Life has been continuing at a rapid pace. I'm still doing the library gig on Tuesday and Thursday morning. Thankfully I now have a grad student to do Thursday mornings for me so I mostly just help set up. We made bunny hats this month and we had a special guest tortoise visit.

The kids looked super cute in their bunny hats.

My bead class ended and I completed a couple of cake decorating classes. A new bead class is starting but it's scheduled for Wednesday nights and I'm already booked for a few weeks in May for an upholstery class.

In other news, I feel like shite. I've been sick on and off for the past 5 or 6 months. I think I've just been overdoing things and not getting nearly enough rest.

This morning I found out that Zelnorm, the medication I've been taking for the past few years for my tummy issues, has been recalled.  Lovely.

They are siting "serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks, stroke, and damage to their heart valves".  I was taking this medication during the time frame in which they diagnosed my "innocent heartbeat". I see the doctor on Monday so I'll discuss it with him. They are recommending a cardiovascular check up.

I saw my doc a few weeks ago and shortly afterward he started calling me and leaving messages to call him back immediately.  I thought he was going to yell at me for my blood sugar. I was scared to call him back. I figured it had to be pretty bad for him to ring me personally. When he finally reached me he said, " Are you taking an iron supplement?" "Um, no." "In that case, I'd like you to get in your car now, drive to the store, buy some iron and start taking it today.  Ooookay. I laughed and told him that I thought he was calling to yell at me about my blood sugar. He said, "Oh yeah, and about your blood sugar...."  He's put me back on a low dosage of glucophage. Bleh. My 6 month HGA1C was 7.2. Ideal is 6.5 if I remember correctly.  Personally I don't think it was all that bad consider the past 6 months contained all my worst sugar holidays like Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day and Easter.


We had the family in town for Easter. Evidence of the visit can be found in the incredible amount of leftovers residing in our refrigerator. We have lamb, lasagna, ham and enough eggs to feed a third world country. My niece, Sophie, is a cute as ever.

Oh, here is a pic of my fish bead from the last day of my beadmaking class. The fish were so fun to do!  I hope I can get into another class soon. There are just so many classes I'd like to take and not enough time or money!

I'm looking forward to doing another upholstery class. I've got the coolest retro three piece sofa set to do for my brother. Which reminds me that I'd better get the fabric ordered pronto. The class starts in early May.

And now, I think I need a nap.

My storytime theme today was leprechauns. The craft project was leprechaun masks. The kids loved them and they were all super cute in them!

I found out today that I'm getting a helper. One of the library staff who is going to college at UT to become a Children's Librarian is going to assist me starting after spring break. I'm going to work her into doing Thursdays so that I just have to do one day a week. That will be a huge relief. It takes a lot of time to prepare for these sessions. I'm very tired. I stayed up until midnight getting stuff ready for today and got up at 7:00am to shower and finish preparing. Thankfully Adam and Chip both pitched in to help me last night!

Here is my favourite picture from this lot. It just cracks me up! 

We also have the cutest pair of twins. they have blond hair and blue eyes.

My niece Cassie, her fiance, Ben and my grand-nephew made it in for a visit last week. I had a very full house. Her mother came over from Houston along with her sister. My mum came down from Dallas, as well.

The baby, Sam, has grown a lot since I last saw him at Thanksgiving. He's trying to crawl but hasn't quite got it yet. He is moving, though. He pushes himself around with his toes and lifts up with his arms. He rolls over very well, though. He's got the cutest little chubby cheeks. He looks a lot like his dad now.





Now that all the family is gone, I need to get busy upholstering Adam's couch and get ready for the cake competition in McKinney at the end of the month.

No rest for the wicked, as the saying goes!

In a move that has surprised many of his constituents, Governor Rick Perry announced Friday that schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against sexually transmitted diseases that can lead to cervical cancer. This makes Texas the first state to mandate this vaccination. On the surface this seems like a wonderful thing. Who wouldn't want to vaccinate their daughter against cervical cancer? There are, however, many things that concern me about this issue.

1. Merck, the makers of Gardasil, has a poor history with drug testing. You may recall Vioxx? Merck's own testing showed that Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack and strokes. A fact they failed to disclose until after the drug was removed from the market. Their relationship with the FDA was called into question.
   
2. Merck needs Gardasil to be successful to pull them out of the black hole that was created by the Vioxx debacle. Not only is Merck facing at least 10,000 lawsuits and up to $50 billion in damages for Vioxx but they also had to face the loss of their patent on their other top seller, Zocor, last year. Having their drug become mandatory for all 11-12 year old girls across the country is a wet dream for a drug company. What is it that they're hiding from us about Gardasil?
   
3. If Merck can get state governments to put Gardasil on their lists of vaccines that are required for schoolchildren, it can become a part of a federal vaccine liability program. Meaning that Merck will not be liable if Gardasil turns out to be harmful some time in the future.
   
4. Gardasil is the most expensive vaccine ever marketed. It requires three vaccinations at $120 a pop for a total price tag of $360. It is expected to be Merck's biggest cash cow of this and the next decade.
   
5. Of the 27,000 men and women tested, only 250 9 year old boys and girls were included in the trials. A six month trial. (Edit: The participants were followed for 4 years afterward)
   
6. It's my understanding that there have been no long term testing of this drug. In particular there has been no long-term testing on prepubescent girls. Gardasil was approved by the FDA after only 6 months of testing.
   
7. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says Gardasil can effectively prevent cervical cancer and gential warts, but notes “compelling evidence” that the vaccine is less valuable to teenage girls and young women already exposed to the viruses that can cause those conditions. Plus, the FDA says the new vaccine could worsen cervical cancer for women who already have it (diagnosed or not). Will an HPV test be required prior to the vaccination? No, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices doesn’t require young women and girls to receive an initial screening (Pap smear or otherwise) in order to be eligible for the HPV vaccine. Forgive me for being cynical but when drug companies are bankrolling states to pass laws that would make their drug mandatory for an entire generation, I seriously doubt it's due to their generous hearts. Merck has doubled it's lobbying money in Texas and is funneling money through Women in Government. Governor Perry has many ties to Merck and to Women in Government. That seriously makes me doubt his benevolence in this situation. A dear friend asked me, "What's the big deal? It's a good thing, isn't it?" and "If you opted out of this drug and your daughter then got cervical cancer, how would you feel?" You bet your ass, I'd feel badly. I'm not against preventing cervical cancer. However, if this drug had not been properly tested and it turned out to cause deformity in my daughters children or prevented her from having children at all, I would feel equally bad. I'm thinking about Thalidomide. I'm thinking about DES. My mother took DES, as did many women in the 30 years it was prescribed. She took it to prevent miscarriage. At a time when thalidomide babies were a huge scare, she was just thankful that I had all the right parts in all the right places. There was no question of "what will this drug do to my daughter in 8-10 years" or even for the rest of her life. As it happened, I had my first horrible period at the tender age of 8. My first major surgery at 11. I had a complete hysterectomy by the age 16. At 23 I got breast cancer. It's a bit difficult to know if all my medical problems can be laid at the feet of DES, but my doctors feel it may well be to blame. These are common problems with DES babies. Does my mother feel badly for taking DES? You bet your ass she does. My message is this: Proceed, but proceed with caution. I'm thrilled that they've discovered a drug to help prevent cervical cancer which kills approximately 290,000 women a year, worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society, 3,700 of those deaths occur annually in the United States. I believe a lot more testing needs to be done before we mandate vaccination on this level. Testing by independent companies who are not being bankrolled by Merck. If, and when, this drug has been fully tested, then and only then, should we proceed with mandatory state/country wide inoculation.

As I type this, the aroma of indian spices is wafting through the house. I have rolled out the naan bread and the grill is warming up. I am salivating in anticipation of the chicken korma bubbling away on the stove.

We made a discovery a few months ago that has elevated our naan bread from good to wonderful. The recipe I've long used is one from Allrecipes.com. Although the recipe is well ranked there are numerous notes stating that the recipe has far too much sugar. Having made it, I had to agree. However, we were not cooking it as directed. I'm not sure why, really. In the past we've cooked it in our cast iron skillet, not unlike we'd cook homemade tortillas.  One day, a few months ago, we decided to cook it on the grill as the recipe recommended. The bread bubbled up and suddenly looked just like naan bread from an indian recipe. Furthermore, because I was tired, I forgot to cut the sugar down. Interestingly enough, it wasn't too sweet.  Apparently cooking it on the grill burnt off some of the sugar.  Now I wonder how many people were complaining about the recipe being too sweet when they'd been cooking it wrong all along.

I am sick. Chip and I have been trading a cold back and forth. I'm tired of being sick and who knew a small body could contain so much snot? Ewww...just, ewwww....!

I have been busy. I started volunteering at the library several months ago and I help with the preschool story time on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It's a lot of fun. In addition, I also have a pilates class every Wednesday morning. My pilates instructor is awesome.

I've also been doing quite a few cakes lately. Here is the one I made for a little girl's first birthday today.














We had a great christmas holiday. I got a ton of loot. I got books, clothes, games, a smaller air compressor, a shop vac, jewelry and lots of other great stuff. I bought myself a macbook pro! I am so loving my macbook!

My birthday was better this year than usual. I didn't have the birthday blues nearly as bad this year.  Although it did show up briefly to bite me in the ass. I woke up hearing noise, which is unusual as Chip should have been at work.  I opened the door and saw him walking down the stairs. He'd stayed home to spend my birthday with me which so touched me that I immediately burst into tears. He made me my favourite breakfast of Oatmeal Creme Brulee. Invariably I get sick on it but it's worth a little discomfort. 

For lunch Chip made me Filet Mignon, baked potato and some kind of honey-ginger shrimp that were out-of-this-world delicious.






I am now sitting here with a full belly. The korma was delicious. as was the naan bread. 

I am also tired, headachey, stuffed up and fed up. Fed up with being sick. I think this is where I came in at, so I will end here. I hope you are all doing well. I read everyone even though I don't always have time to post.

About a week ago a dear friend sent me an email asking me to temporarily suspend emails going to her from a yahoo group I run. She explained to me that she was very busy helping her brother with in a very large effort to find her niece, who was missing along with her niece's husband and their two young daughters.

At that time there was very little news about the missing family. I searched out news bits each day, hoping to hear good news but as the days passed, I feared the worst. This was a family that didn't sit back and wait. They were proactive, handing out fliers, starting a website, hiring helicopters. The story broke and many people joined in the search.

After several days, when hope began to wane, a difficult decision was made. James Kim would go for help. Wearing layers of clothing and leaving a trail behind him, James set off.

Two days later a miracle occurred. Kati Kim and her two daughters had been spotted by a helicopter hired by the family. Spotting the helicopter she waved her umbrella to get their attention. Hope burned brightly.

The Kim's had been extremely resourceful. They ate their food sparingly, even eating berries they found nearby. Katie breastfed her baby and her 4 year old to keep them nourished. When they ran out of gas they burned their tires in an effort to both stay warm, and in the hope that their fire would be seen by searchers.

Sadly, the body of James Kim was found today, face down in the snow. Rescuers are still working to recover his body.

It's so sad to think that if he'd just stayed a while longer he'd have been rescued with his family and yet it's so easy to understand why he left.

I've driven through that area of Oregon in the winter. I can tell you that it can be very frightening. The last time was just over a year ago with my brother, . The road got so slippery and scary and it was so cold outside that we found a hotel and stayed overnight.

While I'm sure that everyone is thrilled that Kati and the girls were rescued, my heart goes out to the family of both James and Kati and to my dear friend, Charis.

The last of our holiday company left this morning. The house is sooo quiet now. We had a super lazy day and then made more crab vindaloo for dinner. We enjoyed it while catching up on Battlestar Gallactica and Smallville.

Now we are tired and headed to bed.

Tomorrow is soon enough to start the cleaning process again. I can't believe it's almost December already. Christmas will be here far too quickly.

Good night, all!

Well, it's Black Friday today. My brother and his family are still in town and he'd like to do a uniquely Austin shopping experience. I'm not sure where I'm going to take him yet but I'll think of something. I need to go shower first, though.

We're thinking about making an indian meal tonight, probably lamb biryani. Yum.

I caught this fun video of Sophie walking in her Daddy's shoes this morning.

As usual, dinner was quite the production. We made homemade bread, turkey, duck with pomegranite glaze, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry dressing, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and green beans. Miranda made butternut and acorn curried soup, which was quite lovely.

The desserts didn't come out quite as great this year but overall the food was great.

Now I'm tired!

The kids asked if they could have a piece of the leftover halloween candy. We told them they could each have one piece. They decided they needed more and spent two hours making up protest signs. Heh.

I made a video of it:

Mum and Dad arrived Sunday to the smell of freshly baked bread.

Monday me and mum drove up to Houston to see my niece, Cassie and my new baby grand nephew. He's such a little doll. His name is Sam and we call him Sam I am. We took him a Sam I Am stuffed animal and the Green Eggs and Ham book.

Isn't he adorable?

Tuesday morning mum and I went back to the hair salon to get her hair fixed. Last time they didn't quite get the colour right.

Today I went to pilates and then home to finish cleaning the house before the rest of our guests arrived. Bill and Sarah arrived mid afternoon with the kidlets. I decided to make pork saltimbocca and Chip made pesto pasta. It came out yummy.  Miranda and the girls arrived part way through dinner. Afterward Adam taught us how to play Texas Holdem. Now I'm exhausted and headed to bed.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Didn't this picture come out fantastic?

Mum and I are off to Houston today to see my new baby grand nephew. He's such a cutie!

This is my nephew, Elvis, playing his classical guitar. Isn't he awesome?

Today marks the 31st anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Fellow Callahanian Pat Kight was a young reporter on the scene that day. Her account is well worth reading and can be found here:

http://www.peak.org/~kightp/scribble/fitz.html

Also, a happy birthday to the United States Marine Corp!