Did you accomplish anything today?

[willowtreewren]

That sounds great, Kevin! 

For me, well, this has been an awesome day. We attended a lively discussion about current issues, followed by more discussion over lunch with friends, which lasted well into the afternoon. Then I dutifully did my shoulder routine, (with added calorie burning leg exercises that have my butt somewhat sore!). It was beautifully sunny and warm until I started my walk, but even with the sky clouding up, the three miles went quickly as I listened to two lectures from the Nutrition course I'm working on. When I got home I put together a yummy quiche. That combined with school pizza will take care of all the cooking for this week. I feel like I'm ready to start the school week. AND I have physical therapy on my shoulders tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to that.

Aleta

[Gerald Lively]

I cooked up a batch of crepes for dessert and it like to have killed me off.  But I did it. 
Mmmmm!  Chocolate goodies for wife, lesser sweets for me.

[kitkatz]

I worked out this morning with my trainer.  Ran/walked ,66 of a mile and did hill training. Up and down a small hill a few times.  Then a three mile bike ride.  Took puppy 1.5 miles to wear her out. Then went out ont he bike with hubby on his new bike 1.5 miles.

[Kitty Cat]

I had won tickets last week to a Santa meet & greet for the grandsons, we did that yesterday. Oh it was so much fun! The boys had their picture taken with Santa, the oldest grandson, Pierce (19 months) who is terrified of Santa smiled for the picture! How priceless. He was sitting on his mom's lap, but still!

Today, I am supposed to be working on my resume to get back to work, discouraging when I start seeing what is out there. I really don't want to go back to what I was doing, at times it was horrible, because people don't know how to talk to each other any more. The customers say whatever makes them feel good at the time, never mind how it makes the person on the other end feel. That being said, if I have to go back to that, so be it but it certainly is an incentive to get back into school and start working on the social work degree!!

[chook]

I've been back on my push bike and am amazed how easy it is to pedal post tx. I'm giving myself a  for managing to ride it when I was not so well.
As well I've been chipping burr - we have a lot of galvanised burr, horrible prickly stuff, around our house. It gives me a great sense of achievement when I clear another patch. Yes, it is an endless job but satifying just the same.

[Riki]

I took a 4 hour nap this afternoon.. not sure if that's an achievement or not. *LOL*

I got a call yesterday from the cane trainer at the CNIB.  He said he can start training me next week.  That's step 1 towards getting a guide dog!  I'm really excited.

[chook]

I'm excited for you too, Riki. That's great news about the cane.

[Cordelia]

Lots, and I was glad.  Went shopping, did some renal-friendly muffin baking for breakfast,  and got all my Christmas cards mailed. I think that's  a lot     

[CebuShan]

This has been a very busy week! We are fostering a kitten until Sunday and he has helped liven things up! I had my surgery on Wednesday and have been dealing with so much swelling. Actually got the bed made yesterday but my arm ached so bad afterwards. We had our first measureable snowfall last night/this morning. I have D today and then the adult Christmas party at our Church tonight. 

[Cordelia]

Did you have a fistula put in? I totally understand the 'ache' you're talking about!

[jbeany]

Have become my pre-teen nephew's chauffeur since my brother-in-law tried to turn his station wagon into a compact by sliding it into a tree on slick roads on Thanksgiving weekend, so have been juggling that ever since, along with studying and volunteering.  He's broken his sternum, 3 ribs, his ankle and his foot, so he won't be driving for several months. 
On Tuesday, I finished 5 client memos and turned them in and presented 3 of them for final regular class on Wednesday.  Thursday, I outlined and found specific examples for a 5 page paper due next Wednesday.  Friday, I finished a 19 page take home exam, after about 16 hours of working on it. Friday night, I started my giant final assignment, a 12 section trial notebook with both edited previous assignments and some new assignments that is due on Monday night.   If I have time to sleep before exams are over, that will be an accomplishment.

I'll be back to being an active moderator soon, I hope!

[chook]

Wow, jbeany, I'm impressed!!! Hope you get to take a break from studies and have a nice relaxed Christmas!

[cariad]

GAAAAAAAHHHHH! It's been another on-the-go day with little to show for it. Got the kids off to school, thankfully had packed lunch the night before. Lawyer asked me to call him so I did and we had a brief chat about mediation. Worked on my SAS program. With a few alterations, that should be good to go and I'm done with that class. It's only a 1 credit class and I only took it because once you reach 8 credits you don't pay any extra, so it was free, and something I really wanted to learn properly. My Public Health prof chose today to tell me that dialysis is not a Public Health issue, that it must be on CKD. Oh, hell. I give my presentation on Wednesday. I would have panicked but I did not have time. Traveled to the mediation. What a nightmare. They wisely kept me separated from the jerk we're suing and his lawyer. It went as expected - whining about how they don't have the money and now we have to move forward with a court case. We are trying for a default judgment but who knows if that will happen. When the mediator told me what he was offering I burst out laughing. Gwyn was furious (over the phone) and I was in the rare position of trying to calm him down, as generally it is the reverse.

Returned home, did a few quick google searches for public health articles. Collected Aidan early from basketball at school - I just could not wait. Collected Elliot and we were off to get them haircuts. It was getting ridiculous, poor Liot could barely see. The place was empty which never happens, so we were home by our usual 6ish. Gave Liot a shower because he was uncomfortable after the haircut. Made them a quick dinner of meatloaf sandwiches, pear, and yogurt. (Gwyn made his apparently-awesome meatloaf and froze it in slices). Did the dishes while the kids were eating. Made Liot's sandwich for tomorrow (Aidan did not eat his today, so he gets it again tomorrow). Kids are talking to their dad right now, who spent the day at a Phoenix test track.

Finished up Biostatistics last week while parents were in town. Felt really unprepared, but thanks to 3 extra credit questions on the grad student presentations, including "Which statistical model was used to discuss transplant outcomes?" I got over 100%. Whew. Just like the first exam, I left thinking that I either aced it or bombed it but could not really be sure of which. So, at least I know I have one solid A for the term.

Anyhow, just wanted to pop over and give a quick look at what I am up against this week: a presentation and computer program due this week, two papers due next week. Plus the single mother routine. Our house looks like a hurricane tore through here. Ah well, at least my kids look adorable. Behold the new hair:

[Riki]

I got my new cane today!  I"m rather proud of it.. not really sure why..

[cariad]

I can understand why you'd be proud, Riki! I think you should be proud. You're pursuing your own health goals.

Congratulations on a job well done!

[MooseMom]

Lots of great pics on this thread lately!   

[Riki]

Thank you, Cariad.  I'm learning the proper way to use the cane, and there's a way of holding it that I'm having trouble with.  You are supposed to pretty much swing it in front of you, using your wrist, but whenever I do the motion with my wrist, it snaps.. *L*

[jbeany]

All my assignments are turned in.  I have one final class session in the morning and I am a free soul for 3 weeks until the next semester begins.  Hurray!!!!

[cariad]

Oh, Riki, I've always thought I have really weak wrists. That sounds like it would be a struggle for me. Plus, as a former tennis player, you usually want to keep your wrist rigid, so I don't have loads of dexterity there.

I have my Public Health presentation on CKD tonight. It is mostly done, I just want to add a few more precise facts about racial disparities in CKD and ESRD. I am not nervous because I like this class and we all seem to get along well, and while it is 15% of my grade, she strikes me as being a pretty generous grader. She has given me full marks for everything I've done so far.

Think of me tonight as I try to condense CKD and ESRD down to a 15 minute presentation!

[jbeany]

Think of me tonight as I try to condense CKD and ESRD down to a 15 minute presentation!

I've no doubt your 15 minute presentation will contain far more information than anyone in your audience ever knew existed about ESRD.

I'm done with my semester.   
I've also finally gotten approval to work for the federal government, having passed my background check.  Still not sure why it took so long.  I've been on SS Disability and Medicare for ages.  How long does it take them to look up their own records?     I start the first week of January, so my vacation just got a week shorter because of the start time, but so it is.  The goal is a job at the end of this, which will come with regular vacations, so I'll just have to wait!

[Poppylicious]

I put my Christmas decorations up!

 

I usually leave it till at least a week before the big day, but I decided I needed to a) start getting in the festive mood ready for Blokey's work party on Friday night, and b) have somewhere to store all the beautifully wrapped presents currently taking over my spare bedroom.

[willowtreewren]

OH, my.

About 35 years ago I made a teddy bear for my daughter. I kept the pattern and made a matching teddy for HER daughter about 6 or 7 year ago. At that time I also mended my daughter's teddy because her dog had chewed on it. Okay, granddaughter number 2 came along 3 1/2 years ago. I meant to make her a teddy out of the same pattern about two years ago. Sigh. I got the pieces cut out this summer for her third birthday but ran out of time to finish it.

Well, tonight I finished sewing the head. This teddy WILL be done for Christmas. But when I am finished with it, I am burning the pattern.

   

I never want to see it again. I keep reminding myself that the teddy is a work of love..... 

It has been a LOOOOOONG time since I have said so many cuss words over a work of love.

 

I have to do my shoulder rehab exercises and and then I am done for the night! 

Aleta

[Riki]

That's so sweet, willowtreewren!

My grandmother made bears for all of us when we were born.  Mine is blue, because they thought I was going to be a boy.  After about 34 years, the poor thing is getting a little threadbare. She died in 2000.  Now, that bear is one of a couple of things she made me.  It's worth more than gold to me.

[cariad]

What sweet teddy bear stories. My mother had dolls made for me and my two sisters that were supposed to look like us. I don't think mine still exists, and she made mine with blonde hair which is not even close to accurate anymore. We were each wearing our school uniforms, and I always felt like such a dork in that thing. (Although now I think all the little kids looks so adorable in them, I wish more schools would use them.)

Well, the has been poured - I finished my presentation! I had to talk like an auctioneer to keep it to the time limit (so did almost everyone else) but it's done. Now I just need to get a 10 page paper completed by this time next week for this class (I can write ten pages before I even mention the topic.... )

I have a 15-page minimum paper due Tuesday morning for Psych Anthro. He will give a zero if you are even a bit late, and will not accept emailed papers. Since it's on how transplant affects one's sense of self, I feel I have a pretty solid grasp of the topic, although he insists it be mostly current literary analysis. That's good, though, because there is quite a lot out there, nothing that strikes me as too terribly accurate, and I have to familiarize myself with the literature before I can propose for my Ph.D. If I am going to continue on, I need to read anything and everything.

[Poppylicious]

I don't have a bear story but my nana did make me a doll with two heads (she/they have a long reversable skirt so it only looks like one doll at any given time, regardless of which head is showing - does that even make sense?) and I do still have it (somewhere)!

Today I visited my new place of work to meet my line manager and have the tour I initially declined during the interview process.  Feeling a bit bewildered now ...