A funny!

Now, if you are the easily offeneded kind, or find the following personally offensive in anyway, Im sorry. But this is funny.

SouthPark does

On this kinda note - not sure if I mentioned it before, probably but hey, I dont remember so you can get it again.

We've all noticed now how everyone has some kinda medical issues now-a-days, wether its exma, asthma, allergies, through to more serious things like MS and so on..

But if we had all lived 100 years back, next to none of this would have existed.

The problem is that when some new one gets a name and in the press, everyone has it, its like the being fat excuse of "its my glands" .. yes, legitmiately for some people this is true, but for all those who blame them, very few actually medically have backing of this. Now, speaking as a person who is larger than the doctors deam "Normal".. Id love to have this excuse, but, I know where my additional weight came from, chemo, followed by being so tired and run down I couldnt do much and stuffing my face to gain energy but not, just pileing on the pounds.

So, onto the subject, and again, if you find this offensive, Im sorry, but, its just my thoughts.

A.D.D, I dont disbelieve in it, so let me make that clear, but so many people online claim ADD.. In fact, play online game, find someone under 15 or so, their age will show in something if you group/raid and hey presto "be nice to me I have ADD" seems to be the default reply.. Is ADD really that prevelant or, is it just the case of because disipline is lacking now in todays society, after all kids now cant even fail exams, or be told things are wrong.. they seem to have little respect for anyone.. so, is that really ADD or just little oik ??

Hmm, vanguard download

So, I waited all day, watching the timer count down to like 5 minutes..

Then it shot up to 11 hours!!!

now despite even restarting it, in case it was a little confused.... it still thinks theres 7 hours to go

if this sucks when I get there, I'll be very bored.

Vanguard!?

Now, I know Im getting older, and I know one day my memory will fail and not long after that incontinancy will follow Im sure.. but, hopefully those days arent here yet.. but I am thinking that they maybe sooner than I'd like, why?

I got an invite to the vanguard beta, this is MMORG game long awaited by main game players out there, only to find.. its run by Sony! Im sure, Im so so sure, that so much of the hype about why vanguard was going to be great was because it wasnt done by the makers of EQ. Well ,it was, but it was being done by those who had left EQ and moved on to do vanguard.. Now, it seems Sony has that too?

Karate lesson #6

The final less for 2006, was an odd less, it was very much geared around christmas and children, and paying 5 pound 50 to kinda watch kids play games isnt necessarily my idea of good value. However.. it was the second half of our grading..

Technically I am now a white belt with little yellow tips, Im 8th Kyu or something. :) whee!

Chillis may save the world! (Diabetes cure found!)

Now, those of us who love chillis (personally, I love finely chopped chillis on toast, yes, you read that right, take a chilli, remove the seeds, finely chop stick on toast with a bit of butter.) This article just tells us maybe all we ever needed to know about chillis.

Diabetes cure?

Now, for those of you with diabetes, I bet that any results of this finding wont come quick enough, but, at least this is the most positive thing to come for diabetics everywhere in a long time. After all, this is potentially a cure, not a treatment!

However, I was interested to read that back in 1999 it said they found it was like pain, and that some guy on a whim decides to try injecting chilli stuff, and hey presto.. It comes back to 1 thing though.. All these break throughs, is it me, or is sometimes something natural and simple often the best answer? Pills and potions always seem to have more side effects.

Karate lesson #5

Today we did the first half of our gradings for yellow belt. So, of course, despite the fact last week I remember it all nicely, this week, I messed up.

However, other than we are being scruitinised for our grading, this week was much like last week. I wanted to talk to the trainer after the lesson, but he was busy, next week is our last week before christmas.

I fear I will fail, I got the impression from before the lesson that its almost impossible to fail.. but, somehow, I guess the inner doubts I have make me feel I will.. And its for those reasons Im going, I need to improve myself confidence.. that and it would be nice to think if some guy came at me I could at least put up some resistance.

Nigela Lawson.. A rant by me

For those who may not know, Nigela Lawson is supposedly a chef. She is currently on my tv talking about cooking. However, there is so much wrong with this woman its hard to know where to start.

This is the kind of woman who would say things like "I would only use wine that has been hand crushed by vestal virgins from mount Olympus and you only need 3 bottles" ...

She really seems to insist on the most expensive things, and while we know often they probably do taste better, lets grab some realism, I dont mind spending time preparing a meal, I dont mind spending *some* money on making it nice.. but Im not spending a months wages on a snack, and Im not going to have go to on 87 holidays just to get the pieces she blathers on about.

The series called Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver, was based on good simple premise, buy reasonable food, cook it, eat it. Minimal greif, for nice food. Great respect for that. Nigela has never had anything practical about her cooking.

She all but finely chops herbs and then places each piece on the food.. where as anyone else just throws.. She has a voice to drive you to drink too, and originally I admired the fact she was a cook (I cant bring myself to say shes a chef, as to why, I shall explain later), and was thin.. sadly was is so much the word. Now, Im never gonna win thinnest person UK, but she makes me look thin.

So.. why the "cook" ?? well she was on radio saying how she hated cooking and that it was too much effort to warm food from the fridge/freezer..

So, she should get stuffed, shes a rich person sapping even more money by making pretentious cooking programs.. and if I never saw her on my tv again.. Id be happy.

PS Oz Clarke is nearly as annoying about wine.. guess which program followed hers?

Karate lesson #4

Today we did that first kata all the way through, which is 20 moves in total I think. So, I feel pleased with myelf. I however sponged a lift off the instructor home - its like 10 minute walk but it was quite windy, and spitting looking like it might immenantly throw it.. so, he was kind enough to let me in the car :P

We did a lot more today, it was hard work, I went very red and blotchy coz I was hot, I was terribly sweaty, so took my 2nd t-shirt off.. came to put it on at the end and it was cold and wet.. EWWWW - half the reason I didnt want to walk home coz I was cold already!!

We saw the second kata today, as 2 new people came, one has a yellow belt the other orange, and the second one (yellow) is the same as the first but with kicks, you punch kick on the single steps and kick punch on the linked steps.. so, it should be fairly easy to remember when my time comes!

The weekend comes and goes

Cant believe its saturday night already, its nearly 11pm, and what did I do today?

Charlie went down the vet, whos still pleased with his progress, to the point we dont have to go next week, we get the week off, a trip to tesco, played a short bit of wow, did some crochet.. I really dont know where it all went..

Sunday, well Dad will ring around 10am tomorrow, as always, I'll wash a few clothes.. then it will be monday!

Id like to recommend two products for you though

MediaMonkey - a media player, written in delphi, its real cool!
Bits Du Jour - a place that sometimes has great software for a stupidly cheap price. This week, for example I bought automise from them for $19.95, normal price? $195!!!

Ever had the feeling...

We've all done something and had that feeling where you think, if I had used just 1 brain cell, just 1, I wouldnt have done that.. but..

Have you ever found yourself wondering if your brain is really wired wrong? Either when you really cant grasp the concept of something you know must be simple, or that you just dont find something funny that everyone else is virtually hospitalised with hysterics over, or something??

Im having a week where I swear there must be something really really differently wrong in my head..

Charlie the pup

So, how is Charlie you ask?

Well last weekend he got done with the trimmers. and I mean done.
So, as you can probably see the photo was taken just as I finished the job, and hadn't as yet tidied up! Hes sitting next to his pile of fur.. the rest being splattered around the landing carpet.

He does look very different when hes done, when his fur is around 2 inches + he looks very bearded collie, which he half is, but when trimmed the springer spaniel side of him shows through strongly.

Hes also happier as usually like now by the time I do him his fur is getting longer and hes feeling quite hot. He doesnt enjoy a fair chunk of the trimming, feet especially, he also has a very short attention span, but with the new trimmer I bought last year it does only take 15-20 minutes including the breaks to do him, where as the first time I did him, he didnt mind me doing it quite so much but I only had nail scissors and it took about 2.5-3 hours!!!

The vets went well this weekend (yes this should really have come before the Karate 3 post), the vet is please hes well and doing fine, although perhaps a little too fine as he must not try and walk on the leg and well Charlie feels he should when only moving a few steps.

Another good point this weekend was that Charlies weight is down, he was 45kg. Hes now around 41.85! thats great weight loss considering its not like hes getting much exercise.

Its still hard not to spoil him rotten, let him play and so on as you can see in him that hes missing the fun and sad, and when anyones sad you want to cheer them up, somehow.

Karate lesson #3

Well, success again this week. No falling over.

We've learnt some punches, some kicks and, some blocks.

Im biologically at a disadvantage for the short stomache punch as you need to put your elbow in to your stomache.. only.. well.. as a female, there are 2 "glands" which get in the way..

We do stomache punches, head punches, back hand head level punches, back hand sideways punches, short stomache punches, rising elbow punches and.. round elbow punches...we then do front kicks, side kicks, round kicks and back kicks. (the kicks not too surprisingly I do very well given Im flexible, but without the balance is when Im most likely on the floor)

we do head blocks, inside hook blocks, outside hook blocks, downward blocks and sweeping blocks.

While that sounds like a lot of stuff, its generally announced "do this" and then we do like 10 of them, and maybe 10 faster, or 10 of something else and then swap back.. this is ok

what is harder is we are now being taught to do them and move. So things like bounce back and forth on your feed and then punch.. believe it or not, its amazing how many ways there are to mess that up!

We are also being taught our first kata, katas are like a routine. This first one has around 20 moves in it, and while all are made from one of the above...remembering which is next, which foot/hand to move..what to do with the rest of you..oh and when trying to turn 270 degrees of course, not fall over.. this is actually surprisingly hard.

We've learnt the first moves they go something like

stand, turn 90 degrees left and block with left hand in a lower block,
step forward and punch
turn 180 and block with right hand in a lower block
step forward and punch
turn 90 degrees left and block lower block with left and
step forward punch
step forward punch
step forward punch and shout
270 degree turn and block with I think right hand.. gets a bit mushy here
and I think stepforward and punch..

Well I found this link .. you tell me how good I remembered!

Karate me II

Well

today was the second karate lesson. I found to my surprise I had remembered far more than I had thought I had. We did some combinations today, as well as a new kick, and the first 3 moves on the "first kata" which is a routine to prove your skill. Last week I had serious issues with the blocks, next to none of them worked for me, in the sense that I could block with the arm to prevent the blow/kick.. but the other kinda well my brain didnt know what to do with it, it could only concentrate on 1 arm at a time. This week I got a couple of them almost right! yay and I didnt fall over this week either, always a bonus.

I must be really really deranged.

So.

I thought I heard the front door shut.. odd considering my hubby and I were upstairs, as were both dogs.. So, I wanderded down, the light was on.. even more concerned I opened the door, to find a man standing there, big grin on his face.

The short story goes.

His name is Mike and hes a karate instructor starting lessons in my area, would I sign up.

Well.

I confess.

I have.

no no, seriously, stop laughing.

I have!

I start monday..

I'll write from hospital I promise :P

My thoughts go to Sophie

In 1999 I had leukaemia, to some of you this is no shock, you already knew, however to those who didnt.. :P I did so there.

anyway, a young girl near here has it, and is blogging about her time. I had kind of done something similar except I got little time at home or online while I was in, and well, even though it was only 7 years ago, its funny how time was so different then.

You can read about her here

For those who missed my waffle on me inside you can read that here

Ballroom dancing (quick note)

Why is it (watching celebrity come dancing thing) in waltzes etc which are romantic the woman throws her head back and looks as far away from the guy as humanly possible with a look on her face like "Man you stink!"

Poor pup!

This last week has been hard, and if you aren't a pet owner, or haven't had small kids, this may not make a lot of sense. But, we have 2 dogs, Charlie and Kiera. Kiera was rescued be me from wandering up and down a duel carriage way, and abandoned, having captured her, phoning the most famous organisation for rescuing animals.. they said "Is she injured?" on no.. they said "Sorry we don't do stray animals".. fine.. sorry guys I had a lot of love for that organisation, ever last scrap went with that comment. (As they do do strays!!!)

Charlie, was our first pup and I guess in someways that will always make him a little special. However, there is just something about him, his character he is just a special little guy (little isn't really a good word, as hes 45kg!)

anyway

Last year, Charlie had an operation on his ear for a lump, which we were told was benign, but has reoccurred so he had an op again this year on the 28th (I thought I had blogged about my response when we were told it was back and stuff.. but apparently not, just as well the post would have been rather angry)

Well this week has been a week of tragedy

On going back on Monday for a check up Charlie had been exceedingly more than reluctant to get in my car. To the point of in trying we had succeeded in ripping the plastic facia stuff off the back, as well as him fretting and ending up on my front seat, well bum in the foot well paws on the seat with him drooling like a manic thing into the seat..

When we were told we should come back Wednesday, I made him a deal. You get in the car without too much fuss, and we'll go for a big big walk round the fields near the vets, as on the Monday I had rewarded him with a short walk there and he had behaved so well (we don't have good places to let dogs off the leads near us all the big green bits open straight onto roads where cars are doing between 40-60mph..)

Wednesday came, he got in the car with little effort, and so his reward was an hour of walks around the fields, he was the model of perfection, any fears I had about his behavior when things may crop up, like people walking there too (he tends to bounce) I could call and he would come back and walk with me, when other dogs came in he didn't rush and play, he stayed with me as asked and well I could have cried I was just so proud..

What happened next was the saddest thing (Well it could have been worse I grant but, there is no justice here)

I commented to a lady with her 2 collies how well behaved they were and the collies took a ball and came over to charlie and asked him to play so I let him, so they all played together, Kiera couldn't be bothered, and it was glorious to see everyone playing in the wonderful sunshine..

I was about to go, so through the ball 1 last time.

Charlie didn't make it there first, and then turned and lifted his back leg up, he wouldn't put it down, he had hurt himself.

he came back looking real sorry

so I checked his paw, lay him down, checked his leg he didn't whine, couldn't find anything obvious.

So we went back to the vet - Poor Charlie had to walk, it was probably half mile!

The vet looked and found the problem very quickly

Charlie had broken both Cruciate ligaments in his knee (Explained here ) in short, these are a X shaped pair that hold the knee together.

I was devastated, what a horrible way for such immaculate behavior to be rewarded.

An operation was booked for the next day, I asked to attend. It was granted, I was kinda relieved, having 2 ops in a week is certainly not good for a dog, and I had so many fears, and I confess there is an element of feeling at fault so being there at the making better was to help me feel included in the doing so.

The vets have been marvelous, the even reshuffled bringing the op forward - the sooner done, the less damage happens to the inner bits of his leg.

The op went well.. The best that could be expected, no complications, no compromises, all good.. For someone (me) who's scared of needles like you've never seen, I do have a rather curious lack of issue as long as they are going into someone else. So, even watching someone I love as much as Charlie, was not an issue, seeing them cutting and poking and even the scary hook thing they used to pop his knee.. not a flinch.. (kinda just as well the room wasn't that big if I had passed out, thrown up or such there was no room!)

The hardest part was as he came round he cried, I think 90% of it was disorientation the rest was telling me how scared he was..

I spent most of the next 24 hours hugging him, this included me sleeping on the floor, freezing my bits off (had to be the coldest night so far this year didn't it!?) with only my clothes, a coat and in the end a rug Charlie had chewed as a pup to keep me warm.

Last night finally for the first time he managed to getup on his own, and he wanted to wander out having had to err, "leak" onto a towel for the last day, and did all he needed in the garden without me having to support him and you have no idea how much I had worried about the tactics of doing this.

Well today, Saturday, we went back for a checkup, and the vet said it was better than expected, this is such a relief.

However, as you can see from the pic I will attach, Charlie had the life of royalty for that time (and its not much different now) with his water being bought to him and offered him in bowls, each dog biscuit of his tea hand fed.. and.. HE got the couch!!






Before you ask, the pillow case is covering his leg, which has about a 9" set of stitches on it, but it was more to keep the draft off it

Something useful

This is something a friend (thank you Chris) pointed me at today. Its kinda useful. Like most, I am always sceptical when it reckons 750 odd things are wrong with your PC and you look through and yes, some you go yes, I removed, that.. but others were like it when you got it and you just have that fear that you'll say "fix it" and well.. nuffin will work ever ever again.

The feelings inside

Well, since the doc put me on some pills, occasionally Ive felt odd, sometimes kinda shakey you know like when after you throw up real good and you feel a bit weak and kinda fragile, you dont actually shake but you feel like you are. Or Ive felt nautious or dizzy but not enough, just a little.

Its tough. Coz nothing is bad enough that you can really explain it proper, and its not predictable and you always manage to think of other reasons why it could be that way.. such as, you're hungry, or, tired, or didnt sleep well..

The other thing is.. Im finally losing more weight.. Ive been stuck at 15.5 stone all year and it wouldnt shift, now, Im nearer 15. Its only a few pounds and yeah not enough you could write home about, but, considering Ive been trying all year and just not getting anywhere, and finally its coming down again.. and, if it is related to the pills, nothings actually wrong enough that you know a doc would say.. stop.

Sitting here, it feels like Christmas!

For those of you who work, you'll understand!

You know how it us around Christmas when the sky is grey, its cold, miserable, you go to and from work in the dark and generally staying under the duvet sounds like the best plan ever.. And when you see at work the office is quiet as you maybe the only one in

Did I sleep for a couple of months or something?? Where is everyone??