Dang bleeping computer viruses!
Posted on: February 21, 2011
I can’t believe it happened to me. Okay, let me rephrase that. I can’t believe it finally happened to me after all these years and I hope it doesn’t happen again. Yesterday, I was surfin’ the net and clicked on a button and ended up downloading a virus that hijacked my computer. It’s the one that looks like antivirus software called “System Tool.” This program basically will stop your ability to use your computer unless you “pay for service.” I couldn’t access the internet and I was too afraid to go around inside my computer files. I was soooo P.O.’ed. Luckily I had three things readily available to me: another computer, a flash drive, and access to cnet. Thank goodness for cnet. I was able to download a program that stops the virus’s processes, then I was able to update my Microsoft Security Essentials and run a full scan. The virus was too quick for the antivirus software to get rid of it. The report showed that it tried to quarantine it, but obviously didn’t work.
My computer is better now.
Pregnant women…
Posted on: February 17, 2011
I have a friend who is pregnant, about 34 weeks along, and on bed rest. She is obviously very bored. She called me while I was at work today asking me to do something that made go, “huh?” Apparently, some pregnant women on bed rest tend to go a bit stir-crazy when left to lay in bed and don’t know what to do when they finish watching the entire series of “Lost.” We went out to dinner and went to Borders. So much for bed rest…
No respect I tells ya
Posted on: February 16, 2011
Do you see it? It’s under the white casserole dish, but on top of the pot cover.
I don’t mind having dirty dishes left in the sink. I don’t mind if those dishes have been left for a couple of days. I really don’t mind if I have to wash them – I enjoy warm water being that I’m always cold. I do, however, mind having my really nice, really sharp, and expensive Pampered Chef knives tossed in amongst the dishes. I love my husband. I really do, but how many times I have to tell him not to toss my knives in the sink? It’s dangerous! Not to mention you can damage the blade. Yes, these do have a lifetime guarantee, but to be without my knives for weeks? Not likely to happen.
What’s even more irritating is that underneath the cutting boards – the white and blue under the Santoku knife, was my Chef’s knife. At the bottom was my Utility knife! Grrr!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Posted on: February 14, 2011
I really need to start taking pictures of my completed projects… that and I need to join a procrastinator support group at some point. Today is Valentine’s Day. The day comes every year: can’t miss it, it’s on the calendar, so it’s not like I didn’t know it was coming. OK, so this happens on all important days – birthdays, holidays (Christmas cards that arrive before Christmas? Is this possible?)
So back to the need to take pictures. The story starts back on Wed., Feb. 9. It’s my brother-in-law’s birthday. I should make a card because, heck, I have everything to make one easy. I was home all day with L – had his follow up with his pediatrician and his IEP meeting at school. Can’t come up with a single design. Oh well, we’re celebrating Friday night. I’ll make it tomorrow night.
Thursday: first day back at work. Busy, busy, busy catching up and making tactile diagrams for a blind student taking an oceanography course. Get home, I’m exhausted. Instead of a stamped card, I’ll use my Silhouette die cut machine. Look through my laptop to see if I have any digital designs. Can’t find the library – ever since the one day we hooked up my laptop to the big screen, the library disappeared when it got disconnected from the TV. That’s okay, because my main library is on the home computer. Go to the home computer, found a design, select the paper, grab the Silhouette. Can’t find the cutting sheet, power cord, or the computer cable. Too tired. I’ll borrow a cutting mat from a friend tomorrow and make the card before we go out to dinner.
Friday: Borrow a friend’s Cricut machine cutting mat. Get home from work to test it: not going to work. The Cricut cutting mat is only 6.5 inches wide; I need 8.5 inches. Belated card it is! That’s just like me anyway! Off to dinner
Saturday: I administer the ACT test in the morning. Chris and V are at the College too setting up for Heavier Than Air’s mystery dinner theatre that night. After fetching lunch for us, Chris tells me to look in a particular drawer for the power cable. The computer cable is probably in the cabinet. I get home around 2:30p. I’m tired and need a few minutes to myself (aka, cat nap for 20 mins.) I then go rescue Grandma from L. I haven’t eaten my lunch yet (a sub sandwich) and I’m getting hungry, but I want to at least start a load of laundry. Food will be my reward. Done. By the time I’m done eating, the wash is finished and I get the next load started. While that’s running, I need to clean up the kitchen from the past week. It doesn’t usually get bad, but considering what happened earlier in the week… done and the dishwasher is on timer to run later that evening. The washing machine is done and the dryer is almost done. I think I’ll catch up on my farm on facebook while I wait, maybe play a game of Zuma. L is watching Spongebob through Netflix on Chris’s laptop. Dryer done, next load in, fold laundry, and put it away. Repeat the info after the dishwasher. After the second load is put away, I find the power cord and computer cable. L is hungry for dinner, I’m not since I ate lunch a couple of hours earlier. Tend to the boy and his needs. Nighttime falls and we go to bed.
Sunday: lazy day. Chris and V didn’t leave the College until midnight. After taking someone home and driving home, they got home close to 1 a.m. Chris needed to go back to the College to restore the sound equipment for Monday’s choir class. He was so tired that napped on the couch for a couple of hours – sitting up. I figured I needed to get started on P’s b-day card. I figured out that I can still cut without the mat, just need to be careful with changing the blade for the thickness of paper. Card and enveloped done within the hour. Yes, it took that long because either the paper tore while being cut or the blade didn’t go deep enough to cut through the paper. Signed it and sealed it, then thought I should have taken a picture. Oh well, I should get started on L’s Valentine cards for his preschool class. I had to make two sets because the paper I used was a quite a bit thicker (110 lb). The first batch, the cut didn’t make it to the back side of the paper. I had to double the image on the computer so it would cut twice. By the time I was done with that part, I needed to start making dinner. At some point the devil boy managed to take scissors to two of the cards. Neither one of us was happy after that.
To end this story (so I can get to bed), there were several tiny hearts around the border that needed to be removed, along with the greeting of “Happy Valentine’s” in the center; it needed a backing, a sentiment stamped inside, signature, and envelopes to put them all in. By the time I finished putting everything together, signed, and sealed, it was after midnight, and I still had nothing to show for my work. (sigh)
Chris and I did nothing special on this Hallmark Holiday. We ordered pizza and watched TV, then put the kids to bed. As I finish writing this, the devil boy got himself into trouble yet again. He got a hold of Chris’s phone and tried too many times to unlock it. Chris’s phone is wiped clean to manufacturer settings. Everything is gone. Contacts, e-mails, v-mails, texts… all gone. Hmmm… this could be a good thing. Maybe he’ll taper down what he puts on there so it doesn’t constantly crash.
Getting back to normal
Posted on: February 11, 2011
It’s been a rough week to say the least. L needed to get back into his routine, so Thursday was the day. He was somewhat okay with going to Grandma’s that morning. Grandma said he wasn’t happy to go to school, but apparently the afternoon bus driver said he did okay. We went to a Kindergarten Transitions night Thursday evening. V’s preschool teacher is now the administrator of the preschool and told us that L did good. He cried a little at the beginning, but he soon got into the routine. I guess he was on one of those “Little Tikes” tricycles and started pointing to something. The teacher asked if he wanted water, he nodded “yes” but when told he needed to get up and come with her, he decided not to. He was on one of those toys that you just don’t want to give up… or share. He’s so social; it helps being cute too (thought: what will he be like in 10 years?) When we got to the preschool, we heard one of the greeters say, “Oh, here comes smiley,” when we arrived.
The transition night was a bust for us. We didn’t stay for the presentation because we know he’ll be in special ed. Plus, they don’t quite know which school he’ll be sent for Kindergarten. The biggest thing is that he already rides the bus, so no trauma for us. We received paperwork but was asked to hold on to it for another month until they could figure out which school he was going to. V was shuffled between a couple of elementary schools, but one is now off the list. As long as the bus ride is less than one hour; otherwise I’ll be pushing.
I guess V has already transitioned out of Art and is now back into PE. I wonder if we’re enabling her because she’s going back to another one of her favorite activities with her favorite teacher. All because we know she didn’t handle the change of her classmate not being there, and coupled with the fact that home was not normal. How do we teach her to cope with changes in her life the next time it happens? Are we protecting her too much? I expressed my concern with her teachers and they’ll consult with the school psychologist as well. Not sure what, if anything, we can do at home.
ACT testing is tomorrow.
A scary few days
Posted on: February 9, 2011
We had quite a traumatic scare that we’re still recovering from. Saturday evening, Feb. 5 around 8:30p, L somehow managed to get into his meds and ate a few pills. We don’t know how many he took. It’s a 3-month supply with 540 pills. We started the bottle recently, but can’t remember when. I called Poison Control about side effects, but while I was on the phone with them, Logan started acting “drunk” and thought it was funny that he had no balance. We immediately took him to the ER at Highline Medical Center. We called grandma and she took Vanessa.
At the check-in at the ER he was unusually “clingy.” We got right in. Once there, nurses started coming in, L freaked out. Chris laid under him to help hold him down. During the course of putting on nodes to record vitals, L became increasingly agitated. He soon went into a “spastic cycle” where it was like he under a demonic possession or a person undergoing drug withdrawals (except he overdosed). Then he began to vomit. He went through the cycle a few times then vomited again. He must have vomited four times before the nurse gave him antiemisis medication through this IV line. They took blood and did an EKG; everything came back normal despite the visual evidence. They decided to transport us to Children’s Hospital for better care since they were not equipped for child care. Chris went home to change while we waited for the ambulance to arrive (L had thrown up on him). Close to midnight, an ambulance came and got us. I rode on the gurney and held L on top of me. They had to put a new set of nodes on L for the ride. The ride took about half an hour. Chris followed us in my car.
We got to Children’s and a nurse and resident doctor were waiting for us. They had a new set of nodes to put on. They had spoken to Poison Control and none of them were sure about the half-life of Lamictal. They thought that maybe within 4-6 hours, L’s symptoms would pass and that we may be able to go home that morning. Since the low end of 4 hours was soon, and given that we were just transported, they decided to keep us to the 6 hour end of the spectrum. That would be around 3 a.m. In the mean time, they took another set of blood draws; again, everything seemed to come back normal.
As an aside, we were told by the ER doctor that while we waited, the cafeteria would be open and that the bacon was excellent. Chris went and got us each a breakfast sandwich. Apparently, the guy that can run the grill is only there during the graveyard shift.
When 3 a.m. arrived, L seemed to be doing better and the ER staff thought about discharging us. They took off all the nodes and the IV line from his right arm. L helped us dress him, lifting his legs and bottom, but when it came to sitting him up and putting on his shirt, L had no stability. He tried to get off the bed, but kept falling over onto his side. The decision was changed to admit him for further observation. It apparently took a while to find a room. Another hour or so of waiting and we ended up on the surgical floor with a roommate.
More vitals were taken, new nodes were placed, and soon they left us to rest a bit. We all took a “cat nap.” The daylight of the morning soon arrived; shift change happened. We got a visit from the attending physician and we were told the same info, but she wanted to get a hold of neurology to see if any of the doctors would be available to come to check on L. That didn’t happen; didn’t expect it since it’s a Sunday. More blood taken out, another EKG. We later received a visit from two resident doctors and later one of the fellows and all thought again that we would be able to go home that afternoon. Again, that didn’t happen, the fellow doctor came back apologizing and told us that L’s CK (creatinine kinase) levels were really high (CK is a byproduct of muscle activity). He was at 4200. The nephrology department was consulted and they wanted L to be placed on an IV (of basically sugar water) to help flush out his system. They didn’t have any information about the Lamictal levels because they run the test only on Tuesdays (WHATEVER!). Another IV line was placed, this time on his left hand; we also put on a urine bag. Once the IV was started, I sent Chris home to get our phone charger and a change of clothes for Logan.
We spoiled L a little. We placed our phones on “Airplane Mode” and let him play with our phones; he didn’t want his iTouch anymore – not gadgety enough. He still managed to change the phones back to the regular setting. Such a smart cookie! Is there any wonder how he figured out how to get the childproof cap off his medication? Just by observing me or Chris, he figures out how to work items like the phones, using the mouse for the computer, opening his medication bottle.
After a few hours on the IV, they took the urine bag. There wasn’t much in there and it was very cloudy, but that told us that his kidneys were working and filtering. We’d have to stay another night to make sure the IV flush worked and that he keeps urinating. We had to keep his used diapers so the nurse could weigh them.
I managed to get a shower which felt really nice – even if I had to wear the same clothes. L ate a little of his food, mainly because of the IV, but he did manage to eat half a cold cheeseburger, a couple of snacks (Teddy Grahams and Apple-Cinnamon Cheerios), and slowly drink apple juice. It was great to see him slowly coming back to normal. We got a new nurse for the night and another set of vitals were taken.
Monday morning brought about another nurse, a new set of residents, fellows and doctors, EKGs and blood draws. L was greatly improved by midday: his CK level was down to about 1200. Still high, but dramatically down. The IV worked. We were discharged around 3 p.m. with instructions to make an appointment with Neurology (they had to leave a message) and his pediatrician (which they did for us). Since we were there, we went to the Neurology Department and managed to get a 4 p.m. appointment for the following day (Tuesday). The discharge papers said his appointment with Dr. Dong was for Wednesday at 2 p.m. It’s a good thing I called to verify. They had his appointment scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday!
As a side note, we saw Steve Kinholt in the hallway. He is a math faculty at GRCC and is on sabbatical for a year to teach the kids at Children’s.
His appointment with the neurologist was good. They said his Lamictal levels were down and that L can restart his meds on Wednesday but wanted to do another blood draw to be sure. His appointment with the pediatrician was also good, he really understood the information about the CK levels (he went on some sort of diet that caused this CK levels to rise as well). L’s pediatrician and neurologist know each other. I guess they both when to UCLA to study medicine. That’s a nice combination. We’ll start L back on his meds tonight. This afternoon he started showing symptoms of not having meds in his system: falling over while sitting on the toilet, falling down when running across the room (not too uncommon, but still…).
Lastly, I had a prescheduled IEP meeting with his preschool teacher. I brought L with me and he was not happy about being there. He’s not progressing as he should be. It could be because he’s obstinate, doesn’t understand the concept, or he might think everything is a game. He’s consistently needing prompts to do routine things like hanging up his coat and backpack when he walks into the classroom. They’re thinking of putting him in extended school year (a.k.a. summer school). That would be good for him. The teacher has noticed that he was good at the beginning of the school year and was becoming more independent, but after a vacation break he needed more prompts or bribes during transition.
V hasn’t fared through this very well. She stayed at grandma’s house the two nights. She was good for grandma during the time at the house, but she was terrible at school. I received an e-mail from her teacher saying that a female security guard had to escort her out of ceramics class. She loves ceramics! But a classmate was no longer there and with all the disruption at home was too much change for her to handle. So, she didn’t get to go to ceramics on Tuesday. I also heard that she spit on the bus driver Tuesday morning as she got off the bus. She was written up for that as well.
Things will return to normal soon. I have to get back to work and L will go to school tomorrow. Given his behavior at the IEP meeting today, the teachers and therapists know tomorrow will be tough. Hopefully, V’s behavior will also return to normal.
I love my life as an American
Posted on: February 4, 2011
It’s been a sobering week so far.
Two of our international students, Chinese, were in a horrific accident early Wednesday morning. He was driving a brand new Lexus down 320th. Speeding, possibly 100+ mph down the hill and jumped the curb, some say they went airborne, lost control and hit a tree and light/electrical pole. A neighbor who was woken from the sound of the crash, jumped the fence and pulled the driver out of the car, barely in time before the car was engulfed in flames. She was left in the car. Pray to God that she was already dead before her body burned. They probably went to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
One of our adjunct faculty that taught ESOL students died suddenly.
I hear that a correctional officer was killed in a person chapel. Apparently the prisoner is a repeat rapist. What’s more, he’s married to one of our faculty AFTER his conviction.
The crisis in Egypt took a toll on two of my friends. Both are belly dancers and a group decided to tour the area. They witnessed the political unrest and daily protesting for a week. All communications in Egypt were halted. No cell service or internet for six days. I finally hear some good news. They managed to get a flight to France yesterday morning.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Posted on: January 30, 2011
Chris had to work at the College all weekend. There was a Jazz Festival on Saturday, and two events in the student center today. I’ve had a productive weekend too: did almost all the laundry yesterday (had to do some blankets and towels today because of the drying time on one of they bedspreads); cleaned the bathroom for the most part; cleaned the kitchen sink several times, and ran the dishwasher plus cleaned it out – Chris was kind and left half the week’s mess and yesterday’s mess for me – because I was home; gave V a shower, will give L his bath soon; and I did several pages of studying. Oh yeah, and cleaned out the cat’s litter box.
Speaking of, I just finished a section on antibiotics and that reminded me. L is allergic to amoxicillin, so basically all penicillins. I’m allergic to everything BUT penicillin. Weird.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Posted on: January 30, 2011
I’m so tired of doing laundry. I guess that’s why I only do it once a week. Get it done in one day and my other weekend day can be a lazy day. I really should get back on track to study, but it’s really hard because I don’t want to think. I’m forced to constantly be thinking at work and switching gears at all times.
I’m stressed. I need to go in for massage treatments. My back hurts almost all the time. Wah.
WTF? I need a vacation.
Posted on: January 27, 2011
So the last post that I wrote on my phone didn’t actually post. It was sitting in my drafts. Technology… love it, can’t live without it, can’t always make it work right. Ah well. At least I’m trying.
I’m getting a little burned out from work and already looking forward to the next holiday weekend. Either that or getting full body massages on a regular basis.
nothing original 