Getting A Fix

A Tom Selleck fix, that is! ;)

Yep, his show comes on tonight.

That's a pix of his daughter and wife that didn't go where it was suppose to! (sigh) Anyone with genes like Tom's should have more than one child!

What A Day!

Yesterday was quite a day–from 10 to 4 spent at the eye clinic! My cousin wasn’t able to go with me as she had a medical emergency of her own and went to the doctor also! Must be catching! She’s okay.

I had called to ask if I’d be okay to drive after the dye test and they said I should be. The test makes some people sick to their stomachs but shouldn’t affect my vision. I don’t seem to throw up very easily, but just to be on the safe side I had a small breakfast before I went. (I woke up at 2 am and couldn’t go back to sleep!) I had barely sat down in the waiting room  when a toddler who was drinking orange juice released the contents of his stomach! Okaaay! I said it was hard to make me throw up, not impossible! I was trying not to think about it and pretending the aroma of puked up oj was not filling my nostrils, but it was! Even after it was cleaned up!

My eyes were dilated and looked at by a dr that I’d guess by her name was from India. She was alittle rough with the pulling my eyes open part! She asked me some questions among them if I lived alone and who took care of me? That's a good one! I'm a MOM! I said I lived with my son and she asked if he was taking care of me and I said he had CP, so we were taking care of each other. She mentioned the “b” word..as in blind, in talking about how important it is to keep the BS under control or we’d really be in a pickle! Call me silly but I found that very insenitive to say to someone in my situation! And it isn't like I don't have a blinking red light in the back of my mind about this very danger! I've been going to the clinic for over a year now, had lazer surgery, regular surgery with a few extra things thrown in and it looks like I'll be going still longer! I was on the verge of losing it when the aide came to take me upstairs for the test.

 Luckily the man doing the test was very nice and talkative and it gave me time to collect myself. I mentioned that I was alittle hungry and he insisted that I have a small can of orange juice! Oh, the irony! heh I really didn't want OJ but he had already poured it into a cup for me so I drank it.  He took some pictures of my eyes without the dye first. Then a RN came in and put the dye in my arm while he was making more pictures. He said the dye might make my eyes or skin turn yellow but it was not harmful. He showed me some of the pictures which looked something like planets.  It didn’t take long to do this and he took me back to the clinic.

The dr in charge of the clinic came in and sat down to show me some of the pictures we'd just made. He said my right eye had little cysts that were full of fluid, caused by the diabetes, that were keeping me from seeing clearly. To dry it out, they could give me a series of shots around my eye that would gradually get the medicine to my eye or I could have a shot directly in my eye that would put the medicine where it needed to be. They would numb my eye first and it wouldn't hurt--I would just feel pressure. Okay, so he's saying if I have a needle in my eye it won't hurt?! My brain is not buying this! We talked about it some more and he says he's going to let me think about it for a minute! A MINUTE? He also said I could go home and think about it.  I would really like for my vision to clear up asap.  The shots around the eye for several months did not enthuse me but neither did the one shot IN my eye! I decided to crawl out on that very shaky limb and go for the one shot in hopes it was the better choice. He got the necessary supplies and brought one of the young drs in to assist. First he wanted to rub an anti-biotic over the area. He soaked a q-tip in a solution and then rubbed it over and around my eye! Hello, that stung! And he kept saying open your eye! He finally stuck a q-tip under my eyelid and told me to close my eye for a minute! Damn and this was the part that was suppose to numb my eye for the needle! After he takes the q-tip out, he puts in one of those things that keeps your eye open and it's needle time! I was in a chair that reclined and he told me to look back over the chair to the wall and keep looking there. The needle was going in the lower part of my eye and I was hoping they didn't miss the target! I'm sorry but that was not the numb I expected and it hurt more than just pressure. He said I did well and didn't move--what would that have accomplished? When someone has a needle in your eye that seems like an excellent time to be as still as you possibly can!  Thankfully it was over quickly. When I stood up there was a round spot of blood in my eye but I was the only one who seemed excited about it!  I said I really  hoped it would help my eye. The young dr said she did, too, but I might need another one! I told her to bite her tongue! I had to get a prescription and go down to the ER to have an anti-biotic drop put in my eye and then it was off to the races!

It was almost peak traffic time and I was hoping to get ahead of a few of the maniacs! I had to stop by the drugstore that the clinic uses and when I came back to my car there was a uspo vehicle parked in the street almost behind me! I got in my car, cranked it and was thinking of giving him a nudge or laying down on the horn when he came out of a bldg. He seemed to be avoiding my glare! Did I mention there was a parking space next to me? Idiot! He left and a big SUV parked next to me which meant I was backing into traffic blindly but the driver did something nice--he stood at the back of his vehicle and motioned when it was clear to back out. Nice. The traffic was already bumper to bumper and it wasn't 5, yet. 

I made it to the McDonalds that my cousin and I have made a habit of going to after the eye clinic visits,  got my usual fish sandwich and fruit salad and when I got home...I crashed!

Dye Test Today

Pharming

Have you ever hearm of a "pharm party"? It's a dangerous game that some teens are playing with prescription drugs. They take them from their parents or grandparents, put them in a bowl and sometimes throw dice to determine how many to take, pick them out--with no idea what they're taking--and swallow them! Stupid with a capital S! If they need to go to the ER they won't be able to tell the doctor what they took and could die because of it!

Something else for parents to be concerned about.

Details at:

http://www.wiat.com/news/local/11837191.html

The Real Ugly Bettys

This is the US Women's Bridge Team giving President Bush their collective "salute" at their Awards Ceremony. How sweet! Looking at them, it appears they could've used make-overs more than a trophy! Oooh.....was that catty?

Meow!

I find it offensive when Americans go to other countries and feel the need to dump on the President or our country.

Go see a different take on their sign:

link

Two in One

If you've read more than a couple of my posts, I think you know that I am very fond of kitty cats---all animals, really. So when I saw the headline that said, " Cat Has Two Faces." I was just alittle doubtful! Until I read the article and saw the pictures, then I was alittle upset. Now that I'm sort of used to the picture it doesn't seem quite as bad. Of course, it is for the kitty but his owner is taking care of him and he's now 9 mos old.

This is a description of Lil Bit:

Lil'Bit had four eyes when he was born, although the two middle eyes are on the point of merging, two mouths, two noses, but just two ears. And vets believe the cat may actually have two brains as one face can go to sleep while the other remains awake. If Lil'Bit gets a cold, the nose on only one of her faces will run

'The amazing thing to watch is that one of Lil'Bit's faces can be asleep while the other one is awake. I have also seen him sneeze out of one side and not the other and blink on one side of his face but not the other.

'And when he purrs it is like he is purring in stereo.

'We haven't had any X-rays done or operations under anaesthesia because I think that could upset Lil'Bit. But the vet seems to think there is a good chance there are two brains operating here. It seems logical as she breathes out of both mouths and noses.

He has trouble walking and the owner is using diapers for premature babies at the moment. Sounds like a dedicated owner! They live in AZ but want to remain anonymous so they aren't bothered by phone calls and people wanting to come by to see Lil Bit.

It'll be interesting to see if anything can be done to help him. The family say they all love him.

Give Thanks Today

There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.”
O. Henry

Hope you're all enjoying this special day with loved ones and friends!

Please remember our troops who are deployed and away from their families.

CWO 4 Keith Yoakum

Chief Warrent Officer 4 Keith Yoakum is someone you should know about. A pilot-in-command of a AH-64D Longbow Apache helicopter, Alpha Company, 1st Battalon, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, Multi-National Division (Baghdad), he received the Disguished Service Cross for giving his life while trying to protect his men. His aircraft was hit and he could've landed away from the attack but chose to stay and defend his wingmen. His co-pilot, CWO 2 Jason G. Fefrenn, died in the same crash.

Please go read the amazing story here:

link

God bless all the Apache pilots who put their lives on the line on a daily basis.

H/T: Castle Arghhh

Guidons, guidons, guidons!

No Sugar-Coating!

Made my way to the eye clinic today and had my eyes dilated and photographed by a computer camera. Makes a very colorful graph that looks nothing like an eye! When the retina dr came in, he said he wasn't going to sugar-coat it and he didn't! He said it was going to be an uphill battle to correct my eye and something I'd always have to be careful of keeping my BP and BS in line to prevent more damage. My rgt eye needs more surgery to remove some scar tissue and fiddlin' with---this time shorter surgery. My left eye needs some lazer surgery. They want me to come back in 2 wks to have dye put in my vein so they can look at the veins in my eyes and decide how much! Yipee! More surgery and needles and  fun! He said a lot of things that I wasn't expecting and I think my brain was saying reject, reject while he was talking! I was alittle stunned---dang, some sugar would've been okay with me!

Interesting ride home. Very tuff to see! And it was 4-5 traffic! Thirty minutes of scary driving! There's one very lucky bike rider with a flashing light on his rear-end! Had it not been for that light I doubt I would've seen him in time to slow down! (What the heck is someone doing on a bike during peak traffic time?! Death wish?)

I hate diabetes! Guess I'll have to try to get my act together!

GWTW - Part II?

I don't know why people think they can improve on GWTW and I'm not interested in anyone who does.

"Donald McCaig's "Rhett Butler's People" (St. Martin's Press, $27.95) was published this month after 12 years in the making. McCaig will stop in metro Birmingham on his book tour next week to talk to the Kiwanis Club and sign books at The Alabama Booksmith.McCaig, whose works include the Civil War novel "Jacob's Ladder" and "Canaan: A Novel of Post-Civil War America," says he didn't really know how "GWTW" fans would react to his retelling of Margaret Mitchell's story. "

My response would be pfffttttttt!

To read about this:

link

Wish Me Luck!

Tomorrow I will be tap-dancing down to the eye clinic to see the retina dr...yet again. I think I'm going to have my eye photograohed by the computer camera again. After using numerous drops every day I can't tell any difference in my eye. If I cover my left eye, I can still see but not as clearly and it appears faded. I think the next step is a shot around my eye. I'm not doing cartwheels but if it'll help my vision, I'm okay with it. Ever since I was told there was a cyst in my eye I've been afraid I'd hear that I needed more surgery! Even that wouldn't scare me as much but I hope it isn't necessary!

My eye has been dilated so much, I'm beginning to wonder if it'll ever go back to being regular! I've noticed that I am very light-sensitive, too.  Your eyes work as a team and if something's wrong with one it affects the other one--you just don't know how true that is until there's a problem! 

I'm hoping for good news!

WTH---With A Rocket!

I saw this story on the news and was astounded by what I was hearing!

 (CBS/AP) A former agent for the FBI and CIA pleaded guilty Tuesday to faking a marriage to win U.S. citizenship, clearing the way to being hired and given security clearances by the two intelligence agencies.

Nada Nadim Prouty, 37, emigrated to United States from Lebanon in 1989. She was given U.S. citizenship five years later and began working as a special agent at the FBI's field office in Washington in 1999, according to a criminal information sheet filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit

 Julie at Degree of Madness has all the incredible details about illegal aliens, bribes, terrorists, fraud, conspiracy, etc, etc!

http://degreeofmadness.typepad.com/

How does this happen in today's world? Where are the people who should be doing background checks? Scary stuff!

Awwwwww....

I tried to resist --- really!

But I was overcome with the cuteness!

I think a better caption from the kitten's point of view might be, MOM?!?!?

Amazing Race - 11/11/07

If you missed The Amazing Race, you missed a rather funny one! I doubt the participants were greatly amused but I was!

There was some drama at the airport trying to get tickets to the next leg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Not enough tickets for the airplane and one ticket agent seemed to be faster on the keyboard! Nicholas (grandson and grandpa) tried to rush their agent which caused her to call him rude and she left the area! Ron (father and daughter) chose that time to go into a rant with his daughter trying to calm him down! Eventually, they all made it to Amsterdam. The Goth couple thought they would fit right in because Amsterdam is into some weirdo stuff.

The first detour was Hoist It, where they had to hoist several pieces of furniture up to an apt, or Hunt It, where they had to walk down the street and look thru thousands of bikes to find 2 that were color coded to match a ticket each team had. Then ride 5 miles for their next clue. Some of the women were better at hoisting the furniture than the men. The tricky part was getting a good knot in the rope so the furniture wouldn't slip out!

Ron went into another rant with his daughter and caused her to tear up. She told him he was too rough with her and he promised to change. That may be harder than he thinks!

The Roadblock involved a regional sport called ditch vaulting. It required a person to take a wooden pole and vault over a muddy ditch to get a clue on the other side and vault back. Then ride a cargo bike called a bakfiets through the countryside in search of Durgendam Yacht Club, the next Pit Stop.

Meanwhile at the ditch vaulting, Shana (blondes) made it across in one try but on the way back, she landed right in the ditch completely covered in mud! I don't know which one of the blondes remarked how she missed her facial and manicure but if it was Shana she got a mud pack! She seemed to take it in stride and go on. Not sure I could've!

Nicolas decided to let his 88 yr old grandpa do the vault. He seemed to want to do it. After several muddy attempts, Don took off all his clothes except his underwear to "free" himself up! He said on the mat that he had even done it sans underwear! He didn't mention how many people were blinded by that. HA

After they got on their cargo bikes, one guy told his partner she smelled like poop from the mud and she agreed! Ron told his daughter she needed to lose weight! She does not! He's cruisin' for a bruisin'!

Lorena and Jason were first and both won special bikes! Kate and Pat were last and were eliminated.

I hope they all got hot baths after all that smelly mud! Yuk!

Thanks Veterans!

Mustang Baby!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZzXHq7gKN8[/youtube]

I love this commercial! Love Stangs and Steve McQueen! My first car was a used '65 navy Mustang with a white ragtop. Loved it! What happened to it? The husband went to the mall and left it UNLOCKED! It was stolen and later discovered in another city after we had accepted the ins check. We went to look at it one last time and it was sad!

I used to put our Great Dane in the back seat with the top down and take her for a ride. She took up most of the seat! Wish I could say there was a picture of that, but no, there isn't. I'm not even sure there is a picture of my Mustang! We have plenty of pictures of the gas guzzlers the husband had over the years but I don't think there's one of my baby! And do you think I would've ever heard the end of it if I had left his car unlocked to be stolen? Not on your life!

(I was at Guidons, Guidons, Guidons - http://www.guidons.blogspot.com/

when I saw this and decided to post it. )

Dumb Laws

Raise your hand if you already knew the following laws applied to AL:

Bear wrestling matches are prohibited.

It is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy.

It is illegal to maim oneself to escape duty.

You may not drive barefooted.

Dominoes may not be played on Sunday.

It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.

Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death.

You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time.

It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.

Oh, not to worry--there's a list for every state! And also a fuller explanation for some of the wacky laws!

http://www.dumblaws.com/

Gore Concert Cancelled

This is just too funny! Please, go read about the concert that was planned to coax Gore to run again! Problem? They didn't think they could sell enough of the $20 tickets!

ht/Hot Air

http://video1.washingtontimes.com/bellantoni/2007/11/run_al_run_concert_called_off.html

Guess Who?

Just Jared dot com had this picture of---Tom Welling, throwing out the first pitch at Fenway (6/2006). A tad hairy!

I think I prefer this one at Kryptonsite.com!

Click to get a better view!

The man just makes good pictures!

The Amazing Race

The Amazin Race was off and running last night! The football game messed up the schedule so I had to keep checking to catch the start. Lots of unusual names and I'm not really pulling for anyone in particular, yet. I did sort of like the grandson and grandpa duo, but older folks seem to have a hard time on this show with some of the more physical things. You can get a gander at who's involved here: 

http://alpha.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race12/recaps/ep1201/hhis :

The first country they chased each other to was Ireland. Looked wet and windy! The first roadblock was riding a bike on a cable, high above the ocean, with their partners eight feet below connected by a pole! They didn't say just how the bikes stayed on the cable and most of the contestants said it was fun but it looked scary as all get out to me! Next they had to pick a donkey, fill its baskets with peat and get it to move--which was harder than it sounds! One or two couples had to push their donkey to help it along!

Azaria and Hendekea hit the mat first and won a trip to Canada. Aria and Staella were last and were eliminated.

Elvis, Phone Home

See anything you just can't live without? The Elvis is Alive Museum is selling it's memorabilia on eBay! The 81 yr old owner hopes someone will buy his treasures and open a new museum.

Opened 17 years ago, he insists that Elvis is not dead but in hiding!

He also claims Presley had good reason to disappear: He's in the federal Witness Protection Program for assistance he provided federal law enforcement authorities

Who knew? Maybe he's been giving top spy Valerie Plame tips!

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307485,00.html

Another Day, Another Visit

I'm beginning to think I'll be going to the eye clinic for the rest of my life! (Hopefully not!)  Still have inflammation, despite putting drops in continously! Will keep doing drops and go back in 2 wks to see the retina dr. I have a feeling I'm getting closer to a needle!

I took some stuff to leave at the recyle center downtown. I turned too soon and quickly realized I was going the wrong way on a one-way street! Luckily, there wasn't much traffic and I was able to get off of it pronto.  When you don't spend much time driving downtown it's real easy to forget which streets are one-way. I did have one guy blow his horn at me and I wanted to tell him I got it! ;)