For Thanksgiving 2009 we decided to do things a bit differently. Steph and I took our family (just us, the kids, and Obi) and got out of Dodge, heading to Colorado Springs for a day of relaxation at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. I'd found the place online on Wednesday so it was somewhat last-minute, but it worked out great! We got there with a bit of time before our buffet reservations, hit the outdoor pool and hot tub for a bit (with Obi in tow and Steph not able to join us in the water due to the cast and all) and then went for the big T-day buffet. It was great; turkey, taters, ham, bacon, salmon, trout, stuffing, salads, cheeses, soups, fruits, and plenty of dessert options. For our little family it wasn't any more expensive than if we'd thrown our own dinner, and there were tons of options with NO DISHES!! Good time. Then there was time for a bike/scooter ride, another pool (indoor this time), relaxation in the room, and pool (the kind with a table and a cue ball) in the hotel bar area to close out the night.
So Thanksgiving itself was great. I'm thankful for my family. My wife rocks, the kids are awesome, and my dog kicks ass. What more could a guy want in his life, really?
Today Steph had to head back to Denver to work, so the kids and Obi and I split off for our own quality time together. We swam some more and then hit the Cave of the Winds for a tour. Obi couldn't go on the tour obviously, but the kids and I had fun. Driving back to Denver with a 105 lb (yes, he's gained weight...) dog in the passenger seat of an Accord is a bit precarious, but it was another great day.
I'll end with a final thought...if a turkey has been bred and raised to be slaughtered, isn't pardoning it a bit anti-climactic? Does a presidentially-pardoned turkey become entitled to healthcare and hospice in its later years? And how hypocritical/cruel is it to pardon one turkey and then eat another? "You're off the hook Courage*, but by the way I'm EATING YOUR BROTHER THIS EVENING!!! Now go back to your pen and think about that." That turkey will have issues for the rest of its life.
Happy Thanksgiving!
*The name of Obama's pardoned turkey
Friday, November 27, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Headache
First a fun thing from work today. We have to re-certify that we know how to ship hazardous materials safely, since we deal with biological samples and dry ice and such, which are carefully controlled. Not to the level of explosives or anything, but we have to train anyway so we don't have blood leaking onto the package from your grandma or anything. In addition to the usual training there's a new required DOT training for hazardous materials. It was humorous in weird ways. Right off the bat they mentioned 9/11 and showed pictures from the WTC, and then admitted that it had nothing to do with the transportation of hazardous materials, and what we were about to learn wouldn't have made a bit of difference in that situation. They tied it in with "We need to be vigilant!" but mostly I think somebody wanted to show 9/11 footage. Boo!
So the post I started out to write...last Sunday the Bean woke up miserable. her head hurt badly, so Steph gave her Tylenol, which she immediately threw up. She brightened a bit in the late morning, so we thought we would go skating w/ Tim and Erin, but after a trial trip out of the house (to Target) she said she wanted to go home and lay on the couch instead. This is so not normal for her. After a day of lying around she wanted a nap (also weird), slept for 2 hours, and woke up still miserable and in tears because she hurt so bad. Steph called the pediatrician who directed her to the ER, fearing meningitis. Luckily that didn't check out, so they diagnosed the Bean with her 1st migraine. Seriously. At 5 years old. I guess that's somewhat normal though for people who have migraines; most can trace their 1st back to when they were 5 or 6. It sucks to see though. After a few hours at the ER sucking on popsicles and watching The Princess Bride the Bean felt better and thought Children's was a pretty cool place to hang out. She even got a free hand-knit blanket from Project Linus. So all ended well I guess, but I hope that doesn't happen often.
One final observation- in the bathroom at my work there's a sign asking people not to throw Feminine Products in the toilets. If our toilet paper is embossed with flowers, isn't it a "feminine product" by definition?
So the post I started out to write...last Sunday the Bean woke up miserable. her head hurt badly, so Steph gave her Tylenol, which she immediately threw up. She brightened a bit in the late morning, so we thought we would go skating w/ Tim and Erin, but after a trial trip out of the house (to Target) she said she wanted to go home and lay on the couch instead. This is so not normal for her. After a day of lying around she wanted a nap (also weird), slept for 2 hours, and woke up still miserable and in tears because she hurt so bad. Steph called the pediatrician who directed her to the ER, fearing meningitis. Luckily that didn't check out, so they diagnosed the Bean with her 1st migraine. Seriously. At 5 years old. I guess that's somewhat normal though for people who have migraines; most can trace their 1st back to when they were 5 or 6. It sucks to see though. After a few hours at the ER sucking on popsicles and watching The Princess Bride the Bean felt better and thought Children's was a pretty cool place to hang out. She even got a free hand-knit blanket from Project Linus. So all ended well I guess, but I hope that doesn't happen often.
One final observation- in the bathroom at my work there's a sign asking people not to throw Feminine Products in the toilets. If our toilet paper is embossed with flowers, isn't it a "feminine product" by definition?
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
New banana fritos
One thing about taking a banana in your lunch...you can't leave it in there for long. I made this mistake last week and my yummy chili cheese Frito's took on the distinct banana flavor, with a hint of chili. Not so yummy.
In other news, thanks to the benevolence of friends and a nice iTunes gift card, I'm wallowing in newly acquired music for the 1st time in awhile. I have the new Muse, Flaming Lips, Jay-Z, and the Ben Folds I didn't buy last year. Good times. I've also hit the app store and have actual apps that I paid money for now! Free versions of games are fun, but some things needed to be explored further.
Life continues to be busy. Steph has been out of town a lot to meetings and such lately and I've had a lot of downtime to go wild with no wife or kids in the house. It turns out that "going wild" means working a few hours for a school board campaign and being productive later into the night. When everybody is home I have to disappear to the basement after everyone is sleeping...when it's just me I can mop at 11:30 and nobody cares! I can also take Obi for walks at midnight, which is just gorgeous under a Colorado Fall full moon. Speaking of which fall is typically crazy weather wise. A week ago we had 2 feet of snow, every school in town shut down, my office closed, and the roads were a disaster. Fast forward to today and it was 75, sunny, and I was plenty warm running in shorts and a t-shirt. I love Colorado.
In other news, thanks to the benevolence of friends and a nice iTunes gift card, I'm wallowing in newly acquired music for the 1st time in awhile. I have the new Muse, Flaming Lips, Jay-Z, and the Ben Folds I didn't buy last year. Good times. I've also hit the app store and have actual apps that I paid money for now! Free versions of games are fun, but some things needed to be explored further.
Life continues to be busy. Steph has been out of town a lot to meetings and such lately and I've had a lot of downtime to go wild with no wife or kids in the house. It turns out that "going wild" means working a few hours for a school board campaign and being productive later into the night. When everybody is home I have to disappear to the basement after everyone is sleeping...when it's just me I can mop at 11:30 and nobody cares! I can also take Obi for walks at midnight, which is just gorgeous under a Colorado Fall full moon. Speaking of which fall is typically crazy weather wise. A week ago we had 2 feet of snow, every school in town shut down, my office closed, and the roads were a disaster. Fast forward to today and it was 75, sunny, and I was plenty warm running in shorts and a t-shirt. I love Colorado.
Friday, October 9, 2009
H1N-da house
We officially have sickness in the house.
Wednesday morning Mr. K woke up feeling pukey and not wanting to go to school. His temp was 100.8, so we figured staying home was a good idea. Steph took the morning off, since I had patients, and we swapped at lunchtime so we could share the sick time at home. The pediatrician had a slot for us at 2:45, so we came home and hung out for a bit, Mr. K feeling and appreciating the effects of Motrin. At 2:15 we left the house for the doctor. Mr. K's temp just before getting in the car was 102.3 Huh. Going up.
By the time we got to the doctor, he had taken a serious turn for the worse. Another dose of Motrin was due, and he was looking miserable. We were waiting on dosing again so the doctor could see the full-blown illness. That may have been a mistake. His temp was at 102.8 when we first went to the exam room. Motrin was administered and he was swabbed for the flu culture. After 30 min or so his temp was at 103.6. By this time he was more miserable than I have ever seen a kid. Freezing cold, wanting to nap, every muscle in his body aching...not a happy camper. The M.A. had given him a popsicle and put some wet paper towels on his head to cool him off, but when his temp kept rising she sprung into action. She peeled his socks off, ran them under cold water, and put them back on his feet. Um...ok...
After about an hour at the office, the fever was up to 104.4. Mr. K's face was turning all sorts of weird shades of not-healthy and the doctor was starting to look concerned that the temperature kept rising. Being miserable, Mr. K asked the doctor if he could take off his wet socks, since they were uncomfortable. She looked confused as she asked how his socks had gotten wet. She looked more confused when I told her that her M.A. had thought it was a good idea.
Long story a bit shorter, after some Tylenol kicked in, the fever started to drop. The flu test actually came back negative, but the doc was honest about the false-negative rate of such things, especially in the early stages of a flu. (Also the M.A. had swabbed just the tip of the nostril, and a correct nasopharyngeal swab goes a lot farther back.) Basically H1N1 has been going around here and he's smack in the middle of the high-risk category, being an 8-year-old public school kid with asthma, so they weren't about to write it off on the basis of a negative flu test. We went home with the somewhat doctor-approved idea that it was H1N1 and a prescription for Tamiflu. Tamiflu turns out to be wonderful; the fever broke Thursday and Mr. K is totally better today (Friday).
So that's one down. Steph went to bed feeling miserable tonight with a temp of 99 or so. *fingers crossed*
Wednesday morning Mr. K woke up feeling pukey and not wanting to go to school. His temp was 100.8, so we figured staying home was a good idea. Steph took the morning off, since I had patients, and we swapped at lunchtime so we could share the sick time at home. The pediatrician had a slot for us at 2:45, so we came home and hung out for a bit, Mr. K feeling and appreciating the effects of Motrin. At 2:15 we left the house for the doctor. Mr. K's temp just before getting in the car was 102.3 Huh. Going up.
By the time we got to the doctor, he had taken a serious turn for the worse. Another dose of Motrin was due, and he was looking miserable. We were waiting on dosing again so the doctor could see the full-blown illness. That may have been a mistake. His temp was at 102.8 when we first went to the exam room. Motrin was administered and he was swabbed for the flu culture. After 30 min or so his temp was at 103.6. By this time he was more miserable than I have ever seen a kid. Freezing cold, wanting to nap, every muscle in his body aching...not a happy camper. The M.A. had given him a popsicle and put some wet paper towels on his head to cool him off, but when his temp kept rising she sprung into action. She peeled his socks off, ran them under cold water, and put them back on his feet. Um...ok...
After about an hour at the office, the fever was up to 104.4. Mr. K's face was turning all sorts of weird shades of not-healthy and the doctor was starting to look concerned that the temperature kept rising. Being miserable, Mr. K asked the doctor if he could take off his wet socks, since they were uncomfortable. She looked confused as she asked how his socks had gotten wet. She looked more confused when I told her that her M.A. had thought it was a good idea.
Long story a bit shorter, after some Tylenol kicked in, the fever started to drop. The flu test actually came back negative, but the doc was honest about the false-negative rate of such things, especially in the early stages of a flu. (Also the M.A. had swabbed just the tip of the nostril, and a correct nasopharyngeal swab goes a lot farther back.) Basically H1N1 has been going around here and he's smack in the middle of the high-risk category, being an 8-year-old public school kid with asthma, so they weren't about to write it off on the basis of a negative flu test. We went home with the somewhat doctor-approved idea that it was H1N1 and a prescription for Tamiflu. Tamiflu turns out to be wonderful; the fever broke Thursday and Mr. K is totally better today (Friday).
So that's one down. Steph went to bed feeling miserable tonight with a temp of 99 or so. *fingers crossed*
Sunday, October 4, 2009
It's a birthday!!
Today The Bean turned 5. Given that I met her the day she turned 2.5, I have now officially known her for half of her life. It seems like only yesterday. She's getting big way too fast and I'm not ready for it. It's probably better for her that way, because she can still get away with some things she's a little too old for sometimes. But whatever. She's an awesome kid and I'm really just glad to be in her life.
She's totally a girl. She got 2 Toys R Us gift cards today, so we headed in expecting a long afternoon at the store. Instead she picked 3 things she just had to have in 10 min and we were out the door. Just like her mom; knows what she wants, knows how to get it. Granted Steph, as a grown adult-type woman, can take much longer shopping, but The Bean definitely has the love for the sport at an early age. Happy birthday Bean!
So speaking of sports...I only watched about 3 min total of the Broncos game today, because there were more important things going on w/ the birthday and all, but damn Broncos! 4-0?! Who knew? Throw in that the Sooners have 2 losses and my perceptions of this football season are totally out of whack. This is why we love football though, eh? (From ESPN: "The Broncos have allowed an NFL-low 26 points this season. In the final three games of the 14-year Mike Shanahan head coaching era, Denver allowed 112 points." Nice.)
In other news, the video camera function of my iPhone 3Gs has been getting a workout lately. (Videos are being uploaded here: http://www.youtube.com/user/w0nderm0nkey) I find my love for my iPhone hindered only by my non-skinny fingers. Typing can be tough, but other than that I'm in love. So much so that I find I'm hurt and betrayed when I hear John Krasinski's* voice on the Blackberry commercials. I feel he should know better.
Speaking of celebrity endorsements, I'm thoroughly confused by Evander Holyfield's Taco Bell commercial. Basically he's a big dude, orders 2 $1.99 burritos, and is told by the counter girl that even someone of his size only needs 1. So...what? Taco Bell is asking you to order less food. They're essentially calling you fat if eat 2 of their 1/2 lb burritos in one sitting. Does this make sense in any way? "Come to Taco Bell, but don't order too much, or we'll mock you to your face!" Huh?
*Jim from The Office
She's totally a girl. She got 2 Toys R Us gift cards today, so we headed in expecting a long afternoon at the store. Instead she picked 3 things she just had to have in 10 min and we were out the door. Just like her mom; knows what she wants, knows how to get it. Granted Steph, as a grown adult-type woman, can take much longer shopping, but The Bean definitely has the love for the sport at an early age. Happy birthday Bean!
So speaking of sports...I only watched about 3 min total of the Broncos game today, because there were more important things going on w/ the birthday and all, but damn Broncos! 4-0?! Who knew? Throw in that the Sooners have 2 losses and my perceptions of this football season are totally out of whack. This is why we love football though, eh? (From ESPN: "The Broncos have allowed an NFL-low 26 points this season. In the final three games of the 14-year Mike Shanahan head coaching era, Denver allowed 112 points." Nice.)
In other news, the video camera function of my iPhone 3Gs has been getting a workout lately. (Videos are being uploaded here: http://www.youtube.com/user/w0nderm0nkey) I find my love for my iPhone hindered only by my non-skinny fingers. Typing can be tough, but other than that I'm in love. So much so that I find I'm hurt and betrayed when I hear John Krasinski's* voice on the Blackberry commercials. I feel he should know better.
Speaking of celebrity endorsements, I'm thoroughly confused by Evander Holyfield's Taco Bell commercial. Basically he's a big dude, orders 2 $1.99 burritos, and is told by the counter girl that even someone of his size only needs 1. So...what? Taco Bell is asking you to order less food. They're essentially calling you fat if eat 2 of their 1/2 lb burritos in one sitting. Does this make sense in any way? "Come to Taco Bell, but don't order too much, or we'll mock you to your face!" Huh?
*Jim from The Office
Monday, September 28, 2009
Spacing?
Thank you for participating in my little experiment oh blog. That last post sat in my outbox for days before it finally went through. Now I'm just curious what the deal is with the spacing. Mr. K had a playdate with 2 friends Saturday. He's been begging me to have friends over for weeks and there was finally a chance since my hike Saturday was called due to mud and muckiness on the mountains. I was bummed not to go, but instead I had a memorable day at home with the kids. That's not a bad trade off!
Trial run
Now that I have a real phone I thought I should set up mobile posting. This is more satisfying than updating a facebook status. But...does it work? Let's find out.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Been awhile
Much has happened since the last post that shall not be blogged. Some things I will share:
This comic at xkcd made me laugh mightily. I hope you, theoretical reader, have some idea what this refers to...
Last weekend I had the opportunity to witness Roller Derby firsthand. It was highly entertaining, if an overwhelming beatdown...1 match of the double-header ended 127 to 14 or something ridiculous like that. The other was almost as bad, but we left prior to the 2nd half of that one. We got to see lots of skating, shoving, pushing, falls, and 1 super nasty ankle break involving a limb rotated in entirely the wrong direction. Despite that I think the kids would get a kick out of the experience and I think I'll take them when the big tournament is in town the weekend of Oct 2-4.
Speaking of questionable appendages, Steph's toe continues to give her troubles. It's been more than a year since she was hospitalized for the toenail infection at the end of chemo and it has never been quite right. A podiatrist did what he could to fix it, but the post-surgical recovery has been iffy. We only hope it turns out ok.
I was supposed to have a meeting in Chicago on Thursday but that isn't happening. Poo. I've only traveled to 1 meeting this year and that doesn't help my frequent flier miles darnit!
This comic at xkcd made me laugh mightily. I hope you, theoretical reader, have some idea what this refers to...
Last weekend I had the opportunity to witness Roller Derby firsthand. It was highly entertaining, if an overwhelming beatdown...1 match of the double-header ended 127 to 14 or something ridiculous like that. The other was almost as bad, but we left prior to the 2nd half of that one. We got to see lots of skating, shoving, pushing, falls, and 1 super nasty ankle break involving a limb rotated in entirely the wrong direction. Despite that I think the kids would get a kick out of the experience and I think I'll take them when the big tournament is in town the weekend of Oct 2-4.
Speaking of questionable appendages, Steph's toe continues to give her troubles. It's been more than a year since she was hospitalized for the toenail infection at the end of chemo and it has never been quite right. A podiatrist did what he could to fix it, but the post-surgical recovery has been iffy. We only hope it turns out ok.
I was supposed to have a meeting in Chicago on Thursday but that isn't happening. Poo. I've only traveled to 1 meeting this year and that doesn't help my frequent flier miles darnit!
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