http://bankrgrl.blogspot.com
There is only so much a girl can do with LJ, and I figured I could be a little more creative over at Blogspot. We hope. =)
See you there!
- Mood:working
- Music:The Postal Service
So here are the rules: start a thread (or start your own blog) and list the books you've read this year. If you haven't been keeping track of the books you've read, start when you join. I will update this list as often as possible, so you may see this post find it's way back up at the top of my blog sometime.
(beginning July 2008)
1. The Alton Gift / Marion Zimmer Bradley & Deborah J Ross
2. The Boleyn Inheritance / Philippa Gregory
3. Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey / Alison Weir
4. The First Princess of Wales: A Novel / Karen Harper
5. Twilight / Stephanie Meyer
6. New Moon / Stephanie Meyer
7. The Concubine / Norah Lofts
8. Ravens of Avalon / Marion Zimmer Bradley & Diana Paxson
9. Royal Harlot / Susan Holloway Scott
10. The King's Favorite / Susan Holloway Scott
11. The Forest House / Marion Zimmer Bradley
12. Vanity Fair / William Makepeace Thackeray (in progress)
13. The Conqueror / Georgette Heyer
14. Royal Escape / Georgette Heyer
15. Wideacre / Philippa Gregory
16. The Duchsss / Amanda Foreman (in progress)
17. Darkover Landfall / Marion Zimmer Bradley
18. Brideshead Revisited / Evelyn Waugh (in progress)
19. The GRE Study Guide - Princeton Edition (working on it!)
As you can see, I'm notorious for reading several books at one time. Some books on this list I've read before ... I love re-reading books that I enjoy. I think that you will always find something new that you didn't see the first time you've read it. Case in point, I've read Wideacre (Philipps Gregory) at least five times. My all time most read book? Definitely Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley). I've read that book a dozen times, if I've read it once. My neighbor Stacey used to make fun of me as I would have to make trips to Barnes & Noble to buy replacement books ... books so well read that they've worn out. I think I'm on my third (or fourth?) copy of The Witches of Eileanan (Kate Forsyth).
- Mood:awake
Movie - A Christmas Story*, Elf
*I have a picture of my Dad with Santa and Ralphie was his mini-me!
Sweet - I'm not a big fan of sweets, but does the Reduced Fat Jif Peanut Butter that I'm eating this morning count?
Song - Carol of the Bells, O Holy Night (my uncle used to sing the most amazing version of this song)
Tradition - when I was a kid, I used to open one gift on Christmas Eve
Gift Received - I can't really pinpoint an all-time favorite, but my probably my most memorable gift as a kid was the broken rocking horse (story and pictures to follow!)
Gift Given - I'm a terrible gift giver, mainly because I'm a last minute shopper! I am forever saying that I am going to be more prepared for Christmas and I am forever ending up buying / wrapping gifts at the last minute (in fact, there are still gifts to be wrapped for this year!). But if you tell me what you want, I'm great at following directions. =)
Meal - Christmas dinner @ Dee's house ... good Southern cooking, with usually enough food to feed an army! We always have turkey, ham, dressing, mac & cheese, broccoli casserole, etc...
Last year for Christmas I went out to dinner with Dad and we had Thai food for Christmas. That was yummy too!!! Too bad they didn't serve roasted duck...
What about you?
- Mood:
cheerful
My house is (mostly) finished. It's in a state of total disarray, but I am hard at work getting it cleaned and put back together before Mom gets here on Saturday. It's S--L--O--W--L--Y, happening.
Back to work for 1/2 days on Monday, Tuesday and today, and my first full day back will be Friday. I've spent most of the time organizing files and finishing up a couple of responses that went past due while I was out. I hate being behind!
I think I mentioned in my last update about some of our "holiday decorating" that myself and a few other CF patients participated in:
Our thanks to UAB for the help with decorating the tree (even if they didn't know about it). Yes, we returned the ornaments (most of them!)
How many decorations you can find that make the Christmas tree especially "CF-y"?
- Mood:busy
The painting is supposed to be complete this weekend, so timing wise, it works out pretty good. Other than that, I am none to happy to have to stay an extra four days. No other CF patients went home today either, so I'm not the only one having to find ways to entertain myself. In fact, the natives are getting restless ... we are planning to heist a few Christmas ornaments from UAB to decorate our IV poles with. =) I'm sure the admin won't mind allowing us some small amusement.
- Location:Club Dread
- Mood: amused
Srsly, my dear friend Kel is probably one of the funniest girls in the world. When I am stuck in Club Dread the highlight of my day is finding out that my favorite blogger IN THE WORLD has written a new post. It's guaranteed to make me laugh, usually hard enough that I can't breathe. Well, these days, that's not that hard to do, but you get the idea.
So, if you have a chance, go check her out. Because she rocks. And if you find her as amusing as I do, you can read the
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
clothes_slut archives from years past on LJ.- Location:Club Dread
- Mood: chipper
- Music:The Tyra Show
When 4 of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.
Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that 3 of them were about to give birth and 2 others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.
Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, only to find a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'
And so began the tradition of the angel on top of the Christmas tree.
- Location:Club Dread
- Music:Chuck
Talked to my NP and she is considering adding back the Meropenum to my regimen which will mean three IV antibiotics + having to pre-med with Benadryl. Ick. I hate taking the Benadryl b/c unlike most normal people it makes me super jittery and hyper. Hopefully only a week to go, I plan on being home next week.
The painting project is coming along as planned ... no major snafu's, whew! After some of the things that we ran into with the bathroom remodel, I was kind of worried.
I did find a couple of really great pictures that Dad took of the condo before the painting started:
- Location:Club Dread
- Music:Cops
#1. I am having the popcorn removed from all of the ceilings in the house (something I wanted to do upfront but didn't). I realized that it would be pointless to have the house painted and not remove the popcorn now because if I decided that I wanted to remove the popcorn at a later date, I would basically end up having to re-paint.
#2. All of the walls and ceilings are being textured, just like the bathrooms.
#3. The cream color that you saw in the bathroom pictures (last post) will be going into the living room, the kitchen, and my master bedroom. It is also the accent color that I am using in the window insets & sills in the office.
#4. The 2nd bedroom (a/k/a the ScArY RoOm) will be painted a color named Brook Trout.
#5. The office area is being painted a Deep Garnet. The window insets & sills will be painted the cream color as an accent. The picture window that I have is the focal point of the room and I really want something to draw your eyes to it.
This shows the color scheme, but it really doesn't do justice to the Deep Garnet color that will be in the office. The cream color on bottom is not an exact match to what I am using, but close enough. The lighter pink-purple color on the right is the above-mentioned Brook Trout color which will be in the 2nd bedroom.
#6. I decided to have a light installed in the ceiling of the 2nd bedroom so I'm not frustrated with finding lighting for the room. I am going to have a ceiling fan bracket installed. I will probably go ahead and put a ceiling fan in this room, but that's still up in the air.
#7. I have all new interior doors for the house (except for the front door). Here's what they will look like:
And, last but not least, we are putting a mantle above the fireplace. Whew! I think Josh (my contractor) is going to need a break as much as I do after we are done with this.
You know what they say ... go big, or go home. I definitely went BIG on this project, but it has been worth it ... even though it's been a long and (sometimes) frustrating journey. This house is MINE. Yes, I am planning for re-sale (at the earliest, that's at least five years down the road), but I am customizing this place and putting my personal touches into everything. I think it is well worth the money that I've spent.
- Location:Club Dread
- Mood:awake
- Music:random hospital noises
Here's a slideshow showing before and after pictures of the bathrooms:
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| Bathroom Remodel |
- Location:S644
- Music:the beeping of my IV pump
Just for fun, I thought I'd post My Amazon Wish List
over here. I haven't updated it in forever, but when you are in the hospital and BORED OUT OF YOUR MIND, things like this become somewhat entertaining. =)Didn't get much sleep last night, so I will be on and off the computer today, depending on how tired I am. I am working on a few projects for work, as well as a couple of Christmas presents, so I do have some things to keep me busy.
~ Laters ~
- Location:Club Dread
- Music:The Tyra Banks Show
To my other favorite cousin! Happy 1/4-of-a-century! I think 25 years is when you finally get to quit sitting at the "kids" table!
Amy "Re"
Cruisin'
Fun at the lake!
Ummm....yeah....
Sleepovers in Virginia!
Lolly, Me, and Re
I think we had the sillies...
Happy Birthday, Re!
- Mood:awake
- Music:Animal Planet
Live from UAB ... War Eagle! =)
- Location:Club Dread
- Mood: chipper
- Music:Auburn / Alabama Game
It continues to amaze me how so many people can be so ignorant about the most common, fatal, genetically inherited disease among children in North America...
Honestly, my focus on raising awareness for CF has only really taken shape in the past two to three years. I'm always "pro" CF and will always take the time to explain what it is and how it affects the lives of so many people, but I never spent a whole lot of time with the actual fundraising side of CF. However, it is sad to see that an organization like this which has spent years and raised over $1 million for CF to suddenly drop a deserving charity based on a serious lack of information.
I realize that the once the issue was raised by one misinformed person that the Carleton University Student Union had to address the matter, but I hate the fact that one person's ignorance can lead to such misunderstanding on a national level. CF is no respecter of gender nor race of the patients affected by the disease. While it is true more Caucasians are diagnosed with CF, there is no racial group not covered by the devastating consequences of the condition (check out the CF statistics on Wikipedia).
Other articles of interest:
Jonathan Kay on Cystic Fibrosis, and the disgrace of Carleton University's Students' Association (Canadian National Post)
Fundraiser canned on claims disease affects only whites (CTV.com)
CUSA ' missed the boat' on canceled fundraiser (Metro Ottawa)
- Mood:
tired
Did PFTs this morning and I was 38 / 35; 47 / 43; 43 / 39 (you always make three attempts on PFTS and they take the highest numbers) which is pretty much what I expected. O2 sats are low 90's, as usual. No fever, which is good. Doc said this morning it probably started off as a viral infection since I have the sore throat, but obviously it has allowed everything else to come out and wreak havoc.
I've pretty much slept all day, with a few breaks to check my work e-mail and my home e-mail. I imagine I might be a little anti-social the next few days, at least until I start feeling better.
I'm wheezing quite a bit (no surprise), so Mary started me on the dreaded Prednisone (40 mg / PO) for a few days. She *promises* it will only be a couple of days because she knows how much I. HATE. Prednisone.
That's all for now. About to start another round of IVs and sleep a little more. When I feel less like I have the plague, I'll post again.
- Location:Club Dread
- Mood:
sick
Day 5. So I've finished off two boxes of Tylenol Cold, several of my grandmother's Contact Cold and bought stock in Nyquil, all to no avail. I woke up this morning coughing my head off and I've lost my voice. Unless I have a miraculous turn-around in the next 24 hours, I think I will probably go ahead and head back to Club Dread. I'm about seven weeks out, which is my usual, and it doesn't appear that I'm gong to be able to shake this on my own.
Oh well, I might end up being in for Thanksgiving, but at least I won't be in over Christmas.
Blah.
In other news, the bathrooms are DONE! Josh installed the medicine cabinets yesterday and the bathrooms look fantastic. I will try and take pictures soon. I can't even compare them to what I had before, they are so amazingly awesome and fantastic. My house makes me happy!
We are about to embark on the painting project, which will take place over the next couple of weeks. The drop dead date is December 20th because I have to have the scary room in order by then so mi madre has a place to stay after Christmas.
- Mood: sick
- Music:Reg's Coffee House
- Location:bed
- Mood: sick
1. Find meaning and inspiration in your work.
2. Work hard.
3. Discover the relationship between effort and reward.
4. Seek out complex work to avoid boredom and repetition.
5. Be autonomous and control your own destiny as much as possible.
-------------------------------
My thoughts:
Life isn't simple, and it's not magic. People that work hard succeed. People that challenge themselves succeed. It's a pretty simple formula: you get out what you put in.
Control your destiny. It's yours. And, in case you have any doubts, I'm NOT saying to not believe.
- Mood:
blah - Music:NatGeo
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| From Random |
Especially when I get them for more than 50% off retail! God Bless E-Bay!
Woot!
- Mood: happy
WellPoint to launch medical tourism pilot program
Health insurer WellPoint Inc. will dabble in medical tourism next year when it launches a pilot program that sends patients to India for some surgeries.
The insurer says the program can save thousands of dollars, and the concept could eventually give WellPoint extra clout at the bargaining table with U.S. doctor networks.
About 750,000 Americans headed abroad last year for major health care, and an estimated 1.5 million are expected to this year, according to a study released last summer by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. The largest U.S. health insurers are starting to take notice.
Aetna Inc. launched a medical tourism pilot program earlier this year. Cigna Corp. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. representatives say they're studying the idea.
Medical tourism generally involves traveling to another country for non-emergency care that can include hip replacements, shoulder surgery and even heart bypasses. The Deloitte Center predicts that the number of people trying it could jump tenfold over the next decade to nearly 16 million Americans a year. The center says savings is one of the drivers.
A knee or hip replacement that may have a retail price of between $65,000 and $80,000 in the U.S. costs between $8,000 and $10,0000 in India, said Razia Hashmi, chief medical officer for Anthem National Accounts.
She also said care quality in their program will equal U.S. hospitals. The program will comply with both American Medical Association medical tourism guidelines and Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association service standards.
WellPoint's pilot program will allow people to travel to hospitals in either Bangalore or New Delhi for procedures like joint replacement or upper and lower back fusion.
WellPoint subsidiary Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin will set up the medical care and take care of scheduling and travel service. The insurer will cover the travel and lodging costs for both the patient and a companion.
The company also will set up follow-up care back home for the patient.
WellPoint decided to launch the pilot program because employers had been asking when it would test the concept, Hashmi said. The insurer is starting small.
It will offer the program only for people who receive insurance through Wisconsin-based Serigraph Inc., a self-insured printing company that employs about 700 people in the U.S. Serigraph does business in India, which was part of the reason WellPoint picked that country.
The insurer could expand medical tourism to markets outside Serigraph and Wisconsin as soon as next year, once it evaluates the pilot.
"We want to make sure we've got everything working smoothly," Hashmi said.
Medical tourism could help WellPoint, if it catches on and grows, by pinching market share for doctors in the insurer's U.S. markets.
"When there is a threat of losing market share ... it may bring folks to the table to have a dialogue about a more effective rate for us," Hashmi said. "And so, in that manner, it may change the game in terms of local contracting conversations."
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The thought that our insurance companies are willing to outsource medical care to save money makes me shudder. Guess what? I (me, myself, personally) can save Blue Cross HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of dollars. Let me do home health care rather than sitting on my ass in the hospital for weeks on end. The main reason I don't do home IVs is that I can't afford them. My insurance co-pay is 20% of the cost vs. paying $250 for an inpatient admission. And with as much as my drugs cost, it just isn't feasible.
But, really? Do you want to go to China for health care?
- Mood:
bored
