We haven't done an update for a couple of weeks so I hope you are all ready to fess up and let me know what you have been doing the past two weeks! There is no Who Am I of the day today, yesterday's answer was Socko shortened to Sox whose real name is Tsuyako Kitashima. You can read about her here:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-01-10/bay-area/17276070_1_relocation-centers-wartime-relocation-redress
My update. Last week was a lot of rest and lot of looking at pictures. I went to two movies, SALT and THE OTHER GUYS, both middle of the road movies. I had one dinner out with the family. Three days at Mom's looking at pictures. I may share some of the pictures on the blog in the next few days. This week starts today with me taking Mom to lunch and to the library. Monday is going through my garage seeing if I have any useful pictures. Tuesday is a night at Mom's and cousin Barbara will be here to go through some of the pictures Mom and I found. She is doing a family history.
Health updates. Dona posted a comment on one of the daily entries "got back results & looks like I am good for a while." Yea! As for my family, my brother's test all came back negative so that is good news. His wife still has some tests left before a final decision is made but right now they think her main problem is thyroid related. Cousin Jack was at the reunion and looked really good but tired easily. Cousin Lavelle, the one with two active cancers, had treatments at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. She called Mom this week, said she is doing good but tires easy. The rest of the health updates I will leave up to you!
Entertainment updates. I think a gal from Portland has a real shot to win Project Runway. On Top Chef it was Tiffany's night as she won both the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges. Finally, three men were in the bottom three and Stephen went home. Personally, I think the integrity of Top Chef is extremely questionable as long as Alex stays on the show. The new lineup of Dancing With The Stars will be announced August 30 on Bachelor Pad. Right now rumors have Mel Gibson's ex Oksana Grigorieva, Lindsay Lohan, "Jersey Shore" cast member Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. and soccer player Landon Donovan as potential hoofsters. The Fall 2010 season of “Dancing with the Stars” premieres MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET).
Remember the lemonade story with the seven year-old girl being shut down by health inspectors? That turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened to the girl. A radio station brought the girl down to their studio and opened up a lemonade stand for her on the sidewalk outside the studio. People came from everywhere to buy lemonade from her. My friend Dave V., who owns a heating and cooling company near the radio station, took up a collection for the gal from his employees and then his company matched what the employees donated. The girl is going to Disneyland with the almost two grand collected from everyone and I am betting about a quarter of that was Dave's. I really have good friends. In addition to money the county apologized. Read the county reaction here:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/08/lemonade_stands_get_reprieve_m.html
The Blog is now yours. We want secrets! We want everything you want to tell us! We want introductions! We want you to post anything you damn well please!
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14 comments:
Interesting, the different takes on the lemonade stands and Last Thursday event, based on official comments. Good for the radio station and the guy who stood up for kids' lemonade stands.
You had a busy week and sounds like another one coming up. YEA on Dona's reports. YEA on your brother's reports. I hope your s-i-l gets an answer soon. Your cousins will continue in my prayers.
The past two weeks haven't been very exciting. Editorial work, finished one project, started another. Current one is, uh, marginal. Thank goodness, it's a line edit and not a content edit. Last week was high-maintenance me. Saw the ortho Tuesday. We did some "fun" exercises (tell me when this hurts). An x-ray showed no trace of arthritis, so he ordered an MRI. His best guesses, which he says are only that, until he sees the MRI results, are (a) extensive, long term inflammation, which can probably be taken care of with an injection (I suspect cortisone?) and/or a tear/tears in tendon(s) associated with the rotor cuff, which would mean out-patient laprascopic (sp?) surgery to repair those. Thursday, I saw the dermo and he said the plantar's wart wasn't gone, so he froze it again. Twice, with a break for me to catch my breath. Just call me Gimpy at the moment. Friday, had the MRI which, after horror stories I've heard, was a walk in the park. I get the results and consult on Tuesday.
The fun day was LD on Weds. We're doing an Elvis show for NHC on the 24ths. I heard Elvis songs I've not heard for years. The class/group leader has asked me to help a bit with the choreography, as far as how to show an "attitude" and upper body movements and that's fun to play with.
Next week, I do the chiropractor Monday, the ortho Tuesday and see where we go from there. Plan to be back in the pool tomorrow and at LD Wednesday, although I may have to restrict or alter some of the routines and limit the dancing to practice for the show. And get in extra editorial hours. Now, if those are the biggest challenges I face this month/year, I'm in great shape (g).
Hi DR
I was kind of surprised by some of the comments too and how far apart some people were. I'm just glad she is going to Disneyland, it came out later she suffers an illness and is home schooled. Dave said she was a delightful girl.
Thank you re my cousins.
Sometimes not exciting is good. Congrats on finishing the project! Great news on the x-ray showing no trace of arthritis. Will pray for a good MRI. I'm going for the injection! The dermo appointment sounded stressful, glad you survived it! MRI's are only bad if you are claustrophobic. The Elvis Show line dance sounds like a lot of fun.
Wow what a busy medical week you have lined up. Please keep us up to date!
Bill
Going to try to post a comment. I tried to comment more on last 2 posts but it keeps telling me there is an error and then my comment disappears..anyone else with this problem?
Sounds like a lot of picture viewing for you Bill, I like to go through pictures, don't you? My S-I-L did a family history a while back, it seemed like it took her forever...I think an entire year for her to complete it! Not something I really am into. My dad fiddles with it every now and again, gets real into it and prints out everything he can find and takes it to his cousins at church. So I hope your cousin has fun with it.
I like how the lemonade story ended. Really nice of your friend Dave too!
Ok now, I am confused to which girl is from Portland on Project Runway? I haven't gotten their names down yet. I am guessing it may be the one who has won the challenges so far? I do like her so far.
Good news is nice to hear about your family who were awaiting test results too. Glad to hear it and sending more good vibes and prayers for the ones in treatment.
Gimpy, sounds like your week was busy also. Glad you got through the MRI ok. Maybe some injections are all you will need. Will keep you in my thoughts. Would love to see the LD Elvis routines, I do love me some Elvis and the dancing would be an extra bonus.
Yes I got good results and glad its all over with. Thanks for all the good wishes sent my way. Now if I could just win the lottery to pay off all the bills that are piling in....:)
Hi Dona
If I win the lottery you will be given enough to pay off your bills and buy your dad's house!
Going to try to post a comment. I tried to comment more on last 2 posts but it keeps telling me there is an error and then my comment disappears..anyone else with this problem?
Sounds like a lot of picture viewing for you Bill, I like to go through pictures, don't you? My S-I-L did a family history a while back, it seemed like it took her forever...I think an entire year for her to complete it! Not something I really am into. My dad fiddles with it every now and again, gets real into it and prints out everything he can find and takes it to his cousins at church. So I hope your cousin has fun with it.
I like how the lemonade story ended. Really nice of your friend Dave too!
Gretchen Jones is the one from Portland. She has won some challenges. Here is a nice sit with a scorecard!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Runway_(season_8)
I love going through pictures, sometimes the memories are painful, sometimes they are joyous, and most of the time I want to be as thin as I used to be.
Bill
I'll second the YEAs on the good health reports. As to the kid's lemonade stand, I must admit I think all the furor is overkill. She really shouldn't have had it there in the first place (I blame the mom for that). So she's getting tons of goodies, and I suppose that's nice, but sorry, it seems excessive to me. Or maybe I'm just grumpy today.
Re Project Runway -- is Gretchen the one who did the two black outfits that won? Sorry, but I disagreed with the judges, especially on the second (pants) one. Didn't think that was good at all, but that's just me, and I'm certainly not into "couture".
The only thing new in my life is that I finally broke down and bought a new(er) car. I got a pretty blue 2006 Honda Civic with all the bells & whistles. Haven't really used the GPS yet. I tried it once, and while it may have picked the shortest route, it didn't contend with whether I'd want to get on I5 in rush hour, and it tried to put me through the worst intersection in our city, which I try to avoid. I much preferred my regular way of going. Sold my '91 Camry for a song to the chef where my mom lives, so I wave hello to it as I pass on the days he works.
Otherwise, everything proceeds at a rather boring snail's pace, with lots of time taken up with visiting mom and the residents at Las Casitas. Pleasant enough most of the time, but waaayy too time-consuming. We went through some old pictures the other day. Not sure how much mom got out of it, but the staff rather enjoyed seeing her in her youth.
Hi Pat!
Congratulations on the new member of the family! GPS's are so unemotional about things. I would like one just for when I am in unfamiliar areas, other times, like you I would prefer my tried and true way. The car sounds really pretty.
We were both going through old pictures, I bet the staff did really love to see them.
Gretchen is the thin African-American. She did win a couple of challenges but I don't really remember what she designed
Enjoy the new car!
Bill
Dona, I've had periodic problems with messages posting. Sometimes it says they're too long and sometimes I get an error message. Sometimes it wipes them out, sometimes I discover they were posted anyway. Go figure.
Pat, on the GPS ... usually you can set them for shortest (miles) or quickest (time). If I know vaguely how to get somewhere and want to avoid the freeway, I start out "my way," ignoring Bridgette (my GPS). After a disgusted command to "make a U-turn," she recalculates and adjusts to the route I'm on at the moment and gets me to where I want to go, when I'm not sure of locating the final destination. Does that make sense? I find her most valuable downtown, the layout of which I've never figured out. If I'm at Sears Shelter and need to get to someplace on the Southside, I plug in the eventual address at the Sears Shelter and, if nothing else, get an estimate of how long it will take me to get there. She's been a godsend in getting Mom from Point A to Point B on many occasions and getting me to a strange address the first time out. From there, I can often decide whether to follow her instructions, or, since I now know where I am, whether to follow my old routes and rely on her if they don't get me where I want to be. She spent a lot of time recalculating and calling for U-Turns on the way home from IL, since the "preferred" route was through Louisville and I'd vowed not to deal with the construction there and took a different route home. Still, I was real glad to have her, when it came to navigating Nashville!
Hi DR
I would like to have a GPS but the two things that would bother me, is whether or not I would trust it and whether or not I would remember to download the updates from the Internet for construction, winter road closures, etc.
Bill
Thanks Bill, but can I buy another house? PLEASE? :)
Also, Ok Gretchen on Project Runway. OK I like her ok I also thought she should have won above the girl who won this past challenge. I didn't think the pants were that good either. I thought the guy that is lonely did better with his outfit. But what the heck do I know? :)
Congrats Pat on the new car with GPS! sounds great. I wouldn't begin to know how to work them.
And Bill I am with you on looking at old pics and wishing I was thin again.
Okay, I fought the GPS thing for some time. Then, got one. Did test runs on known routes and decided she was pretty trustworthy and, more important, if I started out differently than she wanted, she adjusted.
Basically, I trust her, especially if I'm not at all sure where I'm going. And she really was a godsend on the IL trip, as she told me when exits were coming up and whether they were right or left lane off one freeway to the next. We have the basic models, so don't get updates on construction or road conditions. We print out either the Good Sam driving instructions or 'Streets and Trips' or whatever it's called for those. However, on the IL trip, neither of those warned of the awful construction delays in Louisville, altho both are supposed to be updated weekly, if not more often. Despite my saying I didn't need one, wouldn't use, I've found Bridgette to be worth ever penny and more in the three years I've had her. One of the biggest advantages is having her set to give verbal instructions, so I know what lane I need to be in, whether downtown or on the freeway, which way to turn and the estimated time of travel. In town, I automatically add 15 minutes to her estimate, since who knows what traffic may be or if there'll be an accident or construction. On the IL trip, she automatically recalculated time, when I was sitting in a construction parking lot or ran into the lousy weather on the way home. The time will come to upgrade, I'm sure, but I doubt I'll ever need anything beyond the basics or need one I have to plug in to update on construction or whatever, since there are other means of finding that info. So long as she tells me (and shows me) I need to make a left turn in half a mile and gets me where I need to go, I'm happy.
I may learn to love the GPS, but the problem is that I almost always know where I'm going. When I'm in doubt, I check a map before I start out. It'll be hard to trust a "machine" to tell me what to do. But I'll work with her and see what she has to offer.
Hi Dona
OK, bills paid and a new house in Oregon for you if I win the lottery.
I'm posting some of the pictures today and you will see how thin I used to be!
Bill
Hi DR
Test runs sounds like a good idea. I have lived here so long that I know sneaky routes to get everywhere be interesting to see if the GPS can be sneaker than I am!
Bill
Hi Pat
Like you I always check a map before I go out and use mapquest driving directions. If you use a GPS and like it then I will get one. You can be my test case.
Bill
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