Earthwatch

I got an email from my friend Sarah in Washington DC the other day, asking for help on a project she’s working on.

Sarah had contacted me several years ago asking about my Mongolia trip for a book she was writing, but that project morphed into a whole new company and never got published. So, now that her company is off and running on its own feet (so to speak) she’s going back to the whole book idea, and has again asked for my input. Only this time I get to contribute on all 4 of my expeditions!

Check it out: Volunteer Global (http://volunteerglobal.com/)

I am currently going over the travelogues I wrote for each trip, doing a little bit of editing work on them, before sending them down to her. I will also send her the photos I have, but don’t know yet if she’ll want them all or just a few. I’ll let her decide: she may only have room for one or two of them for each trip.

Just today I got a phone call from Lilian at the Alaskan Prospector’s Society asking if I was ready to present on my Amazon trip for their club meeting. I had been scheduled to do that earlier in the year, but had to postpone due to my neck surgery. I am now rescheduled for September 18.

This means I shall have to get busy and actually create the presentation! I haven’t done that yet. But, since I’m going over the travelogues anyway, it shouldn’t be too difficult to remember what happened way back in February. Going thru the 975+ photos will be a whole other story, though. Trying to pick out the best ones to use for the presentation will take some time. It won’t be that bad; I’ll just look at it as an opportunity to relive all those wonderful memories again!

And yes, I’m already thinking about my next expedition with Earthwatch. This time I’m going to do something completely different and try my hand at some archeology in Thailand! I’m really quite excited about it, even though it will probably be several years from now since I have to pay for all these surgeries and whatnot first. I will open another “Expedition Fund” account for anybody who wishes to contribute – that worked out so well last time: thank you again for all who contributed.

Check it out: Origins of Angkor (http://www.earthwatch.org/exped/chang.html)

Forever Ago

It’s been forever since I last updated my blog here. I feel bad about that, but honestly just haven’t really felt like writing lately. Not that I haven’t done anything – I have. It’s just that the urge to write has died down a bit. I wonder if that means anything significant.

Just to catch you up on things I’ll recap the highlights of my past month in one short posting – then hopefully will be better about making regular posts.

My Neck: I’m healing up so well, it’s truly amazing. I barely have a scar even! I’ve been putting vitamin D ointment on it each night; that’s helping a lot. The pain is mostly gone, too – all that’s really left is the pain from the shoulder, which will get operated on in October. Hopefully that will go as well as the neck surgery did.

My headaches: unfortunately, the neck surgery did not do a thing for my headaches. I had hoped that by relieving the pressure on my spinal chord it would magically “cure” me, but no. If anything, it actually made them worse! I have had some really bad ones lately, one of which occurred while I was out on a hike. My poor hiking buddy had to help me down the mountain, stopping almost every 15 minutes so I could throw up. She kept asking “Should I call 911 now?” It was brutal.

Hiking: aside from the headaches, I have managed to get out on the trails a bit. One of my favorite hikes was with Rob and his daughter up Mt. Alyeska. We rode the tram up to the top and then took off on foot even farther up. What a fantastic view from up there!

Family: Mother came in this last weekend for a visit. We had planned on walking downtown Anchorage to see the flowers, but since it was raining I took her to my friend’s house to see their flowers instead. We had a good visit with them, then played some cards and ate a bit of lunch at my house before she went on home. I also got to spend some time with my niece Kate this weekend. She and I went to the South Anchorage Farmer’s Market together; they had so much good food & veggies there! It was hard to decide what to get, but she ended up with a nice bunch of Swiss Chard and a bouquet of small sunflowers; I got a medium sized kohlrabi and a beautiful zucchini. My other niece Lauren moved back into her dorm room at college this weekend, so our weekly dinners together starts up again – I’m looking forward to that!

Crafting: I’ve been rather lax on my cardmaking, too, it seems - but I have been accumulating more supplies! That’s always fun. My sister is cleaning out her house, preparing for her babies to come, and gave me first pick of all her paper & punches. I’ve also made a few purchases online and at the store near my house (I couldn’t stop myself). And I found a group on Craig’s List who get together each month to make cards using products from the Stampin’ Up line – I will join in with them whenever I can. Meanwhile, my little craft room gets more and more cluttered with stuff. My sister also gave me two shelves that need to be installed in the room; I will be able to organize a bit better once their up.

My Job: the job is going well except that we have no work at the moment, so I spend my hours reading my “Construction Materials, Methods, and Techniques” book – which is oh so exciting. My little brother has been working a job that is right in our back parking lot, so I get to go out on my breaks and chat with him every once in a while. He keeps telling his co-workers that I’d been knifed in a botched mugging attempt. They’re all impressed with my neck wound!

Highly Recommended

The following is a quote from the book I’m currently reading:
     The Last Explorer by Simon Nasht

“When Wilkins first came this way in 1913, Barrow was a town of seven Europeans, 200 Eskimo and 800 dogs. When he returned a dozen years later, nothing much had changed. It was still 200 miles to the nearest bump resembling a hill, twice as far again to the nearest tree, and 500 miles to the nearest telephone. Mail reached the settlement just three times a year, hauled by dog teams on a month-long journey along the coast. In short, it was the type of place where Wilkins felt right at home.”

Here’s the description taken from Amazon.com:

“This riveting biography recounts the life of the world's first truly modern explorer, a life of unrelenting adventure and the high drama of polar exploration. Hubert Wilkins was the most successful explorer in history: no one saw with his own eyes more undiscovered land and sea. Largely self-taught, he was a celebrated reporter, pilot, spy, war hero, scientist, and adventurer. He captured in his lens war and famine, cheated death repeatedly, met world leaders like Lenin, Mussolini, and King George V, and circled the globe on a zeppelin. Knighted for being the first person to fly across the North Pole, Wilkins was also the first to fly in the Antarctic, discover land by airplane, and take a submarine under the Arctic ice.”

People Are Amazing Sometimes

I found an ad on Craig’s List the other day: somebody wanting to connect with others that do stamping/cardmaking – so on a whim, I responded to it. I thought (hoped) they wanted to find a partner to have crafting dates with, because it’s always more fun to do that with company.

I was wrong, on several counts actually. I had assumed it was a female who posted the ad, but turns out he was (is) a guy. And he wasn’t interested in crafting dates, either.

What he wanted was to – get this – give stuff away!

Apparently a friend’s wife had been into making cards but had passed away a few years back. He was helping out by finding a good home for all her supplies, so they would be used and appreciated as much as she used & appreciated them.

We arranged to meet in the parking lot of Barnes & Noble, where he transferred over $300.00 worth of supplies from his car to mine. All free, with no strings attached!

Totally Awesome!

I will have fun tonight, that’s for sure; it will be like Christmas in July.

I Shoulda Been a Doctor!

Surgery is over, and recovery is well on its way to being over… now comes the really painful part: paying the bills!

I haven’t actually gotten a bill yet, but I’ve been keeping tabs on the insurance – and have seen some pretty amazing numbers being thrown around.

So far:
the hospital has charged $48,249.17
the doctors have charged $38,272.00
the MRIs have charged $4,914.00
and I had to have $95.47 worth of pain medication
     That’s a grand total of $92,728.58

All I can say is “Thank God for insurance!”

Recovery

The recovery process was so much worse than the actual surgery; not surprising, really, considering the fact that I missed the whole thing. But I was a little bit shocked at just how bad I felt, although oddly enough my neck really didn’t hurt much at all. It was that danged migraine that I still had.

When I finally came to in the recovery room, I found Rob and Mother there with me, along with the nurse assigned to take care of me. They all seemed to hover around me till they assured themselves that I was truly aware again. I don’t think I said much, just listened to all the activity around me.

The nurse gave Mother the instructions (both written and verbal) on how to take care of me post-op – and then, once I was stabilized enough, sent me home. All together, I was in the hospital for just 8 hours. My anesthesiologist had told me she had the same operation done back 20 years ago, and they made her stay in the hospital for 5 whole days!

To be completely honest here, perhaps I did go home a bit too soon. I was very glad to be home but was still quite nauseous, throwing up at least 6 more times throughout the night. I was finally able to keep liquids down by the following morning, though, and was even able to get up and walk around a bit without passing out.

As mentioned earlier, I still had that migraine however. That was worse than the surgery pain, actually. I really wanted to take my headache pills for it, but had been told not to (it’s a blood thinner, and may cause bleeding). That evening it was so bad I had mother call the doctor to ask what I should do. Thankfully they told me to go ahead and take my normal medication so I finally got some relief.

Also at that time, I stopped taking the pain pills the hospital had prescribed for me. Not only did they make me sick – they didn’t really even work. I am still taking the muscle relaxers, though. That operation really did a number on my neck and shoulders; two weeks later and they’re still so sore I can barely move, and I have a lump in my throat where the esophagus is still swollen.

What isn’t sore is the incision itself! The hospital put little butterfly bandages on the incision, with a gauze pad over the top; all of which was covered by what looked like a piece of plastic about 6” square. I left that whole ensemble on to keep the wound clean, but at my Wound Check appointment a week later that plastic wrap and the gauze bandage finally got taken off. Three days later, I had my niece Kate help me remove the butterfly bandages. Now I am Fully Exposed!

It is such a tiny little incision; hard to believe they did all that they did thru that tiny little opening. But I have the muscle soreness to prove it – they really did do what they told me they would.

My doctor said I am healing up quite nicely, and gave me permission to go back to work!

Surgery

Well, I did it. To be honest, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be. Not that it was a piece of cake, by any means – but all in all, it was not that bad.

Rob picked me up at 5:30 in the morning and drove me to the hospital for my 6:00 check in. The waiting room was quite nice, with some really good photographs hanging on the walls. I didn’t have much time to enjoy them, though, as the nurse came out within 5 minutes of my arrival to lead me back into the prep-room. I said goodbye to Rob and followed the nurse in.

The prep-room was just a big room with lots of smaller areas partitioned off with hanging curtains. I was shown to the area assigned to me and told to change into the hospital gown (yes, the kind that gaps open in the back). It was a little unnerving getting undressed; I had the curtain closed, but it had gaps all around, and there were a lot of people in the room.

Once I was comfortably settled into the hospital bed things got rolling. One by one, each doctor, nurse, and orderly came to introduce themselves to me and explain what roll they would have in the surgery. Each one made a point of making sure they knew who I was and what I was there for, so I had no fear of getting the wrong procedure done. They also made sure that I understood what they were going to do, and always asked if I had any questions.

I had a really bad migraine that morning (of course I would) so the anesthesiologist said she would give me something for that along with the “cocktail” she originally planned to give me. I don’t know what it was, but it sure knocked me out. One minute I’m watching her put the needle into my IV and the next minute I’m throwing up in the recovery room! And let me tell you, that was really disorienting. It took me several minutes to figure out what had happened.

All the doctors, nurses, and orderlies had told me all about how they would wheel me in to the operating room, which would have all kinds of equipment and lights and what not. They said they would probably have me move myself to the other table, and that there would be lots of commotion going on around me. The anesthesiologist would “come at me” with the mask to knock me out. It all sounded so interesting and confusing.

And I missed the whole thing.

FAQs

When is my surgery?
Check in is at 6:00. Surgery begins at 7:30 and should last 2-3 hours.

What do I do to prepare?
No food or water after midnight the day before. No metal (earrings, rings, hair bands) worn the day of.

What about medications before surgery?
No aspirin-type medications (Advil, Aleve, Aspirin, Excedrin, etc.). If you need pain relief, Tylenol can be taken - but not after midnight. Continue taking your anti-depressants.

What about medications after surgery?
Prescriptions for any pain meds deemed necessary will be giving to your family member after surgery. They can get them filled there at the hospital for you to take home with you. Continue taking your anti-depressants.

Will there be any follow-up appointments after surgery?
One week after surgery will be a Wound Check appointment, to assess the progress of your incision. Six weeks after surgery you will come in for more X-rays to determine how well you are healing.

Will I have to wear a neck brace?
A brace will be given to you after surgery; most likely a soft one (more comfortable) but that depends on how the surgery went. You should wear it as often as possible to minimize movement, but can take it off to allow the wound to air out.

How much time off can I expect?
Absolute bare minimum will be one week. Doctor would prefer two weeks, but if you’re doing well and your wound checks out good, he may give you permission to go back to work early – probably half days at first.

Can I drive after surgery?
If you must, but it would be better not to. Keep your neck brace on – and know that it restricts movement so drive accordingly.

How do I take care of myself afterwards?
Keep the wound dry (special bandages will be given for use in the shower). Don’t lift over 10 pounds (thankfully my girls are just under that). As soon as possible, start walking around the neighborhood – but take it easy; don’t over-do it. Minimize movement as much as possible. Get off the pain meds as soon as you can.

What if I start to bleed?
Butterfly bandages will be placed on the incision right after surgery: there will be blood dried onto them – but don’t panic! If the blood you see is dark red, it’s old. Do panic if you see bright red – that’s new blood, and you should go directly to your doctor to have it taken care of.

I heard that I won’t be able to talk afterwards?
The doctor will have to move aside your esophagus and voice box in order to gain access to your spinal column, so you can expect “some discomfort” after surgery. This can last up to two weeks! Ice packs can be applied to help reduce any swelling, which will help ease your sore throat. Eat soft foods.

I’m very nervous!
Dr. Kralick is the best Neurosurgeon there is – you’re in very good hands.

I Like This Backpack

While sitting at the trailhead in my car this weekend, waiting for my friend to show up so we could go hiking, I transferred all my “stuff” from my old backpack to my new one.

My new backpack was the one I’d bought specifically for my Amazon trip: it’s small, made of recycled material (shredded milk jugs!), and fits me a lot better than my old one.

In the process of switching things over, I made a very exiting discovery: $200.00!

Apparently, I had tucked the money in there during my trip and then forgot about it. I do that: I spread my money around in various places when traveling so that if something gets stolen I will still have money. It’s also quite common for me to forget about it, too.

It certainly made for a great surprise!

My Weekend Was Great!

Saturday, I met my friend Tina at the McHugh Creek Trail parking lot where we left her car and took mine back down the road to the Potter’s Ridge parking lot. Then we set off on foot back to her car, 4 miles along the coast up on the cliffs.

It was a beautiful day: clear blue skies and just enough wind to keep the mosquitoes away. There was a lot of activity on the trail, both human and animal. We didn’t see any actual bears but did see a lot of bear scat, some of which were quite fresh. Some of our fellow hikers told us about a Black Bear sow and her cubs hanging out along the trail, but thankfully she was gone by the time we passed by that section.

Neither Tina nor I are in that great of shape, but we had fun regardless. We ambled our way down (up?) the trail, chatting and catching up on all the news the whole way. I took tons of pictures, of course – and even managed to get some really good shots in.

When I eventually got home again, I headed off to the used car lot downtown and – get this – BOUGHT MYSELF A NEW CAR! Well, new to me at least. It is a used vehicle, but it only has 1,675 miles on it – so it’s only barely used.

It’s a 2012 Toyota Yaris LE, and is the exact car I’ve been looking for. I got a great price on it, too. I’m very happy with it.

Sunday morning, I headed over to Rob’s house for some sourdough pancakes! His son Trey is up for the summer, so I got to give him a ride in my new car. He was suitably impressed, especially when I showed him the single front windshield wiper = that’s just way too cool.

Michael’s Craft Store was having a super sale on paper (5 for a dollar, regularly 79 cents a piece) so of course I had to stop in on my way home. $13.00 later, I walked out to my car with a bag full of some really cool sheets to make envelopes with.

When I got home, Mother was waiting for me – early, of course, but I didn’t mind. We went to the museum together and walked thru their Pole to Pole exhibit. I hadn’t seen the new Smithsonian Alaska Exhibit before, either, and was very impressed. I think they did a really good job with that one.

Once we’d seen as much as we wanted to we stopped in at the café there and had a cup of soup and a pita bread appetizer, then headed on over to Rob’s house for a visit. Mother hadn’t seen his house all fixed up so he wanted to show her all that he’d done on it.

By that time I was ready for a serious nap, much to the delight of my two girls.

Floating the Kenai River

For my birthday this year I got to go on a float trip down the Kenai River!

Rob has a new-to-him boat that he wanted to get wet before his kids arrive for the summer, just to make sure everything was good to go. So we hooked the trailer up to his truck and headed off down the road last Sunday.

We pulled in at Cooper Landing to put the boat in the water and get all our gear in order, then drove the truck & empty trailer down the road to the Russian River Confluence where we planned to end our trip. From there, we hitched a ride in a random pick-up truck back to our boat.

Mind you, we’ve got Daisy with us too! The truck we ended up hitching a ride from was one of those smaller ones. Picture Rob crammed into the back camper, literally underneath a mountain bike and some camping gear while I’m up front with Daisy “sitting” on my lap not 3” away from a complete stranger (those who know me well can imagine just how uncomfortable I was in that situation).

It was actually kind of funny…

We made it back to the boat safe and sound, and started on our way on the river. The Kenai was quite swollen with a lot of water, so the rapids were quite a bit more fun than normal.

Daisy was so cute; she has her own PFD (Personal Flotation Device) even, that provides a convenient suitcase-like handle on her back. This comes in VERY handy when she forgets where she is and leaps to chase after the birds that fly by. At one point, she barked at something on shore only to have it echo back at her: she got scared and had to run to daddy for protection! When we got to the rapids, she got scared again when she saw them coming – and again had to run to daddy for protection.

The fish haven’t quite hit the river yet, but we could tell it wouldn’t be long. The eagles were beginning to line up along shore, just waiting for lunch to be delivered.

And ducks! Who knew there were ducks in a river? For some reason, I just assumed they would only be in a lake…

The float took us about 3 hours; not very long, actually – but it was a good one.

“I’m In Minor Freak Out Mode”

That’s a quote from my brother when he found out he and his wife are pregnant with twins - but I think it applies to my life at the moment, as well.

First, there’s the surgery. Well, surgeries to be exact. My neck will be operated on in a couple weeks followed by up to 2 months in a brace. Once that is over, I get to go back under the knife to fix my shoulder. God knows how long that recovery process will take.

There goes all that summer hiking I was planning.

One side effect of the neck/shoulder problems I’m having is that I can barely drive my car anymore: it is a manual stick shift, and it’s my right side that hurts. So I am looking in to buying a new car, this time getting an automatic. This means a lot of shopping around, as well as some creative banking to ensure that I can afford it. To that end, I am getting a Home Equity Line of Credit which involves an awful lot of paperwork and planning. At the same time, I am switching insurance companies to get a cheaper monthly bill. And of course, I am selling my Nissan.

I can’t seem to find the exact car I want here in town, so now I am looking at buying one outside and having it shipped up – which of course means shopping around to find the perfect deal that justifies all this bother as well as finding a shipping company to get the car up here in once piece.

And now, to top it all of with a big fat cherry = my cat is sick again!

She has been struggling with kidney failure for the past year or so, but had been doing really well – or so I thought. Just the other day, she took a turn for the worse. I rushed her to the vet’s office as soon as they could squeeze me in – and 5 hours later brought her back home $500 poorer.

Thankfully, she’s doing okay now. She’s happy to be back home again, and has a new collection of medications to help her live out the rest of her life comfortably and pain-free.

Speaking of living pain-free, everybody I’ve spoken to who has had the same surgery I’m going to have has told me that it’s well worth it. I should notice a difference right away; once I recover from the knife, that is.

All Over the Map!

I’ve been collecting auto insurance quotes from numerous companies to get a feel for what my payments will be on a 2012 Toyota Yaris (full coverage: Comprehensive and Collision). The responses I’ve gotten are all over the place!

It really does pay to shop around, it seems.

Allstate:
$957.50 for 6 months

Progressive:
$440.00 for 6 months

Amica:
$1086.00 for 6 months

State Farm:
$587.63 for 6 months

Geico:
$659.00 for 6 months

Can you suggest any company I might have missed?

My Neck

So, I go in for pre-op on Wednesday, June 20 = they’ll explain the process, fill out all the paperwork, and do the blood tests

Surgery is scheduled for Friday, June 22 = check in is at 6:00 am, surgery will begin at 7:30

I have no idea how long recovery will be, but I’m hoping to be home that evening and will have the weekend to see how it goes…

For those who don’t know what’s going on, I have two vertebrae (C5 and C6) that require some attention. Dr. Kralick will go in thru a tiny slit in my throat, file off the bone spurs that have grown in all directions (they are putting pressure on my spinal chord), place bone grafts from a cadaver, and tie the whole thing together with a metal plate.

Insurance Quote

Hi Ruth,

Here are the break downs of the vehicles. Basically since it is a new vehicle, of course we do recommend collision and comprehension since the vehicles will obviously be worth much more.

With comprehensive and collision ($500 collision/$250 comp):
     2012 Toyota Yaris - $957.50
     2012 Honda Fit - $945.58

Without comprehensive and collision:
     2012 Toyota Yaris - $390.50
     2012 Honda Fit - $382.46

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thank you,
Allstate Insurance Company

How Do You Spell Relief?

First the bad news:
     The $30,550.00 figure that I got from the doctor for my neck surgery is only for his services. There will be separate bills from the hospital, the anesthesiologist, the nurses, the janitors, the candy striper, the drug supplier – pretty much anybody who even glances in my direction while I’m in the hospital. I had thought my bill would only be $10,037.95… but no – that’s only part of it…

Now the good news:
     My insurance has a yearly Out of Pocket Maximum of $5,500, which includes my deductible of $2,500.00. On top of that, the company I work for will reimburse a major portion of that deductible ($2,000.00); so, in reality, my expenses will only be about $3,000.00 = FOR EVERYTHING!

Maybe I can afford that new car after all…?

The Meaning of Flowers

January -- Carnations; represent pride, beauty, admiration and gratitude.

February -- Iris; the three upright petals symbolize faith, valor and wisdom.

March -- Daffodil; symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings.

April -- Daisy; joy and playfulness is associated with this bloom.

May -- Lily; symbolizes purity of heart, honor and majesty.

June -- Rose; each color of the rose has a different meaning, but it is often associated with love and beauty.

July -- Delphinium or larkspur; symbolizes an open heart and strong attachment.

August -- Gladiola; a symbol associated with strength and moral integrity.

September -- Aster; a symbol of elegance and an amulet for love.

October -- Marigold; associated with affection and grace.

November -- Chrysanthemum; signifies optimism and happiness.

December -- the poinsettia; symbolizes good cheer and happiness.

Put These on Your List

The following is a list of books you might enjoy – if you haven’t already read them, that is.

Lost in the Jungle
     By Yossi Ghinsberg

King Leopold’s Ghost
     By Adam Hochschild

The Firecracker Boys
     By Dan O’Neil

The Children’s Blizzard
     By David Laskin

Ada Blackjack
     By Jennifer Niven

The Worst Hard Time
     By Timothy Egan

Triangle
     By David Von Drehle

The Windows of Heaven
     By Ron Rozelle

My Lobotomy
     By Howard Dully

Rats
     By Robert Sullivan

The Mummy Congress
     By Heather Pringle

Locust
     By Jeffrey Lockwood

A Sense of the World
     By Jason Roberts

Blood River: a Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart
     By Tim Butcher

How Ironic is That?

I had my appointment with the neurologist yesterday – not exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday, but you take the appointment that’s available or wait months for the next opening. And what an appointment it was, too. I was in there for 4 hours!

The news is pretty much what I expected: I do need surgery. I have two discs that have blown, two vertebrae that have bone spurs, and the entire neck has lost its curvature. The doctor will go in thru a tiny incision in front of my neck, shave off the spurs, repair the discs, graft in bone from a cadaver, and secure the whole thing with a metal brace. The procedure should take no more than 2.5 hours, so if I go in first thing in the morning I might actually be home that evening.

Mother says I will now have to travel with a note from my doctor explaining the metal in my neck!

This whole thing will be quite expensive – again, pretty much what I expected. The doctor’s office gave me a list of expected expenses to be charged; I called my insurance to find out what my coverage would be and then created a spreadsheet in Excel (gosh, I just love that program!) to calculate my portion of the bill.

Wouldn’t you know it: the total was almost EXACTLY what I have in my savings account! Almost to the penny! It’s like somebody knew, and arranged to have it just perfectly so.

Good Things To Come!

Coworker: “So… hypothetically… if somebody were to make you a birthday cake, what would it be?”


Me: “Hypothetically? Hmmm… Probably an angel food cake with fresh strawberries.”

Coworker: “Oooo! With whipped cream on top?”

Me: “Yeah!”

Something to Look Forward To (NOT)

I’ve been experiencing a great amount of pain lately in my shoulder, to the point where I can barely drive my car anymore (I drive a standard), so made an appointment to see an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Laurence Wickler, who took x-rays and ordered an MRI – two of them, actually; one for my shoulder and one for my neck.

If you have ever had an MRI before you know how awful they are, and having two of them done at the same time just made it exponentially worse. I was in that horrible machine for a very long time: 25 minutes for the shoulder and 45 minutes for the neck. I had taken some Zanex ahead of time so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it was still all I could do to hold still and not panic. On top of that, the position I had to be in to get the best picture of my shoulder was extremely painful and left me sore & achy for days afterwards.

The people at the imaging center were very understanding, and made the whole ordeal as bearable as they could – but then somehow managed to send me on my way with only half of the results!

I didn’t know that until I showed up at Dr. Wickler’s office the following week for my follow up appointment. That meant that I had to wait for the imaging center to send a courier over with the rest of my results before I could get a clear picture of what’s going on.

It’s not good, but then I could have told you that before the MRIs. My shoulder has some torn ligaments, but they’re so badly damaged that Dr. Wickler can’t fix them. He can, however, fix the bone spur that is putting pressure on the nerve. We decided that I would come back in sometime in the fall for the procedure, since I don’t want to miss out on all the summer activities (hiking, camping, biking, etc…).

The neck is a whole other deal, and Dr. Wickler was very quick to point out that he does not “do” necks. He recommended me to a neurosurgeon, Dr. Krolik, for a more detailed examination of the problems – but stated that in his opinion that my neck is in far worse shape than my shoulder is.

As you may know from previous postings, I had a bad fall when I was a child which injured my head/neck rather severely. The MRI taken just last week shows considerable damage that is just getting worse by the day. More than likely I will need surgery on that as well.

So now I am just waiting for Dr. Krolik’s office to let me know when my appointment is, and am making a mental list of all the things I’ll need to do to prepare for the recovery period.
     1. get computers set up for left-handed operation
     2. get preapproval from insurance company
     3. get information on renting an automatic car for the duration
     4. make arrangements to have Mother come take care of me for the first few days
     5. ensure an adequate supply of chocolate and tea will be on hand

Very Cool

I helped unload the truck the other day after going shopping at the pet store. At one point, I called to him and said, “Want to see something cool?”

He walked over, saying “What’s cool?”

I pointed at the bag of dog food. “Pick that up for a second.”

He complied with a question on his face, so I explained “That’s how much weight I’ve lost!”

It was a 40 pound bag of food, and that was indeed exactly how much weight I’ve lost.

“Isn’t that cool?!” I said.

Earthwatch: Amazon Riverboat Exploration

At long last, I finally got my write-up finished. In my defense, there was a lot to do right away after I got home.

First I had to get all 975+ photos loaded up onto a site where I could then share them with all the other volunteers. This was harder than it sounds – well, okay… not hard exactly, but it sure took a lot of time. I started one evening when I got home from work – and didn’t get finished till well into the following afternoon! I loaded them all and just left my computer on to chug away at it till it was finished; thankfully it never once locked up or froze or anything!

Then I had about 2 weeks to create a presentation for the Eagle River Nature Center about my trip. This meant that I had to contact Earthwatch’s main office down in Boston to ask them for their most recent presentation template – only to find that I had the most recent one. I felt it should be updated, however, so I combed through all the information they had online and picked out all the pertinent facts to plug in to the appropriate spots in the power-point program I had. Once I got all the general information updated, I then started in on the Amazon trip, tagging on 5 more slides at the end. I’m rather pleased with the results, truth be told. I got some good feedback on it, too.

By this time my brother was chomping at the bits for me to get to work on the travelogue. He is my Webmaster, having created it for me a few years ago as a birthday gift. He works heavy construction, so gets the winters off and was looking for something to occupy his time. Plus, spring was getting on (eventually) and he knew he only had so much free time left. If I didn’t get my part done in time, he wouldn’t be able to get his part done till the following winter!

I don’t know if any of you have ever tried your hand at writing; if you have, perhaps you have the same problem I have. Namely BEGINNING a story. That is the hardest sentence to write! I can sometimes just sit there for days on end with the proverbial blank sheet of paper in front of me, just waiting for that sentence to appear.

Thankfully, a computer is a little bit nicer to an author in that we can now start in the middle of a story and edit things out, rearrange things, go back to the beginning and rewrite things – all of that – so much easier! We no longer have to worry about that first sentence quite as much as before computers.

But, as I said, at long last I finally got the write-up completed. The next step was to go through all 975+ photos and pick out the best ones to complement the story – not an easy task, but it was fun to relive the entire trip over and over again – and then think of something witty and informational to say about each one.

The end result can be viewed here:     Amazon Riverboat Exploration

Daisy's Ordeal

Daisy is a good puppy, really she is. But she has this one really bad habit: she eats anything and everything she can get her mouth on.

Friday, Rob had a bunch of guys over at his house working on a truck. They were changing out the tires, replacing the brakes, that sort of thing. While changing the tires, they suddenly realized that 4 of the brand new lug nuts were missing – and highly suspect that Daisy ate them.

All day Saturday & Sunday, we kept an eye on her – hoping that she’d pass them thru on her own. She seemed to be okay, although she did develop a rather severe case of diarrhea and did not seem too interested in drinking. She still played with her ropes and bones, just like normal – and her visit with Grandma was full of Frisbees and walks.

Monday morning Rob said that when he let her out for her morning bathroom break, she didn’t go. So he went home at lunch to let her out and found that she’d messed in her kennel. This meant that runny poop was all over her, her blankets, her toys, and her kennel = which smelled just nasty. So, he got her in the shower and cleaned her up – then hosed down the kennel and got that cleaned up – then put her blankets and all the towels thru the wash – and then put her back in the kennel and went back to work.

I stopped by her house on my way home at 4:30 to let her out and found that I was too late – she’d made another mess. So Rob rushed home from work and did the whole routine again. Daisy was clearly upset about it all, but seemed to be okay otherwise – but he noticed some blood in the mess, and she is drooling (highly unusual for her) a bit.

He had to put her back in her kennel again because he had promised to help a friend out that night. And of course when he got back home, he found another mess to clean up so had to go thru the whole routine yet again.

I haven’t heard yet this morning, but I am going to assume that he slept on the couch last night, getting up every 2 hours or so to let her out, thereby hopefully preventing yet another accident.

I also hope that he takes her in to the vet to get those lug nuts out before any permanent damage is done!

Books and Movies

He and I have started a new thing together, involving books and movies. It’s been quite fun, I must say!

First, the book:

When he threw his back out he would lie on the floor to stretch it out. To help pass the time I started to read to him from the book I had just gotten: Burial Ground by Michael McBride. It’s a lot slower going than just reading to myself, but it’s so much fun we’re continuing even though his back is better. Each day I go over to his house and read a chapter or two (or three if I’m feeling up to it) while he cooks me dinner. We talk about the characters, speculate on the plot, and compare notes to my own experiences of the Peruvian Jungle (where this book takes place).

Second, the movies:

Some time ago, I bought the DVD set of Game of Thrones, an HBO series on TV. I saved watching it until he got his big screen TV hooked up in his new house – that was about a week ago. We’ve been watching two episodes a night ever since, and are both TOTALLY hooked. What a fantastic series that is! It’s really hard to believe its on TV – it reminds me a lot of The Lord of the Rings trilogy from a few years ago. Sadly we’re almost done with it, and I’m fairly certain that season 2 won’t be available on DVD for a while. Happily, though, I just heard that it signed on for season 3 – so we have a lot to look forward to.

And there are always more books to read.

That Lady at the Coffee Shop with the Star Trek Lunch Pail

I stopped in at Café del Mundo yesterday after work to treat myself with a cup of Ibarra Chocolate (which is so much better than Ghirardelli Chocolate, being more spicy and way less sweet) and write some letters. I’m behind in my correspondence and thought I should get caught up since I’m back in the card-making mode.

I ordered my chocolate, found me a good table, and got all spread out ready to start writing. It’s actually a nice little café, with wooden tables and a friendly atmosphere. There were a lot of people there; some chatting with friends, some reading books, and some surfing the internet. And guess what: they sell gelato!

At the table just kitty-corner to me, I noticed a man I thought I recognized. I wasn’t quite sure, since I was seeing him in profile, until I overheard him mention D.C. – and then I knew for sure who it was.

It was our Senator Mark Begich.

He was there with his wife and a couple of other people who may have been either news reporters or fellow politicians: I noticed one guy was taking notes as Mr. Begich spoke.

I sat at my table and wrote my letters and then read my book for a while until I finished my cup, then gathered up my things to leave. On the way out the door, I stopped by his table and said, “Excuse me – so sorry to interrupt – but I just wanted to Thank You for what you do for us. It is appreciated.”

He was very kind, and said “Thank you” with a smile on his face.

And then he commented on my Star Trek Lunch Pail, saying his 7 year old son would love that.

Yes. I have a Star Trek Lunch Pail. I’d completely forgotten about it; but it is my letter-writing kit, so I would have it with me. And he would notice it, wouldn’t he?

At least he will remember me, even if it is as “that lady at the coffee shop with the Star Trek Lunch Pail.”

I’ll Have My Cake and I’ll Eat it Too

I had to do some grocery shopping yesterday to restock my kitchen, so planned to stop in at Fred Meyers on my way home yesterday. I was just about to get into the turn lane when I remembered that I’d said I would check in on a friend’s house while he’s gone – so I just kept on going straight.

“I’ll just stop in at Target instead.” I thought to myself.

As I was pulling away from his house later on, I suddenly remembered why it was I wanted to go to Fred Meyers: they have the good bread there!

“Well, shoot. I guess I’ll just stop by the coffee shop/bakery on the way home instead. They have good bread there, too.”

Unfortunately, they also have pastries there. So, on the way in, I kept repeating to myself “I will NOT buy a pastry. I will NOT buy a pastry.”

10 minutes later, I walked out of there with my loaf of bread in hand – and of course, a pastry. How can you go to a bakery shop and NOT buy a pastry, I ask you!

The Lord Giveth, and the Lord Taketh Away

It never fails – whenever I get a windfall, something happens to make it slip right thru my hands pretty much the second I get hold of it.

I was all excited for a while there. Not only are there 3 pay checks this month, but I also got 10 hours of overtime last weekend!

Sweet!

Then, just last night, I get a bill in the mail from my accountant. He discovered that I had somehow neglected to pay him for last year’s tax preparations, so now I owe two year’s worth.

So much for all that “extra money” I was going to have in my bank account.

To look at it more positively, at least I got that bill on a month where I had all that extra money. It could have been so much worse…

Have I Mentioned Lately That I Really Hate Computers?

I got a disc in the mail the other day from one of my fellow volunteers on my Amazon trip containing her pictures! I’ve been eagerly waiting for it so immediately sat down at my computer to view them.

I ran in to a slight problem, however: I could not figure out how to get the disc into the computer!

I know, I know… that’s about as simple as you can get with computers. But honestly, I couldn’t figure it out.

I know where it goes. I can even get the outer door open. But I can’t slide the disc in – it won’t let me. I searched for a magic button, but couldn’t find one of those, either.

So, next I opened a window onscreen, accessing the My Computer thingy. My plan was to open the drive from there – but the drive wasn’t listed! All I had was the C drive and the Back-Up Device drive.

Now, I know I have a drive specifically for a disc. I know I do. It just wasn’t listed. As far as I could tell, the only way to get it on the list was to put a disc in the drive. However, the only way to put a disc in the drive was to open it thru My Computer – but it wasn’t listed!

It’s a vicious circle.

Finally, in desperation, I told the computer I wanted to burn a disc. It opened the door for me and told me to put a disc in, so I put the disc with the pictures on it in the slot. It then came back with an error message saying that it couldn’t burn that disc. I cancelled the operation, and it spit the disc out. Rather than removing it, I simply pushed it back in – and was able to view the pictures that way.

Sheesh! All that, just to look at a few photographs! Surely there must be an easier way…

What a great weekend I had!

Saturday was a day of rest for me. I didn’t go anywhere or do much all day long. I did get dressed at least, but that was pretty much the extent of my accomplishments.

Here’s a synopsis of the day:
     Woke up, got dressed
     Worked on the computer a while
     Went up to the craft room and picked out a card to make
     Watched an episode of X-Files while cutting paper in the library
     Went back up to the craft room and made cards for a while
     Went back to working on the computer for a while
     Went up to the craft room and picked out another card to make
     Watched another episode of X-Files while cutting paper in the library
     Went back to the craft room and made cards for a while
          … and so on, and so forth…

It was very relaxing: just exactly what I needed.

Sunday was even better: Rob and I drove out to Palmer to visit with Mother in his new truck. We had a good time chatting with her while throwing the ball for Daisy to play with. I would say “for Daisy to fetch” but she’s still hasn’t quite gotten the whole fetching concept down just yet. She’s all about chasing after the ball, though – and burying it in the snow, too.

Once we moved inside to sit at the table and drink some coffee/tea, Rob got the great idea to go down to the hotel and have pie! Really, it was just a good excuse to show Mother his new truck, but hey – who turns down pie? So Mother got a piece of Chocolate Cream Pie, Rob got some Lemon Meringue, and I had a piece of Red Velvet Cake.

Preparations

I have an Earthwatch Presentation this weekend – as I’m sure you already know because you are an avid follower of my blog!

Anyway, in preparing for this presentation I brought my laptop in to work so I can take care of any updates required. I am able to access the internet for free at work (wi-fi) plus I can just have it going on behind me while I work, so it doesn’t matter how long it takes.

So far, I have downloaded 15 Windows updates, and it is currently chugging away at 29 other miscellaneous updates. And that's just the first round of checking - if this is anything like the last time, I will have a bunch more once these are done.

While I was at it I went ahead and copied all my photos from the Amazon, putting them in the files next to the photos from Costa Rica, Mongolia, Africa and Nova Scotia. I guess I am using my laptop as a back-up storage for all my pictures – well, the important ones at least.

Once I get the power-point finished (it mostly is) I will copy that onto there as well. Then I will be ready!

Earthwatch Presentation

Sunday, March 18, 2:00pm


WHAT IS EARTHWATCH?

Join volunteer Ruth Fitzpatrick as she shares her many experiences volunteering on expeditions with the Earthwatch Institute, whose mission it is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment.

Today’s program will highlight her recent experience in the Amazon, as well as opportunities in other locations around the world from the tropics to the arctic.

Free program; $5 parking for non-members.

Eagle River Nature Center
32750 Eagle River Road
Eagle River, AK 99577
http://www.ernc.org/
907-694-2108

My Next Trip

Wouldn’t you know it; I’m already planning my next expedition. And they say tattoos are addictive!

This time, I’m going to go to Thailand for an archaeological dig. The expedition is titled “Origins of Angkor” and will be with Dr. Nigel Chang. The dig site is in Ban Non Wat and the Upper Mun River Catchment in Western Nakhon Ratchasima Province.

It will take me some time to save up the money, of course, as well as accumulate more time off at work. Most likely, I will be going sometime either late 2013 or early 2014. February is always a good time to leave Alaska – maybe I’ll aim for that month again.

This does give me plenty of time to study up on the subject. I’ve never done an archaeology one before, and have never been to Thailand either. Does anybody have any suggestions on books I should read? Classes I should take?

I sure would love to have company this time. Does anybody want to join me? It will be another 2-week expedition, with a few days on either end for traveling.

I Have a Secret

I’m tempted to tell people, but think I’ll keep it to myself for a while. It gives me a warm-fuzzy inside, just knowing it’s there.

I think everybody should have one; it’s actually rather empowering!

Obviously I wouldn’t suggest you have a bad one. No skeletons in the closet or anything like that. Keep it simple and small, something just for yourself.

No, I'm not pregnant. Nor am I engaged. It's nothing so big as all that - it's just something for me.

That's all.

Renting a Movie

Rob and I were standing outside of the Holiday Station the other day, going thru the movies in the Redbox to see what we wanted to watch that night.

ME:   OOOO! Two Headed Shark Attack!
ROB:   No. Absolutely not. We are not watching that.
ME:   But it has TWO HEADS!!!!!
ROB:   Not just no, but Hell no.

Gosh… some people just have no class…

It Moved Again

Wouldn’t you know it – it happened again.

I really didn’t want it to. I wanted it to stay in place – but the darned thing just insisted on moving. It happened on vacation, of all things. I didn’t notice at first, but eventually I realized it had moved.

I’m talking about my eyebrow piercing, by the way.

So – once I got home, I went back to The Hole Look and had them remove it. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.

Sigh.

It’s strange – but I’ll really miss it. I grew quite attached to that little ring. Oh well. At least the tattoo isn’t going anywhere.


… or is it?

Feeding the Manatees

I had a day to myself after the expedition ended so arranged to go to the Manatee Rescue Center in Iquitos.

The “taxi” that took us there (three other volunteers went with me) was fun. Everybody over there drives motorcycles or walks – there are hardly any cars at all. So, the motorcycle had this contraption attached to the back that had a seat and a cover. You crawl in and sit down, and the driver takes off.

As seems to be the norm for third-world countries, there is no such thing as “your side and my side” on the roads. Nor are there any limitations on how many vehicles can be squeezed in to the lanes. Stoplights are optional, as is anything coming close to a speed limit. Helmets and rear-view mirrors are optional, as well.

I laughed the whole way there and back.

“There” was what looked like a military compound, with office buildings situated inside a gated enclosure. Back in the back, we descended down some very steep steps to the pools where they kept the manatees.

First, we got to see the nursery where they keep the babies. They had one at the time who was 2 months old and still being bottle fed. She was an orphan whose mother had been shot (hunting manatees still happens, apparently, even though they are an endangered species).

Then we moved on to the weaning pool, where they had two older manatees that were learning how to eat solid foods. We got to feed them even! They are such beautiful creatures with the most interesting noses. They actually have two fingers on their nose that helps them eat the plants.

Last but not least, we went outside and saw the pond where 5 adults were waiting to be relocated out into the reserve. This was a hands-off pool that was “au-natural” so that they’re ready for the wild outdoors. Unfortunately, that meant that we couldn’t even see them – except for the bubbles when they breathed – because the water is very murky. But it was nice to know that they had 5 of them ready to be released again. That means the program is working!

Blister Beetle

Have you ever heard of a Blister Beetle? I hadn’t until Monday. Turns out that they live in the Amazon, and their “bite” is rather nasty.

I know this because one bit me!

Honestly, I was kinda freaking out on the trip. The bite on my foot just kept getting bigger and bigger, and I had no idea what it was. It started out looking like a mosquito bite, but now it’s just a really huge blister, a little bigger than a quarter.

I’m having fun grossing people out each time I show it to them. They all say the same thing: “Oh, my God!”

It is very painful, though. I really want to pop it but the doctor said I should just let it be. He gave me some prescription strength antihistamine to keep it from itching and some antibiotics to fight the infection that seems to be inside the blister.

I just hope it goes away soon; my shoes barely fit.

The Amazon

Well, I’m back! I had a wonderful time, too. It’s just amazing down there: so green and lush.

I will be writing up a full report of the trip for my travelogue on my website so won’t go in to too much depth, for now. I can say that it was the trip of a lifetime.

Basically, each day was spent working with the biologists doing various surveys – either Fish, Dolphin, Macaw, Caiman, or a Transect. My favorite were the Fish and the Dolphin, but I did do all of the others as well, at least once.

The accommodations were great: the boat was air conditioned and had plumbing even. I got a room to myself since the other volunteers were all couples. I did end up sharing the room with numerous insects, however. It is a tropical rainforest, after all, and you just cannot keep them out.

And yes, I got bit. A thousand times, it seems, by everything from mosquitoes to wasps to something called a Blister Beetle.

Still, it was so worth it!

I’ll let you all know when the write-up is finished so you can read it.

My Third Cup of Tea

What a great surprise! Just days before I go on vacation, I got my Tea of the Month package in the mail. And I’m not being sarcastic, here. I really mean it was a great surprise.

I’ve been stressing over the travel plans: Is everything taken care of? Will my girls be okay while I’m gone? Did I remember to pack everything? Will the weather cooperate with me and let the planes fly out of here?

Getting my special tea just reminded me that I need to sit down and relax, if only for a moment.

Breath!

Assam Gingia is a fine single-estate Assam at a good price and has been one of our most consistent best sellers for ten years. If you're looking for a nice Irish Breakfast blend, try this tea. Irish Breakfast is usually a blend of Assam teas, and this single-estate Assam is priced about like a blend. Smooth and malty with golden tips, this tea is a great base for making your own chai or other blends. Also great plain or with milk and sugar as a breakfast tea.

The Count-Down is ON

OMG! Just one week left before I get on that plane and head south! And south I will go, too: I’ll be well below the equator on this trip. When I was in Africa a few years back, I dipped below the line briefly while in Nairobi, but spent most of the time just this side.

I find that as time gets closer, I am more and more nervous; and not because of all the more obvious reasons you might expect. Like getting bit by a poisonous spider or snake. Or getting lost in the jungle (I have that habit). Or being shot at by an indigenous native who’s never seen a 6-foot tall read headed white girl before. Or, more locally, being kidnapped by slave traders in Miami.

No, what I’m nervous about is leaving my girls behind.

He promises to take care of them, and I know he will. But I worry that he’ll forget, because he does do that quite often. I also worry that he’ll not do things properly. Thing likes her food just so. And Djuna likes her electric blanket positioned in just the right spot on the bed. What if he gets it all wrong?

Oh, there are a million things that could happen while I’m gone. What if my house burns down? What if a horrible accident occurs and a family member is killed? What if He is killed and no one knows to take over feeding my girls!?! What if a natural disaster strikes and the girls run away and are freezing and scared all by themselves out there in the big bad world?

Shoot… it almost makes me not want to go, just thinking about it all.
Nah… not really. I’m going – and they’ll be fine.

Everybody will be fine.

Paid Vacation Leave

So, I did some math today just to see where I stand.

I will be gone on vacation for 18 days.
     6 of those days are weekends.
     1 of those days is a holiday.
That leaves me with 11 days that will need to be covered.

According to my paycheck, I will have roughly 78 hours of leave time accrued. That works out to be 9.75 days paid.

That, my friends, leaves me with just under 2 days not paid.
And that ain’t bad!

My How Time Flies

I am certainly having fun – but that’s no excuse for ignoring my blog. Unfortunately, you’ll have to make do with one of those “catch-all” posts that give you a brief update on all the things that make up my life at the moment. I promise I will post a real article some day soon – but honestly it will probably be after my vacation rather than before it.

So, first on the list of updates would be my car. As you may recall, it got munched a while ago. The insurance company has been very agreeable in paying for the repairs. I thought it was all going to be done by now, but the body shop has not received the parts ordered yet – so it looks like I will have to leave the car there while I’m gone. At least I won’t have to worry about a rental car. Rob said he would pick it up when it’s done so that it will be waiting in my garage for me when I get home. Assuming that there are no more delays, of course.

Speaking of Rob, yes – he’s still living with me. He did finally close on his house (YAY!) and is now busily working on the renovations required to make it livable. As usual, things aren’t going quite a quickly as he hoped. But with help from friends and family progress is happening. I have to admit that I so want my house back. This really did turn in to a whole lot more than I bargained for back when he first asked if he could camp out on my couch for a while.

My job is going well. We are in between big jobs at this very moment, but the work is there and I will be busy again any day now. This break gives us all a chance to do all the little clean-up chores that get set aside during the rush. One of those chores is making a recycling run: I really don’t want to do it, however, because it’s just so damned cold out there! But, the boxes are piling up in my cubicle… it really should be taken care of before I go.

Just 10 days left!!!!! I am so excited. I am also getting really nervous, too. Well, not nervous, really… maybe just jittery. That “butterflies in the stomach” feeling, you know? Rob fixed my carry-on for me, so that’s all taken care of. I have all my gear in a pile in the kitchen, just waiting to be packed. I have given the vet a heads-up on my planned absence, giving them my babysitters name and permission for him to take care of the girls. I have given Mother a packet of information about where I’m going, emergency contacts, and copies of my passport & I.D. I’m going to stop in at the bank sometime this week to get some pocket money. While I’m at the mall, I may as well stop in at Old Navy one more time to see if they have a light-weight button-down sweater I could take with me.

Djuna is doing well. She is still not happy about the puppy, but last night she actually came into the library while the dog was in there! That’s a huge step for her. She didn’t stay long, but she did come in. Mostly, she stays in my bedroom to avoid the dog. I moved her food in there, and put another litter box upstairs (in my craft room – I am not happy about that). She still gets her fluid treatments each week; I have shown Rob how to do it, and will watch him once before I leave. If he is uncomfortable doing that, he can always take her to the vet to have it done there.

White Tea

I’m not normally a big fan of White Teas, but I got some the other day as part of an assortment gift from The Indigo Tea Lounge, in downtown Anchorage, that is quite good!

It’s called:  White Coconut Crème Tea

“Spring select white tea hand blended with coconut, safflowers & cornflowers. Delivers a sweet creamy texture with a light body and good balance of coconut.”

I highly recommend it!

The Roommate and The Dog

So, the whole roommate thing has been an interesting experience, to say the least. As you might recall in a previous posting, he moved in temporarily and then went and got a puppy.

Well, that didn’t go over very well and came damn close to breaking us up completely. He ended up moving out, which brought a whole new set of emotional problems with it (but that’s a whole other story that I don’t really want to get in to here).

Then, over the Christmas holiday, he and his kids moved into a third place for a week. Meanwhile, his stuff is still in both my place AND his other place – and he’s living out of a duffle bag at the third place.

Once his kids went back home he had intended to move back in to the second place, but the owner of the spare room he’s occupying needed some privacy for her and her boyfriend for a while - so he’s back at my place.

Is this confusing or what?

The long and the short of it is that I, once again, have a roommate and a dog temporarily living with me. And by the way, the dog’s new nick-name is The Poop Machine. I’ll leave that to your imagination, only saying that thankfully they’re moving out either tonight or tomorrow!

And of course, his closing date got pushed back yet again.

Body Piercing –vs- Tattoos

You know how everybody always says that once you get a tattoo, you’ll end up with more of them?

I’m not finding that to be true. I’m quite happy with just the one that I have, and feel no compulsion to get any more. About the only way I can see me getting another one is if I should happen to get bit by some exotic bug or reptile while on my Amazonian Adventure.

What I have discovered, however, is that I am feeling the need to get pierced again! Who knew that would be addictive? I’m thinking maybe a whole row of eyebrow piercings, sort of like a zipper along my brow? Each one could be a different color – rather like a rainbow!

Wouldn’t that be cool?

Chaz Limited

I dropped my car off at the shop this morning for an estimate on the work to be done. So far, I’m liking the place. Of course, I’ve only dealt with them for a total of maybe 10 minutes – we will see how well they do on the actual repair work.

Rob picked me up at the shop and gave me a ride to work. They would have done that for me, but I’d already arranged with him. Of course, this meant he had to get up on his day off – but he had things to do today anyway, so it worked out well enough.

The total cost of repairs is going to be about $750 = not nearly as bad as I expected, but a little bit worse than Rob thought it would be. It is completely covered by the insurance company, though, so that’s not my worry.

One of the guys here at the office gave me a ride back to the body shop so I could pick my car up. I also signed the paperwork authorizing them to order the parts and get thing rolling.

And I just got off the phone with Enterprise getting the rental car set up.

Let the Ordeal Commence

When I spoke to the insurance company yesterday to file a claim against the man who hit me, we discovered that he was not listed on the policy for that vehicle, so the insurance guy was not exactly sure how to proceed until he could get confirmation that everything was ok and the guy had not stolen that car!

I just got off the phone this morning with the insurance guy who called to let me know that he did get hold of the policy holder and that the guy did indeed have their permission to be driving the car, so the insurance will have no problems paying for the repairs to my vehicle.

What a relief!

They will also be paying for a rental car for me, through Enterprise. I’m to let the auto body shop know that I need one, and they will set it all up for me – and send the bill to the insurance company, to boot.

Now, here’s a funny for you: you’ll never guess what I got in the mail last night.

Two letters - one from a lawyer and the other from a physical therapist – both saying “I heard you were in an accident! Please feel free to use our services!”

Goodness… talk about “ambulance chasers!”

Team Members

I finally got the list of team members who will be joining me on my Earthwatch Expedition next month. I’m very excited…

It’s going to be a small group (my preferred) with just eight volunteers, including myself.

Four of them are from the US and four of them are from the UK.

Four of them are male, four of them are female.

Four of them are couples – or at least I assume they are married, since they list a male and a female with the same last names and the same addresses. I suppose they could be mother/son or father/daughter. We shall see…

One of them may actually be one of the guys I went to Mongolia with! Wouldn’t that be cool?

Expedition Update

OMG! I leave NEXT MONTH!!! I’m so excited…

I made up little packets of information for my Emergency Contact people so they would have all the information they might need in case they have to get hold of me somehow or (God forbid) have to claim my body and get it back stateside.

I’m going to get all the medications I need tonight – both prescription drugs and over-the-counter ones. I don’t need a whole lot of things, but should have the basics at least: Band-Aids, anti-itch cream, pain killers and the like. If I don’t use them, I can always leave them there to stock the boat for future needs.

I’ll have to call the vet and leave my credit card number there in case my baby sitter needs to use it. Djuna should be okay while I’m gone, but just in case.

I’ll need to call the travel agent and confirm my flights. Hopefully nothing has changed too much. I did contact the hotel and verified that there will be somebody to pick me up in Iquitos when I get there. I also have a city tour arranged once I get checked in and stow my luggage away!

I think that about does it for preparations… now all I need to do is wait till time to go.

Fender Bender

Well, I was going to write up a nice long post all about my wreck, using witty phrasing and clever statements – but honestly, I simply got hit. There’s nothing amusing about it, and I’m just not up to pretending, I guess.

The long and the short of it is that as I was leaving the grocery store one evening, the truck behind me couldn’t stop soon enough and munched the bumper on the back right-hand corner of my car.

Thankfully that was the only damage. No bodily harm was caused to either driver, and no other car was involved. The guy who hit me was a decent human being, too – surprisingly enough. He owned up to the accident, stuck around with me till the police showed up, and gracefully accepted the ticket.

Of course, now I get to deal with the hassle of insurance, body shops, car rentals, and time off work. But I suppose it could have been so much worse.

I called his insurance company today and got the ball rolling on the claim. I’ll take it in to the body shop on Friday to get the appraisal done.

Anybody want to take bets on whether or not I’ll get this finished before my vacation?

60 Days and Counting!

Today marks the 60-day point on my countdown = just two months till I go to Peru for my Scientific Expedition.

Can you tell I’m excited?

My tasks for this month are as follows:

First – I have to gather all my gear together and make sure I have everything I need. I actually did that last night and am good to go. Surprisingly enough, it’s really not that much stuff. I will be taking a carry-on and a small day pack with me, and will actually have room left over. I figured that doing the carry-on thing instead of the luggage thing would be best. That way I don’t have to wait for my luggage, or worry about losing it or anything getting stolen out of it.

Second – I have to get all my prescriptions filled. I won’t have that much with me this time; just the anti-malaria pills and some anti-diarrhea pills incase I eat something that doesn’t agree with me. I’ll be taking care of that this weekend, I think.

Everything else is pretty much taken care of. February can’t get here soon enough...

An Eventful Night

It all started out with a very uneventful day, and I was feeling very “unloved” and needy so was looking forward to spending an evening with just him and a movie. I had even picked up two cinamon rolls from the Great Harvest Bread Company for our dessert.

He had other plans, apparently. He came in from spending the day with his buddy, hopped in the shower to clean off, and then left again.

Once again, it was just me. I had watched enough TV, had read two books, and the girls had actually been snuggled enough so they had taken themselves off to the electric blanket for the night. I took their advice and went to bed early myself.

Only to be awoken a couple hours later by my house alarm! Let me tell you, when that thing goes off, it really goes off. It sounds like a 747 landing right there in your living room.

I thought at first it was it was him, coming home finally, but it just kept on going. So I went to investigate, and found the front door wide open. I very quickly shut the door and turned off the alarm, then set about trying to figure out how the door got open.

No worries - there was no intruder.

What I think happened is the wind blew it open. That is rather disturbing on several levels. First: the wind was really blowing! We’ve been having some freaky weather lately, with gusts of over 118 recorded – and last night was right on par. Second: apparently the locks on my door don’t work. Not sure what to do with that little tidbit of information.

I finally got everything straightened away enough to notice that he was still not home. I shot off a quick text asking if he was alright, then went back to bed.

Only to be awoken again several hours later – this time by 4 guys out in the road in front of my house. They were yelling and carrying on loud enough to wake the dead. At first, I was frightened, and almost called the police. They sounded very angry and were yelling things like “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” but then I realized they were just drunks. I even got to watch one of them run over to the neighbor’s house and pee all over their garage door.

Lucky me.

The funny thing about all this commotion is that Thing managed to sleep right thru it all. She was snoring, even.

401k Fund Eligibility

Yesterday marked my 6-month anniversary here at GDM Architects.

Yay for employment!!!

I am now eligible for the company’s 401k plan, so have been filling out paperwork this morning. It’s not the best plan I’ve ever participated in, but it’s so much better than nothing.

I have elected to divert 3% of my paycheck into the fund at this time. It’s not much – just around $50 a paycheck – but again, it’s better than nothing. When (or if) I get a raise, I can up that accordingly.

One thing that’s very odd about this plan is that there is no computer access to the account – it’s all done via the phones. Surely they have a website I can log onto, somewhere. I just need to track that down. I am not a phone person.

Write for Rights

Each year, Amnesty International hosts a Global Write-a-thon to fight Human Rights Abuse all over the world. They provide you with everything you need: information on the cases highlighted that year, addresses to send them to, and sample letters to follow in case you get writers block.

Since I am such a letter-writer, I have always tried to join in. This week I will be busy writing for the following:

AZERBAIJAN - Youth activist detained after using Facebook
     Hours after posting a Facebook message calling for protests against the government, Jabbar Savalan told his family that he was being followed. The next evening, police brought him to a police station, where they "discovered" marijuana in his outer coat pocket. Questioning him without a lawyer for two days, police reportedly hit and intimidated him to make him sign a confession. Jabbar Savalan maintained that he does not use drugs and that the marijuana was planted on him. Authorities in Azerbaijan have a history of using trumped-up drug charges to jail those seen as critical of the government. Amnesty International believes the charges against Jabbar were fabricated, and considers him a prisoner of conscience.

IRAN - Youth leaders imprisoned for speaking out
     Behareh Hedayat and Majid Tavakkoli are serving long prison sentences for seeking greater freedom in Iran. Majid was arrested and reportedly beaten by authorities in December 2009, after addressing a university rally in Tehran. Behareh was arrested later that month and charged with several offenses, including "insulting the leader" and "insulting the president." The two student leaders last year issued a joint statement from prison, encouraging others to continue to push for change in Iran. In response, authorities extended each of their prison sentences by another six months.

CHINA - Nobel Peace Prize laureate imprisoned
     Liu Xiaobo, recipient of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, remains imprisoned for seeking for political and legal reforms in China. Charged with "inciting subversion of state power," the prominent scholar and human rights defender was sentenced in December 2009 based on articles he'd written that criticized corruption, censorship and one-party rule. In the articles, he advocated developing a democratic multi-party political system. The court considered this to be "rumor mongering, slander and smear" that exceeded the limits of freedom of expression. The court also cited Charter 08, a proposal Liu co-founded that called for protection of universal human rights and democratic reform in China, as "slanderous" and an attempt to incite the subversion of the current regime. While in prison, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless, non-violent struggle for human rights in China. Amnesty International considers Liu Xiaobo to be a prisoner of conscience.

BAHRAIN - Teachers detained for supporting pro-reform efforts
     Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi ‘Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb, former vice-president and president of the Bahrain Teachers' Association, were detained in March after their association reportedly supported a teachers' strike amid widescale pro-reform protests in Bahrain. Jalila (photo left) was reportedly held in solitary confinement and subjected to beatings for several days. She was released on bail in August, but Mahdi Abu Dheeb remains detained. Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi Abu Dheeb were sentenced by a military court in September 2011 to prison terms of 3 years and 10 years, respectively. They had been charged with a variety of offenses, including "inciting hatred towards the regime," "calling to overthrow and change the regime by force," "calling on parents not to send their children to school," and "calling on teachers to stop working and participate in strikes and demonstrations." Amnesty International believes they may have been arrested solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and association.

INDONESIA - Jailed for raising a flag
     Filep Karma is serving 15 years in prison for raising a flag. A prominent advocate for the rights of Indonesia's Papuan population, Filep Karma was arrested for taking part in a peaceful ceremony that included the raising of the Morning Star flag, a symbol of Papuan independence. Filep Karma has experienced serious health problems in prison and has been beaten by guards. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience and calls on the Indonesian government to free Filep Karma and all other prisoners of conscience.

MEXICO - Indigenous women raped by soldiers
     For more than nine years, two women in Mexico have taken on military and government authorities to demand justice after they were raped by soldiers in 2002. Inés Fernández and Valentina Rosendo are Indigenous Me'phaa (Tlapaneca) women. Indigenous women in Mexico who are raped rarely file a complaint due to cultural, economic and social barriers. Inés Fernández and Valentina Rosendo have shown courage in reporting their ordeals and have followed up their cases in national and international courts. The women and their families have faced threats as their battle for justice continues.

CAMEROON - Imprisoned on charges of "homosexuality"
     Jean-Claude Roger Mbede is serving three years in prison on charges of "homosexuality," which is a criminal offense in the central African nation of Cameroon. Arrested in March 2011, Jean-Claude Roger Mbede is currently serving his sentence at Kondengui central prison in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, where he is at risk of physical attack and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Amnesty International considers Jean-Claude Roger Mbede to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely because of his perceived sexual orientation. Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is endemic in Cameroon. Arrests, prosecutions and trials of LGBT people, or those perceived as such, occur on a regular basis.

ZIMBABWE - Human rights activists at risk
     The activists of the human rights organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) know the price of freedom. For organizing peaceful demonstrations to protest the worsening social, economic and political situation in Zimbabwe, WOZA members have been repeatedly harassed, intimidated, beaten and jailed by authorities. For years, government officials have misused the law to arbitrarily arrest and detain human rights activists and perceived critics of the President's political party. WOZA activists have been arrested multiple times, forced into Zimbabwe's notoriously filthy, over-crowded, and disease-ridden jails. Yet, they remain undaunted in their pursuit of dignity and justice.

NORTH KOREA - Families imprisoned for life
     Shin Sook-ja and her daughters are among the estimated 50,000 men, women and children currently held in Yodok political prison camp. Yodok is one of six known camps in North Korea in which some 200,000 political prisoners and their families are imprisoned. Inmates, including children, are tortured and forced to work in dangerous conditions. Many prisoners either die in detention or shortly after being released. Authorities sent Shin Sook-ja and her daughters to Yodok in 1987 after her husband requested political asylum in Denmark. It has been over 20 years since the husband received any information about his imprisoned family.

USA (Guantánamo) - Indefinite detention
     Shaker Aamer has been held without charge by US authorities for more than 8 years. A former UK resident, he was originally detained in Afghanistan in 2001, then transferred in 2002 to the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, where he remains. At Guantánamo he has protested against conditions at the camp, including by participating in hunger strikes. He has spent much of his time there in solitary confinement. Shaker Aamer has alleged that he was tortured in detention in Afghanistan and at Guantánamo. He has never been charged, tried or convicted of any criminal offense by US authorities. His wife and children live in South London, and the British government has asked for Shaker Aamer's return from Guantánamo.

USA - Facing execution in Missouri
     No physical evidence, alleged police coercion, prosecutorial misconduct, a ‘stacked’ jury. Reggie Clemons was sentenced to death in St. Louis as an accomplice in the 1991 murder of two young white women. Clemons has consistently maintained his innocence. His case illustrates many of the flaws in the U.S. death penalty system.

SRI LANKA - Student killed by security forces
     Ragihar Manoharan was one of five Tamil students killed by security forces in January 2006 in the city of Trincomalee. Authorities have failed to prosecute anyone for their murder. His case is emblematic of the thousands of people subjected to human rights violations and war crimes in Sri Lanka by government forces or their paramilitary agents. Ragihar's father, Dr. Manoharan, has campaigned for justice for his son, accompanying Amnesty International in pressing the United Nations to establish an international war crimes investigation in Sri Lanka.

USA - Juvenile life imprisonment without parole
     At age 16, Christi Cheramie was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She has now spent more than half of her life in a Louisiana prison. It is a violation of international law to sentence anyone to life in prison without parole who was under the age of 18 at the time of the crime. Sentenced on charges of second-degree murder, Cheramie has been described by a prison warden as "a model inmate... worthy of a second chance in society." The US is the only country apart from Somalia to not ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibits the sentencing of juvenile offenders to life imprisonment without the possibility of release.

YEMEN - Death penalty following an unfair trial
     Fatima Hussein Badi is facing execution following an unfair trial. Fatima and her brother Abdullah were arrested in July 2000 for the murder of Fatima's husband. Police reportedly questioned Fatima for more than five hours without a lawyer present. When she refused to confess, Abdullah was brought to her with his face covered in blood. She was allegedly threatened with rape in the presence of Abdullah, who apparently confessed to the murder in order to save her from being raped. Fatima and Abdullah had no legal representation in trial hearings and were prevented from speaking in court. Abdullah was executed in 2005. Fatima remains at imminent risk of execution.

NIGERIA - Forced evictions of communities
     More than 200,000 people are at risk of forced eviction in Port Harcourt if Nigeria's authorities proceed with planned demolitions of all waterfront settlements without first implementing human rights safeguards. On 28 August 2009, the demolition of Njemanze informal waterfront settlement in Port Harcourt left thousands of men, women and children homeless. No prior, genuine consultation was carried out with residents. They received no adequate notice, compensation, alternative accommodation or legal remedies, although these are required by international human rights standards. Njemanze is one of more than 40 waterfront settlements in Port Harcourt slated for demolition, which state authorities claim is necessary for urban renewal. Residents of the affected communities were not consulted on the plans for redevelopment.

Temporary Insanity

I know, I know. I swore I would never have another roommate, ever again!

So what do I do? I agree to let him crash on my couch for a few weeks while he closes on his house.

The problem is “a few weeks” has somehow managed to turn in to “a couple of months” because of course closing on a house never goes as smoothly as one hopes.

It’s actually not too bad. He’s set up in the library on my futon, and has all his stuff packed into half of the garage.

But still… it’s somebody living in my house with me.

And then he goes and makes it that much worse. You’ll never in a million years guess what he did.

He got a dog.

He knew I didn’t want dogs in my house. We had talked about it earlier, and he agreed he should wait till he was into his own place.

That lasted barely a week.

She is a puppy, actually. A 9-week old silver Labrador named Daisy. She’s not potty trained or leash trained. She cries a lot and even howls when left alone. And she chews on everything.

Actually, it’s not all bad. She is adorable, and he keeps her in her kennel most of the time. He’s working on potty training her, and we’re both working on teacher her what she can chew on and what she can’t.

Update on Djuna

My little June Bug had a vet’s appointment Saturday. Since it is quite chilly outside, I fixed up her travel carrier with a hot water bottle that has a sheepskin cover on it. She loved that: it’s nice and warm AND fuzzy all at the same time. Almost makes up for having to go to the vet.

Almost.

She is such a good little girl and has everybody over at The Pet Stop completely wrapped around her little fingers. They all love her, and keep commenting on how tiny she is. They can’t believe she’s not only all grown up (as in not a kitten) but is actually a grandmother!

The exam went well enough, with both good news and bad news as a result of it all.

The bad news:
     Her kidneys are not getting any better.

The good news:
     She’s not getting any worse, either.

The bad news:
     She has another infection. They had to keep her all day in order to get a urine sample, but I’m glad they did. I had no idea she was not feeling well again (and boy do I feel guilty about that) but now she’s back on antibiotics to fight it so all will be well again.

The good news:
     She’s gained weight! When she first came to live with me she weighed 5lbs 4oz. Now, almost 2.5 years later, she weighs 6lbs 3oz. That’s really good, and the vet was very happy about it.

So I guess our plan of attack is to continue with the weekly IV treatments, keep her eating wet foods and drinking as much water as possible, and take her in every 4 months to check her blood levels and urine.

My Second Cup of Tea

I received my second shipment from the Tea of the Month Club last night:
     4oz of Ceylon Balangoda Tea FP

The description on the package reads:
     The Balangoda estate is in one of the more beautiful corners of the planet. It is situated in the low-grown Ruhunu district and shares geography with the breathtaking Yala National Park. The park is comprised of wild brush, ocean beaches, jungles, rocky terrain, and numerous lakes and rivers. Because of the wide variety terrain, the park is home to animal life of all description, from leopards to Asian elephants, wild boar, crocodiles, painted storks, and of course the Sri Lanka Junglefowl. Although the Ruhunu district is perhaps better known for its parkland than tea acreage, the region produces some fabulous teas every bit as colorful and full of life as its wild inhabitants!
     This bold Ceylon Balangoda FP (Flowery Pekoe) Tea offers strength without bitterness, and a fine rich flavor. Strong enough for breakfast and takes milk and sugar well. Also a fine afternoon tea served plain. Use one teaspoon per cup and steep about 3 minutes in freshly boiled water.

I of course brewed myself a cup as soon as I got in the house and was very pleased with it. My niece came over to visit so I made her a cup, too. 

So far I’m thinking my little indulgence here is a wonderful thing!

Numbers and Patterns

If you’re even half as fascinated with numbers and patterns as I am, I’m sure you noticed the passing of this momentous date: 11-11-11

But did you notice this one? 11-02-2011
Or how about this one? 11-22-11

Yes, November has truly been an interesting month…

My Craft Room Just Keeps Getting Better!

Have you tried out that new Groupon thing? Each day they send out an email highlighting that day’s special deal: anything from 75% off dinner at the Taproot to a two-for-one deal on carpet cleaning for your home. You can really get some good deals and not only are they easy to purchase, they’re even easier to use.

A while ago they had one for 50% off a Wall Mural from LTL Prints. I’m assuming that LTL stands for “Larger than Life” because their smallest mural was 4’ long by 9” wide. The photos to choose from were anything from cityscapes (New York, London, Paris, even Anchorage) to Landscapes (beach scenes, desert scenes, jungle scenes, tundra scenes) to just about anything you could think of.

Since I have been looking for something to decorate the wall in my Craft Room anyway, I went ahead and got one. It took a while to choose the perfect scene, but I finally did. I ended up with a picture of Denali and the surrounding area – and it looks just PERFECT up there on my wall!

A big thanks to Lorna and Rob for helping me install it. Even though it was easy enough, it was still a 5-foot long by 18-inches wide photo that required numerous attempts at getting it level.

Then, not two days later, Rob put together the last two cubbies to complete the storage line-up under the window! I now have 12 of them, each one a different arrangement of drawers, shelves, or slots. I must say, it looks so good now.

As an added bonus, I now have so much room to store supplies I just might have to go shopping for more!

One Really Pissed Off Clown

It’s hard to believe that my niece is 23 years old. Of course, I still think of her as a little girl – but that’s what Aunties are for.

I remember one time I went out to Palmer. I was with my sister-by-choice, Lisa, and we were on our way up to the Matanuska River to do a float trip (quasi white water rafting). We stopped off at Noel’s house to visit and found little Katy, age 6, all dressed up in a clown outfit, of all things.

Talk about cute! Her mother had made the costume for her, all billowing legs & arms with bright colors and big buttons. She looked absolutely adorable, and was really enjoying being the center of attention.

Soon enough Lisa and I had to be off to start our adventure on time, so climbed back in to the truck and headed off down the road.

Apparently, Katy did not want us to leave just yet. In fact, she was downright MAD at us. She ran out to the front yard and started screaming bloody murder, jumping up and down and throwing her arms all over the place.

It was honestly the funniest thing I’d ever seen – and yet, at the same time, it was extremely disturbing.

There she was, on the side of the road where EVERYBODY in Palmer could see her – dressed up in a clown outfit – throwing one of her best-ever biggest temper tantrums.

Oh how I wish I’d had a video camera!

Expedition Update

First: I now have confirmation that my insurance will be reimbursing me at 100% for my inoculations. This is really good news as they are quite expensive and the doctor’s office required payment up-front. I’ll need to find out whom to expect a refund from: will it come from the doctor’s office or from my insurance? Not that it matters, really. It’s all money in the bank! But, I should like to know who to expect it from.

Second: I just made my final payment towards the expedition this morning. The Expedition Fund I set up was a huge success (thank you to all who donated) and helped defray almost half the cost. The rest of it came from my savings account which unfortunately has left me quite drained of emergency funds. But it’s totally worth it!

My next milestone will be at 60 days prior to leaving, which comes up in about a month. At that time, I will review all my gear to make sure I have everything I need and figure out how to pack it all. I will also get the prescription medication needed for the trip: the malaria pills, some antibiotics (in case I get a terrible case of traveler’s diarrhea) and some Xanex (to help me relax in the airplane).

Now that they have final payment from everybody planning to go on the expedition, I expect I’ll be getting a list of all my fellow volunteers soon. I can’t wait to see whose going! Typically I send a brief introductory email, just to say hello. Sometimes, I even get responses back.