Monday March 13 , 2006
We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they
do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian and writer (1906-1945)
This is an interesting quote... I wonder what the context and motivation for it was... where is Jerry when I need him.
Christy goes to get her blood test at Selkirk Clinic today,
Calie Monica and I go to the Dentist tomorrow, Christy gets another blood test
in Spokane on Wednesday.
Tuesday March 14 , 2006
And these children that you
spit on as they try to change their world, are immune to your consultations,
they're quite aware of what they're going through.
Changes - David Bowie
The
girls and I got dentaled on schedule... Monica got a temporary crown and Calie got a
couple of cavities filled... the girls a very good at the dentist, they have
never had a problem.
Wednesday March 15 , 2006
When I realized that what I had
turned out to be was a lousy, two-bit pool hustler and drunk, I wasn't depressed
at all. I was glad to have a profession.
Danny
McGoorty (1901 - 1970)
Christy had an appointment with the phlebotomist and the Nurse Practitioner,
Andrea, at Cancer Care Northwest
Spokane. Andrea is a pretty neat person, she answered all our questions honestly
and was impressed with Christy's knowledge and grasp of the situation. She said
that Christy was the first one who ever read the Consultation and Pathology
report. When Andrea left she said to the scheduling person, "Don't schedule any
more 15 minute consultations with this lady, she asks a lot of questions."
We went into Spokane and bought a pool table... a nice one:
I love to shoot pool but I am not exceptional by any stretch of the imagination, I know how to play and how to line up a shot
but I have a hard time hitting my mark consistently... I have to find some
people to shoot with. I need to play with some good players, I learned a long
time ago that you can't improve if you play with people who can't challenge
you... winning all the time may do wonders for your ego but it does nothing for
your game.
Thursday March 16 , 2006
A tree is known by its
fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps
friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.
Saint Basil (329-379
A.D.), [The Great] bishop of Caesarea
I
forgot to take the van into CanAm for its lube... I wrote down the wrong day on
my calendar, that's the second missed appointment with Mr. Sharkey, he took it
in good humor though, even tried to assume some of the blame for my stupidity...
nice fella.
Friday March 17 , 2006
The most beautiful of all emblems
is that of God, whom Timaeus of Locris describes under the image of a circle
whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.
Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire (1694-1778), French philosopher
We
got the van into CanAm on time. Calie had a choir performance in Springdale, she
left at 0630 and got back at 2330...
Saturday March 18 , 2006
If addiction is judged by how long
a dumb animal will sit pressing a lever to get a 'fix' of something, to its own
detriment, then I would conclude that Netnews is far more addictive than
cocaine.
Rob
Stampfli
I
worked it the shop and used my pressure washer... Christian has spent the day on
the PC playing World of Warcraft... He is addicted and I don't know how to get
him weaned away from it... Cindy is at a church youth retreat... she should be
back tomorrow sometime...
These entries are getting pretty short, I just don't have much time to spend on
the PC lately. Christy is at a very dangerous part of her Chemo when the white
blood cells ar at their nadir. that means she is susceptible to any infection or
virus that comes down the pike... she has to stay away from crowds and sick
people...
Sunday March 19 , 2006
An optimist says, 'War is impossible.' A pessimist says, 'War
is inevitable.' A realist says, 'War is inevitable unless we make it
impossible.'
Calie Autumn and I went into Colville to do some shopping, Christy wanted a few
things and Calie needed some baseball stuff. Calie is the only one doing
baseball, mike is into track and the others are sitting on their collective
butts.
Cindy tried to do track but I think it was a bit too challenging to her, she
tried the shot-put thinking that all it would take was to throw a heavy ball
further than anyone else, she didn't realize how refined it was, it is like
doing the same ballet move over and over till you get it absolutely perfect...
Cindy has some equilibrium issues and she really tried hard but it was a lost
cause... I felt sorry for her, she wants so much to participate and to 'fit in'
something I'm afraid that just isn't in the cards. The kids at the school are
very nice to her and they understand that she is different but to expect them to
include her in all the social aspects of High School is asking an awful lot. In
LA High School society is a lot like professional wrestling. All style, facade,
pretense, the better the front you present the higher your social standing... it
helps to have some natural abilities to bring into the game but for the most
part it's just style. This is a small school, the rules are different,
there is still the 'facade factor gut up here there is no where to hide and
there is really no way to fake it... the kids here have been together in the
same class for their entire lives, there are no secrets you are what you are.
Christy cleaned the house while I was in Colville, it's a good thing she did too
because Nancy Kiss brought over some cookies and a cake and later Mrs. Whysong
brought over more food from her and another Mrs. Amy Kiss and Mrs. Maribal, Mrs.
Maribal is one of Autumns aides and one of the Kiss's is Calie's Science teacher
and the other is the school nurse.
Christy seems to be in good spirits and she seems to have a little energy back.
It is subtle but she seems stronger and more determined to beat this cancer
every day. She is reading everything she can about how to make this therapy
work, no more naysayer's, no more negative vibes. The harder she fights the more
support she gets. It's
I believe true happiness
is derived from helping others and spreading love. Sharing Unconditional Love is
the best high you can experience. Pure Energy flows though you unhindered by
doubt, fear or expectation. It is magical beyond belief. Try it sometime!
Skip Stone (This name has
to be a pseudonym)
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8646.htm
The highest standard
of living for the most folks
The recent letter "Nation's economy in bad shape,"
which opens with "Not since the Great Depression
...," would have us believe that this country is in
miserable economic shape. Recent columns by Molly
Ivins and Paul Krugman echo this gloom-and-doom view
and quote statistics to show how we did better in
the Clinton years.
What they really show, of course, is that one can
prove most anything with statistics.
It must be obvious to all that the Clinton years
were blessed with a tremendous boom in computer
technology, telecommunication and cell-phone
advancement, along with the dot-com boom, which
burst and started the 2001 recession. To imply that
this boom and concurrent net-worth growth could
continue is simply wishful thinking.
In fact, these huge technical advances in
communication have made it easier for foreign
competitors to penetrate our markets, in both
product and service. Our success in extending and
improving life has also aged our population, adding
to our competition problems, as well as fiscal and
monetary struggles.
That our economy continues to thrive in this
competitive global climate, with unemployment at a
fantastic 4.7 percent, is truly remarkable.
The goal of economic management is to provide the
highest possible standard of living for the most
people possible. Let's look at how we are doing in
that regard.
Our standard of living is higher than ever, by far.
We're living longer, in bigger and better homes,
driving more expensive cars, dining out more often
in more expensive restaurants, taking expensive
vacations, enjoying huge technical advances in
entertainment and communication, and spending great
sums of money on sporting events and live
entertainment. People have to be oblivious to life
around them not to recognize and acknowledge this.
They should relax and enjoy it.
John A. Ristow
Bradenton
I read this this afternoon, there was no way
to rebut it at all except to write to the editor. This gentleman was certainly
emphatic but he was employing the tactic that he accused Molly Ivins and Paul
Krugman of using. The difference between his diatribe and theirs is that his
facts are unsupported and their facts are actually true. You can look at any
nonpartisan website and see chats and graphs to say that by any measurement you
can dig up has either been flat or gone down since GWB has chosen the rug for
the Oval Office;
http://uspolitics.about.com/library/bl_econcharts.htm
http://www.legalhardware.com/economics/charts.htm
http://jec.senate.gov/economy/charts.htm