I just opened my blog and everything was fixed. I had replaced all the xml with a copy of the code that I'd have saved on my laptop (thanks for the suggestion, Liz.) The replacement didn't work, or so I thought. But then I logged back on after a few hours, it was fixed and I came here to post that maybe I did know what I was doing. But now it's wacky again.
Beth and Ellemes -- it looks normal? Does it look ok to any one else? What I'm seeing is that the right hand column is missing and is mushed into the left.
I've tried viewing it as a guest, logged in, on Safari, Firefox and Chrome and it's the same thing. Arrrgh!
Gonna have to try to do something with it tomorrow. Hot date tonight.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
HTML rescue, please!
I know a little bit about HTML. I can usually get into the code and make some minor changes on my blog. But I can't write code and I can't make major fixes. Which leaves me right now in a bit of a pickle because it seems that the entire right side of my blog is messed up, as in gone and doesn't exist.
I've been contemplating a blog re-design, but I wasn't quite ready for it right now. Though it kind of looks like that decision might have been made for me.
Ugh!
I've been contemplating a blog re-design, but I wasn't quite ready for it right now. Though it kind of looks like that decision might have been made for me.
Ugh!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Frazzled Friday Frags
"Thank God it's Friday" doesn't even begin to cover how I feel about the end of this week. Frazzled is a good way to describe it. But I'm happy to distract myself with a foray into Mrs. 4444's Friday Fragments.
And lucky us, Mrs. 4444s is having a playdate with Danifred of Sippy Cups are Not for Starbucks (is that the best blog name ever or what?!), who serves up her own fun with Friday Night Leftovers.
With all the great frags and leftovers to click and read, who needs to rent a movie on Friday night?
***********************************
I made the most delicious discovery the other day. Chocolate-covered Peeps! Can you stand it? They come in dark and milk chocolate and are really yummy. They don't have that wonderful gritty sugar that regular Peeps do, but I'll forgive them. Also, the inside marshmallow yumminess is neon yellow, which I could have done without. But of course that didn't stop me from eating the dark chocolate version. I gave the milk chocolate to Mike. Wasn't that nice of me?
********************************
I used to spend hours watching the TLC channel. It started when I was pregnant with Annie and I got sucked into "A Baby Story." Then came "Trading Spaces." Then "What Not to Wear" and "Say Yes to the Dress."
Now, I'm convinced that TLC stands for "The Little Channel." Seriously, how many shows about little people can one nation watch? "Little People, Big World." "The Little Couple." "Little Chocolatiers." And now "Our Little Family." Big overkill, if you ask me.
********************************
Cilantro lime fish. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? It did to me, too, until I saw it was being offered at Burger King. Thanks, I'll just have a Whopper Jr., no cheese, no mayo, please.
********************************
Being more organized and having a neater, less messy existence is always on my to do list. But there are times that erring on the side of slobbiness is beneficial. Yesterday, for example. I was on the treadmill at the gym when I realized that when I packed my clothes to change into for work (after a shower, thankyouverymuch), I forgot to include a bra. So it was either wear my sweaty sports bra to work -- utter a collective "ewwwww" here -- or stop at the store to buy a new bra to wear.
A few minutes later, still running and still sweating, I remembered...I had a bra in the back seat of my car! For all you gutter-minds out there, it had been in another bag that I'd had to quickly repurpose for one of the kids so I just tossed the bra into the back seat. For once, not adhering to my mother's "Everything Out of the Car" song had paid off!
*******************************
Today I'm wearing the one piece of really gaudy costume jewelry that I own:
I bought it for $4 at Global Gifts. I saw it and wanted it, but decided to pass. A few months later, I saw it again and still wanted it so I bought it. Best $4 I've spent in a long while. It's obnoxiously large, but it makes me happy!
*******************************
For those of you following Mike's elephant leg saga (here and here), we're at the orthopod's office right now getting an MRI. I sure hope it's nothing, but if it is, it will be a very expensive nothing.
Update: Just got a call from the doc about Mike's leg. Assuming my best Arnold voice: "It's naht a toomur." It is, however, a big bag a fluid that is pushing all the muscles out and down, causing swelling and pain. I said, "Now you know what it feels like to be pregnant!"
On Monday, the doc is going to attempt to drain it. If that doesn't work or if the fluid looks to be infected, they'll take him straight to surgery.
That's all I've got. Hope you have a fraggin' awesome weekend!
And lucky us, Mrs. 4444s is having a playdate with Danifred of Sippy Cups are Not for Starbucks (is that the best blog name ever or what?!), who serves up her own fun with Friday Night Leftovers.
With all the great frags and leftovers to click and read, who needs to rent a movie on Friday night?
***********************************
I made the most delicious discovery the other day. Chocolate-covered Peeps! Can you stand it? They come in dark and milk chocolate and are really yummy. They don't have that wonderful gritty sugar that regular Peeps do, but I'll forgive them. Also, the inside marshmallow yumminess is neon yellow, which I could have done without. But of course that didn't stop me from eating the dark chocolate version. I gave the milk chocolate to Mike. Wasn't that nice of me?
********************************
I used to spend hours watching the TLC channel. It started when I was pregnant with Annie and I got sucked into "A Baby Story." Then came "Trading Spaces." Then "What Not to Wear" and "Say Yes to the Dress."
Now, I'm convinced that TLC stands for "The Little Channel." Seriously, how many shows about little people can one nation watch? "Little People, Big World." "The Little Couple." "Little Chocolatiers." And now "Our Little Family." Big overkill, if you ask me.
********************************
Cilantro lime fish. Sounds yummy, doesn't it? It did to me, too, until I saw it was being offered at Burger King. Thanks, I'll just have a Whopper Jr., no cheese, no mayo, please.
********************************
Being more organized and having a neater, less messy existence is always on my to do list. But there are times that erring on the side of slobbiness is beneficial. Yesterday, for example. I was on the treadmill at the gym when I realized that when I packed my clothes to change into for work (after a shower, thankyouverymuch), I forgot to include a bra. So it was either wear my sweaty sports bra to work -- utter a collective "ewwwww" here -- or stop at the store to buy a new bra to wear.
A few minutes later, still running and still sweating, I remembered...I had a bra in the back seat of my car! For all you gutter-minds out there, it had been in another bag that I'd had to quickly repurpose for one of the kids so I just tossed the bra into the back seat. For once, not adhering to my mother's "Everything Out of the Car" song had paid off!
*******************************
Today I'm wearing the one piece of really gaudy costume jewelry that I own:
I bought it for $4 at Global Gifts. I saw it and wanted it, but decided to pass. A few months later, I saw it again and still wanted it so I bought it. Best $4 I've spent in a long while. It's obnoxiously large, but it makes me happy!
*******************************
For those of you following Mike's elephant leg saga (here and here), we're at the orthopod's office right now getting an MRI. I sure hope it's nothing, but if it is, it will be a very expensive nothing.
Update: Just got a call from the doc about Mike's leg. Assuming my best Arnold voice: "It's naht a toomur." It is, however, a big bag a fluid that is pushing all the muscles out and down, causing swelling and pain. I said, "Now you know what it feels like to be pregnant!"
On Monday, the doc is going to attempt to drain it. If that doesn't work or if the fluid looks to be infected, they'll take him straight to surgery.
That's all I've got. Hope you have a fraggin' awesome weekend!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Scenes from the ER
Our visit to Mike's orthopedic surgeon yesterday earned us a "Do Not Pass Go. Cough up $200. Go Directly to the Emergency Room" pass.
The good news is that Mike's x-rays at the ortho's office looked good. No damage to all the doc's hard work last November. But beyond that, the surgeon was stumped. He said this is clearly not an orthopedic issue. So he stepped out of the exam room to call Mike's family doctor, whom Mike had seen a week prior.
After some back and forth discussion in which the ortho guy said "No, this is not a pulled muscle" (yes, I was listening with my ear pressed against the door), the two docs decided the best option was to send us to the Emergency Room.
Maybe it's the journalist in me, or perhaps the irreverant and could-be-more-supportive wife, but I snapped a few pics along the way:
The good news is that Mike's x-rays at the ortho's office looked good. No damage to all the doc's hard work last November. But beyond that, the surgeon was stumped. He said this is clearly not an orthopedic issue. So he stepped out of the exam room to call Mike's family doctor, whom Mike had seen a week prior.
After some back and forth discussion in which the ortho guy said "No, this is not a pulled muscle" (yes, I was listening with my ear pressed against the door), the two docs decided the best option was to send us to the Emergency Room.
Maybe it's the journalist in me, or perhaps the irreverant and could-be-more-supportive wife, but I snapped a few pics along the way:
This is not the most reassuring quote to have
at the entrance to the Emergency Room.
He didn't think it was so funny, but I thought the fact
they put Mike in an OB/GYN room was worth a giggle.
(Don't worry, he does have skivvies on under that gown, so no use trying to enlarge the pic for a better view.)
Once we were settled into the room, we were greeted by a doctor who obviously had left his bedside manner at home. He was pretty hostile about the fact that the ortho doc had sent us to the ER when Mike had a normal ultrasound just two days prior. Every time I opened my mouth to say something, he practically ran right over me with his own excuse as to why that wouldn't work or why what I was saying didn't make sense.
As they wheeled Mike away for another ultrasound and some other specialized scan, I took out my frustrations about the doc on Facebook. (Thanks to those of you who offered suggestions and support.)
Then I checked my work e-mail, only to find out that my boss had left for the day to tend to one of her family members who was in an Emergency Room a few hours away.
I hit "reply all" and responded "I'm in the ER right now too, with Mike and a very large prick of a doctor."
Soon enough Mike came back. Good news: no blood clot. Bad news: no confirmation of what it is that is causing so much pain and swelling his leg up like a blowfish. Just a prescription for pain meds, instructions to ice and elevate and check back with the doctor in a few days.
Back at home, I checked my e-mail again to see that my "reply all" to my boss had also gone to her boss -- the Provost of the university!
We may be headed back to the ER...this time to remove my foot from my mouth.
Once we were settled into the room, we were greeted by a doctor who obviously had left his bedside manner at home. He was pretty hostile about the fact that the ortho doc had sent us to the ER when Mike had a normal ultrasound just two days prior. Every time I opened my mouth to say something, he practically ran right over me with his own excuse as to why that wouldn't work or why what I was saying didn't make sense.
As they wheeled Mike away for another ultrasound and some other specialized scan, I took out my frustrations about the doc on Facebook. (Thanks to those of you who offered suggestions and support.)
Then I checked my work e-mail, only to find out that my boss had left for the day to tend to one of her family members who was in an Emergency Room a few hours away.
I hit "reply all" and responded "I'm in the ER right now too, with Mike and a very large prick of a doctor."
Soon enough Mike came back. Good news: no blood clot. Bad news: no confirmation of what it is that is causing so much pain and swelling his leg up like a blowfish. Just a prescription for pain meds, instructions to ice and elevate and check back with the doctor in a few days.
Back at home, I checked my e-mail again to see that my "reply all" to my boss had also gone to her boss -- the Provost of the university!
We may be headed back to the ER...this time to remove my foot from my mouth.
Biggest Loser: It's back with Blue v. Black
Remember where we left off? Biggest Loser: Olympic Style
Darrell lost the challenge against Cheryl, holding a squat while balancing a torch on his head for just under 10 minutes. He has nothing to be ashamed of though; he lost 75 pounds in six weeks.
This week the contestants broke out of pairs into Blue vs. Black teams. The person who got to divide the teams was the winner of a food temptation. Only Drea and Michael decided to play. The game was set up like the old fashioned Memory game. The person who found two matching golden tickets would have the power.
If they selected two spaces that weren't a match, they would have to eat a cookie. I could see a lot of cookies in their future! Make a match of the snack foods -- some healthy, some crappy -- and the other person had to eat it and would lose a turn.
Both Michael and Drea start feeling sick from all the sugar and fat. When Drea handed Michael a blueberry muffin, he semi-jokingly said "I'm going to throw up on you." After a bit, Michael was getting the meat sweats (what movie is that from?), only this time it was the treat sweats.
Finally, after eating 2,310 calories worth of snacks, Michael found the two matching golden tickets, winning the right to make the teams, plus the chance to give one person immunity.
The teams were divided into 6 and 6, with one person given immunity. Next week, the person with immunity will join the team that loses a player at the weigh in.
So here is how Michael divided the players (former colors in parenthesis):
Black - Jillian
Sam (grey)
Cheryl (orange)
Drea (black)
Stephanie (purple)
Sherry (pink)
Ashley (pink)
Blue - Bob
Koli (grey)
Daris (orange)
Lance (red)
Miggy (green)
Sunshine (yellow)
Michael (white)
Michael gave immunity to O'Neal (yellow) and took the guaranteed spot on the Bob's Blue team. That insured he would be on the team he wanted. If he had taken immunity for himself, his fate would have fallen to whichever team lost the weigh in.
Once the teams were divided, Bob and Jillian came in and Jillian freaked out at how badly Michael stacked the Blue team. I really wanted the Black team to show up the Blue team on the scale. Bob tried to warn the Blue team not to get complacent and think they have the weigh in won already.
Michael kept saying he finally put himself first. Maybe it's a wrong assumption on my part, but a 30-something single man who still lives with mom and dad? My guess is that he's put first a lot.
Once the teams were divided, Ashley and Stephanie started talking about forming alliances.
The first Blue v. Black challenge took place off campus. They had to lift their teams banner from the ground to the top of a building -- standing on the roof. No flipping way. I would have sat down on the sidewalk right then and there.
The Blue team got off to an early lead, but the Black team pulled steadily in unison and stayed close behind. Every time the teams leaned back to pull the banner, I got the heebee jeebees, thinking that someone was going to fall of the side of the building.
Ultimately, Blue team won the challenge and the opportunity to read letters from home. Sam, on the losing Black team, had the best reaction:
"We're not here to get letters. We're here to lose weight. If we want letters, we can go to work for the post office."
Last chance work out -- Black team really kicked butt, but will it be enough?
Weigh in:
Blue Team: Total Lost - 48 pounds or 2.7%
Michael: -15 which means he set a new BL record: 109 pounds in 7 weeks
Sunshine: -7
Lance: -5 He'd hoped to get out of the 300's, but stopped right at 300.
Miggy: -4
Daris: -7
Koli: -10
So the Black Team needed to lose more than 39 pounds.
Drea: -5
Cheryl: -4
Sherry: -6
Sam: -8
Stephanie: -8
Ashley: -10!
The Black Team beat the Blue Team on the scale! Woohoo! 41 pounds or 2.82%. I'm not sure I have an opinion about which team I like better, but I was happy to see the underdogs win.
So the Blue Team went to the elimination room. I'm worried Sunshine would be sent home, but it was wasted worry. The votes all were cast for either Lance or Miggy.
I wish you all could sit with my husband during the weigh in. "Oh, he voted for Lance, but it's ok because he wrote 'sorry' with a little sad face." It just makes me giggle.
In the end, Miggy was voted off the ranch. Even though Lance had the lowest percentage of weight loss, his ability to win challenges saved him. In the transformation moment, Miggy said she's learned to meditate to help release her negative energy and she really did look much happier. She was down to 170 something.
They also showed Darrell's transformation. He's lost a total of 120 pounds, weighing in at just under 300 pounds.
Next week, I'm sure the Blue team will be gunning to get back at the Black team. Should make for good TV!
Pain in the...
Occasionally, I make a passing reference to Mike in my entries here. But generally, I don't talk about him because, frankly, he doesn't like it when I do. However, I'm breaking my rule to tell you a frustrating tale that we're living right now.
(If you're here from MagMoms, this will sound familiar. Feel free to scroll on down to "Buzz word.")
Mike hurt his knee playing racquetball (read: channeling his inner 16 year old) with the kids about 10 days ago. This is the same knee he had surgery on in November. It wasn't like a big major injury on the racquetball court, but he said he did notice it being sore from time to time as he was playing. Well that night, the knee swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. He was in quite a bit of pain and spent the weekend icing it and staying off it.
By Tuesday night, the swelling grew to include his calf and he was having severe calf pain. I was worried about a blood clot, so he went to the family doc on Wednesday. (He'd called the surgeon who did the knee surgery, but never got a return call. Don't get me started...) The family doc looked at it, said he didn't think it was a clot and used a needle to drain some of the fluid. That bought him about 6 hours of mild relief.
Once the initial relief of the needle aspiration was over, he was using his crutches and really unable to get around at all. Thursday afternoon, he called the surgeon again but he couldn't get an appointment until Tuesday (today). So he just kept icing it and taking ibuprofen. By Friday afternoon, he was in real pain. I'm sure traipsing around at the Go Red for Women luncheon didn't help. We called the family doc again, since the surgeon's office had been oh so helpful, and they called in an Rx for some pain meds and said he could see the family doc today (Monday).
Saturday night, he woke me about 2am and showed me that the swelling had moved up to include his thigh as well. I used a tape measure to see that his right thigh (injured leg) was swollen to 4 inches bigger in circumference than the left leg. By Sunday afternoon, it was 6 inches, so we went to the ER.
At the ER, they did an ultrasound and assured us (again) there's no clot. Then they sent us home with instructions to keep doing what we're doing and see the surgeon on Tuesday. They did give him an oral antibiotic in case there's an infection. His leg is so swollen that he can't bend the knee at all. He's in pain. He's not sleeping (so I'm not sleeping, hence the mid-of-the-night blogging). He can't drive, can't walk and is quite frankly depressed about the whole situation.
Please pray that the surgeon has some real answers for him. He/we just can't keep this going like we have been for the last 10 days.
I've been googling like mad, trying to come up with a diagnosis -- because you know, doctors love it when we do that. But it makes me feel like I'm doing something.
Anyone out there have a medical(ish) degree -- real or from Google University -- and care to offer any ideas? We're all ears...and one giant, puffy leg.
(If you're here from MagMoms, this will sound familiar. Feel free to scroll on down to "Buzz word.")
Mike hurt his knee playing racquetball (read: channeling his inner 16 year old) with the kids about 10 days ago. This is the same knee he had surgery on in November. It wasn't like a big major injury on the racquetball court, but he said he did notice it being sore from time to time as he was playing. Well that night, the knee swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. He was in quite a bit of pain and spent the weekend icing it and staying off it.
By Tuesday night, the swelling grew to include his calf and he was having severe calf pain. I was worried about a blood clot, so he went to the family doc on Wednesday. (He'd called the surgeon who did the knee surgery, but never got a return call. Don't get me started...) The family doc looked at it, said he didn't think it was a clot and used a needle to drain some of the fluid. That bought him about 6 hours of mild relief.
Once the initial relief of the needle aspiration was over, he was using his crutches and really unable to get around at all. Thursday afternoon, he called the surgeon again but he couldn't get an appointment until Tuesday (today). So he just kept icing it and taking ibuprofen. By Friday afternoon, he was in real pain. I'm sure traipsing around at the Go Red for Women luncheon didn't help. We called the family doc again, since the surgeon's office had been oh so helpful, and they called in an Rx for some pain meds and said he could see the family doc today (Monday).
Saturday night, he woke me about 2am and showed me that the swelling had moved up to include his thigh as well. I used a tape measure to see that his right thigh (injured leg) was swollen to 4 inches bigger in circumference than the left leg. By Sunday afternoon, it was 6 inches, so we went to the ER.
At the ER, they did an ultrasound and assured us (again) there's no clot. Then they sent us home with instructions to keep doing what we're doing and see the surgeon on Tuesday. They did give him an oral antibiotic in case there's an infection. His leg is so swollen that he can't bend the knee at all. He's in pain. He's not sleeping (so I'm not sleeping, hence the mid-of-the-night blogging). He can't drive, can't walk and is quite frankly depressed about the whole situation.
Please pray that the surgeon has some real answers for him. He/we just can't keep this going like we have been for the last 10 days.
I've been googling like mad, trying to come up with a diagnosis -- because you know, doctors love it when we do that. But it makes me feel like I'm doing something.
Anyone out there have a medical(ish) degree -- real or from Google University -- and care to offer any ideas? We're all ears...and one giant, puffy leg.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Buzz word
Attention fellow bloggers: Want to create a buzz on your blog? Just mention the word "triathalon!"
18 of you wonderful readers commented on my Crazy Talkin' entry in which I contemplated aloud the possibility of celebrating my 40th birthday in August by competing in an all-women triathalon.
The majority of you were all for it, saying "You go girl" or other similar sentiments. A couple of you were helpful as well as supportive; my friend Ellen offered to do the triathalon with me and my neighbor Cathy offered the use of her pool for the swimming portion of the training.
My friend (and fellow Better U challenger) Ruth suggested I talk to my trainer, which was good advice. Krista recommended that I read The Slow Fat Triathlete, a suggestion which had me chuckling.
At this point, I'd say I'm 95% sure I do want to do the Go Girl triathalon.
The other 5% of me is still fixed on what my mom and my sister Shelley had to say. (We can always count on family to keep us real.)
My mom's reaction when I told her on the phone that I was considering a triathalon to celebrate my 40th birthday was: "In August?! Do you know how hot and humid that could be?" Hmmm...didn't think about that.
Shelley sent this in an e-mail: "Ummm...I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong email address. I don't know WHO the heck this is sending me this crazy email!! :) I think you should definitely do a 5K. You could do that! What about the mini marathon we did a few years back? Remember? You got picked up on the racetrack by the ambulance???"
Ok, I had to laugh at that. I think the heatstroke must have wiped that incident from my memory.
So I've got some thinking to do. And some working out if I my thinking leads me where I think it will.
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