I love flowers...

They sit on my coffee table and make me smile.  And when I seem to be smiling for what Ian thinks is no reason, he gets nervous, and a nervous boy child is a well-behaved boy child. Two birds, one stone. :D  Thank you, Stuart! They are absolutely beautiful...

Flight

I had two free tickets to Regal Theater, so Stuart and I had dinner at Applebee's and then went to see Flight last night. We thought it was pretty good, and the 2 1/2 hours passed quickly. Denzel made the movie. It was not, however, an Ian-friendly movie (not by a long shot). Don't take your kids. :)

Calvin Strikes Again

Mom, is it true that cats always land on their feet when they fall?

That's what I've heard.

Why?

I think it has something to do with their tail and how they use it for balance.

That is so cool.  I want a tail.

I PASSED!

I passed the New York State Teacher Certification Exam!

 (Yes, I do realize that I'm the only one that is surprised by this.) :D

What I find most surprising is, even though I know I have wonderful Math skills, I received perfect scores on the "Artistic Expression and The Humanities" and "Written Analysis and Expression" subareas. I expected to score highest on the Science, Math, and Technology subarea, but in actuality, I didn't. Very interesting...

Awww...

Every once in a while we have a moment of levity at work. It doesn't happen often, so when it does, we appreciate it!

Maisha got "just because" flowers. It's not her birthday, not her anniversary, nobody is sick, nobody owes anybody an apology, nobody is begging for forgiveness...she got them "just because".

How cool is that? :) 

Death Benefit by Robin Cook

My latest good read...murder, mayhem, and science. What more could a girl ask for?  

http://www.robincookmd.com/book-display.php?isbn13=9780399157462

EMG/NCV

So I had my EMG/NCV today. It was an ... interesting ... experience. There is good news and bad news.  The good news is there appears to be no nerve issues in my elbow. He suspects the problem I'm having just involves the tendons. The bad news is I have mild carpal tunnel. No surprise there. I type 112 words per minute on a good day, only about 90 on a bad day. I'm careful about being ergonomically correct, though, and Dr. Cowan said that's huge. The test did hurt, and I jumped with every shock, but I have to say that Dr. Cowan was very kind, and he did forewarn me each and every time he was going to do anything. He explained everything, answered all my questions, and tried not to hurt me any more than necessary.  If you need an EMG/NCV, and you're near Buffalo, Dr. Tom Cowan at Excelsior is your guy.

Sunrise in a rear-view mirror

Friendship bracelet

New girls' bracelets

Christmas bracelet

Sold! :) 

I thought it was cool that someone would actually pay money for something I made. I'm going to put more of the things I made on ebay, and maybe make back some of the money I spent on supplies.

Come Wake Me Up - Rascal Flatts

Congratulations, President Obama!

America has spoken. Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Male, Female, Gay, Straight, Religious, Non-Religious, Single, Married, with Children and without, we spoke. President Obama is elected to a second term, and I, for one, am thankful. I think it was impossible to clean up in 4 years what the Rethuglicans, by way of their post turtle, tried to completely destroy in 8. 

President Obama has four more years, and that is a good thing. Four years ago we voted for change. We made some changes, and there still more changes to be made. Let's move forward, America. 

Iontopatch

We're trying everything to try to bring the inflammation in my elbow down. Personally, I'm trying to avoid an ultrasound guided steroid injection. If this Iontopatch works, I'll take it!

A New Car!

Ian made this model. He did tell me the name of the car, but for some reason, my eyes glazed over and I didn't catch it. I hear 'car' and think, 'four wheels, needs fuel, oxygen and spark'. That last part is my brother's fault. :D

Note to Self:

Do Not EVER eat a pasta dish without first asking that all important question:

"Does this dish contain any mushrooms?"

Red

E-Card

A date. Ish.

I had coffee with a total stranger and enjoyed myself. There's a bit of a story here...

I recently spent some quality time with an old friend and realized how much I really miss having someone around to talk to. I love my son, don't get me wrong, but, well, he's 11. And I don't meet quality people. Let's face it. The only people I meet are people who need lawyers. 

Next is the fact that I don't have a whole bunch of free time. I work full-time, I have The Boy Child, and I am actively pursuing a Masters degree. 

But I'm still missing something. Companionship. Conversation. Warmth. 

So I went on a dating site. I was pretty shocked at how many guys take their own pictures in the bathroom. Think about the background, gentlemen! I am not impressed with the log in the bowl behind you!  I was also surprised at how many are missing teeth. 

I didn't post a picture because I figured I don't want someone to meet me (or not meet me) based on how I look. I had a few responses that really surprised me. Like, what part of 'woman' seeking a 'man' is so hard to understand? And what the heck would I do with something 11 1/2" long? Yikes!

So a guy named Tom sends me his picture, strikes up a real conversation, makes sure tats don't scare me, and I agreed to coffee. Coffee is good. Tim Horton's is public. Ian gave me an hour. And I let my neighbor know where I was going and when I'd be back so if he turned out to be an ax murderer, she could call in the cavalry!

Hey. There's a lot of crazy people out there.

Anyway, we'll see what happens. It was fun talking to a grown-up that isn't related to me. 

***

An update on 10/12/12:

Tom and I exchanged phone numbers because texting is so much easier than being on that site, and he asks if he can send me a picture. Sure, why not?  

This being a G-rated blog, I cannot tell you what he sent me. My faith in humanity has taken another hit. Are there any 'normal' people out there? 

Getting the cast off

Look at that face! :D

Ian 'sniped' me!

Doing some homework... I should probably turn on some lights. 

I look pretty scary. :D

I think the funniest thing about this is that I have to move my glasses half-way down my face to read. Word to the wise...don't buy glasses at Walmart. :)

I NEEEED a Dull Moment.

It's Official...

I'm smarter than I look. :D

Mathemagic - Amazing!

Monday Mourning

Started another novel. I LOVE 'Bones'.

The Longest Day

Just finished reading The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan. This is the first time I've read a book about history that I actually found interesting! The story of June 6, 1944 is told from the human point of view, through hundreds of interviews Mr. Ryan took over a period of years. A very good read!

April 5, 2012: The Accident

I’ve been meaning to write this entry for quite some time, but had been putting it off because it is just too painful.  I don’t think that pain is going to go away for a long time, however, and perhaps writing about it will be cathartic.

First, you should know that prior to April 5, 2012, my father and stepmother were very active and healthy. Every morning, they would take their ‘old peoples’ walk’, walking anywhere between 1 and 6 miles, depending on the weather. It kept their blood pressure down and their weight at a healthy level. Until Leilani married my father, she still walked portions of the Appalachian Trail with her youngest son. At 73, she had it together, mentally, physically and emotionally.  

At 5:13 p.m. on April 5, 2012, I received a voicemail message from my sister to call her as soon as possible. I was driving home from work, but used my hands-free to give her a quick shout back. She was crying and difficult to understand, but when I realized she was trying to tell me my family had been in an auto accident that morning, I pulled over.

My nephew, Andy, was the belted driver.  My father was the belted front seat passenger, and my stepmother, who I affectionately call LaniMom, was the belted right rear passenger. A woman, who for the purposes of this post shall remain nameless, was in a hurry, pulled out of a parking lot without stopping first, and slammed into my nephew’s vehicle, totaling both vehicles and changing all our lives forever.

The airbags deployed, but the pretensioners in the seat belts, which this vehicle was supposed to be equipped with, did not. Andy had a severe case of whiplash, but walked away with no broken bones and was, for the most part, intact.  My father suffered some wicked bruising on his chest, a large welt on his leg, and some sort of abrasion or chemical burn on his head, but, for the most part, he also walked away intact. 

LaniMom was not so lucky.

As near as we can figure, her seat belt failed. As my nephew saw her put it on, and my father saw her wearing it, we can only deduce something in the seat belt mechanism went terribly wrong. Although LaniMom stayed in her seat, held there by the lap belt, the shoulder harness did not engage, and her upper body went on a collision course with the inside of the vehicle.

She suffered fractured vertebrae in her cervical and thoracic spines. She suffered fractured ribs.  Most traumatically, though, she had a 5” gash on her head that turned out to be a skull fracture. The fracture tore her dura (the tough outermost membrane enveloping the brain), causing a Traumatic Brain Injury.  To further complicate matters, she had been on Coumadin at the time of the accident, so the doctors pumped her full of Vitamin K and Factor 7 to facilitate clotting.  Unfortunately, she developed a blood clot on her brain, ultimately requiring surgical intervention.

For eighteen long days, LaniMom remained in Trauma ICU at the Erie County Medical Center. She contracted pneumonia, then MRSA. It seemed at times we were going one step forward, two steps back. When she showed steady signs of improvement, she was moved to a ‘transition’ room, and then to Acute Rehab. Unfortunately, on May 14^th, it was discovered that her brain resumed bleeding, and she was promptly returned to Trauma ICU.

She was finally released from ECMC, and discharged to home, near the end of June.  She began physical, occupational and speech therapies to regain some of what she lost, but over time, she became more and more confused, until she stopped eating and drinking on the 4^th of July.  What we did not know is that the confusion, combined with her lack of appetite, is indicative of bleeding on the brain.

On July 4, 2012, she became unresponsive and was re-admitted to ECMC in the Trauma ICU. On July 5^th, she was moved to a 7^th floor transition room, and was fed thru an NG tube until she was able to swallow again.  She was there until July 23^rd, completely losing any strength and the small amount of mental acuity she had regained while in acute rehab. 

On July 23, 2012, she was moved to Gowanda Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, which was the nearest long-term rehabilitation facility to us that had a bed. It is a 40 minute drive for my father, over one hour for me, and two hours for my sister. LaniMom began to make progress, slowly regaining strength to be able to move around again.

Unfortunately, our time at ECMC wasn’t over.  On August 5^th, LaniMom was increasingly fatigued and again stopped eating and drinking. On August 6^th, her neurosurgeon directed us to get her back to ECMC.   AllStar Ambulance was called and so directed, but they made a discretionary decision and decided to take her to the nearest hospital, which happened to be LakeShore Hospital in Irving, New York, in the opposite direction of ECMC.  While we were waiting at ECMC for her arrival, LakeShore admitted her, did a CT-scan, and diagnosed her with another brain bleed. At that point, they decided they’d better get her back to ECMC.  I’ll refrain from sarcasm.

Lab tests were taken, and it was discovered LaniMom had a UTI. She was given antibiotics, eventually discharged to Gowanda again on August 9^th, and her physical, occupational and speech therapies resumed on August 11^th.

She is getting stronger by the day, but remains terribly confused. We are having an extremely difficult time re-connecting her mental dots. As an example, when I went to see her a couple weeks ago, we were having what I thought was a lucid discussion about raising children, and she became convinced she was pregnant.

We’ve got a long road ahead of us. Dad is by her side every single day, and has been, without fail, since the accident. While I was at ECMC every day when she was there, I am only able to go to Gowanda once a week. I’m there every Sunday. I keep hoping she will be able to fully recover, but I know it will take up to five years, her age is against her, and she may never again be the same.

Life is so fragile. Take nothing for granted. Tell your family and friends you love them. Make amends if you can. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Gray Hairs

So I was trying to show my friend Rhonda, who lives in Randolph, a picture of my ten gray hairs. At 47 years old, I think I'm pretty lucky.  She hates me. :D  Anyway, the picture doesn't really show anything. My brother says, "Get a better camera!" I have a Ph.D. camera. You know....'Push Here, Dummy." 

Math Can Lie

When I was young, my father told me a story that had me hooked on Math ever since. He attributed the tale to Einstein, who was a speaker at a business convention in Germany. I haven't been able to verify that, or even find this example anywhere, but it certainly rings true that Math does not always paint an accurate picture.

Einstein was allegedly attending this conference when an audience member opined that anything can be proved using Mathematics as it is always true. Einstein disagreed. As my father tells it, Einstein said, "Math can lie.

"Three salesmen found they needed to spend the night at an inn. They asked the front desk clerk the cost of the room for the evening, and were told, '$12'. Each man paid $4, and the bellhop took them to their room.

"Later that evening, the desk clerk discovered he made an error. The cost of the room for the night was only $8. He gave $4 to the bellhop and instructed him to return it to the salesmen.

"On the way to the room, the bellhop took $1 as a tip, as the salesmen had not tipped him earlier. He then gave the remaining $3 to the salesmen.

"Now, $8 for the cost of the room plus $4 refunded totals $12.  Each man originally paid $4 each, for a total of $12, but now they have paid $3 each and received $1 each in refund for a total of $12. This balances perfectly, no?

"So where did the dollar come from that is in the bellhop's pocket?

"Math can lie."

When I got older and went shopping for my first car, my father reminded me of this story, and warned me to be careful of the calculations the car dealers would throw at me. With the right knowledge, and perhaps a little bit of talent, anyone can twist the numbers to make them suit their needs.

My Ambidextrious Eating Machine

Time flies!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted, but in view of all that's happened over the past three months, it is certainly understandable.

I will update everyone soon, beginning with the car accident my family was in and the extensive care my stepmom has needed, to finishing my Geometry course and enrolling in the Master of Arts program for Mathematics Education.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is well.

The Latest Afghan

Finished! I started this afghan when I was pregnant with Ian in 2000, but never really had a reason to get it done. Well, my nephew Andy is getting married in two months, and that was an excellent reason to get myself in gear! I hope they like it. It will lay across the top of a full size bed, or make a nice throw to cuddle up on the couch. :) I'm giving it to them at their bridal shower tomorrow.

Building with Uncle Hope

I ordered a set of TV trays for when I have company over and not enough table space. Ian said, "There's a whole bunch of extra pieces here. I'll just throw them out." I said, "NOOOO!!!" and explained they were the parts for the stand. Uncle Hope showed him how to put it together.

Eye Exams

Ian and I had our eye examinations yesterday. He's been complaining about not being able to see the blackboard, so I took us in. Ian went first.

Before Ian was set up to have his distance vision checked, Dr. Arenos checked his color vision. He showed him a page in a book and asked Ian to tell him what he saw. Ian said, "6." Dr. Arenos looked at the page himself, and then said, "WHAT do you see?" to which Ian replied, "6?" Dr. Arenos then looked at me and said, "Any issues with color vision in your family?"

An understatement. I have color issues along with my father, various cousins on my father's side (including a cousin who is completely color blind), two of my mother's brothers, and various cousins on my mother's side.

Dr. Arenos was thrilled! Well, maybe that's not quite the right word for it, but when he did my eye exam, he confirmed that in the 23 years he has been a practicing optometrist, I am the 18th woman he has met who is color deficient. He said that color deficiencies have always fascinated him.

He explained that true color blindness is a very rare, and very serious, condition. Most people who are called "color blind" are, in fact, varying degrees of color deficient. Ian has trouble differentiating between greens. I have trouble with greens, blues and purples. My father has trouble with greens and blues. (For years my father referred to his "green suit". My mother insisted it was actually blue.)

Dr. Arenos also explained that the 'color blind gene', for lack of a better descriptive, is carried on the X chromosome. He said what you get is a crap shoot, really. I was just unlucky enough to get the gene from both my color deficient father and my color deficient gene-carrying mother. He also said my brother is actually very, very lucky to see color, as the odds were as against him seeing color as they were against me being color deficient. It is rare, but it happens. That made me think of something else in our family relating to our eyes.

Every single Tabor boy, going back from my generation, has blue eyes. Every single Tabor girl has brown eyes. My father and his brother? Blue eyes. My two paternal aunts? Brown eyes. My grandfather Norman and his brother, Vincent? Blue eyes. Their sister, Mae? Brown eyes. My great-grandfather Charles? Blue eyes. And so far, I have been able to ascertain that two of Charles' four sisters had brown eyes. Even my sister has brown eyes.

My brother, however? Brown eyes. And mine are blue. Weird coincidence.

So, anyway, the good news is...well, I'm not really sure. The bad news is, in additional to having a degree of color deficiency, Ian now needs glasses. And I need new ones, too.

Kiss $600 good-bye.

Blurry but Beautiful

Yay Me! :D

Ripple Afghan

Been working on this one for two years ... It's coming along now, though. I'm half way there!

Vocabulary: Three Little Pigs if by Shakespeare

The Drive Home

I haven't updated everyone in a while, but I plan to do that this weekend. So much news to share! In the meantime, this is a picture of my drive home yesterday. Took almost 2 hours for a 25 minute ride!

Family

The best way I've found to deal with unpleasantness at work is to keep my family around me. My picture of my screen didn't turn out too well, but my wallpaper is my cousin Jodie with my new cousin, Jen, and stuck on the corner of my screen I have a picture of my cousin Dorinda holding my first cousin once removed, Natalie:

Here are many pictures of my son with pictures of my brother and sister-in-law:

And here are more pictures of my brother, my nephew Jeff holding my great-nephew, Tristan, my sister with her husband and my nephew, Andy, and another of Ian and I:

They are a constant reminder of how absolutely lucky I am. I have a wonderful family, I am healthy, and I am employed :)

T and My Christmas Cookies

I boxed up cookies and sent them West. :) Jeff got his today and shared with T. He's so CUTE!

Anticipation...

Ian is telling anyone who will listen that the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series JUST FOR HIM. They did, after all, win it on his birthday.

This year for Christmas, I ordered a baseball cap in his size from the Cards, and when it comes, if it comes in time, I am taking it to Lids to have 10-28-11 embroidered on the back. He'll love it.

I hope it comes in time!

I'll Be Home For Christmas

My favorite acapella

Cookie Plate

For my neighbor, Michaelea. :)

A little sample of the cookies we've baked over the past few weeks: peanut blossoms, chili chocolate chip, Chinese almond, mint pastels, peanut butter, mint chocolate, salt nut truffles, and Mexican wedding cakes. We've been busy!

I'm sending out packages of cookies to my brother and nephew in Seattle and a friend in Texas. I have to remember to give them a head's up - the chili chocolate cookies have a bit of heat to them. They are SO good.

Cookie Swap

Mexican Wedding Cakes and Mint Chocolate Cookies all ready for the Cookie Swap on Monday.

Oh, Calvin...

My friend Denise: So, Ian, what do you want for Christmas?

A hydrogen-powered remote control car!

Heaven help me.

Calvin Strikes Again

First thing this morning.

Mom? Can we fill my pants with helium?

Errr....why?

So I can fly.

Um. The helium would all leak out of your pants because they're not sealed.

No, it wouldn't. We could use duct tape.

No. No, we can't. I don't have any duct tape.

Maybe we can get some at the store.

Maybe, but we don't have any helium, either.

We could call Mythbusters.

No. I don't know their number. And you don't either. Are you getting ready for school?

Oh. Yeah. One minute.

6:30 comes WAY too early for this.

Cookies

Hair pulled back? Check.

Nails trimmed and hands well washed? Check.

Counter-top and sink disinfected? Check.

All of this germophobia stuff is done for a reason. First, Ian hasn't been feeling well. I don't want to serve Christmas cookies with a side of flu to anyone! The second reason involves a memory...

I was invited to a friend's home one evening a couple years ago for dinner. She prepared the meatloaf we were going to eat after I arrived. After she mixed the meatloaf with hands I did not see her wash, she cleaned out the meat that got caught under her fingernails into the bowl! Needless to say, I could not eat anything that night, and I have never eaten in her home since.

Besides. Do I really want to give my Christmas cookies as gifts with a side of hair? No.

So let the Christmas Cookie Baking begin!

I haven't baked Christmas cookies since I moved in here 11 years ago. My counter-top is 30" wide by 24" deep, so I have very little working room. I decided it has been too long, so I got the ingredients and gave it a go. I only burned myself on a hot pan once.

I managed to extend my work space a bit by using the edge of the kitchen sink. Here you see the first batch of cookies ready to go in the oven.

Here, I balance the sheets of peanut butter cookies ready to go in the oven.


Thank goodness for stacking cooling racks! I used the top of my portable dishwasher to stack the racks on. It was JUST wide enough. :)


These are Pastel Mint cookies and Chinese Almond Cookies. YUM!

And my last two cookie recipes of the day, Peanut Blossoms and Peanut Butter cookies. I moved the racks to my counter-top from the dishwasher so they could cool overnight. Then into the freezer they go to await the gift-giving season.

I just looked at the photo closely - seems like somebody snitched a peanut butter cookie off the third rack!

Tomorrow I am going to tackle sugar cookies. I have a set of cookie cutters that have never been used. It's time!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My friend Nancy gave me this poinsettia for my birthday this year. Love it!

Calvin

I'm not sure what he was playing...hockey? contact baseball?

Stalked

Finished a great novel today. Stalked by Brian Freeman was excellent. Murder, mayhem, what more could a girl ask for on a pleasant Sunday afternoon?