JustLisa

The toe (and the kid who carries the toe) met with the surgeon/specialist today for the post op checkup. Everything looks good. He took out the stitches and told us he'd see us in 30 days to take more xrays and set a date to remove the pins.

I cannot stress enough how wonderful this doctor has been. He took my phone calls late at night and was nothing but pleasant. He's answered every question we've had in great detail. Today he said his nurse would be in to remove the stitches so we waited a few minutes and she didn't come. Instead the doctor came back in. I said "You don't look the nurse" and he said "She's busy so I'm just going to do it." and he removed the stitches. I worked in the medical field for awhile and that kind of extra special treatment by a specialist is rare.

If you ever smash your toe or otherwise do damage to your foot, go see Dr. Bryan Trout at the Iowa Orthopaedic Center in Ankeny. Really, there aren't enough words to describe how awesome he's been thus far.

Let the dogs out this morning and the sun was barely beginning to light the eastern sky. The moon was hanging low in the west and everything in between east and west was a deep shade of blue. For a minute, everything seemed right with the world. Then the boy with the toe thing started yelling. This morning was the first time the toe has been wet since Dec. 15. It didn't go well.

Was going to be in bed by 9:30 last night since I've not had much sleep (nothing new there) but due to phone calls and general day's end crap, it was more like 10:30. Started to fall asleep and realized the cat was in the bedroom. Got up and put him out. 11PM, try again and fall to straight to sleep.

That was slightly less than two hours ago. Why am I here now? Lemme tell ya why: the sound of velcro. I've said I will be happy to never hear that sound again as it's now associated with the pain of the toe. That god blessed boot has at least six long velcro straps, maybe seven. I'm sort of used to the sound of it being adjusted but hearing it TWICE, at 12:20AM and 12:40AM, when it's not at all expected, well, that'll wake you up well enough that you'll get up to bitch to the internets about it.

GAH!!!! Have I ever mentioned that I have slept through only ONE night since early in my pregnancy? Folks, that's 14 years of sleep deprivation! And when it's caused by stupid stuff like the "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTT!!!!!" of an orthopedic boot being adjusted and readjusted... well, let's just say that it leads to visions of things less than friendly.

Went to the funeral of a dear family friend today. She and her husband used to be in saddle club when I was little and my family had horses and were in saddle club. Christopher is named after her grandson who happens to be my ex's best friend. You live in a small town like this and it's amazing how many different ways you can be entertwined with another person. Anyway, she's always been "grandma June" to Christopher. Her grandkids called her grandma June-bug but for some reason he always stuck to grandma June.

June had been in the nursing home for quite awhile and since I get called there to work quite often, I was lucky enough to see her usually once a week at least. Some days she would know me and chat up a storm. Other days she wouldn't know me but would still visit. Last time I saw her I was wearing my bright green sweater and she kept remarking to everyone how beautiful my sweater was - what a pretty color. I would go into a different office and do some work then come back past her again and she'd say "Oh Lisa, I just can't get over how pretty that sweater is!" That's how I'd prefer to remember her but I happened to be out there the day she took a rapid turn for the worse. As sad as it was to lose her, it's so much better than having her linger for months in the condition she was in. Christopher is fortunate to have last seen her a few weeks ago when she was smiling and had that spark in her eye. They used to measure, back to back, to see if he was taller yet and he almost caught up to her. She was a little thing but as her obituary said, "mighty".

Christopher was pretty upset and very worried about his "uncle". On the way back to school following the funeral, he said "Mom, I've never seen uncle Chris cry like that. Do you think he'll be okay?" I remember very clearly how my grandmother passed away some 20 years ago. The pain of losing a grandma is so great and something I hope Christopher doesn't have to experience for a long, long time.

TVNow lists the TV appearances for over 5,300 stars each month by searching TV Guide listings.

I am not ashamed to say I found this after watching Burt Reynolds / Smokey and the Bandit II (*I had that trans am) and wondering what Burt looked like nowadays. From Burt's website, I found the link.

Due to a dispute between Sinclair and Mediacom, my cable company, we lost our Fox station a couple of weeks ago. That means NO NFL PLAYOFFS if they are on Fox. Today the Bears and Seahawks are playing on Fox so I can't see it. I am listening to it on NFL FieldPass online which is going to KILL MEEEE!!! I need to see it!

Seriously, this is hell. Pure hell.

While looking for links to accompany my whinefest below, I found this site http://www.newshounds.us/. We watch Fox so you don't have to... That's funny because Todd comes in at night and will start spouting stuff he's heard on the radio all day. I'll say "Republican propoganda!!" and he'll say "Heard it on Fox news!" as if they are not biased. heh.

We interrupt this post for the following announcement paraphrased from NFL radio:

THE KICK IS GOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!! ROBBIE GOULD IS GOOOD AGAIN AND THE BEARS HAVE WON!!!

Yay!!! I so seriously cannot stand listening to football. I have got to have the visuals or my heart fails.

Emily cleaned the bathroom today. Like removed everything and cleaned each thing then put it all back together. I heard her lecturing her dad about rinsing the sink after shaving and how he could keep his shaving equipment in a certain spot and return it to that spot after use. Then she tore into the boys about how not to pee on the floor and the walls. "I hand washed YOUR pee from in front of the toilet!!"

The only thing she said to me was "Don't let this happen again", while wielding the dust encrusted toilet cleaning brush at me. I have a legit excuse. The dogs drink from the toilet so we no longer use chemicals and the brush to clean it.

Next we may tackle the cedar chest which is sorely in need of sorting and reorganizing.

My friend Lessa, daughter of the famous Purple Moose, is trying to raise the funds to send her son to Europe on a choir trip. She's a young, single widow doing her level best to raise her children in small town Alaska. I would say "in the harsh climate of Alaska" but I think I would thrive in all that snow and I think she's wrong to whine about winter. hehehe

Anyway, it's a wonderful feeling to help a child expand their world. Can you help Sean? If you can spare a buck or two (or more!), please go to the ChipIn page at http://lessa.chipin.com/the-boys-choir-trip and throw what you can spare her way.

BTW, when I say "Purple Moose" outloud in this house, all three kids will yell "MOOOOSIE!!!" She sent them mooses(?) and a beautiful little teddy bear a couple of Christmas' ago. These still sit atop the TV so they will always remember our snowbound friend in Alaska.

Now we're in the deep freeze at a few degrees below zero. Doesn't bother me. I've got two scarves, a really cool hood/neckwarmer, a huge Starter jacket from Goodwill (joke to go with that to follow later), really nice gloves that I've managed to keep away from the kid, and a pair of waterproof thinsulate lined boots. Then there's the underneath layers. Soft cotton camisole, long sleeved cuddlduds, turtle neck sweater on top. Merino wool blend long johns off the clearance rack at Scheels under the heavy jeans. One of my best investments. $39 long johns on clearance for $4. Mens xsmall. Guess that's not a popular size. Now if I could just come up with a purpose for the flap in the front. ha!

People bitch about the snow and cold but it's so beautiful. Call me crazy, but I think the world looks a little warmer when it's wrapped in a soft, white blanket. It's perception, people! See the beauty and dress in layers.

The Starter jacket came from Goodwill. $8. It's one of those super poofy, half zip deals with the hood. Has my favorite college team on it which is where the joke comes in. People laugh and say I got it so cheap because it's the Cyclones and if not for me coming along, they'd have had to give it away. That is a funny joke BUT right behind it was a Hawkeye coat. Same price. So stuff it!

I took Lucy on our morning jaunt to the lake. The thermometer on the Suburban said -7. Even that is good because it keeps the snow crisp and sparkly. It's just beautiful. Absolutely stunning.

what do Mayflowers bring? Furniture! (that was a joke on a calendar I once had)

My goddaughter is going to have another baby. Emily is so excited because we babysit Gabbie sometimes so a new baby will mean two kids to watch. It sure didn't seem like Gabbie was a baby very long.

Anyway, Steph and I have been looking at baby stuff and kids furniture since the baby will need a new crib. Gabrielle's crib was one of those that converts to a toddler bed so she is still using it. Steph showed me a crib the other day that was almost $1500. I could not believe it! I joked that they would need to take out a mortgage to pay for the baby furniture. That site has a link to GE Financing so maybe she can get something from there.

Christopher and Ben currently have a red metal bunk bed with a futon on the bottom. The futon mattress has gone pretty flat so C. wants a trundle bed. This one is pretty cool and made of pine which is hard to find anymore it seems.

I wish I'd have known about this when Emily and I were looking at canopy beds a couple of years ago. All we could find online were those metal ones with the white powder coat and roses or hearts painted on them. We both agreed that was kinda tacky. This one is really pretty and it's wood!

Time to fix supper. Some day I will be wealthy and a bell will be rung to summons me to the table where a feast will be laid out. Until then, I gotta go make something yummy out of chicken.

I was reading this post and I find I just can't let it go. I don't know about the rest of the country but speaking of what I do know, the Walmarts around Iowa directly reflect the neighborhoods that surround them. The Walmart in the poorest area is not only dirty, it's scary. I went once and noted that the number of shoes on the floor in the shoe department far outnumbered the shoes actually in their boxes on the rack. The second time I went there, a man actually grabbed my crotch from behind as he walked past. Never went again.

One went up in the newest part of Des Moines' suburbs and had to clear a ton of opposition first. The developers and residents of the area did not want a Walmart going up in the midst of the high end stores. Walmart agreed to make the store blend in well architectually (sp?) with it's surroundings and they did a bang up job of that. If not for that hideous sign, you'd never know that's what it was. You can read the official press release here.

The inside is very clean and the employees seem happy to help. Important to also note that the shoppers spending their money inside are also different. I call them "foo foo folks". They aren't very friendly and they dress pretty fancy for a Walmart run, but they don't throw stuff down and expect someone to pick it up for them.

I am sure that there are some lazy Walmart employees and I bet some managers could care less if the bins stay organized but I'd wager my money on it being more the customers than the employees.

Morbid but necessary subject. Have you ever thought about what happens to your children if you die? I have verbally stated a gazillion times who I want to handle my affairs and who I want to look after Christopher should I die before he's an adult. I follow up by saying "I need to put that in writing" but I never do. It's pretty lame since I worked for an attorney and know how to draft a will.

It's My Life makes it fast and easy for anyone to make a will to protect their final wishes and their children. I signed up and checked out some of the features. I had to laugh because my mom has a list at the funeral home of how she wants her service, who she wants for pallbearers, how much money is to be spent, etc. The It's My Life site actually has a section devoted to that, too!

They also have living wills, power of attorney, a place to put little details about you that you'd like remembered and a place to write out personal letters. I started several different areas of the site and it remembers my details for a year so I can come back whenever I am comfortable enough to pick it back up again. It truly is a hard subject, especially when you have children and have to think what will happen to them if you are gone. It's nice that I can quit when it gets too hard and know that I can come back to the same point later. I had to quit on the special gifts because there are so many people who mean so much to me that I'd like to have something of mine. No one will know these details if I don't get them recorded and printed out.

When my dad passed away, my brother and I knew his wishes as he'd made them known to us on many occasions. My sister was of the mindset that she was so far away and wasn't physically involved in his care so it was up to us. However, my oldest brother had ideas not even in line with what my dad wanted. My brother wasn't being malicious; he was simply stating what he'd like. My dad was in the military but didn't want the military service or taps played or the gun salute. My brother was very proud of dad's military service and wanted the whole formal deal. It would have saved a lot of drama if dad had simply written out what he wanted so no one could dispute it.

As much as I love the cinderella story the Saints have going, I gotta say

GO BEARS!!!

And the same whinefest today as last Sunday. Damn Sinclair!!! I hate listening to football. I wanna seeeeeee!!

When basketball started again, I realized how bad my vision had become. Last season I couldn't make out faces on the opposite side of the court. This year I couldn't see the ball well when it was at the other end of the court from me and had to ask those near me to give me play by play. I finally broke down and went for an exam and my vision had deteriorated a lot.

The doc asked me if I'd like contact lenses and I wasn't prepared to answer that. Last I knew, if you had a stigmatism, you couldn't wear contacts. Also, I was not crazy about sticking something in my eye. Now as I learn to loathe my glasses, I'm rethinking having a contact exam. I had no idea on the price but figured they must not be too high nowadays if they'd give away a months worth.

Discount contact lenses has all kinds to choose from. I had no idea you could get bifocal contacts! I am so uneducated so have spent some time on this site learning about costs and use. I am confused by the number of lenses per box. Six lenses per box - is that six lenses total / three pairs or six pairs of lenses? That could make quite a difference in the cost. I think I would want conventional lenses rather than disposables.

Ewww, as I browse around through the accessories.... http://www.discountcontactlenses.com/da.asp?ID=45 Inserter/Remover? You poke that in your eye??? Good lord. I won't be getting any kind that could need pulled off my eye with that! I remember my mom would just touch hers with her fingertip and it would stick to her finger. She had hard lenses though. I broke one once while checking to see if it was hard or soft. Ooops.

My mom had eye surgery and I don't think she wears contacts at all anymore. Gonna have to let her know that they have really cute reading glasses. Nice site if you need contact lenses or supplies.

A game which I can watch... Colts vs. Pats. GO TOM BRADY!

I am sooo happy for the Bears. I really hated to see that matchup happen as the Saints have overcome so much. It felt wrong to root against them but my Bears loyalty runs deep.

Brooke wrote about her new life in the desert and how dry her skin is getting. Every single day I tell my mom how much I value our humidifier and try to tell her to get one. It's amazing how much better we feel and how much better shape our skin is in because we run one all winter long. I've gotten to where I can tell pretty quickly when ours is out of water. My nose will start to dry out and burn. The funny way to tell is reach down and give Lucy a love pat that results in a big ZAP! on her nose.

I've been thinking about saving for a whole house/furnace mounted humidifier for next year. Our current model takes wick type filters that have to be changed a couple of times per season. They aren't cheap either!

Humidifier Information compares the different types. Every impeller type I've had has not lasted very long but maybe it's just the brand. Our current one is a Honeywell and it's lasted a few years now. We had to do a repair job last year as Lucy slammed into it and cracked one of the reservoirs. Other than that and the filter expense, it's been a good one.

Stupid Patriots. ugh. Now it's Bears and Colts to the Superbowl. blech.

Funny thing popped into my mind when the Colts won. Someone dear to me used to say "The sun's gonna shine on every dog's ass sooner or later." I guess so.

I've been trying to generate interest in saving for Florida vacation rentals. Our friends Rod and Gayle are in Vero Beach and come back to Iowa every summer. Why, I do not know. ha! I guess it's a little hot and humid down south in the summer but still...

We've only been on three vacations together and two of those were close to home in the midwest. I want to go somewhere where spanish moss hangs from trees and there is an ocean with pretty beaches and blue water. Our first vacation together was to North Carolina and included our only ocean experience. That was about 30 minutes in Virginia Beach and it looked like a never ending version of our lake. Most people I know go to Florida for Orlando or Disney but I want hammocks and palm trees and most importantly, quiet. I've never seen white sand and blue water. In Virginia the water was muddy and it wasn't quiet at all. The roar of the waves was deafening and the squealing kids were even worse.

This one looks nice and look, blue water/white sand. Private beach and dolphins! Anyone want to go with me? Never hurts to dream.

Tank Johnson, a defensive end for the Bears, may not be able to play in the Super Bowl because he can't leave Illinois without a Judge's permission. What is with these star athletes and trouble with the law? UGH!

Cool depth chart to see who is second and third string for the Bears in each position.

I've tried out many programs to keep track of my to do lists and completed tasks but none have fit the bill yet. This time management software from Effexis is on my radar now. I installed it tonight and see that it even has a "romance" project where you can prioritize your love life. hahaha

It also has a place to post your dreams and whether you've cancelled, postponed or are actively pursuing a dream. It has a lot of options, too many for me probably, but it seems as though I will be able to delete the things I don't need and add things to suit me. Bonus points for being able to synch it with Outlook and export to Excel.

Reach Access flosser. Go get one and buy the replacements that have the paste on them. Makes your mouth feel loved.

Yes, this place is overrun with football with commentary but it's that time of year.

There's a NFL message board that hasn't been completely overrun with wiseasses yet. The last NFL board I belonged to got so full of guys talking smack that there wasn't any room for real conversation. I've prowled around this board this evening and it seems very civil. There is even intelligent conversation regarding Superbowl predictions.

The board is split into divisions for each of the AFC and NFC teams and shows the team logos in each. That's handy if you are like me and can't remember exactly who goes into NFC North or AFC East. I get a lot of grief for not knowing but I just love the game so those specifics aren't really important.

They also have college football areas and "other" which includes arena football. Too bad Iowa lost the Iowa Barnstormers arena league. Anyway, footballboards.com looks to be a nice place to get info prior to the big game I hope.

BTW, did you know there was a rumor that Dungy would be fired if he didn't take the Colts to the Superbowl this time? I hate the Colts but that is ridiculous. Surely they are smarter than that. He's a good coach. Did I just say that??

When it came time to go to bed last night, I was so exhausted and had that feeling I'd sleep really well. It's another night that we'll just never know who could have slept thanks to dogs. Yesterday I counted six unknown dogs roaming loose around our neighborhood at different points of the day. Always in packs of two. One set of two are identical pups that wander through every other week or so but the other four are new and seen with increasing frequency.

Apparently they are going to come around in the night too and get the neighbors outside dogs barking which makes my inside dogs bark. Let me tell ya, my two huge dogs barking at 3AM is not something anyone wants to wake up too.

I have to jump up and check that there aren't dogs after our rabbit again. Tonight I'm worried about the cat. He didn't come home from his evening prowl around the house. The other two times he's done that, I've found him waiting on the doorstep at midnight. So far tonight he's still MIA.

I guess I should take one more look outside for the kitty then try to go back to sleep for a couple of hours. Blech.

My car is on it's last legs. Came down the hill at school the other night and realized that the lights on the dash for traction control and antilock brakes are on because it really means it now. They are broke. It needs $700 in engine work and now it's not even driveable around town in the snow. Doing a car search online tonight to see if they have any Rivieras near me. Of course not so let's move on to mustangs, shall we? If I do a search on just Iowa, there's not much that interests me. It seems you can list your car there for free though.

Looking through the numerous car reviews and am now even more convinced that I really do need a 2007 Mustang in the fastback coupe edition I think. It's gonna have to be something mighty special to replace my Buick. They don't have any Riviera reviews but they do have lots of other makes/models. I think they stopped making Rivs in 2000 so it's hard to find current info on them. I love mine so much, even in it's old broken down condition.

That cat is the meanest cat I've ever had. I was soaking in the tub last night and he attacked me. I had to scrunch up against the far side and yell. If I'd come out of the corner, he'd try to get me again. He's just ornery as all get out. When I finally gave up and let him have the bathroom to himself, he stood on the edge of the tub and kept sticking his foot into the water as it was running out. When it was about an inch deep, he hopped in and laid down. Guess he just wanted his own hot bath.

In case you think I exaggerate about the psycho nature of said cat, I present:

Bucky attacks Lucy

Bucky attacks kid

See??? He's whacked! We still love him though.

He left yesterday morning about 7 in the morning and isn't back home. Christopher is mad that he gets out and no one tries to stop him. The only way to stop him would be to strap him down somewhere. We found him as a free roaming stray and that's still his nature. I think he stopped at someone's house to say hi and they let him in to nap. Soon he will escape from their door and show back up at ours. That is my hope.

Search Engine Marketing has been crossing my radar screen a lot lately. I've not really embraced this SEO (Search Engine Optimization) stuff. It seems it's here to stay so may as well learn all about it.

This Search Engine Marketing Glossary is quite helpful in understanding all the words thrown around in SEO discussions. One of the terms most are familiar with is "google bomb" or the skewing of search results by millions linking to one page using the same obscure phrase. While browsing around the Apogee Search site this morning I learned that google has taken steps to elimate google bombs. I wonder how many man hours went into figuring out how to do that.

Em played basketball today about 30 mins away and afterwards we went on to another town to get some supplies at Walmart. Funny, every time I go into a Walmart now, I check to see if it's clean. This is a very small store and was pretty clean considering how many people were crammed in there.

Got home late this afternoon and fixed some macaroni and cheese for a friend at the nursing home. Em and I took it out to her and then visited some other folks there. One of my favorite ladies wasn't out for supper so we went back to her room. She was just having an off day and didn't feel like coming to the dining room. We looked at some pictures with her and talked some about how things were when she was young. She's 94 years young now. She told us how the girls wore bloomers to basketball when she was a young girl. I found this picture to show Emily what she meant. Em said she didn't know how anyone could run in those. I wonder more about those shoes. I wish I had time to go out there and record stories of all the people who are still able to recollect their pasts. It's quite fascinating.

Cat update: Bucky is home and totally wiped out. He flopped down in such a way that it looks like he's dead and has been sleeping that way for hours. Must have really been busy expanding his territory.

Emily and I were listening to late 70s/early 80s music this morning and Styx came on. I told her I used to have the coolest Styx album that had the band logo on the actual album and it changed colors in the light. Found it! WANT!!! Not that I could play a record if I wanted to but that artwork and concept is still pretty neat.

There was also a Bob Seger album that had full color artwork on the album but I can't remember what that was. I only kept one of my many albums and that was John Mellencamp - Lonesome Jubilee. My ex took me to see that concert and oh wow. Best concert of my life.

Big surprise of the day was when Em didn't even ask about albums or records. Maybe they studied them in history. HA!

Found a new site of funny videos.

It doesn't have popup windows that I've seen. Huge plus with me! AND an announcement with accompanying video of the big news that Van Halen is coming back! Also you can find celebrity gossip if you're into that sort of thing. Prank calls? People still do that in this age of caller ID?

OOOPS! Just clicked the Games link to see what games were there and there was a popup so I guess they do use them after all. Oh well, go watch Van Halen and no smart ass comments about how old they are either!

Dr. Bryan Trout of Iowa Orthopaedic Center is the most awesome doctor EVER!! We went for the toe checkup today and the good doctor took xrays and said "You want those pins out or do we need to schedule you to go next door (surgical center)?" Christopher said "I can have them out now???" and the best damn foot doctor in the whole wide world said "Yup. I'll numb it up and we'll pull them." and pull them he did.

NO MORE CRUTCHES!! That is the most awesome thing in months. Those crutches were so dangerous on this snow and ice. I was sure we were going to break something else before the toe was healed. He still has to wear the boot for another week then he can put his tennis shoe back on. Back to PE in three weeks and he should be all clear for spring sports. WOOOOHOOOOO!!! He cleaned the pins and put them a sterile bag for him to have as souveniers. I have copies of the xrays too that I will post later.

I told Dr. Trout that I have been singing his praises on the internet and he said "Of course I am going to take good care of that toe. That's my baby!" May he forever take that kind of pride in his work and care that much for patients.

Calcaneus, talus, metatarsals, phalanges, lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Looking at C's xrays this morning and immediately my brain starts labeling the bones of the foot. Throwback to EMT school.

Anyway, here is the foot: