July Week 4, 2006

Surgery Week

Monday  July 17 , 2006

The day stared off at 0300, we got up and got the girls ready, Grandma and Pat were already up and ready when we went down stairs. We took Autumn, Monica, and dropped Cindy off at Jeff's. We got a bit of a late start (half hour) but we we were only 5 minutes late to check in.

They took Christy in right on time and the surgery lasted 3 hours... the surgeon, Dr. Moline, said that there was no visible trace of cancer, the pathology may found some isolated cells but that is to be expected, we go back to see the Oncologist and set up Radiation treatments in about 3 weeks. We didn't spend much time with her because she was pretty doped up and very tired... we headed home about 1300.

I talked to her just a few moments ago and they have the pain medication well regulated, she is not feeling pain but her throat is sore from the ventilation tubes. She had 4 drains that will need to be cared for when she gets home and they will be in for two whole weeks... long time.

I am glad this part is over... really glad.

it's 2145... I am about ready to fall down... I will go get Christy in the morning. I am very proud of her...

Tuesday  July 18 , 2006

I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one.

Pat is asleep, I am not going to wake her up, her internal clock is all messed up and she had a long day yesterday. I will have to take Autumn because there is no one here that can take care of her. Grandma seemed a little insulted when I told her that but I explained that Autumn can be a handful for me when she is being contrary and I hope she understood...

Christy is waiting... I am out of here...

Christy was ready to go about an hour after I got there... she is in a lot of pain but seems to have plenty of mobility. She has 4 drains that need to be emptied 3 times a day... she can't lift over 5 pounds.

Wednesday  July 19 , 2006

Thursday  July 20 , 2006

Today Calie to Trevor's house so she can go with them to the Amusement Park.

I took Cindy to VBS with Autumn, Autumn wouldn't go in. I took her with me to breakfast.

I took Monica, Christian and Christy to the Ione Clinic, Monica got her stitches removed.

Christian talked with Doc Taylor about coping and growing up... I think he got absolutely nothing out of the conversation.

I went with Mike to the Clinic at 1535 to have them check his foot... it's OK.

Christy has Phlebitis where they gave her an IV... not good. She had been told to stop Coumadin and was concerned about that. Rick checked the drains (she has four of them)..

Friday  July 21 , 2006

I took Mike to Colville for a Polygraph ($275)... I have to take him back to Newport tomorrow. Took kids swimming...

The house has passed a bill that would strip jurisdiction from the federal and Supreme Courts preventing them from hearing cases regarding the Pledge of Allegiance...

The House has nothing better to do than take on the court system over the Pledge of Allegiance UNDER GOD. There aren't any massive deficits to worry about no unjustified wars certainly not two wars happening at one time no poverty no poor education no homelessness no nothing is more important than the bloody pledge. They've passed HR 389 the "Pledge Protection Act" which declares that "no court created by Act of Congress shall have any jurisdiction and the Supreme Court shall have no appellate jurisdiction to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation of or the validity under the Constitution of the Pledge of Allegiance."

Can they do that? I am not a lawyer but my opinion is that under the Constitution maybe UNDER GOD.

Article III creates the judicial branch of government and gives Congress the power to limit the Supreme Court's appellate jurisdiction (but not SCOTUS's original jurisdiction which extends to any case where a State is a party). The Constitution also gives Congress the ability to "ordain and establish" inferior courts. On the other hand the Constitution in Article III also says "The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases in Law and Equity arising under this Constitution..." which could be interpreted to mean that the courts always have jurisdiction over questions of Constitutionality with no input from Congress on the matter.

Saturday  July 22 , 2006

A man who lies to himself, and believes his own lies, becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or in anyone else, and he ends up losing respect for himself and for others. When he has no respect for anyone, he can no longer love, and, in order to divert himself, having no love in him, he yields to his impulses, indulges in the lowest forms of pleasure, and behaves in the end like an animal, in satisfying his vices. And it all comes from lying - lying to others and to yourself.

Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky

As weeks go this was a toughie... Christy's surgery, waiting for results, Mike home for 72 hours, Pattie visiting for about for days... quite a load. I told myself I was just going to focus on Christy and I managed to accomplish that most of the time but I also was a little testy with the kids when they were asking for attention... I will blame it on stress but I am old enough to be able to manage that a little better.

When I finally get to the PC at the end of the day I am too tired to think clearly and even the minimal concentration it takes to do this seems to tax my brain. The things I wanted to talk about during the day run off into the musty cobwebs some where and hide.

...and it's hot, it didn't break 100° today but it came close, 96°, we are supposed to get to 101° tomorrow then it is supposed to start getting down into the 80's by the end of the week.

Sunday  July 23 , 2006

I don't think it made it to 100° but it might have... 118° in Palm Springs... 112° in Scottsdale... again I I say, it's a damn good thing there is no such thing as global warming.

I weighed 237 in June of last year, I weighed 205 in December, after the move, I am back up to 227 and I hate it...

Time for some political comic relief

By Molly Ivins
Published 12:01 am PDT Thursday, July 20, 2006

Look what a good time Vladimir Putin had with him. Bush, responding to questions from the international press corps on his conversation with Putin the previous evening, said, "I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq, where there is a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country, you know, would hope that Russia would do the same thing."

Putin, with a fairly straight face, replied, "We certainly would not like to have the same of kind of democracy they have in Iraq, I'll tell you that quite honestly." Don't you hate it when the international press corps laughs at what a stoop Bush is? Bush, who fancies himself something of a fast-reply artist, said, "Just wait." Heh, heh.

I think the problem is the rest of the world doesn't understand Dekes (Delta Kappa Epsilon). We need a Deke short-course in embassies around the globe.

Another citizen looking a bit nonplussed at the G8 Summit was Tony Blair, listening as Bush, noisily chewing with his mouth open, said, "See, the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s---, and it's over. I feel like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad and make something happen."

Could he possibly believe that? You could probably suggest unleashing Israel on Syria, except the Israelis don't seem interested in the program. One, they don't know who would replace President Assad. And two, it could get them stuck there for years -- kind of like, oh, you know, that great democracy "what'sitsname."

Meanwhile, the nation needs to take a break from FOX and get a grip -- the 24/7 drumbeat for war is silly.

Back to politics for comic relief. The most luckless candidate so far this year is Katherine Harris, now 30 points behind Democrat Bill Nelson in the Florida Senate race. Three campaign managers have quit on Ms. Harris, not to mention a dozen or so other staffers. The latest defector, Glenn Hodas, said her "tantrums were uncontrollable." Another former campaign manager, Jamie Miller, said no one from Florida would work for her: "It's a nuclear wasteland in there. Anyone who goes in is going to be tainted."

Some of them are upset by the fact that she's involved with a corrupt defense contractor who showed up in the Duke Cunningham scandal. Ms. Harris also loaned her own campaign $3 million, but then took back $100,000 so she could refurbish her house in Washington, D.C.

Also providing comic relief these days is Holy Joe Lieberman, senator from Connecticut, Al Gore's 2000 running mate, and the most annoyingly sanctimonious person in politics. Lieberman has more than miffed Connecticut Democrats by backing the war in Iraq and other Bush policies, setting off a big primary fight. Lieberman now threatens to run as an independent if he loses the primary, thus opening the seat to a Republican and further alienating Democrats.

Brother Ralph Reed, alas, tanked in Georgia. Do you think he knows Baptists don't approve of gambling? Meanwhile, in Texas, we're all excited about the possibility of having Tom DeLay back on the ballot in his old district. You must admit the Republicans have lost their moral compass since DeLay quit. Now, if we could just have a free press and free religion like Iraq!