tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36041543565830852262024-02-21T12:36:50.708-05:00Observations from the Monkey HouseUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-68108359983051463142013-04-15T20:17:00.003-04:002013-04-15T20:18:57.459-04:00My CityMy city was hurt today.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCfZd6i6KoN3G2Op2RJlmZ3QWL8DPkhdnBpgnyZuaQacJroxqT85OGqz2HqIdRtgc4YAPInr-ba9EhR9Ui1mmQYCweK0W2pvpK0hbAnZUfupc_0AzVSxg7XeoEePpj0DVAeYq4h2HH1A/s1600/552573_10151937967380752_1440755496_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCfZd6i6KoN3G2Op2RJlmZ3QWL8DPkhdnBpgnyZuaQacJroxqT85OGqz2HqIdRtgc4YAPInr-ba9EhR9Ui1mmQYCweK0W2pvpK0hbAnZUfupc_0AzVSxg7XeoEePpj0DVAeYq4h2HH1A/s320/552573_10151937967380752_1440755496_n.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo not mine, taken from the recesses of Facebook</i></span></div>
<br />
I haven't lived in Boston in years, and I suppose Townies would say that I never truly "lived in" Boston at all, but for five years in the '80s and '90s, yes, Boston was my home.<br />
<br />
I remember my Dad's love for the city when I was a kid (he went to school there for a time), his familiarity with it ("Nobody stops at that stop sign." "Dad, is he pulling us over?" "Shit."), and our visits there.<br />
<br />
I remember orientation week and the following five years at NU, where I met so many people I consider friends and family.<br />
<br />
I remember learning the city as one roaming pack of Freshmen, the Christian Science Center at night, midnight trips to Tower Records, pizza at Boston House ("Ten Minutes!"), catching shows on Landsdowne Street, hanging out at Maxwell Jumps and Copperfield's, eating 2am pizza at Little Stevie's next to the guys in drag, dodging the dog poop on Gainsborough Street, and hearing the mockingbird that had taken up the "car alarm serenade" as its call.<br />
<br />
I remember hanging out near the finish line a handful of times, much like many of the people there today. Seeing not only the elite runners and local favorites like the Hoyts, but the back-of-the-packers... the folks in Elvis outfits, the jugglers, and the one who stopped before the finish line to grab his toddler and carry him across the line with him. I remember people with periscopes so they could see the finishers over the rest of the crowd. It was always mayhem, but it was Boston's day to shine, sharing in a celebration of not only athleticism and history, but a collective pride and joy.<br />
<br />
My heart goes out to those families directly impacted by the explosions. To my friend who ran today, thrilled to qualify and run Boston for his first time. To my other friend from work who volunteered on the race route with her running club (both are fine). To all those who stepped in where they were needed without flinching: First Responders, emergency personnel, race volunteers, citizens.<br />
<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
I may no longer be within Boston, but Boston is still within me.<br />
Today, my heart aches for it.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-69111211453469392912012-02-08T00:07:00.001-05:002012-02-08T00:23:01.033-05:00Tough Love<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd">
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I thought about it today and realized that not only have I not made a new CD for my Spinning class in ages, but it's been a long time since I posted anything about it. I think it's time to dust it all off and remember why I enjoy doing it so much, and in the process, maybe either give you guys a window into Jen's crazy mind as a Spin instructor or at least give you some fun CD ideas. :-)
<BR>
<BR>
Anyway, it being February, I decided to pull out my Valentine's Day "Tough Love" CD. All songs have the word "Love" in the title, if not in the intent. A little something for everyone - the lovebirds and the disenchanted. And a good workout too. Win-win!
<BR>
<BR>
The profile starts off getting the heart rate up with some jumps (lifts in and out of the seat) and some speed work, then gets into some SERIOUS speed followed by one hell of a climb. It's a nice endurance ride until about halfway through, and kicks in with the second half.<BR>
<BR>
So, before I post the profile, I should probably give you the "Jen to English" Spinning dictionary:
<BR>
<BR>
<p class="p1"><br></p>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="t1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">Flat Road</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Seated, low resistance, higher cadence</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">Climb</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Higher resistance, simulating the difficulty going uphill. Lower cadence. Seated or standing.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">Lift</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Standing, out of the saddle.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">Jumps</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Alternating standing and seated, usually to the beat (4-counts, 8-counts, etc.)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">Surge</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Added speed.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">Breakaway</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Adding speed AND resistance (simulating the power needed to "Break away" from the pack in a bike race, kinda-sorta)</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="p1"><br></p>
<BR>
Now that we got that out of the way, this is what I played today:
<BR>
<BR>
<p class="p1"><br></p>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="t1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">1</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Friday, I'm in Love (The Cure)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">3:38</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Warmup (Flat Road)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">2</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">2:58</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Warmup (Lift at Chorus)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">3</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Cupid / I've Loved You for a Long Time (The Spinners)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">3:56</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Jumps: 8-counts / 4-counts</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">4</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Radar Love (Golden Earring)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">6:24</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Speed drills - cumulative surges, bringing it back at the break, then back up again.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">5</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">The Game of Love (Santana feat. Michelle Branch)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">4:15</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Seated climb with breakaways at chorus. Leave resistance on after each breakaway, bring cadence back to starting pace</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">6</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Lucky Love (Ace of Base)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">3:41</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Jumps: 8-counts / 4-counts</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">7</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">The Age of Love (Scooter)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">2:37</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">FAST cadence (push past aerobic threshold) - recover during break. Repeat for second verse</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">8</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Feel Like Making Love (Bad Company)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">5:13</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Climb, add resistance each minute, or as desired.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">9</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Love Stinks (J. Geils Band)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">3:44</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Continue with climb</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">10</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">Used to Love Her (Guns and Roses)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">3:13</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Cooldown, stretch</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="middle" class="td1">
<p class="p2">11</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td2">
<p class="p2">I've Been in Love Before (Cutting Crew)</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td3">
<p class="p2">5:32</p>
</td>
<td valign="middle" class="td4">
<p class="p2">Cooldown, stretch</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="p1"><br></p>
<BR>
Like I said, a little something for everyone (and probably a little something for NO one as well ;-). Time to start making some new playlists!
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</html>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-24686554079824125582012-01-25T00:39:00.000-05:002012-01-25T00:39:29.627-05:00Won't You Be My Neighbor?<br />
<div class="p1">
So… back in November or December, I got poked by a couple folks to go blog again. That it was nice that I found my voice and I should do it more often (really, have they heard me talk? My voice could stand to be lost once in a while. But I digress…). It got me thinking about blogging in general, or any of the social media, really. How at first, I thought it takes a certain amount of ego to believe you have something to say that anyone wants to hear (or read). </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I don't say this in a bad way. Some level of ego or confidence is healthy, and it's good to feel like you've been heard and you have an outlet. But I think my generation is a dying breed in a way, and it's been interesting to see the progression.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
We and our siblings are pretty much the last generation to grow up (in our formative years, anyway) without being "connected". If we weren't physically with our friends, there wasn't a lot of socializing going on. Sure, we had telephones, but you had to know who you were calling. And unless you had the "pleasure" of a party line (oh, THOSE were fun), you didn't talk to more than one person at a time. You went out for that (and yes, this Old Lady realizes that you Young Whippersnappers still do just that - some things never change, despite society's cries of woe).</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Writing was the same way. You wrote. On PAPER! (GASP!) And you either shared it with friends, stuck it in a journal never to see the light of day again, or, if you were good and lucky, you submitted something to a magazine and got published. Or tried.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Only a few people used public outlets, and those outlets were typically letters in magazines or newspapers, or phone calls to talk radio. If you were particularly brave - or crazy - you took to the streets and became one of THOSE people. If you were particularly driven, you got your OWN talk radio show.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And now, being connected, finding an outlet for your beliefs, your concerns, your talents - it's all at your fingertips.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I graduated from college around the time the web took off. I was working at my first job out of school when NCSA Mosaic came along, and wow - this was cool! And then it exploded BEYOND the techie community. People were getting dialup accounts and checking it out for themselves. Getting email. Getting AIM accounts. And that was AMAZING to watch. The Internet went from a small number of communities (USENET groups, various BBSes, chat servers) to one big one in a handful of years. And the kids who were born around that time, this is what they've known since childhood - a community at their fingertips. The public versus the private? Blurred.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
What used to require ego and confidence - the newfangled equivalent of shouting in a crowded gathering or standing up on a soapbox on the sidewalk - just doesn't have that same feel for many anymore. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr… even sites like Reddit and Digg - they're all communities. Virtual neighborhoods. People who've grown up in these streets (or spent a lot of time in them) are quite comfortable here. And it feels like home. There are enclaves, neighborhoods where one is known and comfortable, neighborhoods you've passed through enough and are familiar with, and all sorts of new places to travel to. Boundaries between them? They can be as rigid or as fuzzy as you want them to be.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
To someone who sees the Internet as a world full of strangers, yes, it's hard to understand why anyone would share so much online. Or to understand why people feel the need to share so much to nobody in particular.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
To someone who sees the Internet as a community, or a neighborhood? It's no different than hanging out with the neighbors, or at a party, and conversing with friends and acquaintances. Personal stories, pontification, silly jokes, favorite songs… every good gathering has some of that. :-) (And yes, every party has the people you wish would shut up, too… no different here, I'm afraid. And I will eventually shut up if you get me one of those chocolate things over there… yeah, that one. Thanks.)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Yes, there are the things to worry about: identity theft… I'm not really talking about that here. Of course, you need to be careful what you leave laying around, just like in real life. No, my point is only that I'm fascinated by the change I see. It's not just "kids" embracing the idea of an online community. Facebook makes it SO easy to stay in touch with old friends and relatives, and I LOVE being able to do that.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Which brings me back around to why I started blogging in the first place (hey, I *am* going somewhere with this!)...</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The blog (and others before it) really started out as a way to share "the life of Jen" with my family. I could put some pictures up and point them to it, so they could see the kids grow, or just stay in touch. A closed community. The growth of Facebook made that a moot point, so it turned into more of a journal - travel journal at times, running journal at others. Still a closed community.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And then I had a cancer scare.</div>
<div class="p1">
And the gates opened - it became a bigger community.</div>
<div class="p1">
Facebook helped too, but what happened is that I realized I had an audience. An audience of friends. A neighborhood, if you will. A neighborhood who rallied around and helped encourage me to (A) get checked, and (B) got me through a lot of the stress and worry. And I will always appreciate that.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And for those of you who weren't here then, no worries. Benign. :-)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Since then, the blog has gotten a bit deeper. A bit more personal (although I <span class="s1">still</span> like keeping certain things close to my chest). Friends have reminded me that I like to write… so I do. Others have encouraged me to KEEP writing here… so I am. At some point, I may even put some of the more artsy-fartsy stuff I've written up here, but I'm not quite ready for that yet, if I ever am (I've got a nice, anonymous Tumblr for that ;-)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I've always loved deep discussions and debates with friends, and while I haven't really done much of that in my blog (yet), I find it fun to turn ideas around and dig into them… to maybe pontificate a bit and see if it leads to a discussion. To question and probe without judgment… maybe the virtual equivalent of having a heated discussion among friends and ending it with, "Well, let's have another beer."</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
So, okay. I'll blog more. I'll write more. But I'll dig a bit more as well. That's been fun lately, and always good to gain some more self-insight.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And if this blog changes into yet something else? So be it. It'll be fun while it lasts. :-)</div>
<div class="p1">
Onward and upward!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And thanks for being part of my neighborhood. <3</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-7886126132576857842011-12-24T09:07:00.000-05:002011-12-24T09:07:15.558-05:00Gifts<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGzyJTtMP5Wphc433fvOMz8RAef4_LaRxqk8zK9Y7EJr5-zvBmT7jg_CB5jS4wLGdthIRbvSDH89SO5FbhsBMof7-fm-mPD98U0oisRosRMA49DGUoIxUIUqdW_Odx_Z5Nuh1yDCKysU/s1600/331175_10151033459305022_732370021_21883593_1717498255_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGzyJTtMP5Wphc433fvOMz8RAef4_LaRxqk8zK9Y7EJr5-zvBmT7jg_CB5jS4wLGdthIRbvSDH89SO5FbhsBMof7-fm-mPD98U0oisRosRMA49DGUoIxUIUqdW_Odx_Z5Nuh1yDCKysU/s320/331175_10151033459305022_732370021_21883593_1717498255_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
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<div class="p1">
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<div class="p1">
I was challenged to write a blog post before Christmas, and I'm cutting it pretty close. Story of a Procrastinator's life, huh? I had this long post half worked out about gifts and giving and suggested some alternatives to feeling like you NEED to find that something-or-other to check off a box, but since it's Christmas Eve, we're pretty much past that point, aren't we? I'll wrap that one up and dust it off next year. :-)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And then a dear friend of mine (who is also the one who threw down the challenge gauntlet) posted a Christmas memory, and after I dug out whatever was stuck in my eye and making me all teary-eyed, I smiled while I remembered a few of my own.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I lost my dad in 1988, Thanksgiving weekend. I barely remember that Christmas, to be honest. It was a blur, and I think I wanted to keep it that way. My aunt let me borrow some pictures to scan, and I have zero recollection of the time spent at my grandparents' house that day. It's nice to have the pictures now.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
What I do have are memories of other Christmases. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My dad had a bit of a prankster in him. This explains a lot, you say. Thanks for the compliment. ;-)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I remember one Christmas where my Mom had a HUGE box under the tree. He and I watched as she started to open it, and lo and behold… a huge box FULL of paper towels. Individually bunched up (hey, this was well before tissue paper was as ubiquitous as it is now - Bounty is what we had!). I remember "the look" and then Mom digging through the box trying to find the wristwatch hiding among the paper towels. It took a while. As a kid, if that wasn't the funniest thing I saw that Christmas, I don't know what was. :-D</div>
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And, of course, they were PERFECTLY GOOD paper towels, so we reused them.</div>
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And then there was the homemade box.</div>
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My Dad had gotten my Mom something smallish (it was so long ago, and the actual present doesn't matter, so I don't remember what it was), and decided that since we didn't have a box of the proper size, we would make one. </div>
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So I helped my dad cut out 6 equal-sized squares of cardboard from a MUCH LARGER BOX (which was then useless, but whatever - we were making our own!), and we taped that sucker together on all sides around Mom's gift. I think we kept the Scotch tape folks in business that year. </div>
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Mom opened the gift and had NO idea what end to open. And we laughed, got a knife, and extracted the present from its tape-and-cardboard womb.</div>
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That box was used EVERY SINGLE CHRISTMAS after that, until Mom moved and we lost track of it. There was more tape than cardboard after a while, but I always loved that box.</div>
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I remember my Dad teaching me how to wrap gifts, to crease the paper just so, to fold here, tuck that there, and tape, tape, tape! </div>
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I remember adding those individual pieces of tinsel to the tree and then recycling them every year to use over again.</div>
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I remember the one and only year we got a real tree… I went with my dad and our neighbor into the woods ("Are we supposed to be here?" "It's fine, just hurry up!") to cut what seemed to be the smallest tree in the area. Unfortunately, the smallest tree does not equate to a SMALL tree, and we saw that once we got it home.</div>
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To our apartment.</div>
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Where you have to wedge this tree through the front door, up the stairs, and around the corner through OUR door.</div>
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After much sputtering by my dad and laughing by me, I was sent upstairs to wait.</div>
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By the time the tree made it upstairs, it was much more Charlie-Brownish… and there were a number of needles and pieces of tree left behind in the hallway. But it was in. And it was… TALL. Sick of dealing with the tree, they chopped off the TOP so it would fit. So at least it looked fuller. ;-)</div>
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And then it wouldn't stay up. The cat didn't help. So Mom did what Moms do - she got out her yarn from her knitting and tied it to the wall. </div>
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Picture if you will, a roundish, bent-up tree tied to the wall with brown, yellow, and orange variegated yarn, with a cat in it.</div>
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Yeah, we had a four-foot fake tree every year thereafter. :-)</div>
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Some good memories over coffee this morning, and a nice way to reflect on what we take with us from Christmas. So, in a way, this post IS about gifts. The gifts from my Dad that carry with me today. The moments. The memories. The important stuff.</div>
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What are YOUR memories of Christmases past? What are you helping create with your loved ones? What will they take with them once you're gone?</div>
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Thanks, Dad. Merry Christmas. I do miss you. <3</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-45940481363534825432011-11-25T05:47:00.000-05:002011-11-25T05:47:06.494-05:00Merry Xmas? Happy Holidays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm going to preface this post with an apology - I am the type of person who must have been a grade-school teacher in a past life... I have the propensity to be pedantic and want to correct people. I usually do squash that pretty well, or at least THINK I do, given the fact that people still seem to want to talk with me. :-)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All that aside, as Santa rolls in at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, in comes the holiday season, which I adore: the smell of fir trees and bayberry candles, of fires burning, of cookies baking, and (yes - FINALLY now I can personally accept) the sound of Christmas music (and the occasional rotation in of The Hanukkah Song).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Oh. And the annual rant from folks bitterly protesting the use of "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Xmas".</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Apologies to any well-meaning friends or family who've joined the protest, but since you've made your point clear, I figure I can make mine and no harm no foul. Besides, I love a good debate. :-)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's where t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">he pedant in me would like to point all the people protesting the use of "Xmas" to the following: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is not new usage that the "politically correct" have dreamed up. The use of "X" (or the Greek letter <i>chi</i>) to substitute for "Christ" has been around longer than we've had typography to produce it. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It is a historically acceptable abbreviation. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So when I abbreviate "Christmas" to "Xmas," I am not doing so out of disrespect, nor a desire to remove religion from the holiday. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am not part of any "left-wing conspiracy" nor am I an atheist. Maybe a lazy typist, if I have to admit to being something.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And "Happy Holidays"... Oh boy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">May I ask what's wrong with genuinely wishing someone good will, regardless of how you phrase it? What on Earth possesses someone to see the worst in an expression of good will, and tear down the giver (which I have actually SEEN while out Xmas shopping in past years), rather than accepting it in the spirit in which it's meant?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I certainly can't be the only one who uses "Happy Holidays" to encapsulate Christmas (or Solstice, or Hanukkah, depending on the recipient) AND the New Year, and I WOULD like to wish you a happy time for both holidays without generating offense on the part of the recipient.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And if the well-wisher is unsure of the holidays you celebrate, why is it an offense for them to wish you well generically? It's not up to the retail clerk (who's probably been behind that register WAY too long this season) to determine in less than a second which holiday you celebrate and wish you well accordingly. Is it too much to ask people to accept goodwill in the intent in which it's delivered and celebrate their respective holiday anyway? It is not meant to exclude anyone, rather instead including various other beliefs and celebrations. And since when is inclusion considered bad manners? It's akin to looking at a group of people, male and female, and insisting I call them "gentlemen." </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(Actually, it's more akin to looking at a group of people, some of whom are gender indeterminate, and asking me to call them "gentlemen" rather than "folks" - especially when I sure as heck don't want to offend someone.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">How about we look past the Thanksgiving night lines for the latest sales, look past the newest toys that you HAVE to have, look past the unintended slights and unneeded offense, and take a good long look at what we are all saying this season is about, whatever we believe, and reflect on that?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy holidays, folks... whatever you celebrate, or even if you don't. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Solstice, Joyous Yule, Happy New Year, and if I've missed anyone, please let me know. Just be happy. Unwind. Reflect. ENJOY the holidays and don't be consumed by them. May we all start 2012 happier for spending the holidays with loved ones, rather than saying, "Well, I'm glad THAT'S over for another year!"</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-76903934691914698412011-11-22T20:00:00.000-05:002011-11-22T22:00:05.107-05:00Giving Thanks...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Another Thanksgiving upon us already? Wasn't it just Halloween? Or did the snowstorm's postponement of trick-or-treat make the time seem to move more quickly this year?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Naah. It moves quickly every year. For something that happens regularly, I seem to get caught off-guard more often than I care to admit. :-)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. Christmas is up there too, but Thanksgiving doesn't have any of the consumer madness associated with Christmas (unless you put off buying your turkey until the day before - then it's you and about a million other people in the grocery store picking up things like cranberry sauce and those last-minute "oops" items). It's a time to spend with loved ones, and to reflect on the good things in your life.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This year has been volatile at best, but I still have some very important things to be thankful for:</span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My health and the health of my loved ones, of course. There were some huge successes (a big YAY for my Uncle's clean bill of health), and some worries, but we seem to be holding it together okay.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wonderful friends and family. Not only has it been nice to reinforce and strengthen some old friendships, it has also been both touching and relieving to not have to wade through a "divide" at this particular turning point in my life. I'm thankful for ALL my friends and family members, and doubly thankful that they wish to remain such. <3</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Kindness and civility when it counts. No need to explain, but it's very much appreciated.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Snuggles on the couch with the kids when playing Nyan Cat, and goofy bedtime routines ("Don't let the bedbugs bite!" "Owie owie owie OW!").</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The realization that, despite feeling like I've traipsed off the path and have been walking through brambles for a while now, I can see the clearing up ahead and I'll get there. Hooray for optimism. :-) (And thanks to those who've been there with me through the briar patch <3)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And the standards this time of year: the rustle of the leaves as you kick your feet through them, seeing your breath puff past your cold nose, the smell of the fires burning in people's homes, hot cider, sweater-and-gloves weather that gets too warm for either as the day goes on, pumpkin-this-and-that, squash galore, pies and more pies, and the ability to step back from the madness and just enjoy it all.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">May you all escape the madness and enjoy your Thanksgiving. Eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy the presence of your loved ones. And kick some leaves around. <3</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-68106240941014366262011-11-07T14:04:00.000-05:002011-11-07T17:47:57.428-05:00Philosophies and Observations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was poking around my Blogger archives when I finally decided to start posting again, and found a couple items in the Draft state that were going on over a year old now. One was a bit current-events-related and a bit past its sell-by date, so I deleted that one. The other made for an interesting observation.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was more of a philosophical question and how I would answer it. I'm not going to post it; my observation is that my answer now isn’t what my answer would have been then. It's funny to think that ideas I subscribed to so heavily (or so strongly TOLD MYSELF I subscribed to) are so easily questioned when my world view changed.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I used to subscribe very heavily to the following philosophies (and no, neither one of these was the question - nice try :-):</span><br />
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<li style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everything in this world ends. Every. Thing. Worrying about </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it will end is counterproductive. The smart thing is to enjoy what you have, when you have it, and quit worrying about how things will unfold</span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 11pt; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You are in control of your own happiness. For the things in life you aren’t in control of, you have control over how you deal with them, and nobody can take that away from you.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, that was before the snow globe got shaken up and everything went all crooked. I guess I never had reason to question them before - seems common-sense, right? Great advice, wonderful wisdom.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not so easy in practice.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sort of like everything else in life, right? We know that if we keep eating the Halloween candy, we’re not doing our health any favors. But that mini Mounds bar is soooooo good. We know that we should choose the salad instead of the pizza for lunch because we haven’t seen a real vegetable in three days, but the pizza has bacon on it today and hey - bacon pizza! And then we kick ourselves after the fact.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, with the events of late, I have become somewhat of a worrier. I used to worry about other folks, that's not the part that's changed, and really, it was more concern than worry. But now I'm worried about my own future. Quite out of character for me, and a bit disconcerting. I know it’s absolutely pointless - half the time, things don’t work out at all like you’d envision, so there’s no sense worrying, and the other half the time, they will, and you’ll have to deal with them THEN, so there’s no sense stressing out NOW.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a side observation, though, it seems like the volumes of paperwork required for a divorce are designed to bump up the stress level of the average person. Luckily, that part is pretty much done. But I digress...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As for the “in control of my own happiness”? Yes, I still believe in that, but boy have I not been living that lately. Stress makes it easy to see the world through a dark filter, and it’s tough to remember to take that filter off when looking at the rest of the world. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s unnerving enough when your world changes out from underneath you, but questioning who you are and what you believe in just adds to the mix and seems to feed a cycle of insecurity. it’s something I need to be aware of, and be careful not to get too far down that path. Right now, the future is both frightening and promising. At least it’s nice to have the balance of the two. Maybe the best philosophy right now is a simple one:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One day at a time.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-11087222490176379252011-10-22T20:32:00.000-04:002011-10-22T21:02:35.308-04:00Taking Back the Blog...<br />
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Wow. Well, it's been over a year since I posted. It's time to take back the blog.</div>
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So what has Jen been up to since September of last year? </div>
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Funny how so much can change in that amount of time. If you'd told me I'd be where I am today, I'd tell you to quit mixing wine and cold medicine. </div>
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But what's a story without plot twists, right?</div>
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The big stuff first… </div>
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Bill and I separated back in August. Some of you know. Apologies to the rest of you who don't. Or didn't. FB was updated, but miraculously, it didn't decide to broadcast it to my entire friends list and twenty third-world countries in the process. </div>
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To head off the questions without going into much detail, it was a mutual decision… we have maintained a solid presence for the kids, and are showing them that they are important, that we are still a family regardless of what happens, and that we are both there for them. All in all, I think things are going as well as they can go - the drama is minimal, and the friends and family we've built over the last 20-odd years are still friends and family to both of us, and I am incredibly thankful for that. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The end of a series of good chapters… and the rest of the story (stories, now) are yet to be written.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The not-quite-as-big-stuff now…</div>
<div class="p1">
The kids are getting bigger. This should not come as a surprise. It doesn't. But wow… One's playing trumpet in 5th-grade band and running 5k races with me, the other is having a blast playing soccer and hanging out with the boys (!) in 2nd grade. We're gonna have to watch that one… ;-)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I ran my 3rd half-marathon in May. And I slacked off and haven't run much since. Bad Jen. Still… after three half-marathons, I could be convinced to train for a full one. Yes, I have apparently said this in front of witnesses now. Oooopsie.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And oh-by-the-way, the Run to Remember course in Boston is a GREAT half-marathon… Mostly flat, great scenery (running down Memorial Drive along the Charles to Harvard and back)… just gorgeous. :-)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Still teaching Spinning… although I've slacked off on the music/playlist creation. I'll have to get back on the stick for that.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Started writing again. THAT was a surprise. I was a member of an APA (Amateur Press Association) going on ten years ago, and I got burned out between working, the kids, and all the other stuff. It's been fun to noodle around with stories and poetry again and remember that this geek girl liked English class once too. And I believe it started with a friend who decided to start posting Haikus one day, and an "Artclass" that came about afterward (animated gifs, prose, poetry, and... crayon art??)… see what you started? :-)</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
And so here we are.</div>
<div class="p1">
A new chapter. Some revisiting of things I used to do but stopped doing (Taking pictures! And I even baked today! Whee!). Some regrets. Some sadness ahead, but with blank pages in the book that are yet to be written.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It's time to write.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-40009271546037753642010-09-02T19:39:00.002-04:002010-09-02T19:54:16.564-04:00The Unofficial End of Summer......or so they call Labor Day Weekend, anyway. So school's started once again, and the long, lazy days are getting shorter, and it's time to put the favorite summer things away in the attic. No, not the white pants (hell with the "rules" - I wear those all year round!)... but the things that just make summer what it is:<div><ul><li>The tinny jingle of the ice cream truck (which unfortunately drives too fast down our street)</li><li>Catching grasshoppers with the kids</li><li>Getting grass all over your bare feet after the lawn has been mowed</li><li>The ferocity of the summer rainstorm</li><li>The smell of the air after the rain</li><li>The morning fog over the field when it's that special kind of cold & humid</li><li>Fireflies</li><li>The smell of the pine trees</li><li>Sitting out on the deck with the feet up on the table and a cold drink in hand</li><li>Wearing flip-flops outside the house</li></ul><div>So, back in the attic they go until next year... Which is fine. Now I get to take out the Fall stuff:</div></div><div><ul><li>The crisp cool air in the morning, and being able to see your breath</li><li>Fair and "Old Home Days" season</li><li>The reds and yellows of the maple trees</li><li>The smell of burning leaves</li><li>The "crunch crunch" of walking through the fallen leaves</li><li>Sweaters(!)</li><li>Apple picking, apple cider, and pumpkin pie</li></ul><div>The days are getting shorter, but this is the season I like best... Everything about Fall just seems to have a bit of "spice" to it. Not too hot, not too cold, nature's beauty at its finest, and the beginning of the "hunker down with family and friends" holiday season. Oh, and figuring out what sweater goes with those white pants before I spill cider all over them!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy the transition, everyone! Have a great holiday weekend!</div><div>(Oh, and thanks to a couple folks for reminding me I have a blog! :-)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-91715792722606546162009-11-25T21:04:00.002-05:002009-11-25T21:42:15.249-05:00Being Thankful...Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays: very little of the retail hype that accompanies Christmas (which now starts directly after Halloween, apparently), time spent with loved ones, and reflections on what we're thankful for.<br /><br />What am I thankful for?<br /><ul><li>My family: two incredibly cute kids with very different and wonderful personalities, and a husband who gave up his career to be the stay-at-home-dad.<br /></li><li>That the above kids have not yet decided to sing the made-up songs about bodily functions (thanks, Dad!) anywhere other than home and in the car.</li><li>That I can still giggle at goofy songs about bodily functions and sing along with my kids.</li><li>I'm thankful that my mother's health has been good and the cancer hasn't returned.</li><li>That my uncle has a defiant, stubborn streak and is currently doing very well with his chemo.</li><li>That my tumor was benign.</li><li>I'm thankful for my job and the people I work with... don't let this get out, but I really do like my job (shh!).<br /></li><li>I'm thankful for my friends: those who've been family to me for many years, and those who've been recent additions to my circle of friends.</li><li>I'm thankful for the opportunity to recently reconnect to many old friends (mostly via Facebook), perhaps even closer to some than we were "back in the day."</li><li>I'm thankful for the basics: a roof over my head, three meals to eat (plus snacks, plus coffee... I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> thankful for coffee...), clothes to wear, and a vehicle to get me around. The extras are all gravy.<br /></li></ul><br />So... what are you thankful for?<br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May you spend it with loved ones and enjoy every minute.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-23908811175159441822009-09-11T21:00:00.002-04:002009-09-11T21:27:31.279-04:00Where were you when...?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2s30x2JsJTMZniMJt2xsNebm8tGcvj4RtsRkSkI72C53ltnjrH7M5aPpUASQhHsT4EhYQzw3YS74vd5O86snSM7UaK3wMrQbCWCqjwh3sJ7zkV1rIPsQz-AanXxXZGkR3iYETG83Z8Y/s1600-h/9_11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2s30x2JsJTMZniMJt2xsNebm8tGcvj4RtsRkSkI72C53ltnjrH7M5aPpUASQhHsT4EhYQzw3YS74vd5O86snSM7UaK3wMrQbCWCqjwh3sJ7zkV1rIPsQz-AanXxXZGkR3iYETG83Z8Y/s320/9_11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380380105617601186" border="0" /></a><br />Remembering 9/11/01 today...<br /><br />So... where were you?<br /><br />I was at work. I forget exactly what I was working on... that's not the important part of the memory, I guess. I was on the phone with a friend's wife when she said, "A plane just hit the World Trade Center." It seemed like a tragic accident at the time. Initially, nobody knew what was going on, and at the time, we (and some of the news outlets) thought that it was a small passenger plane.<br /><br />Our building isn't known for allowing any type of good radio reception. My manager at the time had a radio in her window office, and was trying to tune in to the news. Reports were totally chaotic. Was it a small, Cessna-sized plane? Was it a passenger jet like some reports were now saying? We pretty much stopped working at that point and tried to get something out of the radio reports. CNN, Fox News, etc. were still speculating on their websites.<br /><br />They eventually all converged on the news that a passenger jet had hit the WTC and were attempting to figure out why. Then the second plane hit.<br /><br />I'm sure you all remember the feeling... horrified, unable to do anything except listen. And read. The radio was turned up, and a few of us tried to dig up some web sites that would tell us anything new. CNN, Fox News, ABC News... all the major sites were useless. Slowed to a crawl with everyone trying to access them at once. The only site that would load (mostly) reliably was the Drudge Report (which, to its benefit, is as flash-less as can be). Then the Pentagon was hit. Then another plane was said to have crashed in Pennsylvania... some had speculated that it had been shot down. The full story didn't come out until later.<br /><br />Not much work went on the rest of that day. Those of us who had friends in NYC tried to make sure they were ok (to my relief, my NYC friends were). We went through our routine after we exhausted the news, but we really didn't get much done. On my way home, a man was outside at the end of his driveway with a home-made sign, saying "Honk if you love our country." I honked. And I cried. He was there every evening for the next week or two doing the same thing.<br /><br />I got home and hugged Ellen, who was about 9 months old at the time (and thankfully too young to understand what was all over the TV that day).<br /><br />In the following days, I learned that our company lost one of its own on one of the flights that struck the WTC. I saw him in the hallways, said hi, but never knew him. And never would. I worried that, as a government contractor, we might be a target as well. But most of all, I was determined to do what I could to support our customers and friends in the military, who would most likely be putting their lives on the line in the future as a result of this attack.<br /><br />The footage on History Channel is hard to watch. But I'm watching. And remembering.<br /><br />To the victims of 9/11/01, rest in peace. God bless all those who risked their lives at the WTC to try to rescue those they could, those at the Pentagon who did the same, and the heroic passengers of flight 93 who prevented another incident and at the same time showed everyone what heroes really are. Thank you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-72688321479724072602009-06-24T21:05:00.003-04:002009-06-24T21:29:44.082-04:00Iran: Sobering, Horrifying, and HeartbreakingI took some time at lunch today to read through the #iranelection posts on Twitter today. You have to weed out the Twitter Trolls posting Anti-Semitic rants and the huge number of posts from people offering their support, but the news from the "people on the street" is heartbreaking and absolutely horrifying. I can't really add much more than that, so I'll point you to a few links:<br /><a href="http://twitter.com/timeline/search?q=%23iranelection"><br />The #iranelection "trended topic" on Twitter.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://aricmayer.blogspot.com/2009/06/turning-point-in-green-revolution.html">A blog entry focusing on one Twitter user's posts from Tehran. </a><br /><br />To realize that what you're reading is real, and is happening NOW is sobering. What is amazing through all this is the connectivity that allows us to see, unfiltered by the Iranian media OR our own, what is happening to real people in real time. One person on Twitter wondered if the Iranian Election is to Twitter what the first Gulf War was to CNN. It's certainly an interesting thought.<br /><br />Tonight, I'll be thinking of - and praying for - the citizens of Iran who are caught up in all this madness. And thankful to be living here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-79541018653877805552009-04-29T21:09:00.003-04:002009-04-29T21:11:38.530-04:00Self-explanatory blog post<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2g-Sl16PSqwqewz_LmKSz3TMTpdyRNggSuvVQl4lUG7xx4mpcyNgSgHiaOVjGEMxzHfzmSos0tkIxcxV2QgAPfsR5Ltk730ql5jdgwuzRKdBgJuTtzUEczOekp1_c4FtYvndTRaRtjSg/s1600-h/imagesblogging1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2g-Sl16PSqwqewz_LmKSz3TMTpdyRNggSuvVQl4lUG7xx4mpcyNgSgHiaOVjGEMxzHfzmSos0tkIxcxV2QgAPfsR5Ltk730ql5jdgwuzRKdBgJuTtzUEczOekp1_c4FtYvndTRaRtjSg/s320/imagesblogging1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330285577339618690" border="0" /></a><br /></div>(No idea who to credit for the pic, but there ya go...)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-72548353367795082712009-04-19T22:23:00.006-04:002009-04-19T23:18:40.857-04:00The Monkeys go Geocaching!I always loved the idea of treasure hunting as a kid: solve some puzzles, find some clues, figure out where the big "X" is, and find your treasure! Of course, as a kid, the only treasure you tend to find is the stuff of imagination (or, if real, then you're a darn lucky kid!).<br /><br />I heard about Geocaching a few years ago and thought it was a great idea: "treasure" hunting using GPS coordinates, a keen eye, and sometimes a series of clues to help you figure out where you need to go. And, best of all... each "treasure chest" is real. Where's the down side? :-)<br /><br />A couple years back I picked up a Garmin eTrex, meaning to give it a try. Unfortunately, my youngest daughter wasn't old enough to go trekking through the woods yet, my oldest seemed indifferent, and I wasn't all that thrilled with the readability of my GPS, so I pretty much put it off for "the future", although I poked around on <a href="http://www.geocaching.com/">geocaching.com</a> from time to time out of curiosity.<br /><br />It recently occurred to me that I now have an iPhone. With GPS. And many downloadable applications at my fingertips. As well as two kids old enough (and interested enough) to try it. The bug bit again. :-) I downloaded a geocaching app (aptly named "<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=292242503&mt=8">Geocaching</a>") that allows me to find caches local to me (or close to a location of my choice), look up their descriptions online (are they easy to get to? How large are they? Kid-Friendly?), and best of all: Use the GPS capability of the iPhone to navigate to a specific cache, even offering a "compass" mode once I get close enough to need one. How could we <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> go at this point?<br /><br />So we went! Friday was our first foray into Geocaching, and the girls (including the BIG girl) got a kick out of it! The first cache we tried to find was a Princess-themed one, but there were a few neighborhood kids building a bike ramp in the area, and I didn't want to poke around while they were there. We tried another one at a local picnic area instead. Armed with GPS/phone in hand, we poked around and after a few minutes of searching (and trying to figure out how accurate "compass mode" really is), we found our treasure: an ammo box hanging from a tree a few feet away from the picnic area (more camouflaged than you'd expect, even hanging from a tree with nothing to cover it). Woo hoo! Contents: a log book and a few trinkets. The girls took one each, and we left two things in turn.<br /><br />We went out again today and found two more: the original princess one (overflowing with girly, princessy things), and a second "microcache" that was just big enough to hold a log book (no room for a pen - bring your own!). I think I'm hooked... and the girls got a huge kick out of the "treasure hunt" as well. :-)<br /><br />I've already started to amass a collection of items to leave behind in caches (to replace the things we take), and I'm considering picking up a "travel bug" or two (trackable items that cachers log online and the owners track as they move from cache to cache). There was a travel bug in the princess cache we found today (attached to a really pretty owl figure), but we figured we'd leave it for someone who'd be going caching again soon.<br /><br />Some pictures from our excursions:<br /><br />Our first find! Monkey got into the act as well! :-)<br />(Yes, I'm wearing my glasses... the cold I'd avoided for the Seattle trip finally caught up with me and my eyes were pretty unhappy with contacts. Bleh.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHOYff7Toe2OTWn4Sb1cMm8zWRp35_jZzU9CnMIcG2cWL_MijFVbkkyIZeWKi4wDvPN9Lh_-qBpFDMw5ryWm24enufEqKN-7dikFdXZEdXVmFFhAlG7dNpJAiwBsb0pIuhn39pZnZRe8/s1600-h/IMG_0763.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHOYff7Toe2OTWn4Sb1cMm8zWRp35_jZzU9CnMIcG2cWL_MijFVbkkyIZeWKi4wDvPN9Lh_-qBpFDMw5ryWm24enufEqKN-7dikFdXZEdXVmFFhAlG7dNpJAiwBsb0pIuhn39pZnZRe8/s320/IMG_0763.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326602367897353346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Today's first find: the "microcache" (in Ellen's hand) that had some log paper rolled up inside: just enough for us to log the date & basically say "we found it!" Oh, and Kelly found a penny too. Look at that excitement! :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipfRuUSeon78sEgOIMIPlfJv4HuRupujTOyBdTVHj91WlRs3KmviILTEdkK6K8SAkZDUt8AzRS7Ie46LMsLqnfeIrc93O_unsFCMmBm7Ta5nmDFxg4TWo4CU8ghsIzj3jcOC1vK4IZS4/s1600-h/IMG_0759.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipfRuUSeon78sEgOIMIPlfJv4HuRupujTOyBdTVHj91WlRs3KmviILTEdkK6K8SAkZDUt8AzRS7Ie46LMsLqnfeIrc93O_unsFCMmBm7Ta5nmDFxg4TWo4CU8ghsIzj3jcOC1vK4IZS4/s320/IMG_0759.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326602369470112514" border="0" /></a><br />The Princess cache: the girls checking out the swag and me writing in the log book<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1rkas3S7kgJQPF9zBVKYbIGuc6KaSG8pf-ppjN52jxNEetHial_qcRGe90G01oJr3GuNzFJDkkL59Rd9rQ81fc8VoimXgzAoqrq7XIiW_SjJ5FLx_BaEeBSV1GGVGo_7tVOO7FsgIWk/s1600-h/IMG_0764.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1rkas3S7kgJQPF9zBVKYbIGuc6KaSG8pf-ppjN52jxNEetHial_qcRGe90G01oJr3GuNzFJDkkL59Rd9rQ81fc8VoimXgzAoqrq7XIiW_SjJ5FLx_BaEeBSV1GGVGo_7tVOO7FsgIWk/s320/IMG_0764.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326602367295902754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The weather was nice enough to spend some quality time outside once we got home as well... aaaahhh... (Nice cup/crazy straw combo on the table, isn't it? ;-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcenWZMb_nf4Y35g26zJQebYW4904BTZZGKbG4OC_UevldwXZziWt7rvJaCaWLK3XzO74LCn1WQv6kN2Fc2gmy0OrTBBNGj7qzhRJKN9QU0eJlzJRZpsGDK5MxTNObnPFRK5ZpwRunM80/s1600-h/IMG_0768.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcenWZMb_nf4Y35g26zJQebYW4904BTZZGKbG4OC_UevldwXZziWt7rvJaCaWLK3XzO74LCn1WQv6kN2Fc2gmy0OrTBBNGj7qzhRJKN9QU0eJlzJRZpsGDK5MxTNObnPFRK5ZpwRunM80/s320/IMG_0768.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326604468054098994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And look who moved in... we believe he/she is a neighbor's cat, but kitty seems to own the whole neighborhood. Fine with us, as the cat is the perfect non-pet: comes by to say hi, the kids get to pet him/her, and then goes home. For allergic me, that's a win-win situation right there. :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5872mUiaQGAhfa1sVdoDdHvNWqXBEdlNcWHDnltxm2FDB_w6rGpnqjn_7WsZj3IV0HGLtYJTufDmh_C_jHM3SVXrzOf1C0wJJWOOYQG5Km4NgdsQjfPfb8F30lAC4bYqqFrww7pPiq4E/s1600-h/IMG_0765.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5872mUiaQGAhfa1sVdoDdHvNWqXBEdlNcWHDnltxm2FDB_w6rGpnqjn_7WsZj3IV0HGLtYJTufDmh_C_jHM3SVXrzOf1C0wJJWOOYQG5Km4NgdsQjfPfb8F30lAC4bYqqFrww7pPiq4E/s320/IMG_0765.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326602373124192258" border="0" /></a><br />The only downside: my battle with the fir trees for yard dominance. I decided that I'd finally prune the bottom branches off the trees today. They bit back in their defense, but I think I got the better of them. At least I have all my limbs, even if they do look like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4hDeEl36zXH_qEzSM1yX56oeGitLQzMrJJUy3xCdonQU8PoUrY5vVYknZH7Wc9XaKKTLB20JGRobionQRiVN1ctUEKkv74kl0mt-dSDrWeUKlhV1JXvzuxP0PSVyg9URTjSULUC0Ho0/s1600-h/IMG_0769.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4hDeEl36zXH_qEzSM1yX56oeGitLQzMrJJUy3xCdonQU8PoUrY5vVYknZH7Wc9XaKKTLB20JGRobionQRiVN1ctUEKkv74kl0mt-dSDrWeUKlhV1JXvzuxP0PSVyg9URTjSULUC0Ho0/s320/IMG_0769.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326605286162452754" border="0" /></a>Little buggers. :-P<br /><br />Ah well, back to work tomorrow. Can't say it wasn't a fun weekend, though. :-) Hope everyone else had a nice weekend and got to enjoy the nice, warm weather now that it's finally here! (And now I'm hoping that I didn't just trigger a snowstorm by saying that... uggh!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-51944351466562691282009-04-03T15:43:00.001-04:002009-04-03T15:43:58.838-04:00Photos on FlickrJust FYI, if you're interested in pics from Seattle as I post them <br>online, they'll be on my Flickr set: <a href="http://flickr.com/m0nkeyh0use">http://flickr.com/m0nkeyh0use</a><p>Lunch now... And I'm still full from breakfast. My body clock is way <br>off.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-7560617196363725622009-04-03T11:17:00.001-04:002009-04-03T11:24:46.145-04:00Good Morning, Seattle!<p>The view from our hotel:</p> <p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuN9Yo1Ouqj7AiEzjyLHoVTwzDtI2mSisdeXZXMXnVKmCQNR-PWqnjcuWqTIHltAE4yR5QYQ4g_HNb5goYthLG40A6I2F8NdDK87fvPS_Ho3EhnK2MFdWcWNjkfy8Lk_FO087MzfvTl8/s1600-h/photo-701371.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDuN9Yo1Ouqj7AiEzjyLHoVTwzDtI2mSisdeXZXMXnVKmCQNR-PWqnjcuWqTIHltAE4yR5QYQ4g_HNb5goYthLG40A6I2F8NdDK87fvPS_Ho3EhnK2MFdWcWNjkfy8Lk_FO087MzfvTl8/s320/photo-701371.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320484804242551490" /></a></p>Well, we arrived in Seattle last night. The flight went pretty well<br />after being slightly delayed to de-ice the wings, and we headed non-<br />stop from Boston to Seattle (Alaska Air - great prices!), to arrive in<br />at almost 10pm, Pacific Time. Yawwwn...<p>Once we got a cab and made our way to the hotel, we decided we felt a<br />little peckish and decided to hit the hotel bar for snacks and a drink<br />or two. And who happens to be there, but Kelly and Trina! Yay for<br />unexpected meetups! Oddly enough, the bar had GREAT New England-style<br />clam chowder. Who knew?</p><p>Still, after chatting for a while, we were all pretty beat and headed<br />to bed.</p><p>Today: sightseeing and meeting up with other friends as they arrive.<br />The plan is to hit the Pike Place Market (only about a half-mile from<br />the hotel) and take it from there. Weather is supposed to be nice this<br />weekend. Rainy morning, though. Who'd have expected that? ;-)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-54787523091624876872009-04-01T16:17:00.001-04:002009-04-01T16:18:49.174-04:00WOOOOOOO!!<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibroadenoma">BENIGN!</a><br /><br />There will be much rejoicing this weekend! :-)<br />Heading to Seattle for a few days tomorrow... this is the perfect start to a good vacation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-82166321957431032972009-03-19T11:46:00.001-04:002009-03-19T11:46:18.328-04:00Update, and a bit of a reliefWell, things looked OK this time around with respect to the new spots. <br>The spots they were concerned about turned out to be tissue that moved <br>into some old cysts (ew). Apparently, when smashed flat (ow ow ow), <br>they disappear in the x-ray, which is what happened.<p>Still planning on a 3/31 biopsy for the original site, though, unless <br>they can squeeze me in earlier.<p>Whew. :-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-78973240628595000332009-03-17T23:12:00.005-04:002009-03-18T19:42:06.533-04:00Quick update... (or... the updated update)Hi folks,<br />Just a quick update to let you know that mammogram #2 happened today. The marker seems to be in the right spot, at least according to the images, so that's good news. No repeat procedure. Yay! :-)<br /><br />March 31st is the doctor's appointment, and probably the biopsy. I probably won't send out another update about this until we get the results back from that, but things are moving forward. Shouldn't take too long to get answers now, which makes me happy.<br /><br />On a related note, some of you know I was considering walking in the 3-Day Breast Cancer walk in Boston this July. The challenge was a great one: 60 miles over three days... I know I'd enjoy the experience. Problem is, the fundraising is very aggressive: $2300 per walker. Yikes! Honestly, I just can't justify asking people to do that in this economy. Plus, there are other cancers that just don't get the publicity (less "glamorous"?), and therefore don't get the money. It didn't seem right... So, I'll probably do the North Conway walk ("Strides Against Breast Cancer") again... that one benefits the American Cancer Society and seems like a better place for me to put my money. I'd rather see my money benefit all cancer research.<br /><br />Although I still want to get a shirt from <a href="http://www.savethetatas.com/foundation/home.html">these guys</a>. :-)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update (3/18/09): Well, today started off nicely with a lunch to celebrate a coworker who's probably going to go out on maternity leave soon (as an aside: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/angelas-coal-fired-pizza-tyngsboro">Angela's Coal-Fired Pizza</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> is incredible!). I got back to work and had a message to call the radiology group I went to on Monday. The radiologist wants me to go back tomorrow for more imaging: the original, marked site did increase in size, and now there are more suspicious areas that he wants to get pictures of before my next doctor's appointment. The radiologist's recommendation: biopsy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ugh. Way to pull the rug right out from under me. I'll update the blog after I get more information.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-16930207370466526642009-03-08T22:13:00.004-04:002009-03-08T22:46:02.979-04:00The Hynes Tavern 5-mile Race (Wild Rover Race #3!)The third and final race in the Wild Rover Series was today: <a href="http://www.kerouac5k.com/hynes/index.html">The Hynes Tavern 5-Mile Road Race</a> in Lowell, MA.<br /><br />Parking was a bit disorganized (at least, if you wanted to find the free parking lots), but we got a spot at the elementary school where I picked up my number and proceeded to spend half the morning in the line for the ladies' room (I'd forgotten what Comet cleanser smelled like!). At least we got there early...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The kids joined me, Michelle, John, and Laura for the pre-race picture</span>:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQxlkH_hrtdJ9vRRdkMizUW1e5wYlkWoZQHRqsQtPYo7S636ove9iLyTJ5Se7fD74vLUEoCPifoJ5ZUjgyPCnjw3lrVM08uJ14FS20HRGrpzdES53NWCBYcBQv_KQLV2yL20eZQAdqrY/s1600-h/hynes1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQxlkH_hrtdJ9vRRdkMizUW1e5wYlkWoZQHRqsQtPYo7S636ove9iLyTJ5Se7fD74vLUEoCPifoJ5ZUjgyPCnjw3lrVM08uJ14FS20HRGrpzdES53NWCBYcBQv_KQLV2yL20eZQAdqrY/s320/hynes1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311010803026284242" border="0" /></a><br />The weather: sunny and gorgeous! It started off somewhat windy and cool (but nowhere near the snow and sleet we had the previous two weeks). I was wondering if I'd have to keep my jacket on for the run or not. And more good news: we were going to have actual chip time (mat at the starting line), rather than going by gun time. Which was nice, since it took me about a minute to actually cross the starting line.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yeah, that's me waving... John too. :-)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEMhJ0pDyAOHxGL07RSHISORxhOusccSluYTxU7uUV5YzYCSKP3TDbDZE96vwgpsF6d9dcZ8Rp6qnTkfKwwZo4NXfRMcI9InQRyAsHFz0A12ivXQmuspvxekztNfRvXRhdFsCmhGY6Uw/s1600-h/hynes_start.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwEMhJ0pDyAOHxGL07RSHISORxhOusccSluYTxU7uUV5YzYCSKP3TDbDZE96vwgpsF6d9dcZ8Rp6qnTkfKwwZo4NXfRMcI9InQRyAsHFz0A12ivXQmuspvxekztNfRvXRhdFsCmhGY6Uw/s320/hynes_start.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311010812208575314" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Once we got going, it seemed like the wind instantly stopped and the sun got warm. That jacket came off after maybe 500 feet! I liked the course: out of Lowell into Chelmsford, around a cemetery and through some cute neighborhoods, then back into the city. Another course with a hill at the turnaround point, but this one wasn't as steep as the last one (thankfully). A good sign that it's all downhill from there is when you run past the town water tower. ;-) I had the iPhone going and <a href="http://bit.ly/wG54k">mapped the route with Runkeeper</a>. (Plug alert... I love this app!)<br /><br />After a tough run on Friday, I was pretty psyched with my run today... lots of energy (and a nice little boost at the end getting cheered on by a friend and having my family at the finish line), and a better time than expected (a 10:14 mile), given the on-and-off issues my calf has been giving me over the past few weeks. Woo!<br /><br />One thing I really liked about this race series was that it was the first group of races where we used the disposable timing chips ("D-chip"). No more chip collection at the end of the race (and fighting your way through the crowd of folks bent over trying to loosen these things from their laces), and no threats of being charged $$ for missing chips. The new chips came as a plastic strip attached to the back of your race number: detach the strip, loop it around your laces, and you're done. No problems attaching the chip, and there didn't seem to be any issues with accuracy... pretty nice.<br /><br />What next? I dunno... I need to keep running, though, and quit slacking off. More snow for tonight and tomorrow (sigh), but no excuses... I need to find another race to sign up for to keep myself honest. :-)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">All three "Wild Rover" medals together... the heart and crown were from this week. It's pretty big! </span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oTI9ye9AJKYKswls2sG7lZmWpbSnhn-OeZtTTeg7eRU8vh1QL8pISiuzgZ2yiMlNoJ1F8VNnZJ6MP6XIdZz30SkJDmaFx1xGYPwhFZHKZ9yQfIlfkuom9JID3Aq7QyzofUSuHNl0bs8/s1600-h/wild_rover_bling.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_oTI9ye9AJKYKswls2sG7lZmWpbSnhn-OeZtTTeg7eRU8vh1QL8pISiuzgZ2yiMlNoJ1F8VNnZJ6MP6XIdZz30SkJDmaFx1xGYPwhFZHKZ9yQfIlfkuom9JID3Aq7QyzofUSuHNl0bs8/s320/wild_rover_bling.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311010813484375394" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-73872412566748738172009-03-01T18:59:00.002-05:002009-03-01T19:25:24.055-05:00The Claddagh Pub 4-Miler (Wild Rover Race #2!)The second race in the Wild Rover Series was today: <a href="http://www.runthecladdagh.com/">The Claddagh Pub 4-Miler (in Lawrence, MA).</a><br /><br /><div>Friday and Saturday, we had beautiful weather: Friday got up to almost 60 degrees, Saturday cooled down as a cold front moved through. Today?<br /><br /></div><div>Snow. Of course! Yaaaay! Two storms worked their way through the area today. Storm #1 was the one that affected the race today: not too much snow ("a dusting"), but enough to make some of the running slippery. Storm #2 is coming through tonight, and is expected to dump 15" of snow on us. That's what happens, living in New England!<br /><br /></div><div>The course was interesting: flat for the first mile, a KILLER hill at the 2-mile turnaround point (someone on the website described the hill as a "knee-in-the-face" hill, which was pretty accurate), with the downhill and flat coming back. <a href="http://bit.ly/xXs6X">Map is here on Runkeeper's site.</a> I walked the hill and had to watch my step on the downhill, for fear of sliding down (if I'd had a sled, I'd have made up some great time!). Despite the hill and the snow, though, I still averaged around an 11-minute mile. Yay!<br /><div> </div><br /></div><div>Round three will be next week with the Hynes Tavern 5-miler in Lowell. I'm hoping it's more like Spring! :-)</div><div><br /></div><div>First picture is pre-race: (L-R) Michelle, Me, John, Laura, Jen (Joe, thanks again for taking the pictures!)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12;" ><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aC6FrmPXVpz9VSsiXP5sVysgWysNlMPVx5zqEhSom5KDs9DI3AXmtBHfCza2qRJhL4nidQKE9l8Rhg7ZmptgCkD2c4skvipNtDcxRQZxiyE3AB_fifAkdFU1uNwxCwGN47SYfqLCy1M/s1600-h/IMG_0554.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aC6FrmPXVpz9VSsiXP5sVysgWysNlMPVx5zqEhSom5KDs9DI3AXmtBHfCza2qRJhL4nidQKE9l8Rhg7ZmptgCkD2c4skvipNtDcxRQZxiyE3AB_fifAkdFU1uNwxCwGN47SYfqLCy1M/s320/IMG_0554.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308378100247202754" border="0" /></a><br />This is the amount of snow we had at the start... not too much, but it was slippery in spots (John skated over to the starting line):<br /><div> </div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcgwuRaEnNCvMT3xIat9B8CZ3wzO5gAUAn7nRR-7grz-BGaisTx3CgSgxaJurSfPJlU9rQUhn5t_9_ZeTLL4UE-N3Ffa3Rbv1d6iXoSCz8hfPaUAKdwfh2yvRvie2IqqV0SUl0aTGr-I/s1600-h/IMG_0555.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcgwuRaEnNCvMT3xIat9B8CZ3wzO5gAUAn7nRR-7grz-BGaisTx3CgSgxaJurSfPJlU9rQUhn5t_9_ZeTLL4UE-N3Ffa3Rbv1d6iXoSCz8hfPaUAKdwfh2yvRvie2IqqV0SUl0aTGr-I/s320/IMG_0555.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308378105659066114" border="0" /></a><br />Of course, there are bling pictures. The medal is the second piece of the 3-piece Wild Rover Series medal, and the second hand in the claddagh. Next week we get the heart and crown at the <a href="http://www.hynesroadrace.com/">Hynes Tavern 5-miler</a>.<br /><div> <div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2daXtN-HWLxaoI99pVJRn039Gy2Ge44wekwmyH6hpO_BNfKYkej8twccT4LX6anawDSkKeqofzcM9HmmVrjJmfMLUXS09JEqc3RCMom6s7OCXUqwuFkq45Q3OlWwooGxXvGJ95RL4sf8/s1600-h/IMG_0556.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2daXtN-HWLxaoI99pVJRn039Gy2Ge44wekwmyH6hpO_BNfKYkej8twccT4LX6anawDSkKeqofzcM9HmmVrjJmfMLUXS09JEqc3RCMom6s7OCXUqwuFkq45Q3OlWwooGxXvGJ95RL4sf8/s320/IMG_0556.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308378115821342498" border="0" /></a><br />It's blurry, but here's a picture of the two pieces together:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZRV9Vjm-IiajLxCrolfeseL_FNpggpWDiQuzYLvAegYAeyQU2gsJC0369cUne2pKwzf9m2zG3wvXhM9TfFd7goQKOCa_RTlGtAsPup-rBdKoYAEpsQqXRGuVkX-s4SuIYOwMEYf2WZY/s1600-h/IMG_0557.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZRV9Vjm-IiajLxCrolfeseL_FNpggpWDiQuzYLvAegYAeyQU2gsJC0369cUne2pKwzf9m2zG3wvXhM9TfFd7goQKOCa_RTlGtAsPup-rBdKoYAEpsQqXRGuVkX-s4SuIYOwMEYf2WZY/s320/IMG_0557.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308378117989489938" border="0" /></a></div> </div> </div><br />See you next week at the Hynes Tavern race! :-)<br />(Update: sorry the pictures didn't come through the first time... hopefully, this edit fixes that.)<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-67982882564830695432009-02-24T21:45:00.000-05:002009-02-24T22:41:53.585-05:00The Saga Continues, Part VI: Frogurt<dl style="font-style: italic;font-family:lucida grande;"><blockquote><dt><span style="font-size:100%;">House of Evil clerk: Take this object, but beware: it carries a terrible curse.<br />Homer: That’s bad.<br />Clerk: But it comes with a free frogurt!<br />Homer: That’s good!<br />Clerk: The frogurt is also cursed.<br />Homer: That’s bad.<br />Clerk: But it comes with your choice of free toppings!<br />Homer: That’s good!<br />Clerk: The toppings contain potassium benzoate. [Several seconds of silence...] That’s bad.<br />Homer: Can I go now?</span></dt></blockquote></dl>Sometimes I empathize with Homer...<br /><br />For anyone who hasn't read the prior posts, or wants the recap, here's the last few doctor's appointments, boiled down for brevity:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >Doctor: You have a suspicious spot on your mammogram<br />Me: That's bad.<br />Doctor: It looks like it's probably a cyst. Go get an ultrasound.<br />Me: That's good.<br />Doctor: Well, it's not a cyst.<br />Me: That's bad.<br />Doctor: But it doesn't look like anything threatening<br />Me: That's good.<br />Doctor: I can put in a marker and biopsy it, but I may not be able to hit it.<br />Me: That's bad.<br />Doctor: Or you can wait 6 months and see if it changes<br />Me: ...<br />Me (two days later): That's bad... I'm going ahead with the marker/biopsy</span><br /></span></blockquote>So today was the appointment with Doctor K. I wasn't sure if this was going to be an informational appointment ("This is what we'll do...") or the actual procedure. Turned out, it was the actual procedure. Score one for not having to wait even longer. Dr. K was able to locate the site with no problem via ultrasound, and he went in (with a rather LARGE needle) to put in the marker and perform the biopsy. I felt bad for the assisting nurse, as she seemed to be all thumbs. He kept a very level demeanor, though, and she did fine once they got set up. The procedure itself went smoothly... the worst part was the Novocaine (ow). The funniest part was when the ultrasound machine rolled away because the floor was uneven. :-)<br /><br />After he finished, and we were wrapping up, he explained the following:<br /><ul><li>His initial reluctance to biopsy/mark the site was due to the spot being tough to discern on the ultrasound... it didn't look very distinct from the rest of the tissue around it, and he wasn't convinced he was actually seeing the correct spot.</li><li>Today, he was convinced.</li><li>He was convinced because it was MORE distinct this time around.</li><li>It also seemed to be larger than it was the last time.</li></ul>Stupid, cursed Frogurt...<br /><br />I'm scheduled for a followup mammo in 3 weeks (enough time for the marker to get "anchored" to the site) to verify he really did tag the site, and then a followup appointment with Dr. K. after that.<br /><br />The fact that it's changed and is growing is unnerving, but I'm glad I went back... I'm grateful both to my mom for initially getting me to question that first ultrasound that didn't find anything, and to all my friends (you know who you are) who convinced me to push back and not wait. Waiting isn't for me, anyway (as I found out), but you helped motivate me to get my butt back in there and <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> something.<br /><br />So... no answers yet, more questions... but it seems like answers will be coming soon.<br /><br />In the meantime, I'm keeping the fingers crossed, and moving forward. I've got a race to train for on Sunday! :-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-86196955562852153752009-02-22T15:53:00.000-05:002009-02-23T08:55:51.287-05:00The Frozen Shamrock!Well, the Frozen Shamrock 3-miler was today! This is the first in a series of 3 races sponsored by local Irish Pubs (the <a href="http://www.goodtimesrun.com/wildrover/">Wild Rover Series</a>). The weather folks were predicting rain turning to snow, starting around midday, so I wasn't sure what conditions were going to be like. Luckily, the weather was pretty good at the start (high 30's, no rain yet), so everything was GO!<br /><br />A group of us from the office peer pressured each other to run today, and we all managed to show up. :-) Front row (L-R): Michelle, Me, and Jen. Back Row (L-R): John, Laura, and Mike.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdO3-E1oRw5pklCDPmHFLH1vwfBbY3QW4Wy3WuidnfKJQifv16ND6j7jNbgu6CETgmhZ4E9k5NLhrLNNoBz2CrRHOZvO_5aYeps-Nd2RXmqulEqN2e3BeH5nv61h3bp9XzGYxZq8h9aY/s1600-h/1.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdO3-E1oRw5pklCDPmHFLH1vwfBbY3QW4Wy3WuidnfKJQifv16ND6j7jNbgu6CETgmhZ4E9k5NLhrLNNoBz2CrRHOZvO_5aYeps-Nd2RXmqulEqN2e3BeH5nv61h3bp9XzGYxZq8h9aY/s320/1.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305730223745619202" border="0" /></a>Thanks to Jen's husband, Joe for taking the picture! :-)<br /><br />Here's the view from the starting line:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6AgqeRYqUuGI-2npqBMhXNjXDQod33pixwk-flgrXNWI_JBwNf9aE3zpkJiaJYawldAoXI6daemg9jCuHXoD29qTh95UAXcBF6lMdpVZ_CzNybcW-ej9gS9KAlHcltvqh9yR5-BeBiE/s1600-h/2.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6AgqeRYqUuGI-2npqBMhXNjXDQod33pixwk-flgrXNWI_JBwNf9aE3zpkJiaJYawldAoXI6daemg9jCuHXoD29qTh95UAXcBF6lMdpVZ_CzNybcW-ej9gS9KAlHcltvqh9yR5-BeBiE/s320/2.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305730564849347602" border="0" /></a><br />The race was crowded at the start, but there weren't TOO many runners -- about 600 or so who registered ahead of time. Roads were only partly blocked off, which led to some confused (and obviously frustrated) motorists, but after the first substantial hill it was pretty good. A couple of shoppers got mixed up in the race and ended up running with us for a while until they got out at the parking garage. :-) I mapped the route using Runkeeper on my iPhone, and you can see the map here: <a href="http://bit.ly/kXKgv">http://bit.ly/kXKgv</a> (I started recording a little late, because I was expecting to cross a mat at the starting line, and there wasn't one... oops!)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Update: The times are in... 30:10:00 (gun time, since there was no mat at the start). Considering I was starting at the back of the crowd and I have no idea where the actual start line was, I'm really happy with that. :-)</span><br /><br />After the race, the crowd seemed to be bigger for the free beer line. The rain had begun and it was COLD waiting in line, but we stuck around, got the beer (refreshing) and chili (warm!), and then left... we would have hung around, but the rain was getting colder and harder and it was getting more and more uncomfortable. Oh well. Maybe the next two will have better weather (fingers crossed). At least the drive home was pretty good, since it hadn't turned to snow yet.<br /><br />Of course, I had to take pictures of the bling:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxRswAOIsxt9sQUnNkDeCfpEVXt8eo8sW40TEm3i1-FOj-vetURTgSxz8aKwiu58d6Vta-DT-iBuLgjwk6Nkaw7tr8loexc3Er7STjV_y21xKD_PtpxVZWEvGa8XAM_FE1ep_WGiKKx8/s1600-h/3.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxRswAOIsxt9sQUnNkDeCfpEVXt8eo8sW40TEm3i1-FOj-vetURTgSxz8aKwiu58d6Vta-DT-iBuLgjwk6Nkaw7tr8loexc3Er7STjV_y21xKD_PtpxVZWEvGa8XAM_FE1ep_WGiKKx8/s320/3.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305731871540891010" border="0" /></a>The medal is the first of three that will form a claddagh when combined with the others in the series. Nice touch, with the personalized bib numbers. :-)<br /><br />Next week, the Claddagh Pub 4-miler in Lawrence!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-8191074092277086542009-02-18T13:23:00.001-05:002009-02-18T13:28:57.978-05:00The Saga Stagnates...Just a quick update for anyone following the "Saga of the Suspicious Mammogram"... my doctor's appointment today was rescheduled (Dr. K was called in for emergency surgery).<br /><br />Next update: Tuesday, 2/24. Maybe.<br /><br />However, it was a <a href="http://bit.ly/afA2S">nice day out for a run</a>... I got in a quick two miles just to get outside, and to get ready for the first "Wild Rover" race on Sunday. If it doesn't snow. Maybe even if it does snow. Who knows...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3604154356583085226.post-90699700575056120142009-02-02T21:50:00.000-05:002009-02-03T11:20:40.500-05:00Not going to wait anymore... (or, "Questions, part IV")Well, I got the phone call back from the doctor ("Dr. R") today. He spoke at length with the surgeon ("Dr. K"), and Dr. K did not believe an MRI would give him any more information than he already has.<br /><br />Sooooooo...<br /><br />The only option other than waiting is to attempt to tag the site. The plan would be (if I have this correct) to inject a metal marker into the site and biopsy it at the same time. Then follow up with another mammogram to make sure they got it. If not, then it's "second verse, same as the first" until they do get it.<br /><br />I don't like waiting... Two days was enough for me. So, even though Dr. K wasn't confident he'd be able to find it with the needle, I'm going to call his office and make the appointments. I guess I'd rather just get it over with and <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> already, even if this takes multiple tries.<br /><br />Why the change of heart? Mostly, friends who have gone through this experience, either first- or second-hand, telling me not to wait. Friends online, at work, old friends, recent friends... people are coming out of the woodwork with their personal stories. The common theme of every one: don't wait. Get as much information as you can, and keep going. I'm not good at leaving things unanswered anyway, but this was the most compelling reason to keep pushing. Thanks, everyone.<br /><br />I'm planning on going out for multiple beers after this is over. Anyone with me? :-)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 255, 255);">Update: I have an appointment with Dr. K on 2/18. We'll see where this goes from there!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2