Monday, August 30, 2010
High School Football
This past Friday night, Tennessee High School had their first football game of the season. It was a home game against Sullivan East. It was also Sam's first experience ever of playing in the band for a high school pep rally and then a football game. He loved it! Unfortunately, I had to work and missed seeing the band perform. I heard they did really well, considering it was their first performance of this school year. To make a great day even better, THS annihilated East 42-0!! Woohoo!!! Go Vikings!!! Now, Sam is super-psyched about being in the band and is living for Fridays!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
In the Hospital
Well, folks, I'm in the hospital. Ugh! This has been a horrible experience so far, but not because of any of the hospital staff. Everyone has been very kind and caring. Unfortunately, my body is my biggest enemy here.
I came to the ER yesterday because of chest pains and got admitted for 24-hour observation, but I have a bad feeling that I'm going to be here longer than that. They tried to do a cat scan with contrast dye, but my veins did not cooperate. It took FOREVER and 6 tries before they got an IV started that had any chance of working, and then it didn't. As soon as the dye started going it, it burst, and my arm got filled up with that fluid. To say it was painful is putting it mildly.
Including every IV attempt, all shots, and every time blood has been drawn, I've been stuck over 10 times in about 17 hours. Did I mention that I hate needles? Well, I do, and this experience has been very traumatic!!
The initial blood work showed only a couple irregularities. One test, which can indicate a potential blood clot, came back slightly elevated. The doctor didn't seem to think that I have one, but he has to rule it out. Also, my digoxin levels are low. (Digoxin is the medicine I take every day for my heart.) Other than that, everything seemed to look normal.
Today, they are going to do a different test that doesn't require dye to be injected so forcibly. If it doesn't work, they'll try something else tomorrow. If it does work and doesn't indicate a blood clot, they will do some cardiac tests tomorrow, starting with a stress test. (At least, I think that's what I understood them to say. Right now, I'm just a little out of it.)
I was going to add a couple pictures to this post, but for some reason, I can't get into photobucket today. Anyway, it's probably better that I didn't. The one with my arm all swelled up with that fluid is pretty gruesome.
I came to the ER yesterday because of chest pains and got admitted for 24-hour observation, but I have a bad feeling that I'm going to be here longer than that. They tried to do a cat scan with contrast dye, but my veins did not cooperate. It took FOREVER and 6 tries before they got an IV started that had any chance of working, and then it didn't. As soon as the dye started going it, it burst, and my arm got filled up with that fluid. To say it was painful is putting it mildly.
Including every IV attempt, all shots, and every time blood has been drawn, I've been stuck over 10 times in about 17 hours. Did I mention that I hate needles? Well, I do, and this experience has been very traumatic!!
The initial blood work showed only a couple irregularities. One test, which can indicate a potential blood clot, came back slightly elevated. The doctor didn't seem to think that I have one, but he has to rule it out. Also, my digoxin levels are low. (Digoxin is the medicine I take every day for my heart.) Other than that, everything seemed to look normal.
Today, they are going to do a different test that doesn't require dye to be injected so forcibly. If it doesn't work, they'll try something else tomorrow. If it does work and doesn't indicate a blood clot, they will do some cardiac tests tomorrow, starting with a stress test. (At least, I think that's what I understood them to say. Right now, I'm just a little out of it.)
I was going to add a couple pictures to this post, but for some reason, I can't get into photobucket today. Anyway, it's probably better that I didn't. The one with my arm all swelled up with that fluid is pretty gruesome.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
24 Things You Might Be Saying Wrong
I have shamelessly copied and pasted the article below from here. I often hear people say some of these things wrong, and I thought it might be a helpful lesson for all of us.
24 Things You Might Be Saying Wrong
The Reader's Digest Version of all those confusing words and seemingly random rules you missed in English class.
You never mean: Could care less
You always mean: Couldn't care less
Why: You want to say you care so little already that you couldn't possibly care any less. When the Boston Celtics' Ray Allen said, "God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot," we know he meant exactly the opposite because 1) God has other things on his mind, and 2) God is a Knicks fan.
You might say: Mano a mano
You might mean: Man-to-man
Why: You don't speak Spanish by adding vowels to the end of English words, as a columnist describing father–teenage son relationships seemed to think when he wrote, "Don't expect long, mano a mano talks." Mano a mano (literally, "hand to hand") originated with bullfighting and usually refers to a knock-down, drag-out direct confrontation.
You might say: Less
You might mean: Fewer
Why: In general, use fewer when you're specifying a number of countable things ("200 words or fewer"); reserve less for a mass ("less than half"). So when you're composing a tweet, do it in 140 characters or fewer, not less.
You never mean: Hone in
You always mean: Home in
Why: Like homing pigeons, we can be single-minded about finding our way to a point: "Scientists are homing in on the causes of cancer." Hone means "to sharpen": "The rookie spent the last three seasons honing his skills in the minor leagues." But it's easy to mishear m's and n's, which is probably what happened to the Virginia senator who said, "We've got to hone in on cost containment." If you're unsure, say "zero in" instead.
You might say: Bring
You might mean: Take
Why: The choice depends on your point of view. Use bring when you want to show motion toward you ("Bring the dog treats over here, please"). Use take to show motion in the opposite direction ("I have to take Rufus to the vet"). The rule gets confusing when the movement has nothing to do with you. In those cases, you can use either verb, depending on the context: "The assistant brought the shot to the vet" (the vet's point of view); "the assistant took the shot to the doctor" (the assistant's).
You might say: Who
You might mean: Whom
Why: It all depends. Do you need a subject or an object? A subject (who) is the actor of the sentence: "Who left the roller skates on the sidewalk?" An object (whom) is the acted-upon: "Whom are you calling?" Parents, hit the Mute button when Dora the Explorer shouts, "Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?"
You almost never mean: Brother-in-laws, runner-ups, hole in ones, etc.
You almost always mean: Brothers-in-law, runners-up, holes in one, etc.
Why: Plurals of these compound nouns are formed by adding an s to the thing there's more than one of (brothers, not laws). Some exceptions: words ending in ful (mouthfuls) and phrases like cul-de-sacs.
You almost never mean: Try and
You almost always mean: Try to
Why: Try and try again, yes, but if you're planning to do something, use the infinitive form: "I'm going to try to run a marathon." Commenting on an online story about breakups, one woman wrote, "A guy I dated used to try and impress me with the choice of books he was reading." It's no surprise that the relationship didn't last.
You almost never mean: Different than
You almost always mean: Different from
Why: This isn't the biggest offense, but if you can easily substitute from for than (My mother's tomato sauce is different from my mother-in-law's), do it. Use than for comparisons: My mother's tomato sauce is better than my mother-in-law's.
You almost never mean: Beg the question
You almost always mean: Raise the question
Why: Correctly used, "begging the question" is like making a circular argument (I don't like you because you're so unlikable). But unless you're a philosophy professor, you shouldn't ever need this phrase. Stick to "raise the question."
You might say: More than
You can also say: Over
Why: The two are interchangeable when the sense is "Over 6,000 hats were sold." We like grammarian Bryan Garner's take on it: "The charge that over is inferior to more than is a baseless crotchet."
You almost never mean: Supposably
You almost always mean: Supposedly
Why: Supposably is, in fact, a word—it means "conceivably"—but not the one you want if you're trying to say "it's assumed," and certainly not the one you want if you're on a first date with an English major or a job interview with an English speaker.
You might say: All of
You probably mean: All
Why: Drop the of whenever you can, as Julia Roberts recently did, correctly: "Every little moment is amazing if you let yourself access it. I learn that all the time from my kids." But you need all of before a pronoun ("all of them") and before a possessive noun ("all of Julia's kids").
You might say: That
You might mean: Which
Why: "The money that is on the table is for you" is different from "the money, which is on the table, is for you." That pinpoints the subject: The money that is on the table is yours; the money in my pocket is mine. Which introduces an aside, a bit of extra information. If you remove "which is on the table," you won't change the meaning: The money is for you (oh, and unless you don't want it, it's on the table). If the clause is necessary to your meaning, use that; if it could safely be omitted, say which.
You never mean: Outside of
You always mean: Outside
Why: These two prepositions weren't meant for each other. Perfectly acceptable: "Wearing a cheese-head hat outside Wisconsin will likely earn you some stares and glares (unless you're surrounded by Green Bay Packers fans, that is)."
You might say: Each other
You might mean: One another
Why: Tradition says that each other should be used with two people or things, and one another with more than two, and careful speakers should follow suit: "The three presenters argued with one another over who should announce the award, but Ann and Barbara gave each other flowers after the ceremony." (By the way, if you need the possessive form of either one when writing that business letter, it's always each other's and one another's; never end with s'.)
8 Confusing Pairs
leery, wary: suspicious
weary: tired
farther: for physical distance
further: for metaphorical distance or time
principle: rule
principal: of your school
compliment: nice thing to say
complement: match
continual: ongoing but intermittent
continuous: without interruption
stationary: stands still
stationery: paper
imply: to suggest a meaning
infer: to draw meaning from something
affect: typically a verb, meaning "to act upon or cause an effect"; as a noun, it's "an emotional response"
effect: typically a noun, meaning "something produced," like a special effect; as a verb, "to bring about," as in "to effect change"
24 Things You Might Be Saying Wrong
The Reader's Digest Version of all those confusing words and seemingly random rules you missed in English class.
You never mean: Could care less
You always mean: Couldn't care less
Why: You want to say you care so little already that you couldn't possibly care any less. When the Boston Celtics' Ray Allen said, "God could care less whether I can shoot a jump shot," we know he meant exactly the opposite because 1) God has other things on his mind, and 2) God is a Knicks fan.
You might say: Mano a mano
You might mean: Man-to-man
Why: You don't speak Spanish by adding vowels to the end of English words, as a columnist describing father–teenage son relationships seemed to think when he wrote, "Don't expect long, mano a mano talks." Mano a mano (literally, "hand to hand") originated with bullfighting and usually refers to a knock-down, drag-out direct confrontation.
You might say: Less
You might mean: Fewer
Why: In general, use fewer when you're specifying a number of countable things ("200 words or fewer"); reserve less for a mass ("less than half"). So when you're composing a tweet, do it in 140 characters or fewer, not less.
You never mean: Hone in
You always mean: Home in
Why: Like homing pigeons, we can be single-minded about finding our way to a point: "Scientists are homing in on the causes of cancer." Hone means "to sharpen": "The rookie spent the last three seasons honing his skills in the minor leagues." But it's easy to mishear m's and n's, which is probably what happened to the Virginia senator who said, "We've got to hone in on cost containment." If you're unsure, say "zero in" instead.
You might say: Bring
You might mean: Take
Why: The choice depends on your point of view. Use bring when you want to show motion toward you ("Bring the dog treats over here, please"). Use take to show motion in the opposite direction ("I have to take Rufus to the vet"). The rule gets confusing when the movement has nothing to do with you. In those cases, you can use either verb, depending on the context: "The assistant brought the shot to the vet" (the vet's point of view); "the assistant took the shot to the doctor" (the assistant's).
You might say: Who
You might mean: Whom
Why: It all depends. Do you need a subject or an object? A subject (who) is the actor of the sentence: "Who left the roller skates on the sidewalk?" An object (whom) is the acted-upon: "Whom are you calling?" Parents, hit the Mute button when Dora the Explorer shouts, "Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?"
You almost never mean: Brother-in-laws, runner-ups, hole in ones, etc.
You almost always mean: Brothers-in-law, runners-up, holes in one, etc.
Why: Plurals of these compound nouns are formed by adding an s to the thing there's more than one of (brothers, not laws). Some exceptions: words ending in ful (mouthfuls) and phrases like cul-de-sacs.
You almost never mean: Try and
You almost always mean: Try to
Why: Try and try again, yes, but if you're planning to do something, use the infinitive form: "I'm going to try to run a marathon." Commenting on an online story about breakups, one woman wrote, "A guy I dated used to try and impress me with the choice of books he was reading." It's no surprise that the relationship didn't last.
You almost never mean: Different than
You almost always mean: Different from
Why: This isn't the biggest offense, but if you can easily substitute from for than (My mother's tomato sauce is different from my mother-in-law's), do it. Use than for comparisons: My mother's tomato sauce is better than my mother-in-law's.
You almost never mean: Beg the question
You almost always mean: Raise the question
Why: Correctly used, "begging the question" is like making a circular argument (I don't like you because you're so unlikable). But unless you're a philosophy professor, you shouldn't ever need this phrase. Stick to "raise the question."
You might say: More than
You can also say: Over
Why: The two are interchangeable when the sense is "Over 6,000 hats were sold." We like grammarian Bryan Garner's take on it: "The charge that over is inferior to more than is a baseless crotchet."
You almost never mean: Supposably
You almost always mean: Supposedly
Why: Supposably is, in fact, a word—it means "conceivably"—but not the one you want if you're trying to say "it's assumed," and certainly not the one you want if you're on a first date with an English major or a job interview with an English speaker.
You might say: All of
You probably mean: All
Why: Drop the of whenever you can, as Julia Roberts recently did, correctly: "Every little moment is amazing if you let yourself access it. I learn that all the time from my kids." But you need all of before a pronoun ("all of them") and before a possessive noun ("all of Julia's kids").
You might say: That
You might mean: Which
Why: "The money that is on the table is for you" is different from "the money, which is on the table, is for you." That pinpoints the subject: The money that is on the table is yours; the money in my pocket is mine. Which introduces an aside, a bit of extra information. If you remove "which is on the table," you won't change the meaning: The money is for you (oh, and unless you don't want it, it's on the table). If the clause is necessary to your meaning, use that; if it could safely be omitted, say which.
You never mean: Outside of
You always mean: Outside
Why: These two prepositions weren't meant for each other. Perfectly acceptable: "Wearing a cheese-head hat outside Wisconsin will likely earn you some stares and glares (unless you're surrounded by Green Bay Packers fans, that is)."
You might say: Each other
You might mean: One another
Why: Tradition says that each other should be used with two people or things, and one another with more than two, and careful speakers should follow suit: "The three presenters argued with one another over who should announce the award, but Ann and Barbara gave each other flowers after the ceremony." (By the way, if you need the possessive form of either one when writing that business letter, it's always each other's and one another's; never end with s'.)
8 Confusing Pairs
leery, wary: suspicious
weary: tired
farther: for physical distance
further: for metaphorical distance or time
principle: rule
principal: of your school
compliment: nice thing to say
complement: match
continual: ongoing but intermittent
continuous: without interruption
stationary: stands still
stationery: paper
imply: to suggest a meaning
infer: to draw meaning from something
affect: typically a verb, meaning "to act upon or cause an effect"; as a noun, it's "an emotional response"
effect: typically a noun, meaning "something produced," like a special effect; as a verb, "to bring about," as in "to effect change"
Friday, August 20, 2010
New Blog
I have started a new blog. It won't take away from this one in any way. This blog is just about random things going on in mine and Sam's lives. My new blog is one of those 365-somethings-in-365-days blogs. I have been inspired by blogs such as the one which inspired the book and movie "Julie and Julia". So, I decided to start my own. I am going to attempt to make one individual-sized dessert every day and then write a blog post about it, complete with pictures. Today is my 3rd day, and so far, so good.
Those of you who know me well, or who have followed this blog for any amount of time, know that I don't always stick with things so well. This blog is a prime example. I have gone weeks and even months at a time without a single post. I am hoping that, with my new blog, I will be much more consistent. If I receive comments, letting me know that people are reading it, I'm sure that will help me with being consistent. So, please read and comment often.
Click here to go to my new blog now.
Those of you who know me well, or who have followed this blog for any amount of time, know that I don't always stick with things so well. This blog is a prime example. I have gone weeks and even months at a time without a single post. I am hoping that, with my new blog, I will be much more consistent. If I receive comments, letting me know that people are reading it, I'm sure that will help me with being consistent. So, please read and comment often.
Click here to go to my new blog now.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sam's First Week of High School
My baby is in high school. It seems like just last week that he started Kindergarten. My! How he has grown and matured since then! He is tall and handsome and smart. He walks with confidence and is determined to be the best high school student he can be.
Since he has high aspiration for his life, he has decided to take the hardest classes he can. This year, he is enrolled in English I Honors. One of the requirements for that class is summer reading, with a test on the book during the first week of school. This year's book was "Great Expectations". Sam wasn't thrilled about it, but as he read it, he got into the story and appreciated it and discussed deep aspects of the book with me. That was a good thing, because traditionally, most people fail the test on the summer reading, and the highest score ever received on that test was a 90%. Well, Sam did not get a 90%, but he did pass, and we are both happy about that.
He has been able to re-connect with some old friends from elementary and middle school, and he has made new friends, among them some upperclassmen in band.
He's excited about band and doesn't need coaxing to practice his trumpet after school. His school, Tennessee High School, has a proud tradition of having the best band in this area, and Sam is proud to be a part of it.
I, obviously, am a proud parent! While I realize he's not perfect, I think he's pretty close to it.
Since he has high aspiration for his life, he has decided to take the hardest classes he can. This year, he is enrolled in English I Honors. One of the requirements for that class is summer reading, with a test on the book during the first week of school. This year's book was "Great Expectations". Sam wasn't thrilled about it, but as he read it, he got into the story and appreciated it and discussed deep aspects of the book with me. That was a good thing, because traditionally, most people fail the test on the summer reading, and the highest score ever received on that test was a 90%. Well, Sam did not get a 90%, but he did pass, and we are both happy about that.
He has been able to re-connect with some old friends from elementary and middle school, and he has made new friends, among them some upperclassmen in band.
He's excited about band and doesn't need coaxing to practice his trumpet after school. His school, Tennessee High School, has a proud tradition of having the best band in this area, and Sam is proud to be a part of it.
I, obviously, am a proud parent! While I realize he's not perfect, I think he's pretty close to it.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Fresh Apple Cake
Twice this week, I've made fresh apple cake. I made the first one on Monday because Sam made a special request. He gobbled up so much of it, I decided to make another one Wednesday, since there were people I wanted to share it with. I've had some requests for the recipe, so here it is:
FRESH APPLE CAKE
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups apples, diced
Mix well first 5 ingredients. Add apples and nuts. Bake in well-greased tube pan at 350° for 1 hour.
Today, I used this recipe but substituted 2 cups shredded zucchini for the apple. It was more moist than my usual zucchini bread recipe, but Sam said this recipe tastes better with apple.
FRESH APPLE CAKE
1 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups apples, diced
Mix well first 5 ingredients. Add apples and nuts. Bake in well-greased tube pan at 350° for 1 hour.
Today, I used this recipe but substituted 2 cups shredded zucchini for the apple. It was more moist than my usual zucchini bread recipe, but Sam said this recipe tastes better with apple.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Catch Up Time
I haven't written here in several days, and a lot has happened since then.
A little over a week ago, I got my hair cut -- SHORT! Everyone says they like it, but I'm not so sure. At least I know it will grow back quickly.
Last weekend, we made a very quick trip to Kitty's house. We left after I got off work Saturday evening and arrived at her house after midnight. We got up bright and early Sunday morning and spent the day shopping for school clothes for Sam. (It's a great place to shop for clothes, and we found lots of good buys for clothes that Sam likes.) We stayed as long as we possibly could and made it back home around midnight. It sure was hard to get up for work Monday morning!
At work Monday, I was given a gift card for being the associate who got the most credit card applications the previous Saturday. The down side was that I had to work the credit card table again this past weekend ... all day, both Friday and Saturday. Seems that no good deed goes unpunished!
This past Thursday, Sam started high school. It was just a 2-hour day to meet teachers, see where to go for classes, etc. School starts full-swing tomorrow. Sam is VERY exited about high school.
I'm sure I'll have lots to tell in a few days, so stay tuned!
A little over a week ago, I got my hair cut -- SHORT! Everyone says they like it, but I'm not so sure. At least I know it will grow back quickly.
Last weekend, we made a very quick trip to Kitty's house. We left after I got off work Saturday evening and arrived at her house after midnight. We got up bright and early Sunday morning and spent the day shopping for school clothes for Sam. (It's a great place to shop for clothes, and we found lots of good buys for clothes that Sam likes.) We stayed as long as we possibly could and made it back home around midnight. It sure was hard to get up for work Monday morning!
At work Monday, I was given a gift card for being the associate who got the most credit card applications the previous Saturday. The down side was that I had to work the credit card table again this past weekend ... all day, both Friday and Saturday. Seems that no good deed goes unpunished!
This past Thursday, Sam started high school. It was just a 2-hour day to meet teachers, see where to go for classes, etc. School starts full-swing tomorrow. Sam is VERY exited about high school.
I'm sure I'll have lots to tell in a few days, so stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
