Too Cute to Kill...

Cats have time clocks in them...The cats (Steve [above], Peter, and Turbo get feed every morning aroung 4:30a - that's the time I get up to work out (or Sunday it's the time I leave for my first Sunday meeting). On Saturday, they have little or no patience. The jump on the bed, meow or fight amongst themselves UNTIL they get feed. Jen and I both pretend that neither of us hear them until it gets sooo bad that one of us gives a heavy sigh and gets up and feeds them. After they are feed they all come up on the bed and sleep around Jen.

Here is Turbo passed out from sheer exhastion...

Peter, curious who told him to cut it out

Hey, let's go to the Doctor's office...it's been so long

After Megan's doctor appointment we picked up and Connor and headed out to the Sushi Factory for a Post Valentine's Day Lunch. Connor spit only one of his sushi pieces in a napkin (raw salmon roll).
From there we went to Connor's doctor appointment. Not really an appointment, but his weekly allergy shot. He gets his shot and then we wait twenty minutes in the lobby making sure he doesn't over react to the allergy shot.

Megan is a knitting machine...she completed a beautiful mohair shawl today. It's pretty impressive. She has completed a handful of scarves and now a triangle shaped shawl. Aren't all shawls triangle shaped?

Doctors...Doctors and MORE Doctors...

Megan Rusty and I went to OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University) to meet with a MF specialist recommended by the dermatologist. Well, we found out that Megan has MF and that the patches need to be dealt with. The specialist said he was just asked to be consultant and so he recommended that we go BACK to the dermatologist. The good news was 1. the dermatologist is in Vancouver so we don't have to go to Portland for every treatment. 2. OHSU is covered with insurance 70/30 Dermatologist is 90/10. Bad news - 1. Another doctor/specialist visit telling us everything we already knew and 2. Another doctors bill to pay...
Today we went to the Dermatologist...


Here is a picture of Megan in a hospital gown laying on the doctor table. We got to the appointment at 9am and sat in the waiting room for 20 minutes. They took us back to her room...three magazines and a couple of cell phone games later (over an hour) we met with the dermatologist. He looked at her her new spots. He told her that they want to make sure the new spots are MF and not eczema - so they will know how to treat each of them. Megan has been taking anti-histamine for the itch - it makes her really drowsy. She asked if they is something different she can take. He said her dose was 10mg and a normal adult dose is 100mg. She said she would fight it out. Also, the doctor is going to get insurance approval for UV-B treatment...if approved, treatment will start in 3 weeks...and now a word from our UVB sponsor -
Broadband UVB has been used for treatment of MF for several decades. A new form of UVB called narrowband UVB uses only a few selected UVB wavelengths. Narrowband UVB is generally more effective than broadband UVB; however, narrowband UVB phototherapy has only been available in the U.S.A. since 1997, but is gradually becoming more accessible. UVB penetrates the skin less than UVA; therefore, it is used primarily for patch stage mycosis fungoides.
Phototherapy is initially administered three times a week. It typically takes 20-30 treatments for a response to become apparent. If no response is seen at that time, an alternate light source (phototherapy) or medication should be considered. If improvement occurs with phototherapy, the frequency of treatments will be reduced and eventually discontinued.
The side effects of phototherapy differ with each light source, but early side effects include: skin redness or sunburn, blistering, itchiness and tanning. Premature aging and wrinkling of the skin is increased with phototherapy, but is more common with PUVA than UVB. Damage to the cornea can occur with all types of phototherapy.
Meet Happy the encouraging Trash Can...

While we were waiting I found Happy the encouraging trash can. The said part was, he wasn't very positive. It took me a while to figure out why...

• He eats garbage all day.
• He is always in the dumps
• He is always trashed
• Everyone bags on him
• Everyone says he stinks
• Everyone wants him to shut up.
• No one will play with him and adults say he is full of germs.

Megan Inside and Out

I asked for a copy of Megan's CT scan pictures...they said no problem and told me when and where to pick them up. They gave me a CD of what I thought were going to be random pictures of Megan from the inside. What I got was AWESOME...they gave me the whole enchilada - I got the program the doctors use along with every picture of the scan (over 300 pictures slices). The program is split into two screens - 1. the one on the left is above and has a yellow line marking where the slice or marking of the picture is - think of it as if they sliced Megan as the yellow line and then took a picture of it. I tried counting her rings to see how old she was, but I think that's an old wives tale.

She does have a heart.

This is a picture of her lungs and heart. See the small insert picture and the line - that is where the slice is. You can see the backbone, the back ribs, muscles, lungs and heart...this is so cool.

I hate Megan's guts...

This is one of my favorites...it shows kidneys, stomach (on the left side), back muscles and core stomach muscles...I have spent hours playing with this program.


The Better To See You With My Dear...Megan hates this photo

This is a head shot that shows eyes and yes she does have a brain.
If you click on the picture, you can see a larger picture of each.

Announcing - I am a gymnast...

Last Saturday I was asked to announce a District Gymnastics meet. I had never done that before. After I accepted I was told I would be paid...I guess I am no longer an amateur announcer. What I did learn was that I COULD HAVE BEEN A HIGH SCHOOL GYMNAST...really. I watched the vault...Half the girls hit the spring board and did a leapfrog over the vault and then put their hand in the air - TA DA...I could do that. The first first floor exercise that I saw was girl that did a little dance routine and then went to the corner of the mat to do her passes...she ran, stopped, did a forward roll on mat, stood up and did a bent leg cartwheel....twice...TA DA...I could do that. Every girl on the balance beam fell at least once. TA DA...I could do that.
I was there for about 3 hours. I spent 40 minutes of that announcing.
I just finished my last basketball announcing game for the year... my announcing year is over - for another year.

The chapel repented - it is now clean

Twice a year we do a 'deep cleaning' of the church. There are three wards that meet in the stake center. One ward cleans the north section, another ward cleans the south section, and our ward cleans the center section. The center section included the chapel, the cultural hall, and the stage.

I wasn't a visitin' mood and last time our PFR called last minute and said he couldn't be there (that meant that Brother Taylor got the assignment of coordinating the whole thing). This time Brother Taylor hid up in the choir seats and vacuumed the floor and all the choir seats...I wasn't a very good hider...1/2 the people came up and asked me what their assignments were. I sent them to the janitors closet where the PFR was waiting. We had great participation - 73 people 23 families. Church is good but busy...Why

Sundays

• 5a-9a - Bishopric, PEC, ward council
• 9a-12p - Block
• 12p - 1:30p - Misc church business (setting aparts, callings, temple recommends etc)
• Home Teaching - Home Teachers - Eating etc
• 7p-8:30p - Great to 8, PH preview, Firesides etc

Weekday -

• Mutuals
• Presidency meetings / Scout Committee meetings
• Bishopric visits
  

It's all good just busy...just extra hours...I have a lot of those just sitting around.

I owe I owe...so of to work I go...and stay late

Candid picture from my monthly business unit meeting. Work is good. The economy crunch hasn't hit us too hard at work yet. We have wage and hiring freezes - but no layoffs or unpaid days off. Work has been a little more stressful than normal...

• One employee missed 10 days - 3 days sick and 2 days on the weekend and 5 days training clients in California...That means extra hours.
• The state changed the file layout for one of our modules and we are in test mode right now. That means extra hours.
• Some of our clients are clueless...the means extra hours.

I am grateful for my job...I like the people I work with, it's a good job, and I still enjoying going to work.