NNV- A Blog Down Under

You like dark chocolate (and mint)!

What's with all this love?

2012-01-30T17:43:00.005+10:00

The most common post these days is something about "50 reasons I love you". Actually, it isn't "something about" it, it IS "50 Reasons I Love You". I'm not sure I have ever explained what this is.

You may or may not remember that for my birthday, Kevin gave me 50 of my favorite dark chocolate (with mint!) chocolate bars and in each he had, like a fortune cookie, a little slip of paper on which was written one of 50 reasons (in no particular order) he loves me.

Isn't that beautiful?!

So, to honor him, I thought I'd post each one with some sort of image. Originally, I wanted to post each "reason" on the day we opened the chocolate bar. But, things get in the way, even of such a simple idea. So, I tend to accumulate a few and then type them all up. Sometimes, it then takes days to weeks to months to find the photograph.

What I like most about this project is that I could have written almost all of the same reasons for Kevin.

"My wife. I think I'll keep him."

Happy New Year!

2012-01-26T20:25:00.001+10:00

2012: The Year of the Dragon!

Big, big, big news

2012-01-25T16:28:00.003+10:00

I have doubled our knife population.

Be warned.

We are "ready to spread".

50 Reasons I Love You #14

2012-01-21T13:39:00.003+10:00

From Zuperfliegen 2012

You are the mother of our son and the reason he is with us.

50 Reasons I Love You #39

2012-01-17T14:35:00.004+10:00

You like to check out houses that are for sale.

50 Reasons I Love You #13

2012-01-17T14:34:00.004+10:00

From Singles 2009

You understand the importance of choosing the right airline for an international flight.

50 Reasons I Love You #42

2012-01-17T14:34:00.003+10:00

From Flat Stanley

You moved to Australia and became a (dual) citizen!

50 Reasons I Love You #22

2012-01-17T14:33:00.001+10:00

You want to be a flying red horse. (Or, at least, you once did.)

(Note - this is not my photograph. Thank you to: http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=flying+red+horse+logo&hl=en&sa=X&rls=com.microsoft:en-au&biw=1920&bih=883&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=s-qoYIsOGcqITM:&imgrefurl=http://homepage.mac.com/credmond/iblog/C880906225/E384194819/index.html&docid=We7xuFDUN4bOBM&imgurl=http://homepage.mac.com/credmond/iblog/C880906225/E384194819/Media/FlyingRedHorse.jpg&w=500&h=489&ei=9JUWT_WeAYHgmAW6rPzKAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=490&vpy=2&dur=5578&hovh=222&hovw=227&tx=136&ty=119&sig=110693804874043938459&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=128&start=0&ndsp=54&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0

50 Reasons I Love You #29

2012-01-17T14:32:00.002+10:00

From Zuperfliegen 2011

You totally rolled with the name Zuperfliegen Baadasssss and helped me to make it "real". (And the world is more fun and interesting beause of it.)

50 Reasons I Love You #41

2012-01-16T16:28:00.003+10:00

You support my dreams.

From I married a zombie

Bone scans (and cancer)

2012-01-11T20:38:00.004+10:00

Note: This blog entry should have been written in JULY. The causes of my delay are many and for the hope of actually getting this DONE before next July, I shall not bother with listing them.

If you are a reader of Kevin's blog or you know Kevin or you know someone who knows someone who knows Kevin, then you know that Kevin was diagnosed last July with prostate cancer. (And, if you are a reader of Kevin's blog or you know Kevin or you know someone who knows someone who knows Kevin, then you must have been wondering why six months have gone by without the fact of that cancer appearing in my blog. Again, the reasons are legion.) Finally, if you are a reader of Kevin's blog or you know Kevin or you know someone who knows someone who knows Kevin, then you are probably expecting I'll open my soul to examine what this cancer means to him and to me and to Zupe. But,

you'd be wrong.

It might happen one day. That day isn't today.

Today the topic is nuclear medicine, scintigraphy, bone scans.

And horse pee.

After Kevin "failed" his forth or fifth PSA test, though just barely, his urologist recommended a biopsy. The biopsy was positive for cancer. Widespread cancer. Widespread but rather private cancer.

The next step was to look for evidence that the cancer was adventurous and had set up camp in areas outside the prostate - in particular, in his bones. I went with Kevin to his biopsy appointment - though not into the surgery to view the biopsy process. I did not go with Kevin to not watch the bone scan.

I didn't need to. I used to do, or at least assist in the doing of, bone scans.

I was the bucket girl.

We weren't looking for cancer in bones. We were just looking for increased "activity" in bone suggestive of inflammation or damage. In horses. The process would be the same. An intravenous injection of a radioactive nucleotide (something like the bone cell equivalent of a case of radioactive Big Macs) is made and then an hour or so later a series of "magic photos' are taken of the bones looking to see if those nucleotides are congregating. They should spread themselves out evenly (to feed the masses), but if a localized area of bone is particularly "hungry" because there is an injury that is inflamed or it is harboring a tumor, then those microscopic radioactive Big Macs will be absorbed at a greater rate. (If you are confused and you want to understand the process, check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_medicine.)

Did I mention the process involves making an intravenous injection of a radioactive substance? That means into the blood. And, where does the blood go? It goes everywhere. Including the kidneys. And, then the bladder. And, then potentially the floor.

Which is why you need a bucket girl.

Yes. For a summer I "caught" radioactive horse urine.

Boy, do I know how to have fun!

So, I didn't go with Kevin. I didn't get to meet his bucket girl. Though, maybe they just asked him not to pee on the floor. He's pretty good about that.

(And, if you are not a reader of Kevin's blog, or someone who knows Kevin, or someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Kevin, then I should tell you here that the scan was negative. There was no evidence that the cancer had spread into the bone. This is very, very, very good news.)

With sincere apologies to the creator of Aptimil's leveler

2012-01-11T20:34:00.000+10:00

Zupe's having issues with his skin. Eczema. From what I can glean, it is a description of a lesion - like "missing right arm" - without relation to any single or often even identifiable cause. By that I mean, you could be missing your right arm because you had a birth defect or an accident with a circular saw or a velociraptor. With eczema there seems to be a genetic predisposition with reactions to external stimuli (chemicals, dry air, irritating surfaces) and/or internal stimuli (i.e. food allergies). And so, in an effort to address the "cause", we have changed bath soaps (if changed means eliminated), laundry detergents (OMG that's another story!), pajamas, and diet.

The goal of his new diet is to eliminate exposure to cows' milk proteins. That means I am not eating any more yogurt or cheese or butter or drinking any milk or MILK SHAKES! And, Zupe is drinking a formula made from hydrolyzed milk proteins...sort of like Zelda.

Anyway, our new formula - Pepti-Junior - still by Aptimil but now requiring a prescription to buy - does not include a built in leveler.

Wow.

And, boy do I miss it! Now, we have to keep a butter knife around to "level off" the scoop. This is a pretty sizable sacrifice for us. We only have 4 (FOUR) such knives in total! (We used to have five but I foolishly lost one when I took a banana cream pie to a party - a party at which said pie was only tasted by ONE PERSON! Ah! What is wrong with this country?!)

On a more positive note - actually two more positive notes. (I think that is enough to be a positive chord!)

Note one - the Pepti-Junior scoop IS flat on the bottom, so when I want to set a filled scoop down, and for the life of me I can't remember why I'd want to do it, but I have done it, none-the-less, it doesn't fall over and spill out 23% of its contents. Yay.

Note two - his skin is much better. He still has a few patches - really he always has a small patch or two - but that is pretty, pretty, pretty good. He's not scratching at himself and I am not covering him in steroids daily any more.

dreaming of dreaming

2012-01-11T19:53:00.000+10:00

From July travel - mostly OHIO

dreaming I was back in HS, again. This time, like most times, it was nearing the end of the year and I had missed a lot of classes. Maybe I had missed every meeting of some of my classes and, of course, I needed to pass these classes to graduate. I remember thinking, "It was so much more fun the first time I went to high school when I had friends here."

Then, as I was stressing I had a moment of clarity. "Wait. This is a dream. "I have completed high school. I have graduated."

And then I began a review of all my schools. I have completed high school. I have completed college. I have completed graduate school and vet school.

But, have I graduated yet from elementary school?

Does this face make you feel calmer?

2012-01-10T16:59:00.002+10:00

Think about it.

Examine the symmetry.

There. I thought so.

50 Reasons I Love You #24

2012-01-10T16:33:00.002+10:00

From photo a day

You hold my hand when we walk together.

50 Reasons I Love You #26

2012-01-08T20:41:00.002+10:00

From On the Beach 2010

You are open to new experiences.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2012-01-05T18:20:00.004+10:00

I love you.

Green tea vs the strongest force in the universe

2011-12-31T05:37:00.004+10:00

From Singles 2010

•Drinking green tea may cause anemia, so drink one hour after meals. Irony is already adsorbed then.

From: http://www.healthy-chinese-recipe.com/longjing-green-tea.html

Zupe's Christmas Tree

2011-12-25T20:08:00.000+10:00

Perhaps you noticed in the tour of his room that Zupe possesses a 365 day a year silver Christmas tree. He is too cool. And, so, for Christmas his Grandmother sent him a collection of decorations to "do up" said tree.

But, that tree was never designed to hold up a substantial ornament. Something had to be done.

And, that something was to buy him his second Christmas tree. (Five dollars! Bargain!) He had to share this tree with the rest of his family. And, at the end of the season this tree had to go back into its little box to wait until the next holiday season. On the plus side, his tree got to wear our pre-Zupe ornaments including the kookaburra tree topper.

(You may have noticed the beautiful Christmas stocking. It came from Ohio, too. Lacking anything like a real fireplace, we chose to hang the stocking next to the air conditioning unit. It seemed like the perfect spot for a summer Christmas PLUS it IS a reverse cycle unit - our source of heat come winter!)

50 Reasons I Love You #33

2011-12-25T10:15:00.003+10:00

From Yin Yang Halloween

You recognize Halloween as the best holiday of the year. And you like to dress up in costumes.

50 Reasons I Love You #?

2011-12-25T10:11:00.003+10:00

You think I have a lot of "good ideas", though not necssarily a million of them.

More Christmas music

2011-12-24T14:22:00.003+10:00

Haven't heard this in forever! I think I might have had a 45 of this.... Enjoy!

An open letter to Ryan Murphy

2011-12-22T21:17:00.005+10:00

This is an open letter to Ryan Murphy. It is open for two reasons.

First, I'm not sure I could send a "closed" letter that would reach Ryan Murphy. Maybe. I could probably find a studio address and take a chance. But

Two. Would he read it? He is no more likely to read an open letter - but at least if it is open, SOMEBODY might read it. And, given six degrees of Kevin Bacon, maybe the thought will get into his head.

Also, it doesn't really matter. The deed is done.

So, here goes.

Dear Mr. Murphy,

I am not a "hater". Really. I've tried hard to like Glee. I've actually tried to LOVE "Glee". I can't claim to have succeeded spectacularly, but I did enter the "Boost Juice" contest here in Australia to win a trip to watch a filming. This involved writing a very short essay declaring my affection. So, you see, I'm on the record as a supporter.

But, let's talk about that Christmas show.

Wow! Was that bad! Meager plot, an ugly and excessive exaggeration of Rachel's petty materialism, a mean portrayal of the club's self-absorption, and poor Damien McGinty! I've given up any idea that I'll understand what he's mumbling, but the kid can sing. Give him something. "Blue Christmas" was awful. The entire club just sat there looking like they were bored and pained listening to him. It should have been a song that would pull heart strings for both his peers and the audiance. It should have been this:

I can't listen to this song without a tear, particularly when I am away from home at Christmas, which happens way too often.

Wishing you a year of inspiration! (Oh, and maybe next year a holiday reunion might be planned, in which case you need this.)

Ann

Oh, and if you are part of my chain to Ryan Murphy, please pass along the Dan Fogelberg suggestion.

HAL-LE- LU-JAH!

2011-12-21T06:12:00.001+10:00

Enjoy, my friends! And, Merry Christmas!

A visit with Saint Nicholas....

2011-12-20T11:36:00.002+10:00

From Christmas 2011

Just up from a morning nap, the Zupster charmed Santa and his helper.

For contrast, here is my first photo with Santa!

Ear wax and other embarrassments

2011-12-09T15:59:00.007+10:00

Someday, maybe soon, I'll process Kevin's story and write it. In the meantime, I thought I'd share with my revelation that embarrassing moments do not end at 50.

Last weekend Kevin and I embarked on a major photographic project. This resulted in Zupe sitting in his "Baa, Baa, Twinkle, EFG" Chair outside while we toiled. At one point Zupe had had enough and Kevin rescued him from his lateral head toss. Kevin picked him up and said to me...

"What's this behind his ear?"

"What's what?"

"It's yellow. It's a huge glob of ear wax!"

"Really? Kevin?"

I DO WASH HIM BEHIND HIS EARS. I DO.

Sure enough. A glob of yellow, waxy material almost as wide across as my little finger.

I looked at it again.

"Apple."

Story two.

This morning Zupe and I visited Kevin in the hospital. (That's the story you don't know - unless you are referred here by Kevin's blog - in which case you are most likely wondering why you know something I don't seem to know.) Zupe and I were leaving as the physiotherapist came in to get the Mack Daddy up.

"Is that your daughter?"

"Oh, she'll love that! No. That's my wife. She's OLDER than I am."

(Yep. I'm loving it!!!!)

"No. I meant the baby."

ARGHHHH! So much for the dalliance in pink today. It was just a bib - but the gender gods do not care for such trifling. They have beaten me down.

This year for Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T12:32:00.002+10:00

we're having Indian.

(Whatever you do, do not ask me to explain that. Just grin and nod your head...or fall out of your chair laughing.)

Zombies: The Recent Dead

2011-11-17T16:09:00.004+10:00

"The dead are dull-witted but canny predators like some form of
flesh-eating math teachers."

from "Twisted," by Kevin Veale.
Really, though, my favorite:

The zombies were like Canadians, in that they looked enough like real people at first, to fool you. But when you looked closer, you saw they were from some other place, where things were different: where even the same things, the things that went on everywhere, were just a little bit different.

from "The Hortlak," by Kelly Link. You can read it here! http://kellylink.net/magic-for-beginners/magic-for-beginners-sample-stories/the-hortlak

12 November

2011-11-14T16:55:00.002+10:00

Santa arrived in Strathpine Qld.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T15:54:00.004+10:00

Today there is a initiative to document "One Day on Earth"...sponsored by a group called "One Day on Earth". They are enlisting people from Earth to photograph "the human experience" living 11/11/11.

From their website:

Together, we are showcasing the amazing diversity, conflict, tragedy, and triumph that occurs in one day. We invite you to join our international community of thousands of filmmakers, hundreds of schools, and dozens of non-profits, and contribute to this unique global mosaic. One Day on Earth is a community that not only watches, but participates.

I've applied to join - albeit at the last minute - and am waiting to hear if my application is accepted. And, while I'm waiting, and waiting for Zupe to wake from his nap and Kevin to finish the last 10 pages of his book and 5 PM to arrive so as to feed my ever-hungry dog, I'm wondering what criteria they apply to make that decision.

I've spent 11/11/11 in a very quiet way. Bathing with Zupe. Doing laundry and dishes. Nursing the baby (repeat/repeat/repeat). Sweeping and mopping. Playing and reading ("Crazy Charlie" and "Good Night Moon"). Taking a few photographs. Checking my email, my Facebook, my blog hoping to connect with the world outside my house.

I've had a wonderful day...even though I didn't get married or give birth or complete a major project. And, I'm hoping that every one of you has too.

Crime wave continues

2011-11-07T12:59:00.005+10:00

From Rain Forest

Damn. Is this an effect of social media scouting, again??? Though I'm pretty sure I didn't post this photo yesterday. I only TOOK it.

That was yesterday morning. I don't remember that I checked when we got home from the rain forest expedition...but this morning when I was out watering (LOWER THE DAM!), there was ne'er a ripe tomato to be seen.

The most likely culprit swears she was under house arrest ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An outing to the rain forest!

2011-11-07T09:20:00.008+10:00

Thanks to Barb and Stephen's visit, we've (I've) had the Mary Cairncross Reserve on my mind. It is such a cool spot on a hot summer day tucked up in the hinterlands near Maleny. We first discovered the park while touring with Flat Stanley. Funny how that little guy got us out and around! (He was a much easier touring partner that the Zupe-man who is much more opinionated on what he wants. And, significantly heavier to carry around.)

Here's a small selection of our hike. In the opening video you can hear some of the bird calls (as well as the distant call of the elusive Zupe). If you close your eyes you can almost feel the cool shadowland.

No snakes. Only 3 or 4 pademelons. We missed having Barb and Stephen to identify the birds - seen and unseen - for us.

From Rain Forest

Hypochondriasis

2011-11-05T21:37:00.003+10:00

"What's this? Kevin, look at this mark on me."

Reddish. Squarish. On the inside of my ankle. Petechia? Am I having a true blood disorder? Is it time to panic about all those neutropenic tests???

"Wait."

Lick finger. Rub spot.

"Red beet juice."

International House of Coffee

2011-11-04T21:54:00.006+10:00

In anticipation of my friends' (Barb and Stephen) visit, I put a request out into Facebook World for the loan of a coffee maker. I was lucky enough to get one delivered almost the next day.

Wait, did I say one? I meant three: a French Press, an Italian espresso pot, and an Indian coffee maker.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Merci! Grazie! Dhanyavaad!

It had to be done

2011-11-03T17:41:00.004+10:00

I had no choice. What-so-ever. None. Sushi had to be eaten.

My calendar says: November 3: Culture Day (Japan)

Bargaining with Terrorists

2011-11-03T06:43:00.008+10:00

Today I read a headline suggesting that the majority of burglars surveyed used social media to plan their crimes.

Therefore, it is probably a totally bad idea for me to admit this here, but I'm committed. I had already typed the title. I must confess: I totally cave into any demand when either my sleep or Zupe's sleep (which is often my sleep, too) is threatened.

Yes.

2 AM- I wake up. My mind flips on and I watch time pass. Just as I drift into a dream...
3:30 AM - Zupe wakes up. I get up and feed the baby and then try once more to achieve sleep.
5 AM - Zelda scratches at the bedroom door asking for BREAKFAST. I can either get up and feed her and hope to get back to sleep or I can lie awake listening to her intermittent pleas until Zupe wakes up at 6.

Zelda's supper is at 5 PM. Zupe's afternoon nap is at 3:30. Without fail, just as his eyes fall shut (4ish), Zelda starts her bouncing and yelping at the foot of the bed where he's sleeping. I can ignore her and let Zupe wake up -which means another several minutes of sleep cajoling or I can try to slip away and let her out before her piercing screech penetrates the thin veneer of sleep that now surrounds the baby.

Thinking we should become professional gamblers!

2011-11-02T16:10:00.003+10:00

From Singles 2010

For the second year in a row, we are victorious on the Melbourne cup!!

Kevin wagered $6 on the office sweep which purchased him 3 horses. One of these horses came in third and paid off $6!!!!

My horse came in second! and the $0 I bet won me $0 more!

Wow! Oh wow!!

11/1/11

2011-11-02T16:09:00.007+10:00

My mom told me to write a check. While I still have some checks from Key Bank in Cleveland, there is no one who would cash them here. So, this will have to suffice.

(Be warned - I'm ALSO supposed to write SEVERAL checks and possibly even GET MARRIED on 11/11/11.)

Missing!!!!!!

2011-11-02T16:09:00.006+10:00

From Halloween 2011

Have you seen this "Jack"?????

He was pumpkin-napped sometime during the morning of November 1st after working hard and burning bright the night of October 31st. (He was there at 9 AM but gone at 1 PM.)

What sort of shameless holiday wrecker steals a jack o'lantern in broad daylight??? And, to the best of my knowledge, this isn't a school holiday. Therefore, it is unlikely to be a kid's prank.

Sicko.

Kevin suggested we might check dumpsters on Thursday evening, locate the mouldering head, carry it to the door, pound on said door then make a citizen's arrest.

Overall, I think there are OK things about this event. I don't have to watch him wither and melt. I don't have to decide at what point of disrepute I toss him in the garbage. And, he wasn't busted into pieces on our driveway. Somebody (maybe) loved him enough to want to experience the thrill of Halloween for themselves. Maybe next year rather than stealing ours, they'll make their own. Maybe there will be two glowing gourds in Brisbane.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:31:00.002+10:00

From Halloween 2011

And, Happy Anniversary Kevin!

Halloween at 51 Hibiscus Cct!

2011-10-30T16:08:00.002+10:00

We really should have had a party. It was, after all, our 30th sort-of anniversary. Still, I think we did pretty well decking the halls- both inside and out - especially considering that I gave away about 2/3 of my decorations last year in order to make closet room for Zupe.

Notes for next year...

We could use a really big spider for the front blind/screen thingy. Better yet would put it/them on the garage, but I'm not sure how to attach it/them. Keep in mind, I hate spiders.

Perhaps rebar spikes would let us use our tombstones. The styrofoam might be too thin.

Can always use more bats.

Must make finger cookies!

Visitors!!! Human visitors!!!

2011-10-29T22:01:00.006+10:00

We only had one day to share something cool of Brisbane with Barb and Stephen. They'd already been traveling around Australia for over three weeks. They'd been to Darwin, to Cairns, to Uluru, to Sydney. They'd identified more than 345 different bird species.

But, they hadn't found an emu nor seen a koala in the wild.

I couldn't really help with the "in the wild" part. But, I could get them someplace where they could cuddle a koala. That has to count for something!

So, on Thursday morning we headed out to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

It was a particularly good day for Lone Pine. The dingo pups were running, jumping, wrestling. One of the wombats was awake! There was movement among the ever sleepy koalas including a koala fight! (Of course, you aren't seeing any of this. Here. Have an emu.)

After, we buzzed up to Mount Coot-tha to enjoy the view of Brisbane and the lovely botanic gardens. MY original plan would have been to go North to the Mary Cairncross Rain Forest walk and the Glass House Mountains - but that was an additional 90 minutes or more of driving. I think they probably had enough driving and it was going to be getting late.

Many thanks to Barb and Stephen for including us in the tour of their seventh continent!!

Zombie Walk - October

2011-10-28T17:29:00.003+10:00

From Zombie Walk

You will not believe this. None of it.

This was our FIRST EVER Zombie walk

and

we did NOT dress up.

From Zombie Walk

You will note, however, that Kevin ended up "infected". I'm still waiting for him to turn.

From Zombie Walk

There were, as you'd expect from any plague, lots of victims. Interestingly, there were several cross genre zombies. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of my favorite - the Snow White zombie carrying in a little basket the head of one of the seven dwarves!

From Zombie Walk

My mother suggested that the make-up might irritate Zupe's tender allergy-prone skin. So, even though I explained to her that in a zombie apocolypse you were either zombie or meat, Zupe remained pink and perfect. There were, however, plenty of other young zombies including one who's Dad was eating a(nother) baby's foot.

From Zombie Walk

Brains!

From Zombie Walk

Oh my God! Yet one more!!

2011-10-09T15:33:00.007+10:00

This may not come as news to you, but I was gob-smacked to learn that the tune for "Baa Baa Black Sheep..." was the EXACT SAME tune as that of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".
The story goes like this.

Kevin traded some games for this rocking chair. You've seen elements of the chair - mostly the back as it is supporting Zupe's super head. You may not have seen the cute little cat and dog that hang from a bar for easy play time. And, unless you've seen the video or been to our house or have one of these Fisher-Price chairs of your own, you wouldn't know that if you pull the bone that hangs under the dog, a little melody is played. For weeks I'd been singing along.

"Baa baa black sheep have you any wool?" (Though, to be honest I have trouble with the last line. Trust me here. Don't make me sing it.)

Then, one day, I said to myself, if not to Zupe, and then to Kevin - "Hey. The chair is playing a new tune!"

Kevin is the only one to respond. He said something like, "No."

My response, "Yes, I'm sure it used to play "Mary had a little lamb" (note- sheep song confusion... early sign of brain aging.) "Now it is playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"."

A day or two later it was playing "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" again.

It was about this time that I did a YouTube search for the two songs and compared the tunes and found that they ("Twinkle" and "Baa") were the same.

And, so I was happy and smarter and I had the option of singing either song when I heard the tune time after time after time.

Months past. Months.

One day I found myself singing along...."A, B, C, D, E, F, G..." (Go ahead. Check it out for yourself. I'll wait.)

(NOTE- This is not news to Wikipedia. Of course not.)

Hey Google!

2011-10-06T10:23:00.002+10:00

From

This is NOT a silhouette of a dead tree. Really. NOT DEAD. I feel strangely emotional about the searches for "Dead Tree Silhouette" that refer people to this image. (Not that I'm unhappy having them come to my blog or enjoy my photo.) AND, it is not a tree in Australia. This particular shot was taken near Webster, Ohio in the U.S.A.

Now, enjoy the tree and remember that new leaves are sleeping in its branches.

Reality check

2011-10-01T11:14:00.003+10:00

I spoke with my mother yesterday. That's no story. I speak with her almost every day. (We have a very good phone card.)

Anyway, she was saying that she was feeling a bit sad about me coming home to visit. She felt like she looked so old. And, she's gained 4 or 5 pounds.

But, then, she said, she saw my photo with Zupe.

Mothers. They really know how to pick you up.

Saturday morning with the orchid trees

2011-09-26T11:04:00.002+10:00

Zupe and I took off after breakfast to make some photos of the blooming orchid trees. They are gorgeous and something I look forward to each year. In fact, when asked last year about what I'd miss if/when we moved from Australia, my answer was immediate. "Orchid trees."

Poppy dreams

2011-09-13T08:02:00.001+10:00

from Roma Street Parkland 2011

Busy, busy, busy week - with a surprise ending

2011-09-09T14:38:00.004+10:00

Zupe had his 3 month sleep study on Monday. We managed to arrive on-time and much to my surprise were free to wander about (= get supper) until 6:30. They were very surprised when I responded to their "bedtime" question with 8 PM. (What would they have said to last night's almost 10 PM turn-in? In our defense, he did have a long and late nap (3+ hours waking after 5 PM) AND we were partying. Partying - that's always an acceptable excuse for a late night, right? There isn't a minimum age for that, is there? I can't see anything that contradicts that in my little yellow baby's first year in Qld book.)

Monday was the sleep study. I tried to get him to bed earlier - but I think it was likely closer to 8:30 before he both drifted off and I could thump him into bed without him waking and staying awake. (It took 2 tries.) He slept well - until the nurse woke him (and me) at 3 AM because he had wet himself and his bed and he was cold and restless. By the time we had him and his bed changed, he was WIDE AWAKE. It took 45 minutes or so of hand watching then nursing then hand watching then... until he was once again sleeping. I spent the rest of the night jumping from dream to dream to dream - mostly about getting results of the sleep study - sometimes good, sometimes bad. Each dream I'd think this is just a dream and then I'd "wake up" to the real result appointment and ...

Tuesday we saw a physical therapist who believes he is delayed a few weeks (4 to 6 is my estimation) that is consistent with the time he spent in the hospital - not eating well, not waking well, and having a limited stimulus environment. She doesn't think he needs therapy only MORE TUMMY TIME. (This will not please the boy.)

Wednesday - after a little "fender-bender" (oh joy) - we saw the chiropractor who noted tightness in the left neck and right hip as well as subluxation in the left occipital bone and left sphenoid. He thought these could affect breathing and made adjustments with his handy, spring-loaded adjuster instrument. Zupe was asleep until the thumping started. He woke, seemed momentarily disturbed, then relaxed and enjoyed the massage. I'm assigned to massage his neck and hips, practice moving his arms and legs - particularly opposing limbs together, and hanging him upside down to allow his spine to stretch out. (We haven't done the latter. That has to be supremely well timed. Too soon after eating and you create a "waterfall". Too far after a feeding and he is likely to become SAD. It was a good experience. I felt positive about having something I could do that might be helpful.

Thursday was the real appointment to get the results of the sleep test. We met with a doctor we had never encountered before who told us the sleep study was PERFECT. The number of apneic episodes was within the normal range for a baby of his age. He was normally saturated both on and off oxygen. Our secret hope was that Zupe would be reduced to only night-time oxygen - but we were discharged. NO MORE OXYGEN!!! Not in the morning, not in the evening, not at night!! I was told to wait for 1 month before returning our oxygen canisters in case we encountered a problem. (That is a bit nerve wracking - waiting to be sure he doesn't crash and burn.)

After, Zupe and I met with a new pediatrician who was fabulous. He spent over an hour discussing my concerns and his: why the oxygen? eczema, developmental delay, plagiocephaly (or my baby has a flat spot on his head), feeding solids... What a difference from ped-one. Wow. Why did I delay?

Then, we headed to the Mater Mother's hospital to visit the special care unit nurses, the midwives on the eleventh floor, and the lactation consultants. By the end Zupe, having not napped all morning and early afternoon, was a sobbing heap and we had to limp away. (Sorry Gail - he is usually a happy boy.)

YES! We are FREE!!

(First official "I've got no tapes 'cause I don't need 'em" photo!)

Happy Australian Father's Day!

2011-09-04T17:08:00.002+10:00

from your number-one Australian son!

And, his mom!!

I love you, Kevin....I mean, Dad.

This house is under a python watch...

2011-09-04T16:39:00.004+10:00

which I think is better than a zombie watch or a plaque watch. Yes. Definitely better.

To tell our story backward, something that is becoming a tradition for this blog, Friday we RETURNED from our "get away" trip to the Gold Coast. (Kevin was actually there working. It was only Zupe and I who were getting away from the rat race of Hibiscus Circuit.) I had this excellent idea that while Kevin was busy Friday morning, I'd bop over to IKEA and pick up two items. I knew exactly what I wanted and where to find them. This was a very good thing.

I arrived about 11:30 giving me just over an hour to shop before I had to drive back south to retrieve Kevin. (I hadn't realized it would take an hour - which is longer than it takes to get to IKEA from our house! - for the trip. I'm pretty terrible at those "its on the way" estimations of just how close things are. Case in point - the Springfield Mall is not "just outside Troy". This estimation skill is also the reason that I once had only one square of a soda cracker to eat between Ashville and Durham NC. But, that's another story.) So, I unloaded the sleeping - now awake - Zupe-man and hurried inside.

Where he began crying.

Retire to parents' room. Change baby. Nurse baby. Load baby into stroller.

I now have 30 minutes.

Hit the sales floor.

Baby starts screaming.

Find another parents' room, prepare a bottle, and encourage speed slurping. Burp baby, load him up, and while he's not happy, he's a bit quieter.

Ten minutes left.

I really tried to buzz through the living room and child's room sections, but every person and his grandmother were there. And, grandmothers do not walk quickly. Nor do they make easily passable objects what with the way they are linked arm and arm across the walkway with random child/grandchild. Even the siren of Zupe in distress could not part those seas.

Still, I found the sofa cushions - but the style I had seen before - granted, it was years ago - was no longer sold. Nor could I find any teething rails in the child's section. (Maybe they never existed.)

****Now, if you are Kevin, and you probably are, you're asking me "When are you getting to the pythons? How much longer?" I give you a quiet, puzzled and slightly hurt look, become a bit jangled and confused and my story telling slows WAY down.*****

Zupe did settle down once back in the car. Me, I have a headache. We arrive back in Broadbeach with enough time to buy a hamburger in McDonald's drivethru and pick up Kevin.

Traffic.

Home around 3:30. Take pain medication. Supper at 5. Maybe eating will help my head. I call for Chinese but can't find my car keys and must borrow Kevin's. (He doesn't understand how I can misplace my keys and be rather unconcerned. I know they'll turn up. They're in the house amongst all the bags we've unpacked. Somewhere.)

I take Zupe into Kevin's room to watch "thirtysomething" and nurse him. Six-ish. Maybe six-thirty-ish. I now am feeling a bit nauseated and lights make me feel worse.

Kevin comes in and tells me that Zelda has eaten a diaper. Or, at least torn it to bits. I have no two brain cells to rub together so I tell him to call the Pet ER. (I try to call Rob to ask him to think...but his phone isn't talking to my phone. I don't know where my keys are anyway.)

Kevin replaces Zupe's oxygen tapes. (Well done!) and carries him out to the car. I take Zelda and the diaper bag. Oh, and the bucket in case I vomit in the car.

To the ER. They take Zelda to the back. Kevin and Zupe sit on the bench. I check out where the bathroom is then go outside to sit where it is cool and dark. And, where I could discretely vomit in a bush in a hurry.

I don't vomit. Zelda does. (She had a little chemical persuasion.)

They find only a little of the paper/plastic and not the fluffy absorbent (= obstructive) inside material. They offer to admit her with IV fluids but we decline.

Everybody and bucket back into the car. I keep my eyes closed and the window open.

We arrive back home to find the front doors standing open. Both doors. Wide open. From the backseat I can see my computer and my camera on my desk - so I'm pretty, pretty, pretty sure there's been no theft. Kevin goes in first. "Hello". Checks every room. Checks behind every door. No one in the house. Nothing missing.

It is pretty obvious that I simply "forgot" to close the doors on my way out of the house. It has been open for close to 90 minutes. Plenty of time for a big-ass PYTHON (there it is!) to slither into the house!!

Hence - a python watch.

Now, practically, I think it is highly unlikely that a python would have come inside. I don't think they'd be out traveling in the cool evening. I think they'd all be holed up and watching TV. Dingoes, on the other hand....

Another one bites the dust...

2011-08-28T14:43:00.004+10:00

This photo appears in my photoblog. I shot it the day I unpacked my new kettle in mid June. I'm in that photo as is Zupe.

Today, I tossed that kettle into the "bin". Yep. It died. Without ever boiling it dry or dropping it from the roof or running over it with the car. It's a curse. Please tell Kevin it's not my fault.

I'm considering going back to the whistling kettle on the stove variety. They aren't as fast or as energy efficient, but they have a much longer shelf-life.

Argh!

The Living Dead

2011-08-23T15:07:00.008+10:00

Loving my new book of short (zombie) stories. I'm very tempted to post the entire story "When the Zombies Win". It is more a poem. Truly a beautiful piece.

"Living with the Dead" by Molly Brown

The first thing that happens when the dead start waking is not that they go on a rampage like you wee in the movies, it's that you find out all your insurance policies are worthless. Sam Jenkins had a life insurance policy with his wife as the beneficiary, but the insurance company refused to pay out because they said Sam didn't meet their definition of dead.
Then Alic's mother got a huge bill from the hospital because her daughter -- being officially deceased -- was no longer covered by her health insurance.

She tried giving them vegetables, but the dead won't touch them. If you ask her, she'll tell you that no matter how hard she tries, she cannot get the dead to eat broccoli.

"When the Zombies Win" by Karina Sumner-Smith

When the zombies win, they will not fear. They will not laugh or rejoice, they will not regret, they will not mourn. And the world will turn and turn, seasons burning and freezing across the landscape, the sun flashing through the sky, and they will continue.
When the zombies win, they will not stop. They will still moan and cry and whisper, on and on until the lips rot from their faces, their vocal cords slide away...
One by one they will stop moving, flesh and bone and brain too broken to do anything more. And in that silence and stillness they will struggle--trapped and ruined, they will still yearn, still hunger, always reaching for that which was taken from them. That which they granted to so many of us, in such great numbers.
To stop. To sleep. To rest, just rest, and let the darkness come.

Thanks Mom!

2011-08-21T20:09:00.004+10:00

My mother does not have cable TV. She has never had cable TV. She lives in a tiny little town in the middle of a corn field, alone, and watches programs from the 3 major networks and PBS. Well, actually, since the arrival of digital television, those few channels have expanded in number and so she gets some odd "Ohio" channel where she can watch, apparently any time of year, the highlights from the Ohio State Fair. (I myself on a recent visit got to watch both some dog agility trials AND a sheep shearing competition featuring both local Ohio and INTERNATIONAL shearers!)

This is not because she COULD NOT have cable TV. She just chooses not to. Too expensive. She's investing in Smucker's Seedless Black Raspberry Jelly. A person needs to know her priorities.

So, as a consequence, she watches a lot of public television. And, since she is home alone now, she is known to watch some TV during the DAY. (Don't let her know that I told you this!) One of the "new" programs that she's particularly fond of is "America's Test Kitchen". (I think she's like me. She enjoys eating and watching other people cook. Probably in that order.) Because she had some question about a recipe at one point, I went to their website. I tried to access the information, but you have to be a member. I signed up for the newsletter - but that wasn't enough. So, she never got that particular recipe.

I, however, just learned a VERY IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON.

If you store tomatoes upside down (with their stem and shoulders on the counter top), they will ripen without dehydrating so much. OBVIOUSLY, I learned this JUST A LITTLE TOO LATE. But, such is the way with IMPORTANT LIFE LESSONS!

This is how much I hate doing taxes!

2011-08-21T19:56:00.004+10:00

Kevin is off watching "Conan the Barbarian". I am supposed to be doing our US taxes. This has been my number one priority since the first of August. That's why there have been NO blog entries. Must focus.

And, I will get them done! I will!

Right after lunch.

Living alone I created my "dish to plate" ratio for meals. Maximum 2:1. Maximum. Otherwise, you're doing too many dishes.

Dishwashing, however, beats taxes. Rock smashes scissors. Paper crushes rock.

A musical interlude

2011-08-03T08:23:00.002+10:00

Wish these photos were mine. (And, I could play guitar like this.)

Hasn't too much time passed

2011-07-30T19:21:00.003+10:00

without featuring Zelda??

That's what she says!

She also wants everyone to know that she is a model dog who doesn't mind being kicked by little feet and is patiently waiting for the "food dropping" phase of this project to begin. (That's how we sold the idea to her.)

She isn't getting enough walks.

She is, however, getting plenty of naps

Docs and crocs

2011-07-30T14:26:00.005+10:00

Friday morning I spent in a doctor's waiting room - not that unusual place for Zupe and me. Silly me, I forgot to bring my (new zombie) book. Fortunately, among the notorious Australian women's magazines I found a National Geographic and there, on an early page, was a feature on unusual signs.

My first thought - everyone should see this! It is from South Africa and is found in some sort of park. Some sort of hilly park with crocodiles.

My second thought - OK. I didn't have a second thought.

Well, maybe this: It did remind me of a longstanding joke between Kevin and me about him and my young, hot nurse pushing my hospital bed down a steep incline at a seaside cliff when they took me out touring. Oops.

It's even better with a crocodile.

But, then again, what isn't?

Don't smile.

Never.

Thank you to :http://blog.ncpad.org/2011/03/22/12-what-were-they-thinking-accessibility-signs/ from whom I pinched the sign.

"The unnecessoiree"

2011-07-26T09:03:00.006+10:00

Since I find myself needing to sit for an hour, sometimes more, at a time feeding the baby, I've been watching way too much bad TV. (Here you might say something like, "But, Ann, there is plenty of good TV, even great TV, that you've not seen yet. And, movies, Ann. Good movies."

Ann responds, "Dear friend. You forget that I live with a man I love very much who has designs to watch that good TV with me.")

So, "True Blood" sits on the shelf and I'm watching "Shit My Dad Says", "Life on Mars", and "Running Wilde".

All this brings me to the title of this entry.

"Running Wilde" is NO ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. But, there are comic gems strewn about, in numbers FAR EXCEEDING "Shit...." (which had 2.... Count them. One - William Shatner leaving a message on an answering machine and sounding like Captain Kirk and Two - William Shatner doing karaoke "I'm too sexy for my shirt".) My favorite - from the episode "The Party" - though Fa-ad being bombed by his falcons was amusing - better start again.... My favorite was the word and concept of "the unnecessoiree"....a party for no reason.

This blog entry is really just a record for myself so that I remember this word so that someday I, too, may throw my own unnecessoiree. Don't worry...you're invited.

The Living Dead

2011-07-25T12:55:00.008+10:00

I have finally finished a book! The first since Zuperfliegen was born!! !! !! I think I only succeeded because it is a book of short stories and I can find a few minutes on random days - enough to read a shortish story. Yay!! Yay!!

The mothers at my mother's group were talking about all the books they're reading. Books about getting your baby to sleep. Or, understanding their cries. About schedules and milestones and...

I'm reading about zombies.

Everyone has her own priorities.

Kevin read this first and made notes about which stories he found to be "good" (14/31). In general, I agreed that the stories he liked were likable. But, as he'll be the first to tell you, I'm easy. I found several more to be worthy (20/31). Kevin didn't like the "alternate zombie" stories - like the Haitian zombies. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the broad array of undead - Ann can not live by shambling, flesh-eating zombies alone! And, I really appreciate a zombie story with a sense of humor. (OH MY GOD! I almost put a (2nd) "u" in humor!!!! Speaking of zombies...)

"Some Zombie Contingency Plans" by Kelly Link. (Kelly, I don't understand this story but it has some fabulous lines.)

When Soap got tired of thinking about art, he thought about zombies. He worked on his zombie contingency plan. Thinking about zombies was less tiring than thinking about art. Here's what Soap knew about zombies:

Zombies were not about sex.

Zombies were not interested in art.

Zombies weren't complicated... Vampires, for example, were middle/upper-middle management of the supernatural world. Some people thought of vampires as rock stars, but really they were more like Martha Stewart...

Zombies didn't discriminate...

There was something about clowns that was worse than zombies.

"Death and Suffrage" by Dale Bailey

You could just see that they were dead. It was every zombie movie you ever saw, and then some...

"My God," I said again, when I finally manged to unlock my brain. "What do they want?"

"They want to vote," said Lewis.

"Almost The Last Story By Almost the Last Man" by Scott Edelman

Zombies are a force of nature, and forces of nature do not come equipped with morals. Forces of nature do not come packaged with a purpose, a message, or a reason. They just are.

"She's Taking Her Tits To The Grave" by Catherine Cheek (Very funny. I love this zombie! Four quotes...almost the entire story!

"What are you doing here?" Larry finally said. "I thought you were dead."

"I am." She pushed her way into the condo, irritated. For that, she didn't slip her pumps off and line them up next to his five pairs of shoes on the tile, but tracked grave dirt across his white carpet.

It was easier to go without a soul than a car in this town. She felt her skirt for keys which weren't there, since they don't bury you with car keys, and muttered some unladylike words. They don't bury you with a purse, either, no matter if it was Prada and went very well with the shoes.

By the time she staggered up the pavement in front of their house, the lacquered layer of hairspray on her professionally dyed hair was starting to flake off, she was getting a little squishy around the eyes, and the flies kept landing on her, especially her eyes and mouth. She tired to wave them off, but her coordination wasn't what it should have been, so she kept smacking her boobs.

She took the crow's path, cutting across lawns and parking lots and once over a chain-link fence despite a "No Trespassing" sign. What was the point of following city ordinances when you weren't even obeying the laws of nature?

Little Orley and the Haunted House

2011-07-24T13:40:00.001+10:00

	Lumpy Brannum - Little Orley and the Haunted House .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

I've been singing a lot of songs I haven't sung for a long, long time lately. Current favorites - "I Love Trash", "Puff the Magic Dragon", and "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?" I also tried to recite this poem - but get lost when Orley finds the Haunted House.

In case YOU don't know the story, have a listen. It will give you a new appreciation for discarded instruments and Mr. GreenJeans.

Define: Xenogenic

2011-07-22T20:53:00.001+10:00

Xenogenic \zen-uh-JEN-ik\, adjective:

1. To be completely different from either parent, or from the source of an object's creation.
2. In biology, originating outside the organism or from a foreign substance introduced into the organism.
3. Zuperfliegen Baadasssss

Meanwhile, on Channel Zupe....

2011-07-22T20:47:00.002+10:00

July 13 - Anniversary of the Big Defrosting!
This is the day, just one year ago, that we picked up Zuperfliegen from the Baby Freezer Section. He was actually...

The wait
We were assigned two wait dates as we were leaving...

Remembering the belly
An inventory of what I miss and what I don't miss about...

Just in case you are interested. All you need to do is to click on the colored type (aka the link!). Should be painless.

50 Reasons I Love You #11

2011-07-22T17:21:00.002+10:00

From Art in the 21st Century

You are good at analyzing art and stories.

Spring is coming!

2011-07-20T17:52:00.003+10:00

I noticed last week - the jasmine is in bud.

Ships Ahoy!! Fabulous Birthday Gift from Christine!!

2011-07-19T10:27:00.007+10:00

My friend Christine sent me a fabulous new wind chime for my birthday. (It was on time, unlike this post which is woefully late.) Rather than tell you the story of the chimes, I thought I'd just post the email conversation about it.

Christine: Oh, and the chimes. I got the little ship from World Market (I think). I got it a while ago and always meant to send it to you with a pirate on it but never got around to making it. And when you had Zup I figured "Hey! Why not a family of pirates?" So that's how that came to be. I hope it made it around the world ok. I was worried, it would get broken. Did you see Zelda? I thought she definitely had to go on board with you - since she is so good with the baby. What a trooper - and that at her age!

Ann: Oh, I am laughing!!!!!

When I opened the package there was a pirate caught in the chimes line and I THOUGHT it was supposed to be that way - that he had been made to walk the plank! Then, I found a second pirate loose in the peanuts ...and last night when I was showing Kevin I saw that the first pirate was only tangled and there was glue for BOTH their feet in the boat.

Now, I get your message and I know to look for more pirates. I love the baby! He looks a bit like a pulled canine tooth!! but, I spilled out all the peanuts - found a third pirate - but no Zelda.

I went through it all very carefully... no. THEN, I looked over at the boat - she was the only one who stayed on board. I guess she made them ALL walk the plank! I'll pull out my glue and reinstate order on board later. I really love it. It is especially cool since you pirated it up for us!

Christine: O boy. So that means that they didn't make it, did they? I am just glad that you are a doctor and can help them. Poor guys. Zup should be almost as big as you are but he doesn't have a head covering. (I was looking into the future.) You should have a big pirate with hat, a somewhat shorter pirate with a red bandanna and a little blond guy. And Zelda of course. O there should also be a flag on the uppermost sail.

Ann: That isn't a baby. It is an ARM that came off Kevin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zupe is spinning off

2011-07-14T13:29:00.007+10:00

It had to happen. He was the most exciting member of the cast here. Of course the network would give him his own show. He promises to come around for guest appearances. Still, insiders suspect those appearances will only be pale imitations of what he does with his own site.

Oh well. It is just a wonder it didn't happen years ago with Zelda.

See Zuperfliegen Baadassss on his own blog site: http://channelzupe.blogspot.com/ Or click HERE.

More thoughts about Rabies

2011-07-14T12:12:00.002+10:00

Perhaps the authors of the poster have been over-influenced by American media. Australians typically believe we all have guns and there is rampant violence EVERYWHERE. These folks may have been unduly influenced by "Old Yeller" and "Cujo".

Or, it could have been produced by a company that manufactures vaccines.

I am willing to share my rabies safety tips to anyone traveling to the US who wishes to avoid the 3 vaccine series. Do not approach wildlife - especially any that seem "friendly" or very, very "unfriendly".

And, you best not share needles or have sex with them either.

There. That should do it.

What I read on the back door of the bathroom today

2011-07-13T16:07:00.006+10:00

First of all, I should let you know I did not read this at home. We don't have anything posted on our bathroom door - front or back side. Not very creative people, I guess.

Rather, I read this at the doctor's office. It was a poster listing what I assumed was every conceivable country to which one might wish to travel along with a list of vaccines that would be recommended prior to visiting. Because I was there with Zupe and I couldn't fit him (and his stroller) IN the bathroom, I left the door cracked open so I could see who would steal a baby on oxygen. After all, I'm legally responsible for that oxygen canister. Therefore, I didn't read EVERY country's recommendations - only the USA.

And what, pray tell, do those in the know recommend??

Hepatitis B - a viral disease that causes... wait for it.... hepatitis.

From Wikipedia:

Originally known as "serum hepatitis",[1] the disease has caused epidemics in parts of Asia and Africa, and it is endemic in China.[2] About a quarter of the world's population, more than 2 billion people, have been infected with the hepatitis B virus.[3] This includes 350 million chronic carriers of the virus.[4] Transmission of hepatitis B virus results from exposure to infectious blood or body fluids such as semen and vaginal fluids, while viral DNA has been detected in the saliva, tears, and urine of chronic carriers with high titer DNA in serum. Perinatal infection is a major route of infection in endemic (mainly developing) countries.[5] Other risk factors for developing HBV infection include working in a health care setting, transfusions, and dialysis, acupuncture, tattooing, extended overseas travel and residence in an institution. [6] [3][7] However, Hepatitis B viruses cannot be spread by casual contact, such as holding hands, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, breast-feeding, kissing, hugging, coughing, or sneezing.[8]

So, lets consider what this is saying. Visitors to the United States need to protect themselves from Hep B because they are likely to be into forced contact with bodily fluids from US carriers - either due to sexual contact, wiping tears, attending a special tourist transfusion or dialysis park, or possibly from all the dirty used needles we have lying about. (Thank God hugging is ruled out as a means of transmission! Whew!)

Oh, and there's a second vaccine that's recommended.

Rabies.

Or, rather, RABIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It all makes the US sound absurdly dangerous! Now, truth be told, I HAVE BEEN vaccinated for rabies - but how many people in the US are actually exposed to rabies each year? And, what proportion of them are just visiting the country?? And, what sort of tour do you have to book to risk that exposure? Does it cost extra? or is it more of the "no frills" sort of expedition?

Happy Mary Poppins Week

2011-07-09T07:57:00.005+10:00

Yes, you're right - I'm late by a week. Still, it needed to be recognized.

We discussed making the trek up to Maryborough for the festivities. (Maryborough Qld is the home of the author of the Mary Poppins books. They have a festival each year to honor her.) But, a 2.5 hour drive with an infant (on oxygen) didn't sound like it would be quite the fun time we were looking for. Maybe next year. Or, the next. Sometime, however. It is on my "list"!

For those of you who are intrigued and are wondering "Maybe I need to put this on my list of things to do before I.... move from Queensland" click here for the website. click here for the website

50 Reasons I Love You #12

2011-07-07T14:39:00.003+10:00

You enjoy going to the GoMA.

50 Reasons I Love You #32

2011-07-07T14:37:00.001+10:00

From photo a day

You are willing to play games.

50 Reasons I Love You #40

2011-07-07T14:36:00.002+10:00

From collage

You are creative and like artistic expression.

50 Reasons I Love You #15

2011-07-07T14:35:00.003+10:00

You brought Zelda into my life.

More on names

2011-07-07T13:33:00.004+10:00

James- from the Hebrew: "the supplanter"
+
Steven- Greek: "crowned one"
+
Victor- Latin: "conqueror"
=
"Zuperfliegen Baadasssss"

I hope we are up to this! (Kevin = composed of the Old Irish elements cóem "kind, gentle, handsome" and gein "birth"; Ann = "He (God) has favored me". Not exactly high on the badass scale.)

Happy July 4th

2011-07-02T05:18:00.002+10:00

My most excellent friend, Nan, is having a big July 4th bash in Cleveland...featuring hot dogs and poems about Yarrow. How I wish I could attend! My order from USA foods did not come yesterday, alas, so there will be no Bush's baked beans or sloppy joes for Monday...unless the order comes early Monday morning. (Please!) I may just try making an apple pie. Yes. Just maybe.

In the meantime...here's my contribution to the Yarrow Poetry Slam.

From July travel - mostly OHIO

Yarrow is a Flower

Yarrow is a flower.
It looks like Queen Anne’s Lace.
It has no eyes.
It has no lips.
In fact it has no face.

Yarrow is a flower.
It looks like Queen Anne’s Lace.
It has no feet.
It buys no shoes.
It will not win the race.

Yarrow is a flower.
It grows in fields and yards.
It has no hands.
It wears no gloves.
It does not win at cards.

(OK – here is where we get patriotic.)
Yarrow is a flower.
With shovel and with rake.
Revere he rode
To tell the Brits
Our guns you cannot take.

Yarrow is a flower.
I’ve a baby at my breast.
I can’t be there.
I send regards.
I wish you all the best!

With apologies to Yarrow - I only have a photo of Queen Anne's Lace!

The Ten Thousand Names of Zupe

2011-07-01T20:48:00.001+10:00

Those of you who are here following a link from Kevin's blog will know something about our well-named son. We haven't added any more names. Promise.

For the uninformed... Zupe had multiple names prior to even knowing he was a boy - even prior to his conception...and that occurred years ago. We chose his name way back in Cleveland while driving across town one day.

James - is the name of both of our fathers - though
1. I assure you they were different men and
2. Neither was ever called James but went by his middle name (Dennis or Dan)
In addition, there is a tradition in Kevin's family of naming the first son of the first son James. Kevin's not the first son, but Zupe is the first grandson.

Steven - at the time virtually every close friend of Kevin was named Steve. (If the discussion had occurred later in our Cleveland era, he might have been Michael. Everyone we knew in Cleveland was named Michael such that we gave them all nicknames - "Officer Mike", "Nederlander Mike", etc. No, not really. Steve is too important to Kevin. No Mike could take his place.)

And, that was the entirety of his name. But, that was years ago- when given time enough, we get creative.

So, to "Zuperfliegen Baadasssss". (Haven't I dissected this for you?) Zuperfliegen is Kevin's creation - faux-German for "Superfly". Baadasssss is a direct steal from the 1971 film "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song". In all, an homage to blaxsploitation films. It is also a salute to a longstanding joke of ours - "the silent Q".

Despite his great love of Steve, Kevin would have put Zuperfliegen on the birth certificate. I'm afraid I am the killjoy here. But, really, it is such a mouthful and any kid of ours is likely to be a bit off step with his "contemporaries". They really don't need the additional ammunition of the Zuperfliegen, let alone Baadassss, name(s). One of Kevin's Pittsburgh friends suggested "Zupe" as a nickname. I love Zupe. Zupe is too cool. Zupe is pretty much certificate worthy - but don't tell Kevin.

And, the nicknames proliferate. (Much fun for me - a person who never had a nickname, but always wanted one.) Zupester, Zupemeister, Zupenstein, Zupertastic, Z-BOB, Zed-man. Let me know if I've forgotten one of your favorites.

In the end as the big April Fools Day of Expectation approached I felt there was only one thing left to do.

I added another name.

This one did get on the birth certicate.

Victor.

Yes. I named him for my favorite dog. No one was more affectionate or honorable or loved.

Until now.

First night at home

2011-07-01T12:48:00.001+10:00

For the record, this is the second time I've written this post. For the first time in the several years I've been using Blogger, something inadvertent and unfortunate happened and despite the auto-save feature, when my post failed to publish, it also had failed to save.

And, it was, of course, really great.

Well, we brought Zupe home on his 3 week birthday - on a Friday - on a Friday before a holiday (3 day) weekend. We were, at 4 PM suddenly home, alone, and solely responsible for this baby. Everything felt new and scary despite having done the basic care behaviors before...especially feeding the baby.

In the hospital we were given bottles of premixed formula to feed him. We couldn't find this formula in any of the stores. We were "stuck" with dry formula mix...fortunately the same brand he'd been eating. (No one in the hospital suggested that sticking with the same formula was important or even useful...but I know how upset dog stomachs get from abrupt diet changes - and what is a baby, but a hairless dog?)

So, this is what I knew. It is very important to get the proportion of dry mix to water exactly right. Very bad things can happen with a solution that is too rich or too thin. And, I knew what was written on the can. (See below.)

Pretty straight forward, right. You just pour cooled boiled water into the bottle, then pour a little out, then a little more out, then add in just a smidgen of water. Then using the nifty attached "leveler" you add mix at the rate of 1 per 50 ml of water.

But, the leveler. It was obviously attached to the little scoop. How was that to work??? And, if you can see on the photo, there seems to be a "fill line" on the scoop about 1/2 an inch below the top. So, how does one level off at that point with a leveler that is firmly attached to the scoop????? I could cut off the leveler - but then it would be pretty messy scooping into the mix gripping the little "bucket" with my fingers.

All of these anxiety driven thoughts cascaded, of course, at the 2 AM feeding.

Fortunately, there is a toll-free number on the container.

Unfortunately, it is not manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They did, however, provide an emergency contact number - a cell phone. (In Australia all cell phones (aka mo-bile (as in gall bladder bile) phones) have the same "area code" - 04.) So, do I call the 04 number and wake the poor schmuck who had to take the phone home for the weekend??

Of course I didn't do that. Instead, I found a 24 hour call-a-nurse health line and asked them.

Seems you fill the cup all the way to the top.

I didn't mess around with the built in leveler. I just pulled a butter knife out of the drawer like I would if I were measuring ingredients to make cookies. No need for fancy-schmancy levelers.

And, we all lived.

Now Kevin and I are old pros. I still don't understand why the scoop has holes in the bottom, but I don't freak out about absolute measuring perfection. So far, Zuperfliegen survives.

And, funny thing. A few days into our new role as living-at-home-family I considered the funny shaped lip on the top of the formula canister. One can scrape the scoop across that lip... and level off the powder. Built-in. Leveler.

Really. Those folks in the formula packaging division need to be informed before any more poor souls cut the scoop off the handle.

Zupe's first video

2011-06-28T14:01:00.005+10:00

This morning while enjoying his bottle Zupe, for the first time ever, noticed the computer screen. He's had lots of opportunities - 3 seasons of "Breaking Bad", weekly episodes of "Game of Thrones" and "The Killing". Even videos on youtube from "Sesame Street". Nothing caught his eye....until now.

What does it mean? Have my not so subtle hints ("dancer not football player") found their mark in an early appreciation for Bob Fosse? Or, is he just drawn to leggy, busty, "easy" women?

Time will tell.

"So, let me get right to the point..."

Winter solstice

2011-06-22T17:06:00.004+10:00

From Jun 20, 2011

Seems like time to put away the (largely unworn) summer clothes and take the winter ones out of storage.

This is probably* the hardest time of year for me. The days have grown quite short and the nights are sincerely cool. These changes prompt in me a quickening of my heart as I begin to count the days til Christmas.

But, alas. It is June.

And, so I am mourning the loss of my internally expected Christmas and the fact I'm missing another "summer".

It is all very illogical. Yet, I am unsettled.

*Note: In December I'll tell you that is my hardest time as Christmas comes but without the season or my family.

The horror of babies...

2011-06-15T14:31:00.000+10:00

I'm convinced that much of the genre of horror was created by observing and experiencing babies - both before and after birth. This is not to say that I don't love Zuperfliegen - and I wish you'd stop telling him that - you'll give him a complex. Still, as wondrous and remarkable as the experience is, there are elements that are very, very creepy.

Take the images revealed by ultrasound. I'd like to meet the person in whom the following creates feelings of love or attraction.

From self portraits

Our first ultrasound (6 weeks). He's only a few centimeters long ("the size of a lentil") and per my memory of biology class he's got gills (or maybe he used to have gills...).

And, so, in my mind he's really pretty much a "sea monkey" and I expected I might see him pushing a little sea monkey vacuum like the pictures on the sea monkey ads in the back of Mad Magazine when I was a kid. No vacuum. No cute little apron. This one isn't particularly scary but it does bring home thoughts of possession. There's something alive inside...quiet but lurking. (And the gills, think "Creature from the Black Lagoon".)

Ultrasound 2 (12 weeks) This is where things start getting creepy. Check out those big hollow, scary eyes. Certainly this visage inspired the big-eyed aliens of the "I've been abducted, lost time, and have a chip in my neck" variety.

(Unless, of course, they are real.)

Then, a couple of months later...he starts to move. Move and get much, much bigger. Move in such a way that I'd jump, startled, and hold my breath waiting for my abdomen to erupt. You saw "Alien", right?
And, "Loaf"? (You'll have to ask Kevin if you want to see this one.)

His last ultrasound photos show only disembodied limbs. This is what I'm waiting to bring into our lives? (Though on a more positive note, by the end even though we were both huge, he moved frequently enough that I no longer screamed out loud.)

From art plus

Birth. Obviously horrific. Zupe was zombie personified.

After birth he's still a horror. From the kitchen while he's "sleeping", I hear under-the-breath-murmurs, quiet grave statements which could easily have been lifted from Linda Blair in "The Exorcist".

From Ohio Spring!

And, then there's feeding: ravenous, gape-mouthed, attacking in a purposeful, driven though uncoordinated frenzy.

Best Birthday, Ever!

2011-06-15T12:42:00.002+10:00

For my big day Kevin shared his Dominion winnings and took Zupe and me out to dinner at Sizzler Steak House. We had a great time - including Zupe who found it a fine place to snooze. After dinner Kevin gave me my very heavy present.

Fifty Cocolo Dark Chocolate Mint bars - each stuffed with one reason why he loves me. (I cried.)

Since time has not yet been re-established here, I've already opened 4 bars:

#1. You were born! (And thus Love entered the world (again) and eventually Wonder entered my life.) Happy 50th Birthday!

#32. You are willing to play games.

#7. You love me back.

#15. You brought Zelda into my life (or something to that effect - I can't find the slip.)

(Note- #1 may not be exactly right. Zelda chewed up the note and I've tried to piece it back together. She loves me, too.)

Australian Baby Names

2011-06-14T20:56:00.002+10:00

We saw this book recently at a "Baby Market" - like a giant flea market of baby and children's items - not including rocking chairs... Anyway, since we'd already named Zupe, and some would say and have said we'd overnamed him, we didn't need this book. Though we were very, very curious.

According to the Internet description - it includes 5,000 entries listed clearly in alphabetical order.

How many ways ARE THERE for listing Bruce five thousand times???

Preparing for the paparazzi

2011-06-12T22:32:00.002+10:00

or maybe just practicing concealing his identity in case "the man" comes looking.

Irony: the greatest force in the universe

2011-06-12T16:11:00.004+10:00

Kevin tells me this ALL THE TIME.

Case in point.

For YEARS I have been confessing to Kevin that I'd really be interested in, let's see, this is awkward here - though surprisingly easy to say to Kevin - OK....interested in seeing an abdominal exploratory surgery on him. He's not shaped like a dog. At all. Or, a cat.

Then, WHO is it that is getting their abdomen incised? and WHO will be in the "audience"???

CRAP.

I thought FOR SURE there would be a big mirror hung in surgery so that I could watch Zupe being pulled from my abdomen. If you've got to have a C-section, that seemed like the least they could do! And, I must confess (again) that I'd been imagining where I'd make that incision as I watched my ever expanding abdomen...

BUT

no mirror.

And, no audience. Kevin had to sit behind the "curtain" with me (or at least the seeing part of me) until it was all over. The camera got passed to the anaesthetist's assistant....who did get some good shots. The best, little baby zombie Zupe, we've not put on line for fear of inducing panic in the general population...but if you're very, very brave...

What I need to remember

2011-06-12T12:48:00.000+10:00

Don't leave the scissors in the baby's cage...no bed

While affectionate, it is probably best to stop calling Zupe "Puppy" and "Princess". Oh, and maybe no more "You're a good dog".

It is a crib or cot or bassinet or bed... not a cage. (Must repeat this.)

...."is harder with a baby on oxygen"

2011-06-09T08:43:00.010+10:00

Australia has a very, very good community health program - at least for new babies and their mothers. The great staff at the Mater's Mother's Hospital set me up with them when they discharged Zupe and a nurse came by for a home visit about 2 weeks after we got home. She gave Zupe a physical: weighed and measured him. Then, she set us up with an infant feeding day long session and a weekly mother's group.

Well, she didn't immediately set us up with the latter. In fact, she wasn't sure "which group" would be best for us because "babies with oxygen tend to monopolize the conversation".

Now, that probably doesn't strike you as funny since you are convinced I DO monopolize our conversations. This, however, is all your doing. You COULD press that comment button and have your say. I'd be thrilled, in fact, to know I wasn't talking to myself. I do that all day long - usually in my head, but recently more times out loud telling myself I am "talking to Zupe." In reality I have NEVER been accused of monopolizing any conversation. I'm much more likely to be criticized for failing to participate in said conversation.

Still, it did provide a chuckle to Kevin and me. And, it was Kevin who noted that I could just end any sentence with "...harder with a baby on oxygen." He thinks it is almost as amusing as ending fortune cookie fortunes with "in bed".

So, I've been - let me start again - WE'VE been to two meetings. I DID mention my son was on oxygen - twice: first when I introduced him (I thought that people might be interested/concerned/curious as to why we carry an oxygen cylinder and decorate his cheeks with tape.) and secondly when we were asked to comment on how the experience of giving birth/being a mother differed from our expectations. (In hindsight I could have said more: I didn't expect to need an induction. (I did expect to go beyond 40 weeks...) I didn't expect that after the induction I would need a c-section. I didn't expect my son would hardly eat for almost 5 days, would sleep almost all the time, would spend 3 weeks in the hospital, would need 24 hour oxygen support...) Given the nurse's comment I may have been less willing to discuss the oxygen, in fact.

One of the major concerns with mother's is settling their crying baby. Why does she cry? Why won't he stop? Help!! I made the very foolish (in retrospect) statement that Zupe is very easy. He doesn't cry except when he's hungry. He eats and then he goes to sleep. On his own. No fuss. Just put him in his bed and he "self settles."
Foolish because we've yet to spend an entire visit there (about 2 hours) without him screaming for AT LEAST 45 minutes of that time. I hold him. I talk with him. I bounce him. I put him in his stroller. I pick him up.... The scream continues. He isn't hungry. He JUST ATE minutes ago. I think he's picked up his dad's respect for irony (the strongest force in the universe.)

Damn them both.

What was that all about?

2011-06-07T09:23:00.006+10:00

That last post - about "Versailles". You may remember in 2009 I found a short film had been set in Versailles, Ohio. (Comedy, of course.) We never did find it on line to watch - The web site (mydamnchannel.com) has chopped the film into 6 - maybe it was 8 - installments. They've been publicizing it on Facebook, among other places, and I became its "friend". The question the post began with was posed by the "Versailles" page - and I tried to respond there - but Facebook thought I was too wordy, I guess. Anyway, they deleted initially part and then all of my post. So, because I was so pleased with myself I posted it here. (Well, there. Down below this post....)

In the time that has past since I wrote my response I have figured out that it doesn't really matter. No one is going to create Evelyn's back story. I am not going to become a Versailles legend. (Well, at least not for this.)

But, it is all good. The story had to be told somewhere

50 Reasons I Love You #7

2011-05-26T14:23:00.002+10:00

From Mt Kosciusko

You love me back.

Versailles!

2011-05-21T19:42:00.003+10:00

From Christmas lights 2009

So... we have this theory: Evelyn Anders is a miserable lady because she was never named Miss Chick at Poultry Days. What do you think?

In a high school class of 119, there is no great honor in winning Homecoming Queen. Who was she competing with? Evelyn Anders needed a win from a larger pool. Miss Chick? Everyone would say she had the hometown advantage. She cast her view more widely.

She flat-out refused to consider even entering the queen pageant for the Eaton Pork Festival. Miss Piggy? Queen Sow? Similarly, she ruled out Bradford’s Pumpkin Show- too easy for the comments to turn ghastly.

Annie Oakley Days. Only at the last minute did Evelyn understand that SHOOTING was part of a winning package… and that didn’t include shooting the team that was setting up the next target. Eliminated.

Minster’s Oktoberfest. Her place in the finalist group was snatched away thanks to some unspeakable accident involving massive quantities of beer.

Nearing the end of senior year came the big county-wide senior dance at Rossburg Chevrolet: The Rossburg-a-go-go. Certain she would win, Evelyn was crushed when a ballot box stuffing scandal (her words, not mine) awarded the price to the bitch (her words, not mine)from Russia. No prize. No tiara. No Chevette.

So, Evelyn deigned to enter the Miss Chick Contest. Designed her poultry themed dress. Practiced her wave. Arranged with her uncle, the squirrelly one, to borrow his convertible. And………

Maybe she won. (Still it was a year with a lot of hate and the win a cheap, no pun intended, hometown honor. Everyone said that!)

Then, again, maybe her crown was pulled at the last minute when it was revealed that she was far too closely related to the very vociferous group of radical vegans who were at the time of the crowing, defacing the world’s largest omelet.

50 Reasons I Love You #1

2011-05-19T14:19:00.002+10:00

You were born! (And thus Love entered the world (again) and, eventually, my life.) Happy 50th Birthday!

The Size of Babies.

2011-05-06T14:26:00.009+10:00

While describing a photo of Zuperfliegen, my friend Christine recently made a comment that I've heard before...something to the effect that she'd forgotten how small newborns are. I suppose in 6 months or 2 years or a decade, I might feel the same way. Right now I'm struck by how BIG he is. All of THAT was inside ME?

I found this statistic on the adhesive protector from a sanitary napkin: "When a woman is pregnant, her uterus expands to 500 times its normal size." (See photo from March 30 - you'll be convinced.)

And, while Zupe at birth weighed only about 6% of my weight, he was over 34% as tall as I am! Of course, that 54 centimeters wasn't stretched out in my abdomen, but curled up in what is so appropriately called The Fetal Position. In the photo above Zupe is a bit more than 1 week old. He's actually lighter than he was at birth - so this is mini-Zupe.

I knew that and I knew he was head down for the last 4 to 6 weeks. But, it wasn't until he was born and I was looking at his body that I understood that the "foot" I was always shifting off my midline was more likely a knee. I never even considered that I was being "elbowed" by elbows and knees. I was only thinking about hands and feet (while still puzzling over why his feet would be so low - just under my umbilicus. Perhaps I spend too much time looking at and thinking about dog feet?)

OMG - this is so funny - I just looked at that photo and thought, wow! he was so little. That didn't take long!

Zuperfliegen: Held Hostage

2011-05-06T14:01:00.001+10:00

Let's see. This post should be dated April 15 - Happy 1 week old, Zupe!

We were supposed to be discharged from the hospital on Day 5 - April 13. My obstetrician came by and signed me out and then Zupe's pediatrician came in and did the same. The midwife staff, like Kevin and me, was concerned that there was something not right about Zupe. We discussed the possibility of getting a second opinion.

About that time the ped came back in to recheck Zupe. He wasn't so happy "about his color". He did a second physical exam and ordered some tests: a CBC, pulse oxymetry (measuring oxygen saturation of his blood), and blood gas analysis (oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH...). I watched the saturation values on the screen. His average was in the mid to low 90's. I wouldn't have been happy with those values if he'd been my patient - but I only measure saturation routinely during surgery when my patient is inhaling 100% O2 (well, except for the bit that is isoflurane). The nurse wasn't overly concerned. The ped. wasn't either. Nor was he bothered about the lower than normal O2 and higher than normal CO2 on the blood gas - but he did call in for a Respiratory Consult. (That is Resp- ear- a - tory with the accent on EAR.)

Those doctors were concerned and requested that Zupe spend the night in the Special Care Nursery getting an overnight saturation study that would be analyzed in the morning. And, so, we spend an extra night.

Then, Zupe spends an extra 15 nights.

He had a chest xray, a cardiac ultrasound, a brain ultrasound and numerous blood gas studies. Everything was normal with the exception of the blood gas studies that were done when he was NOT receiving supplemental oxygen.

My observation which I shared with the respEARatory doctors on their first visit to the Special Care Nursery was that his oxygen was good (98% or more) when he was awake and feeding, less when quiet and awake and damn scary (mid 80's) when deeply asleep. Still, it took almost 2 weeks and both the ped and them saying that everything looked OK, until he had a "Sleep Study".

SLEEP STUDY: Photo see below "Onion Head" April 27 post.
Lots of wires and probes and sticky pads. It is a wonder anyone can sleep. During the study a continuous stream of data are collected for later analysis: EEG, ECG, oxygen saturation, chest excursions... Initially this is done while the patient receives oxygen (at the level they've "been on" - for Zupe that was 100 ml.) Then, the oxygen is turned off and this data collection continues. Then, well, then, if you're Zupe, you scare the nursing team so badly they crank up the oxygen a mere 7 minutes later to 250 ml!

So, by the next morning (Thurs 21 of April) the gods have spoken and the word is "Zupe needs to go home on continuous oxygen therapy at 250 mls." Also, that "It will take 24 hours to complete the necessary paperwork and then up to 3 days to get the oxygen in place in your home so he can be released." And, "Hey, tomorrow is Good Friday and this year Anzac Day falls on the Easter weekend so no one will be able to even START the paperwork until NEXT WEEK Wednesday."

An earlier enquiry of the sleep study nurses suggested that once oxygen is requested it takes 3 days to get delivery.

Thinking here: request filed on Wednesday. Plus 3 days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

"Will oxygen be delivered on a weekend?"

"No."

And, that following weekend is ANOTHER holiday weekend - Labour Day - so that would set us up for delivery on the NEXT TUESDAY!!!!!

Because you are living in a non sequential universe, you know that we got delivery in 1 day and brought Zupe home on Friday.

"FREE AT LAST! FREE AT LAST! THANK GOD, ALMIGHTY, WE'RE FREE AT LAST" (With acknowledgment to MLK.)

Once home, we removed our "bands of solidarity".

(Photo above...taken when we first learned we'd be in for a long haul in the SCN.)

Water expires precisely in Qld

2011-05-06T14:00:00.000+10:00

Maybe because it came from the hospital, but can you imagine that this water is "good" until a specific MINUTE in 2012. Sort of makes me wish I had kept it unopened so I could watch what would happen on July 1st at 5:16 PM. Does it turn color? Is there a puff of smoke? Does it bubble? or, do you just curl up your toes and die if you drink it?

Recorded from a bus in Brisbane

2011-05-06T13:30:00.001+10:00

Really. I can't make stuff up this good.

SPITTING IS UNACCEPTABLE.
Bus operators are now equipped with DNA kits to assist with the apprehension of offenders.

How is it possible that I resisted the urge to spit? Do you think the driver slams on the breaks? Then, marches down the aisle swabbing the buccal mucosa of each potential spitting passenger?

Spitting is gross - but could this be over-reacting? How often is spitting an issue? Will the fines pay for the cost of buying the equipment for each bus?

Oh, and on an unrelated topic - yet still a sign. This time in the hospital.

Abusive behavio(u)r will not be tolerated - including "excessive intoxication".

Good to know that "just right intoxication" will not be a problem.

Reading to Zuperfliegen

2011-05-03T17:14:00.004+10:00

Let me begin by saying that I love Kevin. Sometimes, well, rather commonly, we have different ideas about things. For example, I think we should read children's books to Zupe and Kevin - well, Kevin thinks he doesn't understand anything yet, so we should just read OUR books to him.

A rather unromantic idea - but I can understand his logic. So, since I've been struggling to finish Joyce Carol Oates' "Little Bird of Heaven", I picked it up and read to Zupe after his lunch. I had only a page and a half to finish a chapter. I won't put it all here, just a sample.

"In these last staggering minutes of his life my father did not speak, he did not speak to me as if in the urgency of the moment he'd forgotten me, a kind of oblivion had washed over his soul, his hard-as-steel soul and he'd forgotten me, he'd forgotten his wife whom he had so desperately summoned to his side. He'd forgotten his family, his life that had gone bad. For it was his secret knowledge that death is easy, death is so much easier than life. ..I saw Daddy crouching, his shoulders hunched and his head lowered, now his face was turned from me and I could not see if he was smiling, I would never see Daddy's face again and must surrender him now, in his shaky right hand the revolver to be identified in the media as a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson in the illegal possession of Edward Diehl, I saw Daddy step confidently into that blinding light and lift this gun as if about to fire it in a seemingly spontaneous mocking gesture that would be the final gesture of his life."

I don't think it was a good idea.

Attention: We are leaving the linear time line.

2011-05-03T17:10:00.003+10:00

I've been gone for a while: weeks if not months. For my own reasons, I want to catch up here. I want to maintain a record of some of my thoughts and experiences. I imagine they won't be particularly meaningful for anyone but myself - and maybe Kevin. And, maybe Zupe, should he ever learn to read and is bored enough to wonder what his parents were up to at the dawn of time. There is some very, very, very small chance that after I catch up - assuming I catch up - I will go back and order these posts.

Yeah. Like that's going to happen.

The Zupe-bird has landed!!

2011-05-02T16:43:00.006+10:00

Defying predictions of another weekend in the hospital, oxygen was arranged and Zuperfliegen came home on Friday!

Finally we are ALL at home! We were concerned that it wouldn't happen until next week . "Tues the 3rd at the earliest"- we were warned on Wednesday of last week. But, we got the paperwork done by Thursday morning and the magic woman at the hospital along with her secret contact at the social agency in charge of the "health card" program pushed everything through so we could get our oxygen and bring him home on Friday.