Garage Sale Toy

This morning on the way to the gym at 7:30 am we saw a garage sale. They had a bunch of baby toys, so we went back and browsed around. Rebecca negotiated this very good condition toy for the prices of $3. I think Eleanor and Christopher Robin will probably fight over it at some point in 2009. Rebecca is also thinking of doing pancake mix and jam as gifts for coworkers and neighbors, but I really loved her hand soap gift. I am trying to think of a personalized, non-food, cheap gift that we could do this year and not just do hand soap again nor pancake mix. I really don't want to give out food because food is so overdone that time of year. Also, if Rebecca is making some delicious jam, I plan to be eating aforementioned jam, and not handing it out to some fair-weather neighbor of mine who moves out three months later never to be heard of again. I can just see them snickering in their U-hauls with pancake stuffed mouths and my beloved jam dripping from their double chins. It's a good thing that hand soap is still around to wash up! Ahem, sorry the holiday season does not make me that generous. Maybe if I start thinking about it now, something will come to mind before the holiday rush. Comments on a gift idea are welcome.

Wisdom teeth, the saga continues

I am still recovering from the surgery. I have received a second prescription for lortab because I was up all last night in pain. If you ever get the line from someone, "yeah get the surgery and then you can take off work and just lay around and play games.", don't buy it! It is all bull crap; I can't play games because I am too nauseous and foggy and my mouth is swollen so I can't even snack on candy or anything. Right now it is just a slow waiting game, waiting for my mouth to heal, waiting to feel better.
I complain about this but am sure I do have it very good by comparison to other people in the world. I just have been bad at appreciating how good I have had it in life.

I like to donate blood whenever I can because it makes me feel like I am giving back to the world in a infinitesimally small way. I like donating blood because:

• it is anonymous, the person who gets the blood will probably never know it was mine.
• it is free to do, true it does take an hour of free time and some minor required travel.
• it does not require physical effort, you have to lay there and squeeze a ball...
  
• you get some free snacks at the end, cookies, juice etc...
• if I did somehow contract HIV, they will call and tell me about it for free
• not everyone can do it, I can, and feel a little more important to society (or less like a leech)
• some scouts organize blood drives for their eagle scout project, so I get two for one, help out with a scout project and help save a life.

Success, wisdom teeth extracted

Now I am on the mend, my wisdom teeth have been removed and my mouth is all bloody and cut up. I am not as swollen as I envisioned, too bad I thought I would look more chip-monkish. Rebecca says I was loopy right after the surgery and I was saying things like, "I never fell asleep." I do not remember feeling tired or anything so that is why I didn't think I fell asleep. The IV they put in for me was easier to handle than donating blood at the Red Cross, no "20 minute written interrogation", no "squeezing a ball", no "pen marking up my veins", no "missing the vein and calling over the supervisor", etc.. They had me lay down, the surgeon just took my right arm, laid it on his leg wrapped the bicep with a rubber strip, put a little iodine and some antibacterial spray, stuck me, and taped it up all in a few seconds.
My biggest post-op mistake was trying to suck on a pop sickle, OUCH! I can't imagine how much a straw would hurt to use. I can't handle any negative pressure in my mouth right now. I am staying up on my loritab, ibuprofen, and penicillin thanks to Rebecca's help. So I have not felt much pain so far at all. I owe a big thanks to Rebecca for supporting me in doing this; she didn't make me go through with it but was always there to mock my anxieties. She has waited on me hand and foot making some killer broccoli soup and potato soup after I got sick and tired of ice cream and puddings. The tomato juice was a good idea as well. Thanks babe, love ya.

Thursday they come out

Well those wisdom teeth have had a good run, but Thursday afternoon, they come out. I am off Friday and will have cheeks swollen up like a chipmunk, but at least Rebecca said she plans on taking good care of me as I recover. Any advise for me as I prepare for this ? Just don't try to talk me out of it.

Little Debbie and the Snack Cakes

2008 had LD&SC featuring a new third vocalist. This year's BBQ bash also featured some unexpected rain and lightning. All in all this party was very memorable and fun and I am glad I got a picture of the headliner band that was not super blurry. If you can't tell, the band is huddled under a canopy because of the rain, the audience was provided with umbrellas and braved the weather to rock to the tunes (and perhaps witness a severe electrocution.)

As a surprise, Michelle had Happy Birthday played (Beatles Style) for her new husband and his family came out from a hidden location all the way from Nevada. Speaking of birthdays... nevermind..

On a side note, I beat Final Fantasy X-2 last night, (yes the one with the girly dresses) and you know what? loved it!

New Fence

I took these this morning after helping my Dad pick apricots for Hannah to make apricot jam (picking started at 7:30AM, so it was cool temperature-wise.) I think Hannah and I should work out some kind of trade, unsweetened frozen apricot nectar for apricot jam? hmmm? The nectar is great for Russian chicken over rice, I think it is often too sweet with apricot jam but very good with the nectar and some sugar or honey added.

Street view of the rear wide fence for vehicle access, the two gates connect to a center sleeve that is removable.


Here it is the short open picket fence in the front.

And above is a shot of the backyard.

I plan to post pictures from the 2008 Hillary and Randy's BBQ music festival soon as well.