OMG - I totally forgot our 31st anniversary

I was just over at JadedJ's place where his format puts the date of the post in nice big letters. When I saw January 16, I thought -- "wow, I can't believe it's already January 16". Then a thought kept niggling at me about the date. And then it hit me. OMG - yesterday was our anniversary, and with all the hullabaloo, I completely forgot. And I think Thing2 did too. (If she didn't, I'm in Big trouble ;)

Just when you think it can't get any worse...

I've long subscribed to the belief that one should never say/think that things can't get any worse, because in my experience, that's just when the unthinkable/unexpected will happen and you'll find yourself in even more dire straights.

Yesterday we spent much of the day in and out of the local urgent care clinic. Thing2 was pushing-off with her hand, while getting out of the aerobed, when she slipped and her hand slid thumb-first into the floor with all her weight on it. She knew her thumb dislocated, but unfortunately x-rays showed that she broke her thumb and a bone in her hand. So they slapped a cast on her hand to protect her thumb.

Since this is her only hand, and it now has a cast on it -- she is almost helpless.

She can't open cans or bottles to get boost, gatorade or gingerale to drink. She can't lift and pour any pitchers or cartons to get any milk or juice. She has to hold everything between her four fingers on her right hand and her little left arm, which means that when she reaches out to put it down, her reach is limited to the lenght of her arm to her elbow. She is also unable to pull any boxes out of the cupboard unless it's on the lowest shelf right in front.

I'm thinking I may have to take some family leave to take care of her.

If you're not in your right mind, are you in your wrong mind?

Thing2 used the phrase 'If I was in my right mind I wouldn't have...'.

It got me to thinking, where are you when you're not in your right mind? Are you in your wrong mind?

BTW - Thing2 was not in her right mind because it's late and she's very tired.

Only half the story on increased shark attacks

From the LA Times Shark attacks: 2008 figures could indicate troubling trend for West Coast

There were five unprovoked shark attacks along the West Coast, slightly more than double the number for 2007. All involved great white sharks...
The 2008 figures bring to 42 the total number of authenticated shark attacks along the West Coast during the first eight years of the century -- more than five times the 20th century annual average.

It might be simply because more people venturing into the ocean. It could also be that more white sharks are milling off Southern California, perhaps taking advantage of an exploding population of California sea lions. Or it could be that both factors are in play.

One thing I learned about the controversies about the impact of shark tourism on shark behavior when I read The Devil's Teeth : A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks. Researchers speculate that great whites could begin to associate human presence with food, and there are other problems as well.

I should write more on this, but it will have to wait until later.


The Devil's Teeth A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks

On the trail of 'Ramona' in California

The LA Times has a long article, On the trail of 'Ramona' in California, about Helen Hunt Jackson, the author of the popular novel Ramona, published the 1880's. A poet and travel writer, when she became concerned about the treatment of Native Americans she turned to the pen, and wrote a fictionalized account of life in Southern California.

Several movies have been based on the book.

Feeling a little blue

I'm feeling a little blue right now.

Mostly my worries about Thing2's health are not front-and-center for me, but sometimes it breaks through. Tonight I was cutting her hair, and when I looked at her face in the mirror, right next to mine, it was obvious that her face did not have a healthy rosy look to it.

She has been asleep for about 2-hours. I promised I would wake her up at 10 so she could take her night-time medicine, but when I tried to get her up she couldn't stay awake long enough. I'll try again at 11.

We went on a nice long walk around our neighborhood this afternoon. It was sunny and relatively warm. Thing2 was comfortable in shorts.

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but she has been eating better in the last week and she's gained about 5 pounds. If she can keep it up I will be so happy.

The last few weeks have been quite difficult in parts for me, and I've lost a few more pounds. I haven't been this weight in more than 10-years.

My total weight-loss is now over 40-pounds.

Sunday morning

I didn't wake-up until nearly 9:00 this morning. Thing2 had been awake all night and was rum-dum with fatigue.

Sweetheart that she is, she had made coffee. But, I didn't go shopping yesterday and we are out of nearly all essentials, so we had to get creative with the cream for our coffee. Usually we use half-and-half. This morning we had the following choices: heavy cream, light whipped cream from a bottle, or low-fat chocolate milk. We chose to mix all three and have a rich mocha latte. It was very good!

I've been perusing journals and playing linez.

Oh, and I checked-out the JS eBay auction and saw that someone swooped in at the last second and picked it up for $5600. The next chapter of the JS saga is in their hands now. I checked-out the value using swiftappraisal.com and for small markets it estimated $6K to $14K, and for medium markets $14K to $22K. We shall see...

Now I need to head off to Costco for the necessities:
Calistoga (various flavors, not plain)
Kirkland organic chocolate milk in single-serving boxes
Paper towels
Woolite laundry detergent
Sour French Bread
Fresh sliced mango
Fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
Odwalla Orange Juice
1/2 gallon Half-and-Half
Thermacare hot-packs for the lower back (if you haven't tried these, you are missing the best invention since massages.)
Kirkland brand ibuprofen in capsules
Bandaids (Thing2's fingers are splitting at the corners of her nails and we're using buckets of bandaids because they have to be replaced every time she washes her hands.)