It turned hot again today -- well hot for early fall, and warmer than we have been having recently. But it was a good day for a parade. So I went to be in one. It's homecoming weekend for the local university, and of course there's a parade. My breast cancer support group had a float and a good group of us showed up to ride and walk alongside and throw candy. I figured it'd be just sitting on the float, waving at a few people, etc., but it turned out to be a bit more than that. As we moved along Main Street, people would applaud and cheer for us. Total strangers, most of them. I wasn't the only one getting a bit choked up by that. And then there was Mom. She found a spot right in front at the newspaper's parking lot, so she got a couple pictures. And she said seeing me on that float made her cry. So it was an interesting morning -- more than I bargained for.
The rest of the day (aside from a walk with Nipper and then a nap) has been spent playing with my new toy -- a new iPod Nano! I got a blue 4 GB model. It was the only one left at WallyWorld, and I wanted to make sure I got one before I left next week to see my brother (I live far enough in the boonies "overnight" delivery means at least a day or two). I can't get over just how dang small it really is. I mean, you can look at the specs online and see the commercials and so forth, but until you actually see one and hold it, you just don't get the idea. I spent a bit more than I wanted, but after this last year, I think I deserve it. So I guess this is my kicking cancer/Christmas/birthday present to myself!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Just where the hell is Jericho?
I don't know if I'll actually stick with this show. The concept is certainly intriguing, but there's just too much crap to nitpick on. **SPOILER ALERT**
First, where is Jericho? This map on the CBS Web site shows Jericho being on Interstate 70 where U.S. Highway 83 meets it and U.S. 40 divides from the interstate. Although the roads don't match exactly, in reality that would mean Jericho is standing in for Oakley, Kansas, a town of about 2,000.
However, at the end of tonight's episode, as Mysterious Big City Guy is putting pins in his map (presumably of where other nukes have hit), he starts somewhere southeast of Oakley before putting his pin at Denver. That would actually fit with the idea that townspeople were taken to a salt mine to hide out from the fallout, as there are salt mines at Hutchinson.
Hutch, however, is more than 450 miles from Denver -- much too far away to see a mushroom cloud. Let alone the damn mountains. Plus, Hutch is only about 50 miles from Wichita, which doesn't fit in with the mileage sign shown in the beginning of the first episode. Oakley is about 250 miles from Denver, still too far away to see a mushroom cloud or the damn mountains. Kanorado (on the state line) is about 180 miles from Denver. Still too far to see the damn mountains, at least.
Second, Jake's ex-girlfriend is living up to her blondeness. She's walking along the road for gas when a patrol car from her home county's sheriff's office stops to help and she doesn't realize that the two guys wearing the uniforms are people she's never seen before? Trust me, in a town the size Jericho is supposed to be (I believe the mayor said about 3,000), you would know who all the people in uniform are. I didn't get the impression she had also just arrived back in Jericho. And some guy who needs a shave and has skanky teeth would be a big tip off. Especially when he doesn't know where the nearest gas station is.
The Mysterious Big City Guy: Really, one black family in a small, rural town isn't that unbelievable. Neither is that he would act like he knows everything and the bumpkins no nothing. I've known plenty of big-city types who come out here acting like they've been sent from God to save us from our own hickness, only to turn tail and run when they can't cut it out here. Can't live without theater or opera or jazz clubs or one-hour eyeglasses or sushi or drive-through everything? Fine. Seeya. Just what this guy is still remains to be seen, though.
Oh, and just because cops or fire fighters are out in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean they don't get training and education from Homeland Security. Where do you think a good portion of food in your kitchen and favorite restaraunts comes from? Don't you think that'd make a good target? Pass the smallpox, please.
And just what is Jake's story? This (and some of the other characters) might be the only thing that keeps me watching. He's vague about where he's been, but he seems to have some medical training, and he "knew someone" who knew something about explosives. He did something to disgrace his family, but something they were able to keep secret (not an easy trick in a small town). And something that didn't bother his grandfather enough to disown him. That could be anything from prison to being grand marshal of a gay pride parade. If they reveal these stories slowly, it might make it worth it to put up with the stupid parts.
I'm sure I could go on, but that's enough for now.
First, where is Jericho? This map on the CBS Web site shows Jericho being on Interstate 70 where U.S. Highway 83 meets it and U.S. 40 divides from the interstate. Although the roads don't match exactly, in reality that would mean Jericho is standing in for Oakley, Kansas, a town of about 2,000.
However, at the end of tonight's episode, as Mysterious Big City Guy is putting pins in his map (presumably of where other nukes have hit), he starts somewhere southeast of Oakley before putting his pin at Denver. That would actually fit with the idea that townspeople were taken to a salt mine to hide out from the fallout, as there are salt mines at Hutchinson.
Hutch, however, is more than 450 miles from Denver -- much too far away to see a mushroom cloud. Let alone the damn mountains. Plus, Hutch is only about 50 miles from Wichita, which doesn't fit in with the mileage sign shown in the beginning of the first episode. Oakley is about 250 miles from Denver, still too far away to see a mushroom cloud or the damn mountains. Kanorado (on the state line) is about 180 miles from Denver. Still too far to see the damn mountains, at least.
Second, Jake's ex-girlfriend is living up to her blondeness. She's walking along the road for gas when a patrol car from her home county's sheriff's office stops to help and she doesn't realize that the two guys wearing the uniforms are people she's never seen before? Trust me, in a town the size Jericho is supposed to be (I believe the mayor said about 3,000), you would know who all the people in uniform are. I didn't get the impression she had also just arrived back in Jericho. And some guy who needs a shave and has skanky teeth would be a big tip off. Especially when he doesn't know where the nearest gas station is.
The Mysterious Big City Guy: Really, one black family in a small, rural town isn't that unbelievable. Neither is that he would act like he knows everything and the bumpkins no nothing. I've known plenty of big-city types who come out here acting like they've been sent from God to save us from our own hickness, only to turn tail and run when they can't cut it out here. Can't live without theater or opera or jazz clubs or one-hour eyeglasses or sushi or drive-through everything? Fine. Seeya. Just what this guy is still remains to be seen, though.
Oh, and just because cops or fire fighters are out in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean they don't get training and education from Homeland Security. Where do you think a good portion of food in your kitchen and favorite restaraunts comes from? Don't you think that'd make a good target? Pass the smallpox, please.
And just what is Jake's story? This (and some of the other characters) might be the only thing that keeps me watching. He's vague about where he's been, but he seems to have some medical training, and he "knew someone" who knew something about explosives. He did something to disgrace his family, but something they were able to keep secret (not an easy trick in a small town). And something that didn't bother his grandfather enough to disown him. That could be anything from prison to being grand marshal of a gay pride parade. If they reveal these stories slowly, it might make it worth it to put up with the stupid parts.
I'm sure I could go on, but that's enough for now.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Summer flashback
It's officially fall now, but I'll take a moment to look back on a moment of the summer ... now that I have film back.
This is probably my favorite picture from this summer (and one of my top faves of Nipper ever). I think it's from July, on one of our walks up the drying creekbed. He'd been trying to catch the fish in the puddle:
There's more picturues here
This is probably my favorite picture from this summer (and one of my top faves of Nipper ever). I think it's from July, on one of our walks up the drying creekbed. He'd been trying to catch the fish in the puddle:
There's more picturues here
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Poor Buddy
I didn't mention this before, but a little over a week ago while walking the dog, I saw a cockatoo in the park a few blocks from my home. I tried to get close to it, moving slow and talking soft, but I'm sure it was a bit scared at being away from its home and flew away when I got too close. I watched where it went, and when I got home, called the cops and asked if someone had reported a missing bird. Someone had. So I told the officer where I last saw it, and he said he'd contact the owners.
A couple days later, walking Nipper through the same park, I saw a woman, probably in her 50s, walking around, looking up in the trees. It was the bird's owner. I told her I'd reported it, and we talked for a bit. The bird's name was Buddy, he really liked people and dogs even, and she said since he'd seen me once, he might come to me if he saw me again. I said I'd keep an eye out for him when we were walking.
And I did. When we'd walk through or near that park, I'd look up in the trees and listen, but never really did see or hear any kind of bird that wouldn't normally be there. I hoped maybe she'd found him that day I saw her.
She didn't. This morning, while walking Nipper through the park again, I came across what was left of Buddy. Something had gotten him, but wether it was a critter first or maybe the cold weather I couldn't tell. The remains didn't look real fresh, although I don't recall seeing anything when we walked through that same spot a couple days ago. I feel bad for Buddy, and his owner, and kind of wish I'd looked harder, but I also wonder why she didn't keep his wings clipped? When we talked, she had mentioned that last year one of the local cops had helped her get him from a tree in the same park, so this wasn't the first time he'd escaped. Maybe some would say not letting a bird fly would be cruel, like having a cats claws removed, but on the other hand, I don't let my dog off leash when we're walking near traffic. If you have a pet, it's your responsibility to keep it safe. Even if that means doing something "unnatural."
A couple days later, walking Nipper through the same park, I saw a woman, probably in her 50s, walking around, looking up in the trees. It was the bird's owner. I told her I'd reported it, and we talked for a bit. The bird's name was Buddy, he really liked people and dogs even, and she said since he'd seen me once, he might come to me if he saw me again. I said I'd keep an eye out for him when we were walking.
And I did. When we'd walk through or near that park, I'd look up in the trees and listen, but never really did see or hear any kind of bird that wouldn't normally be there. I hoped maybe she'd found him that day I saw her.
She didn't. This morning, while walking Nipper through the park again, I came across what was left of Buddy. Something had gotten him, but wether it was a critter first or maybe the cold weather I couldn't tell. The remains didn't look real fresh, although I don't recall seeing anything when we walked through that same spot a couple days ago. I feel bad for Buddy, and his owner, and kind of wish I'd looked harder, but I also wonder why she didn't keep his wings clipped? When we talked, she had mentioned that last year one of the local cops had helped her get him from a tree in the same park, so this wasn't the first time he'd escaped. Maybe some would say not letting a bird fly would be cruel, like having a cats claws removed, but on the other hand, I don't let my dog off leash when we're walking near traffic. If you have a pet, it's your responsibility to keep it safe. Even if that means doing something "unnatural."
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The TV season so far
OK, so the new TV season is under way. Here's some thoughts:
Sunday:
Amazing Race: Off to a great start, although what could have been two of the more interesting teams got eliminated right off. And a new twist -- one team was eliminated before the first pit stop! Obviously, they won't be doing that every week, or else the season would last only a few weeks. But Phil said other surprises are in store.
Monday
The Class: I think I'll skip this one. Maybe if you work in Hollywood, and your new TV show is being touted as "the next (insert name of past hit show here)," you shouldn't quit your day job.
How I Met Your Mother: So far, so good.
Didn't watch much of Two and a Half Men, but saw The New Adventures of Old Christine. I do like that one, so if Heroes turns out to be good, I might tape this one. I've always lliked Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, and the main characters aren't just stereotypes.
I already saw the pilot for Studio 60, but I didn't pay much attention to CSI: Miami.
Tuesday
NCIS: I suppose eventually they're going to make Mark Harmon shave and cut his hair. Darn it. Anyway, it's interesting to see the team acting in a new way under DiNozzo's leadership. And how's he going to act when Jethro comes back? (you know he will).
Wednesday:
Jericho: You know I had to say something. And ... it wasn't at awful as I thought it might be. The landscape, other than the one shot of the mountains, didn't look too bad (typical TV Kansas landscape. It's not perfectly flat out here, but there's more bluffs in western Kansas than hills.) There wasn't too much else that made me roll my eyes, and the story was kind of interesting. I'll tune back in next week.
CSI: New York: Bungee sex?!?
More later in the week.
Sunday:
Amazing Race: Off to a great start, although what could have been two of the more interesting teams got eliminated right off. And a new twist -- one team was eliminated before the first pit stop! Obviously, they won't be doing that every week, or else the season would last only a few weeks. But Phil said other surprises are in store.
Monday
The Class: I think I'll skip this one. Maybe if you work in Hollywood, and your new TV show is being touted as "the next (insert name of past hit show here)," you shouldn't quit your day job.
How I Met Your Mother: So far, so good.
Didn't watch much of Two and a Half Men, but saw The New Adventures of Old Christine. I do like that one, so if Heroes turns out to be good, I might tape this one. I've always lliked Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, and the main characters aren't just stereotypes.
I already saw the pilot for Studio 60, but I didn't pay much attention to CSI: Miami.
Tuesday
NCIS: I suppose eventually they're going to make Mark Harmon shave and cut his hair. Darn it. Anyway, it's interesting to see the team acting in a new way under DiNozzo's leadership. And how's he going to act when Jethro comes back? (you know he will).
Wednesday:
Jericho: You know I had to say something. And ... it wasn't at awful as I thought it might be. The landscape, other than the one shot of the mountains, didn't look too bad (typical TV Kansas landscape. It's not perfectly flat out here, but there's more bluffs in western Kansas than hills.) There wasn't too much else that made me roll my eyes, and the story was kind of interesting. I'll tune back in next week.
CSI: New York: Bungee sex?!?
More later in the week.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Variety o' stuff
Today was a good day. It started out kind of bad, what with us being short-handed at work. Mondays are always awful because whichever page designer worked Saturday gets Monday off, leaving two people to put together the news section. Today I basically laid out all but four pages of a 12-page news section. That sucked. But then, the other girls in the newsroom took me to lunch to celebrate the news about ending my treatment. They gave me a nice little gift, too. It's kind of a little token, about the size of a quarter, that has "courage" engraved on it. The inside of the box lid says "feel the fear and do it anyway." And that really sums up what I've gone through in the last year. Yes, it was scary facing this disease, but I had to do it anyway. Because the alternative was unthinkable. And I feel like now I can that apply motto to anything. So thanks, guys! You even made my mom get teary-eyed when I showed it to her.
In more mundane news, my iBook needs a new battery. It's down to about two hours of power now, after two years of use. It probably didn't help that when I got this computer, it was my first new one in about 10 years and I was so excited about getting it, I didn't really read the manual. Calibrate the battery? Huh? Oh well, too late. So I was looking a bit ago on Apple's Web site to see how much it would cost, and got to thinking about how next month I'm going to go see my brother, and I'll be taking the train, and that's a long ride, and it'd be a real pain to have to pack my CD player and enough CDs to keep me occupied for that amount of time, and gee, wouldn't it be nice to have an iPod? And of course, Apple just introduced its revamped Nano (now in color!), so it's real tempting. Hey, I've got plastic ... I've got money! I'll think on this for a day or so, though.
In more mundane news, my iBook needs a new battery. It's down to about two hours of power now, after two years of use. It probably didn't help that when I got this computer, it was my first new one in about 10 years and I was so excited about getting it, I didn't really read the manual. Calibrate the battery? Huh? Oh well, too late. So I was looking a bit ago on Apple's Web site to see how much it would cost, and got to thinking about how next month I'm going to go see my brother, and I'll be taking the train, and that's a long ride, and it'd be a real pain to have to pack my CD player and enough CDs to keep me occupied for that amount of time, and gee, wouldn't it be nice to have an iPod? And of course, Apple just introduced its revamped Nano (now in color!), so it's real tempting. Hey, I've got plastic ... I've got money! I'll think on this for a day or so, though.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
More planting
Yestderday was pretty much a bust. The wind blew hard all day, which kicked up something that I must be allergic to, because after taking Nipper for a walk, I had a headache the rest of the day. I didn't feel good until late Saturday night, when I kind of played around with the iTunes 7. I love the new cover browser feature that lets you flip through the album art like an old juke box. So I spent a couple hours late Saturday night scanning in CD covers that iTunes couldn't find and download.
Today was making up for lost time. I got (almost) all my laundry done and finished planting my irises and flower buds on the hill out back. So over two weekends, I've planted 18 irises (most of which I dug up and divided myself), 16 daffodil bulbs, 10 daylilies, 2 mums and an aster. Might not sound like much, but all this was done on a steep slope with poor footing. Not bad, I'd say. I took some pictures, along with other parts of the yard. Since I use old-fashioned film, you'll just have to wait. Besides, it'll look more interesting next spring. I hope.
I also got my bird-feeding station pretty well finished up. I got the tray feeder set on the top of the pole and the dowel set in to hold the finch feeder. I might have to add some extra support for the tray feeder, in case some raccoon sits its fat butt up there for a late-night munchfest.
The Amazing Race starts tonight! And holy cow, they eliminated one team before even reaching the first pit stop! Can't wait to see what other surprises they have in store this time around.
Today was making up for lost time. I got (almost) all my laundry done and finished planting my irises and flower buds on the hill out back. So over two weekends, I've planted 18 irises (most of which I dug up and divided myself), 16 daffodil bulbs, 10 daylilies, 2 mums and an aster. Might not sound like much, but all this was done on a steep slope with poor footing. Not bad, I'd say. I took some pictures, along with other parts of the yard. Since I use old-fashioned film, you'll just have to wait. Besides, it'll look more interesting next spring. I hope.
I also got my bird-feeding station pretty well finished up. I got the tray feeder set on the top of the pole and the dowel set in to hold the finch feeder. I might have to add some extra support for the tray feeder, in case some raccoon sits its fat butt up there for a late-night munchfest.
The Amazing Race starts tonight! And holy cow, they eliminated one team before even reaching the first pit stop! Can't wait to see what other surprises they have in store this time around.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Stick me with a fork ...
I am done!
I went to see the doctor today as a follow-up to last week's MUGA scan, and learned my ejection fraction had gone down again, now at 48 percent. It has to be at least 50 percent to continue on the Herceptin, so the doctor said today she was just going to go ahead and end it. I was supposed to go through December for a full year.
So that means that I am done with my cancer treatment! The problem with my heart should correct itself and won't be any serious concern. I'll probably have another MUGA sometime next year just to make sure, the doc said. And I'll have the port-a-cath in for maybe a year just in case (which seems like the norm, from what I've heard and read), so I'll need to have it flushed (or cleansed) about once a month. Besides that, I'll have checkups with the oncologist every three months for a couple years, then every six months and then that should be it.
It's a bit of a weird feeling. I wasn't prepared for it to end today. I thought I'd go back on the Herceptin and was all set for a treatment when I went in today. Now I've got a new "normal" to get used to all over again... being normal.
I went to see the doctor today as a follow-up to last week's MUGA scan, and learned my ejection fraction had gone down again, now at 48 percent. It has to be at least 50 percent to continue on the Herceptin, so the doctor said today she was just going to go ahead and end it. I was supposed to go through December for a full year.
So that means that I am done with my cancer treatment! The problem with my heart should correct itself and won't be any serious concern. I'll probably have another MUGA sometime next year just to make sure, the doc said. And I'll have the port-a-cath in for maybe a year just in case (which seems like the norm, from what I've heard and read), so I'll need to have it flushed (or cleansed) about once a month. Besides that, I'll have checkups with the oncologist every three months for a couple years, then every six months and then that should be it.
It's a bit of a weird feeling. I wasn't prepared for it to end today. I thought I'd go back on the Herceptin and was all set for a treatment when I went in today. Now I've got a new "normal" to get used to all over again... being normal.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
A busy day
At least I made it a busy afternoon. I'm not worth much on weekend mornings. But this afternoon I did some more planting on the slope out behind the garage. I planted I think six more irises (three Mom bought and three of the ones I dug up last weekend) along with four daylily bulbs and eight daffodil bulbs. I made sure to mark them so next spring I can watch for them. I also planted another daylily under the pecan tree and planted the butterfly weed in the corner of that garden where it will get some sun. I had intended to plant the butterfly weed with the wildflowers out by the driveway, but it's done so well in partial shade I think I'll keep it there (which is strange because it's a prairie wildflower. You'd think it would do best in full sun). I needed to get it in the ground before it started getting any cooler, otherwise I'd lose it, and this is the first one in three or four years of trying that has made it through the summer.
As I was planting under the pecan tree, I heard a noise and saw it was a squirrel. It was watching me pretty closely. It ran off when I tried to see how close I could get, but about 10 minutes later, as I was taking a break watching the water in the creek from near where I used to have the squirrel feeder, it came back. It sat on a cut-off branch about 3 feet above my head and gave me the eye. I know exactly what it was trying to say to me, too: "When are you going to put out the sunflower seeds, lady?!?" I told it to wait another week or two.
I did get a start on my bird/critter feeder project. A couple of years ago, I took the trunk of a small, dead tree that had fallen and set it in cement just outside the fence. I had always planned to make a birdfeeding station out of it. That first summer, all I got around to was putting a squirrel snacker on it, and last summer I had bigger things on my mind. So this year, I'm going to finish it off. Last week I drilled a 1-inch hole in one side, where I'll insert a dowel cut to about 1 foot. I'll hang the finch feeder from this. Today, I trimmed about a foot off the top of the pole and I'll put a tray feeder resting on top. I need to get some longer screws, though, so that might be for next weekend. I also got a new birdfeeder for the small birds that I'll hang from one of the pecan tree branches. It's got a cage around it that's just big enough for finches, sparrows, chickadees, etc. to get through, so they won't have to fight with the squirrels and bigger birds for food.
I'm pretty tired now, even after a hot shower, and I'm starting to get hungry. So that's all for now.
As I was planting under the pecan tree, I heard a noise and saw it was a squirrel. It was watching me pretty closely. It ran off when I tried to see how close I could get, but about 10 minutes later, as I was taking a break watching the water in the creek from near where I used to have the squirrel feeder, it came back. It sat on a cut-off branch about 3 feet above my head and gave me the eye. I know exactly what it was trying to say to me, too: "When are you going to put out the sunflower seeds, lady?!?" I told it to wait another week or two.
I did get a start on my bird/critter feeder project. A couple of years ago, I took the trunk of a small, dead tree that had fallen and set it in cement just outside the fence. I had always planned to make a birdfeeding station out of it. That first summer, all I got around to was putting a squirrel snacker on it, and last summer I had bigger things on my mind. So this year, I'm going to finish it off. Last week I drilled a 1-inch hole in one side, where I'll insert a dowel cut to about 1 foot. I'll hang the finch feeder from this. Today, I trimmed about a foot off the top of the pole and I'll put a tray feeder resting on top. I need to get some longer screws, though, so that might be for next weekend. I also got a new birdfeeder for the small birds that I'll hang from one of the pecan tree branches. It's got a cage around it that's just big enough for finches, sparrows, chickadees, etc. to get through, so they won't have to fight with the squirrels and bigger birds for food.
I'm pretty tired now, even after a hot shower, and I'm starting to get hungry. So that's all for now.
Friday, September 01, 2006
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