Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
an unexpected murmuration
I just watched this video that left me breathless. For anyone who needs two minutes of pure beauty and wonder today. Recorded in County Clare, Ireland. Enjoy.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
diabetes awareness month 2011
Today is 11.1.11 (or 1.11.11, depending on where you live) and that means it's the inaugural T1Day! My dad sent me an email this morning that said: This morning on "TODAY" a group of women with Blue foam rubber "I'm #1" hands on declared today was JDRF day. Every little bit helps. Aww, thanks dad. (note: my dad does not actually read my blog.)
So even though I didn't really do anything for T1Day, I am pretty stoked that Diabetes Awareness Month is finally here, because there are so many things to look forward to.
+ The WDD Postcard Exchange
+ The World Diabetes Day celebrations
+ The Big Blue Test, in which I plan on participating multiple times in the next couple of weeks. Because every time you test/move/test/share, that means a life-saving donation for a diabetic in need.
+ Wearing my Diabetes Hands Foundation shirt for Blue Fridays. And Blue Mondays. And everything in between, including Blue Weekends! In case you haven't heard, I'm wearing the *same blue shirt* every day in November. You have Jacquie to thank/blame. If you're interested in following along, I'll be posting daily pics over here. But if you can't be arsed to visit yet another website every day, no worries, I'll post anything really interesting right here. And at the end of the month I'll compile a little video with all my daily pics. Because if there's one thing the world needs, it's some midwest housewife thinking she's the next Noah Kalina or something. IT'S FOR DIABETES AWARENESS, OKAY.
To get us started off, here's a pic of me and L, in matching shirts with matching cupcakes.
So even though I didn't really do anything for T1Day, I am pretty stoked that Diabetes Awareness Month is finally here, because there are so many things to look forward to.
+ The WDD Postcard Exchange
+ The World Diabetes Day celebrations
+ The Big Blue Test, in which I plan on participating multiple times in the next couple of weeks. Because every time you test/move/test/share, that means a life-saving donation for a diabetic in need.
+ Wearing my Diabetes Hands Foundation shirt for Blue Fridays. And Blue Mondays. And everything in between, including Blue Weekends! In case you haven't heard, I'm wearing the *same blue shirt* every day in November. You have Jacquie to thank/blame. If you're interested in following along, I'll be posting daily pics over here. But if you can't be arsed to visit yet another website every day, no worries, I'll post anything really interesting right here. And at the end of the month I'll compile a little video with all my daily pics. Because if there's one thing the world needs, it's some midwest housewife thinking she's the next Noah Kalina or something. IT'S FOR DIABETES AWARENESS, OKAY.
To get us started off, here's a pic of me and L, in matching shirts with matching cupcakes.
halloween 2011
You knew I wouldn't forget to post pics of my kid on Halloween, right? I mean, I even considered doing a "Twelve Days of Halloween" thing where I posted pics of all her Halloweens past, one per day, culminating last night. (Unfortch, I didn't have that brilliant idea until it was too late. But I'm gonna make it happen next year, so brace yourselves). In the meantime, please enjoy some pics from this year.
Our friends' dog, dressed as a kitty.
L's pumpkin (far right, bottom) was originally a Hunger Games logo, but it collapsed, so she turned it into a pukey punkin.
from L - R:
A, dressed as Nimway/Nimue from Merlin aka 'The Lady of the Lake'
A, dressed as a baby
L, dressed as Kate Wetherall, from The Mysterious Benedict Society book series
Ooooh, doesn't that blood look realistic? It is. very. *shudder*
They had a bunch o' fun, and even had to come back home a few times to drop off candy so they had room for more. Hope all you ghouls and goblins had a great night too! :)
A, dressed as Nimway/Nimue from Merlin aka 'The Lady of the Lake'
A, dressed as a baby
L, dressed as Kate Wetherall, from The Mysterious Benedict Society book series
They had a bunch o' fun, and even had to come back home a few times to drop off candy so they had room for more. Hope all you ghouls and goblins had a great night too! :)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
heavy on links. and parentheses.
You wanna hear me and John yammer on for about 15 minutes about diabetes? Why wouldn't you. Thanks to VJ at Diabetic365, now you can!
You can find the video at his blog here. I wish I could tell you we were as adorable as that old couple trying to work a webcam, but it's just not true (maybe next time). Of course, L was sitting on the other side of the computer, listening to the whole thing. See if you can spot the moments she was making faces at me and I smiled back at her.
While you're over there, why not check out some other interviews VJ has conducted with some very cool people: Jason or Bernard or Jacquie or Meri or Wendy or Chris or Ginger or Scott or Michael or Reyna or Kim (as well as a whole bunch of other people who I am sure are also very cool, I just don't actually know them).
(Not that I actually "know" the people I linked to, of course. Apart from reading their blogs. And exchanging emails. And saying hi at FFL. And whatnot.)
(But you know what I mean.)
(Parentheses.)
But really, if you only have time to watch one 15-minute video interview about diabetes, skip mine and go straight to Jason's. He speaks very openly about the islet transplants he has received and how they have changed his life. John and I were very affected by his story and I think you will be too. Unless you've heard it already, in which case, never mind.
You can find the video at his blog here. I wish I could tell you we were as adorable as that old couple trying to work a webcam, but it's just not true (maybe next time). Of course, L was sitting on the other side of the computer, listening to the whole thing. See if you can spot the moments she was making faces at me and I smiled back at her.
While you're over there, why not check out some other interviews VJ has conducted with some very cool people: Jason or Bernard or Jacquie or Meri or Wendy or Chris or Ginger or Scott or Michael or Reyna or Kim (as well as a whole bunch of other people who I am sure are also very cool, I just don't actually know them).
(Not that I actually "know" the people I linked to, of course. Apart from reading their blogs. And exchanging emails. And saying hi at FFL. And whatnot.)
(But you know what I mean.)
(Parentheses.)
But really, if you only have time to watch one 15-minute video interview about diabetes, skip mine and go straight to Jason's. He speaks very openly about the islet transplants he has received and how they have changed his life. John and I were very affected by his story and I think you will be too. Unless you've heard it already, in which case, never mind.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
21 oct 1947
Twenty years ago today, my mom turned 44. She'd been diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 1989. At that time, they told her they weren't sure how long she had. Maybe three months, maybe three years. She underwent chemo and radiation, which sent the cancer into remission. But in the spring of 1991, the cancer came back. And it had spread to the brain. So again with the chemo and radiation. She even went through a few rounds of an experimental drug treatment. But her health began to decline. Eventually, the side effects were so bad that she decided to forgo any more treatment and just focus on keeping her quality of life as high as possible. On her 44th birthday, she had a doctor's appointment. He told her she wouldn't live to see Thanksgiving. She died at home 3 weeks later.
Twenty years ago today, my mom turned 44. I was 20. Now I'm 40. It seems impossible that she's been gone that long. For several years after she died, I would become depressed around this time of year. Her birthday, the anniversary of when she passed, the memories of her final weeks, it was all too much. But twelve years ago, something changed. I became pregnant with my daughter. And finally I had something to celebrate again. I was no longer a motherless daughter; I became a mother to a daughter. I brought a photo of my mom into the delivery room, and I felt her there when L was born. John and I named L after my mom - the strongest and funniest woman I have ever known.
I'm glad I had even 20 years with my mom. Some people don't get that much. I think of her and thank her every day. Happy birthday, mom.
September 1972
September 2001
Twenty years ago today, my mom turned 44. I was 20. Now I'm 40. It seems impossible that she's been gone that long. For several years after she died, I would become depressed around this time of year. Her birthday, the anniversary of when she passed, the memories of her final weeks, it was all too much. But twelve years ago, something changed. I became pregnant with my daughter. And finally I had something to celebrate again. I was no longer a motherless daughter; I became a mother to a daughter. I brought a photo of my mom into the delivery room, and I felt her there when L was born. John and I named L after my mom - the strongest and funniest woman I have ever known.
I'm glad I had even 20 years with my mom. Some people don't get that much. I think of her and thank her every day. Happy birthday, mom.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
WHERE BLUE?
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and Cherise thought that a good way to raise said awareness would be ask everyone to wear blue every Friday in November. Sounds cool to me - blue is my favorite color. Then she got a bunch of people together to make this fun video to promote Blue Fridays.
I gotta say, toward the end when it starts to get a little crazy, it seems like everyone is trying to find that dog from Blue's Clues. WHERE BLUE? WEAR BLUE!
Then Jacquie threw down the gauntlet by saying: I would like to challenge someone to wear the SAME blue shirt every single day in November. THAT would raise #diabetes awareness.
Well, Jacquie, all I gotta say is: Challenge...accepted!
I gotta say, toward the end when it starts to get a little crazy, it seems like everyone is trying to find that dog from Blue's Clues. WHERE BLUE? WEAR BLUE!
Then Jacquie threw down the gauntlet by saying: I would like to challenge someone to wear the SAME blue shirt every single day in November. THAT would raise #diabetes awareness.
Well, Jacquie, all I gotta say is: Challenge...accepted!
Friday, October 14, 2011
wdd postcard exchange
On the off (off, off!) chance that there are some d-peeps out there who read my blog but do not also follow Lee Ann and/or Kerri, consider this a signal boost for a very cool project to bring us all a little closer together.
You can hit up Lee Ann's blog for the deets (she's the mastermind behind it all), but in a nutshell, the idea is that one way we can celebrate World Diabetes Day (one month from today!), is to exchange crafty postcards between people affected by diabetes all over the world. Lee Ann put it best: My vision is of blue circle postcards spinning around the world, connecting each of us with another individual or family living with diabetes.
How cool is that? Spoiler: Very Cool. So head on over to The Butter Compartment to sign up.
Do it. Do it. DO IT.
You can hit up Lee Ann's blog for the deets (she's the mastermind behind it all), but in a nutshell, the idea is that one way we can celebrate World Diabetes Day (one month from today!), is to exchange crafty postcards between people affected by diabetes all over the world. Lee Ann put it best: My vision is of blue circle postcards spinning around the world, connecting each of us with another individual or family living with diabetes.
How cool is that? Spoiler: Very Cool. So head on over to The Butter Compartment to sign up.
Do it. Do it. DO IT.
Friday, October 7, 2011
living in the future
As a kid in the 70's, my family made many long road trips; two to four each year. Being an only child, I had the luxury of the whole backseat for myself. We would listen to the radio fading in and out between towns. Sometimes I would look at my dad's giant road atlas and trace my finger along the routes as we drove from California to New Mexico or Virginia to Alabama. Mostly I read, and filled up those game books with highlighters you could buy at gas stations. Which were few and far between, and we'd need to plan those stops in advance because it really sucked to have to pee on the side of the road in the desert (one word: cactus). And if we were going to be late, we'd need to track down a pay phone to let our friends or family know not to wait up for us.
At one point, my parents bought a small portable TV, and it would ride in the backseat with me. Whenever we got close enough to a big city, I would flip that clunky knob back and forth between channels, watching through static and snow for as long as we were in antenna range. But hey, I was watching TV! In the car! I felt like I was in an episode of the Jetsons.
A few weeks ago, my grandma celebrated her 85th birthday with a big party in Maryland. John and L and I made the nine hour drive after school got out one Friday. We programmed our destination into our GPS, which told us the exact roads to take, and re-routed us to avoid traffic. It also told us where the nearest gas station was, and how to get there. We listened to music through our iPod, which allows us to access our entire musical library with just a few finger swipes. When it got too dark for L to read any more, she used her laptop to watch movies and play video games, and when she got bored with that, she logged into Skype and chatted with her friends.
People. We were speeding down the interstate and my kid was talking to her friends back home on her computer while we listened to a recording of a concert that took place halfway around the world just the previous night, all while being directed to our destination by a posh British voice that was getting directions from a satellite rocketing through the sky and beaming the information back to our car. And when we got hungry for dinner, but didn't want to eat at the McBKendy's at the next exit, I used my phone to find a mom and pop joint a few towns away that had plenty of positive reviews on Yelp. And when we were running late, I pulled up the confirmation email on my phone and clicked on the hotel's number and was immediately connected. Then I sent my relatives a text message so they wouldn't worry. But if I had wanted to, I could have called them and actually had a face-to-face chat.
Because we are living in the future. And it's pretty freaking rad.
behold! four generations of awesomeness!
At one point, my parents bought a small portable TV, and it would ride in the backseat with me. Whenever we got close enough to a big city, I would flip that clunky knob back and forth between channels, watching through static and snow for as long as we were in antenna range. But hey, I was watching TV! In the car! I felt like I was in an episode of the Jetsons.
A few weeks ago, my grandma celebrated her 85th birthday with a big party in Maryland. John and L and I made the nine hour drive after school got out one Friday. We programmed our destination into our GPS, which told us the exact roads to take, and re-routed us to avoid traffic. It also told us where the nearest gas station was, and how to get there. We listened to music through our iPod, which allows us to access our entire musical library with just a few finger swipes. When it got too dark for L to read any more, she used her laptop to watch movies and play video games, and when she got bored with that, she logged into Skype and chatted with her friends.
People. We were speeding down the interstate and my kid was talking to her friends back home on her computer while we listened to a recording of a concert that took place halfway around the world just the previous night, all while being directed to our destination by a posh British voice that was getting directions from a satellite rocketing through the sky and beaming the information back to our car. And when we got hungry for dinner, but didn't want to eat at the McBKendy's at the next exit, I used my phone to find a mom and pop joint a few towns away that had plenty of positive reviews on Yelp. And when we were running late, I pulled up the confirmation email on my phone and clicked on the hotel's number and was immediately connected. Then I sent my relatives a text message so they wouldn't worry. But if I had wanted to, I could have called them and actually had a face-to-face chat.
Because we are living in the future. And it's pretty freaking rad.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
rash decision
Last week L had a small blister on her ear, which her pediatrician diagnosed as bullous impetigo. L started taking antibiotics and everything was cool. Then this week she began experiencing extreme pain from a bump in the back of her head that radiated down into her neck, shoulders and back. The doctor said it appeared to be a swollen lymph node, but it wasn't infected, and she couldn't figure out why the pain was so intense. The next day, the rash appeared. Within 24 hours, it covered her from head to toe. Again the doctor was puzzled, but after doing a strep swab (negative), she said it was probably just an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. Luckily, the itching seems to have subsided for the most part and things are basically back to normal, except for a week of wicked high BGs (no ketones, thankfully).
So I'm wondering, could the swollen lymph node have been an early sign of allergic reaction to the antibiotic? Her pediatrician said 'probably not'. The pain went away with Advil and once she stopped taking the antibiotic. She's fine now and I'm cool with chalking everything up to a medication allergy, but I thought I'd consult with the panel of experts in the DOC to see if any of you guys had ever experienced anything along these lines. Was this a case of normal-people sick, or can we blame her janky immune system for any part of this? Anecdotally speaking, of course. I'm sure you guys all realize I am not seeking medical advice, just curious is all. /disclaimer
In other news, tomorrow is NO D DAY.
I had so much fun reading the non-D posts from everyone last year, and I'm super stoked to check more blogs out tomorrow. Thanks G.
So I'm wondering, could the swollen lymph node have been an early sign of allergic reaction to the antibiotic? Her pediatrician said 'probably not'. The pain went away with Advil and once she stopped taking the antibiotic. She's fine now and I'm cool with chalking everything up to a medication allergy, but I thought I'd consult with the panel of experts in the DOC to see if any of you guys had ever experienced anything along these lines. Was this a case of normal-people sick, or can we blame her janky immune system for any part of this? Anecdotally speaking, of course. I'm sure you guys all realize I am not seeking medical advice, just curious is all. /disclaimer
In other news, tomorrow is NO D DAY.
I had so much fun reading the non-D posts from everyone last year, and I'm super stoked to check more blogs out tomorrow. Thanks G.
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