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Today is Nick's 4th Gotcha Day. This is the sign we found on the garage when we brought Nick home to meet the rest of the kids. 4 years of being a complete family - the time flies.
Just Action…
7 months ago
Friday, September 12, 2008
Gotcha Day Nick
Today is Nick's 4th Gotcha Day. This is the sign we found on the garage when we brought Nick home to meet the rest of the kids. 4 years of being a complete family - the time flies.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Be Afraid
.
This nation is best served by an intelligent, informed electorate. Those of us who worry that large parts of the voting public will fall for easy manipulations like playing upon fears, pandering to prejudices, and repeatedly hitting buzzwords like patriotism or "conservative values" are often labeled elitist or patronizing. The public is smarter than that.
I'd like to believe that. I need to believe that.
Then I read the Sunday Parade magazine, and see the two-page spread for Amish space-heaters. The photos show nice Amish people, renown for their craftsmanship and quality, making these heaters in their barn-raising workshops, bringing their goods to the market on the back of a horse and buggy. And I realize, this isn't satire. This heater company believes, with good reason, that they can take their mass-produced, big-city manufactured (probably overseas) space heaters and throw into their sales pitch ridiculous pictures of clearly staged Amish nonsense and people will fall for it.
But....but...it's made by the Amish!
No, it isn't.
This, THIS is why I worry about elections.
--------------------------------------------------------------
I have decided to make next week POLITICS FREE. I am so sick of listening to all the opinions, bloviations, name-calling and fact-distortions on both sides that I'm going cold-turkey for a week. No "Opinions" section of the paper. No talk radio. No on-line political news or commentary, no nothing! I think I will be a happier person for it. I'll let you know how it goes.
This nation is best served by an intelligent, informed electorate. Those of us who worry that large parts of the voting public will fall for easy manipulations like playing upon fears, pandering to prejudices, and repeatedly hitting buzzwords like patriotism or "conservative values" are often labeled elitist or patronizing. The public is smarter than that.
I'd like to believe that. I need to believe that.
Then I read the Sunday Parade magazine, and see the two-page spread for Amish space-heaters. The photos show nice Amish people, renown for their craftsmanship and quality, making these heaters in their barn-raising workshops, bringing their goods to the market on the back of a horse and buggy. And I realize, this isn't satire. This heater company believes, with good reason, that they can take their mass-produced, big-city manufactured (probably overseas) space heaters and throw into their sales pitch ridiculous pictures of clearly staged Amish nonsense and people will fall for it.
But....but...it's made by the Amish!
No, it isn't.
This, THIS is why I worry about elections.
--------------------------------------------------------------
I have decided to make next week POLITICS FREE. I am so sick of listening to all the opinions, bloviations, name-calling and fact-distortions on both sides that I'm going cold-turkey for a week. No "Opinions" section of the paper. No talk radio. No on-line political news or commentary, no nothing! I think I will be a happier person for it. I'll let you know how it goes.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Today
- Took the kids to the Newby playground to.....play
- Phoned in a prescription to Bi-Mart
- Hung out a lot of laundry (it's good dryin' weather)
- Fell asleep on the recliner
- Got caught up on my charting
- Played, and lost, Uno with the kids
- Strung the philodendron in my office back up to the ceiling and out of eye-poking range
- Spent too much time on Facebook and Fark.com
- Checked on a newborn at the hospital
- Pulled the subscription postcards out of two magazines I got in the mail
- Had a Corona (while on call.....shhhhhhh)
- Picked some pears and apples from the yard
- Watched the Daily Show on Hulu (Republican Convention - Jon NAILED IT)
- Listened to the kids bicker
Friday, September 5, 2008
Perspective
Now that both political conventions are over, and we are all awash in hope and fear, terror and security, reality and hype -- it's time to step back, and get a little perspective.
Watch the video! It's not a political ad. It's 3.5 minutes long. You have that much time, and you need to listen to Carl Sagan.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Expelled intestinal contents
Entry in my India Journal, 20 years ago today. (Warning-lots of expelled intestinal contents)
Got up about 1:30 in the morning. Read/tried to sleep till 2:30. Came out to the veranda, turned on the lights and the fan, put on my mosquito repellent (effective!) and wrote in my journal till 4:01 am (the time it is now). It's been very nice out here. I'm not tired at all. India hasn't woken up yet and the sky is still starry. It's very peaceful.
Even as I write, in this early morning, the St. Olaf football team is starting their 2nd practice (it's 3:30 pm there). Wow. I've done NO physical exercising here at all. You can't jog and biking's too dangerous to try to work out. Besides, the air here is HIDEOUS. All these vehicles belching fumes. My phlegm glands have been on overdrive. YUCK! I think I'm ready to get into the country. I want rural-ness. The plan now is to climb back into bed, wait, shower and shave first. Then try to sleep till just before 8.
Got up "just before 8", quickly dressed and went down for breakfast. It wasn't ready so we waited. When we got done it was 8:35 so we headed to the bus stop to catch 4D to St. Andrews. Cara, Courtney, and Renee didn't come because they were feeling sick (foreshadowing). The bus didn't come till about 8:58 and we got to church late. Sat in front but split up because there was not enough room. The biggest memory of the service was this crow trapped inside. It'd fly around all the pillars and squawk. Pretty funny! (sort of) the service was communion and they passed the bread and wine around like an offering. Afterwards we went up to the steeple again and took many pictures.
Mai wasn't in so we walked about a mile to her hostel to visit (because she was sick). We stopped along the way for a Limca and I gave a young girl there a Minnie Mouse sticker. She was overjoyed! I love doing that, it's such a simple thing but has such great results. Mai came in and we chatted a bit, her cholera shot had made her sick. She didn't look Great. A fruit vendor came in and Mai bought us about 29 pieces of fruit (mostly sweet limes but some apples). We tried to stop her from paying but she insisted. She is INCREDIBLE. I've never met anyone so giving.
We walked to this bus stop on the side of the road, to wait for 4D. We waited and waited. It was very hot! Finally we took rickshaws. It cost 5 rupees. Came back to ICSA, checked on the sickies then I think the 6 of us went to lunch (not C and C). We went to the New Tandoor, I got bamboo shoots and vegetables, a meal which was later to haunt me. I had been super tired (no sleep last night) so I (and most everybody else) took a nap. I napped about 1 1/2 hours, then woke up and went to the bathroom. DIARRHEA, my first real, unadulterated case. When I had finished I packed up about 30 gifts, stickers, balloons, my camera, and headed out.
There's a shanty town (a hut village) across the river, so I headed there. I walked over and past the village, then I walked by it again. At the end there was a boy flying a homemade kite. I stood and watched him a bit, then this other boy came over, and we talked a little in English. Pretty soon another kid came, then the father and Grandfather. He spoke good English so we got to talking. He brought over his entire family, including some darling grandsons. I talked to them a bit, then handed out a few gifts - MOB SCENE!!! More and more kids started coming over, grabbing, grabbing, grabbing. It got a little hard to give out gifts to individuals, cause it was a sea of hands and I wasn't sure which hands I'd filled. Some older guys even came, very demanding (sort of) that I give them stuff. Balloons are most popular, but stickers weren't hurting either. I got the group together and took a (2) picture. It was hard cause the kids kept coming forward. I shook goodbye to the little grandsons (American style), they were adorable. then walked back. I stopped across on the other side and walked down to the bank to take a picture of the town. I was feeling really sick at this point so I hurried back to the ICSA and up to the room and into the bathroom and exploded (rectally). It was about 4:30, Bulliva time.
And thus began my sickness. I laid in bed, my stomach was starting to hurt big-time, and periodically made trips to the toilet for more DIARRHEA. My stomach pains spread everywhere, I really wanted to puke, and eventually I did. Most of my bamboo shoots and vegetables, hardly digested. I felt a little better after that, but certainly weak, sweaty, and exhausted. Heaving hard hurts. Back to bed for about 20 painful minutes, then heaved up the rest of my innards. I think I was cleaned out by this time. Went upstairs because I felt a little better, and I was sick of lying in pain in an empty room. Courtney had pretty much the same thing as I so I went and talked to her, Renee, and Kathy.
Renee brought tea and I had some, along with some Bisleri water. I was pretty dehydrated so I tried to drink a lot, even though my stomach was still hurting. Talked a little more, then went downstairs because my stomach was starting up again. Laid in bed, in more and more intestinal pain. Finally I felt the urge to get up. Went to the bathroom and before I had time to lean over I threw up. Most hit the toilet. I also, at the same time, lost it in my pants. So I quick sat down on the toilet and finished off another batch of diarrhea, only problem was, I wasn't through throwing up so I heaved about 4 times (large portions of water and tea) onto the floor (because I was sitting on the toilet).
When I was done expelling at both ends I felt much better. So I went and got a squeegee and the equivalent of Pine-Sol from Mohante. I threw my soiled pants in a bucket with much Surf (detergent) and sprinkled Pine-Sol and Surf on the floor, and cleaned that mess sparkling clean. Then I went upstairs to check on the girls and get some company. But first I wrote a note to Drew and Doug telling them to look out (that was before I cleaned up).
It was a pretty funny note. Upstairs I recounted what had happened to C and C, K and R, we all had a very great laugh over the whole thing. Talked for a while then I borrowed some electrolyte from Cortney. D and D also got some mineral HOH for me. I drank a teacup full of the electrolyte, slowly, and took a Lomotil. I figured I deserved it. I didn't drink anything else so I wouldn't have anything to puke, but I was very thirsty. From there on, my stomach stopped hurting as such. But I still have much body aches and weakness.
I slept off and on and wandered around in the meantime. Now it's about 3:45 in the morning, I'm writing this in the a/c room, thank God it's open. I don't think I'll do much activity-wise today. I've put down about 1/2 a bottle of mineral water over the last 5 hours. Let's hope it stays there.
Even as I write, in this early morning, the St. Olaf football team is starting their 2nd practice (it's 3:30 pm there). Wow. I've done NO physical exercising here at all. You can't jog and biking's too dangerous to try to work out. Besides, the air here is HIDEOUS. All these vehicles belching fumes. My phlegm glands have been on overdrive. YUCK! I think I'm ready to get into the country. I want rural-ness. The plan now is to climb back into bed, wait, shower and shave first. Then try to sleep till just before 8.
Got up "just before 8", quickly dressed and went down for breakfast. It wasn't ready so we waited. When we got done it was 8:35 so we headed to the bus stop to catch 4D to St. Andrews. Cara, Courtney, and Renee didn't come because they were feeling sick (foreshadowing). The bus didn't come till about 8:58 and we got to church late. Sat in front but split up because there was not enough room. The biggest memory of the service was this crow trapped inside. It'd fly around all the pillars and squawk. Pretty funny! (sort of) the service was communion and they passed the bread and wine around like an offering. Afterwards we went up to the steeple again and took many pictures.
Mai wasn't in so we walked about a mile to her hostel to visit (because she was sick). We stopped along the way for a Limca and I gave a young girl there a Minnie Mouse sticker. She was overjoyed! I love doing that, it's such a simple thing but has such great results. Mai came in and we chatted a bit, her cholera shot had made her sick. She didn't look Great. A fruit vendor came in and Mai bought us about 29 pieces of fruit (mostly sweet limes but some apples). We tried to stop her from paying but she insisted. She is INCREDIBLE. I've never met anyone so giving.
We walked to this bus stop on the side of the road, to wait for 4D. We waited and waited. It was very hot! Finally we took rickshaws. It cost 5 rupees. Came back to ICSA, checked on the sickies then I think the 6 of us went to lunch (not C and C). We went to the New Tandoor, I got bamboo shoots and vegetables, a meal which was later to haunt me. I had been super tired (no sleep last night) so I (and most everybody else) took a nap. I napped about 1 1/2 hours, then woke up and went to the bathroom. DIARRHEA, my first real, unadulterated case. When I had finished I packed up about 30 gifts, stickers, balloons, my camera, and headed out.
There's a shanty town (a hut village) across the river, so I headed there. I walked over and past the village, then I walked by it again. At the end there was a boy flying a homemade kite. I stood and watched him a bit, then this other boy came over, and we talked a little in English. Pretty soon another kid came, then the father and Grandfather. He spoke good English so we got to talking. He brought over his entire family, including some darling grandsons. I talked to them a bit, then handed out a few gifts - MOB SCENE!!! More and more kids started coming over, grabbing, grabbing, grabbing. It got a little hard to give out gifts to individuals, cause it was a sea of hands and I wasn't sure which hands I'd filled. Some older guys even came, very demanding (sort of) that I give them stuff. Balloons are most popular, but stickers weren't hurting either. I got the group together and took a (2) picture. It was hard cause the kids kept coming forward. I shook goodbye to the little grandsons (American style), they were adorable. then walked back. I stopped across on the other side and walked down to the bank to take a picture of the town. I was feeling really sick at this point so I hurried back to the ICSA and up to the room and into the bathroom and exploded (rectally). It was about 4:30, Bulliva time.
And thus began my sickness. I laid in bed, my stomach was starting to hurt big-time, and periodically made trips to the toilet for more DIARRHEA. My stomach pains spread everywhere, I really wanted to puke, and eventually I did. Most of my bamboo shoots and vegetables, hardly digested. I felt a little better after that, but certainly weak, sweaty, and exhausted. Heaving hard hurts. Back to bed for about 20 painful minutes, then heaved up the rest of my innards. I think I was cleaned out by this time. Went upstairs because I felt a little better, and I was sick of lying in pain in an empty room. Courtney had pretty much the same thing as I so I went and talked to her, Renee, and Kathy.
Renee brought tea and I had some, along with some Bisleri water. I was pretty dehydrated so I tried to drink a lot, even though my stomach was still hurting. Talked a little more, then went downstairs because my stomach was starting up again. Laid in bed, in more and more intestinal pain. Finally I felt the urge to get up. Went to the bathroom and before I had time to lean over I threw up. Most hit the toilet. I also, at the same time, lost it in my pants. So I quick sat down on the toilet and finished off another batch of diarrhea, only problem was, I wasn't through throwing up so I heaved about 4 times (large portions of water and tea) onto the floor (because I was sitting on the toilet).
When I was done expelling at both ends I felt much better. So I went and got a squeegee and the equivalent of Pine-Sol from Mohante. I threw my soiled pants in a bucket with much Surf (detergent) and sprinkled Pine-Sol and Surf on the floor, and cleaned that mess sparkling clean. Then I went upstairs to check on the girls and get some company. But first I wrote a note to Drew and Doug telling them to look out (that was before I cleaned up).
It was a pretty funny note. Upstairs I recounted what had happened to C and C, K and R, we all had a very great laugh over the whole thing. Talked for a while then I borrowed some electrolyte from Cortney. D and D also got some mineral HOH for me. I drank a teacup full of the electrolyte, slowly, and took a Lomotil. I figured I deserved it. I didn't drink anything else so I wouldn't have anything to puke, but I was very thirsty. From there on, my stomach stopped hurting as such. But I still have much body aches and weakness.
I slept off and on and wandered around in the meantime. Now it's about 3:45 in the morning, I'm writing this in the a/c room, thank God it's open. I don't think I'll do much activity-wise today. I've put down about 1/2 a bottle of mineral water over the last 5 hours. Let's hope it stays there.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Rooftop
Last year on the last non-school night before Jr. High my oldest and I slept on the roof of our clinic. Last night, in an attempt to carry on the tradition, we slept (in a tent) on the roof of the patio of our home. I say sleep in the figurative sense, since I don't do too well sleeping in a tent.
If bonding moments are stronger forged in hardship, then I suppose my near-comatose state for most of today means that this newly minted tradition should serve our father-son relationship well. Except he slept very well, and had a great time.
Well, that's good too.
Had we both been in our rooms last night, we could not have had our whispered (for whose sake we were whispering is not clear, no one was around to hear us) conversation at 3:40 this morning between sleeping fits about his recent camping experiences, as well as other stuff.
---------------
We had a fun dinner with the Grandparents tonight, all sitting around a big table eating delicious home-cooked soup, raving about yams, and engaging in many separate and occasionally unified conversations.
Tomorrow is the first day of school.
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