Health

Well, got the oil in a pan, reached for the bottle of popcorn, poured air into the pan, turned the burner off and here we are.

In other news, I got my newsletter from Lovelace (that's whom I have medical insurance with through work). The back page has their "New Year's Challenge." The ten things you can do to improve your health. In condensed form . . .

(1) Exercise, (2) Drink water instead of other stuff, (3) eat more whole foods and vegetables, (4) chose better carbohydrates - avoid white flour, rice, sweets, eat more greens -n- beans, (5) get away from the boob-tube - get physical, pickup hobbies, learn something, (6) enhance your bonds with friends and family, (7) Have a little bit of your own fun everyday, (8) Do something nice for others each day, (9) See your doc regularly, and (10) have some quite time everyday.

There ya go folks! Ah better you in 2009.

Parking Lot

Ohhhhh!!! The freeway a parking lot. You'd better believe it. I've seen traffic backed up at this location, but never like this.

Now I'm sitting on the freeway interchange from I25 N to I40 W. Luckily, I was off at the next exit. AND - so were A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE. You see, this stretch of freeway is one of only three way's to get across the river to the West Side. Now the way to the next closest bridge across the river just happens to be on my way home! Can you see where this is going? Again, I've seen backups before where folks get off at my exit and go down a couple of streets, then back on the freeway. Leaving only a short bit of pain for me before I'm in the clear. Not today. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was on their way to the next bridge. I skipped several streets hoping I knew more about my neighborhood then they do. Fat chance. Did I say I've never seen it this bad? It took me 40 minutes to get home. Normally, about 15 minutes when I leave work at the time I did.

In - other more pleasant news, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is going on. Took this yesterday at a stop light just off the freeway.

The Balloon Fiesta will be going on through Sunday. Unless we get more bad weather. Last Sunday morning's events were cancels due to rain and wind. The weather man yesterday said that a storm is rolling in Friday that may bring SNOW! Please not now, pleeeeeease. Not because the Fiesta is happening, but because I'm such a cold weather wimp.

Had a doctor's appointment yesterday too. Things are looking good and I'm going on a trial run going off the high blood pressure meds. Let's hope for the best folks.

Frazzled Daze

The big day is over! I had my third test today in my Statics and Dynamics class. And I actually think I did really well on it. We'll find out on Monday.

Today though, has been a strange day on the personal front. The day started fine as I woke up by alarm clock at 4am as I have for the last several weeks. I laid there longer than normal though, around an hour and a half thinking about problems and reviewing stuff in my head. I started getting sleepy around 9, and decided to take a short cat nap, something I've dubbed "Take 9." I have a timer with me on the couch set for nine minutes and after I stop squirming under the blanket, hit start and drift away. Does wonders I tell ya - EXCEPT for today. I came out of it with the shakes and chills. I just can't figure it out. This crap lasted through the test and carried on through lunch afterwards. It finally started going away when I went for a long walk after eating lunch. Another side affect stuck around a little longer - that is feeling down on myself, depressed if you want to call it that. That finally went away later at work once I got my head wrapped around some work problems.

So I felt good heading out of work and toward the gym. I skipped my late afternoon meal since I wanted to get my ass in the gym to cure the day. The gym was going to be my therapist since the earlier part of the day was so frazzled and I had not been in the gym for about nine day's. So much for therapy. While there, I went into another one of my heavy breathing, numb hands and feet modes. This is something I've been working with the doctor on and he thinks I'm hyperventilating. So this episode happened to be a hard hitter. Hard enough that the gym staff called 911. Things ended up fine and I left on my own accord. One interesting question was randomly asked was "Have you had your blood sugar checked?" "No."

So hence began a web search when I got home (and after I ate I tell ya). "Low blood sugar." Funny thing is a few of the symptoms listed are what I was experiencing. Interesting. Two conditions that can bring it on an episode - skipping a meal and strenuous exercise. Hmmmmm.

So I guess the next step is to do more research into that and mention it to my doctor.

Well will you look at that - it's 11:05 "PM." Well past my bedtime. - Cheers.

Knee Me

Here we are back in the saddle on a Saturday afternoon / evening. Nothing much new on the home front except that I started going to the doctor last week for some physical therapy on my left knee. It's just a "bulge" if you will on my knee. Doctor said its fluid buildup and he could probably just drain it, but most likely it would return. So he said physical therapy is the way to go.

Anyways, reading the contract you have to sign before they will treat you has this interesting statement that revolves around the indication that some of the Physicians, Residents, Medical Students, and Nurses may be that of independent contractors:

(1) I have received adequate notification of this relationship and that the hospital is released from liability and is not legally responsible for the acts or omissions of such individuals.

(2) The hospital has not represented or taken any other action to induce me to believe that the physicians, residents, medical students and nurses are employees or agents of the hospital.

Hmmm. Talk about wiping your hands clean.

Monday Babble

Well I'm back. And I might add that I'm back in one piece for that matter. On the way home from work on the freeway, I witnessed what I think was a little bit of road rage gong on. Two cars flew by me (going well over 65 mph) at first looking like they were playing chase. As they were driving side by side, one car changed lanes towards the other car causing that car to move and nearly hit the car in the next lane. Slammed breaks and swerving almost out of control, nearly rolling over, he finally corrected himself. Then the chase began again as that car floored the gas pedal to catch up to the other car. I really looked like one of the two pissed of the other. They took a connecting freeway going in the opposite direction from were I was headed. Thank goodness. I only hope that they don't cause further problems down the road. HopeFULLY!

On a lighter note, I spent yesterday hiking the Pecos Wilderness. A good day, but a long one as well. Got to moms place around 9:20. Got back to my place about 9:50pm. LOTS of driving, but the trip was worth it. We hiked about six miles (according to our info booklet) and saw some good stuff. Check out the photos.









The postponement of the petroglyph's was well worth it. Perhaps, that will be next weeks adventure. But up front next week Friday and Saturday will be helping with moms garage sale! That will be fun, or NOT! We'll see how it goes. Apparently, Friday has become a hot day for yard sales. We've tried the Friday thing before with varied success. Stories later on that one.

For now though, I've got a couple of things completed tonight. That would be washing the dishes and getting some important medical bills ready to go out tomorrow. I've been blowing off the medical bills longer that I should have. I tried to get a payment plan going with the folks, but it hasn't panned out. So I'm just paying it all and getting it over with. Not my preference, but I'll live. So now I'm blogging still looking at this message at the bottom of the current browser window that says "Transferring data from ???". I hope all those photo's get up on this blog OK. Well let me take a look and sort things out, then grab a bite to eat. P.B. and J. I say. Chow all!

- Mighty

Maybe News

Hello folks. How'z it go'en? Good I hope. So today was a good day at work. Yet again, stuff to do seemed to fall out of the sky. Which is good seeing how this morning, I was wondering what the hell I was going to do today. I like it that way. Now what I'm I going to do tomorrow? Fuck if I know. I guess I'll find out when I walk in the front door.

News Flash !!! Sprint to Office Max. They got 2GB Verbatim jump drives on sale for 20 bucks. Scored one at lunch today. I know, I know. Next week 4GB's will probably be on sale for 10 bucks. Oh well :(

So I hunted down the medical benefits hand book tonight. I also threw out a bunch of crap as well! I pulled down the box that has my important papers and started rummaging through it. Why the hell do I still have this? Old car insurance papers and medical benefit info. Let me tell ya, the box was a whole lot lighter when I put it away. Time for a recycle run. OK, back to the subject - medical benefits hand book. I searched through for info on patient payment responsibility and sure enough, the $600 I owe is just about the right amount based on the pay plan. My plan caps out at $1500 / yr, so everything over that is covered. So . . . I'm really happy to owe $600 relatively speaking.

Welp, that's about all the news that might be news that could be considered news. Ha. See ya.

Secure the Flag!

And here it is - Tuesday, the twelfth day of June. It was yet another cloudy, cool, day in the Land of Enchantment. Again, more strangeness to this odd summer. Although that could be turning around. I spoke to the weather channel (my mom) earlier tonight and she says the weather is suppose to be getting warmer going into the weekend. Supposedly, into the 90's. Oh Yeah! Bring it on! I for one am ready for the heat. Of course, I'm fully aware that I'll probably be crying once it gets here, but hey!, at least it might start to feel like a normal summer for once.

In other news, I got a new medical bill in the mail. And I tell ya, I'm going to have to research the benefits on this one. Six hundred bucks I owe! That is, out of a $2000 total bill. I really should not be crying, but I'm still going to make a phone call or two. Investigative research I tell you.

On the camera front, I'm beginning to wonder where it might be legal to take a picture. I got questioned again today on my lunch time photo safari. This one happened where I got today's random photo. I had taken some artsy fartsy angle shots out in the entryway courtyard and was working on the flag when a building security guard came out and told me that this was private property and I needed to get permission from inside before I could take pictures. He asked what I was taking pictures of. I told him and then he replies if that was all I needed. I said yes and asked if he'd like to see the shots I'd taken. He said no, that's fine. Then walked back toward his post. I left the scene. In the end, he was cool about it. But . . . am I that naive? Is it 9-11. What's the deal?

And as a last note, I'll have to say that I nearly put the weather channel to sleep just by talking. So I've come up with this little diddly. Sing along to the tune of Rock-a-by Baby:

Rock ah by mommy,
On the telephone,
Which way her head rocks
No one will know.

OK, OK, the rest of the tune slips me, but y'all get the idea. - Cheers!

How a month goes by.

Well it's been a month since I had my hyperparathyroid surgery. It seems like it's been a lot longer. The final bit of tenderness around the incision is healing just fine. Not to gross anyone out or anything, but I thought I would show a couple of photo's. The first is the day of the surgery, May 2nd, and the second is today.





The doctors say that if I massage it for 30 minutes daily and keep the sunblock on it over the summer, it should be barely visible by the Fall. I'm looking forward to that. Other than that, just keeping up with the blood pressure meds and taking calcium supplements. Doctor says that on average, the bones rebuild themselves the most in the first six months after this type of surgery. What I'm referring to is the increase in bone density due to calcium absorption.

Well, the only other thing on my mind now is this pesky message from Qwest (my new landline phone carrier) when you call someone and the line is busy. Long gone are the short toned pulses that are the hallmark of the line is tied up. Now a friendly female voice answers The line is busy. For an additional 75 cents, Qwest can continue to try the line and call you when it is available. I think my fingers work just fine thank you very much.

Looks like it's about time for a late night bite. So I think I'll tidy up this post and get the jaws exercising. Cheers.

Tool was Too Cool

Great concert last night. First time I have seen Tool. Opening band was some unknown. Oh, get off the stage already! Thankfully, they only played for about 30 minutes. Tool kicked in about 30 minutes later. Played for about 2.5 hours. I only have two complains: (1) the lead singer could have stepped up closer to the fans. He stayed on a platform at the rear of the stage the whole time. (2) the musical interludes in between songs sometimes dragged too long. Keep it shorter please. But otherwise, for this Tool newbie, no other complaints.

Now, if I could only get myself to not feel the pain of finals week that I feel for some of my fellow friends and coworkers that are having to deal with it this week. I know all too well what this weeks is like and I wish them the best as the week comes to a close. I myself would normally be sweating it out this week as well, but since I succumbed to destiny, I'm home free. My hyper parathyroid issue has certainly taken precedence. I, for one, just don't seem to care about school at the moment. Which is a stark change from my normal mode of having school almost constantly on my mind. I should be worried about what classes I want / need to take in the Fall, and get myself signed up for them. But . . . I think I'll deal with that later. Should I care? Well - Yeah! Does it bother me? Not so much right now.

Speaking of hyper parathyroid, my post surgery wound continues to heal well. My heads range of motion improves every day as the skin at the incision heals and allows a bit more stretch than before. I am super, ultra pleased with how this surgery has went. I would have expected to be out of action a lot longer, but so far, my recovery has been just awesome. At this rate, I'll probably give shaving a try this weekend. Say bye bye hobo. Ha!

Not Again!

Well looks like I'll (and maybe a good number of other listeners) be suffering again with the next radio medical contest. The radio station that gave us two (2) (dos) $10000 cosmetic surgery makeovers is now giving away one (1) (ono) $10000 prize in laser hair removal. Come'on folks, break out the razor or give it up!

Saw the doctor today regarding some whittie/yelowie pussie fluid that started coming from around my incision area last night. Good news is it's nothing to worry about. The area the fluid is coming from is probably just an area that got burned when they were patching things up. Bad news is she almost doesn't want to see me again! How could she! She said the wound is healing wonderfully and it is at my discretion if I want to see her again on my scheduled May 18th appointment with her. [sniffle] She doesn't like me anymore.

Otherwise, what a day outside. Blue sky, low wind, warmer (keep going) temp. All while being stuck inside. How about that. Well time to go blow this Popsicle stand and head for home. Take a break before heading out a bit later. Cheers All.

Friday afternoon / evening

OK, so where do I stand this Friday. Well the only real general discomfort today has been soreness around the cut area. Although the area has become a little larger, it hasn't become too uncomfortable. The area seems to bother me more when I stretch the skin around that area. Wait - we need Abby to figure this one out: Dear Abby, . . .

For example, laying on my back is uncomfortable while laying on my side is okay. Probably because the skin is loose in that area. Yesterday's side sleeping/waking effect in the hands occurred only for a short period this morning, maybe 20 minutes or so an not near as bad as yesterday.

Other, new, side effects for today. Oh boy! Well I had about a 45 minute stint this morning where my heart beat was just pounding. Beat was not irregular or speedy, just every beat seemed to rattle my entire upper chest. Glad that eventually went away. The other oddity today - my unaided vision seems worse than normal. I hope this does not last long. We shall see.

I have managed to pull four hours of work today. This has went pretty well. I've tried to sit most of the time, but the general nature of my work is more physical work rather than desk work. So keeping my ass planted has been a challenge. Overall though, I've been feeling better as the day has progressed. I think moving around a bit today has helped. And another thing - amazing as it may be - I'm not all too tired right now. Is this because I've got two day's of rest behind me, or because of post surgery relief? mmmmmmmm.

Well that's it for now. Time to head home and rest. It's now overcast and very windy outside. I left my coat in the car earlier, so hopefully the wind doesn't have a chill to it. See Ya.

Thursday update

Here's a Thursday update for you all. Been doing real well today. As long as I don't overextend myself, I'm able to function pretty well. Its become apparent, although no real surprise, that I'll have to take it easy for a few weeks. No strenuous activity for a while. The incision on my neck feels pretty good as long as I keep my head facing forward and tilted down a bit.

I did have an interesting side effect this morning. I woke up with my feet and hands a little numb and tingly. Feels like a combination of them simultaneously going to sleep and waking up. As the morning progressed, my feet returned to normal while my hands progressively got worse until it reached a stabilizing point. This feeling lasted until about noon or so, then gradually subsided. It did return briefly later, but only briefly. With this effect, I wondered if it could be blood pressure related. As in, my blood pressure had fallen too low post surgery. So, this morning, I called the Q&A number listed on the paperwork I got yesterday. Left a message. Received phone call. Around 1:30pm. Not happy. Why have this phone number listed if no ones going to cover the phone or it will take 4 to 5 hours to return the call. Ummmm! Anyways, the cause of the problem could be changes in electrolyte activity as the body adjusts to the new hormone levels (from post surgery) or could indeed be a result of blood pressure. Broad answer, could be many things that are causing it. So, later in the day, I went with my brother up to Walgreen's to measure it. It's still high, so I'll resume my blood pressure meds tomorrow. At least it is not low, which is why I skipped my meds this morning. I assume it will take a few weeks for my body to fully readjust. We shall see.

For now though, it is time to get back to relaxing a bit. I had a nice nap this afternoon lasting around 90 minutes. Was great! Tomorrow, I think I will try to swing a half day of work. I'm still at my folks place. My brother has to swing by the area of town I live in in the morning anyways, so I'll just hitch a ride then. Grab my car and plan on working the latter half of tomorrow.

There's the latest folks. Hope all's well in your neck of the woods.
CHEERS!!

Surgery Update

Hello folks! Things are going well, so I thought I'd pop in with an update. Surgery when well. Doctor J. indicated that she found the overactive parathyroid without much trouble. They put me under around 9:45am or so and I started to become conscious around 12:30. Doctors indicated that they put me in recovery around 11:30. The incision cut was on my neck just above the two bones that begin to define your shoulders. It is about one or so inches long. No stitches! They are using some new "glue" like substance that, well, glues the cut together. Pretty cool, eh.

The other really cool thing is that the post pain from surgery has been very little so far. Heavier at first, but has subsided as the day has progressed. That being since I left the hospital and got to my place around 1:30 or so. Then took the drive (okay, passengers drive) to mom's place around 4pm. So now just chill'en the night away till I go to bed later. I also have instructions to place an ice bag on it in half-hour increments. That is half-hour ON, half-hour OFF, etc.

I had a little bit to eat around 5 and my tummy is starting to talk to me. Time to make a phone call and then delve into a little more food. I'm eating light meals right now while I'm in recovery. I'll eat larger meals starting tomorrow.

Well, time to make that phone call, and dig up some food. Cheers!

Show time

Surgery time: 10:15am
Arrival time: anywhere 8 - 8:30
Time to get ready this morning: 50 minutes
Normal morning routine time: around 2 hours
Weather: overcast and a bit rainy
Odor: fresh, brisk, clean air. Gotta love it.

IBS
Do not quiver my child, for today is the day you will open your eyes.

Planning the night

Hello folks,

Here's a short blurb before I leave work for the day. Tomorrow is my surgery, so I'll probably skip this blog for a day or two. Since I've never really learned how to check phone messages at home remotely, I'll find out what time I have to be in tomorrow when I get home. Wish me luck! This surgery is done outpatient, so I'm hoping things go smooth.

Well the day started out pretty nice, then within a few hours after lunch, the wind and rainy clouds have arrived. Should make for good resting tonight if this keeps up. So with that in mind, I'm going to head for home, rest up and plan a late evening meal just before the eight hour fast begins.

Take care folks.

IBS
When dark clouds loom high above, pause and pace yourself with the clouds. For when the skies fever breaks, the sun will revitalize your drive.

Getting close

Oh Yeah! What a great dinner suggestion from K. Egg and Salomi on toasted bread. Wow! Follow it up with a Swiss Cake and some vanilla ice cream. Good stuff. That should hold me over until the morning. I hope.

Anyways, I am now a day away from my surgery to correct the hyper parathyroid condition that I have. I have not been told yet what time to show up Wednesday. They will probably tell me late tomorrow. I already know that I cannot have any food or drink for eight hour prior to the surgery. That SUCKS. I can only hope my tummy does not go into pain splitting mode from hunger. But, we shall see. So far, I have been very fascinated by this whole process I've been going through. Recall, that this whole thing started when I commented to my doctor that I simply could not stay awake during class (college) or during my attempts to study. Over the last four months, there have been a multitude of blood test, a radiology scan, a cat scan, x-ray's, and a 24 hour urine test to determine (and verify as best as possible) that I have hyperparathyrodism. So here we go. Wednesday is the day.

What looms beyond the surgery? I will be very interested to find out. Will I not be as tired? Will my metabolism subside? Will I gain improved memory and comprehension skills? Are there other side effects that I have not noticed until post surgery and reflection? I don't know. Facing this unknown has made an interesting journey and I look forward to seeing where it leads.

Mark your calender

The date is set folks. I saw the surgeon today and after discussing a few things have a date set for surgery in two weeks. That is, on Wednesday, May 2. Best case scenario, I'll arrive and leave the same day. Worst case scenario - let's not go there. This should be interesting. I did have to sign some paperwork. One of which states that if I die on the operating table, the hospital is not liable. And I was asked if I had ever made a will. Nope. I cannot eat or drink for eight hours before the surgery. I guess I'll just have to think about the grassy knoll while my stomach cries.

IBS
Live for tomorrow, for the ball you roll today, picks up momentum tomorrow.

Oh Hummmm

That pretty much describes the mood at the moment. Work was busy today. I'm been trying to fix a piece of equipment over the last few day's. Turns out I've been chasing a sub problem that may be causing the equipment failure. But turns out I've been spinning my wheels. Frustrating. I've learned a lot about the system in the process, but alas, the quest has been to fix it rather than take a detour. At least I've got some other idea's. And at least I've discovered some events that should be happening that are not. So hopefully this will help lead a solution.

Well, on the horizon tomorrow is the doctors appointment with the surgeon who specializes in this hyperparathyroid operation. This will be the initial consultation. Meet-n-greet. "Hi, how are you?, I'll slit your neck here," that sort of stuff. That appointment will be at 11:00. On the plus side, it's at the hospitals Women's Hospital. Oh Yeah!

What else, what else. Well we all know Virginia Tech Asshole sent a package of stuff to NBC. What a field day for the media. At least we know some of his motives now. And like that atones for the suffering he has imposed. Bullshit. I wonder if nations response to protect places of education will feel like post nine-eleven. We'll see. But of course, it's hot news now. What happens in a week or two. The news flash is over and not near as exciting anymore. Time for the media to move on and the nation to emotionally dwell on something else.

Enough ramble on that topic. Other than that, just attempting to fight off the urge to take a nap. Tomorrow will find me getting an early start. I've got to run a process on an equipment set before I head off to the hospital. I SHOULD be in around 7:30, but since snails are stiff competition for me on most mornings, we'll have to see.

Random Word
Palfrey - a saddle horse other than a war horse : a ligh easy gaited horse suitable for a woman.

Cheers folks

The Response

Here is the response from the academic advisor regarding my previous post.

R.
Hi, [Mighty]:

Thanks much for letting me know what is going on with your situation.

I am wondering if you are suffering from some kind of anxiety or depression and need to make an appointment with your primary care or family doctor to see if you could even be anemic. Maybe that is what is holding you back from retaining information, falling asleep in class and just in general not being very productive.

I do think it is a good idea to take some time off and evaluate your goals. Maybe engineering is not the right field for you if you are struggling with Math and Physics, because engineering is so very rooted in both those disciplines and engineers work with both the rest of their lives. If you can't get a good grasp on them now, then it worries me that you may have difficulty in struggling later on when it comes to finding a job or keeping one.

The time limit on classes doesn't really apply here for undergrads, but as I mentioned, if the curriculum changes during the time you are off, then there will be different classes to take and that may take more time for you to complete your degree at that point. This could cause more frustration on your part.

I am also worried that if all you take is one or two Humanities or Social Science classes and only get Cs or just about that, then the Probation and Suspension Committee may look at that as "not making progress towards his degree" and does have the authority to suspend a student for not making progress towards the degree. That Committee is looking to see if a student is taking the real ECE courses that apply towards the Bachelor of Science in EE degree, which constitutes making progress towards the degree, even if that student is only taking one class every semester, at least it is in engineering itself and is definitely making progress towards the degree.

One class a semester would not normally be anybody's concern, but since you are on Probation with the School of Engineering, then it may become a problem is that class is just a Humanities or Social Science, Fine Arts or Foreign Language class, even though those are definitely needed on the curriculum. If an A or B is achieved in those classes, then, of course, that constitutes "making progress towards the degree". But I have definitely seen in the past where if a student continues to take one class each semester and gets only Cs, then the Committee will either continued that student on SOE Probation or suspend for a semester.

I hope I have answered some of your questions and concerns; but I would start with a visit to a family doctor and get some blood work done to see if you are anemic and go from there.

Stop by if you want to discuss this more in person.

Take care, [Mighty], and get some rest and sleep - maybe you are not sleeping well either, with worry or anxiety or even breathing problems. If you have allergies or asthma, that will affect your sleeping patterns and of course, will make you drag around all day long -

Let me know what else you need -


[Mighty] (my response to her)
Thank you for the input. It is appreciated. In regards to the probability that my problems are the result of a medical issue, this is a very high possibility. After three months of various testing with Lovelace, I have been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism. Diagnosis was initially conceived in February, and subsequent test have tested positive for this condition. There are many potential side effects of this condition. The most common being fatigue and tiredness. Other common side effects include problems with memory and concentration. It is difficult to know how much these conditions are truly having an affect on my academic performance verses the other potential that my brain just isn't wired for the EE program. I think it is obvious, though, that tiredness is affecting me. Obviously, I don't know how long I've had this condition, so it is difficult to know how many months (or years) my academic performance may have suffered as a result.

Any way's that's sort of a "health" update for you just to let you know. I've got an initial consultation appointment next week Thursday with the surgeon who specializes in this area (surgery is the only "cure" for this condition, especially at my "young" age).

Anal Mighty : Dishes

Well the evening is rolling on. After what seems to be a now regular activity after getting home from work, napping, I changed many of the music CD's I've got in my car "wallet." I've had that setup for quite some time. It will be refreshing to have a change of musical options in the car. Dinner tonight was two slices toasted bread with a filling of an egg and a slice of salami. On another note, I've got my appointment set to for the initial consultation with the surgeon who specializes in the hyperparathyroid operation. That will be on April 19th. So the next mission is Dishes!

Something I'm pretty anal about. Here's the scoop. All dishes must be pre-rinsed. Greasy dishes MUST have a pre-wash with soap and paper towel. Now the official washing can begin. Washes progress in the following order (deviation rarely accepted): glasses, silverware, utensils, glass bowls, pots and pans, then skillets. Now we pause. Dry the glasses, outside and rim only, and set on the stove to dry overnight. Dry pots, pans, skillets, and glass bowls. It is, acceptable, to allow the silverware to air dry. Now we move on to washing the plates, bowls, misc items, and finally, plastic containers (from all those leftovers, yummmm). Afterwards, plastic containers are "shaken" to sling off water. Air dry. I've got it down to a science.

So without further delay . . .I'm off to battle. - Cheers.