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2nd In A Row?

The game is halfway through the third period and the Wings are down 4-1. Unless there is a MAJOR miracle, they have lost their second in a row. I can make all of the normal excuses--they have been on the road for a week; they had a lousy game that took the wind out of their sails last night; they are playing their third game in four days; they are playing a back-to-back game; etc--but there IS more going on. Or rather, NOT going on. There is SOMETHING not right with the Wings' play and they need to address it...and fast. While it is early in the season, and not a time to panic, they have to fix what is wrong before the problems become habits. If they don't get started in the right direction soon, there will be a whole lot of Wing haters gloating and saying "I told you so" at the end of the season.

Sunday they will be in Vancouver and then there will be a five day rest--enough time to regroup and refresh.

BUMMER...but I'm not really surprised

In overtime, the Wings lost 5-4 to the Ducks. Now, if it was any other team BUT the Ducks, the winning team might actually be embarrassed over the win--but you can't expect that from the dirtiest team in the league. Dirty hits, penalties not called, three of the goals scored as a result of 5-on-3 play, and an illegal winning goal...all of that adds up to a game that was STOLEN. Of course, I CAN'T say that the Wings played their little hearts out, but they didn't need the game GIVEN to the Ducks the way it was. I have hopes for tomorrow night, but no expectations--they very well may lose again. Oh, well, for almost 24 hours they will be tied with San Jose for first place in the league--I have to hold onto that. :)

(And say I am a whiner all you will, but I think only Anaheim fans wouldn't agree with my assessment of the team.)

Let's Get Ready To Ramble

Just when I was feeling a bit smug over the fact that we got a record 2.2" of snow for the day on Monday, the eastern US decided to get 1'+ dumped on it last night/today! WOW! And I thought I lived in the Great White North. ;)

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I have been feeling a bit off for the past few days and there is only one explanation: The Father's birthday party is on Saturday. I REALLY don't want to go, but that isn't an option anymore--too late for me to come up with an excuse. I guess I have to just suck it up and get through the weekend--then all I have to be depressed about is the 'season.'

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Yes, it is that time of year again. As I have said over and over again, I wish I could go to sleep sometime around Thanksgiving--depending on when my birthday falls, of course--and not wake up until after the new year. While things aren't as bad lately--A and her husband have been coming home for Christmas--I still hate the season.

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It actually looks as if the weather might cooperate for Halloween this year. The temp should be in the mid- to upper-40s and it shouldn't rain. Of course, the year we might actually get kids at our house, we will be out of town. Bummer.

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NHL.com has posted all of the stuff for the Winter Classic game and I WANT!! Unfortunately, NHL. com rips you off big-time--the prices are pretty outrageous. The blank 'authentic' jerseys are going for $350. But if you want it customized with a player's name and number--or if you are a REAL dipshit, your own name--you have to add $80! YOWZA! I can get a Datsyuk or Z jersey--NON-authentic--for $220 or a blank for $150. Decisions, decisions. I WILL be getting a winter knit hat for $20 and a T-shirt--anywhere from $20-$37, depending on which one I decide on--but, damn, it is a lot of money.

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When we were at the hockey game last week, there were several things that stood out for me--and none of them were hockey related!

--College kids these days are NO smarter than we were when we were that age. We happened to be surrounded by a bunch of college students and, while they weren't rowdy or anything, they WERE very fixated on where to go after the game to 'get wasted.' One girl told a guy, "Well, we will go to ______ and if you aren't there, we will go to ______ and then ______ to find you." Of course, '______' were local bars.

--A good percentage of the people--mostly women--were at the game to 'see' and 'be seen.' While the price of admission wasn't that much, I wonder about people who would 'waste' that much time going to an event and not be interested in it at all. This, of course, cut into MY enjoyment of the game--and we KNOW it is ALL about ME--because I had trouble following the game at times. I was ready to do a bit of bitch-slapping--K wouldn't allow that--because I was there to see some good hockey and I was disturbed. STAY AT HOME THE NEXT TIME--let the rest of us enjoy the damn game!

--Too many people should NOT have children. I couldn't believe the amount of kids that were running wild at the game. I am wondering if the parents just dropped these kids off and let them there by themselves. I was waiting for one of the kids to fall down the steps and crack open a head--and I saw NO parent looking for them. Really, if you have children, you should look after them--especially during a public event.

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Hunting season starts in a couple of weeks, so that means I have to start 'stocking up.' I HATE going to the grocery store during hunting season--all you find there are men wandering around trying to shop for hunting camp. These are the same men who wouldn't know what a grocery store is the other 50 weeks of the year, so it makes it hard for the rest of us who try to shop. But, I manage to get good stories from the experience, so...

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Also with hunting season, K will have the opportunity to put in some overtime. It always comes at a good time, with Christmas just around the corner. Not that we have an overly long Christmas shopping list, but it certainly helps.

More I Can Has Cheezburger

AWWWWW!!!!

My Life

You KNOW you have a major case of bedhead when you wake up and your husband looks at you and says, "So. How long did it take you to get your hair to do THAT?"

glitter-graphics.com

And For The Win...

Unbelievably, the Wings won tonight 4-3 in a shootout. They still aren't playing their best, but they came through in the end. VF was the hero--he got an unassisted goal with less than two minutes to play and that sent the game into overtime. Datsyuk and Z got their shootout goals past LaBarbera and it was all over. They now have won all of their road games--good thing, cause they still have three more on the road. Their record is now 7-1-1. Definitely not too shabby.


--Detroit Red Wings center Valtteri Filppula, left, of Finland, celebrates his game-tying goal as Los Angeles Kings defenseman Peter Harrold (5) picks himself up and Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg (40), of Sweden, looks on during the third period of their NHL hockey game, Monday, Oct. 27, 2008 in Los Angeles. The Red Wings won 4-3. (AP Photo)--

(I guess Baby Boy had to show off his figure skating moves in that pic--too funny!)

Celebrate

Celebrations for the week:

26 October
Mule Day

27 October
National Potato Day
Cranky Co-Workers Day

28 October
National Chocolates Day

29 October
Oatmeal Day
Internet Day

30 October
Buy-A-Doughnut Day
National Candy Corn Day
Create A Great Funeral Day
Haunted Refrigerator Night

31 October
National Caramel Apple Day
National Knock-Knock Jokes Day
National Magic Day

1 November
Zero Tasking Day

Wings 6, Blackhawks 5--A Shootout Win

Saturday's game was quite strange--you don't usually see the Wings' games have so many goals scored. The entire night was a bit weird--all teams played and there were many scores that were a bit unusual.

Once again, the Wings didn't play a good 60 minute game, but that wasn't the entire problem. The reffing was atrocious--too many calls on the Wings and too many penalties overlooked against the 'Hawks. I hope this doesn't mean this year will be as bad as last was. But, they 'found a way to win'--that is just WAAAAY too overused already and the season has just begun--and came back from a 3-1 deficit at the start of the third. Hossa continues with his scoring--he even got the winning goal in the shootout. Datsyuk finally got his first for the year.

A few things from the game:

--Lilja played. Now, that isn't anything that should be shocking--after all, he IS a regular. The shocking part is that he had an appendectomy on TUESDAY! I KNOW that hockey players are tough, but this is pure craziness.

--Franzen collided with a Blackhawk knee-on-knee and had to leave the game. No word yet on whether it is a long-term injury. Hope it is minor and he can get back in the line-up soon.

--The jerseys that will be worn for the Winter Classic were revealed tonight--and I WANT ONE! The jerseys are a retro-design--the inspiration is the one worn circa 1926-27. I'll have to see how much they will cost before I make the decision. Here is a picture--being modeled by Chris Chelios:


The Wings continue to be on the road through 2 November--they start the west coast swing on Monday in LA. This is their longest road trip of the year--good to get it out of the way early. Then they will have five days to rest up before their next game on 8 November. I think they will be happy if they can win two of the next four games, but will always hope to win all of them!

Wings 5-Thrashers 3

Finally the Wings actually played the way they CAN and SHOULD--although they only did it for 40 minutes. Yeah, they had a good lead going there and ran into penalty problems in the final period and lost that 4-1 lead. But, 'they found a way to win.' Oh, well. Z and Hossa were playing great--they both got two goals each! BOTH goals Hossa scored were fantastic, but the first one shows the reason he is being paid $7+ million for the year. Here is the video of the goal:

UNBELIEVABLE!! GO HOSSA!!

--We didn't get to the game last night, but the Rangers won 6-4--would have been nice to see. Next home game, hopefully K will be off so that we CAN go. :)

Time to sign off--the Wings and Blackhawks are playing tonight and the puck will be dropped in just a few minutes. GO WINGS!

The Red Wings and The Home Team

Last night the Wings 'found a way to win'--as Mickey Redmond said--against St Louis. While they were playing better than they were earlier, I expect much more from them. Come on now, they have THE best team--on paper--that is assembled this year. And they can't do better than finding a way to win? They should definitely be winning by more than one goal--and they should NOT give up a three goal lead and have to worry about ending regulation play in a tie! The power play is coming together and the Hossa-Datsyuk-Holmstrom line is starting to find the chemistry that was hoped for, finally. Zetterberg came back after being out two games and got a goal, so he is doing good. The rest will get better, I'm sure. At least they won. Now they have to do it again on Friday against Atlanta and Saturday in Chicago!


--St. Louis Blues' Paul Kariya, left, skates up the ice as Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, defends during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, in St. Louis. (AP Photo)--

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We went and watched our local team--the Rangers--play tonight and had a great time! Within the first five minutes, the opposing team had scored twice and the Rangers' changed goalies. When that happened, I didn't hold out much hope for the rest of the game--but I was very pleasantly surprised as the Rangers won 6-3.

So, what were the highlights? Well, here goes:

--one of the Rangers got a hat trick AND even got an assist for four points on the evening
--the second goalie was SUPERB in the net and made some spectacular saves
--we got to see a fight, but only one
--the Rangers forced the opposing team to change goalies
--the Rangers killed off several five-on-three power plays and kept the other team from scoring

Despite a slow start, the game was much fun and I am impressed with the team. We can't wait to go again--could be as soon as Friday night! Yes, you read it right, I might go to watch a game instead of stay at home and watch the Wings--but I WILL record the Wings game to watch later. :)

After the game, the players' jerseys were auctioned off. Sadly, we didn't get any. K wanted one player's and I wanted either the one who scored the hat trick or the second goalie's, but they went for too much money. We set a limit and even bumped THAT up a bit, but to no avail. Criminy, for what these jerseys were going for, I can order--and have AUTOGRAPHED--an authentic, personalized jersey of my Baby Boy! But if we would have gotten one tonight, it would have been worth it--the money went to the Cancer Center at our local hospital.

The best part of the auction was when some of the players tried to entice the crowd to bid higher and higher. The first player to try took off his jersey in a bit of a strip tease--and he got at least 100 more dollars bid. The player that went all out for the money, went ALL OUT--a la Slap Shot. (If you haven't seen Slap Shot, do so--then you can get my reference.) Anyway, he decided to do his teammate one better and took off his jersey, shoulder pads, elbow pads, UNDERSHIRT, and untied his pants--but he was stopped before he could drop them. Good grief, but he was cute as a bug's ear. AND he got an extra $200+ for his effort. Great fun was had by all. The jersey to get the most money--I believe it was $650--was purchased by the player's grandmother, who was bidding against the player's mother. Wow.

It had been a while since I actually saw a game in person, so I was apprehensive about whether I could follow the action or not. No problem, though. I was able to see everything as well as I can on TV and even saw some things I don't notice on the screen. I didn't see all of the penalties, but that isn't surprising as so many of them happen away from the main play. The other thing I forgot was how very cold it is in an ice arena. Yikes! I really could have used a long-sleeved jacket and boots--something I will remember the next time. K was like a K-sicle by the time we left the arena--he really should have had gloves as his hands were practically turning blue. Oh well, live and learn. It actually seemed warmer OUTSIDE than it was in the arena! Being cold DID give us incentive to go to the local pub for drinks--I had hot, buttered rum, so I was toasty warm in no time. :)


And here is a picture of the Rangers in their pink jerseys--aren't they just as cute as can be?

Giving Till It Hurts

It is breast cancer awareness month. (I had to mention that for anyone who has been living under a rock.) Many organizations are doing special events this month in order to raise awareness.

The NHL has designated October as Hockey Fights Cancer month--this is for ALL cancer, not just breast cancer. All teams will have special nights in which they will raise money for cancer-related reasons. One reason the NHL supports cancer awareness so fully is the fact that there are many players who have battled cancer and come back to their careers--Phil Kessel was only 19 years old when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and Saku Koivu had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Both are still playing in the NHL. Everyone is affected by this disease and we all need to do our share to eradicate it.

The Red Wings will hold their Hockey Fights Cancer night on Friday. There are not many days in my life that I wish I lived closer to Detroit, but for Friday night's game, I would like to be there. At Joe Louis Arena, the focus will be on breast cancer and the amount of 'special' things that will be sold make me WANT! Come on, I could buy a player-signed puck for only $20 and then there is the drawing for one lucky fan to actually get to meet a player. To top it all off, there is an auction after the game and one of the items is a game-worn, autographed jersey that VF wore on 2 January--my Baby Boy's jersey and I don't have the opportunity to bid on it! Oh the injustice. ;)

Now, I KNOW it isn't the same as seeing the Wings, but we WILL be attending our local NAHL team's game on Thursday night. The night is designated as "Paint The Rink Pink" for breast cancer awareness. As part of the special activities, the players will be wearing pink jerseys, which will be auctioned off after the game. Will I bag myself a pink jersy? Who knows, but it will be a fun evening, nonetheless. And it is a chance to see a possible NHL player before he even gets into the pros! What could be better--AND we will be supporting a cause that is a good one, too.

glitter-graphics.com

Thank Goodness

The Wings won their first game at home tonight in overtime, 5-4. They had two-goal leads twice during the game and then went down a goal in the third before Hudler tied it late in the period. (I STILL think Baby Boy redirected that puck, but...) The game started out beautifully and the Wings seemed to lose it a bit as play continued. Then, 23 seconds into overtime, Hossa managed to score. A great goal for him: he won the game, he scored his first as a Red Wing, and it was his 300th career goal. Now maybe he can settle down enough to show exactly why he is being paid $7+ million this year! That being said, he HAS been doing good things on the ice, just hasn't been scoring.

Z and Stuart were both out with injuries--hopefully Z can play on Wednesday, cause he IS missed. Filppula got two assists tonight, so he is putting up some points--wish he could get more goals, though. He had some good chances again tonight, but the puck just can't find the back of the net. Oh, well,too many Wings have the same problem.

Now the team has three days to get it together before they go St Louis to play on Wednesday. They have won every game on the road so far, so hopefully they can continue the streak.


--Detroit Red Wings' Marian Hossa, back right, of Slovakia, makes the game-winning overtime goal past New York Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist of Sweden and Michael Rozsival of Czech Republic in their NHL hockey game on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 in Detroit. The Red Wings won 5-4. (AP Photo/Jerry S. Mendoza)--

Celebrate

Celebrations for the week:

19 October
Electricity Day
Evaluate Your Life Day

20 October
National Fruit Day
Miss American Rose Day

21 October
Reptile Awareness Day

22 October
Used Car Day

23 October
Canning Day
Mole Day
TV Talk Show Host Day

24 October
National Bologna Day (just for you, burg! ;))
Make a Difference Day

25 October
National Greasy Foods Day
Sourest Day
Mother-in-Law Day

Even Here In God's Country

It certainly was a shock to see the headline on the front page of our newspaper this morning: "Teacher arrested on CSC charges." A 49-year-old teacher in our town was arrested on two felony counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct, with students. The man teaches computers in the middle school and his students are 11-13-years-old. DISGUSTING! While I KNOW things like this happen far too often, I was hoping we were different here.

Reading the article further, I suddenly realized I KNOW who this teacher is. He has been teaching locally for 20 years and taught band on both the middle school and high school level. He was my oldest's band teacher when she was in 9th grade. And the article implies that he is suspected of his 'extra curricular activities' for the entire time he has been teaching--which would INCLUDE the time he taught C. I NEVER liked the man from the first moment I saw him--I thought he was an arrogant SOB--and I could never figure out WHY I had the hate for him, because being an SOB isn't enough. But, I guess my radar was working very well again. I can't imagine the amount of stories that will be coming out in the next few weeks.

I always try to reconcile whatever is happening with the thought that 'everything happens for a reason.' I realize that I may NEVER know the reason for many things that have happened in my life, but this story helped me see the troubles we had with C in a different light. C hasn't lived here since she was in the 9th grade. I could never understand what we could have done to have our lives go in the direction they did and why we were 'punished' as we were. After talking to C about this teacher, I see a possible reason why she was 'taken' away: this teacher seemed to be 'grooming' C to be one of his 'special' students. As it was, she was his favorite the year he taught her--and I always thought it was because of her musical gifts. He was planning to put her into the jazz band the following year--the first time there ever was a flautist in the jazz band--and he had already named her drum major. (The drums majors were his favorite, special pets.) She managed to escape the possible horror that could have been had she stayed here throughout her high school years. I shudder to think.

And C said he NEVER tried anything with her, for which I thank the Lord above in a very loud voice.

One Of The Last Straws

I'll continue on with another medical post--this one is about one of the final acts that made me say 'screw you' to The Family.

About eight years or so ago--the youngest was still in high school--I needed to get away from home for a few days. A and I were going through some bad times and I couldn't take it anymore. Actually, K and I weren't getting along either because of the problems with A, but that is another story. Anyway, I needed to get away and went to spend some time with The Mother and Father. (We were getting along fine at the time.)

When I got to The Parent's, The Mother wasn't feeling well. She said it was a stomach bug or something bad she had eaten. I didn't think much about it, as she always seems to have SOMETHING wrong with her all of the time. I figured whatever was wrong would pass quickly. Over the course of the next day or two, I realized that she really WAS sick and wasn't getting any better. Finally, we convinced her to go to be checked out--I believe she went straight to the emergency room. Believe me when I say she was not doing well. Not only was she spending an awful lot of time in the bathroom, but she was weak and really looked sick. She was admitted into the hospital immediately--mainly because she was very dehydrated.

The next few days were really bad. The doctor could not figure out what was wrong despite doing many tests. The Mother wasn't getting any better and actually was going downhill fast. At one point, we were in the room and watched her blood pressure drop so far down that there was almost NO pressure--and no one on the hospital staff seemed to think there was anything to be concerned about. The doctor and I had an instant dislike for each other--I don't think she liked me because I questioned her too much and I didn't like her because she couldn't admit she had no clue what was going. Nothing was going well and then the doctor decided to do a colonoscopy to see what was what.

After the colonoscopy, the doctor diagnosed The Mother with diverticulitis. She also took samples and sent them out of town for analysis because the lab there couldn't perform the tests needed. So, with a diagnosis in hand, The Mother began treatments for diverticulitis. A couple of days later, the test results came back saying The Mother was suffering from a superbug, c. difficile. This superbug is a definite killer and the only way to take care of it was with a very expensive, potent, uncommon antibiotic. The local pharmacy didn't even carry the medication and had to special order it--that is how uncommon it was. After a few days, The Mother was sent home to recuperate. All this while, I was at the house taking care of things and then continued after she got home.

Now, I'm going to back up a little here. I was not at the hospital when the doctor gave the diagnosis of c. difficile. I have no way of knowing whether the diagnosis of diverticulitis was ever taken away. Needless to say--and this probably is very wrong of me--The Mother has held on to the diverticulitis diagnosis like a dog holds on to its favorite bone. She finally has something wrong with her that can 'flare' whenever it is to her advantage and no one can ever say she is faking. And it isn't as if this is something that can actually kill her, it just is something that she needs to 'manage' and have people feel sorry for her about. I KNOW this is awful of me to say, but it seems to be the truth--The Mother is a drama queen and needs something in her arsenal for whenever some drama is needed in her life. These are just the facts.

So, a week or two after I got home from nursing The Mother back to health, I had an appointment with my PCP. While I was there, I mentioned to him that The Mother had been sick and what the problem had been. My doctor's face went white and he said--in NO uncertain terms--how extremely lucky she was to still be alive. (This was just when c. difficile was beginning to be diagnosed as a superbug.) He had a patient who recently went through the same thing and barely escaped with HIS life. My doctor also mentioned the cause of the superbug: OVER PRESCRIBING AND TAKING OF ANTIBIOTICS. This was about the time he let me know that I would have to be close to death and have more than one test confirm a strep throat infection before he would prescribe antibiotics for me again. He was so adamant about the overuse of certain drugs, that I knew it was a big problem. When I got home that day, I let The Mother know what he said. I figured she needed to hear this because she ran to the doctor's/emergency room frequently for antibiotics because she was 'coming down with _______' (You can fill in the blank.) This is why what happened next is so unbelievable for me.

Several weeks later--it would have been about a month after she ended her course of the very expensive, potent, uncommon antibiotic--The Mother called and said she was sick. She said that she had bronchitis and was on an antibiotic to take care of things. EXCUSE ME!!!!! WHAT the shit was she talking about? She just almost died and now she is taking MORE of what contributed to her almost death?!?!?!? So, I asked for the story. She had gone to see her PCP because she 'knew' she was getting bronchitis. Her doctor disagreed and sent her home to take care of herself--I'm sure it was 'rest, drink plenty of fluids, ...' and to call back the next week if she wasn't feeling better. This, I believe was on a Friday. She didn't like what the doctor told her, because she knew better than he did. On Saturday, she decided to go where she KNEW she could get her drugs and that was to the emergency room. Sure enough, she left with a prescription and was, once again, on antibiotics. If the ER doctor had KNOWN she had just been hospitalized, I don't believe he would have prescribed for her, but I'm sure she neglected to give him that little piece of information--OR she told him she had been hospitalized for diverticulitis, not for the real reason. To say I was upset, is putting it mildly.

When I got off of the phone with The Mother, I immediately called her cousin--the only person sensible enough to discuss this matter with rationally. We both were beyond concerned with what was gojng on and discussed what could be done. At one point, the dark humor came out and we started talking about doing an 'intervention' to get The Mother off of antibiotics for good. Needless to say, we decided The Mother needed to be talked to and reasoned with. But, the opportunity never presented itself.

As I said, the youngest and I were having some problems at the time, so she took my conversation with The Cousin as her opportunity to do some big time damage to me. (She overheard PART of the conversation.) She called The Mother and told her that The Cousin and I were planning an intervention. That didn't go over very well. The Mother called The Cousin and told her to stay the hell out of her life and not be concerned about her ever again--that it was NONE of The Cousin's business HOW she lived her life. Of course, the next phone call I got was from The Cousin, hysterical over the way The Mother had screamed at her. Then, The Mother called all hot and bothered over The Cousin and 'how dare she' and how The Cousin had the nerve to yell at her when she was told to mind her own business and on and on and on... Funny thing is, The Mother didn't seem to be too very mad at me--which I still don't understand. She DID say that I shouldn't worry about the antibiotics, etc, but wasn't too mad at me. But that didn't take away from the fact that she was putting her life in jeopardy and she wouldn't even try to see it. I decided at that point that I couldn't be a part of her medical drama anymore and I took myself WAY out of the mix. While I didn't completely turn my back on The Family at that point, it was the first BIG step toward doing so. I could put myself through the emotional wringer any longer--it wasn't good for my own health, so I stepped away.

Even though I am estranged from my family, the decision to walk away has been one of the best ones of my life. I no longer have to worry every time the phone rings as to what crisis is brewing, who everyone is supposed to be mad at, and how upset everyone is. I live an extremely uneventful life--for the most part--and really enjoy my quiet existense.

Teehee

Decisions

As I have mentioned before, I have psoriasis. Psoriasis is a non-contagious, incurable, autoimmune disease that affects the skin. Simply put, a normal skin cell will mature and fall off of the body's surface every 28-30 days. With psoriasis, a skin cell will mature every 3-4 days and move to the skin surface. In the most common form of psoriasis--what I have--patches of skin, called lesions, become inflamed and are covered by silvery white scale. The scale is the dead skin and is what makes the flakes--the most recognizable symptom of psoriasis. Psoriasis can be mild to severe and can affect most every area of the body.

Some people have patches of psoriasis that will cover large areas of their body--such as the entire lower leg or back. There is always the possibility of cracking of the skin and infection setting in, but it isn't very common. In some cases, the lesions look like a very large area covered by a rash with dead, scaly skin covering it. Not a real pretty sight. While I have most areas of my body showing signs of psoriasis, mine isn't nearly as bad as it could be. My scalp, fingernails, stomach, knees, elbows, back, chest, and butt cheeks do--now or at one time--have psoriasis lesions. Even though I have quite a few compromised body areas, I am undergoing a bit of a remission at this time. Now, that DOESN'T mean I am uncovering parts of my body any time soon, it just means that things are going better than they have been for a while. A lot of my body lesions look like flat, white patches--and aren't very dry looking at all. The areas on my knee and elbows are dark pink to red and shiny, but, again, aren't scaly. As a matter of fact, it looks as if I have burns more than anything else--something on the order of what it looks like right after burning yourself on an iron--only larger.

A lot of people with psoriasis find it itchy--and some will scratch to the point of breaking the skin and causing bleeding. Thankfully, I don't have itching. My worst time with itching was the REST of my skin--and I pretty much eliminated that problem a few years ago when I quit using detergents, etc, with any fragrance. I either have a sensitivity or allergy to some fragrances--and I don't know how much, if anything, it has to do with my psoriasis.

Because of the scale, a lot of time people spend taking care of themselves has to do with removing it. Removal of the dry skin is important so that any topical medications can reach and be absorbed by the 'new' skin underneath. I am lucky in that I usually can remove any dry skin in the shower--I just have to stay under the water long enough. Once the dry skin softens, I can remove it with a loofah or other means of exfoliation. Because of my skin problems, I MUST shower every day--and because I shower every day, I am able to keep up with removing the dead skin. If, for whatever reason, I am not able to shower one day, it can take me up to two weeks to get my skin back to the way it was before the non-shower day. Psoriasis takes up a good part of my life.

At the very least, I must apply topical medications to every lesion on my body once a day. I try to get some of the areas--mainly my elbows--twice, at least. Some of my meds are creams and they go on quite easily. Other meds I have are ointments--NOT nearly as easy to apply. The ointments are the exact texture of Vaseline. Stop and think about it for a second: you have to apply--AND rub in until absorbed--Vaseline to LARGE areas of your body. (For me, this involves most of the stomach and the upper half of my back--as well as other areas.) The more you rub it in, the less mess you make on your sheets or clothing. BUT, the longer you rub it in, the more time you are spending NOT sleeping or doing something else you would rather be doing. I spend anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour each time I apply my meds. This is on top of the 20-30 minutes I spend in the shower. Psoriasis robs you of a lot of your time.

I have, and use, A LOT of medications for my disease. Mostly, I use topical meds and most of them are extremely potent steroids. And the newest meds are very expensive. For example, one of my meds costs more than $200 for a 60gm tube--about the size of a medium tube of toothpaste--and this might last me for a month. (I have insurance--the ONLY reason I am able to use what I do.) Right now, I have 8 different meds for my body and scalp that I use on a rotating basis. Why rotating? Well, meds have a funny way of becoming ineffective over time with psoriasis, so I try not to use any one thing for too long of a time before changing to something else. Also, I find that I have to use different meds on different parts of my body--not everything works the same everywhere. I can't use most of my meds on my face or in the folds of my body--like under the boob or armpit--because they are too harsh and the side effects can be bad. Side effects of the steroids include thinning of the skin--which can cause the skin to split open--stretch marks, rash, inflammation of the skin, and discoloration. Of course, I do often wonder how the absorption of all those steroids are affecting me physically. Hmm, I could probably blame quite a few of my problems on that. Right now, other than prescription meds, the other thing I do to help my skin is I go to the tanning salon twice a week--with my dermatologist's reluctant approval. (Tanning DOES help me, but it, too, loses its effect over time.) I also get cortisone injections periodically. Unfortunately, my dermatologist won't do them as often as I would like because of side effects. Besides, they, too, have limited benefits--some areas will get better, some won't. That's way that goes.

Speaking of meds, I have used most everything out there. Over the years, I have used many prescription meds, most of the over-the-counter ones that are made, and a number of mail/internet order things--even some that can't legally be sold in the US. I have tried the 'diet'--or a reasonable facsimile--and various other things that 'have worked' for other patients. (I find out about 'remedies' online or at the National Psoriasis Foundation website.) Unusual things I have used: cider vinegar, Dead Sea water, coal tar in various forms, every skin moisturizer known to modern--and maybe even ancient--man, sulfur soap, goat's milk soap, oatmeal soap, and various soaking products, including Dead Sea bathsalts. I can't remember everything I have bought, but it is like someone suffering from cancer: if it can't hurt--and sometimes even if it CAN--you will try anything to cure what you have.

Even with all I go through with my psoriasis, I am one of the lucky ones. Very rarely will I have any amount of pain associated with any of my lesions and I don't have bleeding episodes often. (My cousin has psoriasis on the palms of her hands and they crack and bleed.) I don't have many itching episodes and I am pretty much able to keep the scaling to a minimum. Other than my thinking I am on the verge of developing psoriatic arthritis, my biggest problem with my disease is of an aesthetic nature: I don't want anyone else to see what my skin looks like. This has made me into more of a recluse than I want to be, as I can't go to places if I don't have the proper wardrobe. This also makes me hate the summer--it is hard to go out in 90 degree weather when you have to wear long pants and long sleeves. My wardrobe consists of 3/4 to long sleeved shirts and jeans--and not much else. It has been over a year since I actually wore a short-sleeved top outside of the house. The closest I will come is elbow-length and that is because most of my elbow will be covered. There are days when I just want to sit down and cry over my situation--it can be VERY depressing.

This brings me to the decision I have to make. There are some fairly new drugs that are being used for psoriasis and they are called biologics. Biologics work on T-cells and have a remarkable success rate. Now, they don't CURE psoriasis, but most patients have great success using them. One bad part of these drugs are the fact they work on the immune system. There are side effects and one of them is the possibility of infections or not being able to ward off infections easily. Another bad thing is that you have to use these long term--possibly forever--for the results to continue. These drugs have to be administerd by needle--either self-injection or by IV at an infusion center. And the biggest negative is the cost: $4000 for three months. (My insurance would probably pick up most of the cost.) I have to weigh whether or not the negatives are mild enough for me to do something for my self-esteem, or is it just not worth it? I have to talk to my primary care physician before taking this step, as he can help guide me--he would know if any of my other medical problems might be a reason for me not to use a biologic. I LOVE the thoughts of possibly being able to wear anything I want again, but then I have to ask myself, "At what cost?" A big decison that I will make before the end of the year. I only hope I make the right one.

I DON'T Want To Talk About It!

The Wings lost 27 seconds into overtime, 4-3. Once again, they just didn't play the way they usually do--not a lot of get up and go. And it really didn't have much, if anything, to do with the fact that Z is out with a sore groin. (There I go again, talking about groins of men I don't personally know. ;)) They better get their shit together, and fast. Ozzie is still doing very well, but Hossa just can't get started. I know he will come around, but at this point in time it doesn't look as if the Wings will have to worry about how they can possibly keep him and all of the other UFAs next year. :/

Saturday they play the Rangers--hope they can do better.

At Least I Understood It ;)

You know when someone tells you that you DON'T need to express every single thought you have? Well, that is exactly what I should have remembered before I wrote my last post. I was very amused by my thought and it should have stayed there. And I am sure I might possibly be the only person in the world to find it humorous--and there are not a whole lot of people that would actually understand the remark, either. It just was a funny play on words and doesn't really mean anything.

If you have to explain a joke, then it can't possibly be funny. Here is the explanation: According to The Complete Hockey Dictionary, a 'deke' is defined as a "feint or fake; deceptive move designed to draw an opponent out of position or to skate by an opponent while maintaining control of the puck." Pavel Datsyuk is one of the best at the deke, hence the 'Datsyukian deke.' We all understand 'Freudian slip.' As I said, a funny play on words, nothing more.

And now I will stop with a promise to post something a bit more mainstream next time! :) (However, I will not promise it will be funnier. ;))

Question

Is a Datsyukian deke anything like a Freudian slip?

Another Win

The Wings seem to be getting a bit more comfortable with each other and won again, 3-1. However, there still is work to be done. Babcock shuffled the lines and the power play definitely needs to be worked on. Hossa has two assists, so that is good--I still can't wait to see him score those goals. He is at +2, so he IS pulling his own weight. Conklin was very, very good tonight. If not for him, the score would have been very different--he made some great saves. I hope this means there are no worries in the net for the season. As for the Hurricanes' goalie: once again I have to wonder what the hell gets into the goalies who play against the Red Wings?!?! Playing against the Wings definitely inspires goalies to bring their 'A' game--and Ward stole a few goals from Wing players tonight. Of course, we got to hear the 'thunk' of the puck hitting the goalpost, too. I guess when a team takes as many shots as Detroit does, it is to be expected. It still seems odd that they can't score more, though.

I should be much more gracious when the Wings win--just accept the win with a smile. And I will try to be better about that. Hopefully I will have the chance again on Thursday when they host the Canucks.


--Detroit Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom (96), of Sweden, puts the puck past Carolina Hurricanes' Cam Ward (30) while being defended by Hurricanes' Joni Pitkanen (25), of Finland, during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. The Red Wings won 3-1. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)--

Gotta Love It

On Friday, a baby giraffe was born at the Memphis Zoo. Cute Overload posted a pic. Here it is:


Absolutely adorable!

It Was A Win, But...

The score was 3-2 over Ottawa tonight--thank goodness. I don't think I could have managed back-to-back losses. The Wings played MUCH better than they did on Thursday, but they still aren't at the level they need to be--and that they CAN be. All in all, it was a pretty good game. I just hate these games where they push at the end to come out with a win--I like games where I KNOW from the beginning it will go in the 'W' column.

Some good things came out of the game. Franzen got his first goal(s) of the season out of the way. He got the second goal and the game winner--and the winner didn't come till the last two minutes of play. His first goal was really nice, but the second one was a 'gimme' by Gerber--it was deflected off of a Senator and trickled in past the goalie. Oops! Baby Boy got HIS first of the year, too--thank goodness!! Last year it was somewhere around game 10 before he scored--glad he has THAT monkey off of his back, for sure. Anyway, it was quite a nice goal and completely got past Gerber. Hossa, Holmstrom, and Datsyuk seem to be getting a bit more comfortable with each other, however it will still take time for that line. At one point, Holmstrom looked up to see where Hossa was before he passed and I couldn't help but think that wouldn't have happened if Z was on the line--they just KNOW where each other will be. But, it will come with time. It just was nice to get that first win.

Next game, Monday against the Hurricanes. Then they will meet the President at the White House on Tuesday--how cool is that?


--Detroit Red Wings' Chris Osgood deflects a shot during first period NHL hockey action against the Ottawa Senators at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada on Saturday Oct. 11, 2008. The Wings won 3-2. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)--

Celebrate

Celebrations for this week:

12 October
International Moment of Frustration Scream Day
Free Thought Day
National Kick Butt Day

13 October
National Face Your Fears Day

14 October
Be Bald and Be Free Day
International Top Spinning Day

15 October
National Grouch Day

16 October
Dictionary Day

17 October
Bridge Day
Mulligan Day
World Toy Camera Day

18 October
World Menopause Day
Long Distance Day

When You Have 'One of Those Days'

When you have an
'I Hate My Job' day,
try this:

On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson.

Be very sure you get this brand. When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains, and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed by anyone.


Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair. Open the package and remove the thermometer. Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins.

Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully. You will notice that in small print there is a statement:

'Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is
personally tested and then sanitized.'

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, 'I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson & Johnson.'

HAVE A NICE DAY! REMEMBER: THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE, WHO HAS A JOB THAT IS MORE OF A PAIN IN THE BEHIND THAN YOURS!

Toronto 3-Detroit 2

Ouch, ouch, OUCH!!! That was one bad game they played tonight. WAY too sloppy, too many turn overs--the guys didn't look comfortable playing their lines, but with the pre-season injuries, it wasn't unexpected. It will be very interesting to see if Hossa and Datsyuk can get work well with each other or if the EuroTwins will have to be put back together. One down, 81 more to play before the next playoff season.

Other than the new guy being on the ice, there were a few more things that were different. Lidstrom is wearing a visor and will continue to do so throughout the season--thank goodness. (I can't imagine what he looked like shortly after the injury, as the white of his eye was STILL blood red tonight.) VF was showing off a new, short haircut--he is just so damn cute. JLA now has 50 banners in the rafters with the addition of tonight's. And then, several things were just the same. Babcock was up to his shuffling of the lines later in the game--and that is good. Z is still maintaining his mountain man look--and if it keeps him playing like a scoring fool, good for him. Holmstrom--who got both goals tonight--is still camping out in front of the opposite net and doing very well in that position. Lilya and Samuelsson were being inconsistent, as usual. Some business as usual. Oh dear.

Saturday they play against Ottawa--I hope they are rested enough for the game, because Babcock will be working their asses off after tonight's fiasco.


--Detroit Red Wings team members pose with their 2007-2008 Stanley Cup championship banner before their season opening NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Detroit, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)--

I Suppose I Should Grow Up

Today, I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve--and all because of the start of hockey season. Good grief. It's only a GAME for crying out loud! But what a game. :)

Almost every analyst/expert says that the Wings have the best chance to repeat as champions since the last team to do so in 1998--which also happened to be the Wings. The amount of talent on this team is scary. The first two lines are so good that they are being called line 1a and 1b. The third line--which VF will be centering--is good enough to be the second line on almost every other team and quite possibly the number one line on more than a few. Three players just had to be sent down to Grand Rapids--because of salary cap and roster numbers--and Babcock has said he never has had such talented players be assigned to the minors before. The possibilities of different line combinations with this much talent has grown men wetting themselves. And I can't wait till the puck is dropped tomorrow night. It will be the first time to see the entire team out there and see how the chemistry is with the new guy.

Of course, all of the predictions and speculation are based on what looks good on paper. While every player is as talented as everyone thinks--or more so--there still are all of the unpredictable things that can happen to derail a good team. Unfortunate puck bounces, injuries, bad reffing, a player having a 'bad year,' or any number of other things can go wrong and the Wings will be down and out as fast as other Cup winners have been the following year. *cough* Anaheim *cough* But I can still hope.

So, tomorrow night at 7:00 PM I will be sitting in front of the TV, wearing one of my jerseys, waiting for the puck to drop so that I can cheer on the Detroit Red Wings to another great year. Hopefully I will have a lot to be happy about next June. :)

GO WINGS!!!!

MySpace Graphics & MySpace Layouts

An Embarrassment In Later Years

My 9-year-old granddaughter told her mother the other day that her 'nibbles' hurt. Of course, she was talking about her 'nipples.' :D I guess it is time for a training bra.

glitter-graphics.com

Celebrate

Celebrations for the week:

5 October
National Apple Betty Day
Long Walk Day

6 October
Mad Hatter Day
World Habitat Day
K and My 35th Wedding Anniversary

7 October
Bathtub Day

8 October
National Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day

9 October
World Post Day
Red Wing Season Opener and Stanley Cup Banner Raising

10 October
National Angel Food Cake Day
Tuxedo Day
National Cake Decorating Day

11 October
National Sausage Pizza Day
Universal Music Day

The Highlights Of Our Trip

Well, for US these are the highlights. We don't go out of town and suddenly get 'wild and crazy.' For us, an exciting evening is dinner and then back to our hotel room so K can go to sleep/watch TV and I can do a little Web surfing. Big excitement. ;)

We got to St Paul early on Saturday afternoon and settled into our room. I guess it was quite a standard room--we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. I must say that I don't know when I have been treated as nicely by the hotel staff--their people were just great. We went to visit with A and her husband and then went to dinner. That was the end of our first night.

**********

On Sunday we went to the zoo. I already posted about this, however I still have to chuckle over the section of the zoo called the 'Minnesota trail.' I can look out of my window here at home and see most of the wildlife there was on the Minnesota trail. That was quite a kick.

**********

Monday found us at the Mall of America. While the MOA is very impressive, I don't feel the need to visit there every time we go to the Twin Cities. We were there once before and the only reason we went back was so that I could go to LUSH. I told K that if he wanted to leave after LUSH, it was fine with me. However, we stayed to walk through the entire place.

One thing I was surprised at was the lack of ANYTHING that had to do with the Red Wings. I understand we were in the heart of Wild country, but still. I managed to find the 2009 Red Wing calendar (which, by the way, STILL doesn't have Baby Boy as one the players of the month!) and most stores had one or two styles of baseball cap with the logo, but that was it! I KNOW there is a great hate for the Wings, but really--they are, after all, the champs this year. For crying out loud, I even saw a Calgary Flames Stanley Cup hat--and THEY won the Cup in 1989! Oh well. We asked in one store if they had any Wing jerseys and the clerk looked at us as if we were crazy before answering "NO" in the same tone of voice one would say "DUH!" It is sad that we can't find anything with our favorite team logo on it unless we order online--and we even live in the same state as the team is.

**********

We drove around on Tuesday and found some interesting shopping centers/malls. I really don't know what to call them, but they were laid out like mini-downtowns--quite neat. Every store you would find in a regular mall was there, but the centers were made for walking and weren't enclosed. We went into our first Trader Joe's, which was cool. The store wasn't much bigger than a convenience/party store, but I was impressed with what they actually DID have. If we had one around here, I could see going there to shop once in awhile, but I think Trader Joe's is geared more for the 'granola crowd' than for someone like me. :)

I also got to go into a Borders for the first time. I guess it isn't ALL that much different than Barnes & Noble, but for me ANY new bookstore is a great place to go. I did manage to find all of the season preview hockey magazines that I was looking for PLUS I found some that I never heard of before. I mean, really, a magazine devoted completely to GOALIES!?!? How crazy is that?

**********

The concert on Tuesday night was nothing short of absolutely fantastic. I was very happy with the mix of songs they did--even though the guy sitting behind A WASN'T. (He complained the entire time over the NEW material.) Of course, a lot of the music was from their newest CD, but it was much less than half of the playlist. Not only did they do some of Don Henley's and Joe Walsh's hits, but they did most--if not all--of their own. How can you be unhappy when you get to see the Eagles do Hotel California, Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, Peaceful Easy Feeling, and Desperado, amongst others. We WERE in the nosebleed section, but it didn't matter--we got to watch the Eagles for over three hours! I was one happy camper! All in all, a great night. I LOVE going to concerts--can't wait for the next one. I'm hoping that Led Zepplin and/or Cream decide to tour again. Now THOSE would be concerts to see--once in a lifetime deals, for sure.

**********

On Wednesday morning. K woke up at 5:30 AM after sleeping only a few hours. I don't know if he still was wired after the concert, but he definitely couldn't get back to sleep, so we got on the road early. Again, we had good travelling, so we were home early in the day. K was very pleased with the route we took and said we should be doing the trip a bit more often than we have. Hey, I'm ALWAYS up for a road trip--especially one where I get to spend time with my Baby Girl! :)

Where The Deer And The Antelope Play

Okay, so there weren't any antelope, but last night when I looked out of our bedroom window I DID see deer. First, a doe went across the street, then a yearling, and following the two of them, a smaller albino! The deer herds in and around the city have always had at least one albino, but I have never seen one near our house before. It was kind of cool.

glitter-graphics.com