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BUT. You have to love the Klingons! They were just sort of vaguely Arab prince-like bad guys. Worf would never have recognized them. It's like they went to the Klingon Discount Warehouse for those characters. Then they got some money later, and upgraded. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by margo49
I've been swamped with house stuff and work stuff, so not much time to post or catch up. I'm trying, though!
Lise - It can't hurt to see what these "older" guys have to offer. I wouldn't rule them out just because of age. Would you want someone to rule you out just because of age? They may be quite handsome and will likely be more mature and together. You never know! MWBR - right?
Update on Roux... He's home and doing great! His eyes are bright (and not runny and more), the blisters/tumors on his nose are gone, he's chasing cats, scarfing up the kids' food, and greeting us at the door and wagging! He's still breathing a bit fast and is sleeping a lot, but all in all he loos great! He's gone through 4 days of chemo at the Vet hospital and now is on oral chemo for 30 days and gets injections of two other drugs once a week for the next month. Then - we see what happens! The side effect of this is that he has carcinogenic/toxic poop! So - we have to use gloves to clean up after him and the kids can't go in the yard. It's worth it, though. They can play in the front yard! Thanks for the healing thoughts for him - it seems to be working!
Appraisal was done on the MS house this morning - no problem there! Now - I'm waiting for the movers to call, so we can schedule the move! Yikes I'm busy!
Whew! Finally caught up. I was gone from Friday till midnight Sunday up in Georgia. I am too tired to contemplate writing about it. Not too tired for manual labor (putting my brick "landing" out by my truck, in its tree garage, underground so I can get the lawnmower over it) and reclaiming my front little landing thing from the giant grass and fireants. A fellow TEer found me on the ride and recognized me from my avatar, pic to follow!
Can't wait to hear about the ride and the meeting Nanci!
Cool Nanci! Looking forward to reading all about it.
Thanks, everybody, for your thoughts about the "older men" thing. Part of it is that "older" men, at my age, are also called "old" men! But, as SK points out, you'd hardly call Bubba that. (Funny thing, snap, calling yourself a "FOB"--in my business, that's the abbreviation for "Father Of the Baby". I was momentarily confused! :confused: :o ) Before I came in on call last night, I emailed back the 62 yr old professor. He's tall, widowed, and sounds pretty active. He wrote me back about going to spectate at the Accenture tri, and made some good observations. The other guy, Mr. FarAway, is also a widower. As I say, their marriage didn't end because they hated each other! Annnnd, no "evil ex-wife" in the picture. MWBR.
Up all night with a laboring lady who ended up with a c-section at 4:30AM for a 9# 3oz baby. Then I actually got a few hours sleep. :D On tonight until 10 PM.
Fish--wonderful news about Roux. Isn't it amazing how they bounce back from things that lay us so low? (((Roux)))
whoa! it was hard to catch up this morning. you girls were busy posting over the weekend.
BMof3 welcome to posting on TD. glad to have you here.
glad i missed LA's posts this whole weekend. i would've loved to kick him in the shin with kit's steel toed boots! the nerve of some people!!!! i caught enough of his posts that others quoted to hate him. sheesh!
lise as far as dating older men, if they have the same things in common with you and are still as active and can keep up with you (if that's possible) i say go for it!!!
i had a great weekend. spent the whole weekend with BF. we actually had two great days off together. (with his work schedule it one day rarely happens, let alone two.) both sat and sun were beautiful. sunshine and little wind. hiked around and spent both days outside. it was great! (except for the slight sunburn i got.) you can tell fall is here. it got down to 28*F (-2*C) on saturday morning. nice and crisp morning. i hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!
I'll agree with you that I'm not 23... and I'm probably 'very' 20 for all the reasons lots of other TE'ers here could be '20' ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by margo49
Was Wrath of Khan the one where Scotty's nephew got killed and smeared blood on Kirk's dress uniform, and through the rest of the movie, the smear changed size, shape, and location?
"KHAN!!!!"
yup, that's the one.
Gotta love continuity flaws.:D
SadieKate--how're things with your folks? It seems to me you've been around a little less than usual (although thanks for the Bubba + SK story!). Makes me wonder if you're doing more caretaking. Take care of you, too. L.
Yeah, I know I haven't been around. TD can be fun but overwhelming. I can't keep up with all the story lines when my family stories keep shifting also. Not that I don't care about yawl, but I'm sure salsa and others can relate. Sometimes you have to focus on the immediate issues and hope you don't miss anything critical otherwise.
Dad is back in the hospital we think due to some side effects of the chemo. He was doing great once they got his calcium levels down. They put him back in the hospital for the first round of chemo and then he came home before his immune system started to go down but was doing so well.
At home, he became suicidal but Ativan seems to have solved that. We don't know at this point whether it is a side effect of the drugs or sleep deprivation. They took out his Foley when he was still on huge amounts of fluids. He can't get out of bed unsupervised at the moment. You can imagine what the lack of sleep was doing to him and my mother with now provisions for incontinence. So, they got that somewhat under control as he's re-Foleyed (new word there :p )
However, over the weekend his ankles started swelling, his temp went up and he became a bit confused again so he was readmitted yesterday. His regular onco is back in town today and will see him. So, current crisis averted but he is still in there and we have a bunch of unknowns.
My brother is driving me nuts. He lives in the same town as they (about 60 miles from me). He is going to have to deal with crisis needs for transportation or physical help. I make plans and rearrange my work appts, etc., etc., to be there for the non-crisis help times. But my brother will show up even when my parents have told him not to. He's taken over control. So, I'm just staying out of it for now and when he next calls me because I haven't been there "enough" in his view, he better be wearing armor. Though I probably shouldn't waste my energy. My brother (a 49 yr old confirmed bachelor and workaholic) knows what everyone else should do, how they should behave and how his mother and sister are so dense that we need everything explained to us in 10 paragraphs even though others can answer our questions in 10 words or less (and don't dare try to stop his soliloquy).
Whew, thanks for letting me vent. I did try to keep it below 10 paragraphs myself.
I say, vent away, SK. Here you've got sympathetic ears and a lot of support and good will. Don't even bother to keep up with all the stories, you know you'll hear about anything important! When my mom was hosp'd three years ago, I wasn't on TE yet, but everything else went on hold. You kind of go down into this cave, and all of your attention and energy is spent spelunking the current crisis.
My heart goes out to your dad, you, and your family. I'm glad your dad's regular onc doc is back in town. BTW, we call it "Foleyized" around here, as in, "Did you foleyize her?" "oh, yeah, she's been foleyed for awhile." :rolleyes:
I hope your health's holding up, too. I know change of seasons can be a challenging time. I'm eating a square of extra bittersweet Ghiardelli chocolate, and wishing the same for you. It has remarkable sustaining powers. Take care (((SK))) L.
Fishdr- wonderful news all around. I am continuing with my healing thoughts for Roux and for a stress free move. We have lived in 4 states, I hate moving!
Nanci- I am looking forward to reading about the ride and who your met. I do not think there is anyone from TE anywhere near me.
Lise- I am glad you decided to write to the 62 year old professor. Let us know what happens. Oh, what does he teach? I am married to a professor. :)
Chickwhorips- TY for the welcome. I told DH where you lived and he keeps wanting to move us to Alaska. Apparently a position has opened up in the Fairbanks chemistry department.
SK-I am so sorry to hear the trials your father and your family has been going through. My continued prayers.
Hey SK - you can have way more than 10 paragraphs with that story. What a roller coaster. I'm so sorry.
Should I bring over my green bar of Scharffenberger....?
i called my stepmum last week to wish her happy birthday and had the best conversation we ever have had. i asked her how she was doing with everything going on with my dad. she's having a hard time. school has started back up and no one to help her. the parents want to help, but not do the 'grunt' work of sorting papers, copying or anything like that. makes me very :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: they want the fun part of sitting in on classes. thats the 'easy' stuff, its behind the scene that where all the work is done and where the most help is needed! argh... i need to step off this soap box now.....
my stepmum said my dad has been moved to a rehab center that specializes in brain problems, dysplasia and such. he has been taken off all meds to see what happens. my stepmum says he is more alert, depressed a bit, but walking around better. there is hope that he will be able to come home soon. once he does he will still need fulltime care, but should be able to function in his home setting. good news there.
my brother and sister-in-law are adopting two more childern. one is almost two and the other is 9 months i think. super cute kids! not sure if anything is wrong with them or not. they were taken from their parents because they were unfit (not sure if drugs were involved or not). they have adopted a total of 4 so far. two are out on their 'own' and the other two will never be able to live without assistance. they are freaking out about having two babies around the house. (the other two kids that are left at home are 14 and 27 i think.) i think its cute.
my sister... well she still isn't talking to me, but her kids are so thats good.
thats my family in a very small nutshell.
Many Gainesville riders chickened out after the weather report. My friend Barb came up, but went home Saturday. Others just didn't come up. I planned for warm rain and cold descents and hot climbs. I wore a sleeveless tank, bolero, sandals, socks, Pearl Izumi Calientoes- semi-waterproof toe covers worn over my socks but under my sandals. I carried my Showers Pass rain jacket, and extra dry gloves. I _should have_ carried a big ziplock for my bolero to keep it dry when I wasn't wearing it.
I think it was 70F at the start. It started raining almost immediately, but slow and steady, not pouring. The ride starts out with rolling hills, about 15 miles worth, trending upward, then an eight mile real climb. I made this climb at an average speed of 5.5 mph. The top of the first gap (Neels) is at 25 miles- most of that climbing- so I wasn't cold- though wet. As soon as I stopped, it began to pour. I grabbed my jacket and helmet cover and ran under an overhang. I ran into Pedal Wench from TE there! The really hard rain only lasted a few minutes. I did the descent with my jacket on- it's cold anyway even if not raining because of the speed, but I really didn't get going too fast because I was afraid of the wet roads. I had my usual Michelin race tires and never had a traction problem, even on paint. I also had the new cassette which I think allowed me to climb about 1 mph faster, plus spin faster even in my easiest gear. I averaged about 22 on the descents. I got up to 38 at one point, but my bike, I thought, made a weird noise, so I never went that fast again, and never heard the noise again. I usually descend with my hands on the hoods, on the brakes. I felt like I couldn't brake enough. I had the revelation that if you are in the drops, the braking power increases quite a bit- enough to feel in control again, although I didn't feel like I had nearly as much control over the bike, since I never ride in the drops. Before I figured that out, at one point on the first descent, I had to stop to let my forearms rest from braking. I ended up riding with my hand on the left drop for the front brake, to get the most braking power, and my right hand on the hood, and the rear brake, so enough to keep from skidding, but not much stopping power, but enough steering control to be somewhat comfortable at 22 mph. It's kind of scary when you see speed limit signs for cars that say 15 or 20, and I'm having a hard time holding the bike down to that...At one point on this descent, the wind was very, very strong- I could see it blowing the trees sideways! I comforted myself with the fact that I was already more than halfway done.
I would have made the time cut off to do Six Gaps, but continued on with three as planned. I had thought, Saturday, that the storms would come through about noon or one, and I wouldn't have to deal with rain. I was wrong, and it rained from the start till the second descent. I took my rain jacket off for the second climb, Wolf Pen, which is the second hardest climb of the six. It starts immediately after the descent from Neels Gap. It is only a couple miles, but as steep as Hogpen, with numerous switchbacks, even the hairpin turns! It's gorgeous and shady, though. My average speed on this climb was about 3.8 mph. It was raining, again, but I thought, well, I'm not cold, I'm not hot, my feet are a little cold but not bad, I am not hungry, not thirsty, my legs don't hurt, I can ride the climbs without stopping to rest!! What more could I ask for? Who cares about the rain??? On the second descent, it was so foggy I could only see about 100 feet ahead. Cars were VERY courteous. At the top, I stopped to get some pretzels. The first hundred milers hadn't come through yet. I put my jacket back on for the descent. I still wasn't cold, and my feet were wet, but not cold. On this descent, the leaders of the hundred mile ride began to pass me. I can't believe how they can _pedal_ descending like that!! Just about every single one had encouraging words for me.
After the second descent, there are about 15 miles left, trending down. I stopped to remove my jacket for the last time, and take off my toe covers and socks. My feet were like prunes- they liked being out in the sun instead of cold wet shoes. I was happy I chose sandals. The climb to Jacks Gap is not bad. Then there are about 10 miles of mostly descent back into Dahlonega. My riding time was five hours, and my total time was about six hours. My average speed was 10.5 mph. I think last year I did 9 mph. BF did the hundred in eight hours total. Since we were parked right at the finish line, I had a nice nap in my chair with Dillbird while waiting for him to finish. (They have showers and spaghetti dinner at the high school, too.) Oh, the weather cleared up about noon and didn't rain again until we were leaving at 4:30 PM. There were still riders out...
Friday evening we went to a winery, then out to dinner with BF's chiropractor who moved up there, in Helen, which is in the middle of Oktoberfest.
Saturday, we went to the expo, and two wineries. (Brought home ten bottles of wine!) Ran into a few of the hardier Gainesville people at the expo.
It was tough driving home at 5PM Sunday. I'm glad I had today off.
Here's BF at the start.
Me and Pedal Wench share a moment in the lovely weather!
Why am I experiencing camera lust? I love my camera. But now it comes in 10 MP with anti-shake technology, which you can see from my movies I seriously need.
Dillbird was an absolute angel, for once. I made him a nest on the bed at the hotel similar to what he lives in at home- towels on the bed, fenced in by pillows, and he just stayed there! Didn't have a flapping, panting, frazzling frenzy like he usually does when I try to get him to just _sit_ somewhere. I left him there for the expo, came back to check, and he was fine so I left him the rest of the day. The alternative is to keep him in his sleeping bag and carry him everywhere with me in a mesh purse. I think he _likes_ that, but being out is more relaxing in the long run.
I am quite familiar with your type of fistulas, unfortunately. At work one of the things I do is find out where they are going from the skin side in (fistulas can tunnel their way out to the outside as well as connecting things inside...) or try to find where they are going from the inside. What a mess. I feel very sorry for anyone dealing with them. I really don't see how cycling could aggravate them, though. Going to ask at work.
Where is my WOOT wine? I have been waiting for you since 8AM, trapped at home, doing yard work and laundry...
Thanks all. We all have family issues such as these to deal with. It's part of life. I don't ever want to trivialize someone's own family issues, but I feel guilty at times about not responding to others with similar challenges, like Chick. So, please don't ever think I'm ignoring anyone. I think Lise's spelunking metaphor is perfect.:D
Did I tell you that I made Bubba hide his green bar while he was in Idaho? I knew I couldn't be trusted. He opened it the other day and we had a few pieces. It has been re-hidden. We've been together for 22 years; the man knows me so well.Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
I think we need to send our closest TE member to Scharffen Berger to get more. Ann? BZ? Don't you need lunch at SB? The calories don't count when you're running an errand for friends? :o
and what is this?Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
Quote:
Originally Posted by chickwhorips
It is devine chocolate which I am now craving. There is no chocolate in the house! :eek:
It's some special edition version of wonderful Scharffenberger dark chocolate which we had on our recent chocolate factory tour. I am pretending mine isn't there in the cupboard right by the 2 bags of Carambars caramel candy I brought back from France 2 years ago and have successfully ignored since then. It's my "ignore" shelf.....Quote:
Originally Posted by chickwhorips
Maybe I should give these items to Bubba to hide for me.
SK and Chick, sending good thoughts for your family members, and for you. it is not easy dealing with a sick parent. chocolate helps. I am going to have to look into this green label stuff.
Lise, glad you emailed the old man. Could turn out to be the best thing you haver ever done.
Lee & I had lunch at Sharffen Berger a couple of weekends ago and took the opportunity to re-stock the green bar supply. Didn't get enough though. :rolleyes:
If memory serves, both Z and winddance work near the Ferry Building, where there happens to be a Sharffen Berger shop. Just sayin'.
Here's the green bar, btw
http://www.scharffenberger.com/prodi...er=3+OZ+KUMASI
You suppose they can be bribed?
but of course
Chick-Adding prayers for your family.
Nanci-Wow you had an awesome weekend. You wrote it so well, I felt as though I was there, without doing any of the work, of course. :p Fantastic photos, everyone looks great. DH likes your BF's jersey.
Jobob, have you read my signature line? Huh? Huh? Because YOU posted the link, I just ordered 3 green bars and one gold Jamaican bar (a limited edition we didn't get to try). Thanks for leading me into . . . . Oh what the heck. I might as well admit it. I was thinking about mail order before you even posted the link.Quote:
Originally Posted by jobob
I am so weak.
Oh blame ME, willya huh? Okay. That means you'll have to share.
Nanci, what an incredible ride! I love that you bedded down DDB (dear Dillbird) and he just stayed put. And that you met Pedal Wench. I'll say it again, too, fine looking BF! That ride just sounds incredible though. What tenacity, to keep going in the wind and rain, when sometimes your best speed is 5 mph. I know how hard you had to be working for that 5 mph, too. Wow. The wine is well-deserved. Does your BF not have an IM approaching?
Oh, mah goodness. That looks heavenly good.Quote:
Originally Posted by jobob
Dang this perimenopause (I guess). That plus the 24 hr shift. PVCs, hot flashes, cold flashes (did I invent this?). I've been diligent about almost no caffeine, my only source being the 1 square of dark chocolate per day in which I usually indulge. So last night I started a bottle of Diet Coke ~2:30AM just to sharpen up my mind while we were trying to decide when/if to c-section my lady. Drank 1/2 of it (10oz?), slept a few hours, got up, saw patients, finished the Diet Coke over a few hours. Ate two, count 'em TWO whole squares of extra bittersweet dk chocolate ~ 3:30 PM. Then I was freezing cold, tried to nap, kept getting up to turn up the heat in the call room. Got paged a few times. Heart flippity-flopping with PVCs. Now suddenly hot and sweaty. I know it's nothing new to many of you. It's just disheartening to think that one slow diet Coke and two squares of choc. could get the heart so jiggery. Blech. where's the "blech" icon?
I concur that the CA TE gals need to support SK with frequent chocolate deliveries. And, in solidarity, I will continue to eat dark chocolate, no matter the personal cost to my jittery heart. Cuz I'm just that kind of friend. :p
Jobob, I knew you'd be willing to share in the calories, I mean, blame.:cool:
Psst: It's 2-day shipping.
What a gal! That's true sacrifice! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Lise
No, no! This is a theraputic course of action! You'd be denying yourself essential, uh, anti-oxidants if you didn't, uh, order AND eat fancy dark chocolate from around the globe, and, uh, also, think of the world economy, um, Darfour, wait, that has nothing to do with this, but, surely eating more chocolate will contribute to world peace over all? And! To return to the point! To your own well-being and then you can help your family more. Ha! See! I can justify anything having to do with chocolate! And I'm a licensed health care provider, so there you have it. :p Enjoy.Quote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
...................
CWR, I *love* your new avatar. Very brave of you to post a picture of the Landlord dancing with his charming wife. Your brother & SIL sound like some awfully big-hearted parents. You've lifted my day with that story. I hope your mom finds some folks who get it about the kind of help she needs, and that your dad can be in better shape and home soon.
Like jobob, I'm just sayin'....:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
i always miss the fun stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by maillotpois
That green bar is way over my head. Kind of like me trying to explain Zinfandel Ice Wine and why I must hoard it and ignore it.
I bet I could learn to appreciate green, though.
And my Jepson quadruplets have arrived safely!
Pork tenderloin, jerked, is on the grill, with onion roasted potatoes in the oven. I have 54 bottles of wine to choose from! The excess is being stored in the Tortoise Table Basement (as opposed to the wine attic on top of the fridge). Someday, I hope to have a real wine fridge.
Lise- my day is coming. I hope I am holding it at bay with Depo.
I am so grateful to not have Family Trouble.
BF has two jerseys- the other is the Canari Rat Fink- but he only loves Angus. I don't get the whole Angus thing.
My August SS gift has finally made its way to Australia! And I scored double on the September gift up in Georgia. Now I just need to gather the extras...
I am so easily swayed. I just sent my DH to our local DLM for any of these he can find. http://www.dlmmailorder.com/search.pl?terms=scharffen
I guess I will need to double up my exercising.
Just pathetic, I know.:o
Hey, BO3, I just noticed the change in the line by your avatar! :D When you joined us here at TD, I thought, "when she hits 1,000 posts, she's got to change that 'new to cycling' line!"
It's not a very far stretch from "triathlete wannabe" to "triathlete", as many here can tell you. Good on ya.
Nanci: "Lise- my day is coming. I hope I am holding it at bay with Depo." I don't know, Nanci. I'm using the Nuvaring, so I've got a continuous low dose of estrogen and progesterone, but I'm having these symptoms anyway. The only way to "really" know would be to go off the ring and see what happens with my period, but I'm not willing to risk that kind of pain. I'm planning to stick with the ring until I'm, oh, 50 or something, and then try going off. What the heck. But I'm not going through that pain/bleeding/pain cycle (some call it a lifestyle) again if I can help it. Sometimes I feel like I "should" know what's happening with my body because I'm a women's health care provider. And yet, I remain the same mystery as other women. :rolleyes:
I let my Depo wear off, and there it was, like something evil- no, my period isn't gone yet...
50 for me is in two years. Yikes.