Good news for CF

Dear Friend of the CF Foundation,

We are pleased to report that the median survival age of people with cystic fibrosis has risen to 36.8 years--up from 35.1 in 2004!

For decades, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has tracked the health and longevity of patients treated through its innovative care center network. Caregivers at these centers collect confidential vital statistics about the health of CF patients, which skilled statisticians then analyze and publish in the annual CF Foundation Patient Registry Report.

As an interesting perspective, in the last four years alone, we have added more than five years to the median survival age of CF patients.

We attribute the improvement in both the length and quality of life to the fact that there are now more CF therapies than ever before--largely developed with the CF Foundation’s support--and even more on the horizon. In addition, the standardization of care and the implementation of “best practices” throughout our care center network also are having an impact.

We will not rest until we reach the point when people are no longer losing their lives to cystic fibrosis. Today’s trend of continuous improvement suggests that we are getting closer to reaching that goal.

Thank you for your interest and support of the CF Foundation’s mission. Together, we are adding tomorrows every day to the lives of those with CF.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., President and CEO

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

6931 Arlington Road

Bethesda, MD 20814

www.cff.org

info@cff.org

Promotion!

I did it! I am now officially the manager of the store I have been working at.
Have to get ready for work...so more details to follow.

Travel

I am watching a show on the SciFi channel, which one is not important. They are advertising for a British show to appear on the channel, Dr. Who. Don't know much about it, but the main character asks, "would you rather go backwards or forwards in time?". As a vacation, or something, I guess.

So...which would you rather? Backwards or forwards?

Trash in the yard

I admit, I take a slightly circuitous way to my job. But, I do so for a reason: avoid busier roads with more stop lights. And the mostly crowded Atlanta highways. And for the most part, I drive through normal suburbia: nice houses with decent yards, big trees, and the occasional apartment complex and shopping center. But, since late last week, there has been a puzzle...

On the second to last suburban road that I take, Clairmont, in a pretty nice neighborhood (some truly large yards, which if you are familiar at all with ITP Atlanta, is rare), there is what looks to be an entire households contents dumped onto the front yard. And its not even as if they just opened the front door and threw things out, these items are a ways from the house, close and right up the main road, which gets a good deal of traffic. My Dad says, after I mentioned it to him, that someone probably got evicted. Which is probably true...but as Chad (especially) would tell you, I'm a curious soul. So I want to know, but I know I probably never will.

What does the clutter consist of? Well, lots and lots of paper. And furniture, tossed all helter skelter, on its side or upside down. I have only seen two people in and amongst this stuff. All told, about 50'x50'. So, lots of stuff. The first one looked to be a smallish lady, just wandering about the stuff, a day or so after everything appeared. The second was a man, from what I assumed was his SUV parked in the driveway. Neither seemed to be taking anything, or looking for something specific, just wandering around in it.

Even if this was an eviction, it seems so sad, all these things. Someone's life just dumped unceremoniously in a yard, for the whole world to drive by, see, and speculate. And the things themselves seem so lost, too. You almost want to avert your eyes, in embarassment for the people and things involved. I wish it would get cleaned up...this little tragedy on my way to work.

Andrew Wyeth

Chad and I visited the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, yesterday, for the last day of their Andrew Wyeth exhibit. I was only slightly familiar with his work previously, mostly only Christina's World.
He creates this incredible depth in his work, especially in grasses and earth. He paints with egg tempera, a very old technique. You literally mix the pigment with an egg yolk and distilled water. I had seen tempera before, but mostly in medieval or other similiarly old paintings. Evidently, it is a very "dry" technique, and can take up to six months to dry completely. After fully drying, it becomes incredibly hard, and they told us you could take a scrub brush to it and it would be fine. Which is pretty amazing.


And I loved this painting:


Okay, so this image is a little small, sorry. But evidently he painted a lot of "thresholds", like doors, windows, etc., viewpoints on the world outside. You really felt like you were sitting there, perhaps at your kitchen table, looking out this window. There was such a feeling of movement about the curtains.

Also nice to walk through and see the marble statues. I have been reading a book during my lunch at work about the quarries where Michelangelo got his marble, in Italy. The writer also spoke of the process of creating marble staturary, the different kinds of marble from throughout the world, finishing processes, etc. So it had made me very interested in seeing a marble statue closer. Oh, and the temptation of touching! I have always felt that way in museums...I desperately want to touch the paintings, the sculpture...everything. But, of course, I don't. Sigh.

Cute

Friday I saw the oddest thing...a pink recycling truck. Yes, pink. How does that poor driver feel? Probably not very manly...

So to round out this oddity...ran across this website a bit ago: www.cuteoverload.com

Heather's Birthday

In honor of my sister's birthday tomorrow, on which she would have been 26...here is a few recent article about cystic fibrosis.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-02-12-cystic-fibrosis_x.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-01-18-cystic-fibrosis_x.htm

I find it hard to believe that she would have been 26. And that it has almost been two years since we lost her. I think of her constantly. Losing your sibling is so hard, and I can only hope that everyone appreciates the gift that their own siblings are. I know its hard to appreciate something you have, and easier to appreciate once it is lost. Its sad that it is this way, because we all need to hear and express our love for each other while we still can.

Heather, I miss you so much. Can't wait till I can see you again someday.

Your Word

Today...today started very well. I went to church. Came home, and Chad helped me get my things together to move most of it to Alison't house. He was to be moving the big things, like my bed, next Saturday, with help from one of our friends. We made two trips to Alison's, cooked dinner, and he watched some football and I straightened up some in my room, to create room for the bed. Then, out in my car, I had been charging my phone. Two messages. One from yesterday, when I had tried to call Chad. The second, from Gina, my roommate (where I was moving from). She said Jennifer had called, and would not be moving in. And that she had committed herself to someone else! Something about wanting to get started sooner, and she had wanted to start moving in today! And her job situation...let me show you what was in an email from Jennifer, sent to Gina (cc'd to me):

"What are my options for moving in? I am somewhat flexible.
If the old roommate needs to wait until the weekend after the 1st of feb.
because feb. 1 is in the middle of the week - that would work for me."

If she had said anything about wanting to be in this weekend, I would have been out. But, I see no reference to urgency. Do you? She had mentioned earlier in this email (which was a collection of emails between her and Gina) that she was concerned about the small size of the room and and closet. I called Chad, incensed. We feel that she had second thoughts and and reconsidered. How rude is this woman? She tells us yes, and sets us all up. The three of us, and Alison. Chad, who helped me move. Chris, who committed to helping next weekend. What good is someone's word?

And of course, Gina would argue that mine is crap, too. That I agreed to be here through the end of my sublease. Which, it turns out, I should have read better. It locks me in until she finds someone. I have since found out that most subleases have a 30 day clause in them for finding someone. At the time I signed it, it didn't matter. I didn't think I would move. But I didn't remember...I am stifled. Embittered, like her. I feel I have no space. She would tell me that I needed to rearrange my room so it looked more spacious when people came through. Living here is not mentally healthy for me. Especially with my mental history. And I can't just move over to Alison's. I can't afford the double rent. And if I moved over, tried to swing it, what would be her incentive to find someone? It would be what she would want: the empty room. So, for wanting to escape and move out, this is all my fault. I am the bad guy, not the girl who gave a commitment to move in and backed out. Gina even had the nerve to say she thought she was nice...can she be serious? We all want this to be over!

Did I mention I moved out pretty much everything? That I am down to a bare minimum? That includes food. This situation can't be more horrid. I never want to leave my room. There is no escape. I am so happy everyday to go to work. In fact, I can't wait.

Snowflakes

Wow. I didn't realize that it really had been two months since I have posted anything! I will plead work as a contributor to that, the holiday season in retail is always a killer. We then followed that with inventory right away in January, and the same week our district manager visited. Which meant everything had to be perfect, and clean. So now that that is all done, I can resume my life!

I have discovered a couple of blogs at USA Today online. One is Pop Candy, an entertainment blog, and the other, Weather Guys. A blog about the weather? Yes, and it's more interesting then you might think. They had a link from yesterday that I will include here, in honor of the snow my parents received last night: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/photos/photos.htm . It has the most beautiful pictures of snow crystals.



I can also share the wonderful news that my search for a roommate at the house I am living in has been concluded this past week. Yeah! So I will finish (with assistance) transferring everything back to Alison's this coming week and weekend. This news makes me so happy, its tiresome living with half your stuff at one place, the other half elsewhere. And friends of mine just moved five minutes away from the townhouse, so that will be really nice. Sarah and I have plans to walk together. So much easier to stay committed to exercise when you have a partner!

The Coolest Commercial

Scott sent me a link to the most wonderful commercial. It involves hundreds of thousands of super balls, otherwise known as bouncy balls, coming down several San Francisco streets. I watched it more then once, and I bet you will, too.

http://www.bravia-advert.com/index.html

Andruw Jones

Look at me...with the Braves' Andruw Jones! He visited our store today at Lenox Mall in Atlanta. I have a signed baseball, too! See what working in a cool store for a great company can get you? And lucky him--he got to go home with lots of great Oakley merchandise! I can't imagine making the money he does, and then also be able to walk into a store and pick out stuff without having to pay for it. My dream! Only I would rather have shoes...

The Perfect Nursing Home?

Leave it to the Irish to come up with the perfect add-on to a nursing home:

Mon Nov 14, 1:16 PM ET

DUBLIN (Reuters) - A nursing home in Ireland has hit on a cheering way to keep up the spirits of its elderly patients -- by providing its own pub.

St Mary's Hospital in County Monaghan, near the Irish border with Northern Ireland, believes ready access to a good pint may help its patients -- average age 85 -- actually live longer.

"We would say the whole social aspect of life does extend the years -- it means the patients aren't bored to death," Rose Mooney, assistant director of nursing told Reuters.

The pub, which opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. and charges normal bar prices, had also led to an increase in the number of visitors, she said.

Having its own bar made the hospital, which has around 140 patients, unique in Ireland, she added.

Headaches and Halloween

So yesterday was Halloween (also Knock Knock Joke Day: Knock Knock. Who's there? Vida. Vida who? Vida you talk like that? I know, its awful...). I had bought a bright red wig with horns on Sunday to wear to work on Monday. People would walk by the store, glance in, and do a second take and then smile. Fun.

Our house (of four apartments) was doing Halloween jointly, and it was a good thing I got home when I did, as we had the candy and no one had a key to get in to it but me, seeings as my roommates weren't home. So I released the candy, and heated up the beef barley soup Gina had made for all of us, and we sat on the front porch steps, waiting for the kiddies. Chad and I had carved pumpkins yesterday, following a book that had come with the carving tools. He did an "easy" one of a witch in profile holding a pumpkin, while mine was "moderate" of four ghoulie monsters. I forgot how much work goes into pumpkin carving! Both pumpkins were a hit however, as almost everyone mentioned them. At first it was just three of us: Chad, I, and my upstairs neighbor Jenna. Lots of kids, they were all so cute! Good thing we had a huge cauldren of candy.

I had originally taken off my wig, as it was giving me a headache after wearing it all day. I eventually put it back on, and my headache increased. Now, this is not an isolated problem. Stating this summer, I have been experiencing increasingly more headaches. Not isolated, either, sometimes a couple a week or more. And painful. I do take over-the-counter headache medicine, and it helps somewhat. After Chad left, I had to leave the festivities and our friends early, as it had gone from being just an ordinary headache to a full-blown problem. I took some medicine, and crawled into bed early. And proceeded to wake up with the headache still present this morning. I am going to begin tracking them, to see if they are related in some way. I really do need to visit a doctor, I guess. This has become an increasing problem. Sometimes I wonder if its the house, with a possibility of mold and other things in it, due to the dirt basement and old house. Who know? I just can't keep this up.

Weekend Home & Desperate Housewives

So I went home to Michigan this past weekend for four days. It was good to be home, and see my family and Annie. When I arrived Friday morning the weather was beautiful. We spent a little time at the mall, and I stopped in at the Gap I had worked at and talked for a moment. Nice to see old faces. We then traveled up to Ludington State Park. The colors have not peaked yet, but it was still beautiful. Driving along the river, you could see the salmon that had come up to spawn. It was pretty cool to see, especially with polarized lenses. We drove through the campgounds some, and saw a 1930s car with what we thought was an original Airstream camper. Pretty cool. We also took a walk by the water and through the dunes. Of course, Annie had to lead. Dad would go ahead to test her...and then she would start pulling and panting, desperate to get ahead. I told Mom that Annie had been telling me that she missed walking in the dunes over the summer...

The next day we headed to Grand Rapids. Mom and Dad needed to shop for a few things. Lakeshore's marching band was performing at the Jenison competition, and we bundled up to stay warm and dry and went. Its been a long time since I went to a band competition. Loads of memories came flooding back. They did well, and placed first in the division, third place overall. I did love the shows that Reeths Puffer and Jenison put on. They were just as showy as always. Reeths Puffer (which is the district my parents live in now) did an African show, and had placed 30 or so big African shields along the front. Near the beginning of the show, they pulled what you thought was the front off to display a much more colorful shield. It was gasp-inducing. And Jenison did a show on opposites and half their band wore white uniforms (wood-winds) and the other half black (brass and percussion). It was as if two different bands had come together to do a show. I didn't know where to look.

Our Sunday started off pretty eventful. We were going to the earlier service, and Mom and Dad were to leave earlier then me to practice with choir. Well, Mom overslept (she woke up with the alarm clock in her hand, and didn't even remember pressing snooze) and so drove me into church...until we hit a deer, a doe. The deer didn't even pause at the road, she was already running. We speculate that we hit her mid-jump, as she entered the road on the driver's side, and the passenger side of the car is what was damaged. The hood and the front panel on the passenger's side are damaged. Dad went back later with the sheriff to get a permit to take the deer home and process it. He joked later that the Georgia relatives come to visit and now he finds himself bringing home roadkill...mercifully, we figured out the deer died instantly, with a punctured lung and broken back. I did help him clean it out, which I have never done before.

Uncle Denny, Danette, Katie, Grandma and Grandpa came up for dinner and to see me. Mom cooked a turkey (I know, its awful close to Thanksgiving, but she had it in the freezer and said when would two people eat a turkey, anyway?). It was wonderful to see everyone.

Uncle Denny had left us a People magazine for one article about a hospice with a CF patient. So I was flipping through it, and near the end was a one page article on...Page Kennedy, the newest cast member of Desperate Housewives (the guy in the basement in chains). My jaw fell open, as I went to college with him. I know a castmember of Desperate Housewives! I helped costume him! We had taped the episode...and when I watched, there he was. How weird, to know him, on this hot show...Since then, I have talked to several friends, and they are equally incredulous. Not that he was bad at WMU(he could be very good when he was on), but still...how could you know?

My new boots

So I did it, I bought the boots today. And I am happy to announce that I got them for 50% off. Patience is a virtue.

Although, it was rather trying. I saw online that they were on sale yesterday, and proceeded down to the store on my break. But, wait! They were still only 30% off at the store. So much disappointment! So I decided I would just order them from online. And, of course, they were out of my size. Infuriation! I decided to print the page out to prove that they were indeed on sale, and go down there and try and convince them to match the price, seeing as I couldn't get them online. So off I went today, and low and behold! They were now on sale 50% off, too. So I bought them, and I am very happy about it.

Also happy because I will be flying home to Michigan for the weekend, to see my parents and Annie. They tell me it will be a miserable weekend weather-wise, cold and rainy. I'll have to borrow a coat, as mine are in Chad's storage unit. But, still, whatever the weather throws my way (as long as it isn't snow!), I'll be okay with it. It has been much harder this time be away from everyone, after all that has happened. So going home will be good.

Car Insurance

One more thing...

Car insurance goes hand in hand with everything I am going through regarding my car. Yet--no one, except insurance agents, can really tell me much about it. What levels do I need? Why? What does this term mean, exactly? Their so-called definitions online sometimes confuse me even more then I was previously.

If you have no one knowledgable to go to, what do you do? Wander through, blindly, and never be really certain about what your agent is telling you? How do you know what they say is what you need?

I am so frustrated! I understand that I am slightly maligning my own Dad with this...but, honestly! Why is this never taught? Why are you not required in high school or college to take "What you need to know to get though in the real world concerning your insurance, finances, retirement, etc. 101"? NO ONE TEACHES THIS! Do other people just pick it up somewhere, somehow? Everything I read seems to contradict the other things I find. And, of course, being the internet, I certainly can't trust everything I read.

I just want to make a smart, informed decision about coverage for my car. Why does this have to be so difficult? I feel like I am running in circles. No wonder no one changes their coverage, its a huge hassle to figure out what is wrong, and what is right. Does anyone else have this problem? Or is it now that I finally have health insurance (through my job, yeah!), that I have to be confused and frustrated by another insurance in my life? Will someone just tell me, here, this is what you need so you won't get screwed if you have an accident. Someone I can trust, please?

Chad half laughs at me. He had to get his insurance fast, due to changing to Georgia, so he didn't have the time to agonize over this like me. But, does he really know if his coverage is enough? Who does? What is enough? Without killing me with premiums? Augh! Perhaps part of my problem has been time. I started this process over a month ago, and I feel more frustrated then when I started. Perhaps my problem is too much time to analyze, too much time to think and question.

Unfortunately, I can apply that last sentence to alot of things in my life...


HELP!

No longer a Michigan resident

Well, I've done it. As of yesterday, I am no longer a Michigan resident. My Michigan plates expire on Mom's birthday (which is next week) and I have to finally bite the bullet. So, I made an appointment at the DMV. Astonishingly, the whole process only took me 45 minutes. Really, really glad I made an appointment instead of flying by the seat of my pants and just showing up. Also really glad I got a passport, as it makes the whole ID thing so much easier: you don't have to show a copy of your birth certificate. And being as I live a long way from said certificate, this is much easier. I did the whole nine yards, too: registered to vote, and became an organ donor.

Next week's big project is getting the plates and registration for my car done. Have to transfer my title, too. Will dutifully do all of my research and make sure to bring all of the necessary paperwork with me, to make the process less painful.

I had to give up my Michigan license. They had to keep it, to prevent me from altering it or something, I'm sure. But it made me a little sad. I have been a Michigan resident all my life, and that license was a connection to it while living here in Georgia. And it was a pretty decent picture, too!

On a funny note, Mom was due for a driver's license renewal. So, a couple of months ago, her renewal information showed up...here, at my address in Georgia. The address on it was ours at home, but the information that the post office prints along the bottom side of the envelope was my address here. Very odd. And then, late last week...her license shows up here, too. Same situation with the addresses. Its so strange. I mailed her the envelope and all (after sneaking a peak at her picture!) so hopefully she can get everything straightened out. I know I did a change of address for here, and occasionally I get credit card offers for her, but she is listed on some of my accounts, so that made sense. But this didn't.

Happy birthday Dad!

I'm in love!

I must confess, I'm in love. But! Thus far I have resisted their siren call...at least until they go on sale. And if you know me well, you may have realized that I am talking about a pair of shoes. I saw them at the Nine West store in my mall, which I have done my best to avoid walking into. But now, I visit once a week, usually on a Thursday, just to make sure they haven't gone on sale. Yes, they're not practicle shoes, but they're just so glorious! And I do so love red. So don't worry Mom, you trained me well enough, I will not buy them at full price.

On a different note, I have decided to learn how to carry on a family tradition: quilting. I am going to sign up for a basic machine quilting class at a local quilt shop. It will take place over three Sundays, four hours a class, in November and December. They also have Block of the Month program that I may do, as the end result quilt is so beautiful, and in one of my favorite fabrics: batiks. I would looove to learn to batik.

March of the Penguins

My roommate, Gina, and I went and saw a matinee of March of the Penguins today. Loved it. Loved Morgan Freeman narrating, and am watching him on "Inside the Actor's Studio" right now (he is so fantastic!).

I knew some things previously about emperor penguins, couldn't tell you exactly from where. I knew they are the largest penguin species, and that the father does alot of the intial care. What I didn't know was about their 70 mile journey to more stable ice for their breeding grounds, that Mom and Dad take turns making journeys back and forth to the water's edge for food for themselves and baby, and so much more. It was fascinating, amusing, and occasionally heart-rending. I know its incredibly cold there, but they showed the egg freezing and cracking in the cold during a botched transfer attempt between Mom and Dad...heart breaking. But, oh, when the babies hatched! Impossibly cute. Small, soft looking, fuzzy. And immense personality. When they finally venture out, they toddle around, unsure and curious. I could go on and on...

So, I highly recommend the movie. Not a "chick flick". Seriously good, compelling, and such a perspective on such a difficult life. It's amazing what these penguins go through...and how cute they are.

Lions and elephants on the Great Plains?

Yes, you read my title correctly. I read an article online about an article in the journal Nature saying that some scientists are proposing this, since even before Columbus we lost all of our really large wildlife here in North America.

"The rapid extinction of dozens of large mammal species in North America -- perhaps due to a combination of climate change and overhunting -- triggered a landslide of changes to the environmental landscape. Relocating large animals to vast ecological parks and private reserves would begin to repair the damage, proponents say, while offering new ecotourism opportunities to a withering region."

Here is a link to the article: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/08/17/wild.america.ap/index.html

I don't know what to think of this?!? Whatever would inspire someone to propose this?