oddharmonic on livejournal

American Girls dress plan, Girl Scouts, good financial news and Christmas in Texas this year.

2009-11-20T00:48:55Z

I was tickled pink this morning to meet three new weekly folder volunteers. That brings our total new volunteers that have helped at least once this semester to five, which is pretty exciting since a few years ago we were really hurting for volunteers. One of them shares my appreciation of American Girls dolls and I am seriously considering making Molly's party pinafore for the little girl in her life. It'll be nice to dig into that stash of clearance rick-rack I bought for my birthday.

It was gently suggested to me that Laurel is getting a bit old to tag along with me to Cub Scouts, so I worked out the route to get to the nearest school with a Girl Scout troop. We can pick up a direct bus route that stops right by that school on the far side of the major intersection west of us. The downside is that said intersection is currently torn up for construction so unless we'd be walking there from her school (or going up and around that way) we would have to cross the torn-up intersection. We crossed it once north-to-south last month and it was a hot mess with the sidewalk torn out and the crosswalk signals/lights removed. I still have to find out how much joining and program materials will cost anyway, so nothing's set yet.

In good financial news, we are finally caught up on everything less some late fees with the apartment complex, who declined to waive the late fees for September accrued during the two weeks between me handing the rent verification form to a staff member and anyone telling me it had been lost so the form had not been completed and returned by fax. I am going to have to bring this up to the regional supervisor, which I really do not want to do, but I am tired of going in circles with the complex staff, who smile, nod and ask what they can do in response to anything I say. Some days I want to go in there and spout gibberish to see if they respond the same way.

In not-so-good financial news, we can't afford for Laurel and I to go to Colorado for winter break. I am a bit bummed about that since I haven't seen most of my family since last Christmas, but them's the breaks when your primary income-maker was out of work for six months. That artificial Christmas tree we haven't used in a few years will come out this year!

oddharmonic @ 2009-10-29T20:01:00

2009-10-30T01:16:34Z

Facepalm moments of book fair:
- A lingering browser during class time that thought cents and dollars were interchangeable. (They were old enough to have done the "money math" unit and clearly understood the concept of hundreds, tens and ones.)
- An older student that, after noticing the day before we accepted checks as payment, brought in a cash withdrawal slip for the amount, not including sales tax, of a single title they wanted. They did attempt to fill it out like a check (made out to cash) but there wasn't enough room on the "signature" line so they signed it in the style FirstName LastInitial.

Sweetest moment of book fair:
- A preschool-aged sibling I usually sit and chat with while we wait for school to let out came gave me a sprig of holly-like leaves that were turning a pretty red. I tucked them into my hair and totally forgot about it until I was at the PTA meeting that night and we saw each other again.

In other school-related news, I was treated to breakfast this morning by a fellow weekly folder volunteer, I helped hang lots of bulletin board paper for student snapshot boards (each grade has a themed display; I'm working on "Adventures Through Imagination" with homemade enlargements of some graphic elements of the Reading Rainbow intro animation), and next Tuesday I will be sending two of my favorite dishes from Veganomicon to a fall teacher luncheon.

...

Vogon took photos of Laurel and I in our Halloween costumes for the Cub Scout pack meeting earlier this month, I just have to get off my duff and copy them and the PTA meeting pics to my computer so I can do stuff with them.

Laurel's friend that lives in a neighboring complex is now walking home with us in the afternoon and hanging out with Laurel until her older brother gets home from school, which will save her folks on after-school care and gives the girls some quality time together that's a little less overwhelming for me than the sleepover they had last weekend. (I love the kids, I just love sleeping in more.)

I gave Vogon a drive enclosure I wasn't using anymore and he cracked up when he opened it and found a sticky note over the drive label that read "crashed 10/2005 - partition table missing?". (I was able to recover the data from the drive, hence why it was in the enclosure.)

There's probably some other stuff I should post about but it is falling out my head at the moment.

I was going to get up early and sharpen pencils, but it's still too early.

2009-10-19T09:05:56Z

Book fair is this week, so I'll be at the school all day helping kids write their wish lists, straightening the shelves, and later trying to encourage kids with money burning a hole in their pocket to hold onto it if they aren't going to use it on books because the school supplies are overpriced. (The 99-cent bendable pencils can be found for a quarter on Walgreens' clearance rack this past spring; the 3.99 miniature composition books, always a buck apiece at Family Dollar. The only non-book items I'd buy at book fair are bookmarks.)

I have planned ahead to avoid the lure of $3 hot lunch in the cafeteria (not that I wouldn't eat it, that's just too rich for my budget) and scored a packet of wheat flatbread on the bakery clearance rack so I will be eating PBJs on flatbread this week. Nom.

I am still debating whether to go to the PTA meeting/book fair evening on Tuesday. We can probably get a ride home if we walk over and it's already a given I won't be staffing the book fair evening, but the juggling/comedy performance for the kids sounds more interesting to me than the 40 Assets presentation for the adults. (After working with a now-defunct nonprofit that pushed them, whenever I think of 40 Assets I hear Billy Mays copypasta in my head. And I personally put two scoops in my coffee every morning!)

Nutshell: don't expect me to be terribly coherent if you catch me on IM this week. I will try my best not to ramble at you about new book titles if you do, though.

Crud, P-51, fourth grade, Cub Scouts, meds, chilly weather and some photos.

2009-10-10T02:11:02Z

My back-to-school crud turned one month old earlier this week. It is less annoying now, the cough is much less frequent (and finally productive) and the perpetual sore throat has left.

The flight museum's P-51 flew in yesterday while we were walking home from school, but I was not fast enough at grabbing my camera to capture it. Suffice it to say that it was awesome and loud. REALLY loud. Awesome nonetheless.

Laurel has settled into fourth grade and likes it all right, although her teacher is currently on maternity leave. I think it's something in the water as her teacher was the second of four teachers at our school due this semester.

I am unofficially an assistant den leader to help get the Tigers get underway this year. Their den leader is already familiar with the program, it's just her first year as a den leader, so I think she'll do well. Once they're off and running I might see if the Webelos (fourth and fifth graders) could use help since I've been a Webelos den leader before.

One month to my long-awaited meds appointment. I feel like a contestant on Press Your Luck repeating "no whammies", only I'm repeating "40 mg". I'm pretty sure my doctor will agree to return to that dose but the anxiety voice in the back of my head isn't so sure. (For those of you newer here, I have severe recurrent major depressive disorder. On the lower meds dose I've been at since May I've been struggling.)

It's been raining intermittently this week and got chilly today, so to stave off turning on the heat, I'm wearing a wool sweater over a long-sleeve tee and Laurel is wearing my Where the Wild Things Are hoodie over the clothes she wore to school today. Kevin, who is more sensitive to cold than we are, is hanging out in the study since it's always warmer in there from the server and other electronics. (The shelves holding the modem and routers put off palpable heat despite ample ventilation. It's a pain in the summer but welcome today.)

Here are a few photos of what we've seen lately:

The first couple of turning leaves I found for Miss May.

A ding in the sidewalk that looked like a heart.

The only Halloween decoration I've felt up to putting up so far. (Yes, it's beglittered.)

oddharmonic @ 2009-09-23T16:42:00

2009-09-23T21:44:48Z

Dear Chase,

Thank you for charging me a $64.00 fee three days after going $4.62 overdrawn and two days after making a deposit to rectify that situation. You are doing your part to stimulate the economy!

No love,
Me

Fun with Flickr stats: Laurel asleep on a Japanese blog.

2009-08-11T05:14:58Z

Laurel will be tickled to learn that pictures of her sleeping transcend the language barrier:
http://blog-neta.cocolog-nifty.com/neta/show/jyeWCPml5G?c=app.f.post&nwsThough=1

(If you don't want to click through, the blogger used a photo I took of four-year-old Laurel using her stuffed kitty as a pillow to sleep on a flight.)

oddharmonic @ 2009-08-10T02:26:00

2009-08-10T08:48:27Z

Earlier tonight, I twittered: Dear get-rich-quick people that keep following me: I have a net worth of $104 (not a typo) and I am okay with that. Now go away.

That doesn't do justice to where I am right now. Financially, we are scraping the bottom and have our fingers crossed that an interview later today turns the months-long tide of underemployment without being overly optimistic.

What money can't touch is everything I do have:
- A healthy, funny and intelligent mini-me who still thinks I'm cool;
- A patient husband who practically worships the ground I walk on, even after two head injuries and the awkward process of getting him a continuity of care to keep tabs on his brain and blood chemistry;
- Amazing friends that know all kinds of things I've only got the barest cognizance of and have surprised me with their kindness when I've needed it most;
- A family that loves me unconditionally and lets me play with the kids even though I gave them strange nicknames;
- A cat that follows me everywhere and tolerates Laurel picking him up and putting him on her doll bed;
- Surprisingly nimble fingers for poking, prodding and stitching things together, which I am lucky enough to do for pleasure;
- An easy time acquiring new skills and memorizing things;
- Living in a place that is in a fairly walkable area and in the catchment for one of the best elementary schools in the state; and
- Good luck that shows up at the strangest times.

So there it is.

...

Also, I have a lot more canning jars than I thought I did, but as we get into vacuum-packed bags, they're handy for storing the contents of opened bags. All those jars of granulated sugar are another story. (We bought a 25-pound bag a few years ago. In hindsight, a giant bag of flour and a more modest amount of sugar makes more sense with the amount of baking I do.)

oddharmonic @ 2009-07-17T15:53:00

2009-07-17T20:56:19Z

Children have been screaming outside my building for over twenty minutes. They're drowning out the TV (Kevin is watching Cops in the study), radio (NPR, of course) and two fans.

I'd give you three guesses, but longtime readers already know it's the feral children. If their father was ever around (I've seen him once in three years) and their mother was ever sober, I'd give them a piece of my mind. God knows they could use a few brain cells between them.

Link: my big sister's Google Teacher Academy application video

2009-07-12T03:40:23Z

A few weeks ago my sister called me to ask where the cable to transfer video from Dad's MiniDV camera to the computer might be stashed. I told her it was labeled with a tape flag and my two best location guesses. A few days later, Mom told me Amy had uploaded her application video for Google Teacher Academy to YouTube and I should go watch it.

I was going to write a list of reasons why I think you should watch it, but instead I'll give you the highlights: my nephew riding a toy roller coaster and an adorable still at 0:49 of my niece and Laurel using a laptop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKFrRWv9qFQ

Hitchee goomee; or unintentionally playing Telephone on the phone.

2009-06-26T23:07:26Z

Vogon called to dictate a list of things he would like me to bring him tomorrow. He didn't want me to pick books for him [1] so I had to go into the stifling hot study and read titles off a pile of books. Much repeating and explaining where a particular title fell within a series ensued.

Somewhere after the end of that, he said "Oh, and I want [mumbles]". I asked him to repeat it.

Vogon: Hitchee goomee.
Me: Hitchhiker's Guide?
Vogon: Hitchee goomee!
Me: I still don't understand what you're saying, so I'm just going to pull the hardcover Hitchhiker's Guide. (I think that he has the pre-Mostly Harmless edition, but whatever.)
Vogon: That's what I said! Hitchee goomee!
Me: I think your mouth is too close to the receiver, because it sounds like you're saying "hitchee goomee".
Vogon: That is what I said!
Me: It must be an abbreviation that doesn't carry over well in speech.
Vogon: [slowly] H. 2. G. 2.
Me: I get that now. You could have just said "Hitchhiker's Guide".

--

1. I was going to pull Musicophilia, The Mind and the Brain, and Banvard's Folly.

Diagnosis the first: diabetes.

2009-06-13T17:24:13Z

As announced earlier on my Twitter/Facebook feed, Kevin has been diagnosed with diabetes. Friday morning he had a blood glucose level of 167 and blood pressure of 61/40; he was given insulin on Friday and had a blood pressure reading of 90/60-something this morning and a 'better' (he didn't specify) glucose level.

I only saw him for about five minutes Friday night because of bad connection timing, which I have planned better for today by taking an earlier local bus. Depending on where things are Monday, I may go down to Akard Station (and ride the train there, woo) and buy a weekly pass.

I am doing fine on my own, did a lot of decluttering Wednesday night and will put in some quality decluttering time again on Sunday. Squeaky has been showing some separation anxiety and has been scratching one of the door frames event though I refreshed the catnip spray on his scratch-friendly places (scratching post, kitty condo and cat tree) but I think he's getting used to it.

Kevin seemed a little embarrassed when I told him a lot of folks are praying or thinking good thoughts for his health, but I'd like to thank all of you for it. I believe every bit helps.

Background on Kevin's head injury and medical issues since the March seizure.

2009-06-10T00:15:13Z

Looking back, I realize that most of my posting this spring has been friends-only or otherwise filtered because of sensitive things that have been going on. Rather than make them all public, here's the condensed version of what's been going on with Kevin (vogonpoet):

In 2005, he suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) after falling in the bathroom and hitting his head on the corner of a wall. He received stitches and a CT scan at the time, but other than having the stitches removed he had no followup care regarding the head injury. (This was his choice, as he had health insurance at the time.) I noticed a lowered frustration tolerance and some short-term memory issues, but nothing intolerable.

In late March 2009, he conked himself in the head with an electric slow cooker in the process of getting it down from being stored on top of a wall-mounted kitchen cabinet. Initially he had a bruise and any other symptoms were indistinguishable from the stomach bug he's had on and off all spring, but a few days later on the 27th Kevin was sitting half-asleep on the couch when he had a tonic-clonic seizure.

I called 911 and he was taken to our local hospital, Presbyterian Plano, and admitted for the weekend. During his hospitalization, he was given several bags of IV potassium and had a CT scan, an x-ray, and an MRI. The cause of his seizure was not identified and he was discharged with a prescription for potassium chloride tablets and instructions to follow up with a neurologist and his family doctor.

We saw the neurologist on 8 April. He felt the two most likely causes of Vogon's symptoms are liver deterioration (he took Tylenol (paracetamol) for muscle pain while he was drinking heavily in his Army days) or the anomaly seen on CT from his 2005 head injury. He ordered a liver function lab to compare to past results (one done in the hospital, another done in 2008 as part of a biannual workup with his gastroenterologist) and an EEG.

Kevin had an EEG on 15 April and I didn't notice anything abnormal, just a few out-of-range alarms that the technician marked after they beeped. During the photic stimulation he tensed up from lying relaxed with his hands crossed on his abdomen to rigidly holding onto the sides of the bed. He said after each round of strobe flashing that it made him feel nauseous and like he was falling.

We saw the neurologist again on 22 April to discuss the EEG and he said it was normal for someone with Vogon's type of past head injury. He again ordered a liver function lab (Vogon hadn't gotten the first one done), we filled out paperwork to request copies of his 2008 labwork for the neurologist to look over, and he was instructed to follow up with our family doctor for his next potassium chloride scrip.

As of 9 June, Kevin has not gotten the liver-related labwork done nor has he had a followup with our family doctor, although I gave her a brief run-down of what was going on when I saw her for my quarterly scrip renewal in May.

Since the seizure, he's had numerous neurological symptoms appear or get markedly worse. He thinks he may be having complex partial seizures and is pretty sure he had a tonic-clonic seizure last week while I was not home.

Laurel and I spent the week of 30 May-5 June staying at friends' homes after he incorrectly assumed I was doing something he didn't like and disconnected the internet/phone, took away my cell phone, and then told me to get out of the house because I hit him. (I had tried grabbing at my cell phone after he took it.) The situation was compounded by non-compliance with taking his medication during the prior week. He made a threat over the phone and reiterated it two days later, so after seeking and failing to qualify for a protective order, I swore out a mental illness warrant to compel him to get medical care. After I returned to our home on the 5th on the condition he seek medical care, he agreed to voluntarily check into the facility specified in the warrant after tying up some loose ends in his personal business. I have packed him an overnight bag and will be accompanying him to the hospital tomorrow, 10 June, to see that he gets checked in.

Laurel is spending the summer with my parents as usual (she left on 6 June) and I feel safe with Vogon as long as he remains compliant with his medical treatment plan. If things get out of hand again, I have a safety plan. Right now my focus is on helping him find a baseline diagnosis, get treatment to control the seizures, apply for SSDI disability and other assistance (we still have to contact the VA), and maintain or improve his quality of life. I do love him and was committed to him before the head injury, this spring has just been very trying on both of us.

Fun with Flickr stats:

2009-06-09T22:58:10Z

Recent appearances of my photos, courtesy of my Flickr stats:

- A picture my friend Rich took of a sawfish at the Dallas World Aquarium last November appears in the Southern Bulb Company blog entry A Little “Garden Variety”.

- Laurel's 2009 science fair project board illustrates the HubPages article How to Organize a Science Fair Project.

- A picture of then 3-year-old Laurel sitting on her training potty and looking at movies in an armoire drawer opens the About Parenting Tips blog entry Potty Training Your Kids.

- Squeaky playing in the paper shreds makes another appearance in an environment-related article, this time Shred it at the Shred-a-thon, help a local food bank at the Beacon Hill Blog. (Hello, Seattle!)

One of my favorite things about Flickr is seeing where people use my Creative Commons-licensed photos. It satisfies my curiosity to see what people think about after looking at them.

Sewing Machine Meme

2009-06-09T22:50:38Z

Found via batspjs, the Sewing Machine Meme from Sew, Mama, Sew!:

What brand and model do you have? Due to space constraints, I have some machines in storage. In regular use in my living room sewing area are a Brother CS-8072 and a Simplicity 4-thread serger; in storage, I have another Brother CS-8072, two Singer model 66 treadles (one working, one awaiting restoration), and a Singer Stylist.

How long have you had it? The machines in my living room have been here as long as I have, so a little over five years. I bought the Brother in storage in spring 2003, the working treadle I bought while I was pregnant with Laurel in early 2000, the not-yet-working treadle I found in a barn at a yard sale in mid-2002, and the Singer Stylist I inherited from my mother when she bought a Bernina a few years ago.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? The Brother models were about $200 each new. I don't know how much the serger cost as vogonpoet bought it before I moved in with him. I paid $80 for my working treadle, $15 for the not-yet-working treadle, and I have no idea how much the Singer Stylist cost but it was purchased new in the early 1970s.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? I do a little bit of everything. I've made adult and children's clothing, done heirloom sewing (my mom subscribed to Sew Beautiful when I was a little burrito), made children's costumes, 18" doll clothes, finished 1" and 1/2" scale miniature linens after weaving them, and pretty much anything else I've gotten it into my head to try. Right now I have a couple of throw/crib sized quilt tops waiting for me to quilt and bind, a Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt kit to make, and a couple of small fun projects (terrycloth plush animals, small home dec projects, etc.) waiting in my to-do queue.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I sew in spurts depending on how I feel and what I have on my plate at the time. I sew a couple hours a day in the weeks before my neighborhood school's choir productions, in late summer during my Halloween costume rush, and after Halloween making holiday gifts. Other than that, I sew whenever I feel like it. I get my machine serviced once a year, but I should step it up to twice a year.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? I like all of my machines. None of them have names, but I should do that someday since we name our computers and things that connect to them.

What features does your machine have that work well for you? It's a reliable little workhorse and rarely skips stitches. I don't ask for much from a machine.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? It's only a minor annoyance, but my Brother doesn't do well with a short stitch length in zig-zag and is hopeless with satin stitch.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! I bought my working treadle at a garage sale from a family friend (my brother-in-law calls the lady I bought it from Aunt T--) and she sold it to me with the promise that I would teach her some basic sewing. It was surprisingly well-maintained for having been stored for several years and I sewed quietly through Laurel's nap time on it when she was a baby.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? I don't think the model's made anymore, but it's a good just-above-entry-level machine.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? All-metal gearing! Heh. Seriously, I think it's important to try before you buy and go with a machine you like and are comfortable using.

Do you have a dream machine? I'd like a longarm quilting machine someday.

Note to Dreamwidth users:

2009-05-28T02:37:43Z

If you want me to follow you there, leave your username here so I can find you. (Comments are screened.) I'm using my OpenID there, so I will show up in your circle as oddharmonic.livejournal.com.

G/T portfolio lunch, learned Duke TIP has a 4th/5th grade program.

2009-05-27T20:54:56Z

Vogon went to sleep around 0830 so I let him be and went to the ACE portfolio sharing lunch. The kids had made Powerpoint presentations and each had a laptop to share it on, so I watched Laurel's and a couple of her classmates while noshing on school lunch tacos. When we get a copy of her presentation on CD, I will extract the photos so you can see some of the projects she's done this year and the awesome Bessie Coleman puppet from the biography section that was this quarter's project.

Among the requisite paperwork sent home with the parents is a packet on the Duke TIP program, which has a 4th/5th grade program that is wholly new to me. I've been planning to start saving in case she wants to do CTY in middle school, but Duke TIP already? My PEGlets are still so young to me! I'm going to sit in a corner and feel old now.

I told him to go get some sun so he doesn't get rickets from staying inside with the blinds closed, so he's out with Laurel at the pool for a bit.

Thankful indeed.

2009-05-24T22:15:15Z

Laurel and I were walking this afternoon to run an errand and saw the B-24 Liberator (Ol' 927) fly out and back from Addison Airport. Crossing the parking lot by the dollar store, she looked close enough to touch and I had to fight the urge to yell "the sound of freedom!".

After that I told her about Uncle Stir, her great-grandmother Dorothy's brother, who was a waist-gunner on a B-24 during World War II.

Thanks for serving, y'all.

School winding down, more dove eggs, happy trees.

2009-05-22T00:03:33Z

Things are in a holding pattern around here as school winds down and Laurel looks forward to flying "by herself" (as an unaccompanied minor) to visit her grandparents for the summer. Waiting to hear back on paperwork submitted with what seems like minute details of our finances. And the mama mourning dove, dubbed Isabel by the little miss, has laid another two eggs in one of our hanging baskets I haven't planted yet this year.

The downside of Texas spring weather is frequently painful sinuses and I'm trying to go easy on the Sudafed (it works, but it's spendy), so until then please enjoy the happy little trees around the corner from me.

Photo: my great-grandmother Eloisa Campa and four daughters, c. 1936.

2009-05-11T08:57:46Z

Happy belated Mother's Day.

This is what I did with mine, although I'm not entirely pleased with some of the details I recreated:

(Click the image to see the full-sized originals, 920x1230 pixels / 228 kb.)

I think this is my great-grandmother Eloisa Campa (aka Grandma Locha) and the oldest four daughters, which include my grandmother (probably the youngest one, based on other childhood photos I've seen) and Tia Emma, taken around 1936 (again based on other photos).

My cousin scanned the photo for me to touch up; it is in the collection of my Tia Emma, who I'm pretty sure is the oldest Campa daughter. (I would have to find my notes to give you all the children in order, as there are thirteen of them.) She and my Tio Alfonso Murillo celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary a few years ago.

Link: Playtex's between-cup bra line is Thank Goodness It Fits.

2009-05-03T07:15:59Z

I keep forgetting the product line name because it's so horribly cheesy, but for smaller between-cup sizes these bras are made of win: Playtex Thank Goodness It Fits.

My favorite daily-wear bras for nearly ten years have been from this line. I will inevitably forget the name, so I'm posting it for future reference.

Foolishness like this is why I quit watching TV.

2009-04-28T02:16:41Z

For the past few days, Time Warner Cable repeatedly auto-dialed my cell phone. Either no-one was on the other end when I answered or it repeated the "important message please hold" message repeating every 20 seconds until it hung up. Someone finally was on the other end tonight and informed me that our cable was in danger of being disconnected. I was baffled -- it's one of the bills we have set on auto-pay -- but I was pretty surprised when I found out it was about nine dollars.

If I could get him to quit watching TV, I'd cancel it and find a different high-speed internet provider. Our current bill is $120 a month for expanded basic cable and 7 Mbps internet access. I do not understand why it costs $40/month more for less service from them than it did two years ago.

Photo: Laurel's science fair project display

2009-04-22T23:15:56Z

In late February, I mentioned Laurel's science fair project observing Squeaky's sense of smell and determining his preferred treat flavor. Her project was awarded second place and she brought home the ribbon a few weeks ago, but kept forgetting the display board. It finally came home so I took a photo of it for her to enjoy when she's older.

(I cut out the title lettering, but the rest of the cutting and all the gluing is hers. The section headers are a close imitation of the header stickers sold by Elmer's -- as in the glue -- that we bought for her project display last year.)

Rest well, Aunt Joanne.

2009-04-17T22:50:15Z

My aunt Joanne passed away this morning. She was the third-born of the nine Janes children, two before my mother in birth order, and was in the end stages of cancer. She had an inoperable abdominal mass that did not respond to conventional treatment and she participated in medical trials for her condition until it was no longer feasible for her to continue. When Joanne entered hospice care a few weeks ago, we knew the end was coming, but I didn't write about it here because I have had other things going on that were demanding my immediate attention.

In my memory, she only looks slightly older than her teenage self, in the middle of the back row in this photo of the Janes children taken in 1965:

(You can see some more childhood photos of her under her tag in my Flickr photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddharmonic/tags/joanne/ )

Here are the things I want you to know about Joanne Strauch:

She was an Air Force flight nurse after joining the service right out of school.

She had two children born with hip dysplasia and kept in casts from the waist down for the first year of their lives. (My cousins are none the worse for wear and interesting, kind people now.)

She introduced me to cross-stitch when I was a little burrito, which I didn't know at the time would become a lifelong hobby for me. When I was 10, she stitched a monarch butterfly design for me on a sweatshirt that I still have today. (It is really amazing, people ask if they can touch it when I wear it. It's so detailed that it's hard to believe it's stitched.)

She was a tough broad (and I mean that with love and admiration) who always had a ready ear and an open heart.

I'll miss her but it is a relief to know she's not suffering now.

My thumb hurts and you need to blow your nose. Thank you.

2009-04-17T12:11:43Z

After I have burned my thumb (nothing serious, mostly the nerve endings all yelling "WHUT?" at me) because you decided to duck and bob as I was trying to get your freaking breakfast onto the table around you, please do not dawdle getting dressed and make "ehh" whining noises when I tell you what today's weather will be like so you can dress appropriately. I am going to put Solarcaine on my thumb now and if I come out to you still wearing your pajamas and reading instead of getting ready first, I will not be amused.

Sincerely,
The Management

P.S. Cat, I do not need you to be up my butt while I am hurrying around. You have 22 hours every day in which to to that. NOT NOW.

I am hopped up on cold medication.

2009-04-17T03:29:27Z

Facebook is finally getting strange. First normal people from high school (as opposed to the numerous fundies) show up, including a good friend I fell out of touch with years ago, then today I found Robert Hayden and Chuck. And they both say nice things about me, which only confuses me further.

If Jolly Green or Steve-the-only-Mexican-I've-sort-of-dated show up, I am going to be really, really confused.

...

In other news, the Ravenshire catch-all accounts get a lot of Russian dating spam messages. If I thought I could find a woman as lovely as baronessvarla's Alex, I would start answering them. Bowls!