Whatever

Cake Wars

This is a photo of the second “cake” the folks at work had for Donna today. Her Department commissioned this one from a co-worker who does cakes on the side. It is a white cake with raspberry flavor and iced with lemon frosting. Mmmmmm. There was even vanilla ice cream to go with it. Her Supervisor sent out a 10:30 AM meeting request for everyone in the department, there was no agenda, so most were not really sure what the meeting was about and were as surprised as Donna. I got an invite to attend as well even though I am not in her department. The supervisor was covered in case anyone, even Donna, noticed my name on the attendee list as folks are forever sending us things meant for the other.

I said second cake, because about 30 minutes before her department had the birthday meeting, the Shipping Department threw an impromptu party for Donna that included cup cakes and ice cream. Donna works with them closely and she often volunteers to bring something when ever they have throw a shindig (which is quite often.) If the Princeton Review did a survey of which of the Valve Store’s departments was the Partyingest, Shipping would definitely come out on top.

To finish things off, we went out tonight to eat at Chili’s where if it is your birthday and you have joined their email club, you get a free brownie with ice cream dessert. Thanks Joan for taking us out and for helping us eat the brownie…

Human Pin Cushion

Donna had a colonoscopy today. She needs to get one every 2 to 3 years due to her Ulcerative Colitis. This is because of the increased risk of colon cancer in UC sufferers. Everything was peachy internally, but externally, that was a slightly different matter.

In what turned out to be an omen of things to come, it took two tries to get the pre-procedure IV started. She had an 8 o’clock start time and by 8:45 I was called back to see her in the recovery area. After she was almost entirely lucid they needed to take a couple vials of blood for some tests.

Donna has always had issues giving blood, as she has small veins and to complicate matters, the chemo she received as treatment for breast cancer in 2006 made those small veins more fragile. Now, cut the number of available arms for sticking in half, because of the lymph nodes removed from her right arm during the lumpectomy back then. Piled on top of that, she was dehydrated from the prep and not being able to drink anything past midnight, so you are really talking big challenge finding a nice vein.

The recovery nurse tried first with no luck. She went and found another nurse who tired a couple sticks without results and she left. The fellow who was her anesthesiologist checked in, noted the trouble and offered to give it a shot as he worked his way through medical school working in a lab. He too failed a couple of times. They were running out a spots to try because they needed to stay below her IV.

Nurse #2 returned and they started trying to get a vein in her left foot. No dice. Now the anesthesiologist left because he had to go put somebody under for their procedure, but he was replaced by one of the doctors on staff at the surgery center. After another failed draw from a foot vein, the three of them concocted another plan. Seeing as they were done with the IV they thought they could flush it and then draw the blood from it. This too, predictably, failed.

By now I am watching from across the aisle in another curtained recovery area lounging in one of those hospital recliners. I can’t get anywhere near the proceedings as there are 3 to 4 medical staff surrounding Donna and her bed is littered with syringe packaging, gauze pads, unsuccessfully filled vials of blood and rubber band tourniquets.

Fortunately for all involved, Donna is still slightly loopy from the anesthesia and is keeping her sense of humor in the forefront. The head nurse for the surgery center shows up and after a confab they try sticking her in the top of her left foot. But because he has been stuck so many times before they opt to give her a shot of lidocaine to dull the foot first. As you can guess, two sticks and two small veins blow out after doing nothing more than coating the inside surface of a vial.

Yet another different nurse appears and Donna asks, “Are you here to stick me too?” “No,” she says, “I’m here to report something to her (pointing at the head nurse.)” In an act of desperation, the staff doctor convinces Donna to let him try getting blood out of the taboo right arm. She agrees because what he said makes sense. You would never want an IV in that arm because the compromised lymphatic system would have trouble draining the fluid, but taking blood out of a vein would not be a problem. The logic was sound, but the results were not.

The original anesthesiologist, now through with another person, wanders by, looks in, and keeps on walking, shaking his head like a beaten man.

The staff doctor and nurse are not about to admit defeat, it has become personal. They are tapping on limbs, tying rubber tourniquets hither and yon searching for a spot they haven’t tried yet. A new player arrives, a slightly older man in scrubs. What magic does he bring?

Donna asks, “Are you here to stick me too?” “No,” he says, “I’m the director here.” He came to apologize for the trouble she was having. She graciously accepted his apology and complimented his staff as they we all very nice, and dare she say, fun to deal with during this whole episode.

Finally the Doc and the nurse found a vein on her left arm that they stuck and very carefully using a syringe, slowly and steadily managed to get a vial full of her blood. Originally when they started they were supposed to get two vials, but everyone in the whole surgery center knew that that was never going to happen. So they took the vial, placed it in some ice and got an aide to hand deliver it to the local lab and instruct them to be careful.

After too many needle punctures to count (best guess being somewhere between 12 & 15) they wheeled Donna out the door at about 10:30 AM.

Last, Then First

The photo on the left is the last photo I took with my just over one year-old Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5. The photo on the right is the first photo taken with my brand new Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15.

If you look in the Seattle picture, the Space Needle and the building to its right look a little hazy while the new 200′ waterfront Ferris Wheel and it surroundings are sharp and bright. Every shot I took of the Seattle skyline on the ferry ride that day had the same dark hazy area on it in the same area.

The next to the last day on vacation when I was taking pictures I noticed that blade-like the lens cover wasn’t retracting all the way. The only way to fully open it was to give one of the blades a helping push with a finger. Once home and I saw the last day’s photos I thought I must have left a smudge on the lens from manually opening up the lens cover. I pulled out the camera and looked at the lens cover and there was something sticky looking on the bottom half. When you the camera around in a back pocket or you are near kids or s’mores there is no telling what might come in contact with your camera.

I took the camera to work to try and clean it off. Lens cleaner and a cloth would not get the sticky stuff off so I got some mild solvent we use for cleaning circuit boards to spray on the metal shutter blades that make up the lens “cap.”

The solvent melted the shutter blades and sealed them shut like I used super glue on the edges. I quickly tried to pry then apart thinking that if I could get them open all the way, the camera might still be useable. Well I only got them part way open before they totally melded together. As a bonus, the solvent did clean off any smudges that might have been on the lens, but it did that at the expense also removing any lens coating.

Needless to say I felt like Herb Tarlek, “I swear to God Big Guy, I thought turkeys could fly!” I swear to God Donna, I thought those blades were metal.

Driver’s License Renewal

After work Donna and I renewed our Driver’s Licenses. The longer we live in South Carolina the longer the span between renewals becomes. At first it was two years, then 5, then 5 without having to actually go to the DMV (they reused your photo) and now it is up to 10 years.

At each visit over the past 23 years it seems to get a little better organized and dare I say a little more efficient each time. All in all today’s experience wasn’t too bad as we were in and out in less than a half hour.

Now, when you walk in you are triaged by a woman at a desk before even entering the main room. She checks to see if you have the required paperwork and its completeness before giving you a ticket with your code, depending on the services required, and a sequential number. There were ten 10 stations with clerks (7 of which were manned) and one camera station for pictures. Each time a clerk completed their task, a computer generated female voice would announce the next person’s code-number combination. There were 4 big LCD screens scattered about the waiting room, with a running list of which clerk was handling what, so you could get an idea of when you would get called.

For our renewals (letter C if you are interested) the process went, see a clerk, pay the fee, return to your seat, get called over for a photo, return to your seat, pick up your license, exit through the gift shop. As we sat waiting, we watched someone go through these steps, so we knew about how much time we had after paying our money, before we were out of there.

There was only one thing unusual about this man, he had to be led slowly by the elbow by another person through each step.

Fearing for our lives that we might be riding our bike one day on a road this man frequently drove, when I received my license from the photo person, I asked her about him. She told me he wasn’t getting a license, just an ID card…phew.

Big Mac For Breakfast

Here is the nutritional information for the Big Mac from the McDonald’s website:

  Calories Cal from Fat Total Fat Sat Fat Chol Sodium Carbs Fiber Sugars Protein
Big Mac 550 260 29 10 75 1000 46 3 9 25

This morning we didn’t go to McDonald’s for breakfast, but our usual haunt, DD. I have made no secret for my love of Dunkin’s Coffee Cake Muffins and coffee here. Also, Donna is a big fan of their hot chocolate and a toasted bagel, so there is no resistance when one or the other suggests we get our morning meal there. I’m betting we average eating there twice a week. Doesn’t hurt either that it costs us less than six bucks. It is no wonder that muffin is so good; here is its nutritional info from the Dunkin Donut’s website:

  Calories Cal from Fat Total Fat Sat Fat Chol Sodium Carbs Fiber Sugars Protein
Coffee Cake Muffin 590 220 24 8 65 480 86 1 51 7

Pretty close, huh? The Mac is way over top with sodium, but the muffin is way ahead in sugar (the new nutritional evil), but otherwise almost a tossup. Add in my small coffee with cream sugar and we have a winner.

  Calories Cal from Fat Total Fat Sat Fat Chol Sodium Carbs Fiber Sugars Protein
Big Mac 550 260 29 10 75 1000 46 3 9 25
Coffee Cake Muffin w/ Coffee 710 270 30 12 85 500 105 1 68 8

Of course you can’t get a Big Mac for breakfast, but you can get a Sausage McMuffin and a small coffee with cream and sugar:

  Calories Cal from Fat Total Fat Sat Fat Chol Sodium Carbs Fiber Sugars Protein
Coffee Cake Muffin w/ Coffee 710 270 30 12 85 500 105 1 68 8
Sausage McMuffin w/ Coffee 500 270 29 11 290 940 39 2 11 21

For comparison, my usual at home breakfast of Frosted Mini Wheats, 1/2 a banana and a 1/2 cup of 2% milk.

  Calories Cal from Fat Total Fat Sat Fat Chol Sodium Carbs Fiber Sugars Protein
Home Breakfast 303 34 4 2 10 51 66 8 21 10

Blood Drive

We had a blood donation drive at the Valve Store(C) today and they have had signs posted all over the plant about a month now reminding folks about it.

The last time I gave blood, when they were done bagging the pint, I sat up and then promptly passed out right back into their recliner thing. To wake me up they had to pour ice water on me after calling my name and lightly slapping my face didn’t work. Deep down I know it was probably a one time thing, but that was about 6 years ago and I haven’t donated since. I used to feel bad about not donating, but that has since worn off. So much so that when ever I saw one of the posters for donating all I really saw was:

It did almost make me want to try it again…

Ed. Note: Glad I didn’t, I just found out there were Munchkins, not actual DONUTS.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Tran?si?tions since 10/24/08: 1163

Donna Is Getting Implants

Not that kind you sicko, dental implants!

A week and a half or so ago Donna felt a swelling in her mouth near where she has a 3 tooth bridge. We called the dentist and they saw her that very afternoon. We were hopeful that there was just something stuck under there that had eluded her cleaning efforts. No such luck. X-rays showed that the tooth supporting her bridge was cracked and the swelling was from an infection. They took impressions and sent her home with a script for an antibiotic and a pain pill.

Fast forward to today and she had an appointment to have the bridge removed (see photo), the broken tooth pulled and the temporary fitted. As Marvin Lee Aday once sang, “…two out of three ain’t bad.” The temporary “bridge” wasn’t correct and the dentist couldn’t make it work. She is now stuck with a big ol’ gap between her back molar and an eye tooth on the upper left side until another temporary is ordered up. They took some new impressions hoping they will get a more correct temp next time.

The temporary is something that will have to work for a while too, because to fix this issue we are talking two or possible three implants which with our meager dental plan will probably cost us more than my recent scoping and ER visit. I wonder how much we can recoup by selling the bridge you see to one of those RVs that are popping up around town that buy gold?