So Much To Tell

0 comments Posted by Stacey at 7:25 PM

Listening: "Tear Down The House", Avett Bros., The Second Gleam

Reading: Killing Yourself to Live, Chuck Klosterman

Watching: Spaced


I honestly don't know where to start, dear readers. My world is in such a different place than it was when last I posted. So that's where I shall start.


Two days after my last post, we took my mom out for sushi for her birthday. It was such a wonderful night; we laughed so hard, and when my mom couldn't eat some of her sushi, we were joking about trying to kill her with sushi on her birthday. She said that was the most fun she could have had on her birthday.


The rest of the week played out like normal. On Saturday we joined our friends Brett and Kelly at Brett's parents' house to celebrate his birthday. We ate way too much and were playing board games when we noticed missed calls on our cell phones. My dad had called both of our phones. Normally if he needed me, he would leave a message. Brad called him back, and immediately he handed the phone to me. I will never forget the tone and shaking in his voice when he said these words to me, "Kiddo, we're at the hospital. Your mama's had a stroke." With those words hanging in the air, he told me where they were and what I needed to do. We headed straight there, and with the guilt of knowing he had been calling for a while before we reached him, I broke down in the car. I was terrified. Just a couple of days before, we were laughing outside Barnes and Noble. Now, at 11:00 on Saturday night, we're rushing to the Med Center.


By the time we got there, she had been moved to a room. My dad went to pick up some things at home, and we stayed with her. It was a mild stroke, so she was awake and aware. Her left side wasn't moving too well, and her blood pressure was almost fatally high. I tried not to show my fear as I held her hand, helping her answer questions the nurse had to ask for admission. After a couple of hours, we drove home. I tried to sleep in my bed that night, but I wound up going to the couch at 5 a.m. after 2 hours of tossing and turning. With my cell phone in hand, I curled up and watched 80s videos on Vh1 Classic because they made me think of a time when I truly felt safe.


Over the next couple of days, we learned that the stroke occurred in her brain stem. I sat and read by her side while she slept and met the doctors, nurses, and physical and speech therapists who came in at all times to check this and that. She went through a battery of tests to assess the damage that had been done and to determine what to do next.


I went to the hospital every day that week, to see my mom, and to give my dad a chance to get out for a little while. As much as I worried about my mom, I was worried about my dad too. It's always been just the 3 of us, so I had to make sure we were all okay. We played cards, and did things for my mom that she did for me when I was a baby. It was the hardest week of my life. My dad and I had a lot of discussions about what we needed to do, and how this was going to change our lives for a while, maybe forever. We had to make a big discussion about going from the hospital to a rehabilitation hospital. At first, my mom kept saying, "If I could just go home, I know I'd get better." The doctors kept trying to tell her that she was a really good candidate for therapy, and how hard it would be to progress quickly if she did it at home. Finally we had to have a heart to heart with my mom, and I asked her to weigh the pros and cons with me, and told her how I felt and why. When it came time to make the big decision, she made the choice to go to rehab. We packed up and moved her to Quillen Rehab Hospital. I got to ride in the ambulance with her. This was on Thursday.


Friday morning she began her assessment for therapy. I helped her with exercises her speech therapist gave me (after I told the ST I studied linguistics in college). We had to go to lunch with the speech therapist to make sure my mom was swallowing her food properly. We asked the physical and occupational therapists what we could do to help her when she wasn't in sessions. That night I went home, confident that things were on the upswing.


Saturday at noon my dad called, asking if I was planning on coming by, and if I could bring him lunch. He said they were at North Side (the hospital by the rehab center). My mom was having more tests done and being put on oxygen. At the time we thought she was having a reaction to one of her medications. After we ate, we bought an Uglydoll for my mom to go with the Converse sneakers I had bought and embroidered for her. When we got there, she looked so much weaker, and it scared me to see her on oxygen. Eventually one of the doctors freaked and made the decision to send her back to the med center for more tests, but no one would tell us why. Once again I rode in the ambulance back to the hospital. When we got to the ER, they wouldn't let me go in with her. I eventually got shuffled out into the hall with my dad and Brad. My dad, after a couple of minutes, told the people at the desk we were going in, like it or not. We were scared that something had happened that we needed to know about.


We spent 5 hours in the ER with no explanation. The doctor who called to bring her over was off duty and could not be reached, and the ER doc wasn't going to charge us for an ER visit when it was another doctor who called us over. In the curtain next to us, there was a guy who got shot in the leg by his sister's boyfriend, or his girlfriend's brother, or something, which caused us to giggle inappropriately, especially my mom (who at this point has no volume control, so we're in hysterics trying to keep her quiet). Finally a doctor came to tell us that they're admitting her back to the hospital. Two hours pass before she gets a room, enough time for my dad to go back and get her stuff and go raise some hell about the absentee doctor. That night Brad and I went with her to her room, and she was in really good spirits, laughing and showing us how much she could move her left hand.


On Sunday she moved to the Stroke Center floor, because the neurologist determined that she had another stroke. This time the stroke affected movement on her right side, but not as severely as her left side. She had to go for more tests, another MRI and a CT scan. I sat with my dad while we waited for her to finish her MRI, and we talked about a lot of things, mostly about how we were unsure of what the future holds. 

I reluctantly went back to work on Monday, but all I could think about was my mom. I kept my cell phone on my desk, just in case my dad needed to call me. As soon as work was over I headed to the hospital. The neurologist had given some good news and some potentially bad news. She had had another stroke (which we knew), and it was in the same place as her other stroke (her brain stem), but on the right side. The good news was that she's very lucky because there wasn't a lot of damage. Then he told my parents that he had to figure out whether it was a blood clot because that meant they were at a crossroads. If it was a blood clot, they could do nothing more for her at the Med Center, and she would have to be transported either to Vanderbilt or a hospital in Virginia. If not, then she would be cleared to go to rehab. So we had to wait for the results. It was a very long night.

The next morning the neurologist brought good news--it wasn't a blood clot. They began getting my mom ready to go back to rehab to begin physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Since we had been there before, we knew what to expect. Since it was the week of July 4, she didn't get to do a full week of therapy, but she at least got a good start. Luckily she got to have the same physical and occupational therapists (Candace and Cara). She had to go for a swallow test to determine how much liquid was going to the right place and how much she was aspirating, since that was a potential risk for stroke patients. She wound up having to have thickened liquids, which were the grossest things I had ever encountered. The thickening powder smelled horrible, and having to drink honey thick liquids doesn't really quench your thirst. So she had to have an IV, but she really didn't mind it because she realized it would help her get better.

We continued to visit her and my dad (who luckily got to be her roommate at Quillen) most every night. Quillen is a very positive environment, and I really was impressed with the staff. Since I was there so much, I got to know most of the nurses who came in at night. Everyone loved my mom and dad (which, really, I can't say I blame them). Mama's first full week of therapy was really tough, but she was determined. Honestly, from the beginning she told everyone she encountered that she would walk, and she told her therapists she was going to do everything they threw at her because she knew that was the only way to get better. 

As she progressed in therapy, she got excited when she had some new trick to show me at night. When they began to walk with her, with some machine that she called Big Blue, she would tell me how far she walked. I could really tell that this was good for her. She liked her therapists, for the most part, and she was in really good spirits most days. There was one day that she got really frustrated when she couldn't do something Candace asked her to do, and she broke down. That night I told her that it was perfectly normal, that there are good days and bad days, and this was one of the bad ones. 

The next day after that we went to see the Avett Brothers in concert. One song in particular, "Die Die Die" makes me think of my mom, just for the line "She puts her hands against the life she had/Living with ignorance, blissful and sad". I broke down and cried through the first 3 songs. It was weird, but it was like every lyric made me think of my mom. With the exception of the first night, I really hadn't thought about myself in all this--how it was taking a toll on me. The gravity of the situation hit me all at once. But then I thought about how far we had progressed, and I felt much better. I was able to enjoy the rest of the show and the evening. On Sunday I went to see my mom and we played Pirates of the Caribbean Life, which I won, and it was like when I was a kid and we played board games. I realized how lucky I am to have the parents I have.

The last couple of weeks were about the same--therapy for my mom and my going to visit her. That is, until I caught the cold that wouldn't die. I called it the "I Told You So" cold because Brad kept telling me that I needed to make sure I was taking care of myself instead of running myself ragged. Sure enough, I didn't, and I got sick. This cold, which I still have remnants of, was fierce. I had to stay away from my mom (and pretty much everyone) for an entire week. Finally, at the end of last week, I was well enough to go see her. She had good news--her going home was on the horizon!

This week was Employee Appreciation Week at work, so I've been really busy with that. My mom's been really busy with her last week of therapy. See, she exceeded expectations, so at first they were going to extend her stay a week (until 8/8) to get her that much farther along with walking. Then she exceeded their expectations so much that she progressed to that point, and still got to leave a week early. She's walking with a walker, and she has all of her movement back in her right side. She still has a little way to go with her left hand, but it's really close. And her speech and swallowing are much improved. As I write this, I'm waiting for a call from my dad telling me that they've made it home. I couldn't be more excited for both of them, since neither has been home since this happened. I know it's going to be hard at first, but I know it's a welcomed difficulty.

I truly meant to write about this before now, but I've been so far in it, it was difficult to distance myself enough to write about it. It truly was the scariest thing I've ever been through, especially when I read the stats about survival rates for patients whose strokes were in the brain stem. I'm so thankful that things have played out the way they have. Along the way I've learned a lot, and I've met some really cool people. I've become a lot closer with my parents (which I didn't think was possible, considering how close we already were). I want to send a thank you note to every nurse who was cool and made my mom laugh (especially Kasey and Tim, who loves Wonder Woman as much as I do), and to her therapists. 

Through this whole thing, my mom has been really positive. She told everyone she was going to walk, and she is. She realizes how lucky she is, and she's never lost sight of what's important. I admire all she's been through, all we've been through as a family. I'm thankful that I can report good news, that things are on the way to getting back to normal. 

So the moral of the story is, make every day special, and tell those people you love that you love them. Do whatever you can to be happy. If there's something you want to do or something you want, do it or get it. As my mom told me a couple of weeks ago, there's no reason you shouldn't have something you want. Life's too short.

 

Recovering from Awesome

0 comments Posted by Stacey at 8:21 PM

Today at work was B-O-R-I-N-G with a capital ZZZZZZ. Not much going on, and that's never good for me. I need some sort of crisis or something different to keep me interested. Of course, it could be that I'm recovering from 3 days of awesome.

Friday was our team outing at work, and we had a blast! Basically for 5 hours or so we became little kids. We played laser tag, putt putt, video games and way too much Dance Dance Revolution. I felt like when I was a kid, worn out from playing too hard. A trip to the comic shop and home to crash, and I went to bed about 8:30.

Bright and early Saturday morning we got up to meet our friends to go to K-town to AdventureCon! The ride there was a lot of fun, listening to music and talking. We got there just before it opened. After the sticker shock of paying 20 bucks to get in (we thought it was cheaper), we stood in line pointing at the costumed patrons. Not too many this year. I was kinda disappointed. Normally there are lots of people running around in tights. Once we got in the show, we looked around for a couple of hours. Armed with my list (see, I told you I was going to do some research beforehand), I scoured the comic booths. Action figure wise I didn't buy a lot. Actually, I bought one thing: David Horvath's Mothman vs. Flatwoods vinyl playset. (I'll post pics later.) Other than that I bought Wonder Woman comics. Lots of WW comics, to be exact. Most of them are from the 70s and early 80s, but I picked up a few Silver Age in a $3 bin, and they're in pretty good shape. But I also found what I think is my prized possession in my comic collection: a Golden Age Wonder Woman comic from 1948. It's #32, and it's beautiful. (Again, I'll post pics once my camera battery charges.) It wasn't a bad price either, especially for something I thought I'd never own.

After we left the show, we stopped a couple of places and had lunch at TGI Friday's. Then we drove to Turkey Creek to catch The Incredible Hulk before doing a little more shopping. I'm a huge fan of the old TV show, and I love Ed Norton, but I was a little wary, considering the travesty Ang Lee's Hulk turned out to be. This version was everything you could want a Hulk movie to be: great story, great action, lots of humor w/o being campy, and Ferrigno! I'd be hard pressed to choose between this and Iron Man as my favorite summer blockbuster.

Yesterday I slept in, if for no other reason than to give my feet some much needed rest. Then we made plans to get together with my parents for Father's Day. We made a quick trip to the grocery store to stock the bare cupboards. All in all, we did really well with our food purchases. We've got enough food for dinners for the whole week, and all of them are good healthy meals. Then my parents came over, and my dad watched the US Open with Brad, while my mom and I goofed around on the computer. I filled up 2 flash drives with music and a movie, and we talked about randomness. (The most interesting thing was when she told me she really wanted to try sushi--yaaaaaaay!!!) Then we went to Cootie Brown's for one of the top 25 meals of all time--it was fun, and oh so yummy!

Last night after Mama and Daddy left, we watched a mini Weeds marathon. If you've never seen this show, and you have a wicked sense of humor, seek it out. The 4th season premieres tonight (which reminds me--I should wrap this up, so I can catch the last 2 episodes of season 3). I got hooked on the show after my mom let me watch some she had downloaded from iTunes, and though I've missed a lot of the first 2 seasons, I have to say it's my favorite cable show. Yes, Nancy Botwin is probably one of the worst moms in history, based on her status as a role model, but she's so much fun to watch. I love her sense of humor.

That being said, I've got a couple of things I need to do before it comes on, so I'll wrap up. The main idea of this is that I'm trying to do better. Just in general: do better with my time, and not letting it get away from me, eating better, trying to exercise (why oh why can't I find a Wii Fit???), and just trying to be better about how I handle things. Time will tell if I actually make it--I'll keep you posted.

Later!

 

Hangin' Around, Nothin' To Do But Frown...

0 comments Posted by Stacey at 8:19 PM

Not entirely true, but a little. This weekend one of my best friends from college got married. It's been a good 2 years since I've talked to her, and I gotta say it's weighed pretty heavy on my mind. I met my core group of friends in 1998 (!), and we were inseparable pretty much until a couple of years ago. We went dancing at Gatsby's (which doesn't even exist anymore), on random road trips, ate together, slept together, visited each other at work, crammed for exams, "buck danced" at the Carter Fold, fell in love and out of love with each other, got mad, made up, took sides, watched each other graduate, and eventually one day, we all did. Then one by one, we moved away, got married, had a kid, and moved on with our lives. We kept in touch, but I've never been one to do well with keeping up with anyone other than my family and close (in proximity) friends.

Then something happened. I became friends with my husband's friends. Sure, some of them were connected to my friends (which was weird, considering how many times my husband and I should have met before we did), but most of them were new friends. And these guys had more in common with me than my own friends. Don't get me wrong; some of my friends and I had similar interests, but there was this one big knot that tied us all together: school. When we started getting together after college, we talked about the present for a little while, but eventually conversation turned to "Remember when?". There's nothing wrong with that, but when that's the most meaningful thing you have to say to a person who's supposed to be your best friend, what does that mean? I eventually got married, and for some reason just stopped trying to get in touch with my old life. Now I'm reaping what I've sown.

I take full responsibility for the way things are, but I think they should too. A stupid fight last fall made things weird, but I think things were weird way before that.

I guess it's just foreign territory for me. When I was a kid, I was always "the new kid", so I never really thought about long-term friendships. I had my immediate family, and I made friends at school, knowing that when the school year was over, we'd move to a new city and a new school. Then in 5th grade, up until high school, I had to spend time with the same people. I made friends, mostly casual, a couple really close, and one to this day that I still come in contact every once in a while. Incidentally, my closest friends? Guys. I'm much better at getting along with guys. I'm not good at girly relationships. Honestly? Most girls intimidate me. I'm not super girly, at least not with most of my interests, so I feel silly talking about what I like. Just like I was ashamed of being smart when I was in school (up until college, anyway). I guess I'm still afraid there's going to be that one girl that says something judgmental. And when it happens, I don't know how to take it. I go right back to being the chubby smart kid that the cheerleader made fun of in 7th grade--the girl who slumped down in her chair and went home and cried.

There, I said it. Even the Geeky Vixen has an Achilles' heel. While I'm confident about most every aspect of my life most of the time, I have days like today. Days where I regret that one of my best friends from college got married, and I found out about it on myspace.

Song of the moment: "Paranoia in B-flat Major", Avett Bros.

Here are the lyrics (the ones I'm feeling, I'll put in green):

I keep tellin’ myself that it’ll be fine
You can’t make everybody happy all of the time
I found myself in a place that I never been
A place that I thought that I would never be
There’s people looking back at me

I keep having this dream; I’m at a party
There’s people throwing drinks and screaming telling me that I don’t belong
Lately life’s been the same I find this comfortable place
With all my friends then my friends start telling me that I’ve always been wrong
And I’m so tired of being wrong

There was a time I could move there was a time I could breathe
The crowded spaces filled with angry faces
It didn’t once cross my mind
With paranoia on my heels; Will you love me still
when we awake and you find that the sanity has gone from my eyes?

I got secrets from you, you got secrets from me
Because you’re so worried about what I’m gonna to think,Baby I’m worried too
But if love is a game, girl, then you’re gonna win
I’ll spend the rest of my life bringing victory in
If you want me to

 

Seeing Red

0 comments Posted by Stacey at 10:27 PM

Weezer's new album dropped today. I've always liked the band (the blue album gets multiple plays every week). Lately I've had a hankering for songs like "El Scorcho" and "Photograph" in anticipation.

If you haven't seen the video for the first single on the new album, "Pork and Beans", peep it here:



(See how many Internet People you can name.... And have I mentioned that Chris Crocker is from my neck of the woods?)

The new album is very autobiographical in a lot of ways (see "Pork and Beans", "Heart Songs"). Highlights for me are songs like "Troublemaker" and "Dreamin'" that hearken back to early Weezer. This album is by far one of the most diverse. You can see elements of all of their previous work, but it breaks some new ground as well. On first listen, I love all of the songs, even the bonus tracks (I downloaded from iTunes). The bonus tracks are more organic, and in some ways darker (especially "The Spider").

Overall it's a very well put together album. By far it's the best new album (maybe the only new album) I've purchased in a long time. Geek rock is still in full effect, and I couldn't be happier. Now if only Cake would do another album.... ;)

 

Getcho Nerd On...

0 comments Posted by Stacey at 10:14 PM

Psst...hey you. Wanna have some fun? Some good clean nerd fun? Mark your calendar, fanboy (or fangirl). AdventureCon is coming next weekend! Comics, toys, celebrities (like Ernie Hudson!), and geeks, nerds, and dweebs galore! (And please know that I use those terms with the utmost of love for my fellow geeks.)

It's a lot of fun, even if you don't buy anything. (I, however, am never able to leave the place without an armload of something. For example, I brought home My Little Cthulhu last year.) There are people in costumes, and a lot of merchandise to peruse. A lot of times I leave thankful my husband is as normal as he is (of course it's a sliding scale, especially in a place like that).

On the nerd front, I'm working on cataloging our comics so we can have lists to take with us. (Gee, nerdy girl, would you like a pocket protector with that statement?) Nothing is more disheartening to a comic book geek (CBG for short) than coming home with a duplicate or passing up on something you needed. I'm using Comic Collector Live, and it's making things muy easy. The software is free, so if you've got a stack that needs organizing, download CCL and make your geeky life easier! (Because you've got better things to do--video games to play, blogs to post, movies to nitpick....)

My latest comic obsession is turning once again to Wonder Woman. Plagued with shitty writing throughout her Amazon life, WW is really underestimated (except for me and the gay community...LOL). Not that she's not popular, but fanboys don't often take her stories seriously, especially the older stories. And I was one of those haters for a long time. I bought WW comics because I like the covers. Then I started reading some of them. Most notably, WW vol. 1 #329. It's the end of the first set of WW comics, and it ties in with Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's a kick-ass story about WW and Themiscyra (or Paradise Island), and how it's affected by the crisis. Another one I really dug was WW vol. 2 #62. My Secret Pal at work sent me a quote from this book that was amazing, and I happened to pick it up a couple of days later.

The other part of WW comics I'm trying to find are the ones where she's out of her costume. Dubbed "The New Wonder Woman", Diana loses her powers and decides to ditch the tiara. These 20 issues or so are more kung-fu and often made fun of by critics. I've managed to get 5 or so so far, and I like them. They're kinda like the first arc of vol. 3 ("Who Is Wonder Woman?"). I like WW when she's a little conflicted and trying to find her identity. It makes it a little better when I feel that way. :) Interesting fact about those issues--many fans demanded WW return to her costume, and the biggest proponent was none other than Gloria Steinem, who felt it sent a bad message that WW changed who she was for the world around her. I don't know about that, but I like having a kinda dark piece of WW's history.

Which brings me to what's going on now. I started subscribing to WW at issue 195 of Vol. 2. Greg Rucka had started writing, and it was a really good story--elements of mythology (she fights Medusa and Circe and goes blind at one point) mixed with a modern WW (going on a book tour, being a diplomat). Then it ended with #226. A little later, Vol. 3 launched. Allan Heinberg (writer most notably of "The OC") took the helm with Terry and Rachel Dodson doing art (they are one of my favorite artist couples). The first 2 story arcs were great. Then Gail Simone started writing. Her first few issues were pretty good. The last 2 or 3, not so much. In the latest issue (*SPOILER*), Wonder Woman is put in a trance by this guy whose name I can't recall, and she thinks she's in a mead hall looking for none other than Beo-f**kin'-wulf. Ummmm, really? I had my doubts when she started writing for the book, knowing what I knew of what she did with Superman a while back (Superman with a heart shield fighting a dinosaur/dragon). And yet, everyone loves her. Maybe I'm overly critical, but Beowulf? I'm just holding my breath that things improve. If not, I may need to take a WW break and read my back issues.

By the way, I went back on my vow. I read The Walking Dead #49. It was brilliant. I can't wait for issue 50. Curse you, Kirkman!!!

Madman Atomic Comics: Some people call it weird, but I call it genius.

The Sword: If you're not reading this book, you don't like comics. Or things like Kill Bill. It's so good--go buy this book (if you can find it).

I won an auction on ebay for the Tara McPherson Hellboy Qee.



I am so excited, I can hardly stand it. She has become one of my favorite artists. I'm starting to look for copies of The Witching just so I can have more of her artwork.

*SIGH* I am such a nerd. But I love being a nerd, so there.

That's why they call me the Geeky Vixen! ;)

 

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Great Weekend

0 comments Posted by Stacey at 9:56 PM

Very good weekend--relaxing. Friday was a little hectic, mostly because of the haircut in the middle of the workday. That and the buttmonkey air conditioning guy who didn't show up. :-(
No matter. We still rocked Rambo and a little GTA IV.

Saturday was by far one of the best days in a long time. Morning internet surfing, a quick shower, and hanging with friends. Kelly and I went to see Sex and the City. Honestly, I have to say, I totally expected to hate it, but I was morbidly curious since I watched the series. All in all it was a decent movie. Certainly not the best movie I've ever seen by any stretch, but something I'm glad I saw. The funniest part was the array of young East TN cosmopolitans dressed in their versions of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. (The funniest part or the scariest part? You be the judge.) I gotta admit that was the first time I felt underdressed for a movie at the mall. My quick review? If you're a fan of the show, you'll enjoy it. I had to put my girl hat on and not roll my eyes too much at the histrionics that seemed to ensue at every turn. There were moments that I wanted to yell at the screen, "You're overreacting! And you're not listening to anything! Stop it!!!" Other parts of the movie I enjoyed. There are no mysteries, of course, but the ride is fun. I think the most fun part was just having some girl time, and the extended preview of Mamma Mia! was totally worth the price of admission. I so can't wait to go see that one.

After the movie, we met the boys for dinner, and they were waiting with presents and flowers. Nothing can top that. As much as I used to enjoy being a single gal, having a husband is like no other.

Sunday was total relaxation. Breakfast and Underdog (yes, I totally have a thing for Jason Lee, even as a dog), then lounging around and just being us. A great early dinner and some Halo 3, then more relaxation. And last night I got the best night's sleep. Dunno why, but it was fantastic!

Today wasn't actually a bad day. I had to train a technical writer for 4 hours, so that was pretty tiring, and I don't really feel like I accomplished more than that. I was busy enough not to have time to rock the iPod today, so I must have done something. Luckily I don't have to train tomorrow, so I'll be able to get some busy work done. I'm just pumped about next Friday and our excursion to Fun Expedition to play for 6 hours or so. :)

 

Saving the Planet One Click at a Time

0 comments Posted by Stacey at 11:06 AM

OK guys, here's a really easy way to make an impact. Check out the banners to your right, then come right back. These are 2 ways you can make the world a better place.

  1. Earthlab.com - I found this one through work (Citi is one of the corporate sponsors). If you click the link on the banner at the right, it will take you to a quiz where you can determine your carbon footprint. In addition, there are pledges you can make to help decrease your impact. There's a lot of interesting content on here. I didn't realize little things like using non-toxic nail polish remover could make a difference. (It's true!)
  2. FreeRice.com - This one is way easy. All you have to do is test your vocabulary skills. For every word you get correct, the site donates 20 grains of rice to hungry people across the world. (Just to give you an idea, 48 grains of rice are in a gram. The UN World Food Program usually donates 400 grams per person.) Thanks to Brandie, who blogged about it on her myspace site, I'm hooked. I spent about an hour on the site this morning and donated 1320 grains of rice. My vocabulary level is 45 out of 60. I challenge all of you to try to beat my score!

I watched Rambo with the boys last night. I totally expected to hate it, but it was amazing. Nothing like spending a Friday night watching heads explode. :) It reminded me of watching action movies with my dad. It also made me want to learn more about Myanmar.

 

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