unclejimbo: (jim and xanxan)
Well, I kept my promise to Xander and we both went down to Hermosa Beach for some fun in the sand and surf. Pity I wasn't able to bring a camera. Guess I'll need to bring Donna along next time.

We had a great time building a sand castle. If I only didn't have to wear this stupid wrist brace I would have made a better wall for the castle. Ah well, he was happy with it anyways.

I don't think Xander has ever been to the beach to play in the waves. I held onto him tightly to make sure he wasn't pulled in with the receding waters. Even so, he was laughing and giggling like crazy as he was drenched repeatedly by our lovely Pacific Ocean.

We had lunch a but late, but he had a great appetitie today. He ate everything without a fuss and we drove around a bit so he'd nod off for his nap.

So, all's good for this Friday. Tomorrow, off to the SIL's house for some swimming and dinner. We're planning on getting haircuts in the morning and since I haven't had one since we went to Taiwan, it is surely needed.

Now off to bed. Tomorrow's forcast, HOT.
unclejimbo: (stop being afraid)
Hungary remembers picnic that changed the course of history.

1989: Gorbachev was leader of the Soviet Union (kids, ask your parents) and was trying to keep his country going while opening things up to the outside. The old guard, Stalinists were planning a coup (which happened on this day as well two years later that marked the end of the Soviet Union) because this was the start of an exodus out of Communist countries into the West. In a few more weeks, the Berlin wall came down.

Strange, when I was in the military back in the 80's, the Soviets were the big threat as the Cold War was reaching its conclusion. No one could have predicted then that there would be no Soviet Union 10 years later. And it wasn't Reagan, it wasn't the huge military budgets, it was a Hungarian border guard who let 150 East Germans enter into Austria that opened the floodgates. Today, you can travel through 25 European countries without showing a passport. Europe shares a common currency for the first time since the Roman Empire and it's economy is one of the strongest in the world.

I think that Europe feels that 2 World Wars fought on it's soil were enough. I would have to agree.

Now to fix the mess left behind from the Bush administration. *sigh*
unclejimbo: (Xander)
Well, today is a new milestone in more than one way. Today is 5 months since 'Gotcha Day'. It seems like no time has passed and an eternity at the same time. Donna and Xander are doing so much better together and he now identifies himself as Xander Bell. True, but he will always be Yang I.

This morning, he climbed into bed with us to snuggle which is becoming more and more his habit on the weekends. When I laid him down for a bit this morning, he said I was HIS BaBa (daddy). (Y'know, I'll probably miss him calling me that if/when he transitions over to daddy or dad or something. Donna likely will remain Mama for a while but he has been using Mommy on occasion too.)

Today I discovered he knows the days of the week. I asked him what day it was today and he said Monday. Then rattled off all of the days of the week. Holy Cow, man, this kid is a smart one and has only been here 5 months and can do that. Yikes! He can count to 20 on his own and is using more and more words every day. He even wanted to know last night about the Space Station. He knew it was REALLY high up and there were people in it and he wanted to know what they were doing.

Milestones. We measured him today and he's grown a full inch since he got here and when he eats, he eats it all gone. He'll even remind me if I forget his medicine. (I'll be happy when we can finish that course of antibiotics off and I'm sure so will he. Thankfully, Kaiser co-pay for the meds is only $5.)

Of course, I would be remiss in not mentioning that today is his 4th birthday. We have a party planned and there will be cake and ice cream and puppies. A good time should be had by all.

So happy birthday Xander. I love you.
unclejimbo: (fuzzy future)
Well, this afternoon was a total fail. Got off work right on time and was heading out to pick up Xander from school when I felt a thud and shudder while getting on the freeway. It felt like I lost power steering and when I looked I saw that my temp gauge was all the way up into the hot range. So I lost my water pump and a/c as well.

The culprit? A busted belt in the engine that took out another belt along the way. I nursed it to a gas station and called in AAA. Donna found me a repair shop in Bellflower to have the car towed to, I just had to make it there by 5 pm.

Thankfully, the tow truck arrived in time and we made it with time to spare. The shop even has an arrangement with Hertz for a rental at $30 a day. Not too bad.

Hopefully, all that will be needed is to replace the belts and nothing bad has happened to my engine. All good thoughts are appreciated.

Now off to bed.
unclejimbo: (jim and xanxan)
Spent the afternoon in Ortho at the hospital today... Way tired. Just going to check E-mail and crash.

A couple of things for those local people out here in LA LA land...

This Saturday at the Borders in Torrance, Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11 LM pilot) will be signing copies of his book. I AM SO THERE. It starts at 11 am, so be there early, I sure will.

Xander's 4th birthday is coming up on the 16th. It will also mark his 5 month anniversary of being our son. Time flies. Sheesh.

The weather out here, hot. Continues hot until September or so. Remember your sunscreen.

And Happy Birthday to all my friends who have them in August and a bigger happy Birthday to those in July that I missed. It's been a while since I even had a chance to post. Xander keeps one busy.
unclejimbo: (jim and xanxan)
7-20-1969: I was a 5 year old boy in front of our family's console color television watching Walter Cronkite on CBS as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. You couldn't have pried me away with a crowbar according to my mother. If it had to do with going into space I was so there.

7-20-2009: 40 years later, and I am still glued to the set watching anything about space if I get half the chance. I have read the books written by the astronauts about what things were like developing the technology to go to the moon. (Note: The Mercury guys, including John Glenn, were nuts!) I still get a chuckle about how NASA found a cheap and easy solution to an issue of fitting condoms on astronauts so that they didn't leak in space. (They re-labeled the boxes to stroke the fly-boy's egos: Small = Extra Large; Medium = Enormous; Large = Unbelievable!)

If I had any wish as a boy, I wanted to be an Astronaut. I wanted to fly the big rockets and go truly where no one had gone before. Today, I'm a middle aged man who loves rockets and hopes to live long enough to see us return to the moon and perhaps head out to the asteroids and Mars. It's doable. We can make it happen, all we have to do is try.

People bitch about how much money has been spent on spaceflight. Well, it is a pittance compared to other social programs, let alone the military-industrial complex. For what we've spent, the returns in knowledge and even new technologies that have spun off from what they came up with for the Apollo missions are astounding. (From the military, you get nothing. Just big bombs in bunkers waiting to be dropped on someone.)

Here's a clue, folks. If we sit on our butts here on Earth and never go further than Low Earth Orbit, one of these fine days a really big chunk of rock will come along and land right on top of us. If we're out there, we just might be able to do something about it before it hits us. That's a return I'd be willing to spend a bunch of money on, even if it doesn't occur in my lifetime. If my kids and grandkids and so forth are safe, I'll consider it a bargain. Plus it just might inspire some of our kids to stay in school and learn to be something other than a thug.

My opinions, of course, but I hope it inspires some thoughts.
unclejimbo: (iStitch)
Walter Cronkite passed away today. Talk about an end of an era. I remember watching him on the CBS News and when he covered the Apollo moon landings. Heck, he was even covered the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia in '81 and John Glenn's trip on the shuttle in '98.

He was the voice of the people for a long time and IMHO a man whose word you could truly take to the bank. In the era of FAUX News, the stilling of Walter's voice is all the more painful. It is very fitting he should die during the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11. His was the voice people turned to for that historic mission. He was 'one of us', the only difference being he sat in front of the camera.


Full Story Here!
unclejimbo: (not saying a damn thing)
It's been missing for a week and I've been going nuts trying to figure out just where it had gone off to. Then I'm sitting at the table with Donna and look past her shoulder...

...and see the stupid watch on the shelf right behind her.

durrrr...


That's been this week in a nutshell.
unclejimbo: (iStitch)
I saw that Karl Malden passed away today. I didn't know he was my grandfather's age. Oh well. I also didn't know he won an Academy Award in 1951 for "A Streetcar Named Desire". I only knew him from "The Streets of San Fransisco" and those old American Express commercials from way back when.

He was one of the last of the old school actors left. He was a fellow who didn't have the looks of Marlon Brando, but he could keep up with Brando in any role you'd care to give him. I remember him in Patton and always thought Karl did a great job with the roll of Omar Bradley.

So long, may you be happy in your next role.
unclejimbo: (La la la la la)
Coleman concedes race to Franken

Republican Norm Coleman has conceded to Democrat Al Franken in the Minnesota Senate race, ending one of the longest Senate races in American history and clearing the way for Democrats to hold a 60-seat supermajority in the Senate.

Coleman’s concession, given from the front of his St. Paul home, came just a few hours after the Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously ruled Franken the winner of last November’s Senate race. In a 5-0 decision, the court upheld a three-judge panel’s April 14 ruling that Franken defeated Coleman in the race by 312 votes out of 2.9 million cast. The 32-page opinion was remarkably decisive, picking apart and rejecting one Coleman legal claim after another.

In its final line of the ruling, the state Supreme Court said Franken is “entitled” under Minnesota law to “receive the certificate election as United States senator from the state of Minnesota.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the certification today, clearing the way for Franken to be sworn in early next week when the Senate returns from its weeklong recess.


Okay, Bill. Say it with me: Senator Al Franken...

Bwaa ha haaaaa!
unclejimbo: (iStitch)
Ed McMahon died today.

I am just old enough to remember when he was Johnny Carson's sidekick on the Tonight Show back before Jay Leno too over. Ed had this huge personality that overcame a lot. Even a great bit about him farting during the show by the late George Carlin: "Hey, Ed! Move down man! WHEEEEEW! That was a Clydesdale fart..."

86 years is a pretty good run, especially for a fellow who served in both World War 2 and Korea. He had lots of friends in Hollywood and even with his legal troubles toward the end of his life, he didn't lose his sense of humor.

So long, Mr. McMahon. Say hello to Johnny and George for us up there.

6-19-2009

Jun. 19th, 2009 09:06 pm
unclejimbo: (jim and xanxan)
Well, today was the 3 month anniversary of having Xander home here in California. The changes are amazing.

We went out to see the doctor for a follow up on the Scarlet Fever. He's feeling much better and his throat isn't red nor swollen anymore. His appetite has returned with a vengeance. (8 Gyoza's for breakfast.) As we walked back to the car, I pointed to the MOB (medical office building) where I work. I asked if he wanted to go to the car or see the folks I work with. His response? See the people.

Every time they make much of him. Today, he had his usual period of shyness but it passed quickly. In the Pain Block clinic, they have a skeleton hanging up so they can show people where the doctor is going to put the needles and stuff. So is my kid bothered by the skeleton? Nuh-uh. He had a wonderful time playing with the hands and stuff.

We took him out for yakitori tonight for dinner. He didn't care for the meatballs so much, but the other chicken skewers were eaten with great enjoyment and he also ate half of the soboro on my plate as well. He fell asleep a well fed, sleepy boy.

He took his medicine with little problems today. Even tonight, right after we got home, he sat in his high-chair and took his ampicyllin without batting an eye. He's still getting the rash at night, but it seems to be lessening. Need to remember to get more hydro-cortisone cream tomorrow.

Language and his adjustment to us is still progressing well. I still think that his having tantrums these last few weeks is in part due to his being more comfortable with us. He came running outside today as I was loading the car because he thought I was getting ready to leave without him... Yeah, as if.

Now for some much needed sleep.

Want!!!

Jun. 18th, 2009 11:40 am
unclejimbo: (Stitch)
Took a look at the Ghostbusters Video Game for the Wii.

I took a look at the reviews and some screen captures. I love the quote, "We wanted to make the Wii version as if Pixar had done Ghostbusters..." And it looks cool. IMHO better than the version for the XBox 360 and PS3. Just something about the stylized characters speaks to my childhood.

So there. I'll add it to my wish list. I know I won't get it for a while, but this is a definite want. I can't wait for Xander to be old enough to play with me. Look out Gozer!
unclejimbo: (jim and xanxan)
Well, Xander still had the fever this morning and when I took a shower with him I could feel a rash all across his torso and parts of his back. Off to Urgent Care we went.

The doctor diagnosed him with Scarlet Fever.Link Not sure as to the vector, could be school could be something else. Is a major bummer. He's on amoxicyllin for the next 10 days. We're giving him Children's Advil and some Bennedril to ease his discomfort and to hopefully let him sleep.

Poor little guy is so uncomfortable. We're doing what we can, but seeing as he seems to prefer me to Donna right now, I'm calling off work for Sunday and might need to call off Monday as well if he is still showing signs of the illness. (Can't drop him off at day-care if he's sick, donchaknow.)

Good thoughts welcomed. Hopefully the antibiotics will do their thing quickly and knock the bacteria down so he'll have some relief.
unclejimbo: (jim and xanxan)
Well, had a pretty good day with Xander. Went to get somethings at the Post Office, picked up cat litter and then retrieved his lunchbox that I had forgotten at the school last night. We hit the park for a bit and he played on the swing for a bit and we saw some ducks.

Dinner tonight was Curry House. I felt his forehead and it was really hot to the touch. He threw up a bit at the restaurant and when we got home we found his temp to be 102.3. He's got Children's Advil on board now and is in bed. We'll monitor the situation tonight and take appropriate actions tomorrow if he is not much improved.

Ah the joys of parenthood. *shrugs* We knew this was a probability, it just happened sooner as opposed to later. We're as prepped as we can be. Still, you have to feel sorry for the little guy. No one likes being sick, especially a little kid.

Hope you all have a nice weekend.
unclejimbo: (jim and xanxan)
We saw Dr. N. today about Xander's hypothyroid issue. Her reply: "I don't think he ever had one."

?!?

The blood results we posted she confirmed were dead on normal. He's a little delayed in his growth, but then again he'll likely catch up as he gets older. We'll be seeing Dr. N. in December for a follow up. The good news, he'll never need to take the thyroid meds ever again. Once we're through with the INH for the latent TB infection, he'll be able to enjoy a pill-free life.

Of course, Donna and I are stoked. How this was missed is not understood, but we're nurses kids and we follow up on things. It pays to keep asking questions.

So now it's off to sleep. Work tomorrow and then another weekend. Hard to believe it has almost been 3 months since we first got to meet him.
unclejimbo: (Hope)
A question: What the hell are the Rugnicons listening to Newt Gingrich about anything?

These bozo's just want to bitch and moan and groan about anything Obama's doing. Either he's doing too much or too little. And they think they're going to win in November? Good luck.

Actually, I'm kind of hoping it will be a Gingrich/Palin ticket for 2012. That will truly be comedy gold.
unclejimbo: (Xander)
Well, it is now closing in rapidly on the 3 month mark and Xander is doing really well. He's a handful at times to be sure, but by all reports that is normal for a 3-4 year old. At times he is a well behaved little boy, at others he melts down like a pro. Ah well, we all did that as well.

Finally got my Sentra into the shop to fix the front end damage caused by my fender bender a few weeks ago. $250 for the co-pay and Allstate picks up the rest. I am now driving a Pontiac G6 from Enterprise. The car is very nice. If GM had made more nice mid-sized cars like this as opposed to the fricking Hummers, well, maybe they wouldn't be in such big trouble right now.

Of course, now that the US taxpayers now own 60% of GM, perhaps we could order them to restart production on the EV-1s and develop a next generation version for the 2011 model year. Just saying.

Xander go this first haircut yesterday. We thought this would result in a meltdown, but he sat there on my lap and rather enjoyed the scissor cut. (He had the buzz cut of Doom in Taiwan. Understandably he didn't like that much at all.)

That's about is for now. Got to do another walkabout in the new hospital. Very nice! Downside, this place is huge. I think we might want to have some walkie-talkies for doing portables. The nice thing is that there are readers on every floor for when you're doing portables. Big plus. Now we don't have to go all the way back to the department to check our work and then have to go all the way back for retakes.

We'll be out doing things this weekend. Festival in Rancho Palos Verdes or a Carnival in Venice.
unclejimbo: (iStitch)
Full story here.

I remember when I was a kid back in the early 70s watching Kung Fu and wanting to be a bit like Caine. He was a hero but never needed to act all macho and stuff. He embodied the ideal of Zen philosophy in the role - to just be. It was a great show and I'll still watch it if I stumble across a rerun somewhere. I think am in the small group of people who liked 'Kung Fu the Legend Continues'. (Gotta love Caine knocking the psycho out by sending a palm strike through a solid concrete wall.) I think David had fun on the show, even if it didn't last as long as he'd have liked. (Actors like the rest of us do like paychecks.)

It's hard to say why he died. There are just too many questions that need answering. I am just saddened by his passing and I hope he has found the peace and enlightenment he sought during the course of his life.

Rest well, Grasshopper.
unclejimbo: (Xander)
Got the results back for Xander concerning his thyroid levels.

Results: TSH 2.10 Normal Range: 0.4-4.0

Normal! His results are normal!!!

OMFG! And his liver panels for the other meds we're giving him for his TB exposure show his little liver is doing just what it is supposed to.

One less thing. Thank you, God!

Now we don't have to do blood tests every 6 months. He's normal and healthy. I am going to have to send a note off to Heartsent about this. It ought to bring a few smiles on a cloudy day.

WOOT!

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