Things that bother me
I am the first to admit that I am old school. But some things were just fine the way they were and don't need to change. Take alphabetization. When I was in school, we were taught to alphabetize by last name.
Jones, Tom
But now many applications alphabetize by first name:
Tom Jones
I will never get used to this. And why did it change anyway?
My biggest pet peeve is when "The" is considered in the alphabetization. Like a list of movies that reads:
Kazaam
The Godfather
Under the Rainbox
AARRGGHH!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
What if?
What if our purpose in life was a single, seemingly meaningless, encounter?
About 10 years ago, I was standing in a long line to get Hakeem Olajuwon (basketball star) to sign a copy of his biography. A woman and child approached me and asked for directions on how to get somewhere. I told them, and they thanked me and left.
But it made me wonder - what if my only purpose in life was to be in that exact spot, at that exact time, to help that exact person?
Think about it. If this is the way it works, the last 10 years have been icing on the cake for me.
What if our purpose in life was a single, seemingly meaningless, encounter?
About 10 years ago, I was standing in a long line to get Hakeem Olajuwon (basketball star) to sign a copy of his biography. A woman and child approached me and asked for directions on how to get somewhere. I told them, and they thanked me and left.
But it made me wonder - what if my only purpose in life was to be in that exact spot, at that exact time, to help that exact person?
Think about it. If this is the way it works, the last 10 years have been icing on the cake for me.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Pain
Hernia surgery hurts. Don't be fooled by "laparascopic patients can return to work in a few days." Yeah, maybe if you can work while stoned out of your brain on painkillers. OK - maybe answering the phone at the cable company or working at the local pharmacy would allow you to be that stoned. Like my pharmacy, where I called three times asking if my prescription was ready and being told each time that it was not. Then my friend drove over there and it had been sitting in the bin for over 24 hours!
Yeah, those people are stoned, and probably not on the legal stuff.
I don't know what it would feel like to be hit across the abdomen with a baseball bat, but that's how I think I feel now.
My goal is to NOT HAVE SURGERY ever again. Or at least in this decade. Or at least not again this year.
Hernia surgery hurts. Don't be fooled by "laparascopic patients can return to work in a few days." Yeah, maybe if you can work while stoned out of your brain on painkillers. OK - maybe answering the phone at the cable company or working at the local pharmacy would allow you to be that stoned. Like my pharmacy, where I called three times asking if my prescription was ready and being told each time that it was not. Then my friend drove over there and it had been sitting in the bin for over 24 hours!
Yeah, those people are stoned, and probably not on the legal stuff.
I don't know what it would feel like to be hit across the abdomen with a baseball bat, but that's how I think I feel now.
My goal is to NOT HAVE SURGERY ever again. Or at least in this decade. Or at least not again this year.
What if?
What if our purpose in life was a single, seemingly meaningless, encounter?
About 10 years ago, I was standing in a long line to get Hakeem Olajuwon (basketball star) to sign a copy of his biography. A woman and child approached me and asked for directions on how to get somewhere. I told them, and they thanked me and left.
But it made me wonder - what if my only purpose in life was to be in that exact spot, at that exact time, to help that exact person?
Think about it. If this is the way it works, the last 10 years have been icing on the cake for me.
What if our purpose in life was a single, seemingly meaningless, encounter?
About 10 years ago, I was standing in a long line to get Hakeem Olajuwon (basketball star) to sign a copy of his biography. A woman and child approached me and asked for directions on how to get somewhere. I told them, and they thanked me and left.
But it made me wonder - what if my only purpose in life was to be in that exact spot, at that exact time, to help that exact person?
Think about it. If this is the way it works, the last 10 years have been icing on the cake for me.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
De-Livered
I quit blogging in April for a good reason. In April, I was undergoing tests to determine what was causing pain in my lower left abdomen. I learned that I have diverticulosis, a common problem among over-60 year old Westerners. It's because we don't get enough fiber, or so they say.
I also learned that I have an ovarian cyst and "lesions" on my liver. My OB-GYN said that ovarian cysts are common and not to worry. So I did not worry about that. But lesions on the liver are worrisome.
After a CT scan and MRI, I learned that I had a simple cyst and a biliary cystadenoma in my liver. Not good news - I love my liver! Neither of these were caused by drinking. The biliary cystadeoma is a rare, congenital thing that occurs in women over 40. The only treatment is excision, and if you leave it alone, it will most likely become malignant. So I took the only rational option. I had a third of my liver removed.
I learned a lot about livers. The liver is the second larget organ in the body (skin is the largest). The liver and the skin are the only organs that regenerate. They can take up to 75% of your liver, and it will grow back in 6-8 weeks. Amazing!
The surgery was performed on May 10, during the NBA playoffs. I called the hospital in advance to be sure that they had the cable channels I needed to see Dallas play San Antonio. As I was in the hospital for five nights, this was critical. I could not miss those games. Dallas won that series, and the next, and went to the Finals before they were defeated - but I digress.
My five nights in the hospital were not the most pleasant nights I have had. In fact, I was pretty miserable. I swore that I would never have surgery again unless it was a matter of life and death. I had never spent the night in a hospital before, so I had to idea of what to expect. What I learned is that you get no rest because someone is checking on something every few hours. And all of them are concerned with bowel movements. I have never had so many people interested in my poop!
A big accomplishment in the hospital is being able to walk the halls. Exciting, huh? It's a challenge to manuever the poles with IV bags and wires - and keep your balance - and not run into the other patients. I hope I never have to go through that again.
My family and friends were great. I had lots of visits, calls, flowers, and cards - so I did learn that a lot of people care about me. That's what got me through it all.
I came on day 6 and slept for several days. That's exactly what happened - I slept all day and then couldn't sleep at night. But at least I was at home and could watch my Mavs on HDTV. And I had visitors and more reassuring calls. I will always be grateful to everyone who helped.
I was off work for seven weeks. I lost ten pounds. I was totally relaxed. Then I walked back into the office and was famished. I found the ten pounds almost immediately.
During my recovery period, I got better each day, albeit slowly. But one part of my 9" scar would not close. I had oozing, and I went to the doctor every week to see what was causing it. After I had been at work for a week, I returned to the doctor and demanded that we see what was happening. They shot my stomach up with novocain and dug and dug but could not fix it. They thought it was a suture absess. The only option - go back to the OR and open me up again.
So much for no more surgery.
It turns out that they had left a 12 cm (4-5") piece of a pain pump in me. When I got to my hospital room, I swear that the Discovery Channel was showing a program on "surgical instruments left behind." This was mid-July.
I spent one night in the hospital, then came home with a huge open wound - just like Tony Soprano after Uncle Junior shot him. The thing was GROSS. I could have fit a Mounds and a half in it. I had to pack it with gauze soaked in saline twice a day.
Needless to say, I didn't go to the office - or much of anywhere for a while. It was Labor Day before the thing completely closed.
Now I have a scar that looks like Our Lady of Guadalupe (with a 6" tail).
Now it's November, and I have had ANOTHER surgery. This was to repair an incisional hernia. Incisional hernias are not uncommon after abdominal surgery. The incision from one or both earlier surgeries weakened my abdominal wall and some organ started poking through.
Our Lady of Guadalupe morphed into the creature from "Aliens."
The third - and hopefully last - surgery was yesterday. They were able to do it laparascopically, so I was able to come home the same day. I'm whacked out of my brain on painkillers, but at least I am in my own bed with no nurses waking me every other hour.
Our Lady of Guadalupe/Alien now has some new holes around her/it.
My dreams of being a pole dancer are over.
I quit blogging in April for a good reason. In April, I was undergoing tests to determine what was causing pain in my lower left abdomen. I learned that I have diverticulosis, a common problem among over-60 year old Westerners. It's because we don't get enough fiber, or so they say.
I also learned that I have an ovarian cyst and "lesions" on my liver. My OB-GYN said that ovarian cysts are common and not to worry. So I did not worry about that. But lesions on the liver are worrisome.
After a CT scan and MRI, I learned that I had a simple cyst and a biliary cystadenoma in my liver. Not good news - I love my liver! Neither of these were caused by drinking. The biliary cystadeoma is a rare, congenital thing that occurs in women over 40. The only treatment is excision, and if you leave it alone, it will most likely become malignant. So I took the only rational option. I had a third of my liver removed.
I learned a lot about livers. The liver is the second larget organ in the body (skin is the largest). The liver and the skin are the only organs that regenerate. They can take up to 75% of your liver, and it will grow back in 6-8 weeks. Amazing!
The surgery was performed on May 10, during the NBA playoffs. I called the hospital in advance to be sure that they had the cable channels I needed to see Dallas play San Antonio. As I was in the hospital for five nights, this was critical. I could not miss those games. Dallas won that series, and the next, and went to the Finals before they were defeated - but I digress.
My five nights in the hospital were not the most pleasant nights I have had. In fact, I was pretty miserable. I swore that I would never have surgery again unless it was a matter of life and death. I had never spent the night in a hospital before, so I had to idea of what to expect. What I learned is that you get no rest because someone is checking on something every few hours. And all of them are concerned with bowel movements. I have never had so many people interested in my poop!
A big accomplishment in the hospital is being able to walk the halls. Exciting, huh? It's a challenge to manuever the poles with IV bags and wires - and keep your balance - and not run into the other patients. I hope I never have to go through that again.
My family and friends were great. I had lots of visits, calls, flowers, and cards - so I did learn that a lot of people care about me. That's what got me through it all.
I came on day 6 and slept for several days. That's exactly what happened - I slept all day and then couldn't sleep at night. But at least I was at home and could watch my Mavs on HDTV. And I had visitors and more reassuring calls. I will always be grateful to everyone who helped.
I was off work for seven weeks. I lost ten pounds. I was totally relaxed. Then I walked back into the office and was famished. I found the ten pounds almost immediately.
During my recovery period, I got better each day, albeit slowly. But one part of my 9" scar would not close. I had oozing, and I went to the doctor every week to see what was causing it. After I had been at work for a week, I returned to the doctor and demanded that we see what was happening. They shot my stomach up with novocain and dug and dug but could not fix it. They thought it was a suture absess. The only option - go back to the OR and open me up again.
So much for no more surgery.
It turns out that they had left a 12 cm (4-5") piece of a pain pump in me. When I got to my hospital room, I swear that the Discovery Channel was showing a program on "surgical instruments left behind." This was mid-July.
I spent one night in the hospital, then came home with a huge open wound - just like Tony Soprano after Uncle Junior shot him. The thing was GROSS. I could have fit a Mounds and a half in it. I had to pack it with gauze soaked in saline twice a day.
Needless to say, I didn't go to the office - or much of anywhere for a while. It was Labor Day before the thing completely closed.
Now I have a scar that looks like Our Lady of Guadalupe (with a 6" tail).
Now it's November, and I have had ANOTHER surgery. This was to repair an incisional hernia. Incisional hernias are not uncommon after abdominal surgery. The incision from one or both earlier surgeries weakened my abdominal wall and some organ started poking through.
Our Lady of Guadalupe morphed into the creature from "Aliens."
The third - and hopefully last - surgery was yesterday. They were able to do it laparascopically, so I was able to come home the same day. I'm whacked out of my brain on painkillers, but at least I am in my own bed with no nurses waking me every other hour.
Our Lady of Guadalupe/Alien now has some new holes around her/it.
My dreams of being a pole dancer are over.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Back. Temporarily
The past 6 weeks have include 4 airplane trips and one car trip to Dallas. I'm leaving again for more travel - for work, of course. While I enjoy traveling - when it is reasonable - this is becoming ridiculous.
The advantage? I earn frequent flyer miles - so that I can travel some more!
The disadvantages? Many, but mainly that I get behind in everything. I try to stay on top of the mail and newspapers and magazines that seem to multiply, but that's difficult, if not impossible, when I travel. When I return from a trip, I get to spend quality time with laundry, ironing, grocery shopping, etc. Not to mention that I need to catch up with the people I care about.
I always wanted a job where I traveled. Now I have one.
I do try to take advantage of the trips and see places I wouldn't see otherwise. Work travels have enabled me to see basketball and baseball games in far-flung cities, as well as malls across the country. I do get to pick up cosmetic "gifts with purchase" whenever I travel. So it's not all bad. It's just tiring when it comes so often.
The past 6 weeks have include 4 airplane trips and one car trip to Dallas. I'm leaving again for more travel - for work, of course. While I enjoy traveling - when it is reasonable - this is becoming ridiculous.
The advantage? I earn frequent flyer miles - so that I can travel some more!
The disadvantages? Many, but mainly that I get behind in everything. I try to stay on top of the mail and newspapers and magazines that seem to multiply, but that's difficult, if not impossible, when I travel. When I return from a trip, I get to spend quality time with laundry, ironing, grocery shopping, etc. Not to mention that I need to catch up with the people I care about.
I always wanted a job where I traveled. Now I have one.
I do try to take advantage of the trips and see places I wouldn't see otherwise. Work travels have enabled me to see basketball and baseball games in far-flung cities, as well as malls across the country. I do get to pick up cosmetic "gifts with purchase" whenever I travel. So it's not all bad. It's just tiring when it comes so often.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
All Star WeekendOK, OK, All Star Weekend has come and gone. Like two weeks ago. But being caught up in basketball fever got me out of my normal habits, and I have neglected the blog.
All Star Weekend was everything I hoped it would be. Lots of basketball players! I went to the NBA Jam Session, the Rookie - Sophomore game, the practice for both the East and West teams, and All Star Saturday Night. It was all good except for the Rookie - Sophomore game. I was sitting beyond the ozone layer, the beer prices were jacked up even higher than normal, and I barely knew any of the players.
All Star Saturday night was the highlight of the weekend. I debated on selling my ticket at the last minute because I was in a mood, but I knew that I would regret it if I did. I sat closer to my normal seat, and I loved every minute of it. My boy Dirk won the three-point shootout, and the dunk contest went to the first dunk-off ever. It was outstanding.
Now it's back to the SOS. But I can say that I have seen the All Stars.
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