TEN FIRSTS
First Best Friend: My sister
First Screen Name: Diceros
First Pet: Dartanion
First Piercing: Ears (only)
First Crush: Gregg in the 4th grade
First CD: A country mix
First Car: 1984 Dodge Ram Van
First True Love: John the physics grad (you caught me on a day I'll admit it)
First Stuffed Animal: First I remember were a baby seal and a bear in plaid overalls
First Trip: Home from the hospital after I was born
NINE LASTS
Last Car Ride: This morning
Last Movie Seen: HP and the Goblet of Fire
Last Phone Call: Kender saying she was on her way for lunch
Last CD Played: Currently a mix CD I made for studying
Last Bubble bath: Too long ago to remember
The Last time you Cried: Couple of days ago
Last time you laughed: Couple of minutes ago in the bathroom with Maria
Last time you fell: Years ago, thank goodness -- I always seriously hurt myself when I fall
EIGHT HAVE YOU EVERS
Have you ever dated one of your best friends: No
Have you ever been arrested: No
Have you ever skinny dipped: No
Have you ever been on tv: Yes, many times
Have you ever kissed someone and then regreted it: No
Have you ever been to a concert: Yes
Have you ever gone commando: Yes, but only because I had taken a shower and then realized I was out of undies
SEVEN THINGS YOU ARE WEARING
1. My ever-present rhino ring
2. Birthstone stud in my second ear piercing of my left ear
3. My favorite pair of jeans
4. A T-shirt I got from the Memphis Zoo
5. Bracelet of jade, onyx, and undetermined stones I bought myself
6. Bracelet of hematite, tiger eye, onyx, carnelian, and blue and green quartz my brother gave me
7. A comfy black sweater
SIX THINGS YOU'VE DONE TODAY
1. Found some journal articles on the red wolf for an assignment due Friday
2. Picked the discussion articles for next week's conservation genetics class
3. Had lunch with Kender and Will
4. Peed
5. Visited with Isabel across the hall
6. Talked to Moonchild on the phone
FIVE PEOPLE YOU HANG OUT WITH TODAY
1. Kender
2. Will
3. Isabel
4. Maria
5. My Reba
FOUR PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ALMOST ANYTHING TO
1. Kender
2. Moonchild
3. Hywela
4. Nay
THREE CHOICES
1. Hot or Cold: Hot
2. Black or white: Black
3. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
TWO THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
1. Make a contribution in my career field
2. Find out what a romantic relationship is all about -- even if I just do it once
ONE THING YOU REGRET
1. Never working out things completely with my sister
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Friday, November 18, 2005
PT and pretties
Let me just go on record now as saying . . .
. . . I LOVE physical therapy!
I got all kinds of things manipulated and stretched, making my blood circulate, and at one point I almost fell asleep on poor Sheryl. She also taught me a great little exercise to do when this tiny muscle at the base of my skull starts bothering me. I just did it right before starting on this entry, and the muscle quit hurting like that! ::snaps fingers::
As I was getting ready to leave, Sheryl told Mom and me about a jewelry sale they were having in the lobby of the front entrance. We headed around there, and I lost my fool mind. Most of the stuff they had was stuff I don't like -- semiprecious gemstones, a lot of gold -- you know, stuff everyone NORMAL likes. They did, however, have some lovely amber and some nice jade. You'll all be shocked to learn I didn't buy any amber. Wait, wait -- let me explain. The unusual pieces I really REALLY liked were way overpriced. I did, however, buy a round peridot set in a thick silver band, and while it IS a semiprecious gemstone, it is my birthstone and a rather "unusual" one in that you don't see many people wearing it. Most jewelers set it in gold which is a TRAVESTY because it takes away from the shine and beauty. Silver is a much better setting. I also bought a multi-hued jade bracelet with a few bits of onyx thrown in for good measure. At least, the lady SAYS they're all jade, but I think it's two (maybe three) shades of jade. There's definitely green and lavender jade, the opaque white could be jade or could be quartz, and I think the clearer stones are moonstone. I'll ask Nay the next time I see her.
. . . I LOVE physical therapy!
I got all kinds of things manipulated and stretched, making my blood circulate, and at one point I almost fell asleep on poor Sheryl. She also taught me a great little exercise to do when this tiny muscle at the base of my skull starts bothering me. I just did it right before starting on this entry, and the muscle quit hurting like that! ::snaps fingers::
As I was getting ready to leave, Sheryl told Mom and me about a jewelry sale they were having in the lobby of the front entrance. We headed around there, and I lost my fool mind. Most of the stuff they had was stuff I don't like -- semiprecious gemstones, a lot of gold -- you know, stuff everyone NORMAL likes. They did, however, have some lovely amber and some nice jade. You'll all be shocked to learn I didn't buy any amber. Wait, wait -- let me explain. The unusual pieces I really REALLY liked were way overpriced. I did, however, buy a round peridot set in a thick silver band, and while it IS a semiprecious gemstone, it is my birthstone and a rather "unusual" one in that you don't see many people wearing it. Most jewelers set it in gold which is a TRAVESTY because it takes away from the shine and beauty. Silver is a much better setting. I also bought a multi-hued jade bracelet with a few bits of onyx thrown in for good measure. At least, the lady SAYS they're all jade, but I think it's two (maybe three) shades of jade. There's definitely green and lavender jade, the opaque white could be jade or could be quartz, and I think the clearer stones are moonstone. I'll ask Nay the next time I see her.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Updates
Monday I had my first PT appointment, so since I was supposed to get out of my chair, I finally started my period. Needless to say, I didn't get out of my chair. My therapist Sheryl is pretty awesome -- very thorough and very open. She started to have a fit about me not leaning against the back of my chair, but when I explained to her why I've never allowed anyone to build it out, she listened to me and conceded it was probably best for me. She took a lot of measurements, and we ended with her stretching my elbows and shoulders. I even got a bit of a shoulder and upper back massage as she was checking the tightness in my shoulders. AAAAHH!! ::grin:: When she was stretching and checking the contracture in my left elbow, I felt a burning which at the time I attributed to the muscle being stretched. Found out when I was getting ready for bed that night that she had actually accidentally torn the skin in the crook of my elbow. Whoops! You know, I never realized that skin tears can hurt SO BAD!
After PT, Mom and I got lunch at Mickey D's (and I remembered why I don't eat there very often -- UGH!) and then headed for Salina to check out a van I'd seen in Friday's "Wheels For You" paper. We'd called the sales rep I'd talked to on Saturday, so he had the van out front and open for us when we got there. I rolled up on the lift and raised myself up into it like I already owned it, then he grabbed a tag and we headed off for a test drive. We talked price after, Mom got a quote on tags, and I signed all the papers. Drove home, put my FEMA and Sept./Oct. stipend checks in the bank, drew up a cashier's check, and Mom and Dad went back to get the van.
Braved the frigid wind on Tuesday to go to Hutch to get insurance on my new van and go to the pulmonologist.
Got to the pulmonary function test fifteen minutes early. They got me right in, performed very few tests compared to the PFT I did in NOLA, and I was done an hour and fifteen minutes before my appointment with the doc. Turned out to be a good thing since there were labs and x-rays to do that no one had told me about. Labs always take forever on me because I'm a hard stick under the best of circumstances (my blood vessels are small and roll all over the place), but get me cold and you ain't gettin' ANY blood without at least one hot pack. When I came out, I literally looked like a human pin-cushion with bandages on both hands (the blood chem draw -- one miss and one success) and one wrist (the blood gas draw -- I always wonder how many people I pass on the street think I've attempted suicide). X-rays went quickly, then it was hurry up and wait for the doc.
Pulmonology appointment was fine -- for me. I learned I basically ventilate off my right lung only since about two thirds of my left lung is squished to invisibility. The bottom third is there and all expanded though. I don't need any extra asthma meds, but he gave me samples of Allegra to try to help with mucus if I get a lot, and he also told me to try OTC Mucinex. I really like this doc because he took the time to go through EVERYTHING -- WITH ME. I also liked when he said, "If you get a cold, I want to know about it. If you get a sinus infection, I want to know about it. If you start making more mucus, I want to know about it. If you feel like your asthma is changing, I want to know about it." He's thorough, he knows how serious pneumonia or ANY lung stuff can be for us (I suspect he knew even BEFORE he took care of P last year when he almost died twice), and he took the time to give me literature on asthma when I told him no one has ever educated me about it.
Yesterday I went on campus to get my toxicology quiz done. It was due by noon, I only had two of nine questions completed, and I just wasn't getting anything done at home. Got it done, had lunch with Lunarbabe (sans Kender since she was home sick -- ::waves at Kender::), and hung out with P for a while and watched an episode of "Numb3rs." When Mom got there, it was shower time (lots of hot water and the bedroom heater cranked -- poor Mom), then off to Wally World to buy heavy curtains for my room and a couple of convex mirrors for Moby (that's what I've decided to call the van, thanks to E). I splurged on a peace symbol keychain -- if I can't have the hippie '71 VW Westphalia I wanted, I'll get the hippie keychain!
After PT, Mom and I got lunch at Mickey D's (and I remembered why I don't eat there very often -- UGH!) and then headed for Salina to check out a van I'd seen in Friday's "Wheels For You" paper. We'd called the sales rep I'd talked to on Saturday, so he had the van out front and open for us when we got there. I rolled up on the lift and raised myself up into it like I already owned it, then he grabbed a tag and we headed off for a test drive. We talked price after, Mom got a quote on tags, and I signed all the papers. Drove home, put my FEMA and Sept./Oct. stipend checks in the bank, drew up a cashier's check, and Mom and Dad went back to get the van.
Braved the frigid wind on Tuesday to go to Hutch to get insurance on my new van and go to the pulmonologist.
Got to the pulmonary function test fifteen minutes early. They got me right in, performed very few tests compared to the PFT I did in NOLA, and I was done an hour and fifteen minutes before my appointment with the doc. Turned out to be a good thing since there were labs and x-rays to do that no one had told me about. Labs always take forever on me because I'm a hard stick under the best of circumstances (my blood vessels are small and roll all over the place), but get me cold and you ain't gettin' ANY blood without at least one hot pack. When I came out, I literally looked like a human pin-cushion with bandages on both hands (the blood chem draw -- one miss and one success) and one wrist (the blood gas draw -- I always wonder how many people I pass on the street think I've attempted suicide). X-rays went quickly, then it was hurry up and wait for the doc.
Pulmonology appointment was fine -- for me. I learned I basically ventilate off my right lung only since about two thirds of my left lung is squished to invisibility. The bottom third is there and all expanded though. I don't need any extra asthma meds, but he gave me samples of Allegra to try to help with mucus if I get a lot, and he also told me to try OTC Mucinex. I really like this doc because he took the time to go through EVERYTHING -- WITH ME. I also liked when he said, "If you get a cold, I want to know about it. If you get a sinus infection, I want to know about it. If you start making more mucus, I want to know about it. If you feel like your asthma is changing, I want to know about it." He's thorough, he knows how serious pneumonia or ANY lung stuff can be for us (I suspect he knew even BEFORE he took care of P last year when he almost died twice), and he took the time to give me literature on asthma when I told him no one has ever educated me about it.
Yesterday I went on campus to get my toxicology quiz done. It was due by noon, I only had two of nine questions completed, and I just wasn't getting anything done at home. Got it done, had lunch with Lunarbabe (sans Kender since she was home sick -- ::waves at Kender::), and hung out with P for a while and watched an episode of "Numb3rs." When Mom got there, it was shower time (lots of hot water and the bedroom heater cranked -- poor Mom), then off to Wally World to buy heavy curtains for my room and a couple of convex mirrors for Moby (that's what I've decided to call the van, thanks to E). I splurged on a peace symbol keychain -- if I can't have the hippie '71 VW Westphalia I wanted, I'll get the hippie keychain!
Thursday, November 10, 2005
It's official
Two months and two weeks (exactly) after I left NOLA thinking "I'll only be gone three or four days," I can now with certainty say . . .
. . . pretty much everything in my apartment is toast.
The visible mold goes up the walls three to four feet, so everything touching them -- like a handmade quilt from my grandmother, a comforter my mom made, my comfy sweaters, and probably the rhino picture Z drew for me years ago and the puzzles my now-dead grandfather gave me -- are infected.
My bed is infected.
Some of my books are infected.
My papers -- including family genealogy -- are infected.
The box holding my essential oils -- hundreds of dollars and years of accumulation worth -- buckled when it was lifted. Chad says the oils inside are fine. I can only hope he's right.
The box in the closet holding a blanket and slippers my mom crocheted for me is infected.
Chad took "a few" pictures he thought were OK, as many books as he could, my jewelry, the filing cabinet, some clothes he thinks are OK, and the box of oils. He's going to keep it in his garage until I come back.
Most of that may have to be thrown away anyway just to be safe. You can't mess around with mold.
Minimalist is good, right?
. . . pretty much everything in my apartment is toast.
The visible mold goes up the walls three to four feet, so everything touching them -- like a handmade quilt from my grandmother, a comforter my mom made, my comfy sweaters, and probably the rhino picture Z drew for me years ago and the puzzles my now-dead grandfather gave me -- are infected.
My bed is infected.
Some of my books are infected.
My papers -- including family genealogy -- are infected.
The box holding my essential oils -- hundreds of dollars and years of accumulation worth -- buckled when it was lifted. Chad says the oils inside are fine. I can only hope he's right.
The box in the closet holding a blanket and slippers my mom crocheted for me is infected.
Chad took "a few" pictures he thought were OK, as many books as he could, my jewelry, the filing cabinet, some clothes he thinks are OK, and the box of oils. He's going to keep it in his garage until I come back.
Most of that may have to be thrown away anyway just to be safe. You can't mess around with mold.
Minimalist is good, right?
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Click click click
Had a doctor's appointment this morning about my aching back and some chest pain. Some of the pain is my asthma, but he said he heard some "clicking" in my heart. Thinks I might have a leaky valve. I'm waiting for the cardiologist to call me with an appointment.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Word to the Wise
It's not a good idea to try to reduce your consumption of carbohydrates when you are suffering from full-blown PMS. I have managed to not have a can of pop (which is easy to substitute with tea, though I will have to buy more of a selection now that I have money), but resisting the dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses has been murder! Kudos to me though -- I've only eaten three in the last hour. Distract yourself with difficult reading -- that's the ticket.
But let's just say it's a DAMN good thing there are no Cheetos Puffs in the house . . . . I'd even settle for crunchy Cheetos. Or Doritos.
This was prompted not by a general concern for overall health and body weight (which is reason enough, certainly), but by a comment made by Alton Brown on last night's episode of "Good Eats" (on the Food Network, for those of you living under a rock). He was making his own protein power bars and discussing carbs, fats, and proteins. He said that high carb intake by people who do not exercise afterwards leads to subsequent blood glucose crash and adrenaline release. I have noticed for months that a good proportion of my "anxiety attacks" come after I have either eaten a lot of carbs or haven't eaten for a long time and then have a meal -- AND they resemble an adrenaline rush (shakes, high heart rate with resultant headache, low body temp). I knew there was a connection, but I couldn't figure out the exact cause and effect. Alton Brown's comment last night got me thinking, so I decided to experiment. I'd hypothetically not consume any refined carbs and see how I felt throughout the day. Given my current, aforementioned physiological state, I'd say I'm doing pretty well. AND I'm feeling pretty well -- no anxiety attacks/adrenaline rushes so far.
But it's taking all I have not to call Mom and have her pick up some Cheetos Puffs on her way home from work . . . .
But let's just say it's a DAMN good thing there are no Cheetos Puffs in the house . . . . I'd even settle for crunchy Cheetos. Or Doritos.
This was prompted not by a general concern for overall health and body weight (which is reason enough, certainly), but by a comment made by Alton Brown on last night's episode of "Good Eats" (on the Food Network, for those of you living under a rock). He was making his own protein power bars and discussing carbs, fats, and proteins. He said that high carb intake by people who do not exercise afterwards leads to subsequent blood glucose crash and adrenaline release. I have noticed for months that a good proportion of my "anxiety attacks" come after I have either eaten a lot of carbs or haven't eaten for a long time and then have a meal -- AND they resemble an adrenaline rush (shakes, high heart rate with resultant headache, low body temp). I knew there was a connection, but I couldn't figure out the exact cause and effect. Alton Brown's comment last night got me thinking, so I decided to experiment. I'd hypothetically not consume any refined carbs and see how I felt throughout the day. Given my current, aforementioned physiological state, I'd say I'm doing pretty well. AND I'm feeling pretty well -- no anxiety attacks/adrenaline rushes so far.
But it's taking all I have not to call Mom and have her pick up some Cheetos Puffs on her way home from work . . . .
The Gullibility Factor Test
Your GF score is 85.
(Out of a range of 0 - 100, where 0 = mind slave, and 100 = free thinker.)
Free Thinker
Welcome to the top 5%. You're a true free thinker and a person who is well informed about the reality in which you live. Although you may have been easily manipulated earlier in life, you eventually gained lucidity and developed a healthy sense of skepticism that you now automatically apply to your observations and experiences. You are endlessly curious about human behavior and the nature of the universe, and you have one or more lifestyle habits that most people would consider odd or unusual. You are not only of very high intelligence, you are also extremely creative in one or more areas (music, art, software development, inventing, etc.)
If you were in The Matrix, you would have taken the red pill, completed the combat training, and started fighting (and beating) agents from day one.
Your architects: You have cast off reality distortions taught to you by your parents, schooling, corporate advertising and government propaganda. You create your own beliefs based on what serves you best, without much regard for what the rest of the crowd is doing. You are guided by your own internal code of ethics (which may or may not agree with politically-correct ethical codes) rather than any pre-set system of ethics (such as from any one religion).
Check it out.
(Out of a range of 0 - 100, where 0 = mind slave, and 100 = free thinker.)
Free Thinker
Welcome to the top 5%. You're a true free thinker and a person who is well informed about the reality in which you live. Although you may have been easily manipulated earlier in life, you eventually gained lucidity and developed a healthy sense of skepticism that you now automatically apply to your observations and experiences. You are endlessly curious about human behavior and the nature of the universe, and you have one or more lifestyle habits that most people would consider odd or unusual. You are not only of very high intelligence, you are also extremely creative in one or more areas (music, art, software development, inventing, etc.)
If you were in The Matrix, you would have taken the red pill, completed the combat training, and started fighting (and beating) agents from day one.
Your architects: You have cast off reality distortions taught to you by your parents, schooling, corporate advertising and government propaganda. You create your own beliefs based on what serves you best, without much regard for what the rest of the crowd is doing. You are guided by your own internal code of ethics (which may or may not agree with politically-correct ethical codes) rather than any pre-set system of ethics (such as from any one religion).
Check it out.