...it's quiet...

shhhh!

Hear that?

It's a pin dropping!

The girls are in school today.

Oh, what Joy!

Oh, what Quiet!

Oh, what to do...

Zzzzzzzz......

This about sums it up...

Why oppose Obama? This illustrate it quite well...

I think that the chart is actually too nice on the deficits.

As Margret Thatcher said, they over reach -- they always do.

jc

Only 10 vials today!

After going to the beach with the kids today, I took Bern over to Kaiser for a blood draw.

Ha! I beat him 10 vials to 2!

Ya know, you would think that going on a Sunday late afternoon would be great -- no lines and you get right in. Well, we got right in, but there was only one receptionist (there is usually at least 2) and only one lab tec (the place is usually crawling with them). So, with only one person in front of us, it seemed to take forever. Then there was a problem with Bern's blood draw order, computer lock up, computer restart, consultation with others, and finally, two vials. Esh.

Go OC Flyers!

Well, we went to the game. Had fun, ran into several great folks that I enjoyed talking to.

Jenna went out and danced between innings!

A foul ball came close, guy threw it up in the stands and I caught it for the girls... FIRST FOUL BALL EVER FOR ME! Guess I can check that off my list.

Gotta get the $2 beer taste out of my mouth...

jc

Nothing Fishy about this...

This video sums it up well...



Sorry, this mobster is not interested.

Jimmy "Chubs" Crum

Health update

Well, I am feeling OK at the moment.

My toes and now my fingers are getting a bit numb, but that comes and goes. Doctors think that it is from the Thalomid and not a new tumor (like last time).

Thyroid seems under control, but I can get manic sometimes (hey, a clean house! hey, are-you-done-wearing-that-I-have-to-do-laundry! letscleanthekitchenagain!) . I do sweat while sitting in front of the computer posting on the blog, so go figure.

My back still does the wiggle when I stand up straight and still.

I am still overweight, and that isn't going away.

Muscle cramps are still common, but I think it has to do with my calcium intake -- two or more 600 + D chewables does the trick.

Esh, gotta go get my hair cut.

jc

** WARNING ** Political rant coming up

Yes, it is facisim.As always, someone else has put it better than I can. The site Sweetness and Light notes that the modern democrat party is very much like the National Socialist Party of old.

The Nazis being: against big banks and capitalism in general, against big department stores, against pollution, for two years mandatory voluntary service to the country, for make-work projects (such as the autobahn), against vivisection and cruelty and to animals, against smoking and all tobacco products, for abortion and euthanasia of the infirm and undesirable – and, of course, for cradle-to-grave nationalized healthcare. In fact, if you look really hard, you can sometimes even find a hint of anti-Semitism in the Democrat Party.

Now, the Democrats want to give us healthcare, and people are noticing. The congress can not get cash for clunkers right, they can't get Medicare right, and they can't get anything right on taxes. So they are going to get healthcare right?

My personal take: I am on maintenance chemo. This will be for the rest of my life. It is not cheap, costing about $63,000 a year. If I live to my statistical end, it will cost $2, 331,000. This doesn't take into account monthly blood tests, specialist, or other costs -- just for one pill a day.

Now this healthcare bill is all about "getting the costs down" and "covering the uninsured". Look at my costs, and make a calculation that in 'X' years my maintenance cost will outweigh treatment costs. Solution? Quit maintenance and wait for the cancer to come back, treat it again, and we save the people (taxpayers) 'Y' amount of money.

There is no consideration of quality of life, lifestyle, or personal prefrence.

Another example: Bern, Kristin's step Dad, is in the hospital right now fighting off pneumonia (for the 4th time this year). His cancer has come, gone and returned several times. Bone marrow transplant, weekly chemo, and several hospital stays later, here he is. He is costing Kaiser a bucket load of money to keep him going. Other than the cancer, he is great, and can contribute to society in any one of several ways. But when the actuarials get to it, he is a drain, limited time, and should save "the system" precious cash so that others can continue their basic healthcare needs.

Having been through the medical system as it is now, and seeing others go through it, I can foresee this in the future:

• Doc -- You get one (new) knee per leg. Don't screw it up. You must quit all lifestyle elements that may endanger the procedure. Can't operate until you get within the chart weight of 190 pounds.
• Harriet -- Hips are not optional. Take a pain pill. Remember, wheelchairs get you where you want to go and are cheaper. Motorized wheelchairs can be provided -- contact your Member of Congress.
• Bern -- Time to move on. If the standard treatments don't work, take a clue. We offer end of life counseling and Physician assisted departure.
• Kristin -- No surgery for you. No new medications for you, it is too expensive and not proven yet. Take the cheap pill.
• Mom -- Cancer again? 'Comon now, you have used up all your good cancer points on the last two.

Of course you can have that special treatment, if you contribute to your appropriate political official...

But since I oppose this, the White House wants to know who I am: Since I am spreading "fishy" information on the web, I must be reported to flag@whitehouse.gov so they can track me.

Grrrr... I gotta take my pills.

jc

Internet trails and tribulations

Well, I diagnosed the problem with my internet connection as being my router, like the fith one I have killed over the years.

Next was the browser. I use Netvibes as my home page. I find it hugely helpful for keeping all of my interests in line. For example, I can scan all my wood working sites on one page and see if there is anything new. Same with politics, gadgets, H1N1 flue, guns, social media, comics, family stuff... get the picture?

Well, FireFox 3.5 (+) doesn't work nice with this. Don't know why, but it just slows down, then locks.

Crap.

So, I now am using Chrome from Google. Works just fine. Bookmarks are not as easy (I have hundreds of bookmarks too), and I have to open each bookmark individually instead of "open all", but I will get used to it.

So, we shall see. Since I have the thought process of a gnat anymore, any breaking of my thought stream can have severe consequences...

Hey, there is a squirrel in my yard!

jc