Summer Vacation

I’m really enjoying my summer vacation. Every day I wake up and I think, "Wow, I don't have to go to work or grade papers today!" I really needed this break.

Yesterday I finished physical therapy for my tendonitis. I’m doing everything they tell me (a LOT less typing, daily strengthening exercises, medication, etc.) and hoping for the best. To keep away from the computer, I’ve doing lots of needlework (counted cross-stitch and needle punch) while watching DVDs and TV shows Mom or I taped during the school year, and reading.

I've also had time for several visits to my favorite needlework shop, Stitches 'n' Things, in it's new location (Fenton). God, I miss having it just a few blocks away! It's worth the drive though, since they have the best products and service in the state. It's fun to look at all the new patterns and see what everyone is working on. Of course, I've bought quite a few new patterns and all kinds of supplies.

You may be wondering why doing needlework doesn't aggravate my tendonitis. It's because I have two cool stands so I can work without holding the frame in my left hand: a floor stand for larger pieces and a lapstand for smaller pieces. (I'd link to the company but their site is down. I hope they are still in business because their products are excellent!) Right now I'm working on lots of little projects involving my favorites things to stitch: cats, Halloween, and Christmas.

The cats are great about keeping me company, especially when my husband is at work. Sophie likes to lay on my lap (when she’s not bouncing around like a kitten!) and will do so even if I’m doing needlework. She likes to get under the frame and bat at the thread! Saffron has never been very cuddly, so when she is in a cuddly mood, it’s special. She likes to stay where she can see me and some days doesn’t want to me out of her sight. On those days she even follows me to the bathroom!

I’m also working on some long-awaited research projects. I'm expanding the Frodo paper I presented at last year's Mythcon (the annual conference of The Mythopoeic Society). As part of my research I'm reading part of Christopher Tolkien’s History of Middle-earth (12 vols. of his father’s notes and drafts of everything); Vols. 6-9 are the drafts of The Lord of the Rings. I’ve found a few things that apply to my Frodo paper, but it’s just fascinating watching JRRT’s writing process and watching the story develop from the children’s-book-sequel to The Hobbit into the book we know and love. Some weird bits from the early drafts:

• Frodo’s original name was Bingo Bolger-Baggins (thank God JRRT changed that!)
  
• Aragorn was originally a Hobbit ranger called Trotter
• Treebeard was an evil giant who was responsible for Gandalf’s delayed arrival in Rivendell
• The Riders of Rohan were servants of Saruman
• Aragorn married Eowyn

Weird, eh?

Speaking of books, only a few more days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I know what I'll be doing this weekend! :) I can hardly wait to see what happens, and if I guessed correctly (refer to my post on HP).

Books, Cats, Needlework ... life is good.

The Hula Chair

I recently saw a commercial for the funniest weight loss product I've ever seen: The Hula Chair! You sit and the base of the chair moves in a circle, simulating a hula dance, and no doubt leading to tight abs. I can't believe anyone would buy this thing!

For specs, video, etc. on the Hula Chair and other hilarious products, refer to Weight Loss Gadgets for the Lazy and Unmotivated.

Funny Ads

I got these old ads from a former student and they are so funny I had to post them here! (Click on the pictures for a larger view.)

My mom-in-law remembers the "More Doctors Smoke Camels" ad but we aren't sure the others are real. They are hilarious, not to mention politically incorrect, whether they are true or not!

How times (and ads) have changed, eh?

R.I.P. Captain America

Have you heard the news?! Captain America Buried at Arlington National Cemetery. What is wrong with these writers? They can't kill Cap! He symbolizes our country, so what are they saying about our country?

They didn't even kill him heroically: "He was headed to court after refusing to sign the government's Superhero Registration Act, a move that would have revealed his true identity. A sniper who fired from a rooftop was captured as police and Captain America's military escort were left to cope with chaos in the streets."

If he's going to die, Cap should die saving the President or doing something equally heroic. Apparently the writers are more interested in writing about the grief, depression, etc. caused by the death of a beloved American superhero.

My husband tells me to be patient because the comic industry is notorious for undoing stories like this. He's right but it still frustrates me. Many comics are very well-written with complicated and sophisticated story lines that enjoy, but I quit reading them when the writers had Silver Age Green Lantern Hal Jordan go insane and kill the entire Green Lantern Corps. He then redeemed himself by sacrificing himself to save Earth but it made me so mad I couldn't wait several years for them to undo the story, so I stopped reading.

At least I know Cap got a really good funeral and he'll be back ... eventually.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Celebrate freedom and remember our troops today!

God Bless the USA - Lee Greenwood

Courtesy of the Red White and Blue - Toby Keith

America We Stand as One - A Tribute

Saffron Update

I haven't written about Saffron in a while so here's an update: our little purry girl is doing better! Last week we added Hills prescription food to her diet and it has made a huge difference. She clearly feels better and canned food has apparently stimulated her appetite for all food, including her Regular Iams crunchy food. She looks happy and relaxed and has a little bounce in her step. Thursday night I saw her playing with Sophie for the first time since Christmas!

She gained 2 oz. this week. That's significant since she only weighs 5 lbs. 12 oz.

I'm so relieved to see Saffron feeling well enough to play again. In Jan. the vets who did the ultrasound told us she probably had cancer and only a few months to live. I hoped but never expected her to improve this much and I feared I would never see her play again. We're both happy girls. :)

Night Blind by Jan Worth

Looking for something interesting and unusual to read? I recommend Night Blind by Jan Worth. It's the story of a Peace Corps murder in the Kingdom of Tonga in the 1970s (based on a real murder in Tonga when Jan was a Peace Corps volunteer). It's not a typical who-done-it murder mystery but it is an intriguing look at how this horrible crime affected other young Peace Corps volunteers. I especially like the setting. I knew nothing about Tonga before reading it and felt like I went on a little vacation in this beautiful, tropical setting.

Jan is a dear colleague of mine and I'm so proud of her success! She self-published her novel through iUniverse and is doing well. She recently attended Book Expo America in New York where she recorded a podcast (also available in iTunes) for Book Expo's Author's Studio. You can read more by and about Jan on her blog.

The End of Battlestar Galactica

If you haven't seen the new Battlestar Galactica on SCI-FI, you are missing one of the best shows on television. It's nothing like the 1978 series of the same name. It's edgy and well-written, with believable, three-dimensional characters in an impossibly stressful situation. The episodes are so well-written with ever-building tension that it's hard to go to bed right after watching it. If I do, I sometimes dream about it because I can't stop thinking about it. Now that's good writing!

If you've watched either series, skip this paragraph. If you've never seen the old or new series, here's the setup: the 12 colonies of man have been destroyed by Cylons, the cyborg/robots created to serve man but turned against him. A handful of survivors escape to space in anything that will fly, protected by the last Battlestar, Galactica. In hopes of starting over, Galactica is searching for the lost 13th colony, Earth. Like all good Sci-Fi the stories are about humans and how they react to the situation they are in. The current series deals with things barely touched on in the original series: grief, survival, racial discrimination, love, religion, etc.

(Speaking of religion, in the new series the Cylons are monotheists, and some are quite fanatical about it, while the humans are polytheists. For three seasons I've been wondering what the heck this means!)

The new series has some wonderful twists: some of the characters who were originally male are now female (Starbuck and Boomer, for instance), which makes for a better balance of male and female characters, and adds a whole new dimension to Starbuck's relationships with Apollo, Adama and Zak.

Another amazing twist is that Cylons can now appear to be human. There are 12 models of Cylons, at least 7 of which appear to be human -- and no one can tell at glance who is human and who is a Cylon. At least one major character on Galactica is a Cylon, so viewers are constantly asking themselves, "Oh my God, is that character a Cylon?". There are multiple copies of each human model, so killing a "skin job" doesn't result in death; the Cylon's consciousness and memories merely download into another identical body. Imagine the complications for the poor humans fighting them, and the discrimination against the few "skin jobs" who are sympathetic to the humans.

It's wonderfully complex and interesting, which is why I am so disappointed to hear that the producers recently announced that the next season will be the last. The writers/producers have an actual ending planned, and since the end of the series is not unexpected I'm sure it will be stunning. Since the new series has lasted 4 seasons (3 seasons longer than the original) and the writing has been outstanding since the beginning, I guess we really can't complain that they have announced the end.

How do I think it will end?

*** SPOILER ALERT *** I'm going to mention the Season 3 finale. If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading now!

Season 3 ended with Starbuck apparently returning from the dead, saying she'd been to Earth, and she would lead the fleet there. I'm sure she will. I'm also sure they will not arrive in 2007/8. It will either be in our distant past (and they will end up being our ancestors) or the far future (and they will end up re-populating Earth after the Cylons destroy us). What makes me think so? A couple of things.

First, the "history repeats itself" theme of the new series. We are told repeatedly that everything that is happening now has happened before and will happen again in the future. This is often mentioned in prophecies about Earth and Starbuck's "special destiny" (foretold by a seer in season 1 or 2 and a prominent storyline in season 3).

Second, the opening and closing monologues from the 1978 series:

[opening] There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. They may have been the architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis. Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens...

[closing] Fleeing From The Cylon Tyranny the last Battlestar, Galactica, leads a rag tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest for a shining blue planet known as Earth.

This afternoon I saw two episodes of the 1978 series on the Ion (Independent Television) channel. It confirmed two things: the current series is much better and my ideas about the end of the series.

One of the 1978 episodes, "The Hand of God," was about Galactica nearly finding Earth. They picked up a transmission from unknown source, possibly hundreds of years old but clearly from a NASA lunar mission. Of course it appeared to come from the Cylon basestar that suddenly appeared from behind a planet and this led to a spectacular battle in which the basestar was destroyed, thanks to Apollo and Starbuck using intelligence from Baltar. At the end of the episode Apollo and Starbuck just miss another transmission from Earth: "The Eagle has landed."

See how it supports my theory? The message from Earth may be hundreds of years old, the Cylons got there first, etc. I'm sure the current writers will make it edge-of-your-seat tense and unforgettable, with unexpected twists, but I still don't want it to end. Thank God for DVDs!

6 Reasons to Buy a Mac

In case this ad is too small to read, the reasons in the ad are:

• Run Office and Windows
• Equipped with iLife
• Four-way video chatting
• Supports iTunes U
• Unbelievably secure
• Built-in wireless
  

PCs don't have built-in wireless?! Now I understand why everyone I know who is switching from a PC to a Mac has asked me "You have wireless? Really? You can use your laptop anywhere?"

Hard to believe, isn't it?

For more reasons, read Why You'll Love a Mac (Apple even offers educational discounts) and watch the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials.

All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!

June 1 on CNN: Potter buffs may soon be able to visit Hogwarts. I only have one question: do I get to take the Hogwarts Express?

I am OK

Thank you to everyone who e-mailed to see if I'm OK! I am fine, just too busy teaching spring semester to blog. Spring and summer semesters here are accelerated, so we do 14 weeks' work in just 7 weeks. Talk about hectic!

For those who've asked, this entry is an update on me and my cats.

Me and My Tendinitis

My arm still hurts but I have hope for improvement. I had a busy day with it yesterday: I had physical therapy in the morning and saw the sports doctors in the afternoon.

Right now I do physical therapy twice a week and see the sports doc every 4-6 weeks. Apparently I have an usually bad case of chronic tendinitis. It’s nice to have my perception confirmed by professionals, but I’m also getting tired of hearing things like “Wow, I’ve never seen a case this bad!”.

My sports doc (Dr. Ross) and his colleagues at MSU Sports Medicine (whom I am seeing while Dr. Ross is on medical leave) are very encouraging. They tell me this is a problem with young, active people (i.e., it’s not age-related) and that it can get better with therapy. They say I am doing all the right things and so is my physical therapist and they think I can probably avoid surgery.

If it does come to surgery, the most recent studies indicate that cutting and splicing the tendon really doesn’t help, but removing the inflammation and scar tissue does. That means a less invasive surgery and quicker recovery. I hope to avoid it but if that’s the only way to fix it for good, I’ll do it. We’re switching to Blue Cross in Oct. so I can have Dr. Ross do the surgery, if it comes to that.

My insurance coverage for PT runs out at the end of July and my new coverage (Blue Cross) doesn’t start until Jan. 08. I was concerned about what to do if the pain gets worse between July and January, but the docs assured me that they won’t let it get severe again. The physical therapist will give me a home exercise plan (but I’m not that far along yet) and they can always give me anti-inflammatories again if necessary. Whew! Knowing I have a plan makes me feel better!

When he was examining my arm yesterday, the MSU doc said the radial something or other was out of alignment. (I will have to ask the physical therapist what this is called. *) He held my hand like we were shaking hands, we both pushed gently as he twisted my arm, and I felt something pop back into place! He said this was part of what was causing pain to shoot up my arm and showed me how to check for it and explained how I can pop it back by myself. Wow, if only the tendon damage and inflammation could be fixed so easily!

I iced it good last night and today it’s hardly swollen at all! That plus the encouraging visit to the sports doc yesterday gives me hope.

My Cats

Saffron is doing well. She hasn't had any digestive problems for over a week now. She's eating well and looks like she feels good most of the time. She's occasionally unsteady on her feet but even then she's bright-eyed. She looks very relaxed and happy (stretched out more than ever when she sleeps on the bed) and purry. The vets x-rayed her in early May after a bad bought of vomiting and diarrhea and they found no sign of cancer: no tumors or swollen organs. Everything looked for an 11-year-old kitty. This is unexpectedly good news and it gives me hope. I'm still hoping it's liver disease, not cancer, and that she'll be one of the lucky kitties who recover.

Sophie, who is now 10, is still very playful. They changed her arthritis medicine (Cosequin is now called Daysoquin and the ingredients are slightly different) and the first day I put it on her canned food she hesitated. Maybe it tastes different! She did eat it and I hope it works just as well so that she stays happy and playful for a long time! She's frustrated because Saffron doesn't feel like playing with her, so we try to play with her a lot. Her favorites are headwrestling ("I'm gonna get the kitty!") and chasing the laserpointer.

So things are hectic here but improving. I'm looking forward to taking summer semester off so I can work on my needlework, research, and writing. I'm also looking forward to staying home as much as I want to!

Thanks again to everyone who expressed concern at my lack of blogging since April!



* The physical therapist says my radius (bone on the thumb side of the forearm) was probably out of alignment due to the tendon inflammation and related muscle weakness. It's called radial head subluxation (aka, Nursemaid's elbow) and, according to WebMD, is unusual in adults but very common in kids who have been picked up and swung around by their hands. The description on WebMD of how it's fixed is exactly what the sports doc did to me!

UPDATE July 9: One of the docs at MSU said this is called radial head somatic dysfunction. It's not quite the same as Nursemaid's elbow but is treated the same way (i.e., popping the radius back into place). It's caused by muscle weakness, which is of course caused by the inflamed tendon and favoring that arm for two years. The exercises to re-strengthen those muscles will help prevent it from happening again.

What the Cats Do While I'm at Work

Physical Therapy Phase 2

Today the physical therapist, Carrie, started myofascial release in addition to the my other treatment. This is a special kind of massage that helps improve flexibility and reduce pain by directly massaging the tendon. I though it would hurt more than it actually does. She starts by massaging tendon with ice, which numbs it, then massages the tendon. It hurts a little but it really helps! After the ice and massage I get the medicine via the ionizer (which I think is called a Tens Unit). She said she's is doing the latter for longer than the doc prescribed because the inflammation was so bad at first that I couldn't stand to be touched. It sure has made a difference!

My arm still hurts, some days more than others, but it has improved significantly since I started PT and the pain no longer wakes me up at night. I'm very pleased with both the therapists (Patty and Carrie) and with my progress! I'm still hoping to avoid surgery if I can. I'll probably learn more when I see Dr. Ross (the sports doc) again on the 24th.

Saffron's Good News

Saffron had a rough day Monday (more vomiting and diarrhea but not as bad as Feb. 20). Instead of just getting her weekly B12 shot, we saw Dr. Joe for a check-up. He gave her something for her tummy, fluids under the skin (to prevent dehydration), and her B12 shot. We also decided to do a detailed blood test to compare to the tests from January. The results, which we got today, were very good. Her liver enzymes are almost identical to January (abnormal but not too bad) and everything else is good. She's perky, bright-eyed, and hungry all the time (even when she was having digestive problems Monday).

Dr. Joe was surprised and pleased that Saffron is doing so well overall. Two months ago the specialists who did the ultrasound told she was probably dying from cancer, but since then she has improved steadily (except for two days of apparently unrelated digestive problems on Feb. 20 and Apr. 2). I'm still hoping it is liver disease instead of cancer and she will be one of the lucky kitties who recover. For now she is happy, comfortable, and hungy and those are all good signs.

My Sweet Lord

Mar. 30 on CNN: Controversial chocolate Jesus exhibit canceled. No wonder! Talk about abysmally poor taste. It does support my Da Vinci theory: want to cause an uproar? Include a controversial Jesus theory. Only in this case it's a chocolate, naked Jesus.

Physical Therapy Day 2

I had my second physical therapy session yesterday. The first thing I did was ask why my arm hurt so much after the first visit! The therapist assured it was probably from the tests (measuring my grip, etc.), not from the treatment. To make sure it was more comfortable this time she put the patch next to the tendon instead of right in top. She also set the machine to an even lower setting. It took more than half an hour, but my iPod and I were ready.

It didn't hurt at all yesterday and didn't wake me up last night. Woo hoo! Progress at last! Today I am finally caught up on my grading after spending 2.5 weeks grading the same batch of papers. I've never taken so long to return papers and my students have been very understanding, but it's a huge relief to not have them hanging over me! I'll post them to Blackboard tomorrow and have a few non-grading days before my 112 students turn in their research papers next Fri.

After my bad experience with the doctor at Genesys, it's simultaneously a relief and a distress to have a good sports doctor and two physical therapists say, "Wow, you've had a really rough time." It's nice to have them confirm that this is an unusually bad case of tendonitis, but I'm ready for to be over. I'm glad I'm on the right track now.

Grade-free and pain-free is wonderful feeling. :)

Death of the Canopies

I am angry beyond words after reading yesterday's Davison Index: DDA reversal orders all canopies down. Instead of a pilot project in which part of the canopies would be removed, the Downtown Development Authority is removing them all, without consent of the business owners or the public (who want to keep the canopies).

The first section of canopies was removed Mar. 18; the rest of that block's canopies were removed Mar. 24. Every time I've driven down Main Street since Mar. 18 all I could think of was how awful it looked, especially the Davison Hotel. I was glad the pilot project was a compromise because, surely, everyone in favor of removing the canopies could now see how much work (and money) would be involved in restoring the building facades.

Instead, the ^#$%^& DDA is ripping down all the canopies thanks to Mayor Fred Rappuhn and every DDA member who voted for it: Eric Reichle, Melanie Helms, Marcia Johnson, Sue Fisher, and Authority Chairperson Barbara Jean Peckins-Muszynski.

Mr. Mayor, I will never vote for you, or anyone who supports you, ever again. You should all be ashamed of yourselves for destroying the public's trust as well the canopies. As The Index's Editor points out, Anyone want to trust these people now?

Hooray for Sean O’Bryan, Dave Larson, and George Kiess who voted against the mayor and the rest of the DDA!

One of the big questions is cost. Those who wanted to remove the canopies kept saying they were structurally unsound (without providing supporting evidence). They are the ones who decided to remove the rest of the canopies "after hearing the cost to refurbish the remaining canopies in the southeast block would be more than $35,000." Notice what they don't tell us? How much would it cost to leave them alone? (Nothing!) How much will is cost to fix the facades of all the buildings on Main Street? Uknown. The old street lights were -- guess where? -- on the canopies, so now there are no street lights. How much will it cost to install new lights? Unknown. AND they want to build a new city hall/library/museum. At least the public gets to vote on that. After the blatant lies and public betrayal about the canopy "pilot project" I know exactly how I will vote -- and I'm sure I won't be alone.

The Winner: Dan Brown

Today on FoxNews: 'Da Vinci Code' Author Dan Brown Wins Copyright Infringement Case.

I figured the judge would rule this was not plagiarism, especially since Brown refers to Holy Blood and the Holy Grail in the text and names a character (Leigh Teabing) after the authors. Teabing refers to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail as "perhaps the best-known tome" on the subject.

I'm just sorry to hear that authors Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh now have now have about $6 million in legal bills. Instead of suing when there is no clear case of plagiarism, they could have made money by promoting The Da Vinci Code, which in turn promotes their book. Unfortunately, it looks any money they've made in sales due The Da Vinci Code will be needed to pay legal bills. I'm always flattered when someone cites one of my articles; too bad Baigent and Leigh didn't feel the same.

Harry Potter #7 Cover Released

Today on CNN: Cover for final 'Potter' revealed.

It's certainly brighter than the last few covers. I'm taking it as a sign there will be a bright, happy ending.

My predictions for book 7:

• Harry will kill Voldemort
• Harry will not die
  
• Despite his attempts to face Voldemort alone, Harry will be assisted by Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the rest of Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, etc.
  
• Neville will turn out to be a really powerful and competent wizard, much to everyone's surprise. Likewise for Luna.
• Everyone will be surprised when Snape turns out to be a good guy after all and helps Harry defeat Voldemort
• Snape will die and we'll all feel bad because he will have proven he really was loyal to Dumbledore all along. (He killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders, to convince Voldemort and the Deatheaters of his loyalty to Voldemort, you know!)
• Jo Rowling has said there will be two deaths. As I've predicted above, I say Voldemort and Snape, but I wouldn't be surprised if Harry lost another parental-figure, I just hope it's not one of the Weasleys!

Only 114 days until we find out how it all ends!

Update Mar. 31, 2007

Ideas I've Heard From Others:

• RAB = Sirius Black's brother, Regulus and the locket is in #12 Grimauld Place (Harry and the Weasleys found it when cleaning but didn't realize it was a horcrux).
• Is Harry a horcrux?
  

Having trouble keeping everything and everyone one in the HP series straight? Check out the Harry Potter Wiki. For discussion and news try The Leaky Cauldron, MuggleNet, and, of course Jo Rowling's web site. For movie news go to The Official Harry Potter Web Site.

Physical Therapy Day 1

I started physical therapy today and it was not what I expected! The therapist reviewed my history, examined my arm, and measured everything (muscles, grip, etc.). For treatment she put medicine on a patch, put it on the sore spot, and hooked it up to an ionizer. Basically, electric pulses ionize the medicine into the tissue. For now our goal is rest, healing, and pain reduction. When those improve we move on to a different kind of massage and, eventually, exercise. It hurt a little at first but then she adjusted the level of stimulation. It took about half an hour so I was glad I had my iPod with me! I had to leave the patch on for two additional hours after the treatment. For now I’ll be getting PT three days a week and the therapist said I should notice improvement after a couple of sessions.

It hurt again when I got home so I ended up resting and sleeping instead of grading (as I had hoped). I’m simultaneously relieved (that I’ve started therapy and it should help soon) and frustrated (because I’m still so far behind on my grading). Thank goodness my students are so patient!