Random Question 1

You’ve just inherited a manufacturing plant specializing in plastics.
What are you going to make?

My Answer:
The world sorry for laughing at me.

What would you make?

Some Good News

The book is well under way.
The publishers couldn't be happier.

The bad news...
The deadline is March 15th! And I'm still writing, re-writing and editing.

Some days I swear that I can't pull one more coherent thought out of my head, the next day the words come so fast and furious that I can't write them quickly enough. What I have now is such a jumble that I'm not even sure I can re-organize it. What I need is an assistant. And a new mini recorder, mine chose the worst possible time to conk out.

Among the unbound fragments
found after Emily Dickinson's death
is a small slip of paper that reads only,
"But ought not the amanuensis to receive a commission also --"

I'm no Emily Dickinson, but I completely understand.
I've come to believe that dictation is the ultimate act of love.
To have someone who cares for your words enough to make that sacrifice is a precious gift that cannot bear the weight of a price tag, nor can it be given enough gratitude.



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Ramstein Flugtag 1988

Home Again

I arrived in the middle of the night. The past couple of weeks have been nothing if not surrealsitic. I've stepped into my past. The visit home was good for my soul. I was able to go back to the places that I lived when I was growing up. I drove those old familiar streets and gazed upon the houses that I lived in when I was little, seeing them through my adult eyes was such a differnet perspective. The houses that once seemed so huge to me now seem so small.

The house that I was born in has now been razed and the corner lot is a vacant expanse of grass in an otherwise full neighborhood. I was told that it burnt many years ago and had to be demolished. Still, I took a picture of where it once stood.

I took many pictures on my trip. I'll share them soon.

But for now I'm working my way back to normal. It was wonderful to feel the embrace of my family. It was even more wonderful to look at the old family photos.

Thank you all for your love and support.





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Grandmother

I started writing this last night...
But my grandmother passed today at 4PM.
I'll be back soon. I'll finish it when I can.


Grandmother is hanging in there. She's doing that thing that we've seen in the medical field. Rallying one day, then steep blood pressure drops at night. Then she rebounds for a day or so. I haven't told the family because it would break their hearts, but I'm sure that this is the pattern I saw in my paternal grandfather. His last rebound was lovely. He sat up and ate with my grandmother, they talked for a long time, even staying after visiting hours were over. She was so happy when she got home that night, sure that he was on the mend and she would bring him back home soon. He had talked to her about their life together. He said all that he needed to say to her, the things we forget to say, about how much she had brought to his life, they reminisced their humble beginnings and all of their adventures along the way.

In the morning, as she was dressing to go to the hospital, the phone rang. It was the hospital calling to tell her that he had passed during the night.

She said she went to the closet and grabbed a handful of his sweaters and just stood there smelling them. Smelling him. For months she did this. Opening the doors and burying her face in his clothes so she could smell him.

HNT _ Snow Day Jan 19

We got snow!
Real snow!
Cheyenne and I played in it all day and half of the night!

Not enough to make a big snowman, but we had fun making a small one.


And dressing him up.




Ta Da!



Happy Snow Day!







See the man, Osbasso
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Over The Counter

It's that time of year again and I'm fighting off a headcold, so I thought I'd share some of the things I've learned over the years about the differences in over-the-counter medications.

Recently at work everyone has been having a debate on which brand of over-the-counter pain reliever works best. Some people just use one type of medication no matter what ails them. It's also habit for people to ask for brand names like Tylenol rather than just asking for a pain reliever. But each type of medication has its own benefits, and drawbacks as well.

And some, when combined, have increased effectiveness. For instance, when treating kids, a combination of children's Tylenol and children's Motrin works fastest for reducing a high fever. Never use Aspirin to treat children! It has been linked to Reye's Syndrome.

The differences between over the counter pain relievers

Aspirin essentially enters the bloodstream and looks for prostaglandins. This is the substance that concentrates in an area where we feel pain. It diminishes the amount of prostaglandins therefore alleviating the pain. Aspirin is the best answer for headaches and minor body aches because it goes directly to the source of the pain to relieve it.

One of the side effects of Aspirin is that it is also an anticoagulant, basically a 'blood-thinner', which is why it is recommended if someone thinks they're having a heart attack. It thins the blood pumping through the heart that may have been stopped by blockage. It is not recommended for anyone who already has a blood clotting disorder or for people healing after surgery because it is an anticoagulant and stops the clotting process - for example, if you cut your finger after taking Aspirin it will take longer to stop bleeding because the blood won't clot. It is not recommended after medical or dental surgery.

It is also hard on the upper digestive tract causing heart burn, upset stomach and possibly dyspepsia. Do not take Aspirin if you suffer from ulcers.

Many over-the-counter Aspirin brands, like Goodies and BC powders and Excedrin also contain caffeine to increase their effectiveness in headache relief as do some acetaminophen products--check the label. Caffeine is a stimulant that can cause headaches. A caffeine withdrawal headache is relieved by these medications, but they have also been criticized for causing 'rebound headaches'.

Ibuprofen acts much like Aspirin in going directly to the source of pain, although it is primarily an anti-inflammatory. It works best for arthritis, swelling and sprains and it is recommended for people who have ulcers, acid reflux disease or other digestive disorders that are irritated by Aspirin.

Naproxen is a very strong anti-inflammatory. It is most effective for menstrual cramps and arthritis. It relieves swelling and sprains and its pain relieving effects have a longer duration. Usually about 4 hours longer than the same dose of Ibuprofen.

Acetaminophen is a powerful pain reliever recommended for severe pain in people who cannot tolerate the effects of aspirin. It works well for headaches and it is also a very effective fever reducer. It is the preferred ingredient in Cold and Flu medications. Never take Tylenol or any other acetaminophen product in combination with other over-the-counter medications (ex:Cold and Flu medication) that may also contain acetaminophen as this is the most common cause of accidental overdose. Doctors often use acetaminophen in combination with other drugs in cases of severe pain.

Acetaminophen is not an anti-inflammatory so it has little effect on arthritis or menstrual cramps. It is also one of the most dangerous drugs for accidental overdose which can cause fatal liver damage. It is never recommended to take Tylenol or any other acetaminophen based drug to recover from a hangover because alcohol also puts a strain on the liver and the combination of alcohol and acetaminophen can cause liver damage, and possibly liver failure. Acetaminophen accounts for over 50% of all 'accidental overdose' incidents reported by emergency rooms and is used in more than 100,000 suicide attempts each year. There is an antidote for acetaminophen overdose, but the damage done to the liver cannot be reversed.

Acetaminophen is fatal for cats. They lack the chemicals necessary to break it down. It is also fatal for snakes and has been used to control snake populations.

It is effective for dogs, however you should only give it on the advise of a vet. There is a special version of it specifically for dogs. Overdose in animals is pretty much the same as for humans causing permanent liver damage and liver failure.


The best medicine for blocking pain receptors is created in the brain itself. Endorphins are known to block pain receptors in long distance runners and athletes. I think you know what I'm recommending here ;)
If your husband or wife says 'not tonight honey, I have a headache.' You can tell them that you just happen to have the perfect cure for headaches. Endorphins are also recommended to lower blood pressure and to help prevent cancer.



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HNT - Junkman's Daughter

Pup and I went shoe shopping together recently.
I really enjoyed having him buy shoes for me.
But not half as much as I enjoyed him taking them off.


We went to Junkmans' Daughter and had dinner at Vortex.



This is our hotel room in NY.


He sent me a text message that says
'Take my hands and we're half way there'

The one before that was so filthy that I can't repeat it here. Something about taking flight 69.

Do you think he's just a big tease?
Should I tell him to put his money where his mouth is?
heheh

Happy HNT!
See the man, Osbasso!

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