So I went to the YMCA this AM. 30 minutes on the elliptical and then 2x500 free. I would have swam longer but I had to get back to change for church.
But while I was on the elliptical I watched one of those Sunday pundit shows and I got disgusted all over again with the Bush administration. Bush has already declared that he's going to veto the SCHIP bill which provides needed health care to millions of kids who aren't currently insured. The problem with the bill, or so some claim, is that some parents may be able to get rid of their private insurance and have Uncle Sam foot the bill. Okay, so of the $7Billion or so it will cost, some people will try to scam the system. But don't go all fiscally conservative on me when you are asking for $190Billion for the war in Iraq? We can pay for an unnecessary war, giving millions in profits to Halliburton and Blackwater, and lossing billions of dollars in the process, but we can't pay to give health care to millions of uninsured kids because some people might take advantage of the plan? Are you kidding me?
Went for a long walk this afternoon. It was a clear crisp fall afternoon and I wanted to go down to the Mall to take some photos. Well as I walked by Hotel Rouge I realized something was missing. One of the statues of Venus that are outside of Hotel Rouge was missing. Now I have no idea why you would steal a statue, how you would steal a statue (cause I'm assuming it's heavy), or what you would do with the statue once you had it. But I'm just kind of logical that way. Here's a pic of some of the statues during the snow storm we had in Feb. Anyways, I continued my power walk down to the Mall, through the WWII memorial, down along the reflecting pool (which by the way, can the park people sweep the duck crap back into the pool? It really is disgusting), and around the Lincoln Memorial. I wanted to get a couple of pics of the big bronze statues at the end of Memorial Bridge. With the sun setting, I thought it would make the bronze just shine. The problem is that some clouds came up in the west as the sun was setting, so it wasn't as bright as I would like. But still some good pics. And yes, me likey some muscles.
So I went to the YMCA this evening. I went swimming on Saturday and Sunday, but I need to do more than just weekend swimming, so instead of lifting I came home and headed over to the Y. First I did my 30 minutes on the elliptical and then I hit the pool. 100 Breast, 500 Free, 100 Breast, 500 Free, 100 Breast, 500 Free, and 100 Breast. So technically that's over a mile. And I could barely haul my big fat body out of the pool my arms were so dead. But it was a good swim. I swam in the fast lane and did pretty well. I think if I swim during the week I need to get out of there by 7PM. I think the Masters group comes in then and they are pretty insane. Some guy clipped me (and I was in my own lane) and he was wearing the hand paddles. So my hand stung pretty hard. And did he say, "Sorry" or "Excuse me"? No, he glared and me and then kept swimming. Loser. Well, loser with a six pack abs. Hated him anyways.
So after their meeting in New Orleans with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the House of Bishops finally released their letter. The letter's okay. I was prepared to be disappointed, but I wasn't. I'm not too terribly thrilled by it either. I understand the full inclusion of GLBT folks in the church is going to take time, but it's hard not to want it now. If you see something that is just intrinsically wrong, how do you explain trying to delay correcting it? The good news is that regardless of this fiasco, and the whole drama around The Episcopal Church, I'm going to church every Sunday. It feels good to me. My church is very welcoming and inclusive. And I feel like a real member there. I'm not going to go all "Jesus-land" & evangelical here, but being Christian isn't a bad thing. We aren't all like Pat Robertson, Bill Donohue, or James Dobson.
Comments. So I do love the blogosphere. And it's not just the interesting, fun, or challenging blogs, it's the comments as well that I love. I've learned a whole lot about how the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Community work. I've learned depressingly too much about how the US government tortures people. I've read funny, sexy, depressing, and introspective things and thoughts from people in NYC to Australia. While I like to think I do a pretty good job of turning a phrase, it's a little intimidating to read some people's blogs or comments that are just whip smart or sarcastic or just downright funny. The bad thing about comments is when you go to certain sites, the hard core republican sites, the orthodox anglican sites, etc. The vitriol being spit out by some of these people is just horrendous. Sometimes I feel like I need to take a shower after reading some of their comments. I want to try to understand their position, their feelings, but I'm just so depressed at the level of hatred and disdain for those people who don't agree with them. I wonder if it's even possible to have a civil discourse anymore.
It's time for a new car. My little trip to the shop today set me back a cool G. And that's not really that cool if you know what I mean. It's been a bad year for me car wise. The maintenance bill is over $3K for this year. And the thing is that yes my car is over 7 years old, but I've got less than 62k miles on it. I just don't drive it that much. So it *really* shouldn't be costing me this much every year. Needless to say, I think it's time that Sven and I got a divorce. I'm not sure what I'm going to buy. I only know that it's going to have to wait till next year. Maybe March. But then I'll have an idea of when the new condo will *really* be ready. And while my heart cries out for a nice little two seat convertible, I may end up doing something more mature, responsible, and appropriate. BORING!
Still sick as a dog and just tired all of the time. Not sleeping well. And I've got a huge conference next week that I've got to prepare for.
And no I'm not going to the Depeche Mode dance party thing. I'm a loser. I'm going to curl up in bed and watch some Kathy Griffin shows I tivo-ed.
We've got a lot to talk about tonight so let's get started!
Speaking of Kathy Griffin (who's line I stole above), she ROCKED! Way too funny. She BROUGHT IT! Britany, OJ, the Emmy's, you name it. It was just too funny. Of course having a nice little buzz from the Key West Lemonades helped. And I'm sorry, but the whole bit about Barbara Walters and Astroglide almost made me want to throw up.
{Spinning the subject wheel}
I can't believe everyone is getting so worked up over Hilary's comment about Cheney. "Darth Vader"? That's probably the nicest thing you can say about him. Come on! This is the man who called some journalist a "major league asshole" and told a Senator to "Fuck Off" on the FLOOR OF THE US SENATE! Puh-lease!
{Spinning the subject wheel}
Oh, have you seen this? This is just too funny.
{Spinning the subject wheel}
If you haven't heard about the Mayor of San Diego, check this out. His speech really touched me. He's a republican I'd vote for.
{And one last spin of the subject wheel}
So I'm thinking about going out Friday night. To a straight club. Well, it's the Black Cat, so it's pretty indie/progressive. But they are doing a Depeche Mode dance party. Hello! Strangelove? Just Can't Get Enough? Enjoy the Silence? People are People? I am *SO* there. If I can stay awake long enough. This getting old thing kind of sucks.
I just had surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid and I get a frakkin cold? Are you kidding me? Shouldn't I get a "bye" for all seasonal colds for atleast the next two years? Agh this sucks!
Speaking of sucking, poor Britany. Yikes that was painful. But not as painful as that kid. And no I'm not going to link to that attention whore.
So I joined the YMCA. It's actually kind of scary, but I just use it for the pool. I went swimming on Sunday. It's been years since I've done laps and it felt good. Though it did make my neck feel freaky. When I stretch my neck, I can definitely feel my scar. It's weird. Anyways one of my goals is to swim 3 times a week so I can get in shape and then maybe join DC Aquatics after Christmas. Plus I think I'd like to try to do the Bay Bridge Swim. I've got classmates who do it and I'd like to give it a try. Hey, it's something to train for, a goal.
I'm throwing a little "Life On the T List" party tomorrow evening. It should be fun. I think there may be a potential there, but we'll see. I'll be mixing up some killer Key West Lemonades with Absolut Ruby Red. Sooooooooo yummy. So we should have a good buzz before Kathy Griffin's concert. And I am so stoked to see her, between Britany, the Emmy's, and OJ, I have a feeling I may get a cramp from laughing! Should be good.
Speaking of the Emmy's, I saw the bit between Raine Wilson and Kanye West and you know what, I really like Kanye's new song.
Let's get lost tonight, You can be my black Kate Moss tonight!
So here was the first pic of the scar. It's with the surgical tape still on it. Please don't mind the weak go-tee I'm trying to grow.
They removed the surgical tape today and discovered that they failed to remove one of the staples. Nice. Anyways, here's a clearer pic.
So . . . . what's the story behind the scar? Thyroid cancer is so boring. So I'm thinking:
1. A psycho ex-boyfriend cracked out on meth went postal and pulled a knife on me. 2. I was practicing my parkour and misjudged a ledge. 3. I was ambushed in Hong Kong by a Chinese assassin as I was trying to leave the country with the top secret plans to break the Chinese government's internet restrictions and open China up to the democratic forces of the global information grid!
So I woke up Saturday AM feeling a bit better. Another decent night of sleep worked wonders for me. But as I started to dig through my work emails, I noticed a strange tingling feeling on my head and hands. It felt kind of trippy and kind of cool. I actually kind of liked it, except for the fact that it's not a good thing.
So apparently when they take the thyroid out, there are little glands call parathyroids in that same area that can become disturbed by the operation. They regulate the calcium level in your body but if they become disturbed, they can go on the blink. And while I was taking a calcium pill as part of the meds I'm on, it wasn't enough. So I call the surgeon on call and was finally told to go back to WHC, to the ER, to have a calcium test done.
So I drive there. And by this time, my whole body is feeling tingly. My experience at the WHC ER room, not so much. Oh, I got into the ER pretty quickly, but I was probably one of the least sick people there, so I didn't get that much attention. They finally did the blood test and my calcium level was dangerously low. So they stuck in an IV in my and pumped me full of calcium. In talking with the attending on duty (senior Dr?), I think there was a mistake about the amount of calcium pills I'm supposed to take. It should be 3 pills, 3 times a day, not 1 pill, 3 times a day. Oops. Well that's what it said on the prescription.
Anyways, the ER room on a Saturday afternoon was really kind of sad and I started to get claustrophobic and really wanted to leave. I feel bad for all of the people there. It just wasn't good. When I was finally release, as I walked through the ER lobby, the DC SWAT team was there. Nice.
I've got a friend from out of town in this weekend so we've been hanging out. Dinner and DVDs since I'm not really up for anything else. But it's all been good.
Anyways, speaking of tingling. This gives me that tingling feeling as well but in a good way. Love Annie. Just luv her!
Why you might ask? Because it was actually the best thing I ate at the hospital and it was so good, and so easy to swallow, and since I hadn't had jello in forever I thought I would make some.
The surgery was okay. I remember going into the operating room, moving to the operating table, and then the oxygen mask being put on and then I was somewhere else, after the surgery. I remember talking with SuperLawyer and then being in my hospital room. It's all kind of sketchy now. Apparently it went as planned. They also took some of my lymph-nodes since they were swollen. I'll get the pathology report next week and then we'll have to figure out a game plan based on that.
My neck hurts, as does my throat. And I've got a great scar on my neck, currently hidden by some suture tape. Thank goodness for the percacet.
My overnight in the hospital was not good. I don't sleep well on my back. And the poor gentleman who I shared a room with was not in good shape at all. He had a couple of episodes over the course of the night that required many nurses and doctors. So lots of drama. Which means little sleep. Around 530AM, one of the random doctors came to remove the staples from my neck. I'm bummed because I wanted a photo of that, but oh well.
I can't tell you how happy I was to get home and sleep in my own bed. With the percacet I can actually sleep on my side with just a little bit of pain, so that's nice.
I actually walked down to the Safeway to get the Jello this afternoon, but that I think that was pushing it. I'm still pretty weak and the heat was bad. I didn't feel to good by the time I got back to my place. But it's nice and cool in here and I'm looking forward to jello for dessert tonight!
is the big day. SuperLawyer is going to take me to the hospital and wait until the surgery is over. I'll prep him on the phone calls and emails to send once it's over. Then he'll pick me up on Thursday and spend the night on Thursday. I'm assuming that I'll be able to stay home and take care of myself by the weekend.
Not really looking forward to it, but I do want it over. I'm ready to get on with my life.
So half of my mail these days is bills from the hospital or claim receipts from the insurance company. And I haven't even had the surgery yet or started any of the meds that I'll need to take. But to date, it looks like the cost is almost $3000. Not a lot of money in reality, but then I'm also in pretty good health and so there hasn't been anything too strange to tackle. One of the really great things about my company is our health benefits, so the only thing I've had to pay is my $10 co-pay for each of the visits.
When I was in the Navy I really didn't think about health care. Sure we all joked about Navy medicine and then just sucked it up. It wasn't a bad system. You got a problem? Come in and see a nurse, or a doctor, and they fixed you up and you never saw a bill. When I got out of the Navy I had to negotiate the health care world. It's not the easiest with the different plans, different options, and different costs.
I was watching a video clip of Mitt Romney where he got asked about health care from a waitress in a diner in New Hampshire. She had three children and a $50 co-pay. And some of the kids had chronic health care issues. No I don't think much of my $10 co-pay. That's one less drink at the Ultra-Hip Lounge, no big deal. But $50 bucks is different. Especially when you are talking about a women who's a waitress and has three children. Kind of sad really.
Health Insurance Coverage for Children. Universal Health Care. We talk a lot about these things, the pros, the cons, the costs. It kills me that people bicker about the cost of implementing health care for all Americans while we continue to throw good money after bad into that black hole that is Iraq. We can't pay for health care for America's children, but we can continue to pay for a useless war. That's really sad.
y insured. The problem with the bill, or so some claim, is that some parents may be able to get rid of their private insurance and have Uncle Sam foot the bill. Okay, so of the $7Billion or so it will cost, some people will try to scam the system. But don't go all fiscally conservative on me when you are asking for $190Billion for the war in Iraq? We can pay for an unnecessary war, giving millions in profits to Halliburton and Blackwater, and lossing billions of dollars in the process, but we can't pay to give health care to millions of uninsured kids because some people might take advantage of the plan? Are you kidding me?
Went for a long walk this afternoon. It was a clear crisp fall afternoon and I wanted to go down to the Mall to take some photos. Well as I walked by Hotel Rouge I realized something was missing. One of the statues of Venus that are outside of Hotel Rouge was missing. Now I have no idea why you would steal a statue, how you would steal a statue (cause I'm assuming it's heavy), or what you would do with the statue once you had it. But I'm just kind of logical that way. Here's a pic of some of the statues during the snow storm we had in Feb.
