some guests stood on furniture in muddy shoes while others rummaged through rooms looking for the president--breaking dishes, crystal and grinding food into the carpet along the way. (White House staff reported the carpets smelled of cheese for months after the party.) In an attempt to draw partygoers out of the building, servants set up washtubs full of juice and whiskey on the White House lawn.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Quote of the Day
Prayer introduces us to the Great Companion who meets our human need with his divine response. The man who has learned to pray is no longer alone in the universe. He is living in his Father's house.
- William Adams Brown
- William Adams Brown
This Day in History
122 Years Ago Today
Helen Keller meets her miracle worker
On this day in 1887, Anne Sullivan begins teaching six-year-old Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age of 19 months. Under Sullivan's tutelage, including her pioneering "touch teaching" techniques, the previously uncontrollable Keller flourished, eventually graduating from college and becoming an international lecturer and activist. Sullivan, later dubbed "the miracle worker," remained Keller's interpreter and constant companion until the older woman's death in 1936.
78 Years Ago Today
"The Star-Spangled Banner" becomes official
President Herbert Hoover signs a congressional act making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official national anthem of the United States.
On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing the massive overnight British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812. Key, an American lawyer, watched the siege while under detainment on a British ship and penned the famous words after observing with awe that Fort McHenry's flag survived the 1,800-bomb assault.
Helen Keller meets her miracle worker
On this day in 1887, Anne Sullivan begins teaching six-year-old Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age of 19 months. Under Sullivan's tutelage, including her pioneering "touch teaching" techniques, the previously uncontrollable Keller flourished, eventually graduating from college and becoming an international lecturer and activist. Sullivan, later dubbed "the miracle worker," remained Keller's interpreter and constant companion until the older woman's death in 1936.
78 Years Ago Today
"The Star-Spangled Banner" becomes official
President Herbert Hoover signs a congressional act making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official national anthem of the United States.
On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key composed the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing the massive overnight British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812. Key, an American lawyer, watched the siege while under detainment on a British ship and penned the famous words after observing with awe that Fort McHenry's flag survived the 1,800-bomb assault.
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