If Lileks can do it, I can, too. :)
This week I have three crushing, client-facing deadlines (and my well-crafted plans for this morning have already fallen apart), and Intermediate Greek starts, and the kids start school, and I leave for a trade show after Labor Day, and much, much more! Ugh.
So, I’m going to go into hiding for a while. Those of you so inclined could throw a prayer my way. Have a great week!
Sorry, it’s all I have to offer right now. Argh! I have so much on my mind and no time to formulate it into recognizable English prose.
– Thyroid cancer tests: great! As good as they could be. God is good to me. :)
– Just back from Arkansas. Great trip.
– Rebuilt my PowerBook. Zippier.
– Text-based todo lists working pretty well. No calendar sync, though. Still some weak links.
– Three major deadlines at work. Two weeks. Prayers coveted.
– Intermediate Greek starting up soon. I’m excited. And riddled with guilt about how little I’ve studied over the last weeks.
– I’m apparently still the go-to blog for the Maplewood City Council issues. And I’m one long post behind. Preview: A council member proves me prescient. Stay tuned.
– Helen had an outdoor party to which required me killing a bunch of yellowjackets. 1 bottle + duct tape + sugar water = bugicide. (Idea from here.)
Ken’s Week in Bullet Points:
– thyroid cancer scan looked good to my sharp, though untrained, eye; results later
– work is crazy busy
– 360 miles of driving yesterday… kids at camp (some of ’em)
– MacBookPro good; Entourage dreadful
– the heat is subsiding; ahhhhh
– [todo.txt](http://todotxt.com/), interesting idea… I’m trying it
– Mac [“Leopard”](http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/) sneak peak… except for Time Machine, yawn.
But unfortunately the East Side Review has printed up a few more articles concerning the Maplewood City Council and Greg Copeland. Talk about fodder for conversation. Want a preview for the tone of one of the articles? Of the 11 quotes in the first article, seven of them go to Will Rossbach (“Rossbach said” and “Rossbach mentioned”). Four of them, three of which that aren’t his, are just in reporting exchanges during a Maplewood city council meeting; they’re just narrative. That leaves one quote from the city attorney answering the topic. Balance, anyone?
Well, more on the articles later. Really, they are *rich* with material.
Anyway, thanks for visiting. It’s really encouraging to see how many of you stick around and read for a while.
First, nothing bad. It’s a check up.
I often have to wonder if I should post something or not. Is it too personal? Is it not “mine” to share?
Well, I’m undergoing testing to verify that the thyroid cancer I had about eight years is still gone. I went back and forth on posting about it, but finally thought I should in case somebody wanders in who’s dealing with thyroid cancer. Be of good cheer. It’s able to be dealt with very nicely.
In fact, dealing with it just keeps getting better. Years ago, in order to verify that there were no cancerous thyroid cells wandering around me, I needed to be completely off my Synthroid, a pill which provides the hormone that used to be created by my thyroid, for weeks. This meant declining into hypothyroidism; being exhausted and generally “down”. This made any remaining thyroid cells hungry for iodine. Which we then provided: radioactive iodine. Which would glow on a scan, showing any place there were active thyroid cells of some kind.
Now, my body can be tricked into craving iodine by a Thyrogen injection. No hypothyroidism needed. And still accurate testing.
So I’m going through that this week, which means my otherwise normal life is interrupted with reminders that I once had cancer. But thankfully, I can say “once had”. All indications are that it’s still gone. It will be nice to have solid verification of that.
…yearningly remembering her days of beauty and attention. My blog traffic is back to normal. Normal is nice. I’m actually always surprised at how many folks drop by and linger for a while. But the last two days put these huge spikes on my traffic chart, and it’s making my formerly quite acceptable traffic look meager in comparison. Curse you, fickle Fame! I was content! CONTENT!
[1]: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/889/sesent/00
[2]: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/carfnbr/0/prrfnbr/251
[3]: http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/carfnbr/0/prrfnbr/685
Oooo.
Independence Day sends me looking for flashlights. When I went to the various drawers this year, they were gone. Blasted kids. So plainly I need a [new one][1]. And one that can generate 65 lumens – enough to stop an attacker – must certainly be the ticket. And with [this addition][2] it can generate 120 lumens. Oh my. Apparently this brand is popular with police and military. Yeah, while you’re there, get me some [batteries][3], too, please.
[1]: http://www.kpmartin.com/2006/02/27/so-theyre-calling-it-novovirus/
[2]: http://www.kpmartin.com/2006/06/28/world-novovirus-headquarters/
[3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwalk_virus
Why were so many people searching for “novovirus”, sometimes called the cruise ship sickness, and finding my blog? I [posted about it once][1], barely mentioning it. Recently, I even [posted my wonderment about the phenomenon][2].
Well, I figured it out. It’s not no**v**ovirus, it’s no**r**ovirus. I misspelled it. And so were all those searchers.
So all of you hapless wanderers in search of hope concerning your stomach woes and un-swallowing, start looking [here][3], and good luck.
[1]: http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/14943697.htm
[2]: http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?book=3386673&mode=card
[3]: http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Johnny%20Dollar%20AND%20mediatype%3Aaudio%20AND%20collection%3Aoldtimeradio
It was pretty funny to watch my site statistics take an abrupt drop mid-Friday. It’s vacation time!
I worked a half-day yesterday, and in the morning the roads were wide open. Always a sure sign of a holiday weekend or a state employee strike. But I ended my half-day in Chaska, about 30 miles from home. I gave the pressmen a chuckle as they weren’t used to a designer’s client who knew what to do with a loupe. I took secondary freeways home, mostly Hwy 13, and made great time through my old stomps. And as I passed over I-94, I saw an absolute parking lot. Packed!
An hour later we were on our way to see Anna’s ballet program and it was still packed. It turns out there was a reason beyond the sheer volume of people undergoing ritual holiday city evacuation:
> The accident [on I-94] happened when the container truck hit a retaining wall on the right side of the roadway, ricocheted across three lanes of traffic and struck the median barrier, McDermott said. The truck jumped the median into eastbound traffic, and the front axle was torn off. The axle crashed into a Coca-Cola semitrailer, which caught fire.
>
> From [The Pioneer Press this morning][1]
That must have been exciting to drive immediately behind. Can you even imagine the concentration of grumpiness and sullen injustice over those preceding many miles of I-94. Many of these folks taking a half day, running home to get the boat, the wife, and the kids (in that order) and “hitting the road early to beat the traffic”. Foiled, hot (it was very uncomfortable yesterday) and left burning up their too expensive gas going nowhere. For hours. Because of one truck driver. I hope he didn’t have a heart attack or anything. But I shudder to think of the mob judgement that would have been meted out had it been discovered that he was just IM’ing on his mobile phone.
But, me? I’m happy as a clam. Well, happier I hope, as I’m not consigned to spend my life sitting in cool murk until someone comes along and rips my mouth open for a tasty treat and a chance at a prize; nature’s original Cracker Jacks. Instead, I get a nice long weekend. I do have a little work to do, and I’m teaching on Sunday, so there’s some studying to do. A little home improvement. A little Greek. Should be a good weekend.
Here are my hints for a nice Independence Day weekend:
– Don’t say “fourth of July”. Say “Independence Day”.
– Watch Mel Gibson in *The Patriot* to get a little feel why the above might be proper.
– Otherwise, have the TV off.
– Read *[1776][2]*. It’s truly fantastic.
– Go see some fireworks. It’s a light bug year.
– Eat a lot. Fat tastes good.
– Sleep late. Unless you work for any retail outlet I might like to visit, in which case you’d better be there on time and you’d better be cheerful.
– Listen to *[Johnny Dollar][3]*. No, it has nothing to do with the American Revolution, but I’m addicted, so you may as well be, too.
[1]: http://www.kpmartin.com/?p=59
[n1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norovirus
[n2]: http://www.guidetocaribbeanvacations.com/cruise/SickCruiseShips.htm
[n3]: http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=novovirus
Or so it would seem from my site statistics.
I enjoy having a decent little flow of visitors to my little site, but what is really weird is how many people find me while searching for “novovirus”. Seriously. like over 35% of folks who wander in – new, non-repeat visitors from every corner of the world – come here for that. And I made *[one post][1]* commenting that I thought I had it at one point. (I probably didn’t, by the way.)
Anyway, here’s a little something for all you wanderers searching for a little info (since I really have none):
– [wikipedia.org][n1]
– [cruise ships][n2]
And *good heavens*, I am (as of writing this) the [**number one result** on msn.com searching for novovirus][n3]!
Funny what one whiny little blog post can do.
[1]: http://www.computerarts.co.uk/in_depth/features/50_ways_to_become_a_better_designer
[This article][1] has some interesting tips for being a better and more productive designer. I especially like tips 12, 15, 21, 24, 28, 46, and 48. And my favorite: “09 TAKE A SHOWER”.
