October 31, 2006

Not Looking for Commitment

When you need a date but you're not into the club-scene, or the online-thing hasn't worked out so well...

Makes me think of Billboard Dad!

October 29, 2006

Game of Tags

Technorati isn't hearing my pings. I've claimed this blog, got Technorati tags in my posts and a Technorati search on the page. The site's been verified and checked.

It all worked fine for a while.

Thank you for advising me that the problem continues. I hope to completely resolve it soon.

CL

October 26, 2006

Interference

Here's something you don't hear everyday:

Hands on hips, Andrew stood in the living room and hollered,

"Hey! Who left their I.V. pole in the middle of the room? Jeez!"


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October 25, 2006

Bill Buckner Day

1986 World Series, Game 6, 10th Inning
Boston vs. Mets

Buckner had played well in the 1986 post-season, but came apart in Game 6, going 0-for-5 with runners on in this game.
Buckner's legacy includes:
John Hodges poem Forgiving Buckner, Slide's debut album Forgiving Buckner. His error is referenced on The Simpsons episode Brother's Little Helper, in Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital and an Ally McBeal episode.

Buckner retired in 1990 after 21 years in major league baseball. He is remembered annually by our family.
Happy Anniversary, Roni and Wayne (Oct. 25, 1986).


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October 24, 2006

Robbers Hit Jackpot. Not!


Long before The Italian Job, Dortmunder et al. had Bank Shot . (Donald E. Westlake, 1972)

John Dortmunder had to
have been in on
this heist



.

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October 23, 2006

Hilda (Long) Wickens (1928 - 2006)


It is with great sadness that the family of Hilda Wickens (nee-Long) of Belleville announces her sudden passing, to her eternal home, on Friday October 20th, 2006.

Cherished mother and dear friend of Ron & Anne Wickens, Larry & Donna Wickens, Wayne & Roni Wickens, and Carol Atherton. Predeceased by her husband of 34 years, John (Jack) Wickens and her precious grandson Joshua John Wickens.

Hilda touched the lives of many, including her beloved grandchildren Brandon, Jenna, Stephen, Stacey, Kara, Kayne, Makenzie, Lindsay, Meghan, Robert, John, Calie and her treasured great granddaughter Brylind.

She is remembered with love by her brother Arthur Long and his wife Ruth of Shannonville. Our mother has been reunited with her parents Clarence and Roxanne (Gray) Long and her brother Charles Long and his wife Leola formerly of Shannonville. She is fondly remembered by her many nieces and nephews and her extended family of friends.

Raised in Shannonville, Hilda was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother and spent much of her life caring for others. Always one to share her many blessings, she was the first to volunteer her time and had, over the years, dedicated countless hours to supporting her faith community, the Belleville General Hospital Women's Auxiliary, and the Community Development Council of Quinte's community garden program. Her greatest joy, however, was her grandchildren, on whom she doted, and in whose eyes she saw eternal promise and hope. It is through them that her kind and gentle spirit lives on.

As was her way and in the spirit of giving, the family welcomes memorial donations in her name to the Community Develpment Council of Quinte's Good Baby Box Program or the Christ Church Bell Tower Fund.

A celebration of our mother's life will be held on Wednesday October 25th, at 2:00 p.m. at her dearly loved Christ Church, 39 Everett Street, Belleville. The family will receive friends at the JOHN R. BUSH FUNERAL HOME, 80 Highland Avenue, Belleville on Tuesday evening October 24th, from 7:00 .m.-9:00 p.m. and at Christ Church at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday October 25th, 2006.

Please join us as we extend our thanks and share memories of our very own earth angel.

JOHN R. BUSH FUNERAL HOME (613- 968-5588)
www.quintefuneralcentres.com

October 20, 2006

Pat Carty Memorial


The Centennial Chargers improved to 6-0 overall after they buried the Quinte Saints 29-6 in the annual Pat Carty Memorial.
Photo: Intelligencer photo by Jeremy Ashley
My nephew, Kayne, plays for Centennial. Between his work schedule, our own schedule and his two-a-days in August, I haven't seen Kayne since June!

That's him in the background...#88 - green uniform.


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October 19, 2006

Carpet Bombing?

A van went screaming up the street, slowed at the stop sign then raced to the light. Emblazened on the side of the vehicle was the logo and name of a carpet and floor cleaning company along with "Emergency Response Unit".

I have to ask, when does carpet/floor cleaning require an Emergency Response Unit?
Imagine this scenario:

"Good afternoon, thank you for calling Our Carpet Cleaning Company. How may I help you?"

[panic stricken] "Oh my gosh! I just spilled red wine on my carpet and the Governor General is coming to dinner tonight. Can you help me?"

"We'll be right there! Stay where you are. Don't touch anything! We're on our way."

A crew puts on their teflon protected jackets, jumps into the specially-equipped Econoline, hits the siren and speeds away!

Puh-lease!

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What I Need

... worth saying twice ...

Here's what I need: A decision-maker at MOH to say:

"We're going to step in here. For compassionate reasons, we're going to fix this for you, right now."

OHTAC and its committees and sub-committees can continue to follow their procedures and processes as the application moves from one panel to the next: assessment → review → recommendation → implementation, and I can finally get some relief.

from the page of Contemplations

October 18, 2006

London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines


Just for the record,
The weather today is
slightly sarcastic with a
good chance of:
a) Indifference or
b) Disinterest in what the critics
say

from the album: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
by: Panic! At The Disco
on the Label: Fueled By Ramen

Parts of this song have been stuck in my head for a week!

Click the Panic! button to hear it.



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October 17, 2006

Visitor Information

Tuesday Oct. 10, 2006 - Monday Oct. 16, 2006
(12:00:01 a.m) - (11:59:59 p.m.)
at
Source: Sitemeter Counter and Statistics (s//*chilee)
  • I must've had something entertaining on the site last Tuesday.
  • The Toronto Star article ran on Friday.

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October 15, 2006

Pass the Benadryl™

This weekend I must have reached my Lifetime Allowable Maximum Intake of a particular drug. My eyebrows are still causing me discomfort, even though it's been more than 24 hours since I administered the drug. Serious reactions do that: extensive total body hyper-sensitivity for an extended period of time.

I ran the IV early Saturday afternoon. Near the end of the infusion, I got an 'early allergy flash'. That's what I call it when my body temp jumps to (seems like) 400 degrees. If you've experienced or seen someone experience an E.A.F. you know, it's hot. Then the numbness. I noticed the swelling. I pressed STOP on the pump.

I'm supposed to avoid all histamine blockers until the end of next month. I quickly ran through my options: None. I had to get the Benadryl™ on board.

Disconnected and capped, I was unsure what to do with the med still in the line...the med that hadn't yet dripped out the Hickman into the vein. I'd seen nurses draw back on the line before. It could be done, but did I have the required level of expertise for that? What are the risks? There are some, I remember that much. What's the volume capacity of the line? I know this, I told myself. But was the capacity of the line important for this or did it have to do with something else? My rationale: if I knew the volume capacity of the line, then I could figure out the amount of saline I'd need to completely flush the line, right?

If only I had paid closer attention in TPN school. If only I could remember the protocol followed in May when I had a reaction at the hospital. Draw it back or push it through? Draw it back or push it through?

There wasn't a panic, don't misunderstand. We were thoughtfully weighing our options. We decided to push it through. We figured the worst possible result would require a shot of epinephrine and a trip to the hospital.

It turned out fine. When the Benadryl™ wore off, the symptoms came back, so I took more Benadryl™. It wore off, symptoms came back, have some more. Sunday afternoon, and I was still experiencing a reaction! Milder, but very uncomfortable.

I hope this is just an isolated case involving this order only. I'll wait to see what work-around Stella and Suzanne come up with, I guess. In the meantime, pass the Benadryl™, please.



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October 14, 2006

Clarification

Joe did not actually forget his lunch .

I was not a hostage to Oh Henry . The box on the porch posed no risk because it was sealed and wrapped.



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October 13, 2006

Hooked from Page One

"What happens to a dream when the dreamer is gone?"

Paint it Black
by Janet Fitch
(Little, Brown and Company, September, 2006.)


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October 10, 2006

I-scream. You-scream.

I was outlining the time it takes in one day to run my Nutrition/Hydration program. [You can read it here. ]

That exercise made me appreciate our ice cream maker. Vanilla ice cream is only ever 25 minutes away. Slight variations: Smarties, Cherry-Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip.

'What about chocolate ice cream?' you ask. I don't make it anymore. Like I have time to chop the chocolate, mix it with milk, heat it, cool it, add more ingredients, mix it again, pour it into the machine and then freeze it!

I don't eat ice cream, yet it gives me comfort to know that vanilla ice cream is 25 minutes away.



Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos. ~Don Kardon (U.S. Olympian)



October 09, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving Day. Here are a few things that I am thankful for:

1. John, Andrew, Jessica. (I won't embarrass you by adding something serious or mushy)
2. Our family...you know the value of laughter and revive my spirit.
3. Friends...for patiently listening and entertaining me when I need distraction.
4. Canada. It's not perfect, but we are allowed to discuss her faults.
5. The end of Roy's vacation. He is re-sizing my bracelet.

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October 05, 2006

Too Large Fries

Andrew needed some McDonald's® french fries for his science experiment.

I was going to be in the area, so I offered to get the frites and drop them off to him during his lunch period. He has Science during the following period, so it would work out well.

To make sure that Andrew and his friends wouldn't eat the experiment before it began, I decided to pick up 2 large fries: one for consumption, one for investigation.

I took the bag that held my order from the server at the local McDonald's®.
"Are you sure this is right?" I asked her.
She nodded. I thought that the bag was too heavy to contain only fries. I wondered if, perhaps someone had put in a Quarter Pounder® in error. Or a large drink.

I opened the weighty bag to check. Inside: 2 buckets of french fries.

Per 1 Large Fry Order:


Nutrition Facts
Per Serving (177 g)
Amount % Daily Value
Calories 570
Fat 28 g43 %
Saturated 11 g73 %
+ Trans 3.5 g
Cholesterol 30 mg
Sodium 460 mg19 %
Carbohydrate 71 g24 %
Fibre 5 g20 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 6 g
Vitamin A 0 %Vitamin C 10 %
Calcium 4 %Iron 15 %


According to their website, McDonald's Canada serves more than 125 million pounds of French fries in one year. We just gave ½ lb to science.


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October 04, 2006

My Name is Christine. I Want To Be a Food Addict.

Gene-Jack Wang, a researcher at Brookhaven National Laboratory, released the findings of his study on the use of gastric pacing devices to treat obesity. His report will appear in the Oct. 17 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To control hunger, the device stimulates the vagus nerve, which then tells the brain that the stomach is full. Gastric pacemakers to treat obesity were first studied in pigs in 1995. Since 2000, GES has been tested in humans to change eating behavior (Shikora, New England Medical Center).

Researchers in Wang's group learned that even though satiety was achieved in the brain (artificially via the pacing device), subjects' brains displayed a 'need' to eat. These desires to eat were shown to be driven by the same neural network that has been linked to cravings in addicts.

Wang says, "We now know the decision to eat involves emotion and the cognitive system." He also states, "I do not think it is surprising they have found a link between drug addiction and overeating. In a way you can think of eating as a 'necessary addiction' - if we were not addicted to eating, most of us would stop eating."

Reuters,UK, Oct. 2, 2006 Food May Be Like A Drug


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